All good things..

...must come to an end and so must my staycation.  I have to say, though, that I am much rested and feel stronger emotionally, if not physically.  Whether that emotional strength will last past Monday remains to be seen.

I did a lot of thinking.  Too much, in fact.  I have determined not to make too many plans for my future and instead try to fix my present circumstances.  At least to the degree where I am no longer waiting until my situation is ideal to actually start enjoying life.  Because ideal just isn't going to happen.

I'm not going to church tomorrow.  I've been coughing all day today and my chest is so sore.  Plus, I know I'm going to have difficulty sleeping in part because of all the coughing so it's just as well not to add the stress of trying to get sleep so I can get up early for church.  It's not a cold; I had an attack of acid reflux last night and as happens occasionally, I aspirated some of the fluids and have been spent the day coughing it all up.  It happens rarely but I know the outcome well enough to know what to do so...it will mean sleeping sitting up tonight and probably tomorrow night as well.  I used to think it was because I ate too close to bedtime but like last night, I hadn't eaten for several hours and didn't gorge myself when I did eat.  If I had some foreknowledge of what the ph of my stomach was when I went to bed, I would know to take acid reducer, but it always comes out of the blue.

But rarely, like I said.

Zach and I went out tonight for a sandwich as a last hurrah before Tom comes home.  We had a good talk.  We don't connect as much these days since he's working and going to school and spends his time in his room on the internet with his friends, and his beloved.  In spite of what some people think, I love that we're growing apart.  I know that he will always love me, but it's important that he grow away from me and become his own man, which he has managed to do very nicely.  We do talk on the way to school sometimes, but often he's playing a DS game or we're listening to audio books or he sleeps.  

Oh, and he's ready to get his driver's permit renewed and start driving in Beaver Dam and to work in Mayville.  Not to Fond du Lac though.  I think the reassurance that if he gets his license, he won't have to drive there until he's ready helped with the decision.  Patience is the key. 

I started a cowl for Zach out of my dorset handspun but I think it's going to be too small.  It has turned out more like sport yarn rather than worsted so I'm rethinking what to do with it.  And I must finish his sweater if it's going to be a Christmas present.

Oh, and my family decided to draw names after all.  But I'm not sure they included us in the exchange since I've heard nothing about it.  I'll call my sister tomorrow and see if she knows anything.  

I'm off to finish Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (this has been a Johnny Depp weekend) and find something else in my stash of dvds to watch.  And knit to my heart's content.

And I must have been spaced when I wrote the last entry because I forgot to mention my Canadian and Australian/New Zealand  readers.  Thank you guys for being here as well.  

TTFN

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The turkey roast is in the oven.  I used to get turkey breast but since it's just Zach and me, this is cheaper and easier.  It has its own gravy.  Yay!  I'll fix a bit of stuffing and some corn and we're set. I bought some small pies...mine is sugar-free...so not a lot of cooking here.

I am doing laundry though because Zach needs clean uniforms for work tomorrow, but otherwise lots of knitting, reading and watching of the television.

I wish every holiday was this stress-free.

Just wanted to pop in here and wish all my American readers a Happy Thanksgiving and to my British and European readers, have a happy Thursday.  You all mean a lot to me, even if you don't post comments, I know you're there and that means something.

I'm off to knit some more.  I'll link the pattern later but it's pretty great aside from having to pay attention to the pattern and the movie at the same time.

I think I'll watch Sweeney Todd and Hot Fuzz again before they slide off the OnDemand schedule.

TTFN

Midway through hunting season

I've really been enjoying this week but once I reach the halfway point, I start to get a bit of a letdown...knowing that it will be another year before I can feel this free and as unstressed as is possible in my present situation.  Still...I plan on enjoying the next four days with as much relaxation as I can.

I am nearly done with Charlotte's hat.  Just some finishing touches.  Some braids and a tassle and a single crochet trim.  I ended up making up my own pattern after all because I couldn't find exactly what she wanted in a free pattern and didn't have time to look everywhere.  Now I'm looking at Fair Isle or some Andean mittens.  I'm not practiced at stranded knitting and would like to stretch myself a bit.  I seem to keep doing the same things over and over again.  Time to grow a bit.

I'm loving the gas prices.  It was $1.75 a gallon today.  It would be nice if it would drop even further but better if it stays down for the winter.  I feel like I'm just holding my breath waiting for it to climb again...even higher than it was before.  I sure hope not though.

Professor was so funny thing morning.  After he come in from his morning wee, he headed straight for the heating vents and stood there with his hind end almost touching it.  He'd never done that before and I just couldn't stop laughing.  Then, next time he came in, he did it again.  I guess when your butt is cold, the rest of you just can't warm up.  I'll be curious to see if he does it again tomorrow.

I haven't bought any gifts yet.  I knitted some for my family then found out we weren't exchanging names this year so I don't know what I'm going to do with them now.  I still haven't finished Zach's sweater and I don't have anything for Stephen yet and won't have time to make anything so he'll get his later than Christmas.  Maybe some Fair Isle mittens.  It will be yet another lean Christmas.  But I don't suppose there is a lot we really need anyway.

I got the groceries for next week today because there is no way I'm doing my shopping on Friday.  Nope.  No way will I try to deal with crowds like that.  I've done pretty good the past couple of weeks on groceries.  I'm spending about half what I used to spend, even considering I had to get a lot of meat.  But I have to buy my most expensive prescriptions next week so there goes the food budget.  

I've spent the past two nights up late watching movies.  It's not that I can't sleep; it's that I don't seem to want to.  I watched Girl, Interrupted last night.  I'd never been interested in it before, not being a Winona Rider fan, but I couldn't stop watching it.  So today I went and got the book.  It was a quick read...finished it in about 3 hours.  Which meant I wasn't knitting during that time.  Or online.

Lately I've just not spent as much time online.  I think that's a good thing, actually.  I spend too many hours just drifting all over the internet.  I don't meant the time I spend reading blogs, but time I spend just googling nonsense stuff.

I do need to get more done around here.  Still battling the fatigue though.  I'm not sure how to get rid of that.  The house is straightened up but not really clean.  I need to mop some floors and clean the fridge out.  And the basement needs to be shoveled out.  Plus I need to tidy up the yard a bit.  We have too much clutter around the garage and back door.  I hate that.  And I need to prune the roses and fruit trees.

I can't stop yawning so I'm off to make up the futon and go to sleep.  No need to stay up tonight.

One of the best Mondays

What I'm enjoying about Deer Widowhood:

1. I don't have someone waking me up at 8 a.m. because he's awake and I'm not.

2. No one to clean up after. Surprisingly, the 20 year old picks up after himself so I don't have to.

3. I can watch whatever I want on television without someone making fun of it or ridiculing it.

4. I can cook what I want and when I want.

5. I don't answer to anyone.

I finally watched Sweeney Todd. Very bizarre. I told myself I didn't want to watch it again, but I keep catching it on HBO and watching it again...and again...and again. Like watching a train wreck, I guess.

I also saw Hot Fuzz and loved it. One of the things I love about British productions is they use everyone they can get. I love seeing the same people over and over again.

I got a lot done in the past couple of days but I had to start out with shoveling snow this morning. I was a bit frantic, trying to get it done before we left for Zach's class. It was wet and heavy so my back was really hurting but we finished in time to leave but surprise! Zach checked his email from school before we left and the teacher was sick. In spite of back pain, I was doing the happy dance.

So I've been knitting and cleaning all day. I'm nearly finished with the hat for Charlotte but I do think I want to line it. I bought some more yarn in a different color because I thought it was more what she wanted. The other yarn won't go to waste though. I think it will make good mittens. Especially some from the Folk Mitten book. All I need is some black yarn to go with it.

I didn't do a lot of rearranging like I normally do but I did move a nightstand downstairs. I was using some plastic drawers and a tv tray for a table and it wasn't too sturdy and the nightstand wasn't being used so it's in the living room. It goes with the armoir that I moved into what used to be my bedroom so there is some continuity there at least. And I have more storage now.

The snow was gorgeous when I woke up but there were leaves under it on the sidewalk so it's not so pretty now. And I didn 't shovel the neighbor's sidewalk leading up to her door because of time constraints. I could have gone back out after I found out we weren't going to class but it was supposed to melt today anyway and I just let it go. I looked out before it got dark and it was mostly gone so by tomorrow she'll be set. I don't mind doing it for her except she has a son who is capable and when he does make it over to do her sidewalk, he never returns the favor. And he has a snowblower. Still, I don't want to take it out on her because of her son's behavior. She's so sweet and has done nothing to deserve me being a snotty ditch. Or words that rhyme with that.

I got Blue Murder, season 2 from the library this week and the second season is as good as the first. Another thing I like about British productions.

Tonight I intend to finish up the kitchen and work on the bathroom tomorrow. Then I'll just enjoy the rest of the break. Zach doesn't have school on Wednesday or Thursday and won't work again until Friday so for two days, I'll be like a layabout. Aside from cooking and dishes.

I'm off to finish up supper, knit my brains out and watch television and wind up some balls of yarn for Zach's project for tomorrow.

TTFN

Baby it's cold inside, too.

I don't think I can keep this up.  I'm freezing.  Okay, maybe not freezing, but I'm bundled up and still cold so I think I'm going to crank the thermostat up to a raging 60 degrees.  Then I can at least take the gloves off.

Zach worked today and I had altar guild but he got off before I got done and had to wait an hour or so for me to pick him up.  Even if he was able to drive he wouldn't have been any better off since we only have the one vehicle right now with Tom up north deer hunting.

I usually spend the first couple of days cleaning so I can enjoy a clean house that no one messes up while I'm gone or sleeping but I'm battling such fatigue.  It's so hard to move around.  Maybe heating up the house will help a bit but I need to do something.

Battling depression that I can't treat doesn't help.

I'm still working on the hat for Charlotte and still debating whether to line it or not.  But I caught my eye on some mittens that I simply must knit.  I've found several pairs in Folk Mittens that I won't let myself get from the library until I'm done with the hat.  But my eye keeps traveling there when I'm on Ravelry and I would do better to just get offline and stay there until I'm done.

So this won't be a long post mostly because nothing is going on, but also because me doing this is me not knitting and getting my housework done.  And since I'm kind of chirked up from doing my duties at altar guild, I think I'll do my duties here as well.

I'll try to post more tomorrow.

TTFN

Baby it's cold outside.

Brrrrr!!

I spent the afternoon in the car because the sun was out and the car was pretty warm.  In fact, I took my hat and gloves off and wore my mitts.  But I was under my wool throw.  Pretty comfortable.

But the sun goes down about 4:30 these days and it got bitterly cold after that.  The wind picked up and was rocking the car so I moved shop into the college.  Zach and I had soup and sandwiches (brought from home) in the commons and kicked back and killed an hour or so.  He left to go to class and I stayed put for a while, then took the cooler and stuff back out to the car and brought back the ds and some sodas but just as I got all sprawled out in the booth, a woman came in and started laying tests out on the tables so I left because she said they were going to be testing the rest of the evening.

There are a couple of comfortable chairs in the foyer area so I camped out there and played games for 4 hours while waiting for Zach.  And talked to one of the maintenance staff.  She always is so friendly to me but I'm sure she's been curious that for 3 semesters she's been seeing me enter the building to visit the bathroom and head back out to the parking lot several times a day, a few days a week.  Now she knows why.  I don't think I'll sit out in the car anymore.  It's just too cold.

I can't speak highly enough about Moraine Park Technical College.  I've only had experiences on two of the campuses, but if I had had a college like this when I got out of the Navy the first time, I never would have gone back in.  The one I tried to go to wasn't really a quality education.  But maybe tech schools weren't back then.  I know now, though, that Zach is getting a great education.  Sure, some of his teachers aren't his favorites, but that's life.

I am looking forward to an easy schedule next week.  I do plan on getting some clearing out done while Tom is gone.  It's the only time I can get by with it.  He's been known to go through the trash if he suspects there is something in there he doesn't want thrown out.  I've seen him pull stuff out and take it upstairs.  After a safe amount of time, the stuff goes back to the trash but he has forgotten it by then.

He was supposed to leave tomorrow morning from work but his niece can't leave until evening so he's going to try to sleep.  I think he expects me to wake him up but I won't be here so he's on his own.

I just found out last night that HBO and Cinemax are part of our package.  I checked to see of we were paying extra but we don't seem to be so I guess I'll watch it from time to time.  I found out by accident when I punched the wrong numbers in the remote.  I thought it was a fluke until I checked the bill.  And of course there was nothing on I wanted to watch.

I finished Buffy the sixth season.  I so want to own that.  Once More with Feeling is one of my favorite episodes.  But Wall-E is out and I want to get that for Zach for Christmas.  Prince Caspian is coming out very soon but I think only one dvd for Christmas.  It will still be around and maybe I can get it in January.  I prefer the wide screen editions and those go fast so I might have to settle for full screen.  But maybe the price will go down as well.

Or we can wait for a long time until it really goes down in price.

But I'm still getting Wall-E for Christmas for Zach.  He's lamenting his childhood.  Now that he's a man, he doesn't get toys anymore.  And his paycheck goes into the bank for his college so he's not spending any money on himself.  So maybe just one thing that's not practical.

I'm tired and haven't gotten any knitting done today so I'm off to watch stuff I've taped this week and knit until I fall asleep.  I'm going to try to sleep in tomorrow but it's so hard when Tom comes in and plays catch on the bed with Professor or plays tug-of-war and gets him growling or bangs doors and dishes and turns the tv on loud.  I never treated him that way whenever he would sleep downstairs in the living room instead of going up to his room and life had to come to a halt because we didn't want to wake him up.

I think that speaks a lot of what exactly he feels for me.

Not a lot.

Well, off to make up the bed and enjoy what's left of tonight.

She actually talks about knitting

I got a few emails answered but my inbox is so cluttered that I need to clear it out before I can find just who I need to respond to.  Much like my mind.

Now that I'm into the Vanna's Choice skein more, I'm liking it more.  No more knots and I love the way it feels.  Barbara mentioned that she used a smaller size needle with great results and she was right.  I got gauge by going down one needle size but I don't think Charlotte will be as warm as she was wanting to be.  My plan is to make two and stitch them together for double thickness.  And reversible.  I just hope I have enough yarn since she's going to be paying for that as well.

I need to make myself a cowl now because the weather is definitely cold and I need more layers. I'm even considering leg warmers because when my jeans ride up my legs the car seat is mighty cold.  It being leather (used car) and all.  And I have to finish Zach's sweater before Christmas. So why am I not getting anything done?

One reason is the parking lot is too dark for knitting.  Another is Zach wants to listen to Half-Blood Prince with me so I can't listen while he's not there.  I might have to get Artemis Fowl to listen to when he's in class and work on things that don't require a lot of attention.  Or light.

Zach got out of class way early tonight so I've got a chance to watch that documentary about the Bible and finish up Buffy, season 6, and work on the chulo.  I'm also working on snakes for my windows.  It's mindless knitting on dpns and doesn't require a great job on it but I do need to start stuffing it before long.  If I can find my bag of batting.  I'm not sure where it is.

I'm off to make up the futon and curl up under the blankets and knit.

TTFN

Mostly Tuesday

I started the C'hulo last night for Charlotte but my gauge was off so I had to frog it.  I think if I drop down one needle size it will be enough.  The circumference was almost right but just a tad too big. One needle size smaller will also make it denser and that means warmer.

I'm using Lion Brand Vanna's Choice and it's the first time I've used it.  She specified acrylic because wool makes her itch and I do like the feel of Vanna's Choice.  Not much color selection at Stuff Mart though.  But I'm highly disappointed in it.  I haven't even gotten into the skein yet and already I've had to cut out two knots.  I've always liked Lion Brand yarn and never had this problem before so I'm going to assume this is just a fluke.  But still, I've already paid for the yarn and need to get it done by Sunday so I've no time to email them and complain and get any satisfaction.  I haven't heard anything really negative about VC before...aside from the fact that it's acrylic, so I'm going to go on faith, I guess.

I didn't sleep as well last night.  Isn't that the way it always goes?  Once you brag about something it will fall apart as soon as possible.  Still, I did get more sleep than I usually do and I intend to sleep late tomorrow because of a late night at Fond du Lac.  I might get a nap in tonight while waiting for Zach.  It's pretty dark in the parking lot and unless I get right next to a security light I can't do anything beside play Zach's DS.  Which is also okay.

Not much brewing here.  I haven't gotten dressed yet and am feeling still just as fatigued as I always do but not much pain today.  Yesterday I ended up taking a pain pill during the day though.  I don't normally do that but I was so achy.  I don't know if the snow had anything to do with it.  Or the cold.  

Well, off to get dressed and get started on the C'hulo again.  I taped Mission Impossible (the old series) last night so I want to watch it.  And I also taped Monarch of the Glen.  I'm diappointed that BBCA doesn't have anything on worth watching since we got it back on our channel line up. But at least we have PBS.  I think when our two years is up on this cable package, I might just cancel the phone and the cable again.  I'll be working by then and won't have a lot of time to watch anyway.  But I need to get a couple of coupons for the digital receiver before February though.  At least we can pick up PBS and I can watch some shows online.  Others I get from the library.

The more money I can save, the sooner I get rid of all this debt and then I'll have options I don't have now.

TTFN

There are things that make me happy after all

I'm in a better mood today.  I've been getting a lot of sleep and gas is under $2 a gallon right now. It really doesn't take much to make me happy after all.

I got a commission to knit a hat for a woman at church.  She'll pay me for both the yarn and my time.  I can't charge her because it's not an original pattern but if she wants to give me a buck or two for my time, I ain't complainin'.

It snowed today and snow makes me happy, too.  Shoveling...not so much...but I love the way snow looks when it's coming down.  Fortunately it didn't stick so there is no shoveling today.

Zach registered for his classes for next semester and is going to go for a dual degree (if I didn't already mention it) and fortunately will have the money for tuition, fees and books by the time he needs them.  And if he can continue to work the hours he's been getting (not much...about 10 a week) he'll still have the money for the fall semester and will only owe us for the first year. And it's not like we're going to charge him interest.

Again...makes me happy.

On the sleep front, since I switched to the futon (which is a PITA to make up and put back together) I've been sleeping so much better.  And when night comes, I'm sleepy again.  Not like it has been with lots of waking up, waking up stiff and sore from being in the same position and napping during the day so not getting sleepy at night.  Now I can barely stay awake until 11 p.m.

Before it would be 1 or 2 a.m before I even began to get sleepy.

And my weight is stable.  Not a great weight but I'm not gaining.  In fact, I think I've lost 2 pounds.  Two solid pounds.  So I don't need to do anything except add some activity.  And when I can get through this fatigue cycle (and they do come and go) then I can get some serious work done on the house.  I plan on doing some closet emptying while Tom is gone hunting.  Between Freecycle, the thrift store and the trash can, I might make some progress.  And even find my slippers.  I hope.

I so appreciate the comments.  They give me a such a lift.  I try not to whine too much because I've got people in my life who are supposed to love me but can only criticize me when I need a shoulder to cry on.  Except for Zach but I try not to go to him with marital problems.  Or financial problems.  Although he's not deaf and can hear it when I get my daily dose of whatever the crime of the day is.

I will try in the future not to complain too much though.

I washed a load of clothes today intending to hang them out because it was briskly windy out there and I thought in spite of the cold temps they would still dry but they didn't get done before we had to leave for Zach's class and since it's been snowing off and on, I don't think it will work to hang them out.  Tomorrow looks good but I think I will just hang them on the racks and hangars instead.  It takes a couple of days for them to dry but there's nothing there I need tomorrow so it's okay.

Saving money makes me happy, too.

I bought a London broil roast a couple of weeks ago at the store.  It wasn't on sale but the price was lower than most of the other meats and I'm getting tired of just hamburger and chicken.  I got a small one, about $7, and cut it into three pieces.  So far I've made beef and noodles and beef and rice.  Today we're having pot roast with potatoes and carrots.  I'll make some chicken broth rice for Zach since he can't stomach potatoes, except french fries.  So three meals for a bit over $7.  And that's one of my more expensive meals.

I can get three meals out of a chicken and I buy the family packs of ground meat and divide them up to half pound packages.  I can do this.  I need to stop panicking so much.

And I might start on the beaded scarf kit I won from Joan a while back.  I'm so nervous about starting lace, especially beaded lace.  And if anyone has some spare hugs or prayers or energy could you send them her way?  It doesn't sound like chemo is being very effective.  And that makes me sad, of course.

I really shouldn't let these pity parties happen too often, although I think it's okay for people to have them once in a while.  I really don't have things as bad as some others do.  And I need to remember that.  

So thanks for all the love you've sent my way.  I'm going to try to fight through this depression and let my outlook be brighter.  And maybe even get busy and answer my email.

Love you guys.

TTFN

Fibromyalgia sucks

Darned fibromyalgia.

I had one good day and decided to rearrange the living room and my bedroom (which is supposed to be the living room.)  We've had the cable guys over twice in the past month and each time they had to move the bed out of the way to get to the cable outlet.  It has been embarrassing to see the looks on their faces.

A bedroom in the living room?

Mortifying is more the word.  I was fighting back tears the last time the cable guy was here.

So while I had a good day, I moved furniture.  And disassembled furniture.  And cleaned.

The house looks like a house again.  The living room is a living room again and the dining room is pretty close to being one again.  I didn't bring the dining table up from the basement yet.  I just have a card table up for now.

It looks really good and Tom liked it, which kind of surprised me since he hates change.

I'm sleeping on the futon which is a PITA to make up but oh, so comfortable.  I actually can stretch out my legs now.  I couldn't in the twin bed because of pets sleeping at the foot of the bed and curled up under the covers next to me.  I slept like a rock.

Unfortunately, now I'm in such pain.  I'm saving my tramadol for tonight but I've taken tylenol and some ibuprofen for the arthritis that has flared up.  I might have to call the rheumatologist to get my medication refilled if it keeps up.

So I'm moving very, very slowly. 

Zach's class is later tonight and only a consultation so we won't be there long but tomorrow is all day.  And we have to stop eating out because now I'm paying for heating I just can't afford it.

Although I did buy a vcr/dvd combo today.  The vcr I got on Freecycle didn't work.  It kept eating the tapes and since the shift of furniture put the vcr and tv in the dining room for taping purposes I don't have one to watch in the living room/bedroom anymore.  It wasn't expensive but a mess to set up.  They don't make them to run off of cable anymore.  This one had to be set up from the cable box and doesn't change channels.  You can't watch one channel and tape another anymore.  So putting it on the cable box made the most sense since you can't tape on channel and watch another there either.

But now that it's set up it's great.

I know...not so frugal.  But I've been doing without a vcr for that tv (the one with the digital/expanded package) for a long time.  And since I don't get vacations or days off or even birthday or Christmas presents, I felt like it was a good investment for me.

Plus, the old vcr is now a tuner for my little tv that only got a few channels before.  I try not to throw anything away here.

But it is really time now to get down to tightwadding for sure.  And no eating out is a start.  Plus, cooking more from scratch.  I did have to crank the heat up a bit today.  I've been keeping it at 55 because we've been either gone a lot or busy but it's rainy today and that kind of cold seeps into your bones.  So it's up to 60.  I'll put it down to 48 when I go to bed since I use so many covers and have pets to keep me warm.

I started knitting a cowl for me.  I've got some Lion Brand wool left over and it will match my hat and gloves.  I was going to use my handspun dorset but I need to figure out the gauge.  I think it's spun out to a dk weight so it will require smaller needles to get a tighter knit.  It's a bit scratchy, too, but would be okay for a cowl, I think.  Zach will need one, too, so he gets the dorset.

Time to go eat supper and maybe some more tylenol.  It hurts just sitting, too.  I'm going to take a hot water bottle tonight and curl up under a blanket in the back seat while I wait.  I'm so tired of this pain.

And depression?  It's part and parcel of the fibromyalgia and believe me, it's like wearing weighted clothes.  I drag myself through life wondering if this is all there is.

TTFN

She gets a bit ranty today

Yes, the furnace is on. It was 55 degrees F this morning and with an overcast sky (and a few snow flakes coming down) I knew it wasn't going to warm up at all today so I bit the bullet and cranked the thermostat up to a roaring 60 degrees. I'm pretty comfortable, to tell you the truth. No cold hands, but the dog is under two blankets.

I finished a scarf and started a hat yesterday. It's my own pattern but I don't have it written down as yet. When I do I'll post it here, but I want to finish the hat first. I'm ready to start the sleeves on Zach's sweater and maybe get a bit done on the red sweater I'm knitting for me. I have a pair of slippers to make for my great-niece. My mom has requested them. She and Daddy babysit Rylee most days and Mom is concerned about her catching cold because she doesn't wear shoes at their house. I expressed my concern about the slippers being slick on the bottom. Rylee isn't 3 yet, but Mom & Dad have carpet throughout the house aside from the kitchen so it should be okay. She's requested pink and I do have pink in abundance.

I managed to spin a bit Wednesday. It's like riding a bicycle. But I do need to do it every day or I'll never be able to move on to a different type of roving. Or learn to dye. Or get to knit this up.

Zach has a class presentation in a couple of weeks where he has to teach a task in a 15 minute time slot. I suggested knitting so I had to go buy about 10 more sets of straight knitting needles. I have 11 sets but I mostly knit with circulars because they're easier on my shoulders. I found a value package at Stuff Mart that didn't break the bank and I have tons of yarn in my stash that he can use. He's going to teach the cast on, knit stitch and bind off. He figures just a couple of rows is all they'll have time for. A couple of people are really interested in learning, including some of his male classmates.

They don't have to actually succeed in learning. This is about presentation more than it is about being able to teach something in fifteen minutes. But I think there is enough time to learn the knit stich and a simple long tail cast on. I think the bind off might be a bit trickier but if these kids can learn to tear a computer apart, they can learn to slip one stitch over another.

I don't like to get into politics on this blog because that's one of the areas of my life that is very private. But I do want to talk about the hysteria that is rampant among some of the more fundamentalist Christian groups out there. One blog in particular, which I will not point to here because I don't want to give her any more attention than is necessary, believes that witchcraft in Kenya is responsible for Obama's win. Others claim that Obama is really Muslim and will soon begin turning our nation into another Iraq. That he's not really a citizen of this country, that he is the last president we will ever have because he'll single-handedly destroy our democracy.

This is one of the reasons I left fundamentalism behind. The fear-mongering, the false-witness-bearing, and the vile hatred for things that don't fit into their little cubicle of I-and-I-alone-ness. Should you point out to them that they are breaking one of the commandments about bearing false witness, they would smugly deny it since they really do believe it's all true.

Hysteria, however, is a two-way street and I saw as many Democrats terrified of McCain, or more accurately, Sarah Palin.

Doesn't anyone try to understand the other side anymore? People can come to different conclusions and not be the enemy.

I can't begin to express my outrage, though, over the states that are going to try to deny gays the right to enjoy the same rights as straight people do. Especially California, who actually removed rights that were already in place. I'm pretty sure this is going to bite them in the backside though because this has now become a civil rights issue, whereas before it was a states' rights issue. This whole thing will end up before the U.S. Supreme Court before it's all over.

Enough said.

I'm off to knit a while before I go pick Zach up from work. I do have a ton of things I could be doing but Tom is asleep upstairs and Zach is gone so I'm going to just kick back.

Although I will have to dig through the closet to look for my hat and gloves. I got caught at Stuff Mart yesterday in just a sweater and it was snowing furiously when I came out. I was pretty darned cold, let me tell you.

TTFN

That darn computer...

was out again. For two days. Apparently a splitter that was put in over a year ago was put in backwards. I can't figure out why it's been working for a year but they replaced some old cables anyway so we should be good to go for a while anyway.

I hate it when anyone comes into my home though because it's so shabby. I've got my bedroom in the living room (and had to move my bed out of the way for the cable guy and there was really no room to move it.), the carpet is gone and the wood floors are in bad shape. The rugs I've got are really shabby. The curtains are falling apart. Sigh. One of these days...

Surprisingly nothing new is going on in the meantime. I'm working on a scarf, a prayer shawl, and plan to get back to work on my sweater and Zach's.

It's been unseasonally warm the past few days which is great except I've got flannel sheets on my bed so I've had to use the fan at night. And I've slept so well because I don't hear Tom's noises. But I can't justify using the fan all winter just so I can sleep.

Zach had Tuesday and Wednesday off from school so I've been taking it easy. Not quite like having a day off because I've got all this to do later and then some, but it's been great not to have a hectic schedule.

And the problem with the car was lack of power steering fluid. Fortunately the auto shop didn't charge us anything. But we know for sure now that the problem isn't in the power steering pump but in the rack and pinion steering and it's nothing to worry about.

I'm off to work on my bedroom and get some of the furniture out of it so I can move my bed if I need to.

TTFN

It's a good thing I'm not a homicidal maniac

I finished the cowl last night. I didn't go as many repeats as the pattern called for because I thought 5 pattern repeats was long enough. Any more and it bunched up too much under the chin. It still fits up over the head enough to wear as a hood. Besides, I wanted to use the rest of the Cascade to make the Dashing mitts from Knitty. I know they are men's but I like the pattern so I made them in the small size using a size 6 needle instead of a 7. They fit me fine so I'm sure they will fit whoever gets them. When I finish them, I'll get a picture.

Nobody in my family reads this blog anyway so it's not like I'm giving anything away.

Aside from Zach and Stephen, that is.

While I was doing 3 loads of laundry, rearranging Zach's bedroom while he was at work because his bed was blocking the heating vent (an arrangement that works well in summer though.) And cleaning the kitchen.

Today I've got more laundry to do and finish winterizing the windows. I had to redo one window because I had left a little slide thing open so it was pointless to have plastic on the windows when they were partially open. I've got to caulk the windows outside because I can't find the outdoor plastic and they don't seem to have it at StuffMart and anyway I'm broke this payday because I had three huge bills due tomorrow.

The back hallway has a split where the addition is (the former owner did a lot of bad modifications on this house and the addition doesn't quite meet and has no foundation but is built on top of the patio so no insulation.) and I have to figure out a way to stuff that shut. Then I found a separation on the heating vent in Zach's room and cold air is just pouring in from it.

Yeah...these are my days off. I really know how to party, don't I?

And Wisconsin decided to replace our license plates this year so we didn't get tags. And we also didn't get the plates yet. So I'm sure to get stopped sometime soon. I sure hope the registration which says I can just use these plates until they come in works when that happens. I can't afford a fine on top of everything else that is falling down all around me.

In the meantime, I noticed that it is already November 2, which means Christmas packages need to be mailed off in a couple of weeks and I'm not really ready for that yet. So while I'm not panicking just yet, it's not too far around the corner. I think I'll just save everything up and while Zach is on Christmas break, I'll have one myself. Maybe it will be a nervous breakdown or just a complete break with reality. Either way it will be the only way I get a vacation.

I'm off to get the windows done and put the clothes in the dryer. Yes, I'm wussing out and not drying them on the line. I just can't fit it into my timeline today. Then, when the sun goes down, I'm going to crawl into bed and knit until I collapse. One bright shining moment in my life though: I got a vcr through Freecycle so I can tape things on BBCA and Flix now. I rarely leave my room anymore at night and can't stay up long enough to watch anything on those channels anyway.

Oh, and I am working on changing my attitude. It's not easy though.

TTFN