Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Wink, Wink

Let's have a quick session to remind everyone of what Knitters' Hunk and Chicks Classics are about.

The Classics contests are for men and women who are no longer with us.  Whom anyone nominates, however, is determined by a few things:
Who would you like in the room with you while you knit?
Who would you want to knit for?
If you wish to take the knitting out of it, with whom would you like to spend some quality time?
With whom would you like to take a selfie?

Okay, that last one doesn't enter into it.

Basically, we're still talking KH and KC qualifications but applied to dead people.

WHAT?  That IS what it is.

Monday, January 28, 2019

Coming Soon to a Blog near You

This Friday and Saturday, February 1st and 2nd, you may send me your nominations for Knitters" Hunk Classic and Knitters' Chick Classic.  Sunday the 3rd will be for filling out the brackets, and voting will begin on Monday, February 4th.

DO NOT nominate
Katharine Hepburn
Grace Kelly
Carrie Fisher
Audrey Hepburn
Alan Rickman
James Garner
Cary Grant
David Bowie
as they will go into the field automatically.

Three nominations per nominator per contest, yarn and other goodies to the winning nominator(s) and the runner(s)-up.

Looking forward to it!

Saturday, January 26, 2019

You

Almost without fail, when you screw up the courage to reveal something about yourself, you 1) are swaddled by love and support and strength, and 2) find that others understand more than you ever suspected.

Thank you to those of you who took the time to lift me up.  I am grateful for you all.

Thank you to all of you who truly empathize.  We will all move forward together.  There's much to be said about finding how strong you are when things are awful, but there's no shame in simply outlasting the hurt.  I love you all.

My mother often told me when I was despondent that there were lots of other people in the world much worse off than me.  That was not helpful, as it felt like she was saying some pain is "real," and some just isn't.  If you are in pain, your pain is true and real and you shouldn't ignore it, devalue it, or compare it to anyone else's.  Your pain matters.

So do you.


Thursday, January 24, 2019

You Might Want to Move On

One of the things about being a blogger is that sometimes you share too much.  I'm fixing (Southerner here) to get personal, so if that isn't your thing, feel free to take a pass.

Since Christmas --- maybe a shade before --- my life and my mood have been bleak.  I don't move.  I don't care.  I can't leave the house, talk myself out of having to go anywhere.  Lately, Tap has been more than a handful.  I have had screaming fights with both my children.  I am raw and tired and sad.

I'm not suicidal.  I've been suicidal, and this isn't that.  There's just no fun, no light, no productivity, no rest, no comfort, no peace of mind right now.

And it stinks.

Saturday, January 19, 2019

#Chewy Influencer, January --- My Bad

I asked to try Feline Greenies, thinking I was getting the regular dental health "nuggets."  They turned out to be these soft, chewy Pill Pockets.  Still, worth the trying out.

Riley, again, sometimes likes them, sometimes doesn't.  When she doesn't eat one, though, Madeleine usually comes along and snarfs it up.  Though she gets her insulin subcutaneously, it's nice (?) to know that these are an option should she ever need pills of any kind.  It would seem Riley's accepting them would have to be on a dose-by-dose basis.



As part of Chewy.com's Influencer program, I am given the opportunity each month to choose and try some of their products.  I do not have to pay for them;  Chewy asks only that I post honest reviews of my experiences.

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Numerological-ish-ness

3 --- "thank you"s to the three who left comments on my last post.  When he went into the library for his job interview, the interviewers were SO excited about his theater background.  It has served him well in making his programs and book-readings fun for the children.

120+ --- minutes my daughter and I spent at lunch yesterday talking exclusively about murders.  We know we're ghoulish.  We're good with it.

19 --- pounds I have lost in the last couple of months.

0 --- people who have noticed.

3 --- repeats finished on the braid edge cap.

1 --- new baby in my orbit:
Another former student turned treasured friend.  It was her first son who was the first model for hand eye:


2 --- weeks until nominations for Knitters' Hunk and Knitters' Chick Classic begin.  If, that is, enough of you are still interested in it.




Monday, January 14, 2019

On a Couple of Plates

I'm sort of pinging back and forth between knitting projects right now.  Nothing too big, nothing too arduous.  The crocheted cord for my garland is all done, and I'm continuing to make trees and mittens.   I have cast on for one of my favorite hats:
A page from my knitting day-to-day calendar from 2005, it is the Braid-edged Cap by Judy Gibson.  It's easier than it looks, it makes a warm hat, a smart-looking hat, and it fits my big head.

In other news,
my glorious son listens to one of his young readers during a discussion of The Abominables.  He is enjoying his new library job so very much.

Saturday, January 12, 2019

A Nice Day

A cold, windy, gray day here.  You know, of course, that it was glorious for me.

I decided to make it a reading day, with the curtains pulled back so that I could keep an eye on the weather.  Plus, I ran a YouTube video that we played all day on Christmas:
The sounds are wonderful, and, honestly, even though it's just a video playing on a screen, you feel like you're actually sitting in front of a fire.

Friday, January 11, 2019

#Chewy Influencer, January --- Split Decision


Riley has never struck me as a picky eater.  Picky eater felines have lived here before.  I know picky eater felines.

Some nights she will eat this Royal Canin food, and some nights she flatly refuses.  

Your guess is as good as mine.

Not really sure, therefore, what kind of review to give this food.  I won't be buying any more --- I guess that's the long and short of it.



Each month, I choose products from Chewy.com for review.  They send them to me without money changing hands in exchange for my honest descriptions of my experiences with them.

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

He's Special

Every parent, human or feline or canine, believes that his/her child is remarkable.  In the several months since he's been here, Tap has shown me that he's quick and sharp about loads of things.  For instance, he knows that the fastest and surest way to get my attention is to grab knitting, yarn, knitting needles, or books.

Well, turns out he's special in one more way.

In all these weeks, if given a bone or particularly fun toy, Tap would "hide" it behind a couch cushion, or under a quilt, etc. Now, he will take what he wants to save for later and bury it in the cats' litter box.

The.  Litter.  Box.


So special.

Monday, January 7, 2019

'Splainin' To Do

I do not know who sent the yarn bouquet.  There was no card, just a little envelope with the yarns' tags: Malabrigo Silkpaca, thankyousomuch.

I gave Tap a bath today, his last one in the kitchen sink.  It'll be the bathtub from now on.  He is so fluffy, and his hair is so soft and so crazy.  Combing makes little to no difference.  Does anyone here remember Professor Irwin Corey?




Sunday, January 6, 2019

In My Life

Days here are bland and routine.  Anything that can be drummed up to make them even a wee bit more enjoyable or interesting is seized upon.  

One of those things is delaying opening any packages that arrive unless I know they must be opened post haste.  Hence, said parcels may languish a day or more until they are opened and/or fully emptied.

I just opened something that has been here for a few days, and am awash in tears.  One of you sent me a Jimmy Beans yarn bouquet.  The yarn is purple.  it is wrapped in feather print paper.

Did I mention the crying?

THANK YOU.

Saturday, January 5, 2019

Time Goes By

Tap just a few days after he got here:

Tap today:

When Briton was here on Christmas, he said to Tap, "You're so little!"  And I said, "But he's so big!"

Thursday, January 3, 2019

Long-Range Goals

For reasons that, even though it was just a few weeks ago, are unclear to me, I started knitting "happy little trees" and tiny mittens.

(These are photos off the Web, not of my work.)

This is my work --- mindless single crochet is wonderful for watching football.  This will be the cord upon which the trees and mittens will be placed, hopefully in time for Christmas this year.

Tuesday, January 1, 2019

One One

It seems a shame not to have a post on the first day of a new year, but there really isn't much to say. 
.
 Last night, fireworks caused Tap to bark and bark and bark, drowning them out.

This morning I made a trip to a laundromat and washed my non-darks.

So, yeah.  

That's the first day of what will be my 59th year.

48

If you've ever rented a movie on Amazon Prime, you know you have 48 hours in which to watch it.  (By the way, why do we "watch"...