Tricksy sun

The sun is out nearly every day here in sunny colorful Colorado. The days are getting longer and so the sun comes up a few seconds earlier every day. Bright and beautiful, it shines upon us. It's life-giving light illuminating our lives. It's invigorating warmth bringing life to all froz....... wait. There's no warmth coming out, none whatsoever. It's bright but not warm. Something is definitely wrong with the sun. It's not working correctly. Perhaps a battery is run down. Just slap a new double A in that puppy and make it go. Spring seems so far away. (Can you hear the wind laughing at me?)

this post inspired by karie

More hats and hats and hats

I finished up a hat for charity knitting and also finished up another bright rainbow hat for my other son. In doing that I realized that I've knit 5 hats this year already. Either they are fast and easy or I've been knitting way more than I usually do. Someday I will have a camera again and can take pictures. 4 of the hats were the same pattern mostly, just a basic stockinette stitch and then decreasing at the top. All my boys (even the big one) are now wearing their hats all the time. I'm hoping to do one more for charity and I want to finish a second sock for my mom pretty quickly now. Hmmm, I should be reading my homework too but the book is beyond dull even though I like the subject matter. Well, I wanted to go to school again so I better buckle down I guess.

Sustainability

As you can see from some of the blogs I read, I'm into being environmentally conscious. I found this picture over at No Impact Man. I went to a budget type meeting where I work today and realized how far away I'm getting from that kind of mentality. Worrying about budgets and state funding and politics and such. I'm really looking for a better way to do things. From the graph, obviously people aren't getting any happier from all their increased wealth. So me thinking that money will make me happier is definitely a wrong way to be thinking about things. This year I'm trying to consciously think about what I do and if it's what I really want to do, or if I'm doing it because of some set of "rules" I have in my head from the 1980s "telling" me I want to have a certain kind of life because "that's what you are supposed to do". Those rules haven't been working out for me so it's time to do something different.

Funny kid quotes

Mom, I want a kiss so lay one on me, woman.

FO

Well, I finished a hat over the weekend. What I was intending was to do this. But when I finished the hat, I had hubby try it on to make sure it would fit a guy, but he decided it was just the right color and size and so he kept it. Well, if he'll wears it I guess it's ok. Then my kids chimed in that they wanted hats too so I started one of those last night. You should see the rainbow colors they picked. When I'm knitting it I won't be able to hear anything because the colors are too loud. Perhaps I'll get another hat done in time for her deadline. I have the yarn already but life might get in the way. Homework and housecleaning and eating and sleeping and stuff.

Strange Days

Make no mistake, it's cold out there. 10 degrees F or less all day. We woke up to snow, now there is a little breeze so when it's snowing, the snow hits you right in the face no matter what direction you are going and if it's not snowing at the moment, the wind pretty much hits you in the face any direction you are going. It's cold out there. A walk across campus to a meeting and back pretty much confirmed the snow and cold in your face. Then, getting a ride to the grocery store because of the aforementioned cold and walking back in yet a different direction with the wind in your face making you cold. Then you feel the cold. At the grocery store, picking up something for lunch and pausing..... frozen food section...... Ben and Jerry's ice cream..... Ben and Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. It's only a $1. I had some last summer and it was wonderful. Picking it up and buying it to eat for dessert. Oh yum.
Oh, did I mention it's cold out there?

Quote of the Week

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

Snow

We woke up this morning to snow softly falling outside. It's still softly falling but the roads weren't bad at all. This is more snow than we've had in years and since it's staying cold, the snow isn't melting either. I love watching the snow coming down. Actually I usually don't mind driving in it either as long as I can see decently well. People tend to not go out in the snow either so that means the office quiets down too.

In progress

I finished a hat! And I even started it this year! And it fits me! wow I started the socks with the Socks that Rock yarn. Now I understand why people like this yarn so much. I want more now. And more and more and more. I can feel a stash eventually coming.
I've started classes again so again my knitting time will be limited but it's a nice break from reading or studying.

That's Tootie Cootiekisser to you

Follow the instructions to find your new name. The following is an excerpt from a children's book,* "Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopy-pants" by Dave Pilkey: The evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names...
Use the third letter of your first name to determine your New first name:

• • a = poopsie
  • b = lumpy
  • c = buttercup
  • d = gidget
  • e = crusty
  • f = greasy
  • g = fluffy
  • h = cheeseball
  • i = chim-chim
  • j = stinky
  • k = flunky
  • l = boobie
  • m = pinky
  • n = zippy
  • o = goober
  • p = doofus
  • q = slimy
  • r = loopy
  • s = snotty
  • t = tootie
  • u = dorkey
  • v = squeezit
  • w = oprah
  • x = skipper
  • y = dinky
  • z = zsa-zsa

Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:

• • * a = apple
  • * b = toilet
  • * c = giggle
  • * d = burger
  • * e = girdle
  • * f = barf
  • * g = lizard
  • * h = waffle
  • * i = cootie
  • * j = monkey
  • * k = potty
  • * l = liver
  • * m = banana
  • * n = rhino
  • * o = bubble
  • * p = hamster
  • * q = toad
  • * r = gizzard
  • * s = pizza
  • * t = gerbil
  • * u = chicken
  • * v = pickle
  • * w = chuckle
  • * x = tofu
  • * y = gorilla
  • * z = stinker

Use the fourth letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:

• • * a = head
  • * b = mouth
  • * c = face
  • * d = nose
  • * e = tush
  • * f = breath
  • * g = pants
  • * h = shorts
  • * i = lips
  • * j = honker
  • * k = butt
  • * l = brain
  • * m = tushie
  • * n = chunks
  • * o = hiney
  • * p = biscuits
  • * q = toes
  • * r = buns
  • * s = fanny
  • * t = sniffer
  • * u = sprinkles
  • * v = kisser
  • * w = squirt
  • * x = humperdinck
  • * y = brains
  • * z = juice

Thus, for example, George W. Bush's new name is Goober Chickenshorts.

Be ye careful!

The Garden Post

So, the first week in January I get my Gurney's seed catalog. I peruse the pages, drooling over the lovely vegetables (flowers aren't really worth growing other than ones that will come up every year without any intervention from me, in my opinion). I want these vegetables, I love eating these vegetables. So I plan a garden, things I like to eat. I get the seeds, plan on when I'm going to rototill (back and hand breaking job), plant the seeds, all nice and organized like. But then it comes, the hard part, the annoying part. Weeding and watering. Why can't these things come up by themselves? Why aren't they strong enough to force the weeds out? Why can't it just rain a bit every day to take care of that? I like the harvesting and preserving parts too. So after years of not getting the garden weeded enough(picture tall stands of weeds where you can't even tell what I've planted there), and barely getting it watered enough, I've decided. Why should I do it? I don't enjoy that part enough and I don't get all the produce I want that way anyway. Why not buy from a farmer's market? Why not? Duh! We have them even in this tiny town. There are other people that like to do the watering and weeding parts. Let them! It's worth it to me to pay a little more for the produce that I don't have to do all that work for. Totally worth it. Of course, another little thought niggling the back of my brain is that I much prefer animals and could trade the garden people for meat or milk or something for their lovely vegetables. (Don't tell me an animal is just as much or more work as a garden. I know that. But vegetables don't complain audibly when you don't feed and water them, so it's easier to remember the animals).

Quote of the Day

By a coworker...

"Wow, it's snowing up a storm out there!"

New stuff

Well, here's my list for finished knitting/spinning things for 2007. (peer pressure to make a list, it is)

3 pairs socks
3 scarves (1 made with handspun)
1 hat (made with handspun)
1 headband

I'm halfway through another pair of sock and halfway through another headband(that I'm rapidly growing tired of knitting) and I started a hat yesterday because I wanted a hat. Not too bad a total for me considering everything else I do too.
I got great yarn for Christmas. 2 skeins of silk/wool and 2 skeins of Regia sock yarn. I don't have the first one in front of me so I can't conjure up the brand off the top of my head. The silk/wool I'm thinking of making into a scarf as soon as I get some Addi circular needles. The sock yarn I've decided today to try the Monkey socks.
I'm halfway through spinning some fiber from Spunky. The merino/bamboo colorway "Vineyard" and the superwash merino colorway "Amaryllis". I'm hoping hoping that I will get to order the fiber of the month again this month. I'm waiting to see how much I get back on my loans for classes this semester. I'm taking two classes and need books but I'm hoping to get at least $15 for new fiber. Oh, and $20 for a new spindle. My other one has developed a crack. Well, not developed. Ummm, kind of jammed between my leg and a doorway. My leg now has a bruise, the spindle has a massive crack in the shaft and the doorway has no damage to show. The spindle still spins, albeit heavier and kind of wobbly. But I'm *such* an experienced spinner it shouldn't....matter.....at......allllllll. Yeah, we'll see.