Works in progress

One project at a time never seems to be the norm any more.

I am working on the second sock of a pair for myself. The sock pattern is Van Dyke from Wendy Johnson's Toe-Up Socks for Everybody, the yarn is Happy Feet DK by Plymouth Yarn. The first photo shows the completed sock while the second is still on two circular needles, my favorite way to knit socks. The second is a more accurate showing of the yarn's colors.

The pattern isn't difficult, but it does require me to keep track of where I am in the pattern repeat. My "mindless" knitting project is a child's size 2 sweater done in dark denim with a light blue trim.

It is identical to the one I finished a few months ago in denim and red for a shower gift.

Speaking of showers, I am cross stitching a wedding sampler for my son and daughter-in-law. I've made a lot of progress today, even more from when I took this photo this afternoon. The bare spots in the border are now filled in with a lighter peachy pink. The words "Happily Ever After" will be added in an outline stitch over the word LOVE and below in simple straight stitch lettering will be their names and wedding date.

I had hoped to make a few more things before the shower next month, but I don't know if that is a realistic goal. I guess I could start the items, and if they're not done, they could become Christmas gifts.

Or I could give up sleep.

Oxymorons to ponder

 While I spin my wheels and try to get cross things off my To Do List yet never getting ahead because the list grows faster than I cross things off....
* pause for a breath *
...here are some really deep things to ponder. 

1. Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?

2. Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?

3. If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?

4. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words?

5. Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?

6. Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?

7. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?

8. Why do "tug" boats push their barges?

9. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game" when we are already there?

10. Why are they called "stands" when they are made for sitting?

11. Why is it called "after dark" when it really is "after light"?

12. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?

13. Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites?

14. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?

15. Why is "phonics" not spelled the way it sounds?

16. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?

17. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

18. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

19. If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right?

20. Why is bra singular and panties plural?

21. Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control When you know the batteries are dead?

22. Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase?

23. How come abbreviated is such a long word?

24. Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?

25. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

26. Why do they call it a TV set when you only have one?

27. Christmas - What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?

It's a small world...

Don't start humming that tune or it will stay with you all day....or is it too late?

A few weeks ago at knitting, I met a young woman who comes in with a woman around my age. I will call the young woman Lisa and the other lady Cindy. None of the names that I use today will be actual names of people in this story except for my family. The women aren't mother and daughter, Cindy is the mother of Lisa's boyfriend.  After a few sessions together, Cindy asked me if I grew up in the area of the yarn store. I said not that very city, but the next one to the north. Lisa asked which of my town's 3 high schools had I attended. I told her. Then she asked when I graduated. (Gulp) 40 years ago in 1970. She said "so did my dad!". Of course I asked his name...Joe Smith. No kidding! Joe and I grew up on the same street and went to school from kindergarten through 12th grade together!
My husband did not grow up in my city. He grew up in Detroit and went to a parochial high school. When we were dating, he bowled on a Friday night league near my parent's house. One night Joe walked in and smiled with recognition as he walked toward us. I thought he was coming to say hi to me. Nope, he was saying hi to Bill. He knew Bill from their mid teen years when they worked in businesses next door to one another.

Ten years or so later, Bill and Joe worked together and I met Joe's wife at company Christmas parties and the annual summer picnic. She was very quiet and we both had young kids to keep tabs on so we had little more than a nodding acquaintance. She had a distinctive first name that I had not heard before or since, Paz.

A few days before this discussion with Lisa, I was reading a Facebook comment by one of my younger son's friends, Emily. Paz had replied to Emily's post and I wondered how the two women knew each other. I asked Lisa how her mother knew Emily. Emily's mother and Paz were long time friends, having worked together years ago. Second coincidence in one evening. I thought we were done.

Last week at knitting, a story in the local news led to a discussion of the area where our cottage is located. Lisa had fond memories of visiting her friend's grandparents cottage throughout their childhood. The grandparent's cottage is across the street from ours, and if that wasn't enough of a surprise, her friend's parents live two houses away from my other son here in town.  Two more coincidences! Surely we are done now, right?
Yesterday I was with my future daughter-in-law's mom working on wedding invitations. Talking about coincidences, I told her this story but hadn't mentioned names. Kim's mom knows Emily who is going to be one of Kim's bridesmaids. When I got to the part of the distinctive name replying to Emily's Facebook page, she asked what the unusual name was. I said Paz, and she asked "Paz Smith???"

I am taking my personal address book to knitting tonight. I am going to cut to the chase and ask Lisa to put a check mark by everyone in it that she knows!

Reminder to bloggers who don't share contact info

I fully understand privacy issues but sometimes bloggers forget they have their privacy so secure, there isn't a way for another person to contact them.

Someone named Crafty Bea left a comment a few days ago on a post of mine from last year. Her blog doesn't appear to be active, and I don't know if she has her blog set to send her notifications of comments or not. She asked me a question and I would like to answer, but don't know if my comment on her blog, or on mine on a post from last year will reach her.

Crafty Bea, if you see this, please contact me by email link in my profile.

I've had people ask questions before and their blog profiles were set to private so I couldn't view their blog or reach them at all. I'm never sure if people come back to a specific post when they've asked a question or expect to be answered on their blog or at their email address.


I'm not chastising anyone, I just think we all need a reminder once in a while to look at our settings through a stranger's eyes. Would they be able to contact us? Or conversely, are we putting too much info out there? I'm often unsettled by friends who announce on Facebook that their entire family will be out of town for two weeks. Their friends might be trustworthy, but friends of those friends may not be and be able to locate their home address and find something of interest.


What do you think normal protocol is in blogland for asking and answering questions? Do you answer a question asked of you on your blog? If so, do you make a comment in the same post as the question was asked? Do you reply by email when possible or to the blog of the person asking the question? When you ask a question, where do you hope to find the answer?


I'm sure that if you have a large following and more than a few people ask the same question, a whole new post might be appropriate, but many of us aren't in that category.


And speaking of answers, can anyone tell me how to find more hours in the day?  No?


Finally, I am going to share some great recommendations. Think of them as two answers to unasked questions that may benefit people living in or near Macomb County, Michigan. Our carpeting is 13 years old.I don't really want to replace it yet, but thought by its appearance we didn't have much choice. We've been dragging our feet because picking new carpeting might be easy, having good installation is not. With Colton ready to crawl off his floor quilt any day now and an upcoming wedding  (meaning more company than usual), it was time to have the carpets cleaned since getting new wasn't going to happen before these events.

On Friday the carpets were cleaned by Duo-Care and wow, they look good. No, they look better than that, they look great! Our living room and the upstairs hallway both had bad wrinkles. The living room had been restretched  by a crew from the store where it was purchased, but it honestly didn't look much better afterward and the buckle returned and worsened. That was going to be our primary reason for replacing carpeting. I asked the man from Duo-Care if he had any recommendations for carpet repairs and new installation. He did and I called to set up an appointment.


Yesterday, two men from J. Rohr Carpets came out. In less than 30 minutes they had trimmed and restretched the problem areas and my rooms look almost new again! I was so impressed, I immediately told a neighbor whose buckling problems are even worse than ours.

I realize that most of you won't benefit from this info, but I know a few bloggers live within range who might be interested in hearing of experienced companies that do good work.

An answer to a burning question!

No, I don't have the answer regarding peace in the middle east, where missing socks go while being laundered or why 3 ounces of chocolate in a candy wrapper can equal one pound of fat on the hips.

If you want to know if tigers and other big cats enjoy catnip, I have a video answer for you.



I don't know about you, but I could use a mellowing agent like catnip right now. Chocolate has that ugly scale/tape measurement  side effect.

Retirement

Bill got this funny in an email. Besides the obvious jokes, it made us laugh because lately we've been so busy, we are barely keeping up with basic house and yard work that we squeezed in when we both worked full time.  The email was titled Why I Love Retirement.

Question:  How many days in a week? Answer:    6 Saturdays, 1 Sunday

Question: When is a retiree's bedtime?  
Answer:    Three hours after he falls asleep on the couch.

Question:   How many retirees to change a light bulb?   
Answer:     Only one, but it might take all day.

Question:  What's the biggest gripe of retirees?  
Answer:     There is not enough time to get everything done.

Question:  Why don't retirees mind being called Seniors?   
Answer:    The term comes with a 10% percent discount.

Question: Among retirees what is considered formal attire?   
Answer:    Tied shoes.

Question:  Why do retirees count pennies? 
Answer:     They are the only ones who have the time.

Question:  What is the common term for someone who continues to work and refuses to retire? 
Answer:     NUTS!

Question:  Why are retirees so slow to  clean out the basement, attic or garage?
Answer:       They know that as soon as they do, one of their adult kids will want to store stuff there.

Question:   What do retirees call a long lunch?
Answer:      Normal


Question:  What is the best way to describe retirement?  
Answer:    The never ending Coffee Break.

Question: What's the biggest advantage of going back to school as a retiree?   
Answer :    If you cut classes, no one can call your parents. Question: Why does a retiree often say he  doesn't miss work, but  misses the people he used to work with? 
Answer:    He is too polite to tell the whole truth.

Question: What do you do all week?
Answer:    Monday to Friday; Nothing, Saturday & Sunday I rest. 


I might get to rest this coming Saturday, but if we go to the cottage it won't be until after I've grocery shopped, packed then unpacked and cleaned after we get there.  Somehow I managed when we both worked but now I think I need a personal assistant!

I would share my spoon with you

A Holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.'

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.

In the middle of the room was a large round table.. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell..

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water.

The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The Lord said, 'You have seen Heaven....

The holy man said, 'I don't understand.

'It is simple,' said the Lord. 'It requires but one skill.

You see, they have learned to feed each other.

The greedy think only of themselves.'

Aha! I might be on to something....

Have you ever noticed something for weeks, months, maybe even years in stores without buying it, only to discover you can't find it anywhere when you do want to obtain that item?

Once upon a time for my sister-in-law and me, it was egg plates. We each wanted one.

Then there was the search for a yellow bra, still not found. At least not in my size and comfort zone.

Did you know that a sheet of apple stickers cannot be found in any of the stores I visit?

And my most recent frustration has been in trying to find a popcorn bucket like the one I saw at a baby shower two weeks ago.

They were all over the place UNTIL I wanted one. I wanted to fill it with microwave popcorn packs, movie sized boxes of candy that have been on sale at Kroger, and a copy of Grumpy Old Men.

This was going to be for a 60th birthday party that we are invited to today. The movie isn't available either.

Thinking about this today, it dawned on me that many of us can't locate what we want when we want it.

I am about to provide a service to a very select group.

Do you know someone with wrinkles who wants to fill them out?
Do you know someone who is uncomfortable bumping into things because they have no padding?
Do you know someone who is too thin and would love to gain some weight?
(Stop laughing! There are a few people like that. I read about them. Once. They're a misunderstood minority!)

Tell your friends in need that their search is over. I am unselfishly going to offer my fat to anyone who wants to smooth out a wrinkle, pad a bony hip or boost the number on their scale.

Ain't I swell?

I guess I should throw in a word of caution about being careful what you look for. Those egg plates that my sister-in-law couldn't find years ago? I think between the two of us we now have seven of them.

Something old, something borrowed...

Did you have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue when you were married?

With Chuck and Kim's upcoming wedding, that rhyme popped into my head and I offered Kim a few things from my wedding day.

My parents were married in 1935 and according to them, didn't have two nickels to rub together. They were married on Thanksgiving Day as my dad had the day off from work and the tailor shop where my mom worked was closed for the holiday. Mom was married in a dress, not a bridal gown. She wore a small pin on that dress which I in turn wore on my wedding day. My dress had a high neckline with a lace neckband. I wore the pin there, off to the side. It wasn't noticed by many, but I knew it was there. When our niece on Bill's side of the family was married 13 years ago, she wore it too, also in a non obvious spot on her gown. Kim's gown is strapless so it presents more of a challenge, but she is thinking of either wearing it on her grandmother's hankie or pinned inside the skirt of her dress. She and I will know where it is, and I'd like to think my mom will know too.

The other item from my wedding which might be used again is a Bridal Cup. 16th century legend has it that the daughter of a wealthy nobleman fell in love with a lowly goldsmith. Her father was furious that she turned down suitable suitors and pined away for her true love. He thought himself ingenious when he said he would agree to their union if the goldsmith were clever enough to design a cup that two people could drink from at the same time. Surely such a thing was impossible....but true love conquers all.

The goldsmith created a chalice similar to this one, a woman holding a cup that swivels. Her skirt, when inverted,  becomes another vessel to hold liquid. The bridal couple toasts with this cup, the bride drinking from the small cup, the groom from the skirt.

Here are front, back and toasting position views of my cup. 

I recently read that a newer tradition associated with this cup says that whoever finishes their portion of the drink first becomes the "ruler of the nest". With the bride's portion being so small, guess who wins?

Rabbit! Rabbit!, a Funny and a Comment

August 1st: Rabbit! Rabbit!  May good luck come to all of us! 

THIS IS INCREDIBLE! .....

First real all the numbers...
Do this slowly and in order
Be careful not to MISS any of them


1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9    10
11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20
21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30

Now scroll down....
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.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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Tomorrow I will post the alphabet. 
It is so easy to amuse old people!

And now a serious comment...

I have changed settings on comments here so that any attempted comment to a post older than 7 days will be moderated. I've been getting comments on posts that are over a year old. All are from Anonymous and while not offensive, they are inane spam. I wish there was a way to prevent anonymous comments but I don't think there is. I don't want to go to verification at this time, and since the comments aren't happening often or to recent posts, I am not ready to go to moderation full time yet. 

Once in a while I get a comment from someone who does not allow me to track back to their blog or reply to them in email. When someone leaves a flattering comment or asks a question, it is frustrating not be able to thank them or answer them. I guess they forget that their settings are prohibiting  feedback. 

Here's to a lucky month, laughter in our lives and spam-free blogging!