Such A Weird Winter

      I will be glad when winter will be over.  It started out lousy with Jeff having a heart attack and needing stents put into his heart arteries and it hasn't gotten much better.  Then Jeff started going to PT for the arthritis in his shoulders 2 months ago and while he's improved his range of motion, the pain hasn't lessened.  Now he's got to see a vascular surgeon because of a blockage in his left carotid artery.  Looks like he's going to need a stent in that one.  We'll know Monday after we see Dr. Ignatovskyy, a vascular surgeon.
    The weather hasn't been the greatest lately, either.  It's been hard to tell it is winter outside if you just look out a window lately.   Either it's been blue sky and sunny with no snow on the ground or the sky has been dark gray, with the wind howling, pouring rain and the trees swaying like mad.  The temperature today was in the mid 60's!!  I almost wish we'd get a nice, heavy snowfall and have a foot or more of snow on the ground.  Might make the house warmer.  We just got fuel oil this week, too.  Over $500's worth.  That's the 3rd time we've gotten fuel oil this season.  And I don't keep the house that warm, either.  
   Last weekend Jeff's nephew, Doug, came down and put up a new chimney

pipe for the wood stove. That will help some...if Jeff ever gets the stove clean so we can use it.  Jeff said now he knows how Uncle George felt when he (Jeff) first went up there to live with him.  Doug had the old chimney down and the new one together and up in practically no time.  Jeff said it made him feel like an old man.  Both dogs barked and then hid when Doug first came in but Zoey worked her way out from under the kitchen table during lunch...had to see what she could beg from him to make it worthwhile, I guess.
     I finally got my Yarn Pal package ready to mail-within the deadline.  Some of the yarn I had ordered took it's time getting here but it finally all made it Thursday.  I had fun looking for candy to include in the package that wasn't usually available in Canada, and instead of buying a large bag of 1 kind of candy,  I bought several 'snack' size packages of different kinds...hope she likes them!  However, when I took the package to the post office it was rejected because the clerk said there was an omission or mistake in the address I was sending it to.  When I got home I sent the group moderator a PM and told her my problem and she gave me the info again.  Maybe it was just typed wrong at some point.  Anyway, I asked for the 3 day extension to be on the safe-side and I'll go back to the post office Monday. I also wrote a thank you letter to the woman, Maria Bentley, in New Zealand who sent me the fabulous Yarn Pal package I received last week.  That's ready to mail on Monday, too.
   In the meantime I'm still working on a pair of socks for Jeff using some of the New Zealand Merino wool Maria sent me.  It is so soft! 

Eventho there is enough of the navy Merino she sent to make socks and a shawl I'm tempted to make socks for myself with this one, too.  I could start the skein on the outside so the stripes spiral the other way so we wouldn't get our socks mixed up.  That and the fact that his socks are 2" longer in the foot than mine should be enough so we could tell them apart!!

  I volunteered to be in a Test Knit...to do socks but haven't been notified if I've been chosen.  I'll have to learn a new cast on for toe-up socks and a new way to turn the heel.  Hey, anyway to learn something new!  Just have to wait and see.