Thank You

 This is a tongue and cheek kinda of blog post. Yes it will be cheeky.  

First off I would like to thank a nameless local Tucson home improvement store for refusing to help us with our shopping needs. They also had a front desk clerk that refused to get us a sales person to take our money.  Silly me. I thought green money was green money, good for helping the bottom line of any retail business during a recession.  We came dressed Tucson summer casual, what else are you supposed to wear during summer in Tucson.  We were even wearing tennis shoes and not flip flops. At this store it was apparently not good enough for help.  This in the end run saved us lot’s of money.  

Today we went to Lowe’s Store 1638 where we meet the most helpful and friendly sales associate Estevan.  I could not find a more helpful and knowledgeable sales person (outside of Grandma’s Spinning Wheel and Artemesia if I tried). Estevan helped us with a shower head, and plumbing supplies for the new sink faucet, to replace the one that broke in the guest bathroom. You know the one that made 3 full loads of towels . We also got a new rain gauge to replace the one that was literally crumbling in place. 

For everything we bought we spent less than the bathroom faucet cost all by itself at the local home improvement store.  They also did not have rain gauges which would have meant a separate trip.   I know the store manager made a very wise decision in hiring Estevan.  Friendly service, help and everything we needed all in one stop.  They also did not care that we were wearing Tucson summer casual or that my hair was still wet from my shower. So I will count today’s shopping trip as a win.  

Thank You Very Much  

John was busy too. He installed the new shower head and rain gauge already today.  All that is left is installing the new faucet.  We just have to figure out how to use towels to pad the sharp angles and the wood floor of the cabinet.  After that is done I can treat the wood with a 10% bleach solution once or twice to get rid of any lingering mold that might have occurred.  Let it dry a few more days and pit the pool towels away.   Then I can do a happy dance that the a hip high pile of towels will no longer be gracing our den.  Not that I don’t love our pool towels. 

So it was a very good day.  

366 Days

 It has been a year snd a day since we had a Summer Monsoon at our house. We got a good storm with most of the rain falling in the first 30 minutes or so. We had river’s flowing in the front and back of the house. We also had a little white water as the water flowed through the front yard over some smaller rocks. 

I was too busy sitting by the window watching the rain to take any videos. So you are just going to see the rain gauge afterwards and our double rainbow. The second rainbow was hard to see from where I was standing trying to stay dry.  

A Strange Week So Far

 This has been a very strange week for me so far. Somethings I will talk about, some things not so much.  Well here goes.  

I was at Whole Foods this week when a lady stopped me in the parking lot and wanted to buy my car right there on the spot. I suggested that she go to the dealership to see what they had. 

She said she did. However she wanted  my make and model which they did not have.

  I kept saying no.  I really have to learn to be ruder. 

She thought it was brand new. I reality my car is about 2 years old. It was bought just before the COVID19. Since it don’t go out much it sits in the garage a lot. It still looks new. I am about to cross the 5,000 mile threshold too.

She told me I could buy a Tesla and I said no, why not buy one for your daughter.  Maybe next time since the are in short supply I should just say I will sell it for some outrageous price like $ 1.5  or $2 million and if they are will to fork over that much cash, no financing, I would think about selling it.  I think I should be able to buy something suitable and add a little money to savings.  

I am finding that my hands are good for about 2 hours a day of crafting. Then they get too tired to move.  So I am rolling with the punches.  I decided to hand off 2 charity knitting projects at the next knitting guild meeting.  I am no longer going to finish a project for the sake of finishing a project.  I must love it or it will be handed off or tinked.  I must use my limited time wisely. 

I have a little more energy so I am very slowly trying to catch up with housework.  Well I am running out of battery and it’s time to plug in and turn in for the night. 

Using My Wheels’s Again

 I found that using my spinning wheels, yes I have 2 spinning wheels. Has helped ease the arthritis pain in my foot. Some exercise is good. So today I finished filling up one bobbin. It was so full John could see it from the couch.. I don’t think I really could have gotten any more yarn on the bobbin if I tried.  I found more roving in the same color way in my stash and started another bobbin.  Yes, I did some stash diving. I also found some nice silk to ply it with from Ito.  I hope I have enough, because Ito Japan, sold out to a company in Europe which does not like to work with American yarn shops.  

Since pictures are worth a thousand words, I thought I would save you some time.  Today in pictures.  The top picture is the really full bobbin. As you can see it is just about to go over the edge which is not a great thing. The second picture is about 8 ounces more roving. That bag should fill 2 more bobbins.  

Depending on how the yarn turns out it will either be woven into a shawl or knit into a sweater. Yardage will help make the decision. 

Today’s Balance

 Today I found out that I could only knit a row or 2 before I needed to take a break on my new shawl.  The rows are getting incredibly long. I increase by 6 stitches every other row.  I am almost back to we’re I was before I had to tink 10 rows.  It is going to be the perfect summer shawl. It just might be next summer before it is ready.

Ok, so I said I found balance today.  It was in the form of one of Mr. Golding’s drop spindles.  The spindle is so incredible.  It is perfectly balanced.  Spins like a dream.  With the weight of the spindle I was very surprised to find out how thin I could spin the 50/50 combo of Merino and Silk.  I don’t know why I can’t spin this fine on either of my spinning wheels.  I can’t wait to see what it looks like when I ply the yarn . It definitely needs to be a 2 ply yarn. Definitely for a one of a kind project.

In the rush to make yarn to sell, I forgot how much I love my drop spindles. I learned to spin on drop spindles.  Kathy Withers’s is a great teacher  if you want to learn to spin on a drop spindle and are on the East Coast you should really try and take her classes. She also teaches other forms of fiber arts  if you want to support a small farm and just knit or Crochet you need to try Kathy’s yarn which is available on line.

I decided today that I will no longer be taking commission work or repair jobs.  This is all me no outside influence.  I do know a few wonderful fiber artists at Grandmas Spinning Wheel here in Tucson who would be happy to help you out. Stop by during regular business hour’s for help. 

The picture does not do the roving, yarn or spindle justice.  I hope that you can see how fine the yarn is coming out. Yes it really is that thin.  

The Good and the Bad News

 The good or great news is that I don’t need hand or elbow surgery for now.  

The bad news is that I can only knit for a couple of hours a day.  

So I have been binging on audiobooks.  Reorganizing a house that has been reorganized way too many times since COVID19 hit.  

I need to come up with other relaxing activities like jigsaw puzzles, I currently do about 2 a day. I am not buying that many puzzles to clutter up the house, I have an app for that.  I also color occasionally using my left hand just to sharpen my fine motor skills.  

I am trying very hard not to shop. So far so good. I am only replacing worn out items and grocery shopping.  I really have to start cooking more too. 

So ideas that don’t use my right hand would be wonderful.  

Waiting

 We are currently waiting for our summer rains.  I think it is getting closer because I can smell the moisture in the air.  I am still waiting for the smell of the wet creosote bushes. That is the smell most people think about when they think of the after rain smell in the desert.  

I did get a bunch of errands done today too. The paperwork will have to wait for tomorrow.  I am glad it is cooler this week too.  Yes, I have hit the summer doldrums on the first day of summer. How is that for perfect timing.