A Busy and Good Day

 Since I cannot knit, spin or weave right now I have moved into a major cleaning mode again. Today I started working on my jewelry making supplies.  Since I am no longer doing fund raising, I am no longer making earrings or bracelets those beads and supplies have to leave.  I am only about 60% finished, but I have almost filled a medium USPS medium flat rate box. To be weighed and listed on E Bay for gem show pricing.  

I am also taking the opportunity to switch out my storage space for my jewelry making supplies.  I have two new storage boxes in an effort to downsize from over a dozen containers.  I still have to go through a few more boxes.  I went through the beads first because there were just so many of them in so many boxes they were in.  I can say the beads have all been sorted.  I just have to decide how many findings to keep.  For those that do not make jewelry the findings are the pieces that keep the beads together.  

I made more progress in other areas too.  Yesterday I went through the coat closet. I just wanted to see if anything I stored in there because it was two small for me to wear at the time.  The good news is that I fit into 2/3 of them.  Only one did not survive the time in the closet. That particular year did not wear well.  Four pieces need to be hand washed, the others are now waiting their turn in the washer then the clothes line for drying.  So this round of new clothes is a continuation of shopping from my closet.  There are a few pieces that still have a few more inches to go.   I found this to be my personal happy dance time.   

Just a little peak of the beads I went through today.  This is only one of the drawers that I went through today.  

Another Rest Day and more

 This latest round of flare up has gotten the best of me.  So even if I don’t intend to be cranky, sorry but the pain is winning right now.  

In other news I have posted an update to my Maxi Fingerless Gloves.  I had a hard time doing the editing on Google Docs.  So I transferred the information to Microsoft Word to do my editing and clean up.  Then I transferred the pattern back to Google Docs and added my new picture.  It took me a while to figure out how to make a pdf file for the pattern. I landed up Googling my question.  Apparently it is a very popular question because I was not even halfway through typing when the question finished itself. Once I got it up it was easy peasy.  

I also called the durable medical equipment company and got the run around again.  At least with the phone call it did not take multiple hours to get the answer that they were twiddling their thumbs.  Apparently only one person in the entire company can process the paperwork and he seems unwilling to do so. I am at the point of getting my money back from the credit card company and then reaming the on the review boards.  To say that the service has been lack luster and horrible is giving them too much credit.  

The lesson learned from this is not to work with the company to see if the equipment works but send any merchandise that arrives damaged back immediately and get my credit cards company to refund my money.  Especially if only the inside box is damaged. 

Unintended Cleaning

This morning started off very early with a migraine at 4:00 am.  In order to take the aspirin I had to have breakfast at 4:30 am.  I don’t take aspirin on an empty stomach. Then once the migraine started to go away it was nap time. Most of the day was spent in that post migraine haze. But I managed to have a busy day anyway. Except for numbers.  John tried to run the same numbers over and over again, the numbers did not work for me today. 

Today was a day fill with 3 rounds of unintended cleaning.  First up was the kitchen starting with the microwave oven. Then the stove top which lead to the Keurig coffee maker. Which lead to the toaster oven. Which lead to the countertop. Which lead to the omelette pan that I brushed the crumbs into.  It was almost like the book If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.  Except that if you give me a cleaning rag.  Then it was lunch time and then nap time.  

This afternoon I tried to finish dispatching the mess I made by cleaning out my dresser and closet.  The odds and ends that can’t be thrown out, but need a new place to reside. I did make some headway on that front.  

Then after dinner I went on a quest to find my 2 hole punch.  I have not yet found the 2 hole punch, but instead managed to clean out a desk drawer. Fill a tub with items that we no longer need to keep and now needs to be shredded.  Put a huge pile of envelopes for mailing things out into the same drawer.  I also found some stamps that as of right now don’t fit in my stamp drawer.  That will be fixed soon.  

Then it was off to look at new toilet paper holders on line.  In the next few weeks we will be updating one bathroom to make it look like it belongs in this century rather than so the last century.  It was just too difficult for me to envision what they would look like in my house. So I will be going to the hardware store to buy it. Thank goodness I don’t have that problem with yarn.  The yarn always knows what it wants to be. Now if I could just spend more time knitting and weaving everything would be wonderful.  

A Hard Earned Victory

 I have not been able to wear this dress since 2002. Yes, 22 years ago.  It was around that time that I became a sandwich generation, mom.  I had my own family to take care of and I also started taking care of older family members who needed help too. Almost all of my self care time disappeared almost overnight.  

I lived on caffeine and fast food lunches.  I mastered eating at red lights in between appointments for everyone but me.  Slipping in grocery shopping just before school got out for Eric and just beating his bus home.  In 2009 I gave up artificial sweeteners and substituted Mexican Coke instead.  The pounds slowly creeped on.  Favorite dresses and other clothing items were put into the back of my closet.  

At one end I had school activities and fundraisers for both kids. I had activities for both kids at 2 different schools.  I needed to be there for both of them.  Eric had more medical issues and appointments.  More therapy to be done at home.  At the other end I had appointments to take elderly family members across town at the Veterans Administration Hospital and Doctors offices.  They needed help with shopping and errands.  They liked fast food lunches during the week because they missed going out to lunch.  Yes, that added weight on too. 

That slowly everything wound down to a different life after we lost the elderly relatives and Eric went to spend time with relatives who crossed over before him.  The year 2019  brought Covid 19 to the whole world.  The year 2020 brought 5 different surgeries for me. Then I spent time trying to recover my body and health.  

A doctor recommended the weight loss program A Pound of Cure.  Me being the skeptic bought the book and read it cover to cover before I made any commitments. Between myself and various family members we had failed at too many diets to count.  So before I even went to the doctor who wrote the book and ran the program I gave it a test drive to see if it really was possible and really worked.  After losing 30 pounds, I decided that the program worked and more importantly I could live with it.  So I made an appointment with the doctor.  I have continued to lose weight and inches.  Which brings me to last week.  I decided to try on some clothes to see if I had finally lost enough weight to fit into some of my favorites. Three dresses fit and were washed and added back to my wardrobe.  A lot more clothes were regulated to a pile for the consignment shop either because they were too big, yeah me, or had polyester or acrylic in them.  Somewhere between the time I bought them and the present day I became very sensitive to polyester and acrylic and can no longer wear them.  

Here is a picture from today in one of my new to my wardrobe rotation dresses  yes it is another driveway picture. It is an L.L.Bean regular size large. My daughter thought I had gotten rid of it a long time ago. I am so glad that I kept it.  By the way it was in the mid 50’s when we took the picture and I was freezing cold.  I am not a winter person. 

The Alternative to Knitting

 There is an alternative to knitting.  It’s is called cleaning house.  I did not do any heavy duty lifting. Most of the carrying and lifting was done with my left arm. Most of my current works in progress and the next up to knit have been put away. All I ask is that you refrain from looking into certain closets.  They just might resemble something akin to Fibber McGee and Molly’s closet.  No things really will not fall down on you, but they are a little more full than normal. Each project has its own bag.  I will pull them out one by one when my arm is better. 

I spent part of the day looking for a larger flax seed filled heating pad.  Most claimed to be all natural.  I have yet to figure out how polyester, fleece and the various fillings are natural. Granted that cotton and flannel have to be woven into fabric but I do consider them natural fibers because than decompose in about a year if buried in your flower bed. I am not even sure what the half life of polyester and fleece are but I am sure that it is longer than a year and puts nothing good back into the garden.  

I will try one more place tomorrow to find a larger heating pad. If they do not have what I am looking for, I will buy some food grade flax seed. Take some muslin from my fabric stash. Measure, cut and sew the inside piece. Then fill it with the flax seed.  Sew it closed. Make the outer cover so that I can take it off to wash as necessary. Most of the ones that fit my criteria had a delivery date of 2 to 3 weeks out.  My time to make will be less than 2 hours. 

My arm felt better in the morning. As the day went on the pain got worse. Every time I put the heat on my arm, I  fell asleep. To that end I am going to microwave the small heating pad that I have and go to sleep.  

At A Standstill Yet Again

 I am not sure what is happening with my right arm. Right now I am on A temporary hiatus from everything I do. Till we figure this out, they’ll be no spinning, knitting, weaving, making jewelry doing need to work, or anything else fun.

So today I’ve been watched The Crown.. I watched 3 episodes.  After every episode, I got up and did a low cleaning. I brought all my knitting and fiber arts projects to the knitting room. Then I tried to figure out what I could do and I as I ran through each type of art I do I feel like I cannot do anything without my right arm. 

Unless I figure this out by Saturday, I’m gonna have to give up my spin together spot because I won’t be able to spin. This makes me very sad. I usually get a lot of spinning done during this week. Well, I’m gonna go put some heat on my arm and then go to sleep, hopefully sleep will help. 

A Busy Day

 Today was fantastic. We went to another venue of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.  We went down to the Kino Sports Complex on Ajo Way.  We skipped the main tent and went to wonder around the back tents.  Some of the awesome things we saw included the Australian mineral exhibit.  The stones were so colorful.  They were very different from the stones from other parts of the world.  If you ever get a chance to see stone from Australia don’t pass up the chance.  Of course I found some more charms for stitch markers.  We walked around until John thought I might be running out of spoons.  I was having so much fun, that after 3 hours of walking and looking I did not want to go home.  

In other good news I tried on my largest size blue jeans in my closet today.  Only have to lose 3 more inches on my waist until they will zip up.  This is a lot better than the last time that I tried them on.  Last time the would not go over my hips.  So I consider this major progress.   

In knitting news, I finished a charity scarf tonight. I will take pictures tomorrow.   I am almost finished with the thumb on the first glove to match new shawl. Now I just have to weave in the ends, take pictures and publish the pattern.  No problem except that I either need a model or someone to take my picture.  

I have picked out the yarn for the next shawl. I just need to cake one huge skein of lace weight silk.  No it’s not going to be a lace weight silk shawl.  I will double strand she shawl with a pretty mohair yarn, I got both of the yarns at Grandmas Spinning Wheel here in Tucson.  The changes in yarn happen so fast that sometimes you might have to pick a different yarn combo than I am using.  More pictures tomorrow.  

Well it’s getting late so it’s time to call it a day.  

Serendipity

 Today was full of serendipity for me. I went to my closet to look at some dresses that I had worn when the kids were much younger. I decided to try on a few and this resulted in some laundry, and about a dozen outfits leaving the house because they were either too big or made of the wrong material. And now I have to find a resale shop for them. I also have less stuff in my closet. Roomba can now enter safely.  

I also have four dresses that I haven’t worn in decades that now fit. They have all been washed and are drying in the garage. That was such a good feeling to get into those dresses. I can’t wait to wear them.

I know the pounds are not coming off as quickly as before. However, I am in a period of losing a lot of inches. That makes a big difference too. I am following the book A Pound of Cure.  It eliminates all junk food and a lot of processed foods.  I don’t  have to count calories or points.  I just make sure that I eat between one to two pounds of vegetables a day. Throwing in fruit and protein.  I have found this lifestyle very easy to follow. 

Redecorating

 I have spent years decluttering the entire house. Getting rid of stuff we no longer use or need. Creating more space. Finding lost treasures. Taking car load after car load to Goodwill.  Taking selected things to Bookman’s for store credit so I can get new socks for the children’s clothing bank I knit for.  By the way the kids are rumored to like the socks as much as the hats and scarves that I make for them.  

Now enough clutter has been up cycled  and recycled to create newly made space to create a new environment for us.  I did start on the selfish side though. I took 2 previously acquired works of art and placed them with a lovely piece by Navied Mahdavian who is a cartoonist for the New Yorker and author of Searching for Home in Rural America. The piece is so attuned to me, reminding me to unwind. 

So without further ado, here is the new wall of art.  The picture is a little off center due to lighting issues  I know the frame on the sheep did not match the other frames, but a brown frame would not have done the sheep justice. I am just not going to mess with sheep under any circumstances.  

Now I am off to reclaim my knitting room.  It became a way station during my closet tear down and reorganization. Since I am really close to needing to type up several new patterns, I need the room back. Also please don’t remind me that I should only work on one design at a time, my mind just does not work that way. 

Living in Tucson

 There are a lot of great things about living inTucson besides the nice spring and summer weather.  One of them is Bookman’s.  Bookman’s is an old favorite. It was the place to exchange things like books, music and a whole assortment of fun things. It was fully linked to the sustainability issue long before it became an issue.  It was a place I took the kids to exchange their books for new to them books. If they got an album that they did not like they could exchange it for something else.  I even pick up the odd arts and crafts supplies.  

For the last several years I have been using Bookman’s as a part of my house decluttering efforts.  I bring Bookman’s things like books, old jewelry, and other things.  In return I take store credit.  I pick up the occasional book, but mainly I get cool socks for the children’s clothing bank that I knit for.  The picture below is from the store credit I got from today’s trade. 

The other thing that is really special about Tucson is the yearly Gem and Mineral Showcase.  It takes place from late January to mid February.  It is one of the largest shows of this kind in the world.  Some of the shows are wholesale only. Others are open to the public.   We occasionally go to the public shows.  We get to see all kinds of all things lapidary. From raw rocks to highly facilitated gems.  

I occasionally get supplies for stitch markers and earrings. Sometimes jewelry findings.  Yesterday I got 5 charms to make one of a kind stitch markers for myself.  I pretty sure these won’t be at Joann’s or Michael’s anytime soon. I have even been know to buy some earrings. 

Now it’s time to go do some knitting.  

Cleaning Out The Cobwebs

 Today I decided to clean out one of Eric’s boxes. I kept the yearbooks and the pictures.  Threw out the yearly journals.  Also a lot of awards for the best smile and friend.  Birth certificates for his stuffed friends. I did some crying too.  In the end I expected to reuse the box for yarn, but that did not happen.  There were several big cracks on the bottom of the box.  The net result was that I reclaimed 2 square feet of space. I also threw 4 bags of recycling into the recycling bin. That is something to be proud of.  The yarn will have to find another home.

The journals that I save because I thought that they would bring me joy, only made me cry.  The loss can still be raw all these years later.   It still amazes me that a child and later a young man with so many physical and medical issues could bring so much joy to so many people.  

I know all my family grieves him in their own way. No form of grief is bad.  We all move forward at different speeds.  

Out of Balance

 My spoons were out of balance this weekend. I spent too many spoons on Saturday with a day full of activities. I do have to say in my own defense , that I had a great day. I also was keenly aware when my spoons ran out on Saturday. I violated my one activity per day rule.  So today I paid for it.  My plan was to have a quiet cup of tea and then knit afterwards.  Instead I had my cup of tea and took a 3 hour nap.  There is a cost to everything in life. 

We did manage to go out to lunch and thank goodness I took my knitting with me.  We ordered as soon as the waitress came to offer us water and then waited an hour for lunch to arrive.  This is not unusual for this restaurant chain, it has been going on for years.  

It was then off to a local art collectives show.  It is being to seem redundant with the same people and identical work shown 3 times a year. Don’t get me wrong, there was some really nice art work there. However they seem to lack the ability to attract new members and expand the breath of their shows.  With a town like Tucson that takes real work to do. We seem to get a fresh crop of retirees each and every year. There must be an artist or 2 in each crop.  

We even managed to get to dinner early enough to miss the yearly crowd from the gem and mineral show in town for the next 3 weeks. We planned our dinner to start before the shows ended for the day.  

All in all we had a great weekend.  

*Spoons are units of energy. I have only so many spoons a day to use. If I use less that ok. If I use more it can wreck havoc with me for the next day or 2.  

Allergies the Final Chapter

 I have found a solution to the very highly scented hand lotion that I was using.  I have used it for 2 days with no problems.  In fact my hands started looking better by day 2.  I have gone to a local store run by a woman who formulates everything herself. I have been using her bar soap for years. I highly recommend the soap if you have a tendency towards dry skin.

Tracy at Artemesia also makes a Cocoa Butter Body Creme that is unscented.  Although there is a slight natural cocoa scent.  For this chocoholic that is not a problem. The cream is very rich and a dab goes a long way.  Now I need to rinse a smaller tin out with boiling water so I can carry a small amount in my purse.  

If you live in Tucson or are visiting you can find Artemesia at 6538 E Tanque Verde #170, this is right across the street from Trail Dust Town.  If you are not in Tucson and would like to try this fabulous body creme, hand crafted soap made in small batches or anything else please go to Artemesia . You can order anything listed. Everything is packaged nicely for shipping. I have had gifts mailed. 

This is a store that I like very much.  I have never had a bad experience with any of Tracy’s products. To keep everything upfront and honest I would like to say that I paid for everything myself and am not being paid for this blog post. I also like to support small woman owned businesses.  

Allergies Part 3

 I was not able to get the perfume residue out of 2 pairs of my sleeping gloves aka my design,  Maxi Fingerless Gloves.  Also victim to this perfume problem was my sleeping sweater.  I tried everything until it was suggested that I make new sleeping gloves. I have a pair that needs to be seamed up. I have also pulled some worsted weight yarn from Misti Cotton, a beautiful cotton and silk blend. Then a special collaboration between Lola Bean Yarn and Spin Cycle Yarn in a worsted weight wool yarn.  

I have a solution for the sweater too  I have lost enough weight and inches to pull an older but still very nice sweater from my closet. Which means that everything old is new again at some point in time.  The only thing the sweater from my closet does not have is visible mending.  Maybe a few years down the road this will happen to this sweater too..

The decision was made tonight to put the charity knitting aside until I finish the new gloves and a couple of shawls that are works in progress for me.  The shawls will come with new patterns for you.  

It has been raining here for 2 days so far.  We have gotten 1 1/2 inches at the house so far. So instead of errands I spent the time finishing up my closet.  Today I found a bunch of earrings. I sorted them out to keepers and Bookman’s trade.  Since I don’t want to overwhelm them I will take in 6 pairs at a time.  I say this because I went through 50+ years of earrings.  I bet that you are not surprised that most of the earrings that I got in Junior High and High School did not make the keep pile. In fact a lot of really retro earrings are going to be leaving the house slowly for the next couple of months.  

Allergies Part 2

 Well it turns out that I should have washed the mattress protector too.  Now it’s time to go wash my sheets again. I woke up stuffy, but not like it has been.  So if I start the wash now everything should be finished before lunch.  I am so glad that I do not have to run out to a laundromat to wash everything, well almost everything again.  I was so wrong about this.  The mattress protector took most of the day to dry   I made my bed after dinner. 

I needed some retail therapy today. It was really nice. I have been short enough for the petite sizes but have been to heavy. Well today I got into a petite size large in pants.  Even better they were on sale for 40% off. Yes they came home with me along with a new sweater at 40% off in a regular size medium. Yes, down a size there too.  I like my sweaters on the long side. Yes, I know cropped sweaters are all the rage. I personally think that is due to the rising cost of yarn.  

Before dinner I even tackled another section of my closet. The end result is that I have more going to Bookman’s and 2 boxes and 1 trash bag for Goodwill. I ran out of boxes so the trash bags will have to do.  I have a bit to sort out and then the shelves are next.  Oh, did I mention that John will make the Goodwill run this weekend for me.  I think I will try to overstuff his car again.  

Allergies Suck

 Today we finally figured out why I was not sleeping and so miserable lately.  It was my new hand lotion and perfume.  So we washed everything including my sleeping gloves and sweater. They are still drying because we are having a rare rainy day today. I also took down my spare pillow and am starting the night with a perfume free pillow. 

This whole thing left me completely bummed out  I really liked the scent of the new lotion and perfume. However I like my sinuses and sleep more.  

I will have to check my other sweaters for perfume residual. If they have any, they will be washed one at a time. When that sweater is completely dry, I will wash the next one. I only really need 2 winter sweaters in Tucson.  

So I am 12 hours lotion and perfume free.  I already feel better. 

Kohlrabi Pasta

 This is a new recipe that is so good that John wanted it 2 nights in a row..it is gluten free and counts towards your vegetables. It also cooks in 1 pan.  This recipe makes 2 servings. It takes just 3 ingredients. If you go to Trader Joe’s or a grocery store that have the ingredients prepared for you there is virtually no prep time required. 

Kohlrabi is also know as a German Turnip despite the fact that is not a root vegetable. It belongs to the Brassica or mustard family  and is related to cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower making it a cruciferous vegetable. It is also a good source of vitamin C.  It is also low in calories, and sodium. It even provides 2 grams of protein per cup of raw kohlrabi. 

So here we go. You will need:

10 ounces of clean and grated kohlrabi 

10 ounces of white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Optional: Yo Mama’s Pasta Sauce. This is our preferred brand.  It is sugar free and tastes great. 

Microwave the kohlrabi for 4 minutes.  Sauté the mushrooms in a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the freshly microwaved kohlrabi to the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms are well cooked.  Serve immediately   You may add pasta sauce on top, but be sure to warm it up first. 

You may also top it with the protein of your choice. 

Serves 2. 

Please be aware that these are my personal favorites. I have not been paid to promote any of the above products. We always keep a jar or 2 of Yo Mama’s pasta sauce in the pantry, it is a household favorite.

A Roller Coaster Kinda of Day

 I was having a fantastic day until I was not. I got so angry at a sibling for being unwise and unwilling to help himself.  I got so mad I was literally shaking.  There are 2 ways to deal with this. I was proud of myself for making a healthy stress eating option. The first is eating until I feel better, but after 2 bowls of fruit it as time to go to the next phase.  The next phase is  more stress cleaning. I managed to clean an entire 2 food square area down to the bare wood.  Some things went to their proper places. Some things got tossed.  Some things landed in the Bookman’s trade bag.  By the time I was finished I put on over 3,500 steps around the house.  I used up all my spoons for the day and then some.  I still had dinner to cook. 

We were both so tired and stressed that we skipped the chicken dinner that was planned. We had even gone to Trader Joe’s for more kohlrabi before things went south. We then went to our new plan B. A vegetable omelette with fruit for dessert.  On the plus side I managed to flip the 12 inch omelette without having it break apart.  So for 2024 I am flipping omelettes at a flipping average of 500.  Meaning that we have had 4 vegetable omelets and I flipped 2 without them failing into a scrambled eggs mess. 

I was planning to spin some yarn after dinner, but was too tired. I then thought about some knitting.  Again my hands were too tired.  I then resorted to some retail therapy by ordering for delivery a few things we needed for the house.  On low energy days home delivery is a great option for me.  

I should mention that kohlrabi is a turnip which  can be shredded to and cooked to make a great pasta substitute.  I will put the recipe in another blog post.  

My Weight Loss Journey

 This will be a short and sweet blog with pictures of my weight loss journey. My before and yesterday’s pictures.  

3

The second picture is an accidental picture of me. I was really taking a picture of the dresser and I just happened to be standing in front of the mirror. I know that the clarity of the picture is not the best. What is so different is my size. Yes, I am down 4 sizes as of right now. It is getting harder as I lose more weight, the rate of loss has almost stalled. Right now my body is doing the inches thing. The short dress that I am wearing just happens to be a shirt that use to come to just my hips.  It is one of the items that still fits from before.  It use ti fit like the gray top above. Now it is at my knees…

Spoons

 Today’s blog is brought to you by spoons.  Spoons are what I never seem to have enough of.  Spoons are units of energy.  

As I am getting older my body is changing. This includes my feet.  I have changed shoe sizes. So I have found a brand of shoes that fit perfectly right now.  I can wear them all day.  So after buying 2 new pairs of shoes, I knew it was time to clean out my closet of the shoes and high heels which I can no longer wear.  I filled 4 boxes with shoes that no longer fit and are still in great shape.  So I think I moved ahead of the clutter curb.  I have also run out of big boxes.  John will take the boxes to Goodwill tomorrow.  I will see what else I can add tomorrow.  

This evening I also started putting my earrings away.  I plan on taking the earrings that are too uncomfortable to wear and the singles to make more stitch markers.  Not that I need any more stitch markers. I just thought it would be fun to do. That they would be more useful as stitch markers than collecting dust.  

Now I am too tired to do anything.  

Not to change the subject, but I am going to change the subject.  Have you ever noticed that the last 6 inches of a 6 foot long scarf seems to take forever.  Maybe I will finally finish it this weekend.  Which me luck.  

What is leaving forever, tomorrow.  Four boxes lined up to go   

Just Medium

 I am doing the clothing replacement thing again.  I started trying on the larger sizes because I was feeling very fat.  Even though I really know that I am a lot smaller than I used to be.  So both pairs of pants and the sweater were a medium.  So I was very happy.  Right now the scale is not moving but my clothes are getting bigger.  So the next Goodwill box will be started this week.  

I have started a log book of unfinished projects.  I am up to 26 unfinished projects, including knitting, weaving and spinning.  I know that I have not logged them all yet.  Hopefully I can finish more than a few of them by the end of the month.  I am hoping that 2024 is my year of being more organized.  Here is to a year of less squirrels.

Volvo the next chapter

 John got on the phone yesterday with the dealership.  So long story short we arrived at the dealership at 7:30 am.  It’s very early, am I right?  They did a computer duomp and found an incident in the log but couldn’t find the actual problem.  

So they did a software update and my 4 year service on my car that has less than 11,000 miles on it.  They said that would fix the problem.  John talked to the service manager and found out when the technicians were available.  So the game plan is for me to drive straight to the dealership if the break issue pops up again.  Since it seems to be an intermittent problem I am betting on John being right that it is either a sensor issue or a broken wire.  Only time will tell.  

I have found out that 59 degrees is too cold on a low spoons day to eat outside.  I finished my chicken before my body said no more food for you. 

I drove the car home after lunch.  I spent the rest of the day solving craft supply issues and knitting.  Of course I did cook a new favorite dinner. A mixed vegetable and duck egg omelette.  Of course I managed to mess up the flip and feed the stove top some of our dinner.  

Update on my Volvo

 There is an update on my Volvo.  John called to ask for the service manager this afternoon.  There was no service manager available. No wonder the service department is such a mess. They repeated that there was not a sooner appointment.  However we could drop the car off and they would try to find time to fix it. 

Really it’s going to sit outside in the elements waiting to get fixed instead of my secure garage.  Ok, we will give it a try. This does not leave me with a good feeling.  

Did I mention that they also cancelled my appointment for the routine service for my car too?  Why would they cancel the appointment for routine service when we were trying to get it done before the 4 year mark?  

You have to remember that this dealership had an official unveiling ceremony with a box of roses less than 4 years ago.  

Wish me luck.  

A Rough night ahead.

 As I go to sleep tonight, I know it’s going to be a difficult night.  It is never a good sign when my skin hurts.  Yes, I am tense.  It’s a sibling issue.  Those of you who are still naive about this.  At some point in time as a grown up you may be required to step in and help.  No it’s not fun. 

Wish me luck on sleep tonight.  

TTFN

You Want What for your Volvo?

 My Volvo started flashing an urgent warning light on the dashboard on Thursday afternoon.  So today I called my local Volvo Dealership to get a service appointment.  I can’t believe for an urgent brake problem they booked the appointment out 3 weeks.  My almost 4 year old car does not even have 11,000 miles on it yet. 

I then  asked if the car was still safe to drive. 

They replied that they were not sure.  

So I will be without a car for 3 weeks. Between the Snowbirds erratic driving and the college students it is a better choice not to take any unnecessary risks.  I have not been without a car at my beck and call since I was 16, so last century.  So I will make sure my Lyft app is updated.  I will renew my Shipit subscription.  Sit down with calendars out so John and I can mesh our schedules. Do much for independence. 

This will require more planning than I am use to for things like shopping.  Going out to knit with friends.  Running the odd errand. 

If you can’t already tell, I am quite miffed at my local Volvo Dealership. I really wish we had a second Volvo dealership in town.  We don’t trust the brakes enough to drive to Phoenix. This is the only time since so last century that it took more than a few days to get my car serviced for an urgent problem. If I had an urgent problem with my GM, Toyota, VW, Mazda or Honda all the dealerships got me in the same day I called or the next day.  I really don’t know what the deal is in making me wait 3, yes 3 whole weeks for service.  Are they trying to say that they are too elite to service what they sell? 

My question is, does anyone else have this problem with their Volvo dealership or is our dealership just especially not good at their basic function. The function being to service what the sales department sells in a timely manner.  

This leads to the next question to ask when buying a new car. How soon can the service department get me in for an urgent problem. How long does it take to Schedule routine maintenance? 

With this lack of getting timely service for my Volvo, I probably would not buy one again.  This was supposed to be my dream car.  It’s turning into more of why did I think this car was so special? Why is the dealership almost as snobby as the Lexus dealership?  For heavens sake it’s just a car.  

The Logbook - A Work in Progress

 The unfinished projects are much worse than I first thought.  Without going into my unfinished project baskets, yes there are 2. I found 18 projects that need to be completed.  This list so far has taken less than 15 minutes to complete. I did complete number 6, but I still have to write the pattern from Sheri shorthand to a readable pattern by everyone.  Since it has yet to be published, I can’t show the picture yet.  

I will however show you my first 2 pages of my log book which is far from complete.  I also did put the location if it is not in the knitting room.  My goal tomorrow is to try to add the items from the baskets.  Wish me luck. 

I Feel Really Silly

 Today I pick up a knitting project that I have not worked on in 2 weeks. What did I find inside? My “lost” notions bag.  Which leads me to my nearly unattainable goal of having less works in progress, currently standing with least 12 in progress projects. No wonder I miss place things like a notion bag. 

My goal for 2024 is to have less knitting projects going at the same time.  To try to finish smaller projects within the week that they were started.  I will exempt weaving, and spinning projects, because by definition they do take longer.  Wish me luck.  

I will also try to get new knitting patterns out faster.  Meaning from concept to finish pattern in a more reasonable and realistic time frame.  

I find it hard not to start a new project on a whim.  Maybe starting a notebook to keep track of things might not be a bad idea.  Finish multiple projects before I start a new project. It would help me keep track of things.  This is another baby step on the way to being more organized and productive.  Wish me luck.  

Below is the project bag that was hiding my notions bag   

A Pounder ? Not Quite

 A pound does not seam to be enough for this scarf.  At 1 pound 2 ounces it is still 15 inches too short.  So the only thing to do is knit on. The maybe good news is that I have enough yarn in the basket to make at least 2 more super colorful scarfs. 

Dog Pillows

 The last of the dog pillows for 2023 we’re finally finished this morning. I think that I will have time next week to drop them off at the shelter.  These are some of the nicest that I have made.  I have also changed the way I do the final seams which gives the pillows a more finished look.  

Busy is Good

 I had a busy day today.  I traded in some books for store credit at Bookman’s on Speedway. I used my credit to add 4 more pairs of socks to my charity project for next winter.  Then I dropped off the ai fryer we decided not to keep to a local charity Youth on Their Own.  Then it was off to lunch and knitting with a friend.  

Four dog pillows got stuffed and all I need to do is seam them up.  Then one of us will drop the pillows of at the animal shelter.  I am on the last 3/4 of an inch on a hat before I start the crown.  I am not going to update you on all my works in progress, but there are quite a few.

Tomorrow I need to do the laundry that I ignored all week. Then some general house cleaning and organizing.  Just maybe I can fill another couple of bags to take to Bookman’s on River.  I probably need to start another goodwill box too.  

Have a happy and productive day.  

A New Algorithm

There is a new math algorithm that you math people might wanna know about. It involves weight loss and glasses. I have found that for every time I drop a pant size I need to go in and get my glasses readjusted or they fall off my face I haven’t worked out the exact formula, so if somebody would like to work on that, go for it. 

This led me on a while adventure yesterday. I went to Costco. Normally, Monday is a very quiet day at our local Costco, however, this being snowbird season, and I think we have a full stow bird season this year everything was turned upside down. The parking lot was a mess to say the least, when some of the drivers got confused, they just sat there and didn’t move leading to long lines of traffic waiting to park. Inside was just as crazy. I am so glad I brought my knitting with me. I stood there at knit while I was waiting for my turn to get my glasses adjusted , I must say the gal did a fantastic job on getting my glasses adjusted. They are staying right where they need to be. She even had to make the glasses narrower because I have lost inches in my face.

Then I did a little bit of shopping then I did a little bit of shopping. I picked up some of the things we needed for the house. Then I tried to look at the refrigerated meat section and the meat section it was total chaos. There were long lines waiting for the roasted chickens apparently by 12 thirtyish they had gone through two pallets of chickens. The concern was they only had one pallet left, and that was supposed to have lasted them through Wednesday when the next delivery came. Apparently they have not experienced a full snowbird season in quite a while. I gave up looking for the meat and decided it was time to leave. 

I found a very short line and a very courteous check out woman. Getting out of the store was another problem. I nearly got run over by a man using a scooter from Costco. He felt that since he was using the scooter, he did not have to wait in the line and was zipping in and out, and even managed to knock my cart. At least I wasn’t holding onto it at the time.

I was going to use the alternate route to get out of the Costco parking lot and go up to Ina but the road was closed due to construction. The bright side is I did not have to wait through 40 cars making right turns to get out of the parking lot.

John was wonderful and put everything away and then I went on my toys for to run. Target was running a fantastic sale as long as I didn’t come into the store and just ordered everything online. So I managed to fill up the back of my car using only 2/3 of my budget, it was so full it took three firemen to empty the back of my car. And then it was off buy groceries for dinner. By this time, I was exhausted after a full day, and was so glad that John made dinner.

Well, it is time to start my day again. I think it’s going to be very busy again everyone have a wonderful day.

Goodbye Old Friend

 Today we went to T-mobile to replace our old iPhone 8’s with a new version. We got more storage and an upgraded camera.  We got the iPhone 8’s just after they had been released.  So it’s been a few year since we got them.  Both our phones were in the midst of dying. We got tired of carrying around battery packs. I have to admit the caring and battery pack around adds a few ounces to my purse.  You know we got new phones just to make my purse lighter, right? Not for the much better picture quality or extra storage space.

I must say that the transfer process has gotten much faster   They even could do 2 phones at the same time.  It only took 1 1/2 hours for 2 new phones. 

Anyway, here’s a chance to say goodbye to my old phone. I will not miss the scratched screen or short battery life. I will now have to remember to look for a dark blue case, it just does not stand out like the pink case.

Feeling Sad

 I lost my favorite knitting accessories bag on Tuesday when it fell out of my knitting basket. My basket fell over twice and I am not sure where I lost it.  Yesterday I checked both parking lots and it was not to be found.  

The bag was from a good friend. I filled it with stitch markers, cable needles, a crochet hook, scissors and various other necessities.  Now I will have to find another bag and refill it with the same things. I think next time I will leave a business card in my accessories bag so people could return it if found.

The knitting still goes on.  Here is a picture of a project I finished yesterday. My latest one pounder scarf for the boarding school on the Navajo reservation.

A Head Start on 2024

 Since I have delivered all my charity knitting projects it seemed like a fantastic time to start work on the holiday knitting for 2024.  So I already started the big Ziplock XXL bag with a pair of socks and these 2 scarfs.  

Now it’s time to make some dog pillows.  My yarn scrap bin is overflowing.  So it is off to the sewing machine for me.  I think I will make a few extra cases this time.  

A surreal kind of day

 Sometimes people say the darndest things. Take today for instants, an acquaintance asked how Eric was doing because she hadn’t seen him lately. I just did not know what to say. It floored me because this is the week he died four years ago. So not wanting to make an awkward situation more awkward, I just told her he’s been very busy, and I haven’t seen him much myself lately. That seem to satisfy her and she wandered off. 

I won a raffle basket of knitting goodies at the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild meeting this morning.  When I got home I went through the basket to decide what I wanted and needed. To tell the truth it was more about want than need.  I the put the yarn that I was going to share back in the basket to take to my next meeting.  I shared the yarn with another group of fiber lovers. I managed to take an empty basket home.  Score one for me.  

This and That

 I have been on a finishing spree today.  I finished 2 more projects today. One hat and 1 scarf. Of course I cast on another scarf because I don’t want my knitting needles to get lonely. That leaves me a total of 6 more projects to photograph.  Also I  have been pulling out Unfinished Projects.  Finishing them to add to the pile.

I also took the time to take not one but two naps today.  With the family stress going on I am finding it hard to sleep through the night. When I am both tired and stressed it is a really bad thing for my body.  Hopefully we can get this family stuff done by the end of the year so we can start with a clean slate for 2024. In my humble opinion that would be perfectly delightful.  

Most of the time I can keep a running to do list in my head. Lately I have found it necessary to  write a hard copy of my daily to do lists. This gives me the satisfaction of actually crossing things off the list rather than just deleting them from my phone.  It will also pair down some of my extensive pile of scratch pads.  Scratch pads seem to multiply like bunnies around here. 

Yesterday I also started filling a box for Goodwill with the clothes that keep getting bigger in the closet. The good news is that I only needed to add a few pairs of pants to my wardrobe. We picked the pants up yesterday.  

I will hopefully get some sleep tonight and have a busy day tomorrow.  Wish me luck. 

My Personal Roller Coaster

 Today had a lot of highs and lows.  I will skip over most of the lows like not having enough energy to do stress cleaning.  I wove 20+ random ends in, on a scrappy scarf. That was a chore and a half.  It looks great.  Pictures will come later.  

The highlight of the day was a doctor telling me his services were no longer needed because I lost so much weight and am too healthy to need his services anymore.  Yeah me. 

I am lining up a few projects that will be just for me. I am going to make a few one of a kind items just for me after I finish the holiday gifts for the kids clothing bank.  I have yarns piled up around my knitting table.  

Leaving the House

 The next batch of 6 dog pillows stuffed with yarn scraps are going to the dog shelter.  The dog pillows are a great way to keep yarn scraps out of the land fill and benefit my community too.  

I got my stress cleaning out of the way early today. I have only done a couple of hours today. But it’s not even 11 a.m. yet, do the day is still early.  

Now if I could just distress and relax.

Stress Cleaning

 Today I was so stressed out that I simply ignored my to do list that I made with the 2:30 AM, during a migraine.  We spent the weekend dealing with family issues.  They have not fully resolved. Before you ask my taller half and wonderful daughter and son-in-law are doing well.  My brother and his wonderful wife invited us over for dinner, long story short.  I called my brother and asked him to join us for dinner at a restaurant. He was smoking a leg of lamb so we drove to their house.  My brother is an awesome cook.  I really have to get a smoker.  I really adore my sister-in-law. They make an awesome couple and have great kids too. They are the perfect people to hang out with when I need to recenter..

You might recall that when I hit a certain stress level the only thing that calms me down is cleaning.  I spent most of the day cleaning. I put a lot of things away.  My efforts were clearly visible.  3 bags of recycling and 2 bags of trash later, I was still stressed out, but much more calm.  So I plyed 2 skeins of art yarn.  Then I started spinning some more merino wool to do more plying.  I still have 5 skeins of Little Flower Novelty yarn in red to ply.  I am thinking that they would make a nicely woven scarf for kids.  I was too stressed to knit or weave. 

I will try to sleep tonight. Wish me luck.  If not I have more cleaning to do.  

1 inch

 I found it amazing that just trimming off 1 inch from my bangs this morning totally eliminated the getting hair in my eyes issue.  I did not trim anything else because I want my hair to grow a little longer.  

Knitting Needles

 If you use bamboo knitting needles please be aware that they will only last for about 200 knitting projects before you start to hear a cracking or wood splitting sound.  Other knitting needles tend to do this but take many years to reach this point.  Do not try to finish your project.  There is nothing worse than having a knitting needle crack mid row while knitting.  It can be a disaster and damage your yarn or an awful lot of stitches can drop.  Go to your local yarn store and get a really good pair of knitting needles.  Then transfer your knitting to the new knitting needles immediately.

Don’t worry, the soon to break knitting needles can still be used in your garden to hold seed signs or prop up a plant.  I am not sure that they can be composted because they typically have a finish of varnish.

If you like wooden knitting needles and do a lot of knitting there are plenty of work arounds for this.   You will have to pay more but the price difference is well worth it.  I would recommend a hard wood knitting needle like Brittney or Lantern Moon.  Lantern Moon uses ebony which is one of the hardest commercially used woods.  

This is my personal experience over 24 years of knitting.  All knitting needles were purchased by me.  Theses are my personal preferences and opinions.  All brands may not be available at all local yarn stores.  

A Do Over

 I have found that the yarn I recommend for My Doodling Shawl is literally just disintegrating. When I picked it up to wear last night it just started falling apart.   So I am re writing the pattern with yarn I picked up at the last Flagstaff Wool and Fiber Festival.  It is by an independent dyer and the yarn can be ordered from her website.  You may also use any yarn of the same weight.  

Details will follow, because I am literately knitting it up right now. I have also not told the dyer that I am using her yarn in the pattern  yet. I wound the yarn and started knitting it after dinner.  So give me a week or so to finish the sample and the pattern changes. 

I will leave the pattern up on Raverly and you will get an update with the new information.  

Something New

 I finally finished a stash buster project for me.  A 100% cotton blanket.  It is just big enough for my lap.  It’s finished just in time for winter.  

What to Expect

 People need a reality check when dealing with nonprofits.  Not all nonprofits are the same.  This is based solely on my years of experience and disappointment with some and gratitude for others.  

Letting a nonprofit display your artwork in their gallery is an iffy situation at best.  At worst you will never see your artwork or share of the sale price.  If you are lucky a volunteer decided they did not like you art work and picks it apart so that it cannot be made salable or usable again, but you get the pieces back in a bag.  I have had friends art work stolen.  I suspect that art work on display that is not returned or paid for is stolen and there is nothing that can be done.  Sometimes volunteers feel entitled to “free” things for the time spent volunteering. Maybe an employee needs a quick gift and your piece is just what they need, no big deal they can get the key it’s just on display and nobody will notice. My art work most likely disappeared this way.  There is the blame game and it was always someone else’s responsibility.  

You won a raffle prize but did not stay to the end to collect it.  They tell you what prizes you won on the phone and you can pick it up next week.  When you arrive they bring a hodgepodge of things leftover from various raffle baskets, but not what you won.  They explain that there was a feeding frenzy by the volunteers around the raffle table, but that they were not in charge of that area.  They try to explain that this is what you won.  Those that know me know that I don’t do big baskets of carbs.  Yes, I was told I bid on a big basket of carbs.  The volunteers feel that since you were not there and only contributed to the fundraiser that they were working, that they deserved what you won.  On this I call bull pucky.  I will make a note never to go to a fundraiser for that non profit organization again. They allowed the volunteers to screw both the donors and the patrons. I know you can’t control every aspect of the fundraiser, but really scraping together odds and ends when someone was told that they won a print and a nice ceramic bowl is really tacky.  I really wish that if that is what they let their volunteers do, don’t bother calling me to let me know.  Then there is a local charity that pushed non members to buy raffle tickets and then people were told no refunds and if you do not join our organization right now, if your name is drawn you will not get the prize.  All together now, can we say fraud. 

I do like the organizations that say thank you. You made a difference.  A simple thank you says volumes.

Just be careful with your work products.  If you spend money on raffle tickets don’t expect to get anything at all even if you were told you won.  Remember that helping the community is what you are doing, but you don’t need to repeat the same mistake.  There are plenty of good causes out there. 

I volunteer and make donations to make my community better. If you think you are entitled to more than a thank you, then maybe volunteer work is not for you. 

I Finished Two Projects

I fell short of my finishing my UFO goals today.  All I finished was 1 scarf and 1 hat.  I did however, tink 1 scarf and cast it on again.  I won’t put anything on someone else’s child that I would not put on my own child or wear myself. 

                    There is always tomorrow to get more done.

UFO Day and Wishful Thinking

 I am declaring tomorrow, Wednesday to be UFO Day.  I have at least 10 projects that need 30 minutes or less to finish up.  Six dog pillows that just need a 6 inch seam closed.  Then 4 knitting projects that are almost done.  The scarf on the loom has at least 4 hours to finish, so it may not get done.

 Of course there will be laundry too, but let’s face it the washing machine and dryer do most of that work.  Now what I need is some very cleaver engineer to make a system where I put the sorted load in one end. Out will come the clean wet clothes that need to be hung up on hangers. Then put the wet clothes on the clothes line. The rest of the clothes sent to the dryer to be hung up or folded depending upon the article of clothing.  The folded clothes will go neatly into a basket and the clothes on hangers will go directly to the clothes line to be put away later. Of course all the socks will be matching and folded too. Now how hard could that be with all those and/ or variables? Easy peasy right. We just have not asked for it yet. 

Then I can going with my last minute holiday gift projects.  

Petroleum Based Fibers

 As you are well aware of the fact that I do not use petroleum based yarns that have acrylic or polyester in them.  Today I made an exception because I had donated yarn for dog pillows.  Normally I dislike them because they bother my skin.  They are bad for the environment. They are messy when cut up. Today I will add another reason why they should be avoided.  I was cutting a lot of larger pieces made from very thick yarn, into suitable pieces to put into dog pillows.  I do believe that I have absolutely ruined a good pair of Fiskars Sewing scissors.  I will try to clean them up and sharpen them.  I sharpen them several times during the day with diminishing results. I don’t hold much hope for their recovery from the awful yarn.  

When I get larger and thicker pieces made for cheap and crappy yarn I will not waste my daily useful Hand time. I will not ruin another pair of scissors.  

I am hoping that either Amazon or Joann’s will have a sale to replace them.  I am not sure I want to put in hand time to repair them.  

Please do yourself and the environment a favor and buy yarn and fiber that will last for years. Yes, I still have a 100% cotton baby blanket that both kids used. Also blankets that are not quite as old that are still in good shape. I am sure some of you have family heirlooms that are even older.  Also no scissors were ever harmed using natural fibers.  

*The Fiskars Scissors were bought buy me so last century from a now defunct fabric store in California.  Before todays debacle, I cut heavyweight cotton fiber for the dog pillows with no problems. 

No Pictures Today

 I spent the day working on holiday gifts and finishing resting up after  the RSV vaccine.  It did take a couple of days to make a complete recovery from the side effects. 

Tomorrow will be another busy day.  There is so little time left in the year.  So much left to do. I am not sure where the year went.  

My Latest Charity Project

 This scarf is my latest charity project off my loom. It is made up entirely from my own hand spun yarn. I used bits and pieces which by themselves were much too small to make anything.  I really like how the colors blended so well.  I think it was a great stash busting project. 

This scarf is destined for the Flowing Wells School District Clothing Bank.  It is my hope that the child that receives this scarf will enjoy wearing it as much as I enjoyed creating this bespoke scarf. 

The RSV Vaccine

 If you are eligible for the RSV vaccine I strongly recommend that you talk to your doctor to see if it is right for you.  I also recommend making an appointment to get the vaccine or any other vaccines you plan on getting this fall.  The pharmacies only order enough for the appointments. 

My personal recommendation is to save things like folding laundry for after the vaccine to keep your arm moving.  It really helps keep the arm from hurting.  By the way I also found that winding shuttles and weaving also help.  So it must be a great time to take up weaving, am I right?

Stay healthy and safe.