Unstable Air

Things just don't feel right lately. Things at home, at work, while shopping. I need some change I think. Problem is I haven't figured out what that change should be or how to make it happen. Today it's been storming, with claps of thunder and streaks of lightning. Maybe it's partly the spring season and inevitable unstable and electrical air making me feel this way. I'm still slowly working on the sweater for the wee one. Only the back is done, I am now on the left front (yes, a cardigan). The longer I take between picking it up, the less I remember the cable pattern so my puttering around is making it take even longer.

These are the "not right" things (maybe if I can list them all it will somehow help):
1. My job (don't even get me started)
2. Sister with some stressful stuff goin' on
3. Mom still on oxygen
4. Aunt who had falling out with mom when I was 14 now wants to contact me and my sisters but not my mom (long story here)
5. Still not feeling stable enough to think about conceiving a child
6. Got a note from the sheriff's dept. to call them about delivery of a legal document yesterday(?!?--Whatever it is, can't be good)
7. Have cramps
8. Insomnia
9. Very frizzy hair due to humidity
10. My guy may be stickin' it to the man at work and walking (I told him to march into my work if he does, pick me up like in "An Officer and a Gentleman" and walk us out the door)


I'm going to stop now because I'm feeling it may not be helping much at all. I'm going to do a tarot spread and try to see some possible solutions here. I will post pics of the "sweater parts" later in the week but just don't have it in me today. If you've read this, I hope I didn't bring you down too much. I just can't vent to Kay or sister or guy right now cause they're all down and need me to listen to their shit and this is the best sounding board I can find. If you have any advice, even about hair or cramps, feel free to share. Oh, I still didn't hear of any local peeps having attended the Yarn Tasting at Knit One on Murray in Sq. Hill-- if you are one such person, can you let me know what you thought?

The Little Things

First, thanks Teresa and Laura for helping me out with the botany stuff. Looks like Mr. Cyclamen be in da house!

There is a GREEN BELT coming my way. This is serious, major news people. I worked hard for this belt and my head nearly exploded last night while dealing with the Belt Dilemma.

I bought a dress at my fave store, Anthropologie. Of course it was on sale because I can't afford anything in there at regular price, but I stalk their sale racks like no one's business. I captured a lovely dress in a my favorite color (green) in one of my favorite fabrics (corduroy). It fit and was soft and 100% cotton so it fit all of The Rules for Clothing Wishing to Live in My Closet.

When I went to buy it I was told it was supposed to come with a belt. The sales clerk looked hi and lo but could not find it. I decided to buy it anyway, thinking I could probably call Customer Service and get me a belt.

Last night, I called and talked to three people and no one would help with the Belt Dilemma. I heard such things as "we don't sell our dresses in parts" to "we have 2 in your size in stock but they may not really be there(?)." There were some amazingly contradictory statements too like "if we had 60 dresses left we could give you a belt" to "we could never give you a belt because that would always leave one dress beltless." Well guess what? I HAVE A BELTLESS DRESS AND IF I DON'T GET A BELT AND RETURN THIS DRESS, YOU WILL STILL BE LEFT WITH A BELTLESS DRESS, WON'T YOU?

The whole ordeal ended with a manager claiming I could speak to no one further, and denying my request to contact the person above her by hanging up on me. I could only do one other thing: record my experience in an email and send it out into the universe and wait and hope.

Today I got an email back, apologizing for the miscommunication and stating a belt will be sent to me ASAP if I provide my address. I'm so excited and happy about this one piece of news I could burst. Silly, sure but it's the little things. So I will continue to stalk the sale racks at Anthropologie and you should too, just know to email their Customer Service Dept. should you encounter any problems, they rock!

I would also like to give a shout out to a friend who gave me the most kitty-licious fun pack today. I would also like for her to know my guy said this when I showed him the food:
"That should cover a day or so." (The babies eat a LOT). Thought you might laugh at that one!

One more ?-anyone local going to the Yarn Tasting at Knit One? Anyone gone to one before and feel like giving some feedback? THANX!

Where are you Spring?

So St. Patrick's was a bit o'chilly this year. We had a hard time staying out for long and due to the cold, every pub was packed with 100 people waiting to get inside. We saw some of the parade (highlights as always were the Carrick Pipe and Drum band, plastic green horns you yell at people to blow and this year, saw the Oscar Meyer Weiner-Mobile and petted a llama) and in the Grant Street Pub, heard some songs on the bagpipes (eyes going misty to Amazing Grace). We skipped Market Square, just passing through cause it was too damn crazy. Station Square is where we ended up and spent the most time here but decided to head home when a). you had to wait about 45 minutes to get into the restroom and b.) you couldn't keep drinking beer because of the cold so your buzz wore off and you were just standing around a lot of loud and drunk people who kept bumping into you and you really hated people in that moment. We headed back home and drank fireside instead, much better!

So when is spring gonna get here already? Here is a narcissus I forced in our kitchen window--it sure thinks it's spring:



I think it smells good but my guy thinks it resembles the scent of our babies' litter boxes. It's weird how different our noses can be sometimes!

Oh, and I need some help indentifying this plant:


Quandary Bartholemieux tried to help but his knowledge of plants is fairly limited, he being an indoor-only kitty. Once when he was young (we fostered him at 6 mos from the animal shelter where I worked as an adoption counselor, the Denver Dumb Friends League, then adopted him because we fell madly in love-I digress...) I took him outside on a harness and leash and he peed all over me when I got him out on the stoop, he was so scared, poor baby! He really hasn't been outside since.
The plant gifted to me today but I don't know what it is and more importantly, how to take care of it. Anyone have any ideas? Muchos gracias!!

One more pic: my guy with Isabella Maria and Madison Penelope vying for his affections- they love him so!

Recycling

So I like to recycle. Makes me feel less wasteful and a contributor to the good of the earth. I like doing well by the earth.

This week, we had no blue plastic bag with which to wrap our glass and aluminum bottles in. For some crazy reason here in the 'burgh, you wrap your recycling in plastic rather than placing it in a reusable bin. What happens to the plastic bag? Is it also recycled? Anyway, the bag is supposed to be blue and ours was brown.

We placed it on the curb next to the garbage can, feeling secure the recycle peeps would surely recognize it as glass and aluminum spilling forth and recycle it too.

Cut to me leaving for work. I see the big recycle truck drive by my house as I come down the stairs to the sidewalk. It does not stop for the recycling in the brown plastic bag sitting by our driveway. It moves right on by. It stops a bit down the block, brakes squeaking a bit to emphasize the stoppage.

I spring into action. I throw my stuff (planner, knitting bag, lunch) in the car, then grab the brown plastic bag with bottles and cans. I pick up a beer bottle that was oozing out the top and run down the street towards the truck, bottles and cans clinking within the bag. A man is eating (no lie here), walking and eating some Puff-N-Corn from a bag while tossing the recycling other people bagged in blue into the truck. I run up to him and explain the bag I have, it is recycling. He takes it from me and I apologize that it was not in a blue bag. He says that's ok. I turn and walk back to my car. The sun is warm and things feel better.

Question: If you were my neighbor, would you think I was a little off? I never think of things like this until it's far too late to act with some restraint. At least I should have asked if the plastic bags are recycled. Maybe next week...

GUESS WHAT? THE PENGUINS ARE STAYING!!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!

Wonder Woman of Knitting

I've been busy! Here is some Celtic-inspired knitwear for a special little friend:



Made of 100% Cotton, it's Knitty's Trellis pattern (for those living in a cave, Knitty being a FREE website full of patterns published on-line--if you knit or are thinking about it, check it out). This is the back of the sweater. Look at how bent the needle under it is? Weird! Not sure if it came like this or my knitting is that powerful! All I need are some bracelets...

Here is my new fibre from Knitpixie:




Allhemp in Brick, 4 skeins. It's hanging on the coat rack for my guy's nephew which is now finished and ready for delivery.

This week is kinda insane. My sister comes up for a visit, strategically planned around St. Patrick's in the hopes of outdoing the fun we had last year. Can't wait to hear some bagpipes and penny whistles.

I planted my holly bush in front of the house, I hope it lives. I've heard I need other holly if I want it to bear berries but am not sure what sex the bush is so I guess I will need to buy two more to be sure, a male and female. Anyone out there know how to properly sex a holly bush? Maybe one day I will get this gardening stuff! In the meantime, you can find me knitting...

Catching Up with Old Friends

This Saturday my guy and I planted our seeds for our very first in-the-ground garden! We planted Bill's heirloom tomato seeds in half of a large plastic storage bin, the other half of the bin now occupied by some eggplant varieties. The other storage bin consists of green bell peppers, mixed variety bell peppers of many colors, and hot peppers of five varieties. My guy also hooked up a fluorescent light above the flats. Madison Penelope, the Official Inspector for All Things Entering the Premises promptly appeared during planting and stuck one of her four white-socked feet in the soil, reminding us that she LOVES to eat any plant that dares to come inside in the first place. My guy saved the day and used some wire fencing to cover the flats, letting air, water and light in but keeping Ms. Madison Penelope-Pants out, much to her chagrin. We sowed on the full moon, hoping to increase the seed-sprouting potential as much as possible. Here's our set-up in our basement:
Here's a vegan lasagna I made tonight:
It looked better on the table with the salad and bread but I was too hungry to take a picture until after the feast.

So what's the what on the knittery front? A whole lotta dis:
6 skeins to be exact-Classic Elite Yarns Imagine, a cotton/rayon blend. Some old friends that have been hanging around the stash. So what have I done with them? Nothing yet-except for winding one skein into a ball over the weekend. The rayon makes it kinda shiny in places, the cotton muting it a bit. I love the colors in it but I'm not sure about loving it on me.

I DID order some fibre for a House Project. Meaning a project for The House. I can't wait until it gets here! I received a package on Friday much more quickly that anticipated from BPAL. I ordered Shango and Depraved. Love the Shango; Depraved smells, honestly, like dirt to me. Soil with motor oil. Of the two, guess which my guy likes? Dirt (aka Depraved). I could have saved some money and slacked on the hygiene for a while, it seems.

Speaking of my guy, I'll leave you with this:


He's making a small coat rack for a certain little baby nephew of his. The monkey goes on top. Isn't he cute?

Awake but Dreaming...

Going through some E (television network) withdrawal, I posted two items on E-Bay this evening during my new-found excitement ridden free-time. Maybe it's cheating to go from one E to another, don't judge me, OK? If anyone out there has some fabulous cocktail parties coming up, please don't hesitate to check out my items for sale: Vintage Silver Dress with Coat and J.Crew Floral Dress. These were two items from my recent closet-cleaning extravaganza.

So I'm up and I can't sleep. I feel like my head is a pressure-cooker right now. I was dreaming about work and woke up in a panic and could not get back to sleep. With a lot of stuff going on at work, worrying about Kay and then arguing with my guy, I'm on stress overload. At least spring is on it's way! It rained tonight without any freezing, isn't that great?

What about the knitting? I've been gazing at 6 identical twin skeins, wondering what to work up. Could I squeeze a quickie sweater out of them? A shawl? What? I feel I am stuck in a rut in a lot of places right now. Maybe I'll start with a swatch and see what it feels like. With the full moon coming, it's the perfect time to start a new project.

Speaking of, I plan to start my tomato seedlings with this full moon. They are a heirloom variety that Bill grows and has passed them down to me. They take a little longer to bear fruit than your regular garden variety. My guy seems a little more excited about them this year. It will be our first real garden (aka garden that is not a potted patio version but is set into the actual ground) and he was outside earlier in the daylight before I got home from work, digging around in the ground a bit. Our plot will be quite small, so we will probably grow tomatoes and peppers and not much else (except hopefully a stray punkin that may grow from our Jack O'Lantern's carcass which we put on the garden). We need to re-grade our patio, put up a new retaining wall and fix the flower beds around the patio as well so I am thinking of making part of the bed an herb garden. We definitely need basil with the tomatoes--any other herbs out there you recommend for cookery and spellery?