Feeling like a zombie today...again

I forgot to blog yesterday.  Which is just as good as I didn't have anything to say anyway.  Sort of like today, in fact.  I managed to get about 7 hours of sleep Tuesday night but last night it was around 5 a.m. before I drifted off and my mother called at 9:30 to tell me about my uncle's surgery outcome (which was good!) so another day of dragging around.  I got a load of clothes washed and dried but it's still in the dryer.  I'll get it tomorrow.  I had to pick up meds today so I just grabbed a cheap bite out, picked up a pizza for Zach and would love to go to bed right now, but if I do I'll be wide awake at midnight and another night will be messed up.  I think I'll start taking the herbal sleeping meds I got Tom.  But tonight probably wouldn't be a good night to start that.

I got a few rows done on the frolicking deer hat.  The key is just working on it during commercials.  I can't watch tv and work this kind of pattern, but that's okay.  I do need to get busy here and start getting things done.  It doesn't help that Professor keeps wanting outside at 9 a.m. or so, no matter how late I take him out at night.  Or rather in the morning.  Yesterday he went out at 4 a.m. and woke me up even earlier today at 9.  I had just managed to get back to sleep when my mother called.

I'll probably just work on baby blankets tonight since my concentration is at a zero right now.  Mindless stockinette stitch will do just fine for me when I'm like this.  I have been known to fall asleep while knitting before so it wouldn't make much difference if I fell asleep working on the baby blanket.

Well, off to make up the bed and yes, I know it's not even 7 p.m.  I don't want to wake myself up later with the effort of making it up when I am ready to go to bed.

TTFN

Where is the sleep on my vacation?

I'm not getting the sleep I had hoped for during this "vacation."  Professor has been barking at about 9:30 every morning wanting out for his wee and since I've had trouble getting to sleep because of the pain, I'm only getting about 5 hours of sleep per night.  I try to nap but I don't sleep well during the day.  I'll catch a few minutes but never anything as long as an hour.  I hope to go to sleep early tonight and sleep through. I'd love to have normal sleeping patterns but as long as I have pain that wakes me up or prevents me from sleeping, I'm likely to spend the rest of my life getting little sleep.

I'm nearly done with the back of Zach's sweater.  I haven't had the energy to work on anything that required a lot of thinking so the frolicking deer hat has been sitting in the bag unattended all week. It may be all I can work on for a while, until I get some rest.  I can barely keep my eyes open but every time I try to nap I wake up about 10 minutes later and can't get back to sleep.

I must say I'm enjoying the solitude a lot.  I'm such an introvert anymore.  Or maybe that's recluse.  Zach is trying to adjust his circadian rhythms so he's been sleeping during the day which gives me a lot of quiet.  I thought about going out today for lunch because I haven't done that in a while but it was cold out and I was so tired.  I just stayed in.  Fixing supper now.  Zach can fix his later when he wakes up.

Hopefully I'll get some rest in soon because I have a lot of winterizing to do before it gets really cold.  I'm wondering if we're going to have an early winter because it's a lot colder now than it has been lately.  I never had to turn the furnace on before November 1st before but if this keeps up I'll have to turn it on during October.  Not a good sign.

Well, off to finish up supper and then relax for a while before bedtime.  I can't sleep for a few hours after I eat but I do intend to get to bed before 10 p.m. tonight.

TTFN

Laid back so far I'm nearly falling over

Yesterday was a pretty restful day.  As restful as it can be with the house a mess.  But I've had to re-knit most of what I knit yesterday due to being too tired and making huge mistakes that I didn't catch.  I could go back to sleep now, to be honest.

So little by little I'm straightening up the house.  I removed the chair from the living room because I can't squeeze through to get to the armoir or to turn the light off beside the couch.  So the coffee table is back as a window seat and Professor is ecstatic as that's his catbird seat.  It opens up the window area making the room brighter, too. Which it needs because the living room is the darkest room in the house.

We've had rain off and on for 3 days now.  It's cloudy today with occasional bursts of sunlight out there.  I think that's what is making me so sleepy.  Or maybe it's just because I can...and should...sleep.  And maybe get a load of clothes started.  I can fold them tomorrow if I just wash and dry them today.

I had to frog back on the frolicking deer hat because the strands weren't long enough and were pulling in on the design.  It's better now although in places it seems too loose, but once the hat is on the head, the strands will put taut and be perfect.  I hope.  I did make pretty good progress until I started making too many mistakes and had to tink back so I just put it up for the rest of the night.  Maybe later tonight I'll knit on it some more.

I'm forcing myself to stay home because if I go to the store or even just go to town, I'll spend money and we've absolutely got to get back into tightwad mode...deluxe.  I have plenty of food so I don't need anything.  I might run out of milk but there is a convenience store a couple of blocks from here and the milk there is no more expensive than at StuffMart.  Plus a brisk walk downhill to get there and uphill to get back will do us good.

I can't think of anything else going on except for throwing things at the tv while watching House Hunters International.  I can't imagine thinking a 2200 sq yd vacation home would ever be too small.  Not to mention those outrageous budgets some of these people have...without even having a job.  Or when they move to another country without having investigated anything about that country.  One couple had never been to Uruguay put sold everything and moved down there without a job or without having even seen the place.  And they had to get an apartment RIGHT NOW.  Although I admit their apartment was lovely after they moved into it and they were one of the few couples who refused to go over their budget.

Well, off to watch another episode I've dvr'd.  I do love seeing how people live in other countries and there is a bit of a travelogue feel to the show as well.

TTFN

My time off

This is the closest I get to a vacation, when Tom goes up north to his brother's cabin.  I have one less person to take care of and clean up after.  Some of the other changes will be not being woke up when he gets home at night or when he gets up in the morning.  Not his fault...it's a tiny house...but I will enjoy it nonetheless.  Two mornings in a row I got robo-calls way too early from the Republicans or Koch political groups waking me up.  I wasn't going to vote for them anyway but if this keeps up I will start actively campaigning against them. 

I had to rip back a couple of inches on Zach's sweater because after I finished up the armholes, the sweater reached his knees again.  Or I might be exaggerating a bit.  Still, it was pretty long so I took out 2 inches and it looks like it will be a better fit.  Again, I'm thankful I'm a process knitter versus a project knitter.  I found a pattern in my stash for some Halloween bags crocheted from cotton thread and since I have some black crochet thread, I thought that would be another project I could add to my endless bunch of works in progress.  I also broke down and bought Interweave Crochet because it had a beautiful shawl pattern in it. 

I plan on taking tomorrow off, doing next to nothing, not even cooking and knitting or crocheting to my heart's content.  I need to spend much less time online and more time getting things done.  But I'm not going to fill my day with endless projects just yet.  I want to focus on getting back to tightwaddery and cooking from scratch so I can afford the car we intend to look for when Tom comes home.

He didn't work on it before he left for a number of reasons.  One being that I was afraid he would make it worse than it already is.  He was exhausted, having worked late last night.  Didn't get home until nearly 3 a.m.  So he slept in until nearly noon and needed to get on the road.  Plus it was raining and that would have been no fun at all working on the car in the rain.  We managed to get our shopping done today and have no need to go out at all the rest of the week. 

The weather turned very cool today...mid 50s, which is very nice in spite of the rain.  I was going to shut the basement windows tonight but I think I'll wait until tomorrow to do it.  But do it I will before Tom gets home.  We play musical windows in this house in the cooler months.  If the weather is above 50 outside he wants them open.  I maintain that it's too frelling cold so I shut them.  I always win by putting plastic on them.  I am woman, hear me roar!

Well, I'm ready to make up the bed, grab my knitting and watch tv until I fall asleep at the needles.

TTFN

Toxic sleeping

I don't know what Professor ate last night but it was toxic...to me.  I had to light my honeysuckle candle just so I could breathe.  I took him outside several times thinking he might actually unload whatever it was from his intestines but he kept it all night.  Dog farts are no fun at all.

I made progress on the sweater back.  I'm nearly to the neckline and using skeins now instead of little balls of yarn.  I ended up throwing out some of the yarn because I just couldn't untangle it after about 3 hours of work.  I broke down and bought a new skein.  I had wound them by hand for a center pull but none of the other skeins fell apart like that one did.  Must be the gremlins that Carol talked about in my comments yesterday. Rat bastards!

My mother called this morning and we chatted for a while.  They went to dinner theater last night with some people from their church.  Remember my Dad is 80 now.  I think they're more active now than they were when we were in high school.  I'm so glad they're having fun.  Although I have to admit that my dad out on the roads driving makes me a bit nervous.  I've not driven with him for about 10 years and I'm a terrible passenger, but I can't imagine someone driving, especially at night, at that age.  Still, I know how I would feel being dependent on someone else for transportation.  I dread the time when I can't drive myself around.  I'm sure I would feel like a burden on whoever I had to ask.

Then I got up and paid bills while I had the truck.  Tom is going to fix the car before he leaves tomorrow, hopefully, but I stocked up just in case he doesn't get it done.  I've got a convenience store 3 blocks away if I need milk and I can make my own bread but I have everything else I need.  Unless I need a prescription or a library book comes in..or is due back.  Still, I think we can manage.  Worse case scenario, I can call the pharmacy and have them deliver and can call the library and explain my situation and they will do an emergency renewal.  But I don't think any of the books I have due next week are in demand.  I should be good to go.  In fact, it would be nice if I couldn't go anywhere for a week.  Staying home would be a dream.

I've got to fix supper...nothing fancy, just Hamburger Helper because I'm tired and lazy and really just want to go to bed.  I didn't get much sleep last night...as usual.  HH is something quick and easy and requires little attention.  Then I'm going to work on the sweater.  I dug out my old projects and found two I'd like to continue working on and 3 that I plan on frogging.  One is an afghan and the other is that cardigan I started last winter.  The other three are shawls, a sweater coat and an afghan that I'm just no longer interested in.

Next week I plan on finishing up the frolicking deer hat and might start a frolicking deer scarf to go with it.  That should be fun at the hunting camp. 

Next week we also plan on addressing our eating problems.  Zach's appetite is so much less now that he's getting 8 hours of sleep.  I would love to get that much regularly.  I think my eating might ease off if I wasn't so very tired all the time.  Plus the doctor told me that people who don't get 8 hours regularly end up with a huge stomach because of cortisol, the stress hormone.  And that's where both Zach and I are.  At least I won't have Tom coming in and waking me up at night or in the morning next week.  He doesn't do it on purpose but he is just one of those people who doesn't know how to whisper or how to do things quietly.  He says he tries but...well, that's just the way it is.  Some day I will have my own room with a door that locks so he can't come in and play with the dog or cat on the bed while I'm trying to sleep. 

So I'm off to cook.  I have tons of dvr stuff to watch and much to knit.

TTFN

The end of summer

Happy Birthday, Bilbo and Frodo...and me!  Last day of summer, too.  Although it looks like that dog has already run unless we get an Indian Summer before the snow flies.

I spent most of the day either online or trying to unravel a massive tangle of yarn.  I'm ready to move to the skeins of yarn but the dark green has commingled with other dark green yarn and made babies.  This is why we need free birth control out there!  I still have hours to go before I manage this.  I have no idea why none of the light green yarn tangled at all...maybe it's already on birth control...or practices abstinence.  Who knows?

So my plans for knitting my birthday away have gone awry.  Darn it!  Still, I must persevere because the sweater needs to be knitted and I'm not buying more yarn to do it.  So tonight while watching all my dvr'd programs I'll be unraveling yarn.  Joy.

Zach and I are getting ready to go to the store.  He has to go with me because he can shove the gearshift into park and I can't.  And since it's my birthday and I don't feel like cooking or anything else for that matter, I'll bring something home for supper.

Tom bought me a nice little fountain that is very soothing and small enough to fit on a little table-top.  I've got it next to my altar and will make a nice addition to Mabon ritual...or whatever I decide to do with the Autumnal Equinox. 

Tomorrow I need to run errands and I can't wait for Zach to get up so I'll have to get up early, steal the truck and get them done before Tom goes to work.  Zach is working on shifting his circadian rhythms so he can sleep at night.  For at least the past 10 years he's gotten only around 5-6 hours of sleep because he has trouble getting to sleep, even with sleep aids.  He has delayed sleep phase so we read that the best way to fix the problem is, instead of trying to go to bed early at night, go to bed later and later until you are on target for normal sleep.  It's taken him a week to get to the point where he's going to bed at 9 a.m. and sleeping, finally, for 8 hours.  I figure it will be another 2-3 weeks before he's got a normal sleeping pattern going.  In the meantime he's sleeping during the day.

Well, heading out to pick up some stuff at the store and then home to untangle while watching Tangled.

TTFN

Happy Birthday, Daddy

Last night Zach and I went ahead and celebrated my birthday because we just didn't feel like waiting.  Normally we go to Appleby's but in the long run we always come away from there unsatisfied.  It's expensive and the food doesn't equate to the expense.  So I suggested Pizza Hut because I love their salad bar and we could split a pizza for a lot less than we would spend, even on the cheapest stuff at the big A.  So we each got a one-trip salad bar and split a large pizza.  Next time we'll opt for a medium pizza, although the difference is only $1, I think.

The food was great but for some reason the hostess crammed all the guests into a small area so we were next to each other while the dining room was largely empty.  We were next to the kitchen as well and with the music playing it was hard to talk without being loud.  And our conversations are generally not suitable for public consumption, especially in light of the family in the next booth talking about Bible study.  We normally talk about spiritual things or gay rights or liberal stuff.  Not wanting to attract attention, we talked about boring stuff but it was so hard to hear each other that it was a bit of a dampener on the evening.  Still, the price was right for celebrations so from now on we'll give Appleby's a pass.

Although the server was less than satisfactory.  We ended up being served by the hostess because we didn't see our server again until the bill needed to be paid.  We started out with no plates and no silverware.  Zach went up to the counter to ask for those.  That's how we ended up with the hostess taking very good care of us.  I normally tip 20% but in light of the lack of a server, I only tipped 15%.  I would have tipped less if I knew for sure only the original server was going to get the money.  In the end we had a different waitress who took care of the check.

I'm making progress on Zach's sweater.  The stripes are much narrower because of the little balls of yarn I ended up with and while it's a bit tedious, I feel good knowing the yarn isn't going to waste.  Which is an attitude I have to start taking.  Tom is going up north next week, which will cost money, and with us having to buy a newer car next month, it's time to get back into super-duper tightwad mode.  I have plenty of yarn to keep me occupied for the winter aside from wool for socks.  I'm going to go ahead and get enough wool for 3 pair, which should keep me going all winter if I wash them out at least every third day.  That gives me about 5 pair altogether.  I'm no longer going to use Woolease because they only last a year before needing darning and two years before they are mostly darned socks.  My wool socks are in their 3rd year without a single hole.

But they have to be washed by hand, which isn't really a problem but it does require effort.  Which I need to start taking in super-duper tightwad mode.

I also need to get my singles dyed and get busy on scouring and carding my fleece so I can spin it this winter.  Not sure if I will dye the Shetland wool.  I like earth tones but it depends what it looks like after washing.  If it's too gray I'll probably look for some brown dye.  I'm practicing on kool-aid now but I plan on studying up on it so I can start doing more of this.  It takes longer to spin on my kick spindle but I'm a process spinner as well as a process knitter so it's all about the experience.  Plus I end up with wool and not acrylic.  This is really the only way I can afford nicer wool yarn.

It's a lovely fall day today, even though fall doesn't get here until Friday.  The temps are in the 60s with a lovely breeze and overcast skies.  Really is my time of year.

I called my dad today to wish him a Happy Birthday.  His birthday is the day before mine so I never forget it.  He turned 80 today and still sounds good.  He spent the morning with his high school alumni group.  They get together once a month for lunch and have a good time.

Well, time to go hit the couch for more knitting.  I'm just taking it easy today since I got very little sleep again.  It took a while for the pain pills to kick in and for me to find a position that didn't hurt and when I did fall asleep Hannibal jumped up on the bed, landed on my bare leg and slid his claws in order to keep from falling off the bed.  Woke me right up.  He took off pretty quick when I woke up yelling.  Later, after finally getting to sleep again, Professor went ape-shit over something outside and started barking hysterically, which woke up Tank, next door...the ROTTWEILLER who looks at Professor as if he were food.  Tom was told that he's a gentle giant and will sit if you tell him to.  All I know is he barks loudly and the cat is terrified of him and Professor thinks he can take him on.

He started barking frantically again this morning, waking up Tank again.  I think it was a squirrel or something.  I will be glad when the windows are all closed at night so he doesn't hear a chipmunk two blocks away. So, because I didn't get much sleep last night, I'm doing very little today.  Stockinette stitch is pretty easy to work on and leaves few opportunities for mistakes so I'm working on Zach's sweater mostly to the exclusion of all else.  I'll work on Tom's hat when he goes on vacation next week.

I should think of something for supper but I'm not really feeling like cooking.  However, I do feel like eating so I should think of something soon.

TTFN

Getting in the mood for winter

I took the day off yesterday.  From the internet.  Unfortunately that means more time catching up today so I didn't really save any time.  I still need to cut back on what I read so that will be a work in progress over the next week.

I got up very late this morning due to some very good sleep last night.  Not lagging at all today, but not bouncing off the walls either.  I'm doing some minor winterizing today, laundry, cleaning and later on...tons of knitting and stuff.  I moved the coffee table down to the basement because it blocks the heater vent.  Besides...it's only there so Professor can look out the window.  I put the plastic lawn chair in its place so I have an extra seat in here.  For some reason, when Tom comes in to watch tv he doesn't sit on the couch.  Instead, he sits on the ottoman.  So now he has a chair.  I sat in it after I put an afghan on the seat and it's pretty comfortable.  For a short period of time.  Wouldn't want to lounge in it all day.  It's lightweight so I can move it out of the way to get to my dresser drawers.  A real living room chair would be too big and too heavy.

I re-started Zach's sweater by using a very old leaflet I've got with instructions on different sweater patterns in different yarn weights.  I don't know why I keep trying to re-invent the wheel.  That leaflet has produced a lot of sweaters in this house.  I'm making the stripes smaller because I'm re-using yarn that worked in 2-inch stripes but won't work that way in this sweater.  So...its' easier to just do 4 row repeats.  I can get two stripes per ball of yarn.  I have plenty and could probably just start over but I hate to have all that bits of yarn hanging around getting tangled up.

The frolicking deer hat is coming along nicely.  But I just found out that Tom will be gone all next week so I'm going to save it back to knit while he's gone.  He's going up north to spend time with his brother at his cabin so I'll have the house to myself to get ready for winter.  I have another sweater in the closet that I started about a year ago.  I've got the back done on it and most of one front (cardigan) so I think instead of frogging it, I'll finish it up, too.  I'd love to have a black cardigan.  I also picked up some afghan hooks (tunisian crochet hooks) at StuffMart yesterday.  The only one I've ever had was a size H which makes a very dense fabric when using worsted weight.  I picked up one that is size I and one that is size K.  Those should work nicely.  I'd never seen any at the store before this so I grabbed them up before they disappeared again.

I'm in a mood to tackle closets next week while Tom is gone.  I can't see the bottom of my closet and I've got most of Zach's hanging up clothes in mine so I need to tackle his as well.  And then I'll get busy bringing the winter clothes out.  I hang them out on the line because they only smell musty...they're not dirty.  Then I'll tackle the windows and put plastic on them.  I have enough windows that don't need plastic that I can do the older ones early.  But first I need to removed the air conditioners from two of the windows.

I opened up some windows today because it was a bit warmer but by the weekend it will be back into the 60s during the day and 40s during the night.  Won't get Tom's tobacco picked next weekend because he won't be around to string it up.  Hope it doesn't get damaged by the cold at night.  I don't think it will but it hasn't been a great crop this summer anyway.  Not much of it is green.  I think the soil is depleted.  Next year we'll use a different part of the garden for it.

Off to finish up the laundry, start supper and finish vacuuming before I clean the kitchen and sit down to knit the rest of the night.

TTFN

Maybe it's not the sleep, stupid

You would think after 12.5 hours of sleep last night I would have energy to spare today, but I don't.  I did get the kitchen cleaned up and the beans on to soak for supper tonight.  But I really don't have the energy to actually cook them now.  I must, of course, but that will be the last I have for the night.  I think the problem is the cold I've got coming on.  Or sinus thingy.  Or whatever it is.  My head feels stuffed up...nose, too.  No headache today but I'm starting to cough. 

Zach and I were going to pick tobacco tomorrow so Tom could get it on hangars to dry but I think we'll wait until next weekend.  I really just want to sleep for the next 3 days.  I'd better start taking echinacea, too.  And vitamin C.

So I'll get the beans on, maybe make up some corn bread and then just go to bed.  I'm not even hungry. 

Oh, crap.  I've got to finish up the laundry or at least get the wet clothes into the dryer.  Tom's uniforms never came back from the company that takes care of them so I've been washing the same two uniforms for a few days, alternating, of course.  So he needs a clean set for tomorrow.  And he leaves too early for me to wait to get them out of the dryer tomorrow morning.  Crap.

I didn't get a stitch knitted last night.  The minute I crawled into bed my eyes drooped so I just turned the light out, put the tv on timer and closed my eyes.  I barely heard Tom come in and only woke up twice to go to the bathroom and went right back to sleep.  I may do that again tonight.  As soon as the laundry is done.

OK..clothes are in the laundry and the beans are cooking on the stove.  I got the wrong kind of beans; they had Cajun seasoning in the front in both sections.  The ham seasoning is in the back...way behind them.  We'll see if Tom likes Cajun seasoning.  I'll be fast asleep so I won't know until tomorrow.

The sneezing has started up again and my head feels overfull now so I'm going to go lie down while the clothes dry and the beans cook.  No cornbread tonight.  I'll thaw out some dinner rolls from the freezer so he'll have bread to go with it.

TTFN

It's the sleep, stupid

Another day of nothing done but this time it wasn't the internet, it was the cold, or sinus infection or whatever it is.  Just beginning but I felt achy and my head hurt most of the day, but most of it was because I got to sleep very late and was woken up after only a few hours of sleep.  I'm feeling a bit better now and plan on doing some straightening up of the living and dining room.  Pot pies for supper since I don't feel like cooking.  I figure after I get some mild cleaning done, I'm going to bed.

I do hope to get some knitting done tonight now that my head is a bit clearer.  As long as it stays clear.  I fell asleep watching Knitting Daily just a while ago.  Good thing it was a rerun.  Maybe tomorrow will be better if I manage to get to sleep early and actually get to stay asleep.  Still have a problem with certain family members coming into my room while I'm sleeping and playing and talking to the pets. 

Still very cool weather.  I wore sweats today and was quite comfortable.  Windows were closed except the one over the sink.  I'm too short to close it.  It might warm up a bit later this week so I don't have the fans put away yet, just out of the windows.  I got the right weatherstripping for the front door this time so I'll work on that next week.  I noticed the back door needs the bottom weather stripping replaced, too.  Huge chunks out of it.  Each year I manage to do better with winterizing so I hope this year to raise the heat to 62 during the day and 52 at night. I'm very comfortable with 50 at night but when you lower the temps more than 10 degrees you lose what you've gained monetarily because the furnace takes too much energy to heat the house back up.  I absolutely won't go higher than 55 at night though.  I love sleeping cool and so does everyone else in the family.

Most of the tomatoes need to come in and I'll have more peppers soon.  I need to chop up what I've brought in and do something with them.  I'll freeze the peppers and maybe make spaghetti sauce our of some of the peppers and all the tomatoes.  The tobacco looks awful.  Too light by far.  I think the soil was too depleted from last year's crop but I didn't have the other garden ready for it.  Still don't.  As soon as Zach manages to work out his sleep problems (he's working on a plan for delayed sleep phase) I'll send him out to finish chopping it up.  He lost all his progress today when that same family member woke him up after he'd been asleep only a couple of hours and he couldn't get back to sleep again. 

Well, my supper is done in the toaster oven so I'm off to eat, then make up the bed and try to get some knitting done and an early night...I hope.  Someday I hope my entries will actually contain something of significance instead of writing about how much I didn't get done.

TTFN

Bad day blues

I had a strange day today.  I got up and hit the floor running because I needed to get to the library before Tom went to work and this being the day he has to go in early, I felt rushed for time.  Got home in plenty of time but got nothing done after that.  I'm spending entirely too much time online.  Sims Social has grabbed me and I must resist its evil clutches.  Plus it is slowing my computer big time.

It wasn't just that.  I was reconnecting with some friends I hadn't seen in ages.  Still...I got nothing done.

Of course, I don't think I would have anyway because the sinus headache that premieres ahead of the sinus infection has arrived.  Time to get the neti pot out for real.  I was Headachy, Sneezy, Dopey and Smart Ass all day today.  And the headache has returned but I can't get to bed yet because I forgot Tom wanted me to wash his uniform since his supply wasn't in his locker yesterday.  So...I'm waiting for one load to dry so I can stick them in.  They can dry overnight while I sleep though.  I'll get them out of the dryer tomorrow.

I have got to be more determined and stay off this seductress during the day, at least.  And limit my time to no more than an hour.  That will mean giving up a lot of things online but I'm just not happy with myself for spending so much time here.  And it's not just the housework not getting done.  I'm not doing things I enjoy anymore.  It's become a burden instead of a tool.

I'll still blog and read other blogs, but the political readings have to be cut down to one site.  And I may have to give up a group I just was made part of...the one with all the old friends on it.  It really is good to see these ladies but they are chatty and it fills my mail box up rapidly.  I just can't seem to keep up.

In the meantime, I'm going to go make my bed and wait for the laundry while watching House Hunters International.  I ate supper way too late so my stomach is upset and it will be at least 5 hours before I can lie down again.  Seriously.  When will I learn that I can't eat this late?

Maybe tomorrow I'll be in a better mood, but if I don't get to sleep before sunrise, I'm thinking not.

TTFN

The Outer Limits was not a comedy

Today is laundry day and I'm going to get it all done in one day so tomorrow I can do something else.  I also got my winter clothes out of the basement because the temps are dropping here. although I'm sure we're not done with the heat yet.  I just need those transition clothes.

I've got most of the windows shut because of our wonderful breezes we get living on the side of the hill and will keep them open tonight but it's going to drop into the high 40s again so I'm putting a blanket on the bed.  The pets love it when I do that because they love my blanket.  Professor flips on his back and waggles back and forth, scratching his back on it.  Then he turns over and rubs his face all over it.  Hannibal is much more dignified and just lies on it.

I also got my pajamas out.  I'll be cozy tonight. And it will be quieter without the fans.  I'm so used to the noise I don't know if I can sleep without it.  But the electric bill will be nicer for it.

Zach is working on his sleep problems.  He was diagnosed as a newborn with delayed sleep phase and I ran into it online a few days ago and sent him the link.  It has to do with the circadian patterns being off so he's doing what the article says to do.  Instead of trying to get to sleep sooner and wake up sooner, which has never worked for him.  You go forward.  He will go to sleep an hour later and get up an hour later until he's got the right circadian rhythm going.  For a while he'll be sleeping days but within a month he should be back on track.  I hope so.

Now if I could just figure mine out.  It's not the same kind of insomnia he has.

I did get up a bit earlier today because I didn't want to sleep all day.  I haven't been brimming with energy but less depressed today and I have gotten more done.  I just don't want to overdo it and end up sleeping all day tomorrow.  The trash trucks will probably wake me up around 8 tomorrow since I don't have the fans to muffle the noise.  And that's good because I have a library book in that I need to pick up and can only do that before Tom goes to work.

Tom came home from work early last night, not feeling well.  He had to take a half a vacation day as he doesn't get sick days there.  He's been working 70 hour weeks, 6 days a week for nearly 3 years with only a few days off at a time.  I think he was just exhausted.  But he came in and watched The Outer Limits with me while he ate his supper.  I have the series on dvr because I found it on an obscure channel and thought it would be fun.  The night before last the episode starred William Shatner and although it wasn't a comedy, I laughed all the way through it.  His acting really has improved since then.  So James Doohan was in the episode we watched last night and we laughed through the whole episode.  The acting was okay and it was weird to see "Scotty" without his brogue, but the plot was hilarious.  Unintentionally.  Not to mention the special effects.  I know that for its time (early 1960s) it was really good, but in light of modern effects, it was hysterical..  Especially the episode with William Shatner and the silver cigar-shaped space ship that didn't just start descending, but flipped sideways and went straight down.  And the monster made of pipe cleaners and felt.  All in all a good time was had by all.

So I didn't get any knitting done aside from a couple of rows on the blue and white baby blanket.  I'm using that when I can't concentrate except I couldn't concentrate on even that last night.  I really want to get back to the frolicking deer (or as some call it...fornicating deer) hat because it's so much fun, even though I'm on the chaste deer right now.

Well, off to fix supper and sort through my winter clothes.  I don't have room for all of them right now so I'm going to get out only what I need for now.

TTFN

Another wasted day

I had high hopes for today but as I watched the sun rise before I finally got to sleep, I decided to just take a rain check on those high hopes.  Next time I have sleep I'll tackle the things I want to accomplish.  I've been mostly vegging out today because my mind is dull and my body doesn't want to move.  Supper is over so I'm going to make up the bed and relax the rest of the night.  Probably won't knit on the frolicking deer hat because I'll make too many mistakes and I really don't want to frog anything more. 

I ended up frogging the Invisibility Shawl last night because I was tired, made a mistake and while trying to fix it ended up dropping a stitch down to the beginning.  So when I tried to unravel the whole thing, the yarn broke so I just threw the knitted portion away.  Cheap yarn from the thrift store.  From now on, when I want to knit lace weight, I'll buy wool.  Acrylic lace weight isn't fun to work with.

It's been nice and breezy today even though the temps were in the mid 80s.  Inside it felt so good I didn't even have a fan on.  And of course, that means I need to start working on winterizing soon.  I have to replace the weatherstripping on both doors and re-glaze a couple of windows. 

I miss not having a car to drive.  I have a book in at the library and I hate having to rush to the store and such in the morning so I can get home before Tom goes to work.  He said it would take a while to fix the car but spent the whole of Sunday fixing the toaster.  sigh  I guess we have different priorities.

So I think I'm going to bed now and will probably end up sleeping long before I should which will make me wake up when Tom gets home and I'll be up the rest of the night.  I really hate insomnia.

TTFN

Do nothing days are important, too

Aside from cooking supper and some more weeding, I didn't do anything today.  Tom really wants to buy a car before the month is out but Sunday is the only day he's really home and I don't want to look tomorrow.  I'd like for him to fix my car so it's drivable since he wants to go up north before the month is out.  He has to use up his vacation days before he loses them and his brother needs some work done up at his place.  I told him he can't go until I have a working car though.

I've been reading a lot this week.  I just don't do that enough.  I read a book on legends and ghost stories and am still reading the last Harry Potter book.  I also have some books on various spiritual themes that I would like to get to.  Those require a bit more concentration though.

I really wanted to knit on the frolicking deer hat but I can't risk Tom walking downstairs so I'm going to work on the Invisibility Shawl from Charmed Knits...a book of patterns based on the Harry Potter books and movies.  This isn't mine but it's supposed to look like that when I'm done.  Maybe.  It's lightweight and doesn't require tons of concentration, although with laceweight yarn I need to watch what I'm doing so whatever I "watch" on tv will mostly be listened to.

I'm psyching myself up for next week to be a week of productivity in many areas including improving my health and my crafts.  I've been itching to get my pencils out again and even my watercolors.  I'd like to work with them before I get out my acrylics or oils.  I'm not any good at any of them yet but I'll never be good if I don't practice and stick with it.

Well, supper smells done so I'm outta here, and heading to bed as soon as I'm done eating.

TTFN

Why yes I will sleep for a week thank you.

It wasn't a great day, not having had much sleep again.  At 4 a.m. Professor jumped on my chest and gave me a facial to let me know he needed to go poo, so I got up with him and went outside as well because I didn't want him barking and waking up the neighbors.  He ended his business and went to the corner of the house and peeked around it only to hear the ROTTWEILLER barking from the window.  Yards separate the houses so it sounded pretty close.  Scared me and poor Professor hightailed it back to the door in nothing flat.

I ended up just giving up at 6:30 a.m., watched the rest of  The Towering Inferno and then got up, made up the couch and went to the store.  Had breakfast at McSnacky's because it's cheap but it sat on my stomach like a rock all day.  I decided after shopping that I wasn't going to do anything today but got involved in a conversation with oldest son on facebook.  I decided to be strong and let him know my boundaries only to be told that he won't respect them because "that's who I am."  He prides himself on "cutting through the bullshit."  In other words, he thinks he's a great person for telling people what's wrong with them.  As if he is some kind of sage who knows people better than they know themselves.

Of course he let me know what my problem was and how I should fix it.  Apparently I'm a pathetic person only he can fix.  And no conversation is complete without him trying to denigrate his brother to me because it's obvious that oldest son loves me better and is willing to tell me the hard truths because he loves me while younger son worships the ground I walk on and is a sycophant.  And apparently I always blame others for my mistakes and need to own up or he's not going to talk to me anymore.

Then, because I wouldn't acknowledge his almighty wisdom and insisted on my boundaries, he got pissed, threw birth daddy in my face as being the better parent and told me he was through with me and signed off.  This after offering up an ultimatum that if I ever ended a conversation with him, we were through.  Double standard.

I am so tired of this game.  Calvinball has fewer rules.  Easier to understand Calvinball, too.

Why do family relationships have to be so toxic?

So tonight I am not going to fret about it at all because as much as I love firstborn, it's not his place to try to fix me, control me or manipulate me.  Nor do I need to "grow up" because I won't drop everything and do what he tells me to do with my life. Nor is it necessary for me to accept his criticism of me (he calls it input) when he obviously doesn't even know who I am.

Which, of course, is my fault.  Since everything is my fault.

I am going to knit.  Just as soon as I finish fixing supper, which got delayed because of the pounding on the keyboard.  I'm going to work on something I can fall asleep over because I've only been getting a few hours of sleep each night for the past 3 nights.

And tomorrow I'm going to finish weeding the yard.  I did go out with Professor when he had to wee because I didn't want to set off the ROTTWEILLER again.  While out there I pulled weeds and got the front flower garden decent looking again.  Of course it didn't help going out there since every time he went out the ROTTWEILLER barked at him.  And of course he thinks he has to have the last word.  What is it with that Y chromosome?

Well, time to finish up supper, and crawl into bed. I'll probably be wide awake by then.  I do have plans for tomorrow if I can get some sleep today.

ADDENDUM:  Things got resolved with firstborn after much frustration and angst on both parts and we've agreed to start fresh.  I acknowledged my failings in the relationship and he acknowledged his.  It's a start.

TTFN

Neighbor woes

The day was pretty much a complete waste.  I was still awake at 6 a.m. mostly from the pain, but also because I had slept for an hour before Tom got home.  Then, before he made it home I woke up in a panic.  I don't know why but I've been doing that with alarming frequency of late.  I just wake up abruptly and with a sense of urgency about it.  After that it's hard to get back to sleep.  I may start taking valerian root for a while to see if that helps.

So I did manage to clean the kitchen but little else.  Zach is going to bring the laundry up for me as my poor arthritic knee is bothering me, too.  After I fold the clothes (and he puts them away) I'm going back to bed.  To knit, of course.  I made good progress on the frolicking deer hat and the size looks a lot closer to fitting Tom's head.

I've also been puttering on the bathroom curtain but I'm getting bored again and want a small project I can finish.  I might go back to the mittens I was working on in the spring.  It will be easy to pick up again and it's small and manageable.

I let Professor outside this afternoon when I got up and he started frenzied barking and the leash was pulled as tight as it could go.  I raced outside in spite of still being in my pajamas (and sporting only one breast) and my hair not brushed yet to find my young neighbor, the one who has his friends park in front of the fire hydrant and on the sidewalk, with a ROTTWEILLER on a heavy chain who is lunging at my Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix with murder in his eyes.  Neither he nor his female friend were attempting to control the dog, but were laughing at my really idiotic dog who thinks he can take on a ROTTWEILLER.  The reason that's in all caps is because the next house down live two Rottweillers who he does interact with from time to time but they are just big marshmellows and are, in fact, afraid of Professor.  This ROTTWEILLER wanted him for lunch.

It pissed me off considering we have done everything we can to be nice neighbors, like not going out in the back yard or mowing or letting the pets out when he has his frequent back yard parties.  With no fence to separate our yards the proximity is...well...close and it's like intruding on his party.  We also don't make a fuss about the atrocious parking of his friends.  We also make an effort to grab Professor the moment he starts barking so he doesn't disturb any of our neighbors.  And believe me, we're the only ones who try to control the barking.  On any given night the dogs on our block sound like a Greek Chorus.  It's hard to keep Professor from joining in, but we do make a very serious effort, to the point of stopping what we're doing, racing to shush him and hold him in a sitting position since he won't bark while he's sitting.  To let that dog lunge and bark at Professor while laughing about it just struck me as a bit mean.  What if he had broken that chain?  I've seen a big dog kill a small dog before.  It's quick and bloody.

And I was the one who apologized.

I told Zach to mow tomorrow regardless if he's having another party or not.  We were going to mow today but between that ROTTWEILLER and the horseshoes being thrown, it didn't seem like a good idea.  I just hope that dog was visiting and isn't a permanent resident.  Zach told me the dog went ape-shit over the cat, too, the other day, to the degree we had to calm the cat down.  The cat is leash-trained so he never strays outside the yard.

I wish we had a fence.  That would also help with the bad mowing on his part.  We try to mow first so we can establish the property line, which is really wonky...it's more like a parallelogram rather than a square or rectangle but he insists on squaring it out, which gives him less room in the back yard but takes over a good deal of our front yard.  I may plant some bushes next spring to separate out the property.

Well, I've whined enough.  It's time to make up the bed and get to knitting.  Maybe that will calm me down.

TTFN

Getting better

I'm feeling much better today.  My throat isn't sore and my headache is only an afterthought.  But the car is still crap. Tom said it would be okay to drive and I needed to get to the library today so I made Zach go along with me.  Had trouble getting it into park at the library but couldn't get it in park at all at StuffMart.  So Tom's list will have to wait until tomorrow morning.  I'll have to get up early to take the truck so I can get back in time for him to get to work but if that's what I have to do...

We didn't look at cars this weekend because I wasn't feeling well but maybe we'll get to it this weekend.  Tom said he could fix the linkage in the transmission but was under the weather himself over the weekend.  It's a good thing Zach doesn't have a job just now because getting him to work would be impossible.  I don't know why be we consistently live like this.  Having to have two cars to ensure we have one up and running.  I would love to buy a better car this go round but who can afford it?

I worked on the frolicking deer hat last night but discovered that no matter what I did I couldn't achieve the gauge the designer did.  No way I could get worsted yarn to equal 6 sts per inch even when I went down two needles.  To me, that's sport weight gauge.  And not having sport weight yarn, I had to improvise.  So I took out one repeat of the pattern, which is 36 sts.  And I still think it might be a bit big.  But wearable.

Plus the designer had the jerk-ass, and totally illegal, admonition not to dare try to sell anything made by her pattern because of course, only she is entitled to be compensated for her labors.  Not the lowly knitter.  Good thing this erroneous "law" is being shown the light of legality.  I totally will not spend a penny on a designer who insists on that provision.

I'm still plugging away on the bathroom curtain.  It's growing but like a watched pot doesn't boil, doesn't seem to lengthen until I look at it later.  I'm pretty sure I won't have it done before I need to set up the window for winter with the insulated curtain, so as soon as I'm done with it, I'll store it.  If I store it now, it will never get finished.

I planted some herbs today and re-potted my lavender.  The lavender wasn't growing at all and with good reason.  It was totally root-bound.  Hopefully it will expand a bit now.  I might plant some more herbs if I can find where I put my seeds.   But that would involve actual thought and movement and I'm still wiped from this whatever it was.  Maybe tomorrow.  I'm having enough difficulty thinking what to cook for supper.

I think I'll go putter around in there and figure something out as it's getting late and I don't want to be cooking supper when I really want to go to bed.

TTFN

I don't feel well

It was a long weekend.  And I mean looong.  I spent most of it on the couch doing mostly nothing and by nothing I mean sleeping or watching the tv with eyes glazed.  Friday wasn't too bad and I started a Christmas present for Tom. A Frolicking Deer hat.  But since he kept coming in and out of the living room the rest of the weekend, I just put it up until I could work on it uninterrupted.  Except now I feel like crap and not like working on anything at all.  In fact, I want to go back to the couch but I have things to do.  I was barely online at all over the weekend and have some things to catch up on.  I'm also thinking how great it was not to be online so much.

I'm not sure if it's a cold or a sinus infection.  I got my neti pot out but so far that hasn't helped at all so I'm thinking it's a cold.  My throat is very sore and swollen but in the area of my sinuses and not the lower part.  And I've got a headache that won't go away so it could be sinus infection.  It doesn't matter which it is.  I just feel like crawling onto the couch and staying there until I feel better.  Yesterday the aches and pains from my fibromyalgia was pretty bad or was it a flu-like achy pain thing?

So I think I will.  I'll need to fix supper but the rest of the house can wait until tomorrow at least.  I'll be back when I feel better.

TTFN

August heat in September

It's hot today.  August hot.  Heat index was 102F a while ago and I got the a/c started a bit late so it's still bloody hot in here.

And the car is toast.  Can't get it into park at all so it's in neutral with the emergency brake on.  Plus I've got the front tires sitting in a low spot on the driveway so it can't slide anywhere.  I guess we'll have to go looking tomorrow and over the weekend.

At least I got home again.  Especially since my phone was sitting on the table here.

I got beef stew for Tom's supper tonight because I'm not cooking.  Or pizza.  Not sure which.  I'm just too hot and too cranky.  I am getting the house cleaned up, though...little by little.  I've done the vacuuming, de-cluttered the dining table and have a load of clothes to fold and another in the dryer.  I've got the kitchen door shut so the heat will have to go out the basement windows.  Can't get in the house.  I hope.

Ah!  Finally feeling the a/c in the dining room now.  I'm nearly done cleaning in here.  I'll get to the kitchen soon but Zach has to finish up his chores in there first, which he's getting ready to do now.  He's tackling the bathroom since that's his weekly chore anyway.  I feel bad making him do the bathroom but in dealing with his OCD we both agreed that this is an area he has to conquer...the germ phobia aspect...so the bathroom is his to clean.  He does okay most of the time and he has rubber gloves to wear when cleaning the toilet.  He never, ever complains although I've seen him shaking when he's come out of there after finishing up.  But he managed to conquer the dishwasher so I'm sure he can conquer this, too.

I'd like to get my herb garden planted this week.  I might try to do it tonight.  The rack is in front of the only southern window aside from the kitchen but the sink is in the way there.  I've close the curtains around the rack so the plants get sun all day rather than open them up when I get up, which sometimes is around noon depending on if I can get to sleep before the sun rises.  I also need to transfer my lavender to a larger container.  I'm not putting it in the ground until next spring.  I don't want to lose it over the winter.

My mastectomy mum is looking puny.  I got it 10 years ago this October from a woman at one of my former churches.  She brought it by the day I came home from the hospital so I call it the mastectomy mum.  I didn't know mums lasted this long. 

I've been working on the Invisibility Shawl the past few nights but it doesn't look like I'm making any progress.  I guess that's the thing about knitting with lace weight yarn.  And I'm beginning to think it's wool by the way it's behaving.  I'll find out when I try to block it, I guess.  Also been working on the bathroom curtain.  I'm looking for another pattern for Zach's sweater though.  Something I can knit to gauge and a crew neck.  I've got several patterns in my bin, and I'm hoping one of them has a close enough number of stitches and gauge so I can just fix this sweater instead of starting over again.

I bought some yarn today.  Just one skein of Red Heart Sparkle, because I'd like to knit something out of it.  I love how it looks and it's very soft to the touch.  Not cheap though so one skein will be it.  Maybe a crown or tiara.  I've always thought I needed a tiara to wear while knitting.

But now that we'll have to replace the car, I've got to go back to the frugal mindset.  It's hard to live with that kind of austerity.  I know some people do it all their lives but it's like dieting.  You do okay for a while but then all you can think about is what you can't have rather than what you can have. 

Well, I'm moving into the living room so I can knit and watch some tv for a while before cooking.  After I fold clothes, of course.

TTFN