Now What?

   Wally...from next door...called a little while ago to tell us that our furnace was bellowing black smoke out the chimney and had been doing it off and on all week.  I tracked down Jeff and told him and he came back up and checked out the furnace...but couldn't find anything wrong.  He went down to Wally's and talked to him to get things straight in case I screwed up the message (I hadn't).  We decided to call the oil company and they sent a tech to really check out the furnace. We've got about a quarter of a tank of oil left so it wasn't sucking oil from the bottom of the tank.  The tech 'cleaned' the furnace...actually changing the nozzle and filters...but couldn't find anything wrong.   $176 plus tax but that's better than having the furnace blow up...isn't it?

Each skirt is folded into quarters

   I finished the 4 circular skirts in Comfy, a Pima cotton/acrylic blend from Knit Picks, and started the first sweater to go with them.  The skirts are soft and silky...much nicer than those done in acrylic. They still need elastic for the waistbands but at least they don't need to be hemmed!
  Jeff's got an MD appointment in Cooperstown tomorrow and I've yarn ready to cast onto short double pointed size 2's for socks for him to work on in the waiting room.  The yarn is hand-painted washable wool and the color is called Kindling, a blend of soft browns.

Just Can't Win

     I am not happy today.  Last week Jeff found out about this program that offered re-insulation, new effective light bulbs and draft blockers, etc.  to lower income households to help lower energy costs.  He didn't qualify because he lives in an apartment but he thought I might, so he gave them my name and phone number and someone called me and made an appointment to come over and interview me.  I had to have a fuel consumption history from my oil company, my latest electric bill and my HEAP notice. The interviewer called back today to make sure I had all my paper work ready...they were due to come over Monday afternoon...and while we discussed what I had assembled it was reveled that I would need to prove that I had had 600 gals of fuel oil delivered last year to qualify.  I  had purchased 437.8 gals over 4 months...burning wood doesn't help...so I don't qualify for re-insulation...but I probably could get the new light bulbs if I still wanted them.   You can't win.  
   I finished the socks I was knitting for me and wore them today. I do love wool socks!  I've got to get a pair made for Jeff for Valentine's day (it's between some hand-painted yarn called Kindling and Hayride. Both are washable wool blends in hanks from Knitpicks and have to be rolled into balls...not a favorite activity of mine) in-between working on the skirt and sweater sets for the shop.   I got quite a lot of the first skirt done while waiting to see the ENT this morning.  It's a size 1 in  Zinna Comfy Worsted on a US 8 circular and worked up very fast...but I did sit in the examining room waiting for the doctor for more than half an hour.  I want to finish it tonight...except for the elastic in the waistband...and then start the white short sleeved raglan sweater that will go with it. Baby sizes work up so fast I don't get bored doing more than 1 of something.

Another Day

     I feel lousy today...and don't look so good, either.  Yesterday Fanny the dog head butted me while she was trying to climb onto my lap.  Actually, she uses the afghan as a hammock and climbs onto that as it cover my legs while they are extended onto the hassock.   It's much more comfortable...for both of us...except when she gets a claw tangled in the afghan and panics!  And that's what happened yesterday.  While I tried to get her foot untangled she head butted me in the face/cheek and I think we both saw mini stars for a couple of seconds.  I got her untangled and she settled down for a couple of minutes of snuggling.  I know she can hear/feel my mechanical heart valve and I like to think she cuddles to check it out. After she went back to her own chair...she allows Jeff to sit in it when he's here...I checked my face and couldn't find any bruises or marks...just a sore spot.  All day my sinus/nose dripped  and by bedtime I had decided it was time to dig out the Coricidin and make it stop so I could get some sleep.  It did and I did but this morning I woke up with the lower right side of my  face swollen but with no pain!  I look like  a fat baby...on that side!  But my sinus are still dry!  Maybe when it starts to drip again the swelling will go away.  It has gone down some...just not all the way.
     I got one of my new socks finished and the 2nd one started.  They're going faster than they do for Jeff but that's because of the difference in sizes.  I hope I get the 2nd one finished today then I can start a skirt and sweater set.  Can't wait to see how they work out.

It's Here!

   After lunch Fanny (the dog) and I dashed to the car for a quick trip to the Post Office and grocery store.  The air temperature was +8 degrees (I don't even want to think what the wind chill was!) and found a box from KnitPicks on the passenger seat. It was my yarn order that they had shipped on Friday!  I almost went back into the house and skipped the trip to town but I needed to mail the cowl I had finished and we were out of bread. (The trip to the PO, grocery store and back home...including unloading the car only took 45 minutes.)
   It was like Christmas opening the box and oohing and aahing over the colors and textures of the yarn.  I got Stroll Fingering yarn in Kindling Tonal to make Jeff socks for Valentine's Day and Stroll Fingering in Hayride Hand-painted to make him socks for his birthday in March.  There's even some Stroll Fingering in Herbal Wreath Hand-painted for socks for me!
   Then there's the Comfy Worsted I'm going to use to made skirt and sweater sets for the shop.  The size 1 outfits have white or ivory  short sleeve raglan sweaters worked from the neck down on US 8's  with a 3-buttons back closure and embroidered floral detail on the front .  The skirts are done on US 8's  circulars with 3/4" elastic in the waistband.  The buttons and floral detail are done in the same color as the skirt.  I got the cotton and acrylic Comfy in Celestial, Lilac, Zinna and Peapod...all bright colors.  (Last season the sweater and skirt sets sold well done in Red Heart acrylic but I think the cotton blend might be more comfortable to wear.)  I also got some Comfy fingering in those colors to do matching socks. 
  Now that my yarn is here I better get busy!  The shop opens for the season Friday, April 3rd (Good Friday!

Comfy Cotton/Acrylic blend

Washable woolblend

Time for Some Slippers

The cuff is still in progress here...only 2" high.

   After sitting and staring at the TV for a couple of days after I sent in a yarn order I decided I had to find something to knit before I went crazy. Then I remembered Jeff telling the ER nurse the other night that I made him slippers as well as socks...he had this year's Christmas present on...so I decided to do another pair of slippers and use up some Red Heart worsted weight yarn.  Slippers are done with 2 stands of yarn on a US 11...a fairly large needle...and go fast.  I found a new pattern on line and did one slipper in an evening.  After I sewed on the Jiffy Grippe...the non-slid fabric on the sole...I had Jeff try it on to be sure it fit.  It fit but he felt it would be more comfortable if it was higher ...or had a cuff.  So I spent last night picking up stitches onto a US 9 circular...still with 2 stands of yarn but ran out of the gray yarn...and ribbed for 4".  He likes it.  I hope to finish the 2nd slipper today.  Maybe I'll make a pair for myself...depends on when my yarn order gets here.
 

No Power!?!

      Last night as I was getting ready to go to bed the electricity went off.  Came on and went off again.  Since I had already turned off many of the lights there wasn't much more I could do there.  I grabbed my cell phone (no electricity means no land phone service)and both rechargeable flashlights  and called Jeff.   He suggested that the dog and I come down to his apartment for the night.  Now that didn't appeal much to me for several reasons...the highway was dark--the power outage was pretty widespread--no street lights or stop lights;  if I parked on the street in front of his building I'd end up with a parking ticket and if I parked behind his building I'd have to walk thru the alley/driveway to the front door...even if he met me in the parking lot; and the tub in his bathroom is still leaking into the apartment below his so it can't be used. And finally, my house would be without heat...what would happen to the water pipes?  If I stayed home and the power stayed off I could keep a fire going in the stove and that might help...wouldn't it?  Jeff offered to come up but I knew after our trip to the ER the night before he really wanted to spend the night alone in this own bed.  He called National Grid to find out how long the outage would possibly last and called me back to say they estimated it would be back on around 3am.  So I crawled into bed and pulled the covers up. Fanny stretched out next to me and we went to sleep.      
   Everything was fine until I tried to roll over and found out that all this time I had been accusing the wrong bed partner of hogging the blankets!  Fanny would not let me have any of the blankets that would have covered Jeff if he had been there.  The dog did not want me to use his blankets!!  I ended up getting another blanket...it was easier and quicker than fighting with the dog!
   I woke up around 5am when the furnace came on and different appliances started beeping...to tell me they were back on!  I quickly reset the kitchen stove and microwave...to silence the beeping...and turned off the PC and dryer and various lights and went back to bed.  Jeff called around 7:30am to make sure everything was working. I was asleep again but gave up and got up.  There wasn't any mention of the power outage on the local news this morning so maybe it wasn't as wide spread as they thought it was last night.  Today we had a series of snow storms with whiteouts.   So far we've gotten 3-4" of snow...covering 1-2" of ice.  It's cold, too.  Glad I didn't have to go anywhere. Jeff was here this    afternoon and the dog didn't want to stay outside and play with him for every long!  Got to keep remembering, Easter is only 3 months away!

Oh, What A Night!

   Like most couples our age, Jeff and I don't go out as much as we use to...and when we do it's usually something special.  Well, last night was one of those 'special nights'.  Jeff was here for supper and was kind of quiet.  It was obvious he wasn't feeling well.  He said his right side felt kind of numb all day...like he had gotten a king size shot of novacaine.  It had worn off but still didn't feel right.  Finally around 7:30 he suggested a trip to the Little Falls ER to rule out anything serious.  Now, if you remember, last night we had a wintry mix...snow, sheet, freezing rain and the roads were lousy.  But I  drove slowly...very slowly...to the hospital.  Jeff kept saying if they kept him overnight I'd have to drive home alone and I kept saying no, I'd stay with him till morning. (That was not true love, that was pure fear.  I wasn't going to drive anywhere again in that last night!)  His BP was high at first but came down after awhile...a little 'white coat' fever? Anyway, after a couple of hours in the ER they let him go home.  All test results were OK and it was probably just reaction to his meds.   Better safe than sorry, anyway, Jeff drove home!
   When we got home, we found that the dog had had a party.  Cleaned out the garbage pail.  Shredded cardboard and eggshells everywhere...even in bed!  She ate the rest of the stale, hard-as-rocks Christmas cookies that I had thrown away!  Had one of my shoes and one of my work gloves as 'party favors' (but didn't chew on them).  And was so-o-o glad to see us.  We were only gone for 2 1/2 hours!  She kept trying to sit on my lap (remember she weighs 70 lbs) or getting between Jeff's legs and the chair.  She knew he wasn't mad at her but she wasn't sure about me.  After everyone calmed down and had a snack...including a glass of wine for me...we went to bed...with the dog in the middle!  It was a restless night for the humans. Jeff kept getting up to check what was going on when he heard the snow & ice slide off the roof as the temperature warmed up and it came crashing down, and I kept waking up when my stuffy nose won and I couldn't breath without wheezing but the dog slept like a...dog...safe and content with her people next to her.