hand eye crafts

Woke up feeling really sick.  REALLY.  Is it "nauseous" or "nauseated" now?  Whichever, it is miserable, as you all know.  Peppermint tea, toast...  This in addition to sneezing and having a drippy nose all week. These came today.  You know how I love confetti yarn, so these were a no-brainer. We used to call these footies, I think?  Booties?  The ones we tennis players* wore usually had pom-poms on the back, to keep them from slipping into our shoes. I've been wearing my pants inside out all day.  Of course, they're leggings, and I'm scarcely getting out of bed, so it doesn't matter. What does  matter is that it is my Twinnie's birthday! *Man, that sounds obnoxious, doesn't it?  I played tennis.  That's all.

I FEEL SO SEEN ! I don't know who sent these (but I have a suspicion.)  Thank you, and LOVE YOU!! I'm enjoying the Buttermilk Honey bread.  Warmed and spread with some butter, it's hard not to wolf down the whole loaf.  There was a comment about the sound bread machines make;  it's so true.  It will go into a rest cycle, then restart, and it jolts you.  At least three times yesterday, I got up to check on "that noise," before realizing what it was.   'Bout time for random thoughts, don't you think? ↩️↪️↩️↪️↩️↪️↩️↪️ If I had a Whippet, I'd name it "Good." A friend of my husband's had a gorgeous Great Dane.  He named her "Girl," which is one of the best names I've ever heard. A possible name for a Boxer: "Rebellion." Looking over the Kentucky Derby field: Pavlovian is not too bad a name, but he's a pretty gray roan, and these are his silks: Wonder Dean(!) has a white nose: The velvety nose is the second best ...

Voting  is always  important.  Go on --- vote. I baked this buttermilk honey bread today, and it smelled divine while it was in the machine.  It's one of the best breads I bake: the taste is wonderful, the texture is soft, maybe even pillowy.  My machine did good. One of my son's work friends is making a film, and asked him to be in it.  She asked if he'd mind growing a beard;  not an issue.  (Have I talked about this already?)  At any rate, his character is intense and possibly violent, and it looks like he's gone all Method:

Strangest headache since yesterday.  Paragraphs are too hard.   I  have seen a dust bunny that looks like a bunny.  I realized this yesterday while watching the film Should I buy this? These are the lights I finally got up in the kitchen.  Please forgive the state of a house mid-preparation-for-a-yard-sale/a-move? You can't tell --- obviously --- that the lights flicker like fire.  I wish the bulbs were closer together, but I do like the fire effect.  I'm sad about/for Diego Pavia.  The Ravens would be a killer fit, though. I had spells of hiccuping all weekend.  I'd forgotten how irritating they can be.

Hear, hear!  Let's get hats going again!  Men in fedoras, women in let's just say we have options. The new  Herrschners  arrived yesterday, and made me immediately sad.  It's laying here on the coffee table, teasing me.  Pretty colors on the cover, but I can't order anything.  Stupid fingers.

My habit of leaving snacks and water for delivery drivers took a nice turn today.  I got the "See Where Your Package Is" alert, and went outside to leave the snacks.  The Amazon van was already in the driveway.  I walked toward it as the driver came down the van's steps, and he sort of put his right hand on his sternum. "I pulled in, there were no snacks on the steps, and I thought, 'Oh, I hope she's okay!'  I was worried that something was wrong." How nice is that? At therapy yesterday, my therapist brought up "dopamine decorating."  It means what it sounds like it would mean.  She is facing selling her house, and sorting through what she will and won't take, she tried to focus on dopamine release.  It's a little Marie Kondo, but that's fine.  I didn't bring up the fact that I dopamined last week: Hello, little astronaut light. Though there are members of the Royal Family that I like (but many, myriad others that I cannot a...

 It's all my associates* and I can talk about, the Coconut Dr Pepper.  For several weeks, a recipe for a Dr Pepper margarita has come across my Instagram feed...  I'm not a drinker, but adding that coconut cream kick does sound tasty. The book I'm reading about the creation of the Oxford   English   Dictionary   made a very interesting point several pages ago.  We, of course, take dictionaries for granted, but people lived without them for centuries.  Shakespeare did not have a dictionary.  How did he know he was using, or spelling, the correct words?  That little factoid made my day. "How do I even spell ' honorificabilitunitatibus'?  I do this all the time --- write myself into a corner...  Hey!  I think I just turned a phrase there!" *I do so have associates.

Y'all --- it's back! I cannot express to you how happy this makes me.  I found it at Publix, only to find out that Amazon has it for half the price.  I ordered two (their limit.) The second chair is now out of the back porch.  I caught my right hand between it and a door jamb --- straight across all four knuckles.  It will be a prison-ink-looking bruise. This is my little plant hanger with my plastic plants. Those doors stopped working all of a sudden one day.  They won't open from the porch side, but they will open from the deck side.  I kept the cat tower there as a hopeful deterrent.  You can see cat toys hanging down from the door lever. I'm working on putting string lights around the kitchen counter and peninsula.*  (No island here.)  They displease me as they are.  They took two types of hangers, because the counter is shallow along one stretch.  If I get them where I like them, I'll share. *The perfect term, via Twinnie.

"Busy" is quite possibly my least-used gear.  Yet today I re-mortared some loose bricks on the front porch, installed a new showerhead (which I think is going to disappoint me), put together and hung a plant bar, and transplanted some baby succulents. My plan is to turn the glassed-in back porch into a calm, safe space for myself.  I've moved two chairs and the cat tower out already, but can't do anything with the treadmill by myself.  I'm going to move my desk in there, and hopefully find a cute little chair for relaxing/reading.  The plant hanger is above the door there, with artificial plants for the time being. More coming.

Each killer in the Serial Killer Exhibition had, their picture, and banners about the crimes and the victims.  Like, for example: Was he (it was a "he") an ogre who killed many people, or did he kill both  ogres and others?  This is what you think about when there are SO many people around you and they WON'T MOVE ALONG. It's been a very pretty day here today.  Unfortunately, I have a 28-out-of-10 eye headache that has not eased up at all.  One thing that I had wanted to do today was put some hanging planters up in the back porch, but pounding nails was just not going to happen today.

So, the serial killer exhibition was...um, fun?  Awesome?  Enjoyable?  It's hard to juxtapose "serial killer" with "great."  It was fascinating.  Sadly, there were a lot of children there.  Some of the exhibits had very realistic mannequins and prosthetics, and there were photographs throughout, and it was obvious that they were frightened, if not traumatized. For the first time in a long, long time, I wished I were lecturing tomorrow.  Deviance, personality, family dynamics, the judicial system --- I talked about killers a lot as it was;  now I have fresh information. Last night, I picked up a box of things to take to Hannah, to put it in the car.  I tweaked my back something fierce.  Luckily, I've never had any issues with my back, and I know this is nothing  compared to what lots of people deal with.  (Perhaps even someone reading this. . .)  I've been "treating" it with topical CBD oil and my heated massager.

If you need something, ask a knitter.  I got more items for Thursday's list: Any tire: Goodyear. Any utility tape: Duct tape. Any copying or copy: Xeroxing or a Xerox. Stuff like this pops into my mind occasionally.  I have no idea why.  My infatuation with words, maybe? I'm going to Atlanta tomorrow, so that Hannah and I can go to 'Cause that's just who we are.  There is, apparently, merchandise available, which amuses us.  Don't get me wrong --- I'm almost certain we'll buy some things, but the concept is still funny. Hannah wanted me to bring a box of things to her, and dang if I didn't tweak my back picking the box up and putting it in the car.  I've never had even a hint of back problems, so hopefully this will resolve quickly.

The Zip Ode  thing . I've been meaning to craft my own.  Here goes. When your code Has two, count them, two, zeroes, Your poem has weird empty spaces.

A friend of mine and I somehow wound up talking about products that are called by their "not technically true" names.  We came up with: Any tissues: Kleenex  Any cotton swabs: Q-Tips Any clear tape: Scotch tape Any plastic wrap: Saran Wrap Any window cleaner: Windex Any adhesive bandages: Band-aids Any petroleum jelly: Vaseline

Do y'all remember these? Growing up, my friends with siblings hated them, because they'd have to break them in half to share.  If you did get a whole one to yourself, you had to eat it quickly or it would melt.  I have a clear, vivid memory of my friends' little brother with orange streaks down his arms and all over his hands.  When the Popsicle Man comes around, get a Nutty Buddy or a Rocket Pop;  much harder to halve.  (Even an ice cream sandwich can be split in two.)

About five minutes of my day today was spent making this. Only it didn't come out at all bread-like.  It has the consistency and flavor of really, really good cheese grits.  (I added cheese instead of herbs or other flavorings.)  That may have something to do with my baking it in the air fryer instead of the oven.  Not that I'm complaining --- what I have is delicious. This is happening here as I post;  I thought about joining the protests against the appearance, but Vance simply isn't worth my time.  Besides, all those empty seats say enough.

 

I'm still working through all the Artemis II footage, and getting teary over and over.   Commander Wiseman keeping this little plush toy with him at all times was too much. Rise was designed by  a second-grader . A quiet Sunday here.  Laundry, sorting out things for a possible yard sale, knitting two more rows on a hat.  It's bulky yarn on size 11 needles, and I'm wondering if thinner yarn and smaller needles would be more comfortable.  When your two favorite hobbies involve using your hands, and it hurts to use your hands --- well, your fingers --- every day is filled with uselessness, frustration, and boredom.

Today, I put my mini-Bundt cake maker to work. That first-pancake-is-the-worst axiom holds for little Bundts.  All of them came out with perfectly golden bottoms, but the tops varied in color.  I got 14 out of a single box of Betty Crocker mix.  I'll frost/ice them as they're eaten. Do you say "frosting" or "icing"?  I use both. My animals on couches fascination continues. This one is technically animals over  couches: It's entirely possible that I'm getting more wall art than will fit in a Tiny House.

 Finally got modern this afternoon, as the ATT tech hooked up the fiber optic cable.  It only took about 2 1/2 hours.  He was friendly and knowledgeable and smelled great.  I didn't mention that last one to him, as I know that's creepy, but it was true. All Georgia eyes are on Augusta thus weekend, I suppose.  I've only driven kind-of-by-yet-kind-of-through Augusta, and it's pretty, but no way would I fight all that this weekend. I've never been a particular fan of crowds, but growing age has meant diminishing patience with them.  People, parking, perspiration...  Hard nope. Give me a nice view of, oh, I don't know, maybe something like this: There's more entertainment, and more interesting thoughts to think about there than in craning to see over people shouting, "GET IN THE HOLE!" after every shot.  (But y'all keep on selling cheap beer, The Masters.  Then complain about the galleries not being couth and gentlemanly.)

Reading a book  (actually re-reading, which is something I simply don't do) about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary should certainly lead to learning new words.  Today's new word, though, comes from taxonomy.  "Vampyropod."  My tendency is to like words that look unique and are fun to say, so vampyropod fits right in.  (Not providing a photo here, because some of you might get squicked out.  You can look it up if you're curious.) You can also look up "autopenectomy" if you're so inclined.  Not as interesting a word to me, but I am intrigued by how/why a man would make that decision.

...follows the example of the Older.  Only littler, 'cause I'm the Younger. Twinnie's  Easter Bundt cake inspired me to buy myself a mini Bundt maker.  😋  That makes a mini Bundt, mini waffle iron, ultra-slim  toaster , little egg cooker --- with, you know, Tiny House in mind.  Plus, it's just me here.  Why do I need big appliances?  Yeah, my air fryer and microwave and bread machine are "regulation size," but they're for later days. Still watching the Artemis mission.  Excellent tweets yesterday, combining abiding wonder and concern: The photography beaming down is spectacular. Ship, moon, Earth.   Some of us remember the original  Earthrise  photo.  Here's the latest: This tickles me: They have their phones with them!  Millions of dollars on the highest high-def cameras for the flight, and they snap pictures of the moon  with their I-phones.  Have I mentioned I love this stuff?

 Just before I got out of bed today, I stretched my legs straight out, and both my knees popped.  It wasn't painful, but it was loud enough to wake Tap up and set him barking.  Anything that can be construed as a knock sends him immediately into sentry mode. Also dog-adjacent:  Although I am by and large satisfied with and mystified by the human body, I do feel there is one design flaw.  Humans should be able to do this: A physical, mental, emotional reset.  Plus, it looks like great fun.

I've had the NASA live feed of the Artemis mission on TV all day.  Though the broadcast pictures were static for the most part, the audio feed was live, and I've gotten goosebumps several times.  Have I mentioned that I love this stuff? Something else that has made me happy today is  this .  Quick hint: Actually,  that makes me more than happy.  Giddy, I'd say.  And the match-ups are PERFECT.  (Still looking at you, Nurse Jesse.)

I watched "Jesus Christ, Superstar."  That's an Easter thing, right? I do believe I know every word to every song in this.  Carl Anderson is kind of a legend in this house.  Yvonne Elliman is a favorite of mine from way  back. One of my gonna-thankful-brag-about-its is seeing Ted Neeley in a road production here.  The voice is still powerful after all this time. A quiet, occasionally rainy day here.  No jelly bean Bundt cake like  my Twinster , but I did have iced raspberry doughnuts from Fresh Market.  The bakery department there is such a dangerous place for me to go. They have a fig and honey bread that's delicious.

 Well, ATT did not make the window this afternoon, and the next thing they had was next Friday.  That puts me dangerously close to their DEADLINE. I did not realize this was Easter weekend.  Not having little ones anymore to build baskets for means not paying super-close attention.  If the weekend is something you celebrate, I hope it is happy for you.

Do any of you have a clock that you haven't set forward yet?  Mine is the one above the mantel.  I just know to add an hour when I look at it.  Oh, and the one in the car.  That involves getting the Owner's Manual...  Again, it's solved with quick arithmetic. All the little flags and little guys that were here a while may be coming to fruition tomorrow.  An ATT tech is coming to hook me up to fiber internet, which, according to all the messages they've been sending me, is what my Life Has Been Missing.  HOW CAN YOU GO FORWARD WITHOUT THESE CABLES?  It's been so annoying.

There is a small crack in my brain beginning to open in front of the idea of moving.  Ideally, into a Tiny House.  Small house, small crack.  When I think about that, with calm and cool reason, I can say that I don't have any strong attachment to this house. (Don't know why I scribbled the address out;  most of you know it.)  At any rate, when I think about leaving, nothing powerful holds me.  Yes, my husband died here, but obviously I can and have stayed here after that.  It could just be time for me to go. Or not.  The housing market right now?  🤷‍♀️  I'm also having a difficult time finding a Tiny House Community kind of nearby.  I can't afford to buy land and have one built or moved there.  A move-in-ready one is my best bet. My typing this here is the first time I've "talked" about it to anyone but my therapist and my two children.  In order, one "Yes," one uncommitted, one vehement "No."   It's up in the a...