lifelong knitter

Time Out

I'm taking a break from blogging.
When I started this blog nearly two years ago,
I was intent on finding my voice.
I wanted to write without *worrying* who was reading.
No editing, no spellcheck, no rules.
That is sadly no longer the case.

I just deleted a two page RANT
about what prompted me to
take a break,
but I don't have the
HEART
to publish it.
My Grandmother always said
*If you don't have something NICE to say dear, it is best to
say nothing at all.*

Know that I will be knitting and praying
as always,
and if the eye doctors give me the all clear,
I'll be crusing the blog ring
again, soon.

Namaste.

Prezzies!

Oh, JUST when I needed it,
a lovely box arrived from my Secret pal!
Lookee here...

The soy silk *phoenix* is absolutely luscious,
and just begging to be knit into something
Dumbledore-ish.
sigh. (No spoilers, Nathania, no worries!)
Next, an adorable little pouch in my fave shade of LIMEADE
with Burt's Bees goodies tucked inside.
How could she have known about my fondness for that
Almond Milk Beeswax hand creme? PLUS, strawberry lip gloss...
which took me RIGHT back to high school
and Center Quad....
oh, sorry.
Where was I?
Ah, yes....the snackage!
Those peanuts are AMAZING. Just Peanuts, butter, sugar, and salt....
but Just the Ticket for when you Need something SWEET!
Thank you, THANK YOU, Secret Pal....
and Carson loved the note. I had to read it to him three times
he liked it so much!

Which brings me to what KATY pointed out in the comments.
Yes, I have become one of THOSE ladies.
You know the ones...with three poodles and a siamese cat,
surrounded by my knitting and my books,
I'm wearing progressive lenses and shawls I knit myself.

The big Five0h is just around the corner
(book em Dano!)
and I've never been happier!

Knit ON, peeps!

Sleeve release me....

What IS my problem? (Oh, ASIDE from the heat...I'm choosing to just deal.with.it.)
I'm STUCK with the Racey Lacey sweater and I don't want to NOT finish it...
I happily knit the back, the two fronts, and then *whammo*
the sleevege is just kicking me around the block.
Every row seems to take FOR.EVER.
I had to start (and finish) three other projects to keep myself knitting.
The Monkee you saw. The two others are gifties....
pictures after the birthday people have been suitably SURPRIZED.
sigh.
Here's what keeps me going.....

HE thinks I'm gonna finish it!

Spellcheck, Aisle Five!

Daughter LOVES to go to the store and shop with a list and put everything where it belongs....
it's part of the autism package that I'm delighted with!
So, yesterday we went to Target to get our *staples*
(we buy our produce at our local farmer's market on Tuesday afternoon...
fresh bread and local organic eggs are SO wonderful....but we still need paper towels
and laundry soap and all that other STUFF.)
She happily got a cart (and said THANK YOU SIR! to the kid wheeling them in out
of the triple digit heat...I think he thought she was a mirage!)
and, list in hand, headed off for the supplies.
I was a few aisles behind her when she called out
*MOM?*
I'm over here, just a few aisles away...what do you need?
*Well, there are forty two different kind of orange juices but none of them are orgasmic!*
OR.GAN.IC! I shouted.
*What?* said the child with the processing lag...
ORGANIC! shouted three or four other Mothers, reflexively.
giggling ensued, as strollers and carts came curiously toward us.
I was trying to keep a straight face and thinking we'd had one of our many
*that's not what I thought I heard* moments.
Nope.
right there on the list,
I had written
Orgasmic Orange Juice.
sigh.
Is it HOT where you are?

What's the Point?

Why am I knitting a wool 3x1 ribbed scarf out of scraps of kureyon
when it is well over 100 degrees?

As Charlie says in the new *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory* movie...
"It's CANDY...it doesn't have to have a point."

I was so impressed with Tim Burton's ability to make me forget all about the Gene Wilder version and return again to the BOOK that I so dearly loved as a child...

It was FABULOUS. Exactly what a summer matinee should be...

and yeah, Johnny Depp. What's not to LOVE?

Grounded

I needed *something* to help me feel centered and GROUNDED
yesterday. The news from London made me feel SICK.
I didn't feel like doing anything, and I hadn't really intended to post
today as we are driving down to the College town so that daughter bird
can get her Sports Physical and other medical forms
signed by the Local doctors.
Then I checked my MAIL...
and, guess what I got?

ROCKS!
From Utah, courtesy of the fabulous Margene...
and suddenly I was smiling and feeling
grounded
and able to get back to my Checklist
of Things to DO!
Thanks sweetie, and the mints were a nice touch ;)

The visit with the boybird was short and sweet as it was 97 degrees in the SHADE
yesterday afternoon and he wasn't keen on staying out too long.
He did get a new disney DVD of old Mickey mouse cartoons
which he had on a well worn/LOVED vhs tape...
I was SO grateful...
it is never a happy time when one of his TAPES
finally wears out.

Okay, we're headed down the road to see the doctors...
the pet sitter wiill be here in a few minutes and I'll
debrief her,
then I'll pack my two lace knitting projects
for the waiting room, put my new rocks in my pockets
and know that I am calm and
centered....

So May it BE!

Actual Knitting Content!

Since the Racey Lacey sweater is just more of the same (WHITE, hard to photograph...)
I thought I'd show you the Other LACE I've been knitting....

It's BAMBOO!
Perfect for this hot,steamy, tropical rainforest weather
we've been having...

We're off to see the boybird this afternoon...
Hope your day is filled with moments of unexpected JOY!

That Special Glow...

My grandmother always told us that Ladies don't perspire, they GLOW, dear.
(She would NEVER have stooped to use the word s.w.e.a.t.)
I'm a glow worm today, sure enough.
At 9AM it was 94% humidity and 105 on the heat index
and my A/C hadn't been working in three days...
sigh.

It IS working NOW,
and the house is back down in the 80 degree F
range...

Which is downright COOL!

The Poodle formerly known as Carson turned into a
Pirahna at the specialist's office.
We won't be going back.
I always depend on my children and my animals to *know*
whether they are comfortable with a doctor...
and clearly, my little Prince
was NOT.

We still got to pay the arm and a leg FEE,
mind you...so perhaps Carson was just trying to get his
Mommy's Monies Worth.

teehee.

Tapering

We're starting the taper today....
Slowly backing down off of the prednisone.

Off to the specialist to get another opinion,
and then I'll decide how to proceed from here.

It's funny that Kathleen mentioned the autistic Mom
experience being so similar...it's really true.
Lots of non-verbal behavior to try and translate,
and doing *whatever it takes*.
Getting love beyond measure in return.

Knitting, through it all.

zoom zoom

this is your poodle on prednisone....

zoom, ZOOM!

Yesterday's vet appointment was much as I expected....
more forms to fill out, more history to relate...
sigh.

All of the options involve NEEDLES. ewwwwwww.
Option Numero Uno is a myelogram, injecting dye into the spinal fluid to *see* whether they
can detect a bulging disc or a pinched nerve. UNfortunately, with his allergies, he could have a fatal reaction to the dye. This is NOT my first choice. Let's file this under last Resort.
Option Numero Dos is Acupuncture. Once he has finished tapering off the prednisone, he'd have regular scheduled appointments with the acupucturist and the massage therapist. They also use aromatherapy in their offices. I wish MY health plan would cover the SPA!
Option Numero Tres is alternating cortisone shots with rounds of prednisone. While this would certainly make him FEEL like his usual zoomy self, the long term liver/kidney/brain issues are...
well, if you follow the sports pages you know all about the horrid side effects.

So, we're going to see another specialist on Wednesday (because we had to see our primary doc and then get a referral....you know the drill...) for another round of opinions.

My intuition is to try the Acupuncture/massage therapy/chiropractic route FIRST and maybe some physical therapy at the doggie pool.

I'm going on a very exotic vacation today....to Sleeve Island!

Drinks with little umbrellas for EVERYONE!