What I sent in the Advent Swap

 Week1

Advent Swap Weeks 1 & 2

    Oh, this year's Advent Swap on Ravelry is going strong!  I sent a package to Cathy Jensen in Little Falls, N.J. and received one from Brenda Turney in Stoneham, MA.  I've had to post the photos of what I've received on Facebook because I haven't been able to post on Ravelry.  Then I realized I could post here, too, so that's what I'm doing!  

        This package really impressed me!  This swap is divided into 4 weekly Advent gifts and 1 for Christmas and all the gifts were nestled into a fabric 'basket'.  The gift for each week...and the one for Christmas...were wrapped in different papers, so the first thing I had to do was open the card and find the key to the wrapping paper.

  WEEK 1: The card was a beautiful Scherenchnitte scene.  

I learned to cut Scherenchnitte when I was in college (all those many years ago) and I have loved it ever since.  The theme for Week 1 was 'Cocoa & Chocolate' and the package included an assortment of hot chocolate mixes, a jar of cinnamon powder, a cocoa butter Tea Tree Oil hand cream, a Pumpkin Spice sachet and a gift certificate for cooking spices (Jeff is still trying to decide which ones he wants to try).

WEEK 2:  This week's theme was 'Snowflakes' and the center piece was a crystal snowflake candy dish filled with Dove chocolates.  

A pair of adorable snowmen and snowflake socks and a 'Souper Bowl'...soup warmer/cooker/server...with a baggie of dried nut completed the package.

My box is still full...there are 2 weeks of Advent to go before Christmas!...and I will continue to post my Advent surprises here. Thank you, Brenda, for 2 great weeks!

Tim's message today/my response

 Okay, you knew about my having the WATCHMAN device implanted in my heart so I can get off of the damn Eliquis that caused my major GI bleed. Procedure on Sept 5th. It went like a breeze. Now fast forward 45 days to Oct 24th when I go back in for planned a TEE procedure. (Trans Esophageal Endoscopy). The object of which is to measure the healing. They knock you out, put a tube down your esophagus, then put a much smaller tube into that tube which has some high tech camera/sensor on it. It takes high quality graphics because it’s so close to the heard. It is supposed to do what it does the vast majority of the time. That is to view complete healing (growth of new heart tisssue) across atop of the device. At this time they likely take you off of all blood thinners for good and you are home free. Well then comes along Tim Bannigan. When I come to after the procedure the Dr. says, “this is very very rare, happening in less than 1 out of 500 cases”. I think, “Oh shit, this isn’t going to be good.” He explains that I have developed a large Clot in my heart right atop of the device. So the standard procedure for this now is to go back on my full dose of daily Eliquis and Plavix for the next three months to hopefully see the Clot is dissolved and gone.

So, after I swore all the way home, kicked the dog (not really), and watched my BP go up and stay there, I had to go back to my WATCHMAN Dr. I “accused him of practicing Irish medicine”. He said, what’s that. I replied, I start out with A-Fib, start to take Eliquis for 7 years. Then have a major GI bleed. Then you and several other Drs. convince me that the WATCHMAN is going to save me by getting me off of the Eliquis that was going to kill me. I get the WATCHMAN implanted, have complications, delelop a large clot in my heart. Now what is supposed to save my life is the “exact same medication and dosages” that were destined to kill me only a few weeks ago. “THAT IS IRISH MEDICINE DOCTOR!” It’s So Ridiculously Absurd that Im actually laughing at it. . Save a prayer for me.

AND MY RESPONSE;

What did you do in a this or a previous life to deserve this?? Were you a bad little boy? A rotten altar boy? Did you make a habit of kicking dogs, teasing small children and tormenting little girls? Remrmber, into all lives some rain must fall and,boy, are you getting dumped on now! Take a deep breath, take a couple, try to relax and remember you will overcome this. And, stop blaming your doctor. He didn't know you'd be the one to blow his odds of a successful practice. (Of course, I'll say an extra prayer for you...need you ask?) Keep me posted. Irish Medicine?? Sounds like somebody placed a voodo curse on you!

November's Starting With a POP!

    November started with a POP!  Sunday afternoon we got in the car and headed to town, but the car made a strange noise...a combination slurp and burp.  With a shake and shutter.  We had just come out of the long driveway on to Smallsbush and it didn't stop.  Jeff pulled over and opened his door and found a flat tire.  He turned the car around and we went home.
   This morning, he replaced the flat tire with the spare...a donut...and we headed to town making it onto Rte 5 before 'the slurp and burp' started again.  I had the 'honor' of checking the tires on the passenger's side and found, yep, another flat tire.

   We were close to Skinner's so Jeff decided to stop there.  We were planning on 2 new tires, and it didn't really make much difference where we got them.  My 'Yarn Allowance' wasn't going to be used for yarn!!  We ordered the tires and bummed a ride home.  The car should be ready later today.  

   This is the first major expense the Hyundai has cost us.  Remember, it is a 2008 car with about 35,000 miles on it.  The tires looked good with little wear on the treds.  The problem is dry rot.  Jeff is a little concerned about the other 2 tires and the hoses but there is not much we can do about that. Just keep our fingers crossed, I guess. If any of them blow, let's hope they do it at home (when we're first starting out) or in town (near a service center) and not on the open highway!!

Eye-let Cowel

 So let's do this thing! First, cast on 162 stitches, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit the following set-up rows:

Set-up Rows 1 - 4: purl

Set-up Row 5: p80, place marker, purl until end of round

And once those are done, we'll move on to the main pattern, which is Simple Eyelet Pattern from page 168 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. And we'll proceed as follows:

Row 1: knit, slipping extra marker when you come to it

Row 2: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k1, m1l, knit until end of round

Row 3: * k6, yo, k2tog * until you're one stitch before first marker, k1, slip marker, k3, * yo, k2tog, k6; rep from * until you reach end of round

Row 4: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k1, m1l, knit until end of round

Row 5: knit, slipping extra marker when you come to it

Row 6: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k1, m1l, knit until end of round

Row 7: * k2, yo, k2tog, k4 * until you're three stitches before first marker, k3, slip marker, k5, * k4, yo, k2tog, k2 * until you reach end of round

Row 8 - 10: repeat rows 4 - 6

Row 11: * k6, yo, k2tog * until you're five stitches before first marker, k5, slip marker, k7, * yo, k2tog, k6; rep from * until you reach end of round

Rows 12 - 14: repeat rows 4 - 6

Row 15: * k2, yo, k2tog, k4 * until you're seven stitches before first marker, k2, yo, k2tog, k3, slip marker, k1, * k4, yo, k2tog, k2 * until you reach end of round

Row 16: knit until you reach first marker, m1r, slip marker, k1, m1l, knit until end of round

Knit rows 1 - 16 two times, and then knit rows 1 - 15 again (this piece would probably also look nice if you knit rows 1 - 16 three times, and you'd still have enough yarn to do it if you're using the same). Knit one final row around, removing extra marker when you do so. Then complete the final edging rows:

Edging Rows 1 - 5: purl

Once these are complete, bind off loosely and tuck in ends. Block, allowing purled edges to continue to curl under when you do so.

Sydney & Bear

 

This is Sydney and her new Bear.  

Josephine Morgan 1923-2024

    Yesterday Jeff and I attended the interment of my cousin's (JoJo Morgan) ashes at Calvery Cemetery in Herkimer. I met more cousins...the children of my cousin's children's that I had only known or seen photos of as children.

The service that they performed was touching and different. There were the usual prayers and memories, a report from my cousin from Beyond via a medium, and a favorite Christmas song (if you were in the area, yes, you heard the beautiful 'Tu Scendi Della Stella', a song that it's not Christmas at my house without!) A grandson had built a casket for her ashes and anything else anyone wanted to add, and it was almost too small after the teddy bear and Pooh bear were added. (The pre-dug grave for the box wasn't big enough and would have to be enlarged after the ceremony!)

The reception that followed was 'Italian' from the ziti and meatballs to the tray of cookies that didn't last long! The only thing missing was the bottle of homemade wine.

I was a bit sad as we drove home afterwards. I know that chances are I will never see most of those people again and I was sorry more of the family couldn't attend, especially those live within driving range. I guess I'm just getting old. Oh, well, that's life, huh?

old photos

 

JD and BJ...Toddlers!!(c.1952)

DATES TO REMEMBER

Philomena (Fanny) Terico: 4/28/1871-1/29/1957

Dad (Tony Terico):  7/4/1908-10/22/1993

Mary Braccini Molinaro: d 1/6/1995

John Osredkar:  4/28/1911-12/7/2009

Carol Fiala Paul:   1923-1999

Fran Fiore:  8/17/1921-6/11/1999

Pete Molinaro:  6/15/1918-4/7/2002

Frances Molinaro Osredkar:  11/26/1915-2/4/2009

Mom (Josie Molinaro Terico):  1/13/1914-10/17/2013

Thomas Paul:12/1953-3/15/2015

Phylis Mirgo:  7/7/1927-1/21/2016

Fran Davey:  5/2/1953-2/23/2019

Bill Mirgo:  7/19/1958-4/12/2023

JoJo Fiala Morgan:  1923-7/5/2024

The Bears are on Their Way to Cooperstown!

 

   The Bears are on their way to Cooperstown!  Finally!!           

   Josie was the first bear to 

be knit...last year...but it took all winter for her to be finally finished.  She spent a couple of months in the shop last year but didn't attach much

attention.  Today she was the last
one to be actually finished and dressed!  I was never able to get the hem of her dress to lay flat so I just decided to let it roll...that way you can see the pink bows on the edge of the lace on her bloomers! Her black slipper shoes have satin bows at the toes, too.  And she is wearing a headband with a pink rose.

       DeeDee was the second bear to get finished.  She ended up somewhat                  smaller that Josie...how I don't know...but the bloomers that 
were too big on Josie fit DeeDee perfectly!!  She is wearing a short summer dress with red MaryJane shoes and has a nosegay of flowers with a red butterfly sitting on her arm.

    

    TJ Bear is dressed for his favorite past-time:  Baseball!  He's wearing a Cubs uniform with

his favorite Hall of Famer's (Johnny Bench) number 

embroidered on the back of his shirt. He's even wearing red socks with is black BB

shoes and has white shoe laces!

  All three bears are hand-knit with 100% acrylic yarn and are filled with 100% poly-fill.  Their clothing is removable and is also hand-knit with 100% acrylic yarn and like the bears are machine wash and dryable.  The bears are double-joined (their arms and legs are button joined and then sewed to their bodies to make the joints extra secure) but they are not recommended for children under 3 years old because of the many pieces of embellishment used to decorate them.  Josie and TJ are15" tall while DeeDee is 14".  Because each bear is hand-knit and stuffed, no two will ever be exactly alike.  

   They are available at Cooper Country Crafts, 2 Doubleday Court, Cooperstown, NY (607-547-9247)

Home Invasions??

    I think yesterday would have qualified as a day of home invasions to the dogs.  First, our new groomer, Alexandria Fisher, pulled up in her big white truck.  Zoey was willing to go outside to greet her...a stranger...but Fanny after barking a few times from the doorway, retreated to her security spot under the kitchen table. (Hey, it is a 100yr old, solid oak, round pedestal table so I can understand that it does offer some security.)  After Zoey had her nails clipped, and it was Fanny's turn, Jeff had to drag her out from under the table! She was muzzled so her resistance was totally passive but she does weigh 80lbs so there is a lot of dog to drag even if it is only across the room!  Alexandria thought the dogs' nails were too long to be clipped as short as they should be...the quick was quite long and there was a chance of bleeding...so we made another appointment for her to come back in 2 weeks to finish the job.  Zoey was back to wiggling and friendly by the time Alexandria left but Fanny had retreated under the table as soon as she could, and she stayed there for the rest of the afternoon!  

      I had noticed a decrease in the resident population of mice in our house lately, but I was just attributing it to seasonal hunters outside like hawks and other predators.  That notion changed when something streaked across the kitchen followed closely by Zoey barking like crazy!  Fanny stood up in her safe spot under the table and barked loudly, too! I screamed and Jeff started to yell just to add to the general confusion.  Since he hadn't seen the critter, I had to describe it and he gave me a couple of suggestions of what it could be.  I looked them up online and found a picture to match our invader...a weasel!  I yelled at Jeff to do something, but I can't repeat what he said! (*!* ) I said I'd stay at my PC and scream when I saw it but changed my mind when Jeff said it was hunting mice!!  I decided it could visit.

     I've lived in this house since 1962 and we've been 'visited' by critters over the years that usually resulted in my mom and me screaming and running one way and the critter just running around!  I've learned how to catch bats (just wait for them to tire out and land somewhere and drop a bowl or box over them and use a magazine as a cover to hold them in, carry the container to the door and dump it outside) and snakes (my mom's 'reach and grab' tool worked the best!  I didn't have to get closer than the length of the tool and the grabber could hold the coiled snake until I carried it outside).  Jeff's been in charge of mouse traps that he'd set periodically but the mice always seemed to be ahead!  We had a bird fall down our fireplace chimney a couple of times.   Someone else picked it up and took it out that time but I think I threw a towel over it the next time it happened and did it.  But this weasel was the politest home invader we've had.  When the dogs started barking (and I started screaming) it ran to the cellar door and squeezed under it...and we didn't see it for the rest of the day!!  And besides, it's a lot cuter than a mouse!

Mug Rugs

     Some of the knitting chat groups I belong to organize some great swaps that I usually sign up for and the April/Spring's Swap was no exception.  When a Mug Rug Swap was announced, I thought that it would be a piece of cake!  Even though April was the traditional re-opening month for the shop with a lot of last-minute embellishments and button sewing to do, I thought I could manage to produce a mug rug...or even a set of 4 if I tried hard enough.  I mean, a mug rug is only a 4" square!  So, I signed up and received a swap partner and started looking for a mug rug pattern.

    Just to let you know, I aways thought mug rugs were just squares with a design in the middle, nothing too fancy or difficult, simple and easy to do.  Well, I was wrong.  Mug rugs do come in 'simple, easy to do' and then they move on to the more intricate and elaborate designs.  Ever try to do a linen stitch? I quickly learned that I was going to need more than a few spare minutes between sewing on buttons to master that stitch!

   And what yarn to use?  Any and all types!  Of course, the types I have the most of in my stash are worsted weight acrylic and washable wool sock yarn. I tried using some sock yarn on a US2 with a pattern I found on Ravelry until my hands started objecting and began cramping.  OK, so it was a NO to sock yarn on a US2.  Then I began to seriously look at patterns that called for acrylic worsted weight yarn and a needle size I could handle (like a US7) without major cramping problems. I ended up revamping a chart of a sheep I use for a lot of children's sweaters and hats and started knitting...completely forgetting what a 4" square of acrylic yarn knit in stockinette stitch on a US7 would look like when finished...even if single stitch 

crocheted around the edge!  To get this square to lay flat I was going to need some interfacing and backing...possibly felt or flannel. A trip to Walmart and a piece of felt solved that problem and the mug rug because a usable square. 

My hands objected strongly to putting the knit square, the interfacing and piece of felt together with blanket stitches and I used a light touch of a warm iron made sure the interfacing stuck to the knitting. I managed to assemble 1 rug a day!   But I really liked the way they were coming out, so I made 4!   And

now, that I'm ready to mail them on Monday I think I should add something extra to this package.  Years ago, my mom worked with a woman from England who always had a piece of chocolate with her 'cuppa'...she said it made her tea taste better.  Maybe I'll get some Hersey Miniatures to put in the bag.  What do you think?

  Here's the finished set of 4 Sheep Mug Rugs!

I had toyed with the idea of doing sets of these for the shop, (with different animals) but I think it will be better...for my hands, at least...just to do these for Christmas or housewarming gifts.  I have 3 sets on my To Do list already!  No, make that 4 sets!  I want a set, too!

  

Cooper Country Crafts

   What started one winter weekend 50 years ago when some talented friends got together to market their crafts continued to develop and grow, becoming a mainstay of downtown Cooperstown's Doubleday Parking lot.  Encompassing over 300 crafters thru the years, Cooper Country Crafts outgrew their humble beginnings on Pioneer Alley, and quickly proved that Cooperstown is more than just baseball! This unique store may not be the biggest in town, but it is loaded with many one-of-a-kind, hand-made items.  Today's 20-odd members produce something for just about everyone on your gift list from that new baby to your grandmother, with everything from hand-knits, quilts, unique aprons, beautiful jewelry, pottery and hand-blown glassware, wooden toys and hand craved wooden utensils, and much more.  And don't forget, treats for your special furry friends, too!

   And the management of the shop makes it doubly unique.  It is a co-op without any paid employees.  All the maintenance and store workers are crafters.  Any visit to Cooper Country Crafts can be a learning experience as a simple conversation with a salesperson can lead to an insightful peak over a craftsman's shoulder.

    Now as winter finally fades into spring, the talented artists at Cooper Country Crafts will fill their shelves with their hand-crafted treasures for their 50th season, reopening on Friday, April 5th, at 

No Oil???

      We were getting low on fuel oil on Friday so I called the HEAP office to see if I could get another allotment.  I was told  they were about out of funds for this winter, and I had to run out of oil and apply for an emergency allotment.  When we got up Monday morning to the quiet sound of no furnace running, I called them back and after leaving a message twice during the day, they finally called me back late in the afternoon and I was told that I had already gotten my normal number of allotments (2) and emergency allotment (1) and that was all I would get this year.  I called my fuel oil service, and they said I had credit with them for a partial minimum delivery and just had to pay the difference ($300 instead of the full $600) so I ordered it.  Unfortunately, it was too late in the day to ensure a delivery the next day unless I wanted to pay the special delivery fee ($ 200).  I said we could wait till they got to us which they said would be Wednesday or Thursday.

   Yesterday Jeff put a fire in the woodstove and slowly the house lost its chill.  He kept getting up and tending the fire until nearly sunrise and while he complained about how cold the sheets were last night, I was comfortable (wearing sweatpants, long sleeve t-shirt, sweatshirt, and fuzzy socks...let's just say he was not dressed as well) with my microwavable beanbag warming up the bed around me.  This morning the house wasn't exactly warm, but it was a lot better than it was the previous morning! The dogs were still huddled as close to me as they could get without being on my bed...making it a 2-dog night!

   I had an appointment for an INR this afternoon, but Jeff stayed home in case the oil delivery came because the driver would have to come inside and restart the furnace.  I drove to town and after my good INR (a 2.8) I just drove back home without any trouble.  I won't say much about the a***hole in the red car who raced over the hill from Little Falls, passed me on a double line in front of Cooperative Extension (across from the former Massaro's Florist), got in the left lane when the highway split, passed everyone in their path on their way down the hill and ended up in a long line at the stoplight by Hannaford's, still there at the stoplight at Rte. 28 and when I turned into Bassett Healthcare, the line was just stopping for the stoplight at King St.  It would have been nice if a trooper had been able to ticket this creep for speeding/reckless driving, but I'm satisfied that they were totally annoyed that they had to slow down as they traveled thru Herkimer.

     About an hour after I got back home, the dogs started announcing someone was in the driveway and it was...The Oil Delivery!  Jeff and the driver agreed a lot of this year's HEAP funds went to illegal immigrants.  I've just checked my oil delivery receipts for last year and we had gotten 3 deliveries thru HEAP but this year we got only 2...and we did not get an emergency delivery. We've always tried to stretch our fuel oil by using the woodstove but as we get older that's becoming harder to do.  And while I am sorry that people from Mexico and South America are not comfortable during our winter, I do not think it's fair...or right...that American citizens have to suffer because of it.  Maybe it's time to think of Americans first. 

Happy Birthday, Jeff! (pt2)

      Jeff and I were supposed to meet my cousin, Ed, at Fat Cat's for supper tonight to celebrate Jeff's birthday, but something came up and Ed had to cancel.  We were really looking forward to going out for dinner, so we decided to go out anyway.  We went to town about 4pm and did some errands before deciding where we would eat.  Since I was 'buying' I told Jeff to go to whichever restaurant he really wanted to eat at, and he chose the Mohawk Station.  We both love the Mexican restaurant, Tren de Villa Mexican, that is there.  Jeff easily chose 'Carne Campirano', a big platter of steak strips with veggies over refried beans and Mexican rice, his favorite! I decided on a Taco salad, and I wasn't disappointed!  I have never had a Taco salad that good.  There was even refried beans and Mexican rice on the bottom of the giant taco shell.  And the taco shell!  I almost think it was made in the restaurant kitchen.  I have never tasted a taco shell that was so light, crisp and...just plain good!  Even the old Asteroga House in Little Falls couldn't come close to this taco shell!

    After we supper we kept saying to each other, 'that was a good meal' as we rode over to Hannaford's, shopped and rode home.  When we went past Fat Cat's overflowing parking lots I said 'I'm glad we went to the Station' and Jeff said(again) 'that was sure a good meal!'

   I got a carrot cake and some ice cream at Hannaford's incase Ed decided to come over for dessert.  But if he doesn't get here soon, I'm not going to be held responsible for this carrot cake's future!

edited 3/2/24  10:55am:  Ed showed up about 7:45pm with a cake (!) and this carrot cake was soon a shadow of itself.  But it was good!  Vanilla ice cream went with it so well....  The dogs sat by our sides and eventually I gave them both a spoonful of ice cream.  That satisfied Fanny and she stretched out under the table but next to Jeff and was soon asleep.  Zoey didn't give in that easily and hung around hoping for more, but she finally gave in and went into the living room to stretch out on the dog pillow on the floor where she could keep an eye on us (or the cake) at the kitchen table.  She must have had a dream of eating the entire cake because about half an hour later she let out a large snort and several loud snores!  We all laughed at her, but she just went back to sleep!  I think everyone enjoyed Jeff's birthday.  Oh, he finished his deviled eggs for a midnight snack.  Said they were good.  I think I'll do them again for St Patrick's Day.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

    Today is Jeff's birthday. He is 71 years old...although today I think he feels older.  Yesterday was not a day either of us want to repeat soon...if ever.  By the way, Jeff still has not opened the ash drawer to see what was burning in it.

   In honor of his birthday, I thought I'd do something special and decided to make a plate of deviled eggs for Jeff.  So, last night between supper (tomato soup and crackers) and bedtime (t-shirt, sweatshirt, sweatpants, 2 blankets and a beagle), I finally got 6 eggs boiled, cooled down and put in the refrigerator.  This morning, I started to peel the eggs even before I made coffee!  Mother Nature must have decided to apologize for lousy the day we had yesterday, because the eggshells came off those eggs like nothing!!  None of the shells stuck and none of the whites broke up and I soon had a bowl of egg yolks ready to be crushed!  That was when I noticed we had very little mayonnaise left in the jar.  That was ok because I had seen a recipe on FB that called for using cream cheese in deviled eggs and I had half a small container of whipped cream cheese!  (Bagels and cream cheese had been on my breakfast menu last week and there is always cream cheese left over!)  Cream cheese and mayo mixed together were a little thick, so I put in a squirt of horseradish relish and another of yellow mustard before mixing in onion and garlic powder, and salt and pepper.  Oh, and a dash of hot sauce, too!  Tasted ok to me.  I cut the egg whites the long way and they were all ready to be filled.  I thought I'd get a little fancy, so I put the filling in a small plastic bag, and tried to pipe the stuffing into bottoms but I guess I don't know my own strength because the bag started to split apart between my fingers and the filling oozed out the top (zipped shut??  Hardly!) all over my fingers.  I gave up and went back to spooning it in.  I had more than enough to fill the 12 halves and boy, were they filled!  (I had forgotten to buy paprika so I couldn't make them look pretty but I don't think Jeff minded.)

   I told Jeff he had deviled eggs in the refrigerator and started to clean up.  The dogs were more than happy to help clean my hands and they seemed to enjoy the deviled egg filling and I think Jeff did, too, because he had 4 halves for breakfast!  (The only suggestion he made was to use less of the horseradish relish next time!) I think what's left will be his

lunch.  We're suppose to go out for supper tonight but that will be covered on the next posting here!  Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Our Latest Adventure

    Our latest adventure here in the little house in the little woods we are attributing to Mother Nature.  The weather forecast for last night included high winds and snow so when both started shortly after sunset it wasn't a surprise...but the strength of the wind was!  Sitting at my computer and later comfortably wrapped up in a blanket with a book in my favorite chair, the wind sounded like it was going to lift this little house and carry it away...or knock over on to our roof those big oak trees next to it that have been getting bigger every year since we moved here in 1962.

   Around 10pm the next act of the evening performance began.  The lights would flicker a few times and then go out, only to come back on in about 15 minutes.  This procedure repeated itself for about an hour and a half until 11:30pm when the lights went out and did not come back on until 1:15 this afternoon. 

   We woke up to a cold, dark house:  no lights, no heat, and no water (remember, we live in the country).  Neither of us had slept much and were not in very good moods.  We couldn't call Wally (next door) ...or anybody...because our phone was out so after driving down to Wally's house and not seeing his car, we decided to go to town and see if we could find a pay phone so we could report the power outage and get some coffee.  But first, Jeff decided to check out the next house down the road since he had noticed flashing lights and large truck traffic during the night. We couldn't even get close because the road was blocked, and a National Grid truck was parked beside a fallen tree that was resting on the electrical wires that ran along the road.  Well, we found out where the problem was!

   Jeff turned the car around and we went to town, couldn't find a payphone but got coffee and went home. A few minutes later Wally was knocking at the door.  He had his cellphone with him, but his SUV was in the garage, and he couldn't get the door open...and he was cold!  Jeff got a fire going in the woodstove in the TV room while we exchanged details with Wally on what we had learned about the outage.  The guys busily anticipated how long the outage would/could last and Jeff offered Wally the couch next to the woodstove if it continued overnight. (Wally accepted!) 

   After everyone had warmed up, Jeff and Wally went back to the next-neighbors-up-the-road and found the road open!  The National Grid workmen were busy installing a new pole and said the lines would be working in 3-4 hours.  Then they went to Wally's to work on the garage door.   They got it open, the SUV out and the door closed again, and Wally headed to his favorite place for a late breakfast and Jeff came home.  

   Jeff went back to tending the fire in the woodstove and the house was finally starting to warm up when he noticed smoke coming out of the ash drawer on the bottom of the stove.  Since neither of us thought it was a good idea to open the drawer just then, he didn't add anymore wood to the fire and kept raking the ashes and coals apart.  Slowly the fire died down, but he still hasn't opened the ash drawer.  We've come up with a couple of things that could be happening (the fan on the back of the stove caught fire because it wasn't working due to the outage, the paint in the drawer could have flaked off and caught fire, a mouse might have made a nest in the drawer and the nest is burning, mice could have gotten into the drawer and died, and we just witnessed their cremation) but Jeff wants to wait until the fire in the box is totally out and the stove cools down before opening the ash drawer.  I think we both imagined him opening the smoking ash drawer and having it burst into flames!!!

   The house smells awful right now, but it is warm, and we do have lights and water.  The first thing I did when I heard the microwave chirp and the furnace come on was ask if Jeff wanted some coffee.  He hadn't heard (or paid attention to) either 'on' signal and was surprised!  Ah, living in the country!  Never a dull moment!!

Are Dogs Paranoid?

       Yesterday Jeff's brother, Tim, came over to deliver a load of ...'stuff'...that their sister, Sherry, had decided to give us as she empties out her house in anticipation of moving to a smaller place.  Since Tim drives a pickup truck and it would be loaded, Jeff moved our car to the front lawn out of the way so Tim could back up to the porch stairs.  But when he got here, they ended up putting most of the truckload in the garage instead of trying to carry it down our cellar stairs (Good idea, guys!)  

   My father had learned his carpenter skills as a member of the Navy's CBs during WWII.  Now, CBs were noted for building things to last but not necessarily for building things to look good or for being practical and our cellar stairs are no exception.  As soon as Dad had finished, he had announced he probably should have put in another step or 2 in the staircase.  (It has even been suggested that he should have added a stair or 2 between each stair that he did have in the staircase!)  Anyway, Tim had had it with cellar stairs at Sherry's and didn't want to try ours, so the bookcases and boxes went into the garage.  Only 1 box made it into the house yesterday and our car stayed on the front lawn overnight.

   Zoey, our Beagle, welcomed Tim like a long, lost relative. (She's met him maybe 3 or 4 times.)  Fanny, the older, bigger dog who also met Tim at those times, hide under the kitchen table...her usual spot when a stranger (to her or us) comes to the house.  A pot of coffee later, when Tim was ready to leave, Zoey was happy to escort him out to his truck until she saw the car on the front lawn and then she panicked and ran back into the house.  (Fanny had stayed under the table...not having heard the "All Clear" signal?)  Before we had supper, I tried to get the girls to go outside so I could knit for a while, but Fanny was still under the table and Zoey got as far as sticking her head out the door and seeing the car in a strange spot.  After supper I tried again with the same results but at least Fanny came out from under the kitchen table!

   When it finally was time for evening meds and treats, both dogs went out to do their thing but neither stayed very long.  Fanny came in all upset about something she had smelled out there and wouldn't calm down until I went into my room to read, and she went with me.  Later Zoey joined us and finally things quieted down and everyone went to sleep.

   This morning as soon as they saw that the car was still on the lawn, both dogs refused to go down the porch stairs and hurried back into the house...with business undone.  In fact, neither went outside until the middle of the afternoon! (No puddles or piles were found in the house, either!!)  I don't pretend to understand my dogs.  Do you?

Bookmarks

 

Is It Still February?

   This morning the sky was so clear and blue without any clouds, but the air was so cold...10 degrees when I let the dogs out at 8am!!  Fanny and Zoey didn't spend much time outside, just did what they had to do and came back in.  Within 20 minutes they were both asleep in their favorite spots (Fanny on the couch and Zoey on the chair). Zoey seemed to have a big grin on her face, so I grabbed the camera and tried to get close, but she woke up and just   

 

stared at me.  I took the shot anyway then I turned towards Fanny and tried to get close to her, but she growled at me!  I told them both to go back to sleep!  And they did!!

   Later when I tried to carry my coffee cup in one hand and a bowl of (dry) frosted mini shredded wheat in the other, I got all the way back to the computer table before I started to wobble.  Had to make a quick decision:  coffee or shredded wheat all over??  It was any easy choice, and the bowl of cereal went flying!  I set the cup of coffee down and went back to refill my cereal bowl.  I didn't pick up the cereal right away...hey, my coffee was getting cold! besides I thought Zoey would take care of that for me. After my cereal, I went back to the kitchen to toast a bagel and I picked up the shredded wheat, dividing it between the girls.  Zoey got interested in it and got off the chair and did some 'dumpster diving' in the closet to see if she could find any more (she did).  I guess the mice are out of luck today!

   I had an INR done yesterday and was out of range (again).  I think it was due to the amount of Tylenol I've been taking since I've been knitting a lot lately.  (I just read on FB that Tylenol can act like a blood thinner when taken with Warfarin.)  So, I have to watch the Tylenol and have the INR repeated on Tuesday. I didn't knit at all yesterday and my hand still hurt!  So I took 2 extra strength Tylenol when I went to bed last night but that didn't help much at all.  I think I'll try knitting a little today and see how that goes.  The shop is supposed to reopen in April, and I've only got 2 1/2 sweaters done!  I've got to keep knitting!!  Hey, maybe they'll cut my Warfarin if my INR doesn't get back in range?

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Swap, Pt. 2

   Yesterday I went to town to mail my Valentine's Day Swap package

(this is what I sent),
 I think the weight of the bag of Hershey's Mini Chocolates I put in tipped the scales over the cost limit (by a dollar or so) but I mailed it anyway!  What's a little chocolate between knitting friends??  Anyway, when I got home, I found a package for me from my swap partner!  I couldn't have been happier with what she sent!  Two skeins of yarn...the smaller one is DK and perfect for a sweater for the

 the British bears I'm working on.  I can just see a sweater knit from this for a girl bear!

The Teddy Bear book and Rabbit and Bear pattern were more than I expected!  Thank you again, Vickie!!

   Next month's swap will be a Mug Rug, so I started looking at patterns on Raverly this morning.  So much to choose from!! 

 These small swaps are a lot of fun and I'm glad my online knitting group is doing them this year!

   In the meantime, I've been trying to fill my stock bag for the shop.  So far, I've started 2 sweater and a poncho and finished none of them!  I keep going back to the baby gift I've been working on...and that's not getting finished either!  We're supposed to get a snowstorm this week and if we do...and get snowed in for a couple of days...I just might get something finished.  I hope!

 

A Valentine Swap

    I haven't been involved in any swaps lately so when the online knitting chat group I'm a member of decided to hold a Valentine's Swap, I signed up.  The organizer was doing it on short notice...only a few weeks before Valentine's Day...and with a $20 cap on spending. There were only a couple of categories:  yes or no to yarn, a pattern, knitting accessories (stitch markers/point protectors), and an international or home country partner. Treats or goodies were optional.  I figured I could put something together for $20 without any trouble.

    When I got the name of my swap partner, I quaked a bit.  She was well known on the site, pretty much of an expert and highly thought of.  Oh, boy!  I started to search for information about her.  Couldn't find a Facebook page so I just scrolled thru a lot of old postings on our site.  Got some basic information and started to build a swap package I hoped she would like.

   First of all, my partner, said No to yarn.  She has enough!  So, then I went thru my notebook and decided on a hat pattern that I had used a couple of times for gifts. (It's called Lady Chadwick Cap and was designed by Quirky Bird Knits.  I found it on Ravelry. com, a site for knitters.) 

I liked the hat, but I always had trouble finishing it...the directions for the crown never made sense to me...and I always finished the crown as best as I could keeping the pattern together.  My friends liked the way the hat looked, sort of Downton Abby, so I guess I didn't do so bad, but my copy of the pattern was so scribbled on as I tried to record what I thought I should be doing that I knew I had to get a new copy.  Today I stopped at the library and had a color copy done. ($2)  I knew my partner will have little trouble with this hat.

  

 On the way home, I stopped at Walmart and got some page protectors (I needed them so I'm not counting their cost), a button for the hat (eventho the hat isn't going in the swap bag) and a bag of candy.  Jeff has eaten about 1/4 of that bag so far, so I'll have to stop at Hannaford and get a bag of Hershey Miniatures.  (Tomorrow I'll switch the candy...taking back what's in the swap bag and putting in 3/4 of the bag of Hershey's...after making sure all of it is nut-free! ($3.75).)  I also picked up a Valentine's Card at the Dollar Tree ($1) when I got cards to send to family and friends.

   And I got a couple of small bags of cat treats for her cat ($4), too.  (If the candy is for the humans, the cat has to have a Valentine treat, too!)

   As I was walking thru Walmart today, I saw some beads that I thought would make some cute stitch markers ($1.99) so I got them.  (I had some findings and fishline leftover from Christmas, so I was all set.) After supper I went cross-eyed stringing beads, but they made up pretty good! 

And I have enough beads and findings leftover to make several more.

    All in all, I think my swap package is looking pretty good...and definitely under the $20 cap!  Even with postage!!  I hope she likes it.

edited 2/7/2024, 6:55pm

  

Will The Groundhog Be Right?

   Groundhog's Day was yesterday, Feb. 2, and the little critter called for an early spring, so of course, all our snow melted! Today we have a bright, beautiful blue sky with a few puffy clouds, and temperatures are in the high 30's but it feels warmer.  All the wet brown leaves have dried up and are rustling in the breeze as the squirrels run their laps around the yard at their crazy speeds!  The forecast for the next 10 days is for some pretty fair weather with a little rain but no major snow.  Since the boots I ordered before Christmas finally were delivered last week and don't fit, I think I'll just send them back and save the $$.  If we do get any snow, I can always stay home...one of the perks of being retired!

   I've got so many WIP's (yes, Works In Progress) that it would take me years to finish them all so I'm just going to focus on the latest ones.  I'm doing a hat for a swap I signed up for.  The organizer put a cash limit of $20 on what you could/should spend for swap gifts and gave only 3 or 4 categories to fill, so I thought I'd knit a hat from my stash (because my partner said no yarn, please, knit her a hat or mittens instead), buy some treats for the humans and their animals who'd be receiving my package and maybe add a small knitting extra and stay within that limit. I don't usually buy many patterns (that was another category) so I don't have any I'd want to give away. I like the way the hat is looking so far and if I like it when it's finished (not always a definite!) I may do one for the shop for the fall. 

    Knitting for the shop is the main category of my WIP's.  Sweaters, hats and teddy bears. All I need is time to do them.  The shop (Cooper Country Crafts in Cooperstown, NY) will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.  (And no, I haven't been part of it for that long!) Mom and I were invited to join in the late 1970's after the shop had been around for a few years and had moved to its present location in Doubleday Court. I've also got a large WIP (a grandbabies) gift for a college friend that I keep working on.  I want to finish that right after the swap hat! (One grandbaby is going on 3 but the other only 3 months!) 

   And the other day Jeff reminded me I didn't make him new socks for Christmas this year.  I've knit him socks for Christmas and his birthday (March 1) every year since we met in 2009.  Now that's a lot of socks so you'd think he'd still have some that were wearable!!  I did knit him a pair for Christmas in 2022 but never finished the ones for his birthday.  I know I finished one, so the other must be somewhere on the needles connected to a ball of yarn!! (A real WIP!!) Please remember, socks for Jeff are big:  he wears a US12 shoe and is 6'2 or 3" depending on how his back feels that day.  He wants the leg of the sock to come up and cover his shin. I use Paton's Kroy Sock Yarn for his socks, and it takes 1 skein for each sock, but it never gets all the way up to his knee!

   If the weather is going to stay nice and get nicer, I'm not going to want to stay inside but as you can see, I have enough WIP to keep me knitting for a long time.  I just looked around this room, and I should sweep the floor before I do anything else...but that can wait.  Both dogs are snoring away beside me...it's a tough life being a house dog.

  I think I'll go knit.  Photos of WIPs as they are finished.  I promise!

Once A Librarian...

 

I Own a 9mm....

 

Another Adventure in the Little House in the Little Woods

     Another adventure here in the little house in the little woods. The light over our kitchen table needed a new socket and Jeff got one some time ago. Today (because the weather wasn't so good?) he decided to change the socket. But first some background.

We had our kitchen first done over (not remodeled by a long shot!) after we had been in this house for a couple of months. When we moved in in1962 and met our neighbors, they were in the middle of remodeling their kitchen and my mother complimented their choices. The husband, Bob, offered to help my father 'do' our kitchen. My mom was so happy she would have agreed to whatever colors/styles of cupboards, wallboard, flooring, etc. that was offered...and I think she did.

You see, our kitchen when we moved into our house had ugly blue vinyl flooring (you can still see it in the closets in the bedrooms!), hideous yellow paint on the walls, a large wooden cupboard that had started life somewhere else and ended it in our kitchen, and a metal sink unit. And that's all.

When they were finished, our kitchen looked just like our neighbors...except for the light hanging over the kitchen table. My mom looked all over for the perfect light to compliment her mother's solid oak, round pedestal table and she found it, I think, at Valley Electric. It's a large, glass bowl with scalloped edges decorated with leaves and flowers. Josie loved that light! Over the years, no matter what we did to the kitchen, painted and rearranged the cupboards, pulled the carpet and sanded the oak floor, painted the wallboards, knocked down part of a wall, the light stayed over the table.

All I could think of as I tried to fulfill my duties as 'electrician's assistant' today was not to let the glass light cover fall and (not to keep shining the flashlight in Jeff's eyes.) It took us about an hour to get the job done (the circuit breaker tripped when the wire broke as Jeff was taking the old socket off, the wire he had to work with was hanging from the ceiling and kept breaking as he tried to strip it...he kept grumbling that he'd probably have to go into the ceiling and replace all the wire from the box down! (something I was not looking forward to!!!), parts of the sockets kept getting mixed up on the kitchen table and falling on the floor (I was waiting for a dog or 2 to decide it was time for a game of Finders/Keepers but with Jeff involved, they were smarter and stayed in the living room). Finally, the light was back up, the circuit breaker was back on and all was right in my kitchen!

The 110th anniversary of my mother's birth was 3 days ago (1/13/1914) and I'm looking at the successful repair of her kitchen light as a birthday gift from heaven.

Happy Birthday, Mom! XXOO

My Mom's light!