Beading

 Today was spent doing the usual Sunday morning chores.  I did manage to get the bed stripped and into the washer for the second week in a row. This is one step forward in my Hand recovery.  

I spent a few hours making one of a kind stitch markers for crocheting and keep track of the front side of knitting projects. I had a great time playing with my beads. I also went through my bead crafting drawers and am going to destash some findings that I no longer need, because I am no longer doing fund raisers for Eric’s day program.  I use to make between 50 and 100 pairs a year to raise money. That was followed by lunch and a very long nap.  I find that by either using my hand or going to physical therapy both do require naps afterwards.  

Tomorrow I plan on making more stitch markers.  Of course a nap will follow.  

Sewing Room

 Today I am working in the sewing room. Doing minor repairs. Making some stitch markers and stitch stoppers. Maybe even sewing on a button or 2. Maybe even a dog pillow or 2.  The end result is going to be less projects piled up waiting for me. 

The first completed repair jobs were 2 shopping bags that had holes that needed patching.  The largest one with the turquoise bottom, got the small green patch today. You many have noticed that I tend to overlap the patches.  I think that gives the bags more strength and less places to have break through holes. I have had this shopping bag since before we were married so last century. The one with the dark blue patch is newer.  I find the newer bags need more repair work than the older ones. Just goes to show they don’t make things like they used to. Now they are heading to the laundry before they go back into rotation. I wash my bags with regularity and they seem to last longer. I also put my groceries in these bags so I want them clean.

Now back to the sewing room to see what I can finish today.

Six Plus Heat

 It was a 6 jigsaw puzzle day. I had physical therapy for my right hand today.  After a few errands and lunch it was nap time.  Afterwords I could not hold a knitting needle or do any spinning. So I listened to a book and did jigsaw puzzle after jigsaw puzzle this afternoon.  

It was also pretty hot outside today with another day of 110f temperatures.  This being Tucson it is not unusual for this time of year before our summer rains. No matter what they say on the national news broadcasts.  I really hope we get some rain in the next week or 2. Otherwise it will be a very long hot summer.  Also for those of you not use to this kind of heat if it is going to be above 90f you want to start your walk or hike very early and plan to be OFF the trail by no later than 10 a.m.   Then go hydrate. If you feel thirsty you are already low on water. No matter what ads you see or read, water is the best summer drink around.  

I will see where my hand is tomorrow.  Maybe after my early morning errands I will actually be able to spin a bit or do some sewing. Maybe it will cool off tonight a little, it’s still 92f at 11 p.m.  

TTFN

Busy Again

 I was busy today.  I finished 2 more dog pillows before breakfast. Went to lunch and knit with a friend.  Truth be told we brought our lunch back to the house, it was even too hot for a patio with misters.  Worked on a new pattern and got past the half way point and color change. Did some random cleaning. Grocery shopping. All this dispute my body and a heat wave.  Tucson peaked out at 110f today. 

I ran out of energy for spinning and tagging yarn.  I am now going to call it an early night.  

Big Steps

 With Christmas in July coming to the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild on July 19th at 9:30 am,  I have been spinning up a storm and deciding which of my current hand spun yarns are going to leave the nest.  With my hand issues still not going away. Add to that my limited time to use my hands daily some big decisions had to be made. I only kept what is currently talking to me.  To that end, I now have over 1 cubic feet of hand spun yarn tagged and ready for the 19th.  I still have a bit more to tag tomorrow.  

When that is done I will come up with a few more simple things that I hope my friends will love.  I also have a bunch of dog pillows to make.  Then those will leave the house too.  I think I might be able to fill my car with dog pillows once I am done.  

I am really hoping we don’t have another summer like 1994 with over 100 days over 100f. On the other hand being just a couple of years older the heat seems to be effecting me a bit more.  I am less heat tolerant.  I am trying hard not to mope and being more proactive on getting things done.  

One last thing.  This is the first batch of Tour De Fleece 2023 newly minted or should I say hand spun yarn.  I had fun spinning it.  

A New Pattern

 I have released My Doodle Shawl knitting pattern today. I also have a version with a lighter weight yarn in progress. The numbers are totally different. I am knitting as fast as my body will allow me. My Doodle is currently on Ravelry or your local yarn store.  Here is the link to My Doodling Shawl . Since the yarn I used has been discontinued by Cascade Yarns I would personally recommend going to your local yarn shop or Indy dyer to get 5 skeins of Aran weight yarn in your color choice. If you are giving this as a gift, yes it would make a fantastic gift make sure you use a washable yarn.  If you don’t have them already you will also need a U.S. size 11x 60 inches or an 8mm x 150 circular knitting needle.  

This is a beginner level pattern perfect for watching television for the more experienced knitters out there. Please post pictures when you’re finished.  Also let us know which yarn you chose, and who the Yarn maker was. 

It has been too hot to take out door pictures here in Tucson. 

In memory of…..

 My biggest accomplishment today was dropping off 11.9 pounds of soda tabs to the Tucson Ronald McDonald House. They took up most of the back of my car.  They will go to pay the utilities and the leftover money will help the families.  I do this to remember both my dad and Eric.  I know that their memories will always be a blessing. 

Please feel free to drop off your tabs at your local Ronald McDonald House in memory of a loved one so that they may be remembered with fondness..

We’re Back

 We took a small break from the everyday of life.  I took a spinning class on the Navajo Spindle and wandered around the Flagstaff Wool and fiber festival.  We then went to Page to explore.  If you have not gone it has some must sees.  More later.  Also a bit of shopping in Phoenix at my favorite store.  

I came back with a cold because a twenty something turned around and sneezed in my face.  Yes we were outside with no masks on.  However there is no way to avoid the fall out when someone is just that rude.  Please remember for the health and safety of your community to sneeze into your arm, elbow, tissue or shirt or if you have a really good friend the back of their shirt will work too. 

In this case offering to wash said shirt is just a very humble suggestion.  It is never ok to sneeze into someone’s face.  

We have already unpacked and the laundry is sorted.  The beds changed.  Laundry will start tomorrow.  I will be going in the speed of snail for a few days.  I can already feel the achy feeling.  

TTFN

Sheri You Should Know

 After almost 24 years of knitting I have finally figured out that “Sheri you should know” is knitting speak for a yarn shop owner (By the way those shops are no longer in business.) saying I don’t know what to do.  I have no idea how to knit the stuff that I am selling you.  If I make you feel stupid you will just go away…so will my local yarn store with time. 

Well the pattern Anne Shoulder Scarf came up on my UFO rotation. I started it when the kids were in elementary and middle school.  Yeah, as I said it’s been a while.  So it was best to start it over from the beginning. So this morning I have frogged it, which is knit speak for ripping it out.  Cast on again. Gone to youTube to look up how to do the stitches that I still did not know how to do.  So far this morning I have learned 3 new knitting stitches. Yeah me.   I am also 6 rows into the knitting of the pattern “Anne” as designed and knit by Chris Carroll. I am using Schaefer yarn call Anne.  A really nice Superwash Merino, Mohair and Nylon yarn in a variegated pink, yellow and orange color way   

Did you notice that after 6 months post surgery I can knit again.  Yeah hands. 

Well it is time to get my day going so I can find more time to knit.  Have a fantastic day. 

Still

 I am still dealing with a stupid sinus infection. I am almost done with the 2nd round of antibiotics.  Not much else is happening here.  

More weaving

 Well everything is off both looms right now.  I was a bit to tired to take 30 minutes to warp the smaller loom for a scarf.  There is always tomorrow for that.  I say this because I have a bad sinus infection and don’t have much energy for anything.  

I finally finished tying the ends of my open weave summer shawl.  As predicted by John, the colors did not look right on me. The yarn pooling though not done on purpose was spot on.  The width and length were perfect.  It’s just that the color did not look good on me.  I also have 3 full cakes of the yarn left over.  I really hate bringing back unused yarn to exchange, but they are the same color and dye lot.  I guess that I can always use the yarn for warp for scarfs.  Also since this shawl is going in my give to people I like gift box there will be no pictures until gifted.  

I am really tired so it’s TTFN. 

A Cacophony of Scarfs

 A decision has been made to use all the yarn in the Bye-Bye project bag for one of a kind scarfs for a local children’s clothing bank.  Each one will be different.  I have 2 completed.  I have one that I am doing the finishing work on.  I have also picked out the next warp color for scarf number 4.  

Below is a look at the yarn I will be using. You might see a pile of odds and ends, but I see an endless cacophony of scarves. As it is still easier to weave and spin rather than knit, I suspect that I will have a whole bunch of scarfs done by the holidays.  I wonder if I will be able to fill the Bye-Bye project bag with hand woven scarfs.  It is a very good goal in my humble opinion.  

Waste Not Want Not

 I was given quite a few cones of very fine cotton yarn for weaving cloth.  Since I don’t anticipate getting a multi heddle loom any time soon. I decided to try an experiment with the yarn for my warp threads.  Instead of threading every other slot on the heddle I put a double thread through the slots and holes.  It does take longer to thread. However once the threads are all through, I just roll everything on to the back roll.  Then tie everything down and start weaving   

The first scarf I tried this with was on a 5 dent heddle.  I wove this with a combination of hand spun yarn and yarn that had a hand spun look. That was taken off the loom tonight and still needs finishing work.  Tonight’s warp is on a 10 dent heddle that will be woven with sock yarn recovered from last night’s Bye Bye project.  I think I will have enough sock yarn to weave at least 3 scarves.  

At this point if you are a weaver and are offended by this, sorry not sorry.  If I were not meant to experiment like this, the cones of yarn would not have been donated to a Knitting Guild.  Also you might just like the way the weave turns out.  It is not textbook weaving, but it does create a nice scarf with a pretty texture. So give it a try before you start making the comments that I am doing it wrong.  Just weaving outside the box. 

Saying Goodbye

 

I started this project when the kids were much younger, maybe 15 or so years ago.  As a unique one of a kind shawl for me. Made with my hand spun yarn and samples of different yarns. I made the decision a few minutes ago that this was never going to get finished. Also wouldn’t all the colorful bits of yarn make happy children’s scarves?  So the bag is going to be emptied and sorted tonight. The center piece will not be salvaged and put into a dog pillow. The bag below will be emptied and sorted tonight and a basket will come off the floor. 

Life is Unfair

 Nothing in my book says life is unfair more than having to donate a white shirt to charity because I shrunk out of it.  Those that know me well, know that I have a very bad habit of staining white shirts beyond use.  It just seems so wrong.  

Found

 My reading glasses were found neatly tucked in bed under the covers last night.  I must have been in a hurry while making my bed up yesterday morning.  The remote control for the fan was found underneath what was a very big pile of paperwork.  I think I need to be more mindful about things.  

In much better news, I have lost another 2 inches around my rib cage.  I predict smaller summer dresses in my future.  Unfortunately I might have to drive a bit to find some new summer dresses. Tucson Mall had nothing that I liked.  It is nice to be able to be picky about things like new outfits, instead of just buying what fits.  

Missing

 So far today I have lost one pair of reading glasses and one Dyson fan remote control.  I think I will call it a day before I lose anything else.  

A Roller Coaster of a Day

 Life seems to be about taking 2 steps forward and 4 steps backward today.  The hand strengthening exercises, well, I wasn’t quite ready for those. So here we are are at almost the beginning again.  I am back to just mild stretching exercises once a day. 

So for now it will be just spinning and weaving.  At least with weaving, I am using up yarn faster than I am spinning it.  I have 2 scarfs completed ready for pictures.  The scarf that I started in January will have to wait a bit longer for those final rows.  Sighs! 

Since I could not sleep this morning, I spent 3 hours cleaning house before breakfast.  The results are 1 bag of trash and 2 bags of recycling out. Two loads of laundry completed. Five dog pillows finished and ready for delivery this weekend.  With lots of stuff going to their proper places.  Also 1 mile walked.  Did I mention that I also managed to fill one box for Goodwill too?

Making Progress

 Today I finished plying 3 mini skeins of hand spun yarn.  I used the drop spindle instead of the spinning wheel because it gives me a better yarn. By this I mean a more balanced twist.  It is so much easier to control the twist.  

I also made a concerted effort to catch up on my back log of making dog pillows.  I made 6 cases. I stuffed 5 and pinned them.  I left 1 by my squirrel cage for all the little bits and pieces I get when caking yarn.  I also cut the fabric for 2 more pillows.  

After all that hand work my hands were just too tired to knit tonight.  Sometimes I feel like a beginner in knitting were projects took months instead of days.  I have about 2 more ounces to knit.  I hope to be finished by Mother’s Day.  I am really ready for my hands to be better.  

Quiff

 Quiff is a real word.  Good for Scrabble or W.E.LD.E.R..  if you don’t believe me just look it up.  

Over Done

 Today I tackled some deep cleaning, tossing and redoing a bathroom to make it less cluttered.  Gone is the magazine rack that held magazines and wash cloths.  I used to go through about 50 wash clothes a week with Eric, now that I am only using them to dry my hands I don’t need that many out anymore.  All the wash cloths are either in a drawer or have been reassigned to other uses.  The counter is far nicer to look at. 

At lunch I was able to open a fresh jar of peanut butter for the first time since January. I am not sure how much of that is contributing to my current level of hand pain. 

I had so much recycling going to the bin that I asked John to carry it all out. By the way he was more than happy to help carry it out.  I wanted to do more cleaning and tossing. My body said it was nap time. My hand said “what did you do to me?” Yep, I might have been too gung-ho on the cleaning front today.  

We also went dryer shopping today.  We tried to shop local first, they said it would be about 10 months to get a gas dryer I wanted.  Then we went to a big box store and got the same dryer to be delivered this week.  Guess which store we bought from?

I also filled one box for Goodwill for good measure.  

Another One Bites The Dust

 No it is not a fiber project that has been finished. It is however just as important to me.  The dryer has died after about 15 years of service.  This is to read no laundry until the replacement arrives. Thank goodness I was mostly caught up.  However the sheets will have to be rewashed as they pick up the odor from the dryer.  Something has just decided to burn out.  As per Consumer Reports it is not a great investment to repair something that old.  So we will be trying to find one that fits in our limited space that is white.  Easy peasy right. Not so much. The Gold Star appliances tend to be larger for some reason.  The newer houses  are designed for larger washers and dryers.  Sadly the houses built so last century are not.  So wish us luck.  

A Little Bit Of Loom Time

 Since knitting is still very tiring for my right hand. Not to mention that it is hard to knit more than a few rows a day. Also I should not be spinning tons of new yarn just to sit in bags on my shelves.  I decided to try a bit of weaving.  

Why weaving you might ask. Well for one thing I use 2.5 times more yarn in a weaving project than a similar knitting or crochet project.  That is a very good thing right now, since the new winter shawl that I started in January still has one skein more of yarn to go before it is finished.  Another reason is that it is now April 10th and I have not completed one project this year.  Yes, you have read that right, nada, not one completed project has been completed for 2023.  Yes, I am giving my hand time to heal after multiple  surgeries in January and February on my right hand.  Yes, I am making very slow progress. Also the older I get the longer it takes to heal.  

Well the news isn’t all that bad. Since I have brought the looms, yes plural looms out last week, I have almost completed one scarf.  It took 2 1/2 skeins of yarn.  I took it off the smaller loom last night.  I gave it its hot water bath this morning.  With the temperatures in Tucson in the low 90’s it should be dry by sometime tomorrow. Then I can do the finishing touches on it. 

On the larger loom I have a cotton open weave shawl going in a variegated yarn.  This is my first attempt at open weaving.  The first few inches look fantastic.  I can’t wait to see what design the yarn will make.  A 2nd scarf was started on the smaller loom tonight. I am using up a bunch of bulky yarn on a 5 dent heddle. In English that translates to 5 warp threads per inch.  Where the shawl is a much denser 12 warp threads per inch. A huge difference in the time it takes to warp the loom., not to mention the time it takes to weave each piece. It took 4 hours to warp the shawl and less than 30 minutes for the scarf.  

So without further ado here is an almost side by side of both looms.   With a picture of the open weaving too.  The bottom of the open weave will be straighter once it is taken off the loom   

Bye Bye

 We got this ceiling fan shortly after we moved into our house.  We have been able to to find parts to fix it for over 2 decades. Now we are having trouble finding a new light kit, which are no longer manufactured. So we sadly have decided to replace the fan because the lights don’t work properly anymore.  

I even tried threatening it with replacing it. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. It’s like hitting the old style cathode ray tube TVs.  Sometimes hitting them in the right spot would make it work just a little longer until dad could come home and pull out the burnt out tube, then go to the store and buy a new one to plug in.  Then the television would work until the next tube burnt out.  We could always get new tubes.  This time it did not and no parts available.  So tomorrow after lunch we will have the fan and lighting unit replaced.  I really hate designed obsolescence.  It is a tremendous waste of resources. Not to mention more things landing up in the landfill.  

Warped

 Today I managed to warp both my looms.  The small one was easy after I dumped the first batch of warp that literally started disintegrating as I was trying to warp the loom.  The second try was much better.  I will finish the warping process tomorrow, by winding the yarn on to the rear beam.  Then threading the heddle.  Then tying the yarn in place.  Then weaving to finish a charity scarf.

The second loom was took 2 hours to partially warp.  I will probably finish that on Friday.  It took a whole cake off of Whoopee by Circulo Yarns to warp a shawl for me. That is 578 yard or 528 meters.    I was able to get 3 more cakes in my desired color at Grandmas Spinning Wheel.  The loom did not want to be warped and needed John’s attention a little over 1/2 way through the process.  The Shawl will be about 23 inches wide so I will need an extra set of hands to wind the yarn up on the rear beam.  

My small loom.   

Almost all of my larger loom.  You can see the difference between the 2 looms and why I will need help with the larger loom.  

In other news my eyes are doing great.  No issues following last year’s surgery.  

Side by Side

 John always comes up with elegant solutions.  Take this week for instance.  I was feeling really for no other term really super fat.  John’s solution was to pull a picture from just before I started my lifestyle changes from 2021 in Sabino Canyon. 

Then he took a picture while we were at saguaro national park east today for a comparison. Which he showed me at lunch.  It really lifted my mood.  I can really see the changes in my face.  

While I still have some more weight to lose, even I can see the progress of side by side pictures.  By the way the outfit in the top picture was sent to Goodwill months ago.  This current shirt is 2 sizes smaller.  Notice that I have rolled up the sleeves 3 inches because the shirt is starting to get too big.  The pants were bought on a trip with my eldest just after she finished grad school.  Over a decade ago.  Giving a shout out to shopping my closet. 

So I will continue on my less of me is more of me journey with renewed focus.

How WasYour Day?

 It was a no good, very bad, horrible day…..I did not eat a box of brownies or cupcakes.   Sorta of good.

I did my physical therapy and exceeded my walking goal.  Really good.

It was no way in the world a break even day.  Sighs!

Plus I did not buy enough yarn for a weaving project.  I need 3 more skeins of the yarn for a woven summer shawl.  Sighs! 

I hope I can still get some more Circulo Whoopee in color 9883 batch 698459.  

Less is More

 I started physical therapy for my right hand.  I am hopeful that this will bring much needed pain relief.  I am also hopeful that I might start to get more sleep.  All I need to do is a lot less.  Wish me luck.  

Spring has Sprung

 I went out for my walk today.  This plant seemed to come to life overnight.  The flowers are more plentiful when we really cut back this bush.  I am really not sure what kind of bush it is. It was here when we moved in so last century.  The rest of the front yard does not really come into life until the summer monsoon rains.  

A Very Busy Day

 I was finally feeling well enough to vacuum almost all the tile in the house. I skipped the knitting room.  That will get do after I finish the next round of de stashing. That makes a little bit of a mess.  After that I steam mopped half the house.  After 1 1/2 hours of cleaning I called it quits.  We have an awful lot of tile in the house.  Let’s just face the facts.  At the time it was easier to push Eric’s wheelchair over tile than carpet.  It is also easier to clean up messes on tile rather than carpet.  It was a strategy that worked well for us. In that cleaning time I did not include the 4 loads of laundry.  That happened before breakfast, well at least the start of the 1st 2 loads.  The washing machine and dryer do most of the work.  

I also got a bit of knitting time in while listening to my current audiobook All The Devils Are Here by Louise Penny.  I just love her writing.  I am also not listening to the books in order,  just what I can get at the library when I need a new book.  

I can tell when I have a very active day. My hands get very, very tired.  

Need I Say More?

 After a really bad couple of hand days and nights, my hand was feeling well enough to knit a few rows tonight. I might finally finish my new shawl this week. It might be that I had started wearing my Maxi Fingerless Gloves while sleeping again.  

4th Avenue Street Fair

 We made it to the 4th Avenue Street Fair today.  My find of the day was a pair of Calla Lily earrings made from Pennie’s from the 1960’s.  Kate Hast is a very talented metalsmith.  She is also the owner of Le Duc Jewelers.  You can find her work on line at Le Duc Jewelers. There you can sign up for her newsletter to see where she will be at or order online.  She will be at the 4th Avenue Street Fair until Sunday.  She is on the eastern side of the street towards the back.  

I was also very pleased to see that the local Lavender Oaks Farm has opened a Brick and Mortar store located at 347 East 4th Street. The shop is called The Lavender Manor.  This is at the corner of 4th Avenue.  They have all things lavender of course. The lavender is grown on their farm.  Plus a tea room with all things tea.  

This was my shopping splurge today.  I do use the lavender in my knitting room and boxes to ward off evil little bugs that eat yarn. The hand cream is wonderful. The lip balm just because it’s dry in the desert southwest and they had peppermint.  You can shop online at Life under the Oaks. They also have a news letter and events at the farm.  Check out the current details online. Events change with the seasons. 

More Progress

 I did something that I have never done before.  I typed up most of a new pattern before I have finished knitting the sample. I have to admit that has a lot to do with my recent hand surgeries and the slow healing process.  There are still a few tweaks to do. The sample to finish.  A bit more editing.  It will definitely take me longer to finish the knitting.  Then it’s picture time.  I am thinking some time in April with any luck.  Then there are 3 more patterns in the pipeline.  Just maybe I am getting my mojo back. 

I also have hit my walking goal 10 days in a row of a minimum of 5,500 steps.  I think my current decluttering efforts have a lot to do with the high numbers. I also tend to get a lot of steps cleaning house.  Also it is easier to walk with hand pain than knee pain.  

Patterns Leaving

 Today I tackled over 20 years of accumulated knitting patterns.  On this first cut I got rid of almost all the lace patterns.  Also patterns that were aspirational at the time, as I will have the skills to knit these some day.  Well a long story shortened, I have the knitting skills and I no longer want to knit them.  I emptied three 2 inch binders plus took some out of 3 inch binders.  I will bring them to the next knitting guild meeting so other knitters can pick and choose patterns that were published pre Ravelry days by indie designers   I even had to start a second bag to accommodate all the knitting patterns that are leaving.  Next on the agenda is to make a second cut as to what I can realistically make.  This should cut thing’s further, however that will take more time.  So today I cleaned off 8 inches of shelf space.  John and I are happy about that.  

To be filed under they don’t make things like they use too. The television we bought when Eric was no longer able to go on vacations about 15 years ago, died this week.  John picked out a great model, don’t ask, because I don’t know. I stayed home for that shopping trip with all that new technology. I really did not want to break the store.  I do know that it is about the same size and has a better picture quality than the old one.  I sat and knitted while I watched them install it. 3 technicians and John.  

A busy but wonderful day.  

Shopping from My Closet

 I have finally lost enough weight and inches to start shopping from my closet.  I can’t wait to see where that takes me.  What style trends can I start with clothing that I bought when my daughter graduated graduate school.  I now have more energy because of the weight loss and as a result I am doing yet another round of deep cleaning. 

Leaving this time are lace knitting patterns.  Those who know me are quite understandably happy. Quilting patterns. Also patterns for outfits that I will never make that are back in style.  Not to mention all the things that went into recycling. Did I mention that the Goodwill box is overflowing? Less is turning into more.  Less time to find things. More time to do things. More open space.    A win- win for me.  

This week I might even try my Lucet for the very first time.  A kind artist at the renaissance fair in Phoenix showed me how to do it. Now it is my turn to try it. My right hand is still wonky so wish me luck.

I got some bad food last Saturday and landed up with a mild case of food poisoning, but have finally fully recovered.  It was a rough couple of days.  We have all been there.  

TTFN

The third time is a charm

 Today it took 3 tries to find a pair of pants that fit.  The first 2 tries got way to big.  I will try shopping in my closet to see if I have smaller pants that fit before I go shopping again. Wish me luck. Also I have almost filled another box of clothing that has gotten too big for Goodwill.  

Old School

 I spent the afternoon catching up with plying yarn.  This is some art yarn plyed on my Louet Victoria.  100% wool plyed with Little Flowers by Crystal Palace Yarns.  It will go into a hand woven scarf.  No tears or deleted words involved.  Just relaxing joy.  

Progress is Good

 A good but all around tiring day.  I had knitting guild this morning.  Followed by lunch with John.  Followed by a long nap.  Followed by lots of small cleaning tasks which lead to some great progress.  

I raffled off my last spare yarn swift at knitting guild. Now it just the Shepard’s Woodworking squirrel cage for me.  That makes me very happy.  That cleans out a bit more room.  I am finding that taking many smaller steps in cleaning and decluttering are leading to bigger strides.  

Which has lead me to break down bigger tasks in my head.  I will have to see if this works out.  

This and That

 I have started pre spring cleaning.  The more weight I lose, the more energy I have.  Except when pain wakes me up at night.  So I am trying to do tons of small little things that seem to be adding up to bigger things.  I am also trying to walk more. Today I got over 7,000 steps. 

It was interesting shopping at Target today. They are remodeling the whole store. Moving everything around.  They have extra staff on hand to help.  I can compare it to a home remodel except it is super sized.  Almost everything is going to be in different places, even the freezer and cold Food sections.  It looks like they are adding more energy efficient freezer and chiller cases.

My hand was even feeling well enough to knit a few rows on the doodle shawl.  I am taking baby steps with my hand.  

Preparing for Summer

 As I promised myself. Today I tried on all my summer dresses and skirts.  Most skirts will have to be worn with heels because of the design on the skirts. For some reason they all got longer over the winter. All 5 of the sleeveless dresses had to go, they were just too big and showed too much. They are now in the Goodwill box.  Some of my summer dresses were regulated to house dresses. Others we will wait to see if they are going to be worth getting them hemmed. They seem to have gotten longer and looser over the winter.  Since it will be about a month or so before I have to make up my mind, I will let them stay for now.  

Below is the pile of dresses leaving. Three are from my favorite designer Bryn Walker.  Someone will get a Ganga at Goodwill.  The other 2 are pandemic online shopping off of eBay.  Somehow I thought the pile would be bigger.  

A Taste of Spring

 We had our first 80 degree day of the year.  Since I have lost so much weight and a whole lot of inches, I plan on getting a jump start on summer by trying on all my summer clothing to see what fits.  This will let me know what will need to be filled in.  Of course the clothing will be bought closer to summer. A good closet purge is good every once in a while. Goodwill will get the clothes that are to big. I already know that I will need some summer weight long sleeve tops in light colors, especially white.

It was a great day for lunch and dinner outside too.  Now if the wait staff would stop insisting that all salads need salad dressing I would be extremely happy.  If I had wanted salad dressing, I would have ordered it.  If a salad is made with fresh and tasty ingredients no dressing is required. It dulls the flavor of the vegetables.  Not to mention adds a few hundred calories to a very healthy meal.  

I almost forgot to mention that yesterday when I was looking for a shirt, I fit into the petite size clothing. It has been decades since that happened last. Yes, I know it was the PXL, but it is moving in the right direction. Go me.  

A Few Trying Things Today

 Some days are harder than others at the grocery store. Today at Trader Joe’s they had my favorite jam filled cookies that are dairy free.  I really wanted to buy a box or 2 but left them behind at the store. I consider this a win for me.  Since I have passed the 20% total weight loss things are slowing down.  Although I am losing inches like crazy.  Maybe once my body is finished losing this round of inches the weight loss will pick up again.  I can only hope. 

I also found out that it is next to impossible to spin silk on a drop spindle outside when it is windy.  I put the spindle back into its bag and knit 4 rows of my doodling shawl. Then stayed outside until it became too cold.  

My right hand is still an issue.  I hope it makes a full recovery soon. It is driving me crazy.  

Just Tuesday

 I drove from one end of Tucson all the way to Marana then back to a grocery store by the house doing errands today.  Then it was lunch time and nap time.  

The biggest news of the day is that I folded socks today.  The first time since my hand surgery in January.  It is definitely baby steps.  But I will take them all in hopes of running in 6 months to a year.  

No Art Fair for Me Today

 Today did not go as planned.  A wardrobe malfunction caused a change in plans.  So I went shopping.  The bad news was the mall was a bust.  The good news is that with less product in the stores almost all the stores I went to were ADA compliant with a minimum of 36” between racks.  I am not sure why it took almost 30 years and a pandemic to make it happen.  

Even better news. The internet still works and I was able to order what I needed in a couple of hours.  Most everything should be here by Thursday.  

12,074

 I did 12,074 steps today. Which is 5.05 miles. John had to walk further to get less steps.  That is the penalty for being taller and having longer legs.  

Post Pandemic Shopping

 I am really beginning to hate post pandemic shopping.  Big retailers say come to our stores to buy what you need. So I went to the stores only to be told that item that they used to stock in stores is only available on line.  However they will order what they think I want or that they are over stocked with and not what I want.  

So now I try calling the store ahead of time when it literally across town.  I land up at an out of country call center where I repeat my question a minimum of 5 times and the person just wants to data harvest.  If we land up getting through to the store, they don’t carry it in the store. Then we get a callback from the out of country call center saying head on over they have them in stock. 

A Hint to Big Companies. Customers don’t like or need the run around that you are handing out. We don’t have to shop at your stores.  Customer service is job one, yes I said job one.  Without customers buying whatever you are selling you are out of business.  We deserve and demand good customer service.  

I am going down through sizes at a good clip right now.  When I lose a size, I really need to try on what I want to buy instead of just guessing.  Please try to do better.  Running companies has always been hard work.  Companies that are not well run fail.  Poor customer service can cause problems to your bottom lines.  Which leads to Chapter 11 or 13.  Both you may want to avoid if at all possible, it’s really bad for you if you depend on quarterly bonuses to pay you personal bills. 

Please try to make shopping like it was 2019.  When shopping was easier for all involved.  We need a reason to get off the computer and head to the malls.  The extra walking is good for us.  The selection should be awesome.  

The Tucson Version

 Last night it started snowing at our house.  Since we live in the Sonoran desert. This is a rare occurrence. I stayed up past midnight to watch the snow and get pictures. 

This morning the Santa Catalina Mountains looked like this. I also put today’s date on the barbecue instead of building a snowman. I don’t think my hand would have liked that. I just finished what John started. It was a fantastic idea.  

Four hours later the Santa Catalina Mountains looked like this.   

The snow did not last long. We did however get 1/2 inch of rain and melted snow in our rain gauge.  Some of our plants are worse for wear, others our fine.  I tend not to baby my outdoor plants.  The need to be able to survive on their own in our beautiful desert climate.  

Water from melting snow ran off the roof for at least a couple of hours.  So the ground got a good soaking.   I stayed inside, except to take pictures.  

Wednesday

 While I was cleaning yesterday I found 3 years worth of so last century day planners. My feeling on the subject is that if I have not needed the information since 1993, 1994 or 1995, I really don’t need to keep it.  I also managed to empty 4 inches of shelf space.  They are now in the recycling bin.  

It is currently snowing at our house. The only place it has not melted is on the barbecue.  The only question is will there be any left by the time I wake up tomorrow morning.  All I have to say about this winter is that the weather has been very weird.  We are fluctuating between the mid 70’s to snow to lows in the teens.  

Part of the backyard covered in snow. Not enough for a snowman.  This is a big deal in Tucson.  

A Big Fan of Le Creuset

 Some people wonder why I am such a big fan of Le Creuset Cookware.  It all started after we got married and moved into our first house in the mid 1980’s.  I really wanted a great pan that would last for at least 10 years. I knew that Le Creuset was very expensive.  A very good quality pan from a good company.  But there was away that I could get at least one piece as a newlywed.  My dad and I pooled our Betty Crocker Catalog points.  With at least a 6 x 9 inch envelope full of points bundled up and a check for $35.00, I got my first piece. The money was from rebates and using coupons when I went grocery shopping.  The Betty Crocker Company use to put point’s coupons on everything that they sold.  I used those points for everything in my kitchen including my Oneida silverware, white Corelle dinnerware set which is also still in use, I bought this before I got married.

Fast forward to February 28, 2023.  The pan I bought in the mid 1980’s, is the pan I am using to cook dinner in tonight.  It is a simple Salsa Verde Chicken.  

1 double chicken breast 

1/2 cup Salsa Verde and water

Spray the pan with nonstick olive oil. Place the chicken in the casserole dish.  Wash your hands with hot soapy water.  Cover with the Sals Verde Sauce. Pour the water around the edges of the chicken.  

Bake at 350f for 35 to 45 minutes. It is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165f. The extra water makes the chicken more tender.  

This is dinner for 2 nights for us.  When we were younger we would eat this as 1 meal for 2.  

Over the years I would get more pieces for myself and my daughter.  I even passed down 1 pan that I could no longer lift do to arthritis.  My daughter now uses it for holidays.  In the long run the pan has cost less than $1.00 per year.  Over the years I have gotten a few more pieces, but the heart shaped pan is still my favorite.  It ranks right up there with my Kitchen Aid K-5A mixer bought in 1978 for a whole paycheck and still in use today.  

A Home Run

 I think I am keeping my local department store in business.  I bought 3 more pairs of pants in a smaller size today.  They were sitting at center waist today.  I expect that in 6 to 8 weeks they will be at the base of my rib cage. If this trend continues once spring arrives, you will see me in almost nothing but dresses.  I can wear a shift type dress down through at least a couple of sizes.  Although since I bought all but one of my dresses before I started losing weight I will have to try them all on to see if they still work  That should be at the end of next month. 

I am still trying to figure out how I got my step count for the day over 8,500 steps.  I have not seen a number like that in a long time.  

The stitches came out today.  I will have to start physical therapy at home in earnest tomorrow.  My hand is still sore. I did not try knitting yet.  I did a bit of spinning though.  

John did the tall person thing today. We cleared half a shelf of books that we no longer need.  I even found a 1st edition on Goldwater from the 1960’s in good shape.  I will see where it belongs next.  We even found my day planners from 1994 and 1995.  I will shred them.  Since almost everything is so last century, I don’t think anything will be useful.