Yesterday was another day of incredible fatigue alongside depression so I didn't bother to blog since it would have been one big whine-fest. I had two nights of interrupted sleep of around 5 hours each night so I was super cranky and down in the dumps.
I slept well last night and a bit over 8 hours so I"m feeling much better today. I hung out two loads of clothes after discovering that the dryer doesn't dry that well on the timed cycle either. It may have worked out but the timer only goes to 30 minutes and I don't feel like running downstairs to reset it every half hour. Back to using the clothes line. It's a beautiful sunny, windy day today so they should dry well and wrinkle free. I'm resigned to be using the clothes line and racks all winter. It's not a problem for me. In case of immediate need, I'll just run the dryer for a while until they do dry. I'll just try to keep ahead of immediate need.
I've been getting a lot of knitting done, working mostly on my mom's mittens and scarf. I went with just a 2x2 ribbing on the scarf because it's reversible, very soft and very warm. And pretty darned easy to knit. I'm almost done with the second mitten and can start on my dad's next.
I need to get busy on Tom's amulet bag so he can take it hunting with him in a couple of weeks. I've got a few ideas what to put in it but unless I get busy on it soon, he won't be taking it with him.
I need to get the plastic on the windows this weekend, but I'm really tired from my burst of energy this morning and would like to get the garden ready for tomorrow night's Samhain celebration. I found some outdoor plastic in my bag of winterizing stuff so we can do that as well.
I've got a chicken in the crockpot for supper tonight. I'm going to shred it to make a few meals out of it because our grocery bill has been out of control for a couple of months now. Part of it, the greatest part of it, has been my meds and Tom's herbs. They've gone up so high, they're almost as much as what I pay for my prescriptions. If I tell him how much they are, he'll stop taking them and I don't want that as I can't get him to go to the doctor at all and this is better than nothing.
I'm still hoping to hang on until Thanksgiving before turning on the furnace but I might not make it. The indoor temp has been around 55F every morning this week and gets up to about 60 during the day, which is about where we would be if I had the furnace on, but will it stay this way for the next three weeks? We'll find out soon.
Off to knit some more. I can't get any inside cleaning done on the weekend so I might go outside and finish up the garden later, but for now...knitting.
TTFN
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
They conspire to keep me from sleeping
A little less cranky today but much tireder. My sleep was full of interruptions so I got considerably less than 8 hours of sleep. Who knew getting those 8 hours would be so much work? It started when Tom got home and was talking pretty loudly to Zach because he had the tv so loud he had to. Of course that woke me up. Then at 5:30-ish a.m. Professor needed outside to potty. At 8:30 a.m. the dr's office called with the results of my labs, which were pretty good. My A1C was lower than the last time so I'm doing something right even if my daily numbers don't seem to reflect that. Then at 10:20 a.m. the library called to tell my I had books in. I gave up at that point and just got up. I've been pretty much worthless ever since.
I thought I might as well do errands today since I had no energy to do any work around the house. And pizza for supper since I have to finish up some of the winterizing before tomorrow since it's going to be in the low 20s tonight. Tom still has his windows open upstairs so I have to shut them. I won't get plastic on the windows tonight but I'll have all the windows shut and the insulated curtains where I need them. After that I'm falling into bed for the rest of the night.
I should have put a load of clothes on the line today because the breeze would have softened and smoothed them out but I had no energy for that. I'll try again tomorrow. Provided I get some sleep tonight.
I got some yarn for my dad's mittens/flaps but it's not the colors I would have preferred. I think they're phasing out Vanna's Choice yarn and going to just Red Heart since that's all they seem to restock. I'll use the internet before I use Red Heart again.
Well, off to finish up winterizing and then closing all the curtains since it's getting darker earlier. After Sunday that will change with the end of daylight savings time. Except it will be dark in the mornings. Which is okay because that means I might actually sleep in since the animals get up with the sun. Hoping tomorrow is more rested.
TTFN
I thought I might as well do errands today since I had no energy to do any work around the house. And pizza for supper since I have to finish up some of the winterizing before tomorrow since it's going to be in the low 20s tonight. Tom still has his windows open upstairs so I have to shut them. I won't get plastic on the windows tonight but I'll have all the windows shut and the insulated curtains where I need them. After that I'm falling into bed for the rest of the night.
I should have put a load of clothes on the line today because the breeze would have softened and smoothed them out but I had no energy for that. I'll try again tomorrow. Provided I get some sleep tonight.
I got some yarn for my dad's mittens/flaps but it's not the colors I would have preferred. I think they're phasing out Vanna's Choice yarn and going to just Red Heart since that's all they seem to restock. I'll use the internet before I use Red Heart again.
Well, off to finish up winterizing and then closing all the curtains since it's getting darker earlier. After Sunday that will change with the end of daylight savings time. Except it will be dark in the mornings. Which is okay because that means I might actually sleep in since the animals get up with the sun. Hoping tomorrow is more rested.
TTFN
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Being cranky
I am so cranky today and I don't know why. Maybe part of it is the relentless wind. We've been having 30 mph winds with gusts of 60 mph and today of all days Professor needs out every five minutes. So I have to untangle his leash a billion times which means going outside in the wind that nearly knocks me off the porch.
And because the temps will be dropping this week, I needed to put the insulated curtains up in the living/dining room. So I figured I needed to clean the room while I was at it and kept dropping things. I went to put the brand new deflectors on the heat vents only to find the magnets broken off of 2 of them. I'll hot glue them back on tomorrow but I made do with one new one and one from last year. I have to deflect the heat out from under the couch because we have only one wall in the living/dining room long enough for the couch. And that's the one with the heating vent.
So I didn't get supper started early and I'm still waiting for the chicken thighs to get done in the toaster oven. Only they're big and I could only fit 4 in so I have to cook the rest later. And there are potatoes to cook and a veg but the kitchen is a mess. I should have started the dishwasher earlier but I didn't and now I have nearly two loads which means one load is stacked in the sink and counter. No room to do a lot of cooking in my tiny kitchen.
I had labs this morning and of course after I told the dr that my fasting blood sugar has been so high lately, this morning it was nearly normal. Just a smidge over the limit. I broke down and had some Gobstoppers last night. First sugar in weeks and wouldn't you know it, my numbers go way down. I can't figure it out. But fortunately the technician got my vein first time. I have lousy veins post chemo so I've had many a session with the tech digging and digging with me nearly in tears trying to find a vein. I drank water all night so I hope that was the answer.
I only got about 6 hours sleep last night because I couldn't get to sleep and had to get up for labs and was dragging all day. I ended up taking 3 naps because I just couldn't function at all. Short naps, but still...
I got the basement windows shut and covered but I will have to fight with Tom over keeping them shut. Many a time I go down there in the middle of winter with the furnace running and find he's opened up the windows because it smells down there. It's musty, but it doesn't smell. Maybe I should nail them shut.
I have more winterizing to do tomorrow. I need to do the windows upstairs and put plastic on the kitchen and bathroom windows. And put up the curtain shutting off the back hallway which is uninsulated. The floor is built directly over the patio and open underneath it with just some boards propped up to keep the critters out because there is a gap where the new addition meets the old house. I've got it covered with rugs but I found that curtaining off the whole area really helped our heating bill. The man who owned the house before us did a lot of remodeling that was very much substandard but we haven't had the money and Tom hasn't had the time to do anything about it.
I really don't want to turn the furnace on yet so I'm hoping these measures will keep us from having to do that. It will be in the 20s over night this week. I need to change filters in the furnace, too. I forgot about that.
So I haven't really gotten much knitting done because I'm cranky. And cranky doesn't knit very well. Maybe I'll get some done tonight after I finally fall into bed. Which won't be as soon as I'd like for it to be. I still have supper to fix and load the dishwasher again after Zach empties it. Once it's done, that is.
Cranky needs a vacation, she does.
TTFN
And because the temps will be dropping this week, I needed to put the insulated curtains up in the living/dining room. So I figured I needed to clean the room while I was at it and kept dropping things. I went to put the brand new deflectors on the heat vents only to find the magnets broken off of 2 of them. I'll hot glue them back on tomorrow but I made do with one new one and one from last year. I have to deflect the heat out from under the couch because we have only one wall in the living/dining room long enough for the couch. And that's the one with the heating vent.
So I didn't get supper started early and I'm still waiting for the chicken thighs to get done in the toaster oven. Only they're big and I could only fit 4 in so I have to cook the rest later. And there are potatoes to cook and a veg but the kitchen is a mess. I should have started the dishwasher earlier but I didn't and now I have nearly two loads which means one load is stacked in the sink and counter. No room to do a lot of cooking in my tiny kitchen.
I had labs this morning and of course after I told the dr that my fasting blood sugar has been so high lately, this morning it was nearly normal. Just a smidge over the limit. I broke down and had some Gobstoppers last night. First sugar in weeks and wouldn't you know it, my numbers go way down. I can't figure it out. But fortunately the technician got my vein first time. I have lousy veins post chemo so I've had many a session with the tech digging and digging with me nearly in tears trying to find a vein. I drank water all night so I hope that was the answer.
I only got about 6 hours sleep last night because I couldn't get to sleep and had to get up for labs and was dragging all day. I ended up taking 3 naps because I just couldn't function at all. Short naps, but still...
I got the basement windows shut and covered but I will have to fight with Tom over keeping them shut. Many a time I go down there in the middle of winter with the furnace running and find he's opened up the windows because it smells down there. It's musty, but it doesn't smell. Maybe I should nail them shut.
I have more winterizing to do tomorrow. I need to do the windows upstairs and put plastic on the kitchen and bathroom windows. And put up the curtain shutting off the back hallway which is uninsulated. The floor is built directly over the patio and open underneath it with just some boards propped up to keep the critters out because there is a gap where the new addition meets the old house. I've got it covered with rugs but I found that curtaining off the whole area really helped our heating bill. The man who owned the house before us did a lot of remodeling that was very much substandard but we haven't had the money and Tom hasn't had the time to do anything about it.
I really don't want to turn the furnace on yet so I'm hoping these measures will keep us from having to do that. It will be in the 20s over night this week. I need to change filters in the furnace, too. I forgot about that.
So I haven't really gotten much knitting done because I'm cranky. And cranky doesn't knit very well. Maybe I'll get some done tonight after I finally fall into bed. Which won't be as soon as I'd like for it to be. I still have supper to fix and load the dishwasher again after Zach empties it. Once it's done, that is.
Cranky needs a vacation, she does.
TTFN
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
It's never as bad as the dread you feel before it
The doctor's appointment is behind me and so is my physical. I thought it was just to get a refill but she decided to go ahead and do my annual physical while I was there. I'll go back next month for my pap smear and think that will be the way for me to go from now on. Having them in seperate visits. Much less stressful.
I have labs tomorrow since I hadn't fasted before my dr visit and another bp check. It wasn't high but it was higher than it should have been, which I attribute to the stress of anticipating, or rather dreading, the visit. We talked frankly and she was very understanding about my anxiety about seeing her. She told me to view her as a partner rather than an authority figure. I'll try to do that.
I talked to her about my blood sugar not going down so I'm going to have an A1C tomorrow after which she'll probably up my dosage of metformin. I apparently manage it well during the day but my diabetes is getting out of control on the whole. We talked about the sleep issue and she said most of my health problems can be directly attributed to the lack of sleep. So it's even more important to get those 8 hours. I even put it to Zach to make a greater effort to get his own 8 hours of sleep. He's had a sleep disorder from birth and I don't think he's had 8 hours regularly his whole life. It will take a lot of effort on his part, but I don't want him having the same health problems I have.
I also got a flu shot today. After that flu last April, I'm not taking any chances. I had a flu shot last year but she thinks I had H1N1, which I didn't get a shot for. Everybody was out of the vaccine around here.
Overall it was a positive experience but I'm glad it's over with. Now to fret about the pap smear.
I made good progress on my mother's mitten/flap but I can't decide on a scarf pattern. I'm poring over the patterns on Ravelry right now while cooking supper, trying to find one that will work with acrylic. One of these days I'll have to start using wool just so I can knit some lacey or cabled scarves. You just can't block acrylic and they don't look good unless they're blocked.
I didn't get anything else done today. Although I managed to get 7 hours of sleep, I'm still dragging today. I did too much yesterday, I think. I must get to work on the living/dining room tomorrow though. Plastic on the windows, too and the new insulated curtains up. That shouldn't be too much. Aside from the morning labs, I don't have anyplace to go tomorrow. I can pick my meds up on Friday if I need to. I have enough to get me there.
Now I need to focus on fixing supper (chili) and finding a scarf pattern because I don't plan on doing anything else tonight except knitting and an early night. I am really loving having a normal sleep pattern. I just hope it lasts.
TTFN
I have labs tomorrow since I hadn't fasted before my dr visit and another bp check. It wasn't high but it was higher than it should have been, which I attribute to the stress of anticipating, or rather dreading, the visit. We talked frankly and she was very understanding about my anxiety about seeing her. She told me to view her as a partner rather than an authority figure. I'll try to do that.
I talked to her about my blood sugar not going down so I'm going to have an A1C tomorrow after which she'll probably up my dosage of metformin. I apparently manage it well during the day but my diabetes is getting out of control on the whole. We talked about the sleep issue and she said most of my health problems can be directly attributed to the lack of sleep. So it's even more important to get those 8 hours. I even put it to Zach to make a greater effort to get his own 8 hours of sleep. He's had a sleep disorder from birth and I don't think he's had 8 hours regularly his whole life. It will take a lot of effort on his part, but I don't want him having the same health problems I have.
I also got a flu shot today. After that flu last April, I'm not taking any chances. I had a flu shot last year but she thinks I had H1N1, which I didn't get a shot for. Everybody was out of the vaccine around here.
Overall it was a positive experience but I'm glad it's over with. Now to fret about the pap smear.
I made good progress on my mother's mitten/flap but I can't decide on a scarf pattern. I'm poring over the patterns on Ravelry right now while cooking supper, trying to find one that will work with acrylic. One of these days I'll have to start using wool just so I can knit some lacey or cabled scarves. You just can't block acrylic and they don't look good unless they're blocked.
I didn't get anything else done today. Although I managed to get 7 hours of sleep, I'm still dragging today. I did too much yesterday, I think. I must get to work on the living/dining room tomorrow though. Plastic on the windows, too and the new insulated curtains up. That shouldn't be too much. Aside from the morning labs, I don't have anyplace to go tomorrow. I can pick my meds up on Friday if I need to. I have enough to get me there.
Now I need to focus on fixing supper (chili) and finding a scarf pattern because I don't plan on doing anything else tonight except knitting and an early night. I am really loving having a normal sleep pattern. I just hope it lasts.
TTFN
Monday, October 25, 2010
What a difference sleep makes.
As if I didn't have enough projects on the needles, I decided to knit my parents some of those mittens/flaps because they are so warm. I'm getting together a care package for Christmas for them so I've got to get moving on them. I picked out my mother's colors today but the colors I wanted for my father were out of stock. I think I've reached a stage where I have to order the yarn online as StuffMart is getting pretty lean with anything except SuperSaver stuff. So I will go to Lion Brand's online store and get what I need. After that I'll get catalogs and order it that way so I don't have to use the credit card. I need more Woolease for socks anyway.
I also decided my mother needed a scarf to go with the mittens. So I will be knitting my fingers off for the next few weeks. Other crafts will have to be set aside for a while, although I do intend to keep up with them occasionally so I don't forget what I'm doing. Zach's dragon scarf is simple stockinette right now so I can do that while I read.
My sleeping patterns are getting better and better. I'm getting 8 hours every other night and I plan on getting that much tonight as well. My energy levels are coming up albeit slowly. I got so much accomplished this morning before anyone got up and continued until about 2 p.m. when Zach and I went to do the errands and shopping. I made sure I got enough for a week so I don't have to go back but my meds were in there as well so it was steep today. Still, I won't have to get as much next week when I go back.
I just hope I didn't overdo it today and end up on the bed for the next week. I took a pain pill when I got home because I was really hurting from the fibromyalgia. I have a dr appointment tomorrow to get my bp meds refilled and I've been stressing out about it because she'll yell at me for gaining weight but with my sleep patterns becoming normal, I'm not eating much at all during the day so I really am optimistic that my weight will level out. I'll lose but I won't go down to a size 6 or anything. I'd settle for a size 14 to tell you the truth. And as my weight goes down, my energy level has to go up.
But tonight I intend to take it a bit easy. I forgot to lay anything out for supper so we're having our favorite: homemade macaroni and cheese. It's a great standby for those times I'm pressed for time. As long as I stay on top of the macaroni as it's cooking. Last week I got busy and forgot about it and it was mush. We ate it anyway.
The storm windows are in. We're anticipating a storm moving in with strong winds and a drop in temperatures so I wanted the windows in before the winds picked up. We have a lot of wind all year round anyway but we can get tropical storm sized winds occasionally. We lost one of our lilac bushes from the winds several years ago. I'll try to get the plastic on the windows tomorrow but with the dr appointment (which I'm so afraid I'll forget) I might wait until Wednesday. I did get some thermal curtains for the living room as I don't think I can put plastic on these windows. I have some snakes I crocheted last winter that I can use as well. I'll get the curtains up at least tomorrow.
I'm feeling better and better with each passing day. More positive and more focused. It's hard not being able to read or concentrate at all. I think another reason I'm doing better is I'm staying offline most of the day. And I'm finding that the more I stay off, the less interested I am in message board discussions. I'm getting really interested in learning again and am reading more and more in the course of the day. Not to mention all the things I'm getting done.
So I'm off to get a veg fixed to go with the macaroni and cheese and then into bed for some knitting and an early night. I'm also finding I like getting up early. Even though I did swear at the alarm when it went off this morning.
TTFN
I also decided my mother needed a scarf to go with the mittens. So I will be knitting my fingers off for the next few weeks. Other crafts will have to be set aside for a while, although I do intend to keep up with them occasionally so I don't forget what I'm doing. Zach's dragon scarf is simple stockinette right now so I can do that while I read.
My sleeping patterns are getting better and better. I'm getting 8 hours every other night and I plan on getting that much tonight as well. My energy levels are coming up albeit slowly. I got so much accomplished this morning before anyone got up and continued until about 2 p.m. when Zach and I went to do the errands and shopping. I made sure I got enough for a week so I don't have to go back but my meds were in there as well so it was steep today. Still, I won't have to get as much next week when I go back.
I just hope I didn't overdo it today and end up on the bed for the next week. I took a pain pill when I got home because I was really hurting from the fibromyalgia. I have a dr appointment tomorrow to get my bp meds refilled and I've been stressing out about it because she'll yell at me for gaining weight but with my sleep patterns becoming normal, I'm not eating much at all during the day so I really am optimistic that my weight will level out. I'll lose but I won't go down to a size 6 or anything. I'd settle for a size 14 to tell you the truth. And as my weight goes down, my energy level has to go up.
But tonight I intend to take it a bit easy. I forgot to lay anything out for supper so we're having our favorite: homemade macaroni and cheese. It's a great standby for those times I'm pressed for time. As long as I stay on top of the macaroni as it's cooking. Last week I got busy and forgot about it and it was mush. We ate it anyway.
The storm windows are in. We're anticipating a storm moving in with strong winds and a drop in temperatures so I wanted the windows in before the winds picked up. We have a lot of wind all year round anyway but we can get tropical storm sized winds occasionally. We lost one of our lilac bushes from the winds several years ago. I'll try to get the plastic on the windows tomorrow but with the dr appointment (which I'm so afraid I'll forget) I might wait until Wednesday. I did get some thermal curtains for the living room as I don't think I can put plastic on these windows. I have some snakes I crocheted last winter that I can use as well. I'll get the curtains up at least tomorrow.
I'm feeling better and better with each passing day. More positive and more focused. It's hard not being able to read or concentrate at all. I think another reason I'm doing better is I'm staying offline most of the day. And I'm finding that the more I stay off, the less interested I am in message board discussions. I'm getting really interested in learning again and am reading more and more in the course of the day. Not to mention all the things I'm getting done.
So I'm off to get a veg fixed to go with the macaroni and cheese and then into bed for some knitting and an early night. I'm also finding I like getting up early. Even though I did swear at the alarm when it went off this morning.
TTFN
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Imagine me being too busy to go online
I forgot to go online until supper. Seriously. I forgot. I was so busy today I didn't even think of it. And I like it!
I didn't get to sleep until about 2:30 a.m. so I made sure to sleep enough to get my 8 hours, which I did. I'm feeling much better for it although the energy is still at a minimum range. But the depression isn't as bad and that makes a world of difference.
I got up and started working on my bedroom, and almost immediately I found the power cord for my phone. Right after I bought a universal power cord yesterday. Fortunately it's still in the packaging so it will go back to the store tomorrow. Then I spent a long time sorting out my armoire, tossing things I don't need anymore, putting things into a bag for the thrift store or throwing out. That took all morning until I looked at the clock and saw we were going to miss the aluminum can guy unless we got moving. So Zach went out and loaded up the car with cans and we headed off to the parking lot where he shows up every other Saturday.
Only to sit and wait...and wait...and wait behind a guy who apparently forgot to sort his recyclables until they got poured in the bins for weighing. The recycle guy was digging in pulling out plastic bottles and steel cans. And trash. This took about 25 minutes.
Finally it was our turn and we were swift and efficient. I could tell he liked us. We walked away with $24 which I stuck in my wallet and then drove across the parking lot to the thrift store to see if there was anything I liked there. Tons of Halloween stuff and I might go back and get a little statuette of a witch that I liked. And there was an antique gas stove that I would have loved to have but it was display only. Not that we could have afforded it. I'm pretty sure that one would be in the 5 digits.
I found a square black candle there. I had been wanting one for my altar but you don't find them anywhere around here. I've got a few black votive candles specifically for Halloween but they reek like licorice so I plan on using them outdoors for Samhain. The original price on the candle was $7 but I got it for $1.99. Not a bad price at all. I saw a table I would have loved to have for my altar but it was $80 and no way am I going to pay that much for an altar table.
I spent the rest of the afternoon darning socks and sorting more stuff in my armoire and as soon as I'm done here I'll go back and tackle the drawers. I'm at the point where I'm stuffing clothes in because they're no room otherwise so it's time to sort and minimize. And hopefully find the mates to the socks I darned.
I made progress on the mitten and dragon scarf last night. I started the flap on the mitten and am almost done with the dragon so I can spend endless hours knitting stockinette for a while. Tonight will be finishing up the mitten and the dragon, then moving on to the houndstooth sweater tomorrow.
Getting organized always makes me feel better. I need to be systematic about it and move from room to room. That way I completely finish up a room instead of having bits and pieces done. I know I will sleep much better tonight knowing my room is better organized. I do have to do a lot of dusting tomorrow though. I don't keep up with that enough.
I noticed the bird bath on its side this afternoon. I can't imagine the size of the bird who tipped it over, but I suspect it was a larger mammal instead. The neighbor lets his rottweilers run loose in the middle of the night so they get exercise and I'm guessing one got carried away. It's okay with us that he does this. These are really good dogs and need some exercise and since they don't cause us any bother, why not? These are the dogs that hide behind the tree when Professor barks at them.
Well, it's time to get back to work and sign off. I have to say I'm really enjoying my time offline more and more although I do find it necessary to keep up with various things online. So I won't be signing off permanently. I'm also finding Ravelry less and less interesting. Aside from the patterns, that is. I'm enjoying not getting in the middle of controversy all the time. Imagine that.
So, off to get into my pajamas and finish darning and cleaning my drawers out and then the Ghost Adventures marathon I've dvr'd or The Last Detective I got from the library.
TTFN
I didn't get to sleep until about 2:30 a.m. so I made sure to sleep enough to get my 8 hours, which I did. I'm feeling much better for it although the energy is still at a minimum range. But the depression isn't as bad and that makes a world of difference.
I got up and started working on my bedroom, and almost immediately I found the power cord for my phone. Right after I bought a universal power cord yesterday. Fortunately it's still in the packaging so it will go back to the store tomorrow. Then I spent a long time sorting out my armoire, tossing things I don't need anymore, putting things into a bag for the thrift store or throwing out. That took all morning until I looked at the clock and saw we were going to miss the aluminum can guy unless we got moving. So Zach went out and loaded up the car with cans and we headed off to the parking lot where he shows up every other Saturday.
Only to sit and wait...and wait...and wait behind a guy who apparently forgot to sort his recyclables until they got poured in the bins for weighing. The recycle guy was digging in pulling out plastic bottles and steel cans. And trash. This took about 25 minutes.
Finally it was our turn and we were swift and efficient. I could tell he liked us. We walked away with $24 which I stuck in my wallet and then drove across the parking lot to the thrift store to see if there was anything I liked there. Tons of Halloween stuff and I might go back and get a little statuette of a witch that I liked. And there was an antique gas stove that I would have loved to have but it was display only. Not that we could have afforded it. I'm pretty sure that one would be in the 5 digits.
I found a square black candle there. I had been wanting one for my altar but you don't find them anywhere around here. I've got a few black votive candles specifically for Halloween but they reek like licorice so I plan on using them outdoors for Samhain. The original price on the candle was $7 but I got it for $1.99. Not a bad price at all. I saw a table I would have loved to have for my altar but it was $80 and no way am I going to pay that much for an altar table.
I spent the rest of the afternoon darning socks and sorting more stuff in my armoire and as soon as I'm done here I'll go back and tackle the drawers. I'm at the point where I'm stuffing clothes in because they're no room otherwise so it's time to sort and minimize. And hopefully find the mates to the socks I darned.
I made progress on the mitten and dragon scarf last night. I started the flap on the mitten and am almost done with the dragon so I can spend endless hours knitting stockinette for a while. Tonight will be finishing up the mitten and the dragon, then moving on to the houndstooth sweater tomorrow.
Getting organized always makes me feel better. I need to be systematic about it and move from room to room. That way I completely finish up a room instead of having bits and pieces done. I know I will sleep much better tonight knowing my room is better organized. I do have to do a lot of dusting tomorrow though. I don't keep up with that enough.
I noticed the bird bath on its side this afternoon. I can't imagine the size of the bird who tipped it over, but I suspect it was a larger mammal instead. The neighbor lets his rottweilers run loose in the middle of the night so they get exercise and I'm guessing one got carried away. It's okay with us that he does this. These are really good dogs and need some exercise and since they don't cause us any bother, why not? These are the dogs that hide behind the tree when Professor barks at them.
Well, it's time to get back to work and sign off. I have to say I'm really enjoying my time offline more and more although I do find it necessary to keep up with various things online. So I won't be signing off permanently. I'm also finding Ravelry less and less interesting. Aside from the patterns, that is. I'm enjoying not getting in the middle of controversy all the time. Imagine that.
So, off to get into my pajamas and finish darning and cleaning my drawers out and then the Ghost Adventures marathon I've dvr'd or The Last Detective I got from the library.
TTFN
Friday, October 22, 2010
Hoping to start good habits
It really does make a difference when you get 8 hours of sleep. I'm disciplining myself to turn out the lights whether I'm sleepy or not and at least try to sleep. I slept so well last night that I woke up before the alarm went off, although I went back to sleep again and waited for it. I'm still not overflowing with energy but I managed to get a lot done this morning before anyone else woke up including putting a load of clothes out on the line and working on organizing my bedroom a bit. And the never-ending morning kitchen cleanup. Since Tom gets in at 3 a.m. and eats supper, I always have the kitchen to clean up first thing.
But one day does not a trend make so I anticipate an uphill battle here because as I said before I haven't consistently had 8 hours sleep a night for over 20 years. Eight hours is rare for me, in fact.
I did wind down before noon though but at least I lasted that long. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday to get my blood pressure meds refilled and I'm sure to get a lecture from the doctor for my weight gain but I'm going to stand firm and tell her that my weight gain is a direct result from trying and failing to diet. It's not about willpower. It's about eating an unreasonable amount of food and trying to live on it all the while feeling hungry all the time. It's taking a lot to get out of the dieting mindset but I will not be swayed on this. I lost more weight and kept it off by not dieting than I ever did by dieting. I just needed to incorporate exercise into my schedule but with excessive fatigue and joint and muscle pain, that's not the easiest thing to do. Not that she understands that. She's never been overweight or had joint pain.
I am making progress on the dragon scarf after ripping back a dozen times because of mis-counting on the chart. On the same row. This is what happens when I can't concentrate. But I am getting there and it's looking good although weaving fair isle is a bit slower since you have to lock every stitch in place. And the stitches do look a bit wonky with slanting but the dragon is seated nicely in the scarf without any separations or loose stitches. Not what I would do in all cases and I did consider intarsia if it wasn't for some places that called for a line of background stitches piled on top of each other. I did that once before and hated it. I didn't want to do duplicate stitch either just on that one spot. And it wouldn't work well for houndstooth either, but that is coming along nicely so I don't need to.
I worked on mittens today as well, making progress on them. I'm up to the top ribbing and just need to finish up the flap and thumb after that. Then I plan on working on the sweater and poncho. I would work on the pet bed but it's large enough now that whenever I lay it down one of them plops down on it. Hard to crochet something when it's being slept on.
And I'm thinking of starting the Red Heart scarves after all. I'm sure once they're washed they'll feel better. If I can use the dryer. Which still isn't working well. I'm wondering now if it's the sensor instead of the venting. I used the timed drying thing this morning to get the lint off the clothes before putting them on the line and they were starting to dry after just five minutes. It may be that I can use the timer and get things dried. But I want to save the dryer for emergency loads or things that don't dry well on the line or the rack.
Tomorrow we are going to take the cans to be recycled, get the storm windows up and maybe some plastic on the windows, too. I wanted to put it on the outside of the windows so I can still use the blinds and shades but I can't find outdoor plastic. I suppose they would have it at Menard's. But I'll put the plastic indoors on the back windows since they have good curtains on them and use it on the outside (if I can find any) for the living room, which doesn't have insulated curtains. Or I could bite the bullet and get insulated ones. They're about $14 a panel and I only need three.
It was about 55F in the house this morning when I got up. Not so bad and not bad enough for the furnace but it is time to do something about the windows so I can keep the heat in and the cold out. I don't like to turn the furnace on until Thanksgiving. It's like a challenge I have with myself to see if I can last that long. I usually win but if this is going to be a fast coming and bitter winter like I've heard, then I might have to start sooner. We're looking at rain and chillier weather this weekend.
I've been spinning a little each day so I'm making slow progress. The thing about a kick spindle is that it takes longer and the spindle gets fuller quicker but I love it because it's so portable and with my achy back and joints I can sit on the bed and spin. I'm thinking of getting a new one after the first of the year so I've got two going at once. One for spinning singles and one for plying. I've just got to make sure I've got the first installment of our property taxes first. And I just read in the paper that they're going up this year because property values have gone down. We just can't win. Tom better get a bonus this Christmas since they still haven't given him back all his pay.
Well, I must get the clothes off the line before the dew settles. I love how the nights are coming earlier and earlier. I can't wait until it's dark at 4:30 p.m.
TTFN
But one day does not a trend make so I anticipate an uphill battle here because as I said before I haven't consistently had 8 hours sleep a night for over 20 years. Eight hours is rare for me, in fact.
I did wind down before noon though but at least I lasted that long. I have a doctor's appointment on Tuesday to get my blood pressure meds refilled and I'm sure to get a lecture from the doctor for my weight gain but I'm going to stand firm and tell her that my weight gain is a direct result from trying and failing to diet. It's not about willpower. It's about eating an unreasonable amount of food and trying to live on it all the while feeling hungry all the time. It's taking a lot to get out of the dieting mindset but I will not be swayed on this. I lost more weight and kept it off by not dieting than I ever did by dieting. I just needed to incorporate exercise into my schedule but with excessive fatigue and joint and muscle pain, that's not the easiest thing to do. Not that she understands that. She's never been overweight or had joint pain.
I am making progress on the dragon scarf after ripping back a dozen times because of mis-counting on the chart. On the same row. This is what happens when I can't concentrate. But I am getting there and it's looking good although weaving fair isle is a bit slower since you have to lock every stitch in place. And the stitches do look a bit wonky with slanting but the dragon is seated nicely in the scarf without any separations or loose stitches. Not what I would do in all cases and I did consider intarsia if it wasn't for some places that called for a line of background stitches piled on top of each other. I did that once before and hated it. I didn't want to do duplicate stitch either just on that one spot. And it wouldn't work well for houndstooth either, but that is coming along nicely so I don't need to.
I worked on mittens today as well, making progress on them. I'm up to the top ribbing and just need to finish up the flap and thumb after that. Then I plan on working on the sweater and poncho. I would work on the pet bed but it's large enough now that whenever I lay it down one of them plops down on it. Hard to crochet something when it's being slept on.
And I'm thinking of starting the Red Heart scarves after all. I'm sure once they're washed they'll feel better. If I can use the dryer. Which still isn't working well. I'm wondering now if it's the sensor instead of the venting. I used the timed drying thing this morning to get the lint off the clothes before putting them on the line and they were starting to dry after just five minutes. It may be that I can use the timer and get things dried. But I want to save the dryer for emergency loads or things that don't dry well on the line or the rack.
Tomorrow we are going to take the cans to be recycled, get the storm windows up and maybe some plastic on the windows, too. I wanted to put it on the outside of the windows so I can still use the blinds and shades but I can't find outdoor plastic. I suppose they would have it at Menard's. But I'll put the plastic indoors on the back windows since they have good curtains on them and use it on the outside (if I can find any) for the living room, which doesn't have insulated curtains. Or I could bite the bullet and get insulated ones. They're about $14 a panel and I only need three.
It was about 55F in the house this morning when I got up. Not so bad and not bad enough for the furnace but it is time to do something about the windows so I can keep the heat in and the cold out. I don't like to turn the furnace on until Thanksgiving. It's like a challenge I have with myself to see if I can last that long. I usually win but if this is going to be a fast coming and bitter winter like I've heard, then I might have to start sooner. We're looking at rain and chillier weather this weekend.
I've been spinning a little each day so I'm making slow progress. The thing about a kick spindle is that it takes longer and the spindle gets fuller quicker but I love it because it's so portable and with my achy back and joints I can sit on the bed and spin. I'm thinking of getting a new one after the first of the year so I've got two going at once. One for spinning singles and one for plying. I've just got to make sure I've got the first installment of our property taxes first. And I just read in the paper that they're going up this year because property values have gone down. We just can't win. Tom better get a bonus this Christmas since they still haven't given him back all his pay.
Well, I must get the clothes off the line before the dew settles. I love how the nights are coming earlier and earlier. I can't wait until it's dark at 4:30 p.m.
TTFN
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Bonding with the dryer again
Today didn't happen like I wanted it to. I slept in fits and starts and generally got only a few hours sleep. And none of them in a row. I finally got out of bed at 7 a.m. and started a load of clothes and cleaned up the kitchen but I've been dragging as I've gotten some things done. I got my second wind and did another couple of loads and cleaned out the lint trap on the dryer. Along with the exhaust hose. I got a huge amount of lint out with the brush I bought, but when I started it up, the dryer hose (which is vented indoors with a cut off panty hose over the end) gushed like a volcano. Three handfuls of lint popped out. And the dryer felt hot again so I'm hoping that fixed it. I'm going to start using it again as my clothes that have been hung out on the line are covered in lint and are very unattractive. Sometimes I think I get obsessed over the things that save us pennies and ignore the things that save us dollars.
I got the storm window on the front door and might shut the basement windows tonight as it will be in the high 20s according to the weather report. Little by little I'll get it all done. I still plan on doing some step aerobics tonight before bed. I've got to get busy with the exercise.
I ended up getting different yarn for Zach's dragon scarf because they were out of black yarn (it's near Halloween after all) so I'm doing it in blue with a white dragon. I was still struggling with my colorwork looking even because when I twist the stitches behind, it creates a lumpy look on the front. And the beginning of each row is too loose so I've got a gap that I have had to go back and fix a million times. So I decided to knit it exactly as the directions indicate with a woven fair isle stitch. Which is just locking each stitch as you knit. Slow and a bit tedious but looks much more even in spite of the stitches leaning a bit from row to row. Definitely a better choice though.
I really haven't done any other knitting the past few days because of lethargy and using what little energy I've got on housecleaning stuff. I still hope I can beat this fatigue. I haven't been the same since I had the flu last spring.
I hope to sleep tonight in spite of the nap I took. I've got too much to do tomorrow to have another sleepless night.
Inspector Morse is on PBS tonight but I've got two things in the queue to drv so I'm going to watch it in the living room. Finding a seat in the living room might be a problem as the couch is full of Zach's computer stuff and the dining table isn't terribly comfortable. I'll most likely work on something I've got down to a science though instead of trying to watch and follow a graph at the same time. Maybe the houndstooth sweater for a bit. That way I can keep up on colorwork and still make progress on my wips.
I've done some tidying in the living room but I really need to mop the kitchen floor so as soon as supper is over, I'll pop down to the basement, grab the load of clothes in the dryer, put another load in and after I've folded and put them away, I'll take care of the kitchen floor. Then I'll feel really good about myself and sleep like a baby. Except babies don't necessarily sleep through the night, do they? Zach was five before he did.
Zach's toe is looking good but it's still got some bleeding on the side under the skin where the nail and toe meet. I'm using hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic ointment and using a tiny piece of cotton ball to hold his toe up so it will grow out from under there. At least the infection is gone though and it's not sore anymore. Now to keep it that way. I told him the other day that when I was little we hardly ever went to the doctor. My mother "doctored" us as best she could. I fell when I was about 6 or so on a small picket fence used to border flower gardens and slashed my left knee about four inches long all the way to the bone. She put some ugly orange salve on it and a bandage and let it heal. Granted, I have an ugly scar on my knee (that I don't notice at all now, but in high school...) but it's just how we did things back then.
I sometimes think I would feel better if I weren't on all the medication the doctor has me on. I'm on at least 5 medications that "may cause drowsiness" so I can't imagine why I'm so tired all the time. My health has steadily gotten worse with each new prescription and yet I'm too much of a coward to stop taking them. I definitely want to keep the cancer meds and the pain pills. I know I do need them but in some ways I think they are crutches that keep me from actually trying to fix my problems. I get complacent and let the meds take care of me instead.
And I have to make an appointment to see the doctor to get my blood pressure medicine refilled because apparently she needs the money. Of late she's decided I need to see her much more often than I ever did before to get my prescriptions re-filled. I should get healthy just to spite her.
It's time to eat now and then tackle my final chores of the evening.
TTFN
I got the storm window on the front door and might shut the basement windows tonight as it will be in the high 20s according to the weather report. Little by little I'll get it all done. I still plan on doing some step aerobics tonight before bed. I've got to get busy with the exercise.
I ended up getting different yarn for Zach's dragon scarf because they were out of black yarn (it's near Halloween after all) so I'm doing it in blue with a white dragon. I was still struggling with my colorwork looking even because when I twist the stitches behind, it creates a lumpy look on the front. And the beginning of each row is too loose so I've got a gap that I have had to go back and fix a million times. So I decided to knit it exactly as the directions indicate with a woven fair isle stitch. Which is just locking each stitch as you knit. Slow and a bit tedious but looks much more even in spite of the stitches leaning a bit from row to row. Definitely a better choice though.
I really haven't done any other knitting the past few days because of lethargy and using what little energy I've got on housecleaning stuff. I still hope I can beat this fatigue. I haven't been the same since I had the flu last spring.
I hope to sleep tonight in spite of the nap I took. I've got too much to do tomorrow to have another sleepless night.
Inspector Morse is on PBS tonight but I've got two things in the queue to drv so I'm going to watch it in the living room. Finding a seat in the living room might be a problem as the couch is full of Zach's computer stuff and the dining table isn't terribly comfortable. I'll most likely work on something I've got down to a science though instead of trying to watch and follow a graph at the same time. Maybe the houndstooth sweater for a bit. That way I can keep up on colorwork and still make progress on my wips.
I've done some tidying in the living room but I really need to mop the kitchen floor so as soon as supper is over, I'll pop down to the basement, grab the load of clothes in the dryer, put another load in and after I've folded and put them away, I'll take care of the kitchen floor. Then I'll feel really good about myself and sleep like a baby. Except babies don't necessarily sleep through the night, do they? Zach was five before he did.
Zach's toe is looking good but it's still got some bleeding on the side under the skin where the nail and toe meet. I'm using hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic ointment and using a tiny piece of cotton ball to hold his toe up so it will grow out from under there. At least the infection is gone though and it's not sore anymore. Now to keep it that way. I told him the other day that when I was little we hardly ever went to the doctor. My mother "doctored" us as best she could. I fell when I was about 6 or so on a small picket fence used to border flower gardens and slashed my left knee about four inches long all the way to the bone. She put some ugly orange salve on it and a bandage and let it heal. Granted, I have an ugly scar on my knee (that I don't notice at all now, but in high school...) but it's just how we did things back then.
I sometimes think I would feel better if I weren't on all the medication the doctor has me on. I'm on at least 5 medications that "may cause drowsiness" so I can't imagine why I'm so tired all the time. My health has steadily gotten worse with each new prescription and yet I'm too much of a coward to stop taking them. I definitely want to keep the cancer meds and the pain pills. I know I do need them but in some ways I think they are crutches that keep me from actually trying to fix my problems. I get complacent and let the meds take care of me instead.
And I have to make an appointment to see the doctor to get my blood pressure medicine refilled because apparently she needs the money. Of late she's decided I need to see her much more often than I ever did before to get my prescriptions re-filled. I should get healthy just to spite her.
It's time to eat now and then tackle my final chores of the evening.
TTFN
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Hoping to start a trend
I wasn't going to go shopping today but I was out of a couple of things and didn't want to interrupt my day tomorrow. Besides, Zach wanted pizza tonight.
I found a tool that cleans out the lint from the trap in dryers (not the filter, but deeper in) so I'm hoping that will fix the dryer. I still plan to use the clothesline and racks if possible but since it takes much longer to dry on the racks, I might not have a choice at times. I hope this does the trick.
It's raining out and I like it. We've had a very dry couple of months which was good for the farmers as they got the corn in early but I imagine the soybean crops needed some water. At any rate, I like the gray skies and the cold rain. Now. Don't expect me to feel the same in February.
I slept a lot last night. I haven't been feeling well the past couple of days. Headaches, stopped up nose, etc. Not to mention achy and even more tired. I'm battling depression again, too. I got some Http for Tom instead of St. John's Wort since he doesn't like the side effects. I tried one last night and I think that's why I slept so well. Eleven hours well, in fact. Except I was still sleepy all day. That might be due to lack of sleep for decades rather than the medication though. Anyway I'm going to keep up with it for a while to see if there is any difference. I did notice I'm not eating as much today. When I'm this tired I normally eat all day. Not so much today.
I did some reading this morning instead of computer. I think that's the way to go except I'll postpone the computer to evening instead of lunchtime. I think I can get more done that way. I do feel a bit isolated though as my whole social life is online and I'm so withdrawn of late I'm not reaching out to anyone. I hate depression. I really do.
I am going to take another cold capsule and go to bed. At the first sign of sleepiness, I'm going to sleep though. Even if it's 8 p.m. I really need to start getting 8 hours of sleep a night. It's literally been decades since I've done that. I get an occasional 10 hour night but nearly every night for the past 20 years it's been from 4-6 hours a night. That could be the reason for the weight and many other health issues I've got.
Hoping to see an improvement in my emotional state as well.
So for now, I'm off to get in my jammies and under the covers.
TTFN
I found a tool that cleans out the lint from the trap in dryers (not the filter, but deeper in) so I'm hoping that will fix the dryer. I still plan to use the clothesline and racks if possible but since it takes much longer to dry on the racks, I might not have a choice at times. I hope this does the trick.
It's raining out and I like it. We've had a very dry couple of months which was good for the farmers as they got the corn in early but I imagine the soybean crops needed some water. At any rate, I like the gray skies and the cold rain. Now. Don't expect me to feel the same in February.
I slept a lot last night. I haven't been feeling well the past couple of days. Headaches, stopped up nose, etc. Not to mention achy and even more tired. I'm battling depression again, too. I got some Http for Tom instead of St. John's Wort since he doesn't like the side effects. I tried one last night and I think that's why I slept so well. Eleven hours well, in fact. Except I was still sleepy all day. That might be due to lack of sleep for decades rather than the medication though. Anyway I'm going to keep up with it for a while to see if there is any difference. I did notice I'm not eating as much today. When I'm this tired I normally eat all day. Not so much today.
I did some reading this morning instead of computer. I think that's the way to go except I'll postpone the computer to evening instead of lunchtime. I think I can get more done that way. I do feel a bit isolated though as my whole social life is online and I'm so withdrawn of late I'm not reaching out to anyone. I hate depression. I really do.
I am going to take another cold capsule and go to bed. At the first sign of sleepiness, I'm going to sleep though. Even if it's 8 p.m. I really need to start getting 8 hours of sleep a night. It's literally been decades since I've done that. I get an occasional 10 hour night but nearly every night for the past 20 years it's been from 4-6 hours a night. That could be the reason for the weight and many other health issues I've got.
Hoping to see an improvement in my emotional state as well.
So for now, I'm off to get in my jammies and under the covers.
TTFN
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
More buncha nothin'
Another day with nothing done aside from some catching up. I sat down to watch Knitting Daily and promptly fell asleep. Fortunately I wasn't spinning at the time. That would have been a mess. No, I was just lying in bed trying to fight off sleep and failing.
I don't think working with that Red Heart SS yarn will work. I hated the feel of it. I do okay when crocheting the pet bed and making snakes for my windows, but this particular color feels terrible. Perhaps after a washing it will soften up but in the meantime, I just don't want to work with it. I guess I'll pass on the knit out. I'm not terribly social anyway.
So I started working on a dragon scarf for Zach. I'm using black for the background and blue for the dragon. Trying to use what I've got instead of buying some more. I also want to get back to the mitten/flaps tonight. I really like working on them. Tom loved the one I finished so far. Said he can't find gloves or mittens to fit him but this one is perfect. I'm really losing interest in the poncho so I think it will be shorter rather than knee-length. I'm almost to a stopping place on the back.
I need desperately to get back to frugality. I've indulged far too much the past few months and if I don't quit it, we will be hurting this winter. It's like dieting though...you do without for so long while everyone around you is eating well and eventually you start bingeing. I need to stop doing both...overeating and overspending. It's not like I'm spending thousands of dollars though. We're talking an extra 10 here and an extra 20 there. It adds up though.
I've got supper on the stove and it's almost ready. I did some work in my bedroom yesterday, arranging things so I have a bit more room, but I've still got a lot to do with the rest of the house. And laundry. I must do that tomorrow. And the dishwasher acted up again last night. It gets stuck in a cycle and won't move forward...doesn't clean the dishes at all but uses up a lot of electricity sounding like it does. I'm wondering if I need to go back to washing by hand again. sigh
Well, early night for me tonight as I'm running on fumes. I'm averaging about 4-6 hours of sleep a night again. No wonder I have no energy.
TTFN
I don't think working with that Red Heart SS yarn will work. I hated the feel of it. I do okay when crocheting the pet bed and making snakes for my windows, but this particular color feels terrible. Perhaps after a washing it will soften up but in the meantime, I just don't want to work with it. I guess I'll pass on the knit out. I'm not terribly social anyway.
So I started working on a dragon scarf for Zach. I'm using black for the background and blue for the dragon. Trying to use what I've got instead of buying some more. I also want to get back to the mitten/flaps tonight. I really like working on them. Tom loved the one I finished so far. Said he can't find gloves or mittens to fit him but this one is perfect. I'm really losing interest in the poncho so I think it will be shorter rather than knee-length. I'm almost to a stopping place on the back.
I need desperately to get back to frugality. I've indulged far too much the past few months and if I don't quit it, we will be hurting this winter. It's like dieting though...you do without for so long while everyone around you is eating well and eventually you start bingeing. I need to stop doing both...overeating and overspending. It's not like I'm spending thousands of dollars though. We're talking an extra 10 here and an extra 20 there. It adds up though.
I've got supper on the stove and it's almost ready. I did some work in my bedroom yesterday, arranging things so I have a bit more room, but I've still got a lot to do with the rest of the house. And laundry. I must do that tomorrow. And the dishwasher acted up again last night. It gets stuck in a cycle and won't move forward...doesn't clean the dishes at all but uses up a lot of electricity sounding like it does. I'm wondering if I need to go back to washing by hand again. sigh
Well, early night for me tonight as I'm running on fumes. I'm averaging about 4-6 hours of sleep a night again. No wonder I have no energy.
TTFN
Monday, October 18, 2010
I can feel it in the air
Yesterday was filled with bravery, new experiences and some overspending. Okay a lot of overspending. I was the brave one as Tom decided not to go with us to dinner and I drove to Madison by myself. I'm a nervous driver, especially when I'm not familiar with the terrain. I had been to the mall at Madison once or twice so I had a good idea where it was. We had to drive the maze of streets looking for Red Lobster but we eventually found it.
Zach was also brave in eating foods he had never tried before. He decided he didn't like lobster but was glad he got to try it. I got a platter of seafood so we could share if he ended up not liking the lobster. You may wonder why that's bravery but he has OCD and food is one of his issues. Trying new foods is something he has only lately tried. Part of his resistance is attributable to a youth leader at our former fundie church who made him eat foods that made him sick in spite of me letting the leader know of Zach's issues. This man determined that I was babying him and forced him to eat beans, which always make him throw up, and then threatened him with punishment if he threw them up. See, they believed both his Tourette's and his OCD were character flaws that needed to be addressed with discipline rather than acknowledging they were in fact real disorders.
So, he didn't like the lobster, but managed to eat most of it. I handed over my shrimp and part of my fish and took over the lobster. We were stuffed and ended up taking some of the fish and scallops home for Tom.
But that was one expensive meal!
Unfortunately, Red Lobster is right across from Barnes & Nobles bookstore so we had to trot over there and spend even more money. Zach found a book on dragons that he couldn't take his eyes off of so I bought it for him as another birthday gift. Then I found two books on Druidry that I couldn't resist as there is only one book in the library system. And I got a set of Rider-Waite Tarot cards. I had been using Zach's but they never felt right and I had a hard time learning them. I learned on Rider-Waite and felt a great affinity with them so I got myself a set.
I can't buy anything for at least a year.
Except for yarn. I got some Red Heart SuperSaver yarn today in order to make some hats and scarves for the library's community knit out next month. I wish I could afford better yarn but I did choose some yarn that felt as soft as Vanna's Choice and looked a bit tweedy. I got two colors, in fact, hoping I can get a few sets out of the lot. I'm not going to knit mittens because aside from the mitten/flaps that I'm knitting now, I haven't found a good pattern that is warm and those take a while to knit. As it is, I'm going to have to go light on my own projects in order to get some things done before the knit out. I just saw the announcement today.
I got some dvds at the library today so I have plenty to watch while knitting away. I also have things dvr'd. I desperately need to stay home long enough to get the house cleaned up and focus on some other projects as well, like healthier and more from-scratch cooking. And exercise of some kind.
I think it rained last night. I heard rain on the air conditioner (that doesn't work) but it didn't look wet at all this morning. It's been overcast with dark gray clouds all day though. No rain so far and I haven't seen a forecast but I didn't try to wash and hang out any clothes today. Hopefully tomorrow I will though.
Professor has been sitting on my lap a lot lately. He hasn't done that since last winter so I know it's time to get the storm windows on and the plastic up. Definitely this week.
Today is the 9th anniversary of my cancer free status. I still never feel safe from its return but at least I don't obsess about it anymore. I should do a lot more to maintain my health and I think my problem is being overwhelmed by the enormity of doing it. If I could manage to just take baby steps, I would be in better shape but I get lectured by the doctor and my mother to the degree that it seems I'm expected to do it all. And right now. Makes me want to run from it all instead.
Time to go start supper: homemade macaroni and cheese with a salad and a veg of some kind. Real comfort food. I found some shredded cheddar at Piggly Wiggly a couple of weeks ago at a really good price. I should have gotten more than one but I did freeze what I got and now need to use up the stuff I already had before it grows green.
It promises to be a cozy night tonight, knitting under the covers.
TTFN
Zach was also brave in eating foods he had never tried before. He decided he didn't like lobster but was glad he got to try it. I got a platter of seafood so we could share if he ended up not liking the lobster. You may wonder why that's bravery but he has OCD and food is one of his issues. Trying new foods is something he has only lately tried. Part of his resistance is attributable to a youth leader at our former fundie church who made him eat foods that made him sick in spite of me letting the leader know of Zach's issues. This man determined that I was babying him and forced him to eat beans, which always make him throw up, and then threatened him with punishment if he threw them up. See, they believed both his Tourette's and his OCD were character flaws that needed to be addressed with discipline rather than acknowledging they were in fact real disorders.
So, he didn't like the lobster, but managed to eat most of it. I handed over my shrimp and part of my fish and took over the lobster. We were stuffed and ended up taking some of the fish and scallops home for Tom.
But that was one expensive meal!
Unfortunately, Red Lobster is right across from Barnes & Nobles bookstore so we had to trot over there and spend even more money. Zach found a book on dragons that he couldn't take his eyes off of so I bought it for him as another birthday gift. Then I found two books on Druidry that I couldn't resist as there is only one book in the library system. And I got a set of Rider-Waite Tarot cards. I had been using Zach's but they never felt right and I had a hard time learning them. I learned on Rider-Waite and felt a great affinity with them so I got myself a set.
I can't buy anything for at least a year.
Except for yarn. I got some Red Heart SuperSaver yarn today in order to make some hats and scarves for the library's community knit out next month. I wish I could afford better yarn but I did choose some yarn that felt as soft as Vanna's Choice and looked a bit tweedy. I got two colors, in fact, hoping I can get a few sets out of the lot. I'm not going to knit mittens because aside from the mitten/flaps that I'm knitting now, I haven't found a good pattern that is warm and those take a while to knit. As it is, I'm going to have to go light on my own projects in order to get some things done before the knit out. I just saw the announcement today.
I got some dvds at the library today so I have plenty to watch while knitting away. I also have things dvr'd. I desperately need to stay home long enough to get the house cleaned up and focus on some other projects as well, like healthier and more from-scratch cooking. And exercise of some kind.
I think it rained last night. I heard rain on the air conditioner (that doesn't work) but it didn't look wet at all this morning. It's been overcast with dark gray clouds all day though. No rain so far and I haven't seen a forecast but I didn't try to wash and hang out any clothes today. Hopefully tomorrow I will though.
Professor has been sitting on my lap a lot lately. He hasn't done that since last winter so I know it's time to get the storm windows on and the plastic up. Definitely this week.
Today is the 9th anniversary of my cancer free status. I still never feel safe from its return but at least I don't obsess about it anymore. I should do a lot more to maintain my health and I think my problem is being overwhelmed by the enormity of doing it. If I could manage to just take baby steps, I would be in better shape but I get lectured by the doctor and my mother to the degree that it seems I'm expected to do it all. And right now. Makes me want to run from it all instead.
Time to go start supper: homemade macaroni and cheese with a salad and a veg of some kind. Real comfort food. I found some shredded cheddar at Piggly Wiggly a couple of weeks ago at a really good price. I should have gotten more than one but I did freeze what I got and now need to use up the stuff I already had before it grows green.
It promises to be a cozy night tonight, knitting under the covers.
TTFN
Saturday, October 16, 2010
The boy is a man
My baby is 22 today. We got him a wireless mouse for his laptop and are taking him out to dinner tomorrow night for lobster. It was his only request. He didn't want to go today because he wanted to just stay home but it works out better because Tom has had a day to recuperate from his extreme work schedule.
It's hard to believe Zach is 22. Where have all the years gone? I'm so proud of the man he's become and hope that the future holds better for him than the present.
We had company today. Tom's sister came over to bring some cupcakes and to wish Zach a happy birthday. She and Tom went to Ledge Park to party with some work friends of hers. We were all invited but I'm not terribly sociable, especially when I'm the only one who doesn't know anyone. I've tried it before and have found myself sitting in a corner by myself with no one to talk to so I just don't do those things anymore.
Or worse, actually. One time I was sitting right there and people were making fun of me as if I wasn't there.
At any rate, I'm a homebody and this is where I most want to be. I don't mind small groups of three or more but in big groups I tend to get lost.
I finished up one mitten/flap. It looks like it will fit him nicely and it was a fun knit. I'm trying to spin at least an hour a day so I've got a half hour to go which won't be hard, but I had to stop and fix supper. I want to make some more God's Eyes for the house so I picked up one more color so I can have various kinds around the house. Then I need to get back to knitting on my other projects. I managed some on the poncho last night but wore out and went to bed without doing anything else. I'll most likely work on the pet bed and the sweater tonight after spinning. I'll start the second mitten tomorrow.
Some of the leaves that I raked yesterday are back over the sidewalk again. I'll get them tomorrow. It was pointless today with the high winds we were having. Probably have them again tomorrow but at least I can try.
I really need to get buy outdoors before the weather changes. I'm not done winterizing the yard and I haven't even started winterizing the house. There is time, of course, and I don't want to do it too soon but I also don't want to be outdoors putting plastic on the outside windows when it's freezing. I would like to have a day when it's not windy though. I can't say there are many days like that in the autumn though.
I managed to get a lot of the house straightened up today before Jan came over. It amazes me how the dust elephants multiply in these parts. But I got things swept and dusted and clutter hidden away. Clothes off the line and folded although I could wash another load tomorrow. But I'll wait for Monday because tomorrow we're going out to dinner.
Supper is smelling good so I need to go tend it.
TTFN
It's hard to believe Zach is 22. Where have all the years gone? I'm so proud of the man he's become and hope that the future holds better for him than the present.
We had company today. Tom's sister came over to bring some cupcakes and to wish Zach a happy birthday. She and Tom went to Ledge Park to party with some work friends of hers. We were all invited but I'm not terribly sociable, especially when I'm the only one who doesn't know anyone. I've tried it before and have found myself sitting in a corner by myself with no one to talk to so I just don't do those things anymore.
Or worse, actually. One time I was sitting right there and people were making fun of me as if I wasn't there.
At any rate, I'm a homebody and this is where I most want to be. I don't mind small groups of three or more but in big groups I tend to get lost.
I finished up one mitten/flap. It looks like it will fit him nicely and it was a fun knit. I'm trying to spin at least an hour a day so I've got a half hour to go which won't be hard, but I had to stop and fix supper. I want to make some more God's Eyes for the house so I picked up one more color so I can have various kinds around the house. Then I need to get back to knitting on my other projects. I managed some on the poncho last night but wore out and went to bed without doing anything else. I'll most likely work on the pet bed and the sweater tonight after spinning. I'll start the second mitten tomorrow.
Some of the leaves that I raked yesterday are back over the sidewalk again. I'll get them tomorrow. It was pointless today with the high winds we were having. Probably have them again tomorrow but at least I can try.
I really need to get buy outdoors before the weather changes. I'm not done winterizing the yard and I haven't even started winterizing the house. There is time, of course, and I don't want to do it too soon but I also don't want to be outdoors putting plastic on the outside windows when it's freezing. I would like to have a day when it's not windy though. I can't say there are many days like that in the autumn though.
I managed to get a lot of the house straightened up today before Jan came over. It amazes me how the dust elephants multiply in these parts. But I got things swept and dusted and clutter hidden away. Clothes off the line and folded although I could wash another load tomorrow. But I'll wait for Monday because tomorrow we're going out to dinner.
Supper is smelling good so I need to go tend it.
TTFN
Friday, October 15, 2010
With fall comes falling leaves
Zach's toe is still very painful and he's unable to wear a shoe just yet so I ended up doing the raking today. Groan. I made it and the yard looks much better, but more importantly the sidewalk is clear now. You can get tickets here for your sidewalks not being clear. Especially in winter. So I had to get it done. Couldn't wait for Zach's toe to heal. It looks a bit more swollen today but I was able to get some pus out of it so it's improving. Albeit every so slowly. He's taking echinacea and golden seal in addition to the antibiotic ointment and epsom salts soaks. To be honest I don't think a doctor would do much more about it. It's just so painful for him. He has a very low pain threshold, in part because of his Tourette's and his most likely being borderline Asperger. He doesn't want it in his medical records but he scores pretty high on the scale for AS. I had suspected it for years.
I got tons of spinning done last night but not much knitting and no crocheting. My hands just hurt too much to crochet. I could barely hold a hook so I switched back to knitting and was able to get several rows of the poncho and the sweater done. While watching the Destination Truth marathon on dvr. I still have several more episodes to watch.
I'm debating whether to get a fleece instead of roving. I've worked with crap fleece before to learn how to do it all. A guy who used to work for Tom has sheep and while the fleece isn't good, it was good enough to learn on. Now that I know how, I might order a fleece. Everything I have is manual though. I don't have a drum carder, but two hand carders. I don't have a swift or a ball winder. I do all that by hand as well. Still, it might be worth it to save a few dollars.
I still have clothes on the line that need to come in to be folded and I need to make more laundry soap. As well as cook supper tonight: pork chops, stuffing, mashed potatoes and corn. I'm not sure where the energy will come from to accomplish all this. I really hate fibromyalgia.
Zach's birthday is tomorrow. He wants a lobster dinner in lieu of a gift so we're going to take him to Red Lobster on Sunday. He wants to stay home tomorrow. I never dress up anymore now that I don't go to church so it will be nice to clean up a bit for once. No dress though. I don't wear dresses anymore. They're uncomfortable and look terrible on me. I'm rebelling by not wearing them every again.
I will probably spin some more tonight and work on the mittens and the shawl. If my hands don't hurt, that is. Knitting is okay but crocheting hurts my hands sometimes. I think I have arthritis in them, too. Might as well, why should my hands feel left out from the rest of my achy joints.
Off to get the clothes and then I'm going to rest a bit before I fix supper.
TTFN
I got tons of spinning done last night but not much knitting and no crocheting. My hands just hurt too much to crochet. I could barely hold a hook so I switched back to knitting and was able to get several rows of the poncho and the sweater done. While watching the Destination Truth marathon on dvr. I still have several more episodes to watch.
I'm debating whether to get a fleece instead of roving. I've worked with crap fleece before to learn how to do it all. A guy who used to work for Tom has sheep and while the fleece isn't good, it was good enough to learn on. Now that I know how, I might order a fleece. Everything I have is manual though. I don't have a drum carder, but two hand carders. I don't have a swift or a ball winder. I do all that by hand as well. Still, it might be worth it to save a few dollars.
I still have clothes on the line that need to come in to be folded and I need to make more laundry soap. As well as cook supper tonight: pork chops, stuffing, mashed potatoes and corn. I'm not sure where the energy will come from to accomplish all this. I really hate fibromyalgia.
Zach's birthday is tomorrow. He wants a lobster dinner in lieu of a gift so we're going to take him to Red Lobster on Sunday. He wants to stay home tomorrow. I never dress up anymore now that I don't go to church so it will be nice to clean up a bit for once. No dress though. I don't wear dresses anymore. They're uncomfortable and look terrible on me. I'm rebelling by not wearing them every again.
I will probably spin some more tonight and work on the mittens and the shawl. If my hands don't hurt, that is. Knitting is okay but crocheting hurts my hands sometimes. I think I have arthritis in them, too. Might as well, why should my hands feel left out from the rest of my achy joints.
Off to get the clothes and then I'm going to rest a bit before I fix supper.
TTFN
Thursday, October 14, 2010
A spinning day
I finished off another bit of roving and have probably less than 3 ounces to go. I'm making better speed now that I'm spinning regularly. And having fewer breaks in the yarn. I went online briefly to shop around for more roving. I'm going to stick with undyed for now as it's cheaper and I want to learn to dye my yarn as well. It's a way for me to get wool yarn without having to spend a lot of money for it. Well, okay, it still costs a lot of money but not as much.
I'm still working on the mittens/flaps. I tried knitting with a larger size needle and they came out huge so I'm back to the correct size and making some adjustments for Tom's hands. I'm done a little bit of knitting on the houndstooth sweater (not herringbone as I previously stated) but not so much on the poncho. I will get back to it, don't worry.
And I need to finish up the strap for my crane bag, too. I'll be needing it soon.
I made a God's Eye last night and hung it on the wall over my altar but it needs some kind of embellishment, like some trinkets or something sparkly. I'll look through my jewelry box to see what I've got. I should start looking around at thrift stores as well. Or at StuffMart since some of their jewelry is cheaper than the thrift store.
It was another day of nothing getting done. I had a major anxiety attack and just couldn't function. I know I need to focus more on my health and I get so tired of having goals but no ambition to carry them out.
But I need to get back to the Destination Truth marathon that I dvr'd and get busy on my projects. I feel good having finished up some more knitting. While I was online looking at roving, I wandered over to the place I bought the kick spindle from and they don't sell them anymore. Which means I had better take really good care of my spindle because when it breaks I can't replace it. Fortunately I found more kick spindles for cheaper and they look sturdier, too. I gasped when I priced spinning wheels. Outrageous. I would never be able to make it pay if I spun for the rest of my life.
Off to spin some more and crochet a bit on the pet bed. I'm building up the sides now.
TTFN
I'm still working on the mittens/flaps. I tried knitting with a larger size needle and they came out huge so I'm back to the correct size and making some adjustments for Tom's hands. I'm done a little bit of knitting on the houndstooth sweater (not herringbone as I previously stated) but not so much on the poncho. I will get back to it, don't worry.
And I need to finish up the strap for my crane bag, too. I'll be needing it soon.
I made a God's Eye last night and hung it on the wall over my altar but it needs some kind of embellishment, like some trinkets or something sparkly. I'll look through my jewelry box to see what I've got. I should start looking around at thrift stores as well. Or at StuffMart since some of their jewelry is cheaper than the thrift store.
It was another day of nothing getting done. I had a major anxiety attack and just couldn't function. I know I need to focus more on my health and I get so tired of having goals but no ambition to carry them out.
But I need to get back to the Destination Truth marathon that I dvr'd and get busy on my projects. I feel good having finished up some more knitting. While I was online looking at roving, I wandered over to the place I bought the kick spindle from and they don't sell them anymore. Which means I had better take really good care of my spindle because when it breaks I can't replace it. Fortunately I found more kick spindles for cheaper and they look sturdier, too. I gasped when I priced spinning wheels. Outrageous. I would never be able to make it pay if I spun for the rest of my life.
Off to spin some more and crochet a bit on the pet bed. I'm building up the sides now.
TTFN
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
And it didn't
Lead to another good day, that is.
I slept in until about 12 noon and only got up because Nature insisted. I've been dragging all day, not getting anything done, including craft stuff. I had to pick up a prescription today though so I had Zach go with me. His toe is no better so we're trying harder to get rid of the infection. He can't wear shoes right now and with the temperatures going down we need to get his toe fixed so he can wear something besides flip flops. Biggest problem is he has a hugely low pain threshold, partly due to his Tourette Syndrome and partly due to having some Asperger-type characteristics. It's not a question of just being a wussy. It's a question of his nerve endings being more vocal than most people's.
He's cooking supper tonight though. I'm just too tired and am going to bed here in a few. I spent too much time online today when I could have been spinning or drawing. When I'm in one of these fatigue/pain periods, I have no ambition.
I'm also having trouble keeping up with two blogs and am wondering about not worrying about the spiritual blog. I don't want to delete it because it does serve a purpose in that I can talk about my religious/spiritual interests there but I don't necessarily have anything spiritual to say on a daily basis whereas I'm pretty chatty about my mundane things. So I think I will keep it and use it but not worry if I don't blog there regularly. I don't have a lot of readers there anyway. In time maybe my energies will come back and I'll have time for both but for now, I'm going to focus more on this one.
I got some more yarn today to make some God's Eyes. I had in mind yellow, red and black and of course had none of those colors here. Well, I had black but in Caron and Red Heart neither of which would look good for what I had in mind. I should have gotten a package of chopsticks but I've got enough to make a couple now. I'm also making progress on my herringbone sweater, which looks even better now that I'm using fresh yarn. No puckering to speak of and now that I've memorized the pattern, it's moving more quickly. Also the poncho is growing every so slowly and the shawl may or may not be done by Samhain, but I'm not putting a deadline on it because deadlines suck the joy out of knitting for me.
I had to rip back the mitten though as it was just too small. I finished up the main part of the glove and it fits me pretty snugly so I know it will be too small for Tom's hands. I picked up another skein of yarn because I'm afraid I don't have enough for a larger size. Any left over I can always use for other things.
I need to get more pictures of things I'm working on. When I first started this blog I had tons of pictures nearly every day but it got to be burdensome so I pretty much quit. But pictures at least weekly is doable and I should do it. I need to practice my camera skills anyway.
Well, off to spin for a while and watch some Torchwood and ST: Voyager before settling in for the other stuff I dvr'd. Then I'll move onto things I can knit on while watching tv instead of listening to tv.
I think I'll break down and take a pain pill as well. Hopefully tomorrow I can be more active and even get some exercise in.
TTFN
I slept in until about 12 noon and only got up because Nature insisted. I've been dragging all day, not getting anything done, including craft stuff. I had to pick up a prescription today though so I had Zach go with me. His toe is no better so we're trying harder to get rid of the infection. He can't wear shoes right now and with the temperatures going down we need to get his toe fixed so he can wear something besides flip flops. Biggest problem is he has a hugely low pain threshold, partly due to his Tourette Syndrome and partly due to having some Asperger-type characteristics. It's not a question of just being a wussy. It's a question of his nerve endings being more vocal than most people's.
He's cooking supper tonight though. I'm just too tired and am going to bed here in a few. I spent too much time online today when I could have been spinning or drawing. When I'm in one of these fatigue/pain periods, I have no ambition.
I'm also having trouble keeping up with two blogs and am wondering about not worrying about the spiritual blog. I don't want to delete it because it does serve a purpose in that I can talk about my religious/spiritual interests there but I don't necessarily have anything spiritual to say on a daily basis whereas I'm pretty chatty about my mundane things. So I think I will keep it and use it but not worry if I don't blog there regularly. I don't have a lot of readers there anyway. In time maybe my energies will come back and I'll have time for both but for now, I'm going to focus more on this one.
I got some more yarn today to make some God's Eyes. I had in mind yellow, red and black and of course had none of those colors here. Well, I had black but in Caron and Red Heart neither of which would look good for what I had in mind. I should have gotten a package of chopsticks but I've got enough to make a couple now. I'm also making progress on my herringbone sweater, which looks even better now that I'm using fresh yarn. No puckering to speak of and now that I've memorized the pattern, it's moving more quickly. Also the poncho is growing every so slowly and the shawl may or may not be done by Samhain, but I'm not putting a deadline on it because deadlines suck the joy out of knitting for me.
I had to rip back the mitten though as it was just too small. I finished up the main part of the glove and it fits me pretty snugly so I know it will be too small for Tom's hands. I picked up another skein of yarn because I'm afraid I don't have enough for a larger size. Any left over I can always use for other things.
I need to get more pictures of things I'm working on. When I first started this blog I had tons of pictures nearly every day but it got to be burdensome so I pretty much quit. But pictures at least weekly is doable and I should do it. I need to practice my camera skills anyway.
Well, off to spin for a while and watch some Torchwood and ST: Voyager before settling in for the other stuff I dvr'd. Then I'll move onto things I can knit on while watching tv instead of listening to tv.
I think I'll break down and take a pain pill as well. Hopefully tomorrow I can be more active and even get some exercise in.
TTFN
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Hopefully one good day will lead to another
Many things got accomplished today but drawing wasn't one of them. It's all right, though. I'll get to it when I get to it. I have a lot of catching up to do so I spent more time working around the house than working on craft stuff, although you'd be hard-pressed to actually look at the house and see what we did.
I got two loads of laundry washed and dried on the line, brought in and folded. I had my needle and thread by me as I folded so I could do the mending as I put things away. It works out much better than piling up clothes that never get mended. Zach and I tackled the back patio and garage because Tuesday is the day we set the trash out for Wednesday pickup. It looks much better out there, but there is still so much to do. Tomorrow we tackle the area behind the garage.
It was nice and warm again today so I'm trying to get the things done outdoors first before it cools off again. I can work indoors on crummy days, which I'm sure are in the near future. I have some more laundry to do including some rugs but tomorrow promises to be another great day.
I also did some minor cleaning inside but as I haven't been feeling well, I didn't want to overdo today. I tend to do that. Have a great day followed by several days barely functioning. Trying to build up my stamina, not use it all up in one day.
I managed to spin for 2 hours today. My little kick spindle takes so much longer to spin than a wheel but I like it for several reasons. One is price...under $100, and the other is portability. I absolutely don't have room for a wheel and I can sit on my bed and spin with my hand (I tried with my foot but ended up breaking the spindle so I spin with my hand now.) It's much more comfortable for me with my aches and pains.
And speaking of my lifelong companions, today was a bad day with the fibromyalgia. I took one pain pill and was tempted to take more than that but I just got busy and was able to put the pain in the back of my mind for a while. I will take one in a little bit though as I'm ready to crash for the night and knit/crochet until I fall asleep. I put in a short half hour nap before working outdoors but I ended up being incredibly stiff after that.
I had hoped to take a walk tonight but that's not going to happen. Maybe tomorrow. If not, I'll put in some time on the step. I've got to get busy building up endurance and stamina. And get my lab numbers down before the doctor yells at me again.
For now I'm off to watch Torchwood and ST: Voyager and whatever else I've dvr'd. I'm still behind on Stargate Universe and there is another episode on tonight. I'm back up to 9 episodes awaiting my viewing pleasure.
I started some flip-top mittens for Tom for hunting and am almost done with the first one. They look small to me but he says he likes them snug. They fit me really well so I hope they don't cut off the circulation in his fingers. He needs them snug for hunting, he says. I suspect I'll be knitting myself some after I'm done with his. They turned out really good. The pattern is from Knitting Daily's site.
So I'm off to cozy up and get some knitting done.
TTFN
I got two loads of laundry washed and dried on the line, brought in and folded. I had my needle and thread by me as I folded so I could do the mending as I put things away. It works out much better than piling up clothes that never get mended. Zach and I tackled the back patio and garage because Tuesday is the day we set the trash out for Wednesday pickup. It looks much better out there, but there is still so much to do. Tomorrow we tackle the area behind the garage.
It was nice and warm again today so I'm trying to get the things done outdoors first before it cools off again. I can work indoors on crummy days, which I'm sure are in the near future. I have some more laundry to do including some rugs but tomorrow promises to be another great day.
I also did some minor cleaning inside but as I haven't been feeling well, I didn't want to overdo today. I tend to do that. Have a great day followed by several days barely functioning. Trying to build up my stamina, not use it all up in one day.
I managed to spin for 2 hours today. My little kick spindle takes so much longer to spin than a wheel but I like it for several reasons. One is price...under $100, and the other is portability. I absolutely don't have room for a wheel and I can sit on my bed and spin with my hand (I tried with my foot but ended up breaking the spindle so I spin with my hand now.) It's much more comfortable for me with my aches and pains.
And speaking of my lifelong companions, today was a bad day with the fibromyalgia. I took one pain pill and was tempted to take more than that but I just got busy and was able to put the pain in the back of my mind for a while. I will take one in a little bit though as I'm ready to crash for the night and knit/crochet until I fall asleep. I put in a short half hour nap before working outdoors but I ended up being incredibly stiff after that.
I had hoped to take a walk tonight but that's not going to happen. Maybe tomorrow. If not, I'll put in some time on the step. I've got to get busy building up endurance and stamina. And get my lab numbers down before the doctor yells at me again.
For now I'm off to watch Torchwood and ST: Voyager and whatever else I've dvr'd. I'm still behind on Stargate Universe and there is another episode on tonight. I'm back up to 9 episodes awaiting my viewing pleasure.
I started some flip-top mittens for Tom for hunting and am almost done with the first one. They look small to me but he says he likes them snug. They fit me really well so I hope they don't cut off the circulation in his fingers. He needs them snug for hunting, he says. I suspect I'll be knitting myself some after I'm done with his. They turned out really good. The pattern is from Knitting Daily's site.
So I'm off to cozy up and get some knitting done.
TTFN
Monday, October 11, 2010
Best laid plans of mice...
oft go astray. You'd have to read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to understand why I left out men from the quote. Trust me, it's funny.
I got very little sleep last night...again...so I was late in rising and slow the rest of the day. The street light in front of our house hasn't been lit for over two years so this week they decided to do something about it. Unfortunately they planted it between our two front trees so the city told the power company to go trim the trees so the light will shine even more brightly into our windows at night. So they came bright and early this morning asking Tom to move his truck so they could get theirs under the light and commenced butchering the trees. They look pathetic now. But at least the light will shine out over the neighborhood now. Good thing I have room darkening, insulated curtains.
Professor has been on edge the past few nights and anything that rustles the leaves in the front of the house sends him into frenzied hysteria, which, I can assure you, wakes me up quite abruptly. I had to peel myself off the ceiling more than once last night.
As a result I'm back to getting no sleep again. Or rather, little sleep. I got a few hours of uninterrupted sleep but Professor wants me up when the sun is up and won't take no for an answer. I don't know about you but I don't sleep well with a chihuahua sitting on my chest cleaning my face until I throw back the covers and emerge from the bed. It doesn't matter if someone else is awake. If I'm not, he's not happy.
I love the boy like I love my own life, but I will never have another dog. It's like having a perpetual toddler.
And so I didn't implement my new regime yet. Since the whole day was a mess, I went ahead and did some shopping, including buying Zach's birthday present and some yarn for Tom's new gloves/mittens/whatever. They're fingerless gloves with a mitten flap to them. He wanted fall colors because the deer will see anything too obvious so I ended up with some brown/cream variegation so he will blend in. He'll see them if he drops them in the snow but not if he drops them in the leaves. I'm thinking of crocheting a chain so he can wear them around his neck and through his sleeves. Just like a toddler. I'm sensing a theme here.
I need to start on them since deer season isn't that far away. Around a month, I think.
I forgot to get the yarn I needed for a special project I'm working on so I'll see if I can make do with what I've got. I had really wanted yellow for the center of a God's Eye but maybe I can figure something else out. I'll probably make several so it's not critical.
I'm still intending to implement my new schedule tomorrow with 2 hours set aside for art, an hour for writing (not including blogs) and an hour for other crafts. The housework will be done in the mornings and evenings and my personal knitting will take place at night when I'm down for the night. If I'm going to take my work seriously, I need to treat it seriously. It's not a hobby.
So, supper is almost ready and I need to get a load of clothes started to hang out on the line tomorrow morning first thing, then get the dishes in the dishwasher or wash up the pots in the sink. Then off to bed to work on the poncho, the sweater (which is looking really good) and the shawl. Unfortunately I'm bored with the shawl already but I'll see it through. I plan on using it this winter. I told Tom I wanted the yarn to knit an Aztec shawl for my Christmas present. I'll have to order the yarn myself but I'm tired of getting whatever he can find on the shelves at Stuffmart. He won't order anything or shop anywhere else. Well, I take that back. He's been known to get my gifts at Fleet Farm. From now on I plan on getting what I want. Everyone else does.
Here's hoping I get some sleep tonight. I'm shutting the windows so he doesn't hear the leaves rustling and maybe digging out the bark collar. I need sleep.
TTFN
I got very little sleep last night...again...so I was late in rising and slow the rest of the day. The street light in front of our house hasn't been lit for over two years so this week they decided to do something about it. Unfortunately they planted it between our two front trees so the city told the power company to go trim the trees so the light will shine even more brightly into our windows at night. So they came bright and early this morning asking Tom to move his truck so they could get theirs under the light and commenced butchering the trees. They look pathetic now. But at least the light will shine out over the neighborhood now. Good thing I have room darkening, insulated curtains.
Professor has been on edge the past few nights and anything that rustles the leaves in the front of the house sends him into frenzied hysteria, which, I can assure you, wakes me up quite abruptly. I had to peel myself off the ceiling more than once last night.
As a result I'm back to getting no sleep again. Or rather, little sleep. I got a few hours of uninterrupted sleep but Professor wants me up when the sun is up and won't take no for an answer. I don't know about you but I don't sleep well with a chihuahua sitting on my chest cleaning my face until I throw back the covers and emerge from the bed. It doesn't matter if someone else is awake. If I'm not, he's not happy.
I love the boy like I love my own life, but I will never have another dog. It's like having a perpetual toddler.
And so I didn't implement my new regime yet. Since the whole day was a mess, I went ahead and did some shopping, including buying Zach's birthday present and some yarn for Tom's new gloves/mittens/whatever. They're fingerless gloves with a mitten flap to them. He wanted fall colors because the deer will see anything too obvious so I ended up with some brown/cream variegation so he will blend in. He'll see them if he drops them in the snow but not if he drops them in the leaves. I'm thinking of crocheting a chain so he can wear them around his neck and through his sleeves. Just like a toddler. I'm sensing a theme here.
I need to start on them since deer season isn't that far away. Around a month, I think.
I forgot to get the yarn I needed for a special project I'm working on so I'll see if I can make do with what I've got. I had really wanted yellow for the center of a God's Eye but maybe I can figure something else out. I'll probably make several so it's not critical.
I'm still intending to implement my new schedule tomorrow with 2 hours set aside for art, an hour for writing (not including blogs) and an hour for other crafts. The housework will be done in the mornings and evenings and my personal knitting will take place at night when I'm down for the night. If I'm going to take my work seriously, I need to treat it seriously. It's not a hobby.
So, supper is almost ready and I need to get a load of clothes started to hang out on the line tomorrow morning first thing, then get the dishes in the dishwasher or wash up the pots in the sink. Then off to bed to work on the poncho, the sweater (which is looking really good) and the shawl. Unfortunately I'm bored with the shawl already but I'll see it through. I plan on using it this winter. I told Tom I wanted the yarn to knit an Aztec shawl for my Christmas present. I'll have to order the yarn myself but I'm tired of getting whatever he can find on the shelves at Stuffmart. He won't order anything or shop anywhere else. Well, I take that back. He's been known to get my gifts at Fleet Farm. From now on I plan on getting what I want. Everyone else does.
Here's hoping I get some sleep tonight. I'm shutting the windows so he doesn't hear the leaves rustling and maybe digging out the bark collar. I need sleep.
TTFN
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Goals, motivation and battling fatigue
I've been doing a lot of sleeping aside from Friday night which I spent entirely sleepless until mid-Saturday morning when I finally crashed. But the day was wasted because I was in a fog all day. I got back to sleep for good at around 12:30 a.m. and slept until 10:30 a.m. so I'm in better shape, although not feeling rested. But I can't remember the last time I felt like that.
I made progress on various projects yesterday in spite of the fatigue (and frequent naps) and only had to rip back on one pattern that I apparently worked on during one of those naps. Yes, I have been known to knit in my sleep. Or rather, fall asleep while knitting.
It's warm today. Or I should say it's hot! By Wednesday we'll be having Autumn again so I should enjoy it for now. I was tempted to drag out some shorts again but I'm not that energetic. It would be a good day to work in the yard, but again with the not-energetic thing. I'll do well today to make my bed and plop down on top of it.
My goal is to start walking (without Professor because that's no exercise at all when you stop at every tree or bush along the way) or exercising in some form every day. Starting slowly and building up. I'm hoping that will increase my energy, lower my blood sugar levels and my cholesterol as well. I've just reached a stage where I can barely get out of bed.
My other goal is to spend much less time online. I keep saying I'm going to do that but I keep getting sucked back in to message boards and blogs. I've streamlined my blog reading and deleted a lot of time-wasting places and limited my reading on Ravelry. I'm definitely down to a manageable time on the internet now. Anything beyond that will be for research or study since I have yet managed to find the time to do the Open University courses I'd like to take. Not to mention some other courses of a spiritual nature. I think I had to hit rock bottom in order to force myself to do this though. I'm not good with motivation at all.
I'm making better progress on the Herringbone pattern on the sweater. It looks pretty good, especially since I'm using better quality yarn now. No puckering and the stitches are more even (although I've still got a ways to go to improve on that.) The poncho is steadily growing as are the pet bed and the shawl. And I'm working slowly but steadily on my kick spindle spinning my Welsh Top. I feel I have a balance of good projects going on now and if I need a quick fix, I have some cotton yarn and dishcloth patterns. And I do need new dishcloths. Other than that I'm not going to start any new fiber projects.
I do want to work on other crafts though, like drawing, painting, sculpting, etc. And writing. Hopefully this time I'm not spending online will be spent improving other skills as well. And eventually I hope to have my energy levels back so I can manage to get more done in the art of frugality and homemaking. It take more energy than I've got right now.
I'm off to tackle making my bed and then crawling back onto it to take another nap but I do plan on getting that walk in sometime today.
TTFN
I made progress on various projects yesterday in spite of the fatigue (and frequent naps) and only had to rip back on one pattern that I apparently worked on during one of those naps. Yes, I have been known to knit in my sleep. Or rather, fall asleep while knitting.
It's warm today. Or I should say it's hot! By Wednesday we'll be having Autumn again so I should enjoy it for now. I was tempted to drag out some shorts again but I'm not that energetic. It would be a good day to work in the yard, but again with the not-energetic thing. I'll do well today to make my bed and plop down on top of it.
My goal is to start walking (without Professor because that's no exercise at all when you stop at every tree or bush along the way) or exercising in some form every day. Starting slowly and building up. I'm hoping that will increase my energy, lower my blood sugar levels and my cholesterol as well. I've just reached a stage where I can barely get out of bed.
My other goal is to spend much less time online. I keep saying I'm going to do that but I keep getting sucked back in to message boards and blogs. I've streamlined my blog reading and deleted a lot of time-wasting places and limited my reading on Ravelry. I'm definitely down to a manageable time on the internet now. Anything beyond that will be for research or study since I have yet managed to find the time to do the Open University courses I'd like to take. Not to mention some other courses of a spiritual nature. I think I had to hit rock bottom in order to force myself to do this though. I'm not good with motivation at all.
I'm making better progress on the Herringbone pattern on the sweater. It looks pretty good, especially since I'm using better quality yarn now. No puckering and the stitches are more even (although I've still got a ways to go to improve on that.) The poncho is steadily growing as are the pet bed and the shawl. And I'm working slowly but steadily on my kick spindle spinning my Welsh Top. I feel I have a balance of good projects going on now and if I need a quick fix, I have some cotton yarn and dishcloth patterns. And I do need new dishcloths. Other than that I'm not going to start any new fiber projects.
I do want to work on other crafts though, like drawing, painting, sculpting, etc. And writing. Hopefully this time I'm not spending online will be spent improving other skills as well. And eventually I hope to have my energy levels back so I can manage to get more done in the art of frugality and homemaking. It take more energy than I've got right now.
I'm off to tackle making my bed and then crawling back onto it to take another nap but I do plan on getting that walk in sometime today.
TTFN
Friday, October 8, 2010
Taking the time to get better
It's not the worst cold I've ever had but I want to make sure it's not going to develop into one so I'm resting and taking some much needed time to just relax.
I frogged the sweater once and for all because, while my colorwork was good, the end result looked terrible. I realized that it was because I had overused the yarn and it was worn out and frayed. So I opened up some new skeins and started over doing a herringbone pattern. I really want to improve my skills and this is one area I haven't done a lot of work on. The pet bed is coming along nicely but stuffing it as I go slows me down. Unfortunately you can't stuff it later though. It will be done by the time the furnace comes on.
Which is looking better and better as we're in what they're calling Indian Summer although I don't remember having a frost yet. But the temps are in the high 70s and will be 80 by Sunday. Wednesday the temps will start dropping again. In the meantime I've got the windows open and am enjoying the sunshine, even from my bed. I have a beautiful view of the street from there. Unfortunately so does Professor who considers the whole neighborhood his kingdom and goes hysterical if a squirrel or dog invades his territory.
I'm on my way back to bed to take a nap or two and maybe some more knitting. I haven't worked on the shawl or poncho for a few days so I might work on them today if I can get my eyes to focus and stop burning from the cold. No fever but I rarely run them anyway.
I hope to start getting better soon so I can enjoy the outdoors and this lovely weather.
TTFN
I frogged the sweater once and for all because, while my colorwork was good, the end result looked terrible. I realized that it was because I had overused the yarn and it was worn out and frayed. So I opened up some new skeins and started over doing a herringbone pattern. I really want to improve my skills and this is one area I haven't done a lot of work on. The pet bed is coming along nicely but stuffing it as I go slows me down. Unfortunately you can't stuff it later though. It will be done by the time the furnace comes on.
Which is looking better and better as we're in what they're calling Indian Summer although I don't remember having a frost yet. But the temps are in the high 70s and will be 80 by Sunday. Wednesday the temps will start dropping again. In the meantime I've got the windows open and am enjoying the sunshine, even from my bed. I have a beautiful view of the street from there. Unfortunately so does Professor who considers the whole neighborhood his kingdom and goes hysterical if a squirrel or dog invades his territory.
I'm on my way back to bed to take a nap or two and maybe some more knitting. I haven't worked on the shawl or poncho for a few days so I might work on them today if I can get my eyes to focus and stop burning from the cold. No fever but I rarely run them anyway.
I hope to start getting better soon so I can enjoy the outdoors and this lovely weather.
TTFN
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Under the weather
I"m either under the influence of a summer/autumn cold or a sinus infection or something but I'm achy, sneezy and sporting a headache. Hope to be back to writing tomorrow but tonight is for resting. Zach is cooking and cleaning so I don't have to.
See ya tomorrow, I hope.
See ya tomorrow, I hope.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Sleep deficit...again
I feel like I'm fading. I've only been getting about 4 hours sleep this week without any naps during the day and I'm ready to just quit and stay in bed tomorrow. Except I can't. I didn't get anything done today aside from hanging out the last load of clothes on the line. I didn't work in the garage to get rid of more stuff. I didn't work in the kitchen or even make my bed. And I don't dare take a nap because I won't sleep tonight. This wouldn't be one of those days when I just doze off for a few minutes. I would be down for hours. Except for the million times Professor would bark and wake me up.
Zach is having foot problems again. He's got one toe infected that we thought we had taken care of but it's back. So he's taking echinacea and using antibiotic ointment and soaking his foot in epsom salts. Without insurance that's about all we can do right now. Then, when he gets it cleared up once and for all, I'm getting him some new shoes. He has really wide feet and no arch to speak of so buying off the shelf is hard. Fortunately Shopko has name brand athletic shoes with extra wide widths. But his present shoes are about 3 years old so it's time to get new ones. Mine are too but I can wait a month or so.
I"m making progress on crocheting a pet bed but I got absorbed in figuring out a pattern that I didn't get any knitting done last night. Tonight probably won't be a productive night because I doubt I can stay awake to do either. I'll be lucky if I can make it to bedtime.
And so, because I can barely see the keyboard or the screen, I'm going to cut this short and lie down for a bit while the chicken is in the toaster oven. It's on a timer so it will be no harm if I fall asleep for hours. At this point I just don't care.
TTFN
Zach is having foot problems again. He's got one toe infected that we thought we had taken care of but it's back. So he's taking echinacea and using antibiotic ointment and soaking his foot in epsom salts. Without insurance that's about all we can do right now. Then, when he gets it cleared up once and for all, I'm getting him some new shoes. He has really wide feet and no arch to speak of so buying off the shelf is hard. Fortunately Shopko has name brand athletic shoes with extra wide widths. But his present shoes are about 3 years old so it's time to get new ones. Mine are too but I can wait a month or so.
I"m making progress on crocheting a pet bed but I got absorbed in figuring out a pattern that I didn't get any knitting done last night. Tonight probably won't be a productive night because I doubt I can stay awake to do either. I'll be lucky if I can make it to bedtime.
And so, because I can barely see the keyboard or the screen, I'm going to cut this short and lie down for a bit while the chicken is in the toaster oven. It's on a timer so it will be no harm if I fall asleep for hours. At this point I just don't care.
TTFN
Monday, October 4, 2010
Back to my normal routine
I didn't take the weekend off from the internet, but I did put in minimal time. For me, that is. Tom got home early on Saturday which threw off my momentum as I was going to finally clean the house Saturday evening. As a result it's still a bit cluttered. I don't react well to change or unanticipated detours in my life. I should embrace the directions my life takes me instead of fretting about it.
I'll work on that later though.
He didn't get any deer, didn't even see one although he did see where one had bedded quite near his deer stand. The world of almost really does exist.
I made progress on knitting yesterday although I did frog back the sweater because I needed something challenging and tried the argyle again. I tried doing long stranded knitting because I saw it on Knitting Daily and it looked good there. Problem was, no matter how loosely I carried the yarn, just like with short stranding, it still puckered. My stitches were much too loose but the stranding would pull in rather than keep the stitches tight and I ended up with too-short carries across the back. So I went back to the houndstooth pattern and am trying some things there, trying to perfect knitting in different colors. I don't want to let this kick me in the hind end.
The poncho is coming along nicely as well. It's a 10 row pattern easily memorized and easy to pick up where you left off. I bought some more yarn today to crochet a pet bed. The cover on their old one was disintegrating and when I took it off the foam form it had some kind of dead bugs in it that I had never seen before so it went in the trash. I'm going to crochet the bottom as fiber-filled coils and build up the sides with coils as well. Actually they had beds there that were cheaper than the cheap yarn I got but they didn't look like they would hold up to a dog that likes to "prepare" his bed with energetic digging. Plus it was pretty small. Zach is going to help me work on it as he can single crochet pretty well and since that's all this consists of (for hours and hours) I welcome the chance to hand it off occasionally.
We were going to work on the garage today but I ended up doing three loads of clothes including my sheets so all those journeys up and down the stairs wore me out (and my knees) so I'll get to the garage tomorrow. Trash day is Wednesday morning so we need to get it done tomorrow at the latest. We had nice weather today with sunshine and nice breezes, although a bit cool, so the clothes dried quickly. Except for the last load that is still in the washer. I had to run errands today.
It's getting late so I'm off to fix supper, get the last load on the clothes line and get the dry ones in the house so I can make my bed before I have to fall into it. I did some minor adjustments to my room, making space for two plastic dressers to house my yarn rather than the many bags that I have stuffed here and there. The drawers are all full now and I still have yarn in bags stuffed here and there. Does it multiply in dark places?
Off to finish up my chores so I can relax and knit some more.
TTFN
I'll work on that later though.
He didn't get any deer, didn't even see one although he did see where one had bedded quite near his deer stand. The world of almost really does exist.
I made progress on knitting yesterday although I did frog back the sweater because I needed something challenging and tried the argyle again. I tried doing long stranded knitting because I saw it on Knitting Daily and it looked good there. Problem was, no matter how loosely I carried the yarn, just like with short stranding, it still puckered. My stitches were much too loose but the stranding would pull in rather than keep the stitches tight and I ended up with too-short carries across the back. So I went back to the houndstooth pattern and am trying some things there, trying to perfect knitting in different colors. I don't want to let this kick me in the hind end.
The poncho is coming along nicely as well. It's a 10 row pattern easily memorized and easy to pick up where you left off. I bought some more yarn today to crochet a pet bed. The cover on their old one was disintegrating and when I took it off the foam form it had some kind of dead bugs in it that I had never seen before so it went in the trash. I'm going to crochet the bottom as fiber-filled coils and build up the sides with coils as well. Actually they had beds there that were cheaper than the cheap yarn I got but they didn't look like they would hold up to a dog that likes to "prepare" his bed with energetic digging. Plus it was pretty small. Zach is going to help me work on it as he can single crochet pretty well and since that's all this consists of (for hours and hours) I welcome the chance to hand it off occasionally.
We were going to work on the garage today but I ended up doing three loads of clothes including my sheets so all those journeys up and down the stairs wore me out (and my knees) so I'll get to the garage tomorrow. Trash day is Wednesday morning so we need to get it done tomorrow at the latest. We had nice weather today with sunshine and nice breezes, although a bit cool, so the clothes dried quickly. Except for the last load that is still in the washer. I had to run errands today.
It's getting late so I'm off to fix supper, get the last load on the clothes line and get the dry ones in the house so I can make my bed before I have to fall into it. I did some minor adjustments to my room, making space for two plastic dressers to house my yarn rather than the many bags that I have stuffed here and there. The drawers are all full now and I still have yarn in bags stuffed here and there. Does it multiply in dark places?
Off to finish up my chores so I can relax and knit some more.
TTFN
Friday, October 1, 2010
Ramblings and reviews
It looks like this will be the last warm day for a while. The sun is going into hiding and the daytime temps are dipping down to the low 50s. The clouds have already moved in but the weather is still warm. I love the changing weather but don't expect me to be still enamored by it in February. I'll be ready for change then, too.
I took Professor for a walk around the block when I got home from errands but my hips started hurting halfway though so the latter part of the walk was more like a crawl. Of course, it was a steep uphill (and I mean steep) journey the last half.
I got some books from the library on crows and ravens so I could study how they are put together so I can draw some this month. I'll get a book on bats later. And whatever other creatures fly at night since the theme is Night Wings. Maybe even a vampire or two.
The moccasins didn't turn out at all. My gauge was spot on and I double checked the pattern but the slipper ended up flaring out from the sole and no amount of crocheting two together made it small enough to stay on my foot. It's an old book so I doubt there is any errata out there but there is no way that pattern could be correct. I'm not the best or most experienced crocheter but I'm not that bad. So they went away and I'm back to working on the shawl, the sweater and the poncho. I would love to find a challenging pattern to keep me on my toes but right now I've got other irons in the fire so I will stick with those.
I must get around to cleaning house soon. I'm still battling the fatigue (and now the pain again) and the bare minimum is all I can manage for now. It's okay though. It's not the end of the world if I don't get it done. I put Zach to work today on the living room while I was gone. The rest will happen when it happens. There are worse things than a messy house.
Zach is also cooking supper tonight because I'm going to bed in just a few minutes (I have become my grandparents) and draw, knit and spin while catching up on the dvr stuff. I'm catching up with Stargate Universe so I can watch the present season. Just one a day though so I don't get burned out. I am about ready to give up completely on Ghost Hunters, though. They don't even try anymore. It's all personal experiences and fakery. These games they play with the spirits whispering in Grant's ear and the whole electronic equipment as ouija boards is so bogus.
Now Ghost Adventures I'll keep. I'm pretty sure those guys are fueled by the power of suggestion but at least they're entertaining. GH is just boring. And I'll admit to liking Destination Truth because Josh is just so funny.
I have some more writing to do before I crawl into bed but I'll get there very soon.
TTFN
I took Professor for a walk around the block when I got home from errands but my hips started hurting halfway though so the latter part of the walk was more like a crawl. Of course, it was a steep uphill (and I mean steep) journey the last half.
I got some books from the library on crows and ravens so I could study how they are put together so I can draw some this month. I'll get a book on bats later. And whatever other creatures fly at night since the theme is Night Wings. Maybe even a vampire or two.
The moccasins didn't turn out at all. My gauge was spot on and I double checked the pattern but the slipper ended up flaring out from the sole and no amount of crocheting two together made it small enough to stay on my foot. It's an old book so I doubt there is any errata out there but there is no way that pattern could be correct. I'm not the best or most experienced crocheter but I'm not that bad. So they went away and I'm back to working on the shawl, the sweater and the poncho. I would love to find a challenging pattern to keep me on my toes but right now I've got other irons in the fire so I will stick with those.
I must get around to cleaning house soon. I'm still battling the fatigue (and now the pain again) and the bare minimum is all I can manage for now. It's okay though. It's not the end of the world if I don't get it done. I put Zach to work today on the living room while I was gone. The rest will happen when it happens. There are worse things than a messy house.
Zach is also cooking supper tonight because I'm going to bed in just a few minutes (I have become my grandparents) and draw, knit and spin while catching up on the dvr stuff. I'm catching up with Stargate Universe so I can watch the present season. Just one a day though so I don't get burned out. I am about ready to give up completely on Ghost Hunters, though. They don't even try anymore. It's all personal experiences and fakery. These games they play with the spirits whispering in Grant's ear and the whole electronic equipment as ouija boards is so bogus.
Now Ghost Adventures I'll keep. I'm pretty sure those guys are fueled by the power of suggestion but at least they're entertaining. GH is just boring. And I'll admit to liking Destination Truth because Josh is just so funny.
I have some more writing to do before I crawl into bed but I'll get there very soon.
TTFN
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