Sunday, October 29, 2006

LOCAL NEWS

Went to a party last night at the VFW to celebrate Scottie T turning 50. Scott is our across-the-street neighbor and he really is the best neighbor in the world. I have never known him to be anything other that a friend and a gentleman, and that is high praise in this world. Yes, maybe he drinks and has drunk too much over the years. However, let me share a little story with you.

Back in 1974, Scott was a senior in high school and a very good basketball player on the school team. (I understand that he was a good player from the git-go in first grade.) In January of that year, a new kid came to the school named Dennis. He was a freshman, and he played basketball, too. He told me last night that Scottie T befriended him and helped him on the court and off, and even though he doesn't live around here anymore, he came last night to be with his friend. (Sounds like a story from cable tv, don't it? Or an After School Special?)

That year, the South Central Rebels won the sectional championship against the big city team, much to the surprise of everyone except the Rebels and their supporters. Scott, Eddie, Dennis, John and others gained immortal fame in Boone Township for that win and they are still revered, 32 years on. (Everyone sing Glory Days.)

I thought it was a great story that Dennis told me because it confirmed that everyone likes Scottie T. I know that Sweetie and I do.

In other news, my friend Helena Handbasket has asked for a story to confirm that bunnies have more than just a brain stem. I told her that they must have a bit of a brain because they can be deceitful, malicious and clever. Sometimes all at once.

I know that they sulk because Fuzzarelly's brother, FuzzyBob, is mad about something (or depressed) because he turns his back on me when I fill his feeder and water bottle. I figger it is depression. I got him from Jean when she went out of the bunny-raising business a few months ago, and his housing is no different now than then. I can only assume he is sad for the move and misses her.

Then there is the story of Larry. He must have been a pet turned loose, and he took to hanging around the garage of Sweetie's workmate, Larry. He was captured and brought to me, the crazy bunny lady.) He was beautiful! He loved me so much and hated Sweetie, trying to bite him at every opportunity. Actually, he would try to bite any man that came around, even the police. That was actually rather funny because as the officer was returning to his vehicle, Larry jumped off the porch and was after him like a shot. When I hollered, "Larry, NO!!" the policeman turned around in an alarmed way.

Much hilarity ensued.

Larry was my special bunny at that time and received special attention. He loved getting in my lap of a morning, whilst I sat on the porch. He'd love and love and love on me. Then Sweetie would come out and Larry would go berserk. Another Male! Attack! Attack! It was funny really, even though he did bite Sweetie on more than one occasion. He bit Scottie once, too! He did not like having another male anywhere near me and would chase them down the sidewalk and out of the yard.

When Larry came into my life, I had no information at all about his history and age. So I hoped he was just old and tired when he took off one night and didn't come home. We found him the next morning, dead in the field next door, but positioned like he had died running. Maybe a bad heart. I'm hoping.

Sweetie and I still miss him, even after more than a year. Even Lamar told me, "I miss that rabbit you had. Larry he was. Bit me once. He was something."

Yes he was.

And lastly, our own little Murgatroyd has this thing about pissing on the couch. (Which is ruined now because of him. But still, I try to modify his behavior.) I have been trying to break him of this little habit, and I have curtailed it somewhat. But no matter how scrupulous I am about caging him when I leave the house, he still awaits the opportunity, when I am absent, to get up there and wizz. Won't do it when I'm around anymore. But let me leave the front living room for two minutes and I return to find pooties and a wet spot on the couch - his love note to me, I guess.

Friday, October 27, 2006

MORE LOOSE ENDS...


This is a view of the kids at rest. Often, I am among them.

The round shawl is at a standstill as I try to figure out what course to take. I posted a picture of it on a string and flat - mostly. Unfortunately, the very center is so dense that it pooks up and I fear it will never drape correctly. I am also not thrilled with my choice of pattern for such an array of colors. It won't bother me to rip it all out and begin again with another, simpler pattern.

At the moment, I am knitting socks again. I am still having problems with the short row heel and toe. One problem is that I think it looks inelegant. At least in my hands. I use the "knit to next to last stitch, slip and wrap that stitch and work to other side. On the increase side, both the wrap and that stitch are worked as one." The row of increases and decreases looks sloppy. I also seem to drop stitches on the purl side at that point. (Some of you know that I knit backwards on the purl rows in order for the right side to always face me. This is great for intarsia and also if one does not like to purl. I can purl. I just choose not to whenever possible.) One could say that I purl from the wrong side. Whatever.

So I Googled sock+tutorials and found a few hints. I am approaching the toes on this latest pair and I will try this: first part is the same, but on the increase part, one picks up the wrap stitch, knits the next stitch and passes the wrap over. Is this at all clear? I am hoping this works. If others can point me to other techniques, I would appreciate it.

I have been regularly reading a blog that makes me feel inadequate. (Valerie, it's okay. I'm feeling fairly inadequate in many parts of my life.) It's called The Further Adventures of the Secret Yarninator. Go there and read.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

TYING UP LOOSE ENDS...

Firstly, my studio is still a mess. Things get moved around, but no real cleanage had happened. I am working on it. Really! It isn't the emotional attachment to my old store things; rather it is my slug butt. I seriously just need to eBay or Goodwill the things. After my spinning guild's market day in November.

The latest cat, the black and white long hair that I named Buddha, went missing the day before we left for vacation. Searches have been futile. I am not sure whether Millie ran her off or whether she was kidnapped by he so-called "owners." The term white trash was invented to describe these folks. The dad is a biker guy (not in itself a bad thing) known to pull knives on family members. That is not cool. Mom has given up her two youngest children to state protective services. The older kids are a mess. There are two dogs, tied up in the yard of the house that they once lived in, which the neighbors feed. The house is no longer livable, I think - no one is living there now. And rumor says there are 10 cats there.

Yes, I know. It's awful. The town has no ordinances. And no enforcement, either. The county animal control is overwhelmed but have been contacted. I'm disgusted.

The vacation. We spent two days in Madison and had a great enough time visiting the numerous brew pubs downtown. Love love love that place! Liberal! A college town! A lake! The Capitol! Northern! What's not to like?

Well, the weather. It was snowy and windy and we turned tail and ran home. And I hate Illinois and their dang toll roads!

And yes, I skipped off the wagon about a month ago. Sigh. But I don't feel bad about it. Live is short. One makes choices. Beer is good.

So if I want some beer, then I have good reasons!
1) menopause and hot flashes
2) allergies
3) depression
4) aging (I shall be 50 in a few months)
5) did I mention allergies and hot flashes?

So that is where I am right now. I can not see where I am going.

But it's okay.

Here is a shot of Anna Nicole. Today was haircut day. And here is Murgie trying his best.

And here are my things with bunny ears that normally don't have bunny ears.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Just a brief note to say how well the Fall Fiber Festival & Market went! Kudos to all the organizers, especially to Queen Victoria who's hard work made it go so smoothly.

I made money. I think all the vendors did well. I was alone in my booth, and from the opening at 9 until noon, I don't think I sat down or quit talking! (Queen Vic said that by noon, the crowd had surpassed last year's total attendance.) Thank goodness Sweetie arrived and thank goodness he knows something about bunnies, because that allowed me to grab a sheepburger, coke and cookies.

I took three bunnies to sell and sold 2. Also took one to clip as a demonstration and of course I had to bring the world famous Murgatroyd the WonderBun. The bunnies proved to be a real crowd pleaser. Why am I surprised? ( And how many times was I asked "How often do you clip them?", "Why do they sit so still in your lap?", and "What kind of rabbit is that?" I think I need to print a little fact sheet called The ABCs of Angora Bunny Care in order for my voice to get a rest.) I also sold some bunny-blend spinning fiber and several other things. A good day, as I said, so please mark your calendar for the third Saturday in October, 2007 and plan to attend the Third Annual FFF&M!

Today is football (Go Colts!), knitting and beer. Yes, I have snuck off the wagon. That is why I enjoyed Madison, Wisconsin so much. Those folks love their brew pubs and beer in general. And so do I.

Here is Murgie caught in the act of messing with several bags of clipt bunny wool. He was so excited he had an accident.
The little shit. And here is a glamour shot of Millie the cat, so named because I got her at the feed mill after she was fished out of the corn chute a year ago.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

THIS WEEKEND

is the Fiber Exchange Guild's Fall Fiber Festival and Market.

Victoria and others have done a super job! There are about 30 vendors coming, and there will be fiber animals, music, workshops (sock knitting by Nancy R!) and all kinds of fiber and stuff. Please attend if you can.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Back home

“Why don't Republicans use bookmarks? It's easier to bend over the page”

“It's a good thing I had a bag of marijuana instead of a bag of spinach. I'd be dead by now.” ~ Willie Nelson, on being busted for pot.

FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD
*cashier at Long John Silver's (where I gained twenty pounds in two months)
*traveling maid
*quick-change dresser (in the theatre, ripping clothes off actors and shoving actors into clothes)
*costume technician for NBC's I'll Fly Away (circa 1991 and 1992. I made, altered and repaired costumes clothing for the actors. I saw several of them in their underwear.)

So. I am back from the vacation. Actually we got back Saturday evening. So much for our plans to go and do and go and do some more. Sweetie and I are under the delusion that 1) we are twenty years younger and 2) I like change. Ha!

We headed west along Interstate 64 and stopped briefly in New Harmony, Indiana. Listen, if you get the chance, go here. I want to go back when it isn't cold and windy.

From there, we paid a toll to cross the Wabash River on a rickety, built in 1939 bridge that took us to Illinois. We started drifting northwards through some not very interesting land. Southern Illinois didn't look prosperous or at all familiar. Spent the night in the Mercedes at a camping spot while the cold front came through. We nearly froze.

Stopped in Normal the next day, which was a pretty neat town, and found a superb thrift store. Which was needed since I hadn't brought along any warm clothes and that darn cold front was settling in.

North, north we went. Near Rockford, the landscape changed from no shit flat to gently rolling hills. Actually, the no shit flat was interesting in that one could see for miles in all directions! There was lots of weather to see.

We made it to Madison, Wisconsin by Thursday. I want to go back there to live!

to be continued.....

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

MEDZ, MERCEDES AND MURGATROYD

I am mostly recovered from the shellfish allergy episode, which took a lot out of me. The steroid treatment is nasty and does a number on one's system. Sorry not to have written, but Sweetie has been off from work and I can't think or write with him floating around.

He is, in fact, on vacation.

And we are leaving today on a road trip and I can't wait to load up the car, grab the bunny and go. No destination in mind, just a desire to put many miles between us and here for a week. Everyone seems to be aware of and complaining about the "crap in the air" - pollen and soybean harvest dust among other small things. I am tired of my respiratory distress and want relief.

I don't have the means to blog from the road, so go read other stuff and come back next week. Crazy Aunt Purl makes it look easy, all that wordsmithing, but let me tell you, it's hard.

Friday, October 06, 2006

WHAT I LEARNED YESTERDAY

I learned that I have become, apparently, allergic to shellfish.

And I learned it the hard way.

Didn't have to go to the emergency room, but I did go to the doctor yesterday morning since the neck swelling and tightness, and the shortness of pants, I mean, breath hadn't gone away overnight. Thank goodness I took those two Benydryl that night! I received three shots in the gluteus area from the nurse and I'm doing the prednizone routine and I have my own epipen now in case of anaphylaxis.

I'm doing much better now. The worst part of this is that I am being forced to rest and take it easy for the next few days. Damn!

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Here's the current knitting. The doily shawl. It measures about 45 inches and I want it to be at least 60".

And here are the latest Murgatroyd shots. I love him so much! Even though he pees and poops on the couch. And he loves Fuzzarelly, who got a clip the other day. Bless his heart, he has no front claws and it's mighty hard to hang on.

Visited the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store today, the one on Eastern Blvd. in Clarksville. New t shirts, fifty cents. One reads "Stewart/Colbert in '08." Excellent! And the Hospice thrift store had a Spongepants Squarebob plush toy with BUNNY EARS. It joins the chick with bunny ears and the troll doll in the bunny costume with - yes, bunny ears. I need to put some bunny ears on the hula girl and the sheep.

And, thank you Precious Wen!

Monday, October 02, 2006

FLASHBULB MOMENT

Virtue is its own punishment.
  - Aneurin Bevan

It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.
  - Jerome K. Jerome

Blue Acorn says "I looked at my calendar and decided that it is physically impossible for me to get everything done that I need to in the next 3 months. Oh well."

If you don't find it in the index, look very carefully through the entire catalogue.
- Unknown

I have always been an introvert, but I just realized that I have never been introspective. THERE'S A DIFFERENCE. Never have journaled. Never had psychotherapy. I throw away letters and cards. Brooding about the past but never dealing with it.

So. It may come as no surprise to some, but I just realized that I have been depressed from about the age of 14. I practiced self-mutilation at fifteen - cigarette burns on my flesh. I ran away from home at 17. My mother killed herself two weeks later. I self medicated. (Heh-heh. It was the seventies after all. Back when one could find hashish and opium and mescaline and acid.) I got sick and dropped out of high school. Swell!! Let us move 700 miles away to live with an almost stranger in a very big city.

Oh yeah. I adjusted very well. Hot dog on a stick, what a mess I was.

DOES THIS MAKE ME LOOK TOO GAY?