Well, the January Thaw is over and winter has returned. I knew it was too good to be true for all the snow to melt in a couple of days...but it did. (On the downside, the driveway and Fanny's running track turned into mud pits....) Jeff was able to finish splitting the 40+ pallets he had collected from Valley Health Services and get another 20 yesterday, and all the split wood is stacked. Looks like we've got about a month's worth of firewood. Never thought I could stack so much wood. Hopefully this week he'll split those recently acquired pallets and maybe be able to get another 40 pallets this weekend. I never knew pallets were made out of hardwood...especially oak. It hurts me to throw a clump of oak into a burning fire but free firewood--even oak--is not something to ignore. It's snowing again today...the forecast is for less than 2" but we're taking today off from splitting/stacking wood anyway.
Sunday (1/13) was my mom's 99th birthday and Jeff and I and my cousin Ed went up to Valley Health to have lunch with her. She was wearing a beautiful corsage (from Mike & Chris) and was surrounded by many cards and photos. Mom had a good appetite and even ate 2 desserts...the one that came on her tray and a piece of the New York-style cheesecake I had brought! Yesterday when I went to pick up her laundry, she complained about being tired coz in PT she had taken her first steps in over a month. There's still a long way for her to go before she'll be strong enough and mobile enough to come home but it's a start. I brought my camera with me Sunday but forgot to take any photos.
Got to finish a pair of men's socks for a very special order...should be done today, and then go back to knitting baby sweater sets for the shop. I think I can use the yarn in my stash and get ahead a little. I may do baby socks for my cousin's new twins in-between sweaters and maybe even a new pair of slippers for Jeff for Valentine's Day. Knitting them is not hard, it's sewing the griper fabric on the soles that gets to me...but he wears them...wears them out! I promised him a sweater vest and ordered yarn last fall but just got the interchangeable needle points last week so I could start that, too. Thank goodness there's such interesting channels on cable tv...History and History2 are my current favorites, and I finally got to watch a couple of episodes of Downton Abbey!...that I can knit to.
WISH LIST 2013
Favorite yarn (fiber, weight, brand): natural blends (washable wool blended w/bamboo, silk, soy, cotton, milk, nylon...you name it!) sock or fingering yarn made by just about anyone.
Favorite colors: southwest sunsets (yellow,red, turquoise….) or autumnal tones (green, yellow, orange)
Least favorite yarn and color: bulky and harsh acrylics, purple
What crafts do you do (knit, crochet, spin, sew, etc.):knit, crochet when I have to
Other hobbies: reading, being outdoors…by the river, in the garden, on the deck
Something you collect: unusual stitch markers and teapots of all shapes and sizes
Something that you can always use: a yarn winder, net bag yarn caddies, needle point protectors , 16" US size 1 & 2 double pointed circular needles
Something that you have enough of: notepads, tape measures, scarves
Allergies: none
Smoker or non-smoker: I’m not, he is
Pets: a year old persistent chewer, our Australian cattledog mix, Fanny
Favorite symbols, shapes, icons, etc: ?
Favorite accessories: I’ve got enough scarves and hats but need mittens or gloves,& socks!
Favorites flavors: vanilla
Favorites scents: light floral especially mauguet du bois...lily of the valley
Favorite drinks: full-body coffee (grounds not beans, please), English and Irish breakfast teas, southern sweet tea
Favorite treats: milk chocolate covered caramels especially Milky Way Simply Caramels
Ten favorite little things: stitch markers, mini teapots, treats for Fanny, mystery novels, handmade soap and candles, handknit socks and mittens, interchangable tips from Knitpicks, point protectors.
Today was a bright and sunny day and we had a lot of work to do. While I stacked split wood on the porch (l), Jeff went up to Valley Health where Mom is see a man about some pallets. He had talked to a maintenance man there last week and had arranged to go up today to get some of the pallets that had collected beside their big garage. It took him most of the morning...and 2 trips...to bring home 40 pallets (r) ...we only have a 1 ton utility trailer that you can just see in the upper left corner of the photo! Jeff figures a couple of days with the sawsall and table saw will turn these mostly hardwood shipping frames into a week or 2 supply of firewood. The guy invited him to go back tomorrow morning and get another couple of loads but we don't have the room to store the pallets. After helping to unload these things, I can understand why Jeff doesn't want to drag and stack them behind the garage and have to drag them out front again to cut them up. You really know when you get your foot under one!! But they are saving us money! We just got our 2nd 100 gals of fuel oil for the season yesterday...costing $382 and bringing the total cost so far this winter to $671. Not bad for the beginning of January. This morning I saw an ad for a face cord of seasoned hardwood at $225. I'd like to get a face cord next month just to have in case we run our of pallets or Jeff runs out of steam.
I got the yarn I was waiting for at Walmart yesterday and finished the baby set last night and sewed the buttons on it today. I think I'll mail it to Jeff's sister rather than waiting for us to go to Utica later this week to deliver it. While I was waiting for the yarn to be restocked, I finished the socks I found for Jeff and started the cashmere blend socks my cousin ordered. Oooh, what yummy yarn!
This (l) is what's left of the old box elder tree in our backyard. Actually, it's not in our yard...more like just over the property line out of our yard and it fell the right way... still more off our property. It is on the old trolley bed which is a hiking/snowmobile trail and Wally from next door said the local snowmobilers were going to cut down the big branches to open the trail. But after taking the machines under the branches I guess they decided there was enough clearance coz they've been using the trail this weekend. They just have to remember to slow down when they get to the tree...the opening is to the left of the trunk...and it could be nasty if they hit it.
Well, we made it to the new year. The world didn't end on 12/22 and we didn't go over the fiscal cliff. We did get hammered by winter storms and there's about 16" of snow on the ground. At least it's not snowing today...yet. Jeff's been busy cutting wood... he says I've been busy burning it... and I've kept the stacks up. We have used less than 100 gals of fuel oil since Halloween! We had to buy a new sawsall...his ol'Skil gave up...and we got a Bosch that he really likes so far. And the old snowblower gave up after this past storm. Since Wally from next door does the bulk of the snow removal, it's only used between the house & garage and for paths...but definitely needed... so we've got to start looking. Funny, a shovel just doesn't make it anymore.
Josie is still up at Valley Health doing rehab. She wants to come home but has to be able to get in/out of her chair and walk with the walker to the bathroom first. She's complaining about VH...not enough aides, doesn't like the food, etc. Today is her first evaluation. As long as she shows improvement she can stay and Medicare and her supplementary insurance will pay (for a total of 90 days). Keep your fingers crosses...and a little prayer wouldn't hurt, either.
I got my holiday sweaters orders finished and mailed on time and finished a pair of socks for Jeff on Christmas night. (L) They're done in a hand-dyed superwash wool called 'Gone Fishing' that I had received in a swap Thought it was a perfect yarn for Jeff but I still can't see what it's got to do with fishing. Got a hole in my left index finger from poking it with a US 2 needle,too...ouch! I took the time to knit myself a pair of socks(r top) (1st pair I've done for ME!) in a hand-painted wool called 'Montana Moment' that I also got in a swap. As I was putting the yarn away I found another sock (r bottom)...and the toe-up beginning of it's pair. They looked short to me but it fit when Jeff tried it on, so the started-toe went back on the needles. That yarn is from the Dollar Store in Richfield Springs. It's a washable wool blend and a little thicker than most sock yarn. Jeff thinks they'll be great in his winter boots. I got the heel turned before I went to bed last night and so he'll be getting another pair of socks soon. While we were snowed in last week I worked on a baby sweater order for Jeff's sister but ran out of yarn on the hat. Walmart promised to have it back in stock this week. Hope so. My next order is with a yummy cashmere blend sock yarn. Can't wait to work on them!
I finally got motivated and did some knitting, finishing a pair of yummy cashmere blend socks for my cousin and some washable wool baby socks for another cousin's new twins. I even did a couple more pairs of baby socks so there is actually something in my new merchandise bag this early in the year. Now I've got to start working on sweaters.
