SECRETLY PLEASED

Oh my goodness. Some people actually read this! I got a comment from Molly, and I went to her blog, DrivebyKnitting. Very nicely done and there is a link to my blog.!! Lot's of photos, so for the dial-up crowd, go make a nice cuppa tea because she has a photo of baby Murgatroyd from the Hoosier Hills festival.

Lose a dog, get a cat. It was only a matter of time before another animal wandered into the household. This one, a girl I think, literally followed me and Buster home yesterday. She's thin, hungry and sweet natured, and in quarantine. Painterly markings of black and white and longish hair on body and tail. Age unknown; not a baby or adult. I'm sure there will be pictures at some point.

Abby Normal

You Are 32% Abnormal

You are at low risk for being a psychopath. It is unlikely that you have no soul. You are at medium risk for having a borderline personality. It is somewhat likely that you are a chaotic mess. You are at low risk for having a narcissistic personality. It is unlikely that you are in love with your own reflection. You are at medium risk for having a social phobia. It is somewhat likely that you feel most comfortable in your mom's basement. You are at low risk for obsessive compulsive disorder. It is unlikely that you are addicted to hand sanitizer.

How Abnormal Are You?

How abnormal are you???

HERMIT REPORT

I have felt paralyzed the last several weeks/months. Physically weak and mentally fragile. When I have felt reasonably well, I have been able to focus on only one thing at a time. Which of course freaks me out because I have TOO MUCH TO DO to concentrate on one thing only.

I write great blog entries in my mind whilst I am out in the bunny barn or walking Buster. I do, I write whole paragraphs that evaporate as soon as I sit down at the keyboard.

The bunnies are all fine! Clipt Murgatroyd yesterday - sort of a poodle cut, I guess you'd call it, as I cut only his body fur and not his face and legs or tail. Talk about handling a bag of snakes! That boy did not want to sit still, but I was more determined than he was. It's getting to be haircut time for the rest of the herd; all will be sheared by the end of October. Groovy was transformed into Ghouly by his haircut - love those red eyes.

The eBay sales are toddling along. The first two listings were awkward as I tried to remember all the little tricks of selling. All four items did sell. I am going to try to get more listed today.

I am spinning a sport weight yarn from assorted wads of Fuzzarelly's Fibers and knitting it into The Next Shawl, a round one. I found a great lace doily/shawl pattern online with both written directions and a chart and three pictures! There are 600 stitches so far on the needles so progress is slowing down although every other round is just knit. This has been a solace project because when I am unable to do anything else, I am able to spin and knit on it. And it feels so very good in the hands.

So that whole project prompted me to shop on eBay for more lace knitting patterns. Bought a magazine from Germany, Strickdeckchen, with 27 patterns for doilies. Each is charted, but uses strange symbols that had me puzzled. Okay, a U means yarn over. l means knit. But what means the < or >? Or the down pointing arrow? One would think that those efficient Germans would have a printed explanation in the magazine, but I had to go online for help. I would love to start one of them today, but I must finish the shawl I am working on first!

So what else? I finally, finally got back my art work from Home-arama. How long has it been away? Six, eight weeks? I will not name names but - oh, hell, yes I will - Claudia Stoess was particularly lax about returning my calls. Messages were left with real live people, answering machines, and voice mail. I got one message on my machine three weeks ago saying she was sorry, blah yadda blah, she had the art in her vehicle and would meet me anywhere. When I returned the call, the stone wall was back. WTF? I mean really. I eventually got other phone numbers and got directions from an underling to Stoess Manor way the hell on the other side of Louisville and last Thursday, my babies came home with me. All in good shape. Like I said, WTF? My anger had actually subsided to pity. If this person's life and business was being run so poorly, she had some severe problems to deal with.

The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends.
  - Friedrich Nietzsche

WEATHER UPDATE

It's noticeable now, the change of the seasons. Today, I saw fields of goldenrod and wild purple ageratum. Feral sunflowers. Rogue tobacco. The sumac is reddening. The field corn has turned brown and is ready for harvest. The soybeans are getting a yellow tinge to their uppermost leaves. The old Whore Summer is leaving and the Autumnal Hag is here with her paints.

Really, it is beautiful. The sky is that robin's egg blue only seen in the fall, with white puffy clouds shufflin' off to Buffalo. Rained buckets over the weekend. The trees are only thinking about color - it's not quite time. First frost is generally Oct. 10 around here and that is when the foliage shines.

Mundane - Ordered my first pair of bifocals today. I can see the TV fine with my glasses on, and I knit best with my glasses off. You see the dilemma. Get new glasses or throw away the TV. I was sore tempted to toss the TV. As long as it is free, I will have a receiver.

Is it a common fantasy to wish to be either in a convent or a jail. In some sort of situation where one is supplied with three hots and a cot. And one can just be left alone to do one's thing. That is my fantasy. It is also Sweetie's. We are just sloths.

MY HAIR, TODAY

Another use for circular needles.

Murgatroyd and Anna Nicole

HAVEN'T YOU?

Haven't we all, at one time or another, air-conducted, air-guitared, air-drummed She's so Heavy in our living room? Or at least wanted to? Is this not a sign of mental health? Remember the first time you heard Abbey Road? Extra points if you were on your back between the speakers.

Outside, fall is creeping. Gray and drizzly. Dishes are in the sink, mostly washed. The Beatles sent my mind spinning back back back. Vacuuming has been done. The rain falls. Purple angora is on the stove. I try to not run away in panic. Or joy.

I can always turn to the internets for some sanity. Thank you, The Knitting Curmudgeon

OUR LIFE GOES ON

Thanks for the comments and emails. I am missing Bonnie in a thousand little ways. And I have been missing her in a thousand little ways for several months. She was a great red wasp alert. She loved to run. She was so incredibly smart. She hated guns, gun shots and fireworks. She absolutely loved me and Sweetie without being gushy. She was my best girl.

In actuality, she's been gone for quite awhile.

I have been reflecting on what the Buddha calls the spark of life. Spark! You are conceived. Spark! You are dead. If you can find it, read the The Zen of Physics. I got a lot out of the book but right now I am unable to articulate, as usual. It did suit my Buddhist world view, however.

In other news, I am back on eBay as Fuzzarelly selling my fibers. I am sending in an application to Maryland to be a vendor and have already sent the app to Greencastle. I am looking forward to the Wool Fest in Falmouth, KY (first weekend of Oct.) and the Fall Fiber Fest and Market in Corydon, IN (third Saturday of Oct.)

Habitat for Humanity completed the purchase of Camp Swampy last week; a piece of property we once owned across the street. It will be so cool to have a new house built in Lovely LA.

I have begun another shawl, now that the blue socks are complete. (Lynne was the recipient of that pair.) (When someone bewails the fact that they cannot knit two socks that match, and they are such good people, what am I to do?) This new shawl will be knit from Fuzzarelly Fibers using a variety of blends. The pink mohair shawl will be a part of the Shawl Exchange at Shakertown in Kentucky this December, the annual retreat of the Friendship Spinners. The first shawl I knit, the one with the earth tones - will it be mine? Maybe. Maybe not.

I sure miss the hippies. I think the world could do with fewer business degrees folks and more hippies.

I Still Have Nightmares About Love and Peace

Blonde: I hate hippies.
Brunette: Me too! My mom said in the '60s, hippies were worse than homeless people!
Blonde: I used to be afraid of hippies as a kid. My mom used to threaten that I would get kidnapped by hippies if I was bad.

--Grand Central

Overheard by: matt

via Overheard in New York, Sep 12, 2006

BONNIE IS SLEEPING

Took her for her final vet visit this morning. I have lots of pictures, but with no scanner, I a limited to what is digitally on file. çlick for bigger.

Sweetie took the day off from work and I don't think I will work, either.

Good night, sweetheart. You are Mommie's little girl and you always will be. We love you.

MURGIE HEARS A HOO-HOO

Helena Handbasket sent an email, "I am totally transfixed by Murgatroyd's ears!  How do you ever get anything done?  I think I'd just sit around and giggle and play with those darling amazing "little" ears."

My answer is that I don't get anything done! I am a layabout that merely thinks about doing things, and then plays with Murgie all day.

Well, I did surf the web and found a couple of interesting Earls.
 
http://www.dangliebits.com/hoohoo.html/

http://www.quaylemuseum.org/

ME AND MY MEDZ

Pampered Proboscis wrote via email "I admire your candid sharing [about your allergies and depression].  Sure, I believe getting crap out of one's self is good for one's self but it takes guts to go public in the human weakness department."

Thanks for the note, PP. I guess I sometimes feel very free communicating this way, by blog. I try to be honest in what I write, since I am a terrible liar. Writing helps me to focus and to actually think about what I am feeling at the moment.

The medz (Effexor) have helped me tremendously over the last four years. I still get depressed but I am not disabled by it. Also, the allergies really really exacerbate these bluest of blues. So when the allergies are in check, I mostly feel fine. I also don't have that ambient and near constant anxiety that was so much a part of who I was that I didn't even realize how much damage it was doing to my health.

I have no interest in being a zombie. I still want to feel my emotions. What I don't want is for them to control and harm me.

To end on an up note, we have -

Top 10 Party Games for People Over 50

1 Sag! You're It!
2 Pin the Toupee on the Bald Guy
3 20 Questions Shouted in Your Good Ear
4 Kick the Bucket
5 Red Rover, Red Rover, the Nurse Says Bend Over
6 Doc, Doc, Goose
7 Simon Says Something Incoherent
8 Musical Recliners
9 Spin the Bottle of Mylanta
10 Hide and Go Pee!

Here's one I like - Hide and Go Leave

the Honey Do List

There is a reason that I persist in my childish behavior - it works. More often than not. My little fit of masochistic passive aggression did the trick and Sweetie got all sorts of chores done around the house on his three-day weekend. I am so glad. Of course, Crazy Neighbor, Josh the Hyperactive helped with the motivation. "C'mon, let's fix that barn door! Help me with this and then we'll take another load to the burn pile. And later......" That was the routine for the better part of two days.

My friend Nancy commented to me that I haven't written about Bonnie lately. The news isn't good. The lameness in her hind quarters has gotten so bad that she falls sometimes on our walks and it's difficult or impossible for her to get up on the couch. She's just a shadow of her former self. I knew that Sweetie and I would have to take that dreadful trip to the vet soon but Sweetie was reluctant. "Maybe we can get her some more shots; that helped last time." And I would reply that that would only prolong the inevitable and we were going to have to put her down THIS WEEK. She's not getting better and she won't get better. Ever. Now, it is a week later and Sweetie has finally come to grips. We purchased a memorial at the Concrete Lady on Friday - it's an almost life-sized statue of a sleeping dog all curled up and restful looking. It looks like her. The site was selected and dirt has been excavated. We'll take her to the vet Wednesday or Thursday for her final sleep.