Pretty Sad State...

I have been doing some serious shop watching. Not sure how the areas where you live are but around here there are lots of empty shops and business's. I was on Layton Ave a busy area and right by the airport here in Milwaukee, there were lots of empty business's. It looks rundown and depleted. You go further east and into areas that are well established communities and there are storefronts with Lease signs in them. Faded Lease signs. You pass strip malls and they are empty. Small business's are shutting down at a rapid pace. We need "Change" that change that was the key word in the last election. I listened to Our President say he was going to help the business's in Florida that the tourists are staying away from on the gulf. Business's all over the Country are in need of help. We are all in competition with the internet. We have to compete with prices from someone that sits in their basement or garage and sells over the web. Minimum overhead zero service calls. I remember a nice yarn shop in the area selling yarn that the big box stores sell, every color and it was a unique idea, she sold a service. If you needed help she could help you. She didn't have 40% off coupons, but she taught how to make a project and fix things and if you had a question you could ask? Who do you ask at the 40% off shops??? She had open project nights and had a great following, but service just didn't keep her in business? It is hard for small business's. Look around there are no small little candy shops, ceramic shops, the little shop that was a dream of someone, the shops we grew up with. Quality Candies are closing shops around the area, (that may kill me) So when you go to hit the Check out button on your computer, rethink that decision, can you get that product closer to home??? I am comparing this to the Superhighways that went through our Country. On my last trip to Yarn School we took all back roads through the Midwest. We were disappointed in the lack of sightseeing tourist traps and how many rundown empty business's, we did see what Real America is about. On our way home we took the Freeway, it makes sense I guess, there were all the signs of a tourist haven and trap all along the Superhighway.....sounds like small business's, the Internet is coming through and gone will be all of the quaint little business's that knew your name when you walked in. That when you showed them a broken part on an old piece of equipment, they would go in the back room and come out with another one just like it, but not broken!!! Where you can sit and chat about your kids, life and feel a personal connection. I know you maybe paying a little more for this service but let me tell you something, "you're gonna miss it when it's gone" .

Weirdest thing happened on the way to ....

I went out to dinner tonight, I had a hunger for Mexican food, this after vowing to never eat again only this morning. Hey I ate a walnut burger on the grill for lunch and that was it. So I thought I would give this one Mexican restaurant another try. It is huge and runs like a well oiled machine. The workers are all polite and know very little English. So I am eating the chips they serve and watching them clean off tables. As I was watching I quickly removed my eating utensils from the table and put them on my napkin. They were washing off the tables...fine....then they washed off the seats of the chairs, I was impressed and then they went back and wiped off the table again...Oh no you didn't!!!! I am not a germaphobe but come on, they say they find the most fecal matter on seats in a movie theater, what about a restaurant??? Well it get's better, I am eating and the guy next to me but across the table from me is looking at me and I looked and he said, Sorry I am looking at the desserts....now at one time I would have said "just call me sugar" but that was once upon a time and now I was confused when all of a sudden Broomhilda his wife says, why do you keep looking at her, you don' t have to talk to her. Now I look over my shoulder and the huge dessert display is right there and he HAD to look past me to see it and I wanted to shove a tamale in that witches mouth. So she gets louder, "Instead of looking at her, go walk over there and look, you idiot!!!" wow, and mind you this is loud. I wanted to just back hand her but she was bigger than me, and really scary!!! She carried on for what seemed like a long time and I was embarrassed for him, why is beyond me but I was. So her little girl starts dancing right next to me staring at me. It wasn't her fault her mom was an inbred beast, so I say, "Oh what pretty shoes you have on!!!" Have you ever heard of nursemaids elbow where people grab their kids by the hands and dislocate the elbow from a yank....well this poor little girl got yanked off of her feet while Mama Cass started dragging her out. Good bye and go take a chill pill, so I too pay my check and leave thinking they would be long gone....au contraire, she is right ahead of me walking while the little child is dawdling behind her, I cut across the parking lot and I hear the most fowl mouthed language coming from Broomhilda way across the parking lot. She was hollering at her dear hubby for something, not sure what but about that time I would have put the car in reverse and used her for a speedbump.

I ate my way through Monday?

It all started with breakfast and while I was eating breakfast, I read on FB that the Miller's Ladie's retirement lunch was at 11:00am, Oh I want to see everyone. I did some stuff in the morning and had to repair some stuff in the morning and then got gussied up and went to lunch, of course I was there early. I found these ladies are all late, except two....so we sat and waited till 12:30...Ok I did have a list of thing to do, nothing serious. We finally ordered and I got some shrimp Maison swimming in grease, not Oil slick grease but it could have been..I looked at the plate with great hesitation. I was to have dinner later that evening with my cousins and family for their 35th anniversary, I had cake and decorations and this didn't look good. Sometimes when you look at something you know it just may not be the best choice, if you want to be able to leave home??? In a few hours or days??? I looked for a napkin to soak up some of the grease, I actually thought of calling BP and seeing what would work most effectively but obviously they wouldn't know either. I ate it, it was OK tasting, I ate the shrimp first and picked at the soggy sliced potatoes. Round two, it didn't make me sick but now I have to go to dinner again six hours later, I looked at the menu and nothing looked good, but salad and rattlesnake bites???? Then we had cake....ugh, I am toast, I am done, I drank a cup of coffee this morning and have vowed to never eat again. I am excited because my Aunt from Michigan and cousins are coming to see the shop today. Iggy and I had our usual battle with the vacuum cleaner, I vacuum he barks and bites at it and he just never gets used to it...I am sure my neighbors enjoyed the barking and vacuuming going on in the wee morning hours. I am getting hungry from all of this work....did I just say that???

Are you serious???

I am one of those people that loves to walk on the beach and collect smooth or odd stones. Honestly I have a fetish for sea glass, but on Lake Michigan it is not always an easy find. I also have had an eye out for Witch rocks, all my looking for most of my adult years has been to find a Witch rock. So after WWKIP day, Angela and I took Iggy to the lakefront thinking we may catch a glimpse of the Air show going on downtown. There was no airshow because of a low hanging ceiling of fog/clouds so we walked along the beach. I said to her outloud, "oh I hope to find a Witch rock!!" I always have hopes of finding a witch rock and she bends over and says "Hey look this rock it has a hole in it" Seriously????? She found a Witch rock?? 2 minutes of walking and SHE didn't even know what a witch rock was??? I was supposed to find it!!! I am looking for one...how come she found it??? I am going to the beach today and looking till I find one!!!!

Graduation sadness

Is it me or have you noticed, every year at Graduation time, there are about 3 or more deaths of young students that either are or are going to graduate? Is it that they are preoccupied with the parties or the grades or what is it? We just lost an Oak Creek high school student yesterday, he was to graduate tomorrow. I don't know if he was at fault or the other guy and it was at noonish so I hardly think alcohol played a part on either side. Not saying it couldn't have but not likely. How sad it is any time for this to happen but then add the graduation to it. "yes we have to cancel the party, we lost our child yesterday" Yes we are planning a funeral instead, so keep your gifts and send flowers. I can't imagine the terrible ripping out of your heart and soul when you lose a child. How awful it must be, no matter what the tragedy of how they were taken, a loss is a loss. I guess in the pecking order of things we don't want to lose anyone but we know our grandparents are old, our parents are old, it is the "normal" progress. But when we loose a young life and of course it is always the good kid, it isn't the serial killer to be...not that that would make any difference to a parent, it is still their child. How would you cope with this? I don't want to experience it, my heart goes out to anyone that has. Are these parents of this young man going to attend graduation? Will his friends stop by and sooth the parents or will this cause a hint of jealousy that it was him and not you. What do you say to someone? I worked with a guy on third shift and he got THE call. Your son has been in an accident, we are here to take you to the hospital. Not a good sign when the cops pick you up at work. His son died and I believe he had just graduated. It shook us all to the core. I remember my own son was in Jr. high, at that moment, I so wanted to hold him in my arms to know he was alright. We were all scared, it could have been one of us, it could have been our child. And then the sigh of relief, it wasn't....is that mean??? Is that wrong to think you dodged the bullet? I feel so bad for these parents and the kids friends, it is a hard lesson in life. We have to remember to give our kids a hug when we can. My mother used to say "always kiss each other goodbye you never know if it the last time you'll see someone?" sounds gruesome but the last time I saw my dad, I kissed him goodbye and was walking them to the car, when I turned and said "Hey where's my kiss?" he said "you already kissed me!" I kissed his other cheek and said "Oh this is to even it out!!" he died a day later, but I remember my kissing him on both cheeks, to even it out!!!

I wanted to add that there was another victim in this accident, it was a 53 year old man. I wasn't being unsympathetic in his families loss. It was just the fact that this young life was lost on his graduation. My heart goes out to both families.

Revenge of the Hot Flashes

Never speak too soon. I should know this, you go on a diet and say "I will never gain that weight back again" and poof, you get zapped with the fat stick and an extra 10# to boot. Never laugh at someone that has a pimple, "snap" you will have one twice as ugly. Never ever say you are over menopause....hear me never NEVER!!!!
I have a theory, if you went through life getting your period and never having any issues, menopause is going to kick your butt. I have had every and I mean every symptom or whatever of menopause that was ever written on paper. I never had a problem with my period, I got it and that was it, I had friends that would wince in pain for days before and days after, not me, I breezed through it. I was the commercial of swimming, running, riding horses, I didn't miss a beat, then came menopause. At first I laughed at it, it was kind of funny I could feel the heat rise up in me like a cartoon thermometer, whoosh up it came and just as fast it receded. Then I was working under a brew kettle the size of a room, did I mention it was at boiling temp, and then it came the hot flash from hell, that almost killed me, hot outside and hot inside, I almost passed out. I sat on the grating and thought to myself I am not going to die here. I went asap to the Dr and Premarin became my friend, I loved it, I worshipped it, I felt great!!! But when I got a bad batch from Caremark, a batch that didn't even look right, I decided it was time to quit taking fake third World pills. Cold Turkey I went through the withdrawels the red face flushes, the being hot all the time, I also got a streak of curly hair in the back of my head, lovely. I thought last Fall i was pretty much done....Winter is a woman in menopauses friend. The only symptom I didn't get was night sweats, well now I can add that to my list. I wake up hot, not sweating but so darn hot I can't breath. My hot flashes by the way were dibilitating, I could throw up hot, pass out hot, weak in the knees hot, and now they are back. Chocolate is not my friend in this situation, it causes hot flashes. I want Winter back, cold on my face. I think this may be my 5th year without Premarin. Like the little train that could, I will do this I will do this...when you are going through hell keep going.

Attack of the box

So this morning started out like any other Monday morning, I took Iggy to daycare, stopped for a cup of great Panera coffee, came home. I went right to the basement/studio that I am in the endless process of cleaning and organizing and straightening. Of course I dug out my easel and paints because now that shiny thing ran past and I am a painter.....so on my way up from the basement to do some Monday Money runs, this is where I spend money like water, the whole day!!! Money here, there and just a little but it sure adds up. Some of you may know I am a tad clostaphobic, not real bad but if I get stuck in a situation I panic and start throwing a fit, fist flying kicking fits. This happens so rarely, but it happens, once I got stuck in an elevator at work, it was shortly after 9 11 and I was with another worker and he could see the panic rising on my face. I said we have to get out of here...NOW!!! He said calmly we'll be OK, I said NO WE WON"T and starting to have darting eyes looking for an escape route. I said use your screwdriver and pry the door open I saw it on TV and hurry....so he does and my mind goes to being caught between floors and as I am halfway through the door the elevator starts up and cuts me in half and he prys open the door and lo and behold it never left the floor. Ok color me red, but back to my little fit. I am leaving the basement and have a garbage bag in hand and huge empty box that is as tall as I am and as square. Instead of taking two trips, I would rather struggle and juggle this whole mess. So I get to the top of the stairs and the box is stuck in the door, mind you the ONLY way out of the basement, well the only easy way..so this is now a perfect storm for a fit. I push it a little it pushes back, my hand is on the garbage bag and I can see light on the other side but I am stuck and I will die down here and the air is thin and I push again and it won't move, something is pushing back from the other side (not really) Something is going to push me down the steps, I am going to die....da ta da daaaaa on goes the red cape and I start gritting my teeth and push the box through the hole and almost out the front door. I can breath, I can also see it was a large staple hooked on the rug that is now ripped that made me panic. Was it really that horrible that I couldn't put the garbage bag down and just analyze the situation???? Hell to the NO!!!!! Panic Panic red button panic...

What a concept?

Did you know if you don't pay your phone bill they cut it off??? Isn't that a new concept?? I have apparantly everything on auto pay but my shop phone....guess I never got around to putting it on auto pay. I guess a few months ago I knew to pay the bill but suddenly I had a brain fart. Indeed I got a bill which I somehow thought odd, because I was sure I had autopay, so just ignore them and they will...yes shut off your phone, overnight, no dial tone, and the phone doesn't ring, just the answering comes on. My punishment was also to crawl under the counter in the shop and find the modem and reboot it. 20 times, before it dawned on me to call and maybe I am not on autopay???? Did you know your account is overdue???? Well I do now!!! Sometimes I just get hit with the stupid stick one too many times. I am now paid and up and running. I think I have some phone calls to make to get on real auto pay not just "in my mind" and it was working so well, till today.

As the sands of time....fill in...

Why is it when I clean, I get more stuff? i am once again organizing the basement and instead of opening up a dance hall area, I have managed to create little pathways. I have my tornado shelter all fixed neatly under the stairwell. I need to get some fresh water, in case I get stuck under there for days?? don't ask. So with new shelving units and more shelving all I did was move stuff from one area to another on wheels???? I need some young legs down there with me to haul stuff out to the car and then to the dump!!!! Goodwill or somewhere....other than my basement. It is like moving sand, it just fills in around and it never seems to be cleaned up??? I did get the wash almost done, not that I will carry it upstairs anytime soon. By the way I did this all in about 2 hours....I took Iggy to daycare this morning because it was closed yesterday and got this all done. I think I use him for an excuse why I can't do stuff down there, when in fact he could care less!!! Oh Oh I friend told me that at Blockbuster they had lifesize cutouts of the Mad Hatter, which I am going to go get in a minute. So guess what I have, but this has a function, for my birthday this year I am having a teaparty, with the Mad Hatter and we will all wear knit hats or wristlets and socks too. Zany ones and we will party in the Village area, but no walking on the table...sorry!!!

Graduation Days

Today I am going to a graduation party. I wanted to make a card, something special that would include money. I hate to just give money. I have been mulling this over and nothing was coming to me, no ideas, no flashes, no great interventions. So here I sit, I decided to look up some sayings and came across this one.

During my second year of nursing school our professor gave us a quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"Surely this was a joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how would I know her name I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade. "Absolutely," the professor said. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello. "I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
Joann C. Jones

It is so true, we walk/run through life and never even engage in conversation with people. You see people walking together, each on their cell phones?? Dining out and checking emails, FB and Farmville. We are losing sight of things. My parents told me that you regard everyone as an equal, and NO job is demeaning, wether you clean toilets or are a Dr. you are working and that is to your credit. You are a human being and deserve that respect, say Hi, just be nice. You are no better than them, added to this was my dad saying, in his crude but true wisdom, "They shit just like you do" Think about that though, we are all the same, really. We all have the same bodily functions even if we are Dr.s , Lawyers, the President, when it comes down to it, we are no better, bottom line. Take away all of your store bought items and standing naked, no one would be able to tell if you have money or not, well now adays someone might have a tighter face, bigger boobs and no cellulite it's true. Why then do we feel we can't say hi to the bathroom attendant, the kid busing tables at a restaurant. I remember working in office buildings downtown, I was cleaning the air handling units in some office buildings and these were room size air units. I knew what I was in for so I wore a bandana on my hair and long sleeves to climb into these units to clean out the black dirt. We had to wear safety glasses to keep your eyes protected. I crawled out and into the hall and my partner started laughing at me, I took off my glasses and that was the ONLY white part, I was filthy dirty and all sooty. I went to use the restroom and an office worker came in while I was washing my hands and said "they couldn't pay me enough to get THAT dirty" I am a woman......I replied with," you don't get paid as much as I do and for the money I am making I can buy a lot of soap. " I looked around and in this beautiful office high up mucky muck bathroom, some High paid woman took wet wads of toilet paper and threw them on the ceiling. I never saw that kind of filth in the port a potties we used on construction sights. Why did she think she was better than me? To this day it makes me giggle, besides I like to get dirty. Take time to acknowledge someone...in a positive way.

Just Beautiful

I am not a green thumb, I don't know why unless the dirt in front of the shop is super growing soil, my flowers are superb!!! They are growing like crazy, my clematis is huge and beautiful and I keep taking photos of them and they all of course look alike but I love looking into their faces and really seeing what is inside of the flower. Lisa has Iris's that are just gorgeous, that is another intriguing flower to me, it is like looking into a tunnel of tissue paper. I am in love with them all. I just like to look at them and photograph them....natural beauty. I never was too fond of geraniums till I went to Quebec, and they looked so quaint in the window boxes and pots everywhere, I had to have them.....I love flowers. I love this weather too!!! Have a great weekend.

Viking Knitting

Wow, I had Sandy Bulgrin teach a class on Viking Knitting....she is an awesome teacher and thought of everything to bring including a garbage bin. It was a great class and I am excited for the next one, we made the bracelet above. It is easy and you finish the project and wear it home. Everyone was admiring their wrists as they left the shop. What is so cool is even if it looks kind of funky on the dowel it looks great after you draw it. Those my friends are all Viking terms....Thanks Sandy!!!! She is going to teach two more of the classes with one almost full already!!! She is also planning a beaded Kumihimo class on a Saturday, I need to get a photo of this. So not much new here, I have been spinning quite a bit, and eating fuzz too.

Turn on the lights

I know timers can be great, for putting a TV to sleep shortly after you go to sleep, for turning off lights and lots of things but tell me one reason you would use a timer for shutting off the air conditioning??? I went to bed kind of early after a day of doing nothing, but painting my nails/toenails, uhm that's pretty much it, oh watching all of this seasons Tudors...uhhhh, getting a few groceries. I guess that kind of day makes me tired. So I have the air on but I am hot, sweating hot, so in the dark I find the remote for the airconditioner and start pushing buttons till I find the one lowering the temp, this wall unit has Cool, Dry, Air, fan speed, and a timer I found out. I sleepily crawl back into bed and just start dozing off with the comforter pulled to my chin and it quits??? The air quits, I first check the clock to see if we lost electricity but it was still solid and bright? I get up and turn it back on again, go back into bed and fall sound asleep, only to wake up to sweatfest, no air. I get up crabby now as ever grab the remote and hello Jan turn on the lights to see what the heck I was doing, sure enough it was on timer??? Now please what reason would you have to turn on the air, to make it nice and cool and then turn it off in the midst of sleeping??? If it were cool enough to do that I wouldn't have turned it on????? Now I learned to turn on the lights before I pull that one again. I am going to take a nap.

Beware checks in the Mail

Does the government try to make you crazy??? Every month I pay my use tax, this is the tax you give me when I sell you something. State of Wisconsin wants their money and they have a website to do this. If you have ever done anything on a Wisconsin State website you will know that it is a bumbling mess. I try to navigate through it without pulling my hair out, but I guess I am a nimrod? I got two checks in the mail from the State of Wisconsin??? It was for Use tax, this should not be...I call and wait a reasonable 20 minutes, with the parrot, our first available representative will take care of you in order of calls.......Hi my name is Carrie, can I help you??? uh yeah I was sent money and I don't think I am supposed to get this money...Ok.....
So I guess, I filed but missed putting my name as the preparer and then when you get to the bottom you have to click on approve and I forgot when I get to the bottom I have to go back to the top of the page and reenter my password and then scroll to the bottom of the page and click OK and then ....so they sent me the money I paid back and now I have to pay again and send the money back so they can credit my account and pay me back again????? Yeah....I will not forget to play ping pong with my mouse again and bounce up and down on a page, entering here and then here and then here and kill me now...I already hate bookwork.

Bucket Lists and Old friends

I didn't know what you call it when you are 14 years old but I had a list of things I wanted to do in my life. One was ride a bike and deliver newspapers throwing them on porches, the other was to pump gas at a station. Those were two outstanding things on my list and I did both of them. The first one I did in Illinois helping my cousin deliver papers, it was fun and I wasn't a bad throw either. The second I did when my best friend wanted to get laid by her boyfriend that worked at a Martin station. At the time I didn't quite get that term and I don't know how much she really did, I was rather naive about that. I was a great excuse, she could do anything as long as she was with me, she was pretty, sexy and I was .....me. I was the excuse, not that she was ever under any curfew, and I didn't know what she was doing. My dad called her a slut, but she wasn't like that around me, but knowing what a bad judge of character I am and how good of one my dad was, I am now sure he was right. She always had boyfriends, I always got her car. She had a Road Runner, gold with a white roof, she would go with her boyfriend and I got her car?? Sounded good to me, so I must have been 16 and we had to meet this guy at the gas station where he worked, he was a cutie and he really liked Julie, so much so he left me in charge of the station while they went " somewhere" I probably thought they were just riding around??? duh!!! He had a friend Al that they kept trying to set me up with, Al had frizzy hair and black glasses and the farthest thing from my ideal date. I had excuses for that one too. So while they were out "riding around" gas stations at the time were full service, so I got to be a gas jocky for a few hours, it was always something I wanted to do. So time after time I think of Julie, and I did see her a time or two after graduation and she always had elaborate stories of driving a semi truck across country??? I think what she meant was driving to truck stops across Country and another time she stopped at my house, I was kind of shocked, she had two kids and I may have been having a rummage sale or just moving in??? Today I saw her and her mom, she still looks the same, now she raises horses and either owns or keeps 30 of them on their farm. She is married and all she said about her kids is they are grown and she has two grandchildren. I didn't have much to say to her, but my mind floated back to high school and our friendship, she had a nice car!!!!!!

Going to miss you Uncle Ray

If you had ever wanted to be entertained and laugh till your sides hurt, you should have met my Uncle Ray. He is my dad's brother and they were two opposites. My dad was more reserved and quiet while my Uncle was the center of attention. He could tell stories and make you laugh really hard. If by chance you made him laugh, he would start knee slapping and you could get caught in the slapping action and or mugging if you sat too close to him. He ran a campground in Rome, Wisconsin for years and worked for the City of West Allis for many more before that. Everybody liked him, everybody knew him, he was that kind of guy. He lived life to the fullest, and when his diabetes started getting out of control his legs bothered him the most. He wanted to go fishing in the pond where he was living in a Senior home, so off he went with his scooter and fishing pole and set off some sort of alarm and the employess thought he was escaping??? He thought that was quite a story. I could always count on a hug from him after my dad died. Somewhere I have recordings of him and dad talking about their childhood, I am going to have to find them and make some copies, besides it would be great to hear my dad talking after all of these years. I'm going to miss you Uncle Ray!!

Great Weekend!!!

What a great weekend!!! The weather held out for our Mothers Day Art show and we had a huge turnout!!! Chris the jeweler did an awesome job of setting it up and getting some good vendors in here. Saturday, I had a little visitor to the shop and he and his sister take great pride in rearranging the sheep in the shop, but funnier yet was one of the sheep, has rockers on it, and I found this!!! He is so cute and right after I took this shot, Iggy of course had to sit right in front of him for his shot. So I planned on taking my mom out for Mothers day dinner and I had called her and told her that early in the day, at 4pm when I closed I left to go pick her up and tried to call her....and call her and call her every five minutes till I gave up...and went home. She called at 5 and asked what we were going to do???? I asked her where she was??? Oh I went to get the mail....really mom, what did you do all day??? nothing?? and you had to get the mail at 4pm when I was going to pick you up???? We cancelled and will go this week sometime unless she has to get the mail....LOL

Memories

Sometime we only have memories and the strangest things sometimes set them off. My dad's favorite brother is dying, my dad has been dead for over 20 years, I miss him, and when I would see or talk to my Uncle it gave me a reassurance of my dad. They were two very different men, my dad was always doing stuff with us kids and was very much a family man, my Uncle liked doing stuff with his friends and was more selfish that way. My Uncle was an extrovert and my dad was shy, and quiet, he was slow to anger but then it would be over, he never held a grudge. I used to love when my Aunt and Uncle would stop over, my Aunt wore high heels and Uncle Ray would wear a suit, it was very 50's ish. I would gaze upon them in envy of being an adult. My Aunt has passed quite a few years ago, she was my favorite Aunt, and now my Uncle is dying. Diabetes runs rampant in my dad's side of the family. All of my Uncles, and one Aunt have diabetes and four of them dyed because of complications of it. My grandparents were literally taken piece by piece by diabetes, a foot, a calf and leg, treatment has come a long way but it is still a devastating disease. They are not doing dialysis on my Uncle any more and he should die within the week, it is plain as that, a fact, a week. Now we wait. All the calls have been made, but nothing will prepare the family for the final call. My dad came to visit Uncle Ray about a week ago, my dad and my Aunt Marian, my Uncle told his daughter they were there, they are waiting, maybe this is a premonition. My dad had told me his Mom and dad came to visit him about a week before he died. Maybe this is the way to make dying less scary, fear of the unknown. Being reunited with loved ones that left ahead of you. So we wait...I am sad, it will hurt it is our loss, but he will be out of misery, and with his family. He will be telling jokes and making stupid balloon animals, riding some sort of motorized ATV or cycle or hunting, fishing. He will be home.

Finger Aerobics

At noon today is or was sign up for SOAR, which is a spinning retreat and it will be in Delavan this year. I was talked into taking a class by a friend. Being a Judith McKenzie junkie, I signed up for her class. I had the fastest fingers you can imagine and after wading through the "do you want to's and the would you likes" I am signed up. It is in October so it is something to look forward to of course. So if you plan on taking a Workshop you better hurry and register

Daily Laugh

This morning on our walk, we pass the light sign which has removable letters on it. From time to time the letters get rearranged which amazes me that these kids can be so creative in a timely manner. So this morning our sign read " Mother's Day Fart Air" it made me laugh, uhm yes it should say Mother's day Art Fair!!!!! Then along the way is a row of Apple trees and they are in full bloom, they smell and look so beautiful I always take a moment to just soak up their beauty and study their Artwork. Meanwhile my furry friend is sniffing the treemail and leaving his notes. I had a great two days off, Sunday I watched old movies, and Monday I got the errands done for the week. I am taking an online photography class and it has assignments which I actually look forward to. I sent them in and am awaiting my final results. I love having homework, (only when I love what I am doing do I love homework) It makes me do something I may not have done otherwise. It challenges our brain and who doesn't need some brain arousal. Well I am off to do some spinning so I can send it off for sale. Enjoy this beautiful day!!!

I need to vent!!

I was watching the protests on TV for illegal immigration....Ok, first off, it is called ILLEGAL immigration, there a millions of immigrants here legally. I understand you have to do paperwork and wait to get a green card but so did the people on Ellis Island, they were subjected to body searches, if they coughed they were sent back. They were scrutinized and questioned and quaranteend. I am watching these people protesting in Spanish??? How can we be educated on their protests if I can't understand what they are saying???? I have a pet peeve with the fact that they have a sign saying in plain English "Drivers License for All" really?????? Why???? Yes I had drivers education in school but my son had to earn enough money to pay for his Drivers Ed outside of school. If he couldn't afford the education he certainly could not afford a car or gas money let alone insurance. Driving is a Priviledge not a right, where do people get off having every darn thing handed to them and then to say you are here illegally???? A man came on and said through a translater that he is a welder and got hurt on the job and the Workers Comp called immigration because he is illegal. His family will suffer if they deport him. What were you thinking????? Of course they will suffer, you are doing something ILLEGAL. File your paperwork, learn English follow the rules of a Country, or go back to the Country you are calling home. I do understand racial profiling and that is not an acceptable process, but saying that, I have seen many blond haired Spanish speaking people. I believe if, like the welder you are busted then you should be deported, not breaking down doors and seeing if "your papers are in order" My grandfather came here from Yugoslavia, he had to learn English, even more interesting was when he married my grandmother a native in this Country she lost her citizenship and she too had to apply to become a citizen. They were proud of being in America, they did what they had to do to become American Citizens. They were embarrassed that they spoke a foreign language and worked hard to speak English. There were no road signs and advertising in any other language but English. If I travel 5 miles from me to a specific area I cannot read the ads on billboards, if I go into the stores in that area, they play Music in a language I can't understand???? When did I cross the border??? Why am I a natural born citizen shut out in my own Country. I am miffed at these going ons. I can think of a list of things I would like to do that are illegal, if I do them should I be punished???? Why? It would hurt my family?? Why do I have to follow the law??? Why do any of us have to follow the rules??? I say we all protest the fact that Illegal is a stupid word and we should be able to do whatever we want!!! A free for all , no rules no prisons,
Things I want to do illegally
Speed, I want to go as fast as I can anywhere I want
Shoot my gun, up in the air, at squirrels off of my back porch,
Rob a bank so I have lots of money
Park my car anywhere I want
Have no insurance on anything sucking my accounts dry
Drink and Drive
Shoplift, If I want something why can't I just take it?
Live in a camper on the beach, what you think it would disrupt the beauty of a beach???? a trailer park?
When does being illegal stop??? Go get your papers and then you avoid the problem. Many millions of people have followed the rules and are living here and enjoying America.....I am not just speaking of Hispanic people either, it was just that they were on TV, it is all immigrants, from all Countries.
Ok I'm done, is it just me???

I see London

So I was looking at photos from Yarn School on the web when I noticed I had on a dk blue/navy t shirt for dying. It is a soft comfy shirt and is quite old, there was a line across the front of it, that looked like a salt sweat line???? Uh no it was my bra, it was pretty sheer. Now I am not the person you want to see in sheer anything unless it is sheer excitement, not sheer clothing!!!! I never looked in the mirror, it is my dying shirt...never again in public. Which brings to mind I had this really hot looking dress in the 80's it was Navy Blue with white polka dots and a peplum skirt and white shiny belt. The top was fitted and I had my Streisand hairdo, just rocking this dress. Someone took a photo of me and oh look, you can see my bra through the dress like I had no top on at all!!!!! Do cameras have Xray vision???? I would look in the mirror and didn't see that???? To make matters worse I had huge kaboobs at that time also, I didn't need one of those thought clouds saying "LOOK HERE" it was an eye magnet! I guess all the dates I got wearing that particular dress had underlying meanings....and I mean underlying, more like underwear!!! Who needs sexy lingerie, wear navy blue!!!!
I am spinning mohair today and it is getting warm, so if you see me and I am sporting a Guido mustache, beard and hairy chest of bright red, please disregard, it is MO hair not JAN hair.

Yarn School

So you want to know about Yarn School? Well Yarn School is the brainstorm of Nikol and Ron. They bought an old high school and elementary school in the middle of the Midwest. They really recycled a school that had consolidated school systems, leaving old unused buildings. It is charming and a great idea. The gym is the heart of Yarn School, sleeping rooms are in the revised classrooms, that still have chalkboards and speaker systems. The beds are wonderful, with down comforters and great pillows. It is dorm style sleeping, unless you get the time out room, above the gym. The huge windows cannot conceal the fact that you are in a classroom. The Science lab with bunsen burners and sinks is the dye lab, chocked full of jugs of premixed dyes and buckets. The cafeteria is in the basement, where we all meandor to in the morning looking for our first cup of freshly ground coffee. Nikol has thought of everything, we use cloth napkins to be more "green" there are recycle bins for all object and a food scrap pile for the chickens or compost pile. You can watch Nikol and her helpers cook in the kitchen and we eat at real lunch tables. The food is organic and wonderful, locally grown, either on Cupcake ranch or nearby, Nikol sends out a survey a few weeks before you go and she asks for any special needs such as Vegan, Gluten free, Diabetic, and she covers all her bases, she is a fantastic cook!!! We all wait like locusts for our next delicious meal. You can go walk with the sheep and corral the chickens back into their coop. In the gym we have a huge circle of spinners, there is a carding area, combing area and huge pillow (old gymnast safety pillows) that Nikol covered and we lay their exhausted with thought. Nikol has wheels to use and some to sell. We run a tab, which is extremely dangerous, when you check out. Once during your stay we visit the Alpaca ranch, what would school be if you didn't have a field trip. They feed us again and last year it was fresh aspargas soup, I wanted to lick the bowl, this year it was a tortellini and fresh salad, with cupcakes for dessert. We eat in the barn with the animals looking over our shoulders and the four farms that sponsor the event have their fiber and finished objects for sale. They teach us about the Alpacas and their wonderful guard dogs. This is my second year going to school, my goal each year is to learn at least one thing. Not to sound arrogant but I have been spinning for 33 years, it is hard to learn something new but you can!!!! I go because, I love the fact that you are around other people that "Get It" or are learning to get it....It is a vacation for me, you can do what you want to...and each year I do come home with something I learned and a ton of fiber!!!! I am planning on going next year, it is a good time for me with the shop and I love to go see some old friends and meet some new ones.

I'm back...

Vacation is over, and I had a great time. We really got a taste of Midwest America, some of it is very sad. We did conclude a couple of things, the freeway really killed small towns away from it and they really needed rain in Missouri. When we decided what route to choose we went with the river, we had visions of river towns and following along the mighty Mississippi, tug boats and barges moving slowly and shoreside attractions. We both agreed we would stop and take in any sights that may interests us. The trip down that Lazy river fell short at that, I don't know what I envisioned but it certainly wasn't there. The Great River Road, does not follow along the river, and if it does it goes through the butt side of the towns that are there. I think we agreed that the best part of the Mississippi is in Wisconsin/Minnisota. The bluffs and hilly landscape are breath taking. So on with our trip, we made a designated stop at Hannabal MO, the birthplace of Mark Twain. Kim was sure she saw it on the internet and it had beautiful pictures of a husseling small town, all decked out with little shops and drenched in history of the south. So we went....needless to say it became the brunt of our trip. I will and have teased Kim relentlessly about the beautiful city of Hannabal, which had an old jail, a trip to the cave they whole city used for a Fallout shelter (we did not partake) a dinner cruise on a boat, we were there at lunch, but it did have a light house as pictured above. If by chance you made plans to go to Hannabal on your vacation, uhhhmm you may want to do more calling about that one. The downtown area is very cute, but just like so many other places are pretty much closed up. We did look for yarn shops and ended up at one in Columbia MO, which led us to another shop and that was fun, I bought a Turkish drop spindle that is carved and beautiful and was brought here from Turkey. Missouri needed rain there was so much dust and it was so dry, we may have brought some rain there for them. We drove all back roads and both of us had to pee, so our quest was for a bathroom and lunch. We were in the middle of nowhere and I mean nowhere and there was this really large restaurant/bar, that looked clean and had quite a few cars in front. We stopped and had probably the best BBQ brisket sandwich ever, it was so good. It was just kind of weird where it was located and it was busy!!!!! My favorite city has to be, Lawrence KS. It is a college town and has a really cool downtown and is easily navigated. It is clean and I really wish we would have had more time to spend there. More about Yarn School later.

Sleepless in Oak Creek

Actually I did sleep well last night, tonight might be another issue. Getting ready for vacation is stressful. I have a dog that needs to be cared for, a shop that needs to be shut down. There is wash to do, cleaning and grocery shopping for the house/dog sitter. Packing is something I hate, but unpacking is worse. Don't forget your pills!!!! Tonight dinner with my son and DIL, the last supper...Lol. Tried to take my mom out for Breakfast but she has church??? Go to the dump, buy dog food, finish the wash, think about what project to bring, this is a tough one. I am working on a sweater I started when I opened the shop, my ideas where that if you own a yarn shop, your knitting will become showpieces of art....hhhhmmmm I guess you need to finish something first, also you need to have time to knit. I have Art yarn spinning to get done, planning is the longest process in that. I am excited to take photos on this trip, beautiful captures of life in America, National Geographic stuff. (I tend to be dillusional) but that is what I strive for Art photos. So when I come back we will see what ends up on the web. I will update if I can get WIFI, in the middle of nowhere!!! Have a good week and see you next week.
On Desperate Housewives last night the Russian Bride left with my suitcase, it is a funky hard sided black and white houndstooth with fushia pink trim. Who knew I was fashionable?????

Project holdup

I am working on a special project to bring to Yarn school. I ordered some white nepps from etsy and have been waiting and waiting and waiting and private messaged the seller only to find out, they are coming from Scotland??? seriously Jan you didn't look where they came from???? nope....but I will from now on. So I am still holding my breath that they get here by Saturday. I would still have time use them and time enough to spin the project, on Sunday of course. I am getting things ready here for vacation. Having someone stay at your home and dogsit is a little strange. I have to grocery shop, clean and make sure everything is set here. I also have to leave the house clean, I detest coming home to a messy house, I should pay the sitter to clean while she is here???? hhhmmmm
It is beautiful here today and I am heading to the deck to sit outside with a cup of Joe

Won't be long now

We are going to have a magic show....today is supposed to be warm and the trees are all ready to pop!!! I have been watching this very very close on our walks. It always seems to happen overnight or when my back is turned. This year I am waiting and watching, I am going to see the earth turn green....it better happen before Tuesday. So the packing came to halt. I have the suitcase ready but have nothing in it, I am in the note mode...headphones, camera, pills etc. you know. I remember going somewhere one time and having to buy underwear because I forgot to pack some, and there is just something gross about wearing new underwear without washing them. or is it just me??? I am also waiting for some white nepps to come in the mail. I ordered them about a week ago with great expectations of seeing them four days later. So I pm the seller and she is in Scotland?So these are very special little wool nepps. I have a project for the Dying teacher, Adrian Bazillia, at yarn school, her shop is Hello Yarn. She is a fantastic dyer and a very fun person, she has knitting patterns on Knitty.com. She also has a roving club that is virtually impossible to get into and I am doing my best to suck up...yeah I know but I hang my head in shame and will do what it takes....I plead just one more, just me....come on....she is firm, so I have gifts and bounty up my sleeve... She better be careful, I am in WANT mode.

Wake up call

Last night I cleaned what I think is going to be an extinct Senseo pod coffee maker. I just add vinegar and run it through and then supposedly throw the water out. I left a little in the reservoir last night and made a nice fresh cup of Joe this morning...whew....that'll put some pucker in your morning. I don't even need to brush my teeth after that.
It is seven days till yarn school. We are not really planning our route but looking for interesting things to see on our way. I am in charge of that, but how far we go and where we go are two different things to me. I have some fun things up my sleeve. The jean saga continues and I am shrinking jeans as I type, you know if you hem jeans before you wash them they always shrink up but if you don't hem them, they don't shrink??? Why is that??? I have some great ideas for Late Summer this year, and yes it involves a Tea Party.

Weirdo magnets

Ok, so yesterday my brother Scott is going to go to Bass Pro shop in Gurnee Il. I said I'll ride along I have nothing to do and it would be a nice change of pace. So we did and on the way is Mars cheese factory, it is a landmark and I have never ever been there. Someone recently told me that they serve food, so we went for lunch, it is a big place and busy. So we continue our trip to Bass Pro and commence to shop, Scott goes one way and I just wander. I am standing by the jewelry counter and a young man stands about two feet from me and looks left and then right and I am watching him, because he looks like he is going to steal something, well he stole my attention. He passes gas, really loud....whoopee cushion loud and I say "Nice timing dude" he turns and gives me the dirty look. I move and I am embarrassed because he makes me look like I did it....uh uh buddy, I have control of my valve and there was two of us there and it was NOT me...I quick had to go run and tell my brother. I think he was in uniform, probably from Great Lakes Naval base. LOL....lucky me. Today was a no incidence day...no weirdos or wackos and I got a ton of running done. Errands complete...check. I am getting ready for Yarn school wahooooo!!!!

Jeans saga

Just a note, womans jean sizes lie....men sizes don't....In woman sizes, woman can fit in depending on where they are shopping from a range of 6 sizes.....I know I have a big butt, I know I am not a size 16, but a pair of jeans I am wearing says they are....lies lies lies. So I already blogged about my small pocket jeans and it turns out I spend a good portion of wearing time tugging the jeans up so the crotch doesn't hobble me when I walk. Bad Jeans....so i went to the Men's department where for whatever reason stopped shopping in and they fit me the best ever. I have no waist, never have...I have a belly button and I know it is somewhere around that vicinity but I think it is bulged out from where it may have been. So I am looking at numbers now, I know I am short so I go for a 32 inseam, and I am looking at a waist size that according to the numbers, I am larger around than I am tall??? So pretty much these should be Sponge Bob square pantsish...but they have deep pockets and no embroidery and glitter crap on the arse. On my way out I went through the womans dept and found elastic waist pants...oh these look pretty comfy and old ladyish. I buy petitie, with hopes the crotch won't hang down between my thighs....What makes a pant petite??? I am presently rolling the waist, in order to walk like I am not hobbled. Why did I have to stop and pick up the pants....could I not leave well enough alone. Could I not just walk out with the man jeans....??? I just want to wear pajamas...I want to wear a bib when I eat and pajama pants....all the time... Me thinks I want to be a kid again and be careful what you wish for they do say When you get old you revert back to childish ways.....Pampers here we come.

Dawg tired

My bebe is so tired he fell asleep with the ball in his mouth...what a life. I am working on the ruffled shawl pattern using Kim Leach from Happy Hands yarn. I cannot believe how many variations there are on this pattern. Since we have been knitting on it, I bet four different variations have surfaced and other knitters are knitting. It is such a nice easy mindless knitting project. It is fun and Kim took the hassle of figuring out what yarns and colors go together in her kit. If you are so inclined the pattern is free on ravelry, it is loosly based on a Vogue knitting pattern, someone changed it up and it is FREE!! You heard me FREE, on the Internet, imagine that, don't you love Ravelry, there are so many Free patterns on there. You can also purchase tons of patterns, I highly recommend that if you don't already have a membership you should join., it's FREE!! Enjoy the day!!!

Opening your eyes

You know how you look at something and don't see it??? It might be a crack in the wall that you get used to looking at, or a tear in something. I don't know if we tend to avoid things that we know need addressing but just don't want to open that can of worms or what. I see my mom often, at least weekly, I talk to her almost daily. She is falling constantly, she is hitting all parts of her body and fortunately not breaking anything. She has cracked her head numerous times and had lots of stitches.
We are not a neglectful bunch we have had her to the Dr. and had every test they could think of, they have no idea what to do. We asked for a prescription for a scooter and the Dr. said no, she needs to walk. We agree, but, what would you rather give up, your legs or you mind??? Her legs are weak, her mind is good, if she falls and has a stroke she is trapped in a useless body. The Dr. recommended her wearing a helmut.....I so want to superglue a helmut to his head and see how he would like wearing a helmut all day. We got her a scooter, she doesn't want to use it, so she falls. Basically we know the call will be coming, she has fallen and broken something or worse. We as a son and daughter and daughter in law, at least are all in agreement with her situation. We all do our part and what we can, at least we share that and there is no question as to where this is going with her. We also discuss the situation getting worse, but sometimes it just hits you.
Yesterday we went for Easter, I met her at the entrance to her building and had to remind her when getting in the car, butt first mom, she still is used to moving like she did as early as 4 years ago, she always ran and never walked so to say....this has got to be killing her. I keep reminding her, she is 87 and not 30 and you will feel different, we all will. I say these things but don't really process them. We had a good day and Mike helped her to move from one place to another and she so enjoys his attention, she just glows with pride when she looks at him.
I dropped her off at the end of the day, I kissed her, hugged her and watched her walk into the building. I saw her as my mom....not some other old person....I saw my old mother slowly work her way to the door...her swift sure footedness had diminished into a slow unsteady shuffle, like she is carefully dragging concrete blocks through an obstacle course. She is tilted...my mom...the one whose posture was tall, straight and erect a proud woman...it was as though I saw her for the first time yesterday. Removed...Distant yet right in the midst of it. How it hurt me to see that woman, my whole self weeped for the person she was, to the person she has become physically.....I saw my mom, yesterday it made me cry.

Opps there they go.....

There is a group of us going to Yarn School the end of this month. We are so excited and decided to have a little preplanning party at Gbabys home. It is a beautiful loft, on the fourth floor. We ate and laughed and had a really great time, visiting and discussing the Yarn School trip. It was getting late and the driver has an hour and half drive home from my house, so we packed up our cooler and headed to the elevator. HH had keys in hand and reached out or something to do over the hole to hell (the elevator crack that has swallowed many unsuspecting items) I am standing in the back of the elevator, the spot where you check out the back of everyones heads. I hear a CLINK, CLINk, CLInk, CLink, Clink, four stories of clinking. I see the two in front both staring down the hell hole....uhhhmmm tell me those weren't the car keys??? I get two heads looking back at me like I had a third eye, or they were going to kill me, one of the two. Yes they were the keys...now tell me...One keychain, with remote, two keys, a palm tree, and some other chotchke thing hanging on it, slipped through the crack without hanging up on any of that dangly stuff????? Our theory was we were not meant to leave at that moment. We may have been saved from some horrible accident or incident or some intervention. So we trapse back to the Loft and review our options. We are kind of laughing, kind of feeling bad for HH, after all it is her loss and she lives on the edge of the earth. Ok, Gbaby can drive us home.....rothfl...she has a two seater car??? Ok so that won't work, she calls the Manager, he answers and tells us great news....only the elevator company can retrieve those keys and he thinks that may cost $600-800. but if it makes you feel better there is another set of keys down there....Well Halleluhia it now will have company!!! Plan B...Gbaby will drive me home and I will go back and pick everyone up...Ok, so it is a fairly nice warm evening, for Wisconsin and Gbaby says want to put the top down on her car??? Oh hell yah...can we turn the heat on??? sure we can even turn the seat heat on....no way??? So off we went on our escapade to save each other.... It was fun and we all got home safe and sound, I think Zannaree slept for most of it, but who knows what we avoided....Happy Easter

Ok, so once I was pretty...

Yesterday was my mom's 87th birthday party. If you are planning on attending any party where old people and family friends will be at gird your loins, my friends. I think we are all guilty of the same thing, we tend to remember people as they were, not thinking they are getting old too. So I was exposed to all mom's old friends, I used to be thinner, have black hair, it was long , I cut it and it is white, with pink, purple and teal now, but it is white, I am 56 years old and I am fat. I know this, I don't need the mouth open gapping look from old Aunt Emma. So I am sitting at a table talking about old times and Mike my son is there, Jonell another family friend , my Godmother and this Barbara who we grew up with her kids. Barbara is a wonderful woman, lots of fun and very nice, she proclaims at the table in a voice that resonated....Oh Jan you were...Were...WEre....WERe...WERE...such a pretty girl. You had such beautiful curly hair (hours of dragging rags around wrapped in my head so I couldn't sleep) Well Mike and I started laughing, key word is you were.....it cracked me up. Then she injects well you still are you have beautiful skin...LOL. Old people are so funny, and man do they love good skin...I guess I have that going for me.
On the other hand my mom lives with this lady that has a down syndrome girl, well woman I think she may be 50ish. Gloria is very good to my mom, she brings her food and her and her daughter go to Panara's as a treat for her daughter. For Christmas, I bought Gloria a gift card so she could take her daughter to lunch, on me, for being so good to mom....I am not bragging it is just part of the reason, I got this beautiful Thank You card and a photo of her daughter in it. I looked at the photo and it makes me smile, and happy. Her daughter whose name escapes me has down syndrome, she is smiling so wide, you can't help but see the joy she must be to be around. She has a cute bandana around her neck and is glowing. I keep the photo in my visor of my car and every so often I look at it and smile at her big grin. I told this to my mom, how it makes me happy and how cute she is. My mom told Gloria this and she came up to me at the party and started crying, she said no one ever told her, that her daughter was pretty. It made me feel bad that we are such a beauty orientated society, that we can't look past the plastic. It made me feel good that maybe because beauty fades and I am so apparantly made aware of that, that I want to look deeper past that in people, whatever it is, it made me happy that I had said that. A simple phrase....to a mother..who knew it would make such an impact. As I grow older I do know that the stones you throw cannot be brought back and you can never tell where they will land.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's 87th birthday. I want to take the time right now as I have with her, to thank her for all of the meanest things a mother can do to a child, she did to me. I want to thank her for forcing us to push in our chairs, clean up after ourselves, put dirty clothes in the hamper. She made us be polite, respect our elders, hold open doors for people, say Thank you, and please. She made us go to school, not that we would have thought there was an alternative? She made us have good work ethics, to finish what we started (Ok so I veered from that plan). She pushed us to share and interact with people.....can you just see how mean she was??? I really didn't realize these life lessons, until my second marriage, my MIL was a nasty beeach, well only after we got married and what is that about, don't you think you would want to scare someone off before the big day???? Hello stupid!!! When she would come to visit, she would make messes all over, leave her chair in the middle of the kitchen after getting away from the table. She left chewed gum on my wood end table, newspaper laying all over and worst of all she left her son with the same training. I was raised as an equal not a maid, I raised me son to share in the housework, we were a team, we worked together so we could play together. After a few visits from MIL dearest, I thanked my mean mom for teaching me how to be an invisible guest, pick up after myself, offer to help.....sometimes we don't realize these life lessons till someone else smacks you in the face with them. So Mom, Happy Birthday and thanks for being so mean!!!

Drive thru snaffu

So I was hankering for a good old Burger King whopper, I was on my way back from some shopping that was on my list of to do's . I go to the drive thru and a young man voice answers, which makes me happy that a recorded voice didn't ask if I wanted a new Mocha latte or other designer coffee when in fact if that was what I wanted I would have ordered it. So I place my order and then go...Oh can I add a Hershey pie on that, I love their hershey pies and being that I haven't been at a BK for years, I figured they were not on the menu. The guy says drive around for your total, so I do.....I drive up to the first window and look in and shake my head a little trying to rationalize what my eyes they are beholding? I was reluctant to hand this guy my money because I was sure the young kid in a uniform was laying on the floor dead and this street person had taken over the drive thru window. Actually I have seen better dressed street people. Here is this scruffy skinny older man with a dirty chuli hat on with a BK cap over no more like sitting on top of that and a dirty jacket that looked like he just pulled it out of the bottom of the Good Will containers on the corner of some shopping mall. The best is yet to come, he says.....well he says something about separate and my mouth is still open because I can't understand him .....at all. I say excuse me??? He hollars back the same thing which I get slurrypie, at once.....???? I again say, I really cannot understand what you are saying, I'm sorry.....Do you want to pay separate or once..??? Well let me see, why don't you ring it all up separate?? No I would like to pay al at once?? He takes his dirty fingers and uses a calculator which is fine, but now I am getting pukey thinking if they put him in the window, what kind of people are working behind the counter and making my food???? Maybe it was there way of getting rid of him??? Do they not have a manager that can address this guy? Not to mention please put people that speak English in the drive thru windows, and if they really want that job, go to school and learn English, it's the way you get ahead in America.....I drove to the next window and then deposited all of it in the garbage, I think I just started a diet.....I am a little sick.

Good Acrylic

Just to set the record straight, I am a natural fiber and yarn shop. I carry one type of acrylic, it is not Red Heart and no I don't carry the "Good" Red Heart. For that you would have to go to the "good" acrylic store like...Michaels??? I don't want to snub anyone but I myself, find it hard to put hours and hours of work into something and have plastic when I am done and as far as babies go, I wouldn't want to put my baby into a plastic bag, because I am too lazy to hand wash something. Mothers are using wool soakers and then to put on an acrylic sweater???? why bother. Take a little acrylic put it outside on the sidewalk and light it with a match....poof, melted, imagine that on your babies skin? Why do you think the helmut liners for the soldiers are made of wool? It doesn't melt, imagine a burn that they have to pull the melted plastic off of when it cools and turns hard....I have felt the wrath of acrylic, it isn't pleasant. Wool is a natural and renewing resource, no sheep are harmed in the process. Wool will eventually go back to the earth, as will cotton, and rayons, but acrylic will be forever plastic as a matter of fact they should have to dispose of it in the recycle bin. The only acrylic I carry was under pressure of this cute little sweater that someone made and is self patterning, but when it's gone it is gone. I want more room for "beautiful yarns". Yarns you want to touch and love to work with. With everything going green, how about knitting green and using Natural fibers!!!! Good fibers, Wool will keep you warm and cool, wool wicks moisture away from you, they even make a new fiber called smart wool....after years of realizing it really works!!! Yeah for the sheeps!!!! So if you are looking for all of that plastic yarn, sorry it's not just 4 ewe, you're looking for....babe....

Knitting Frenzy

So many of you, myself included are working on the ruffled scarf kit. We all know that talking and knitting do not go hand in hand and we all have an easy project that we take to group knitting. I apparantly can't even do that. I cast on 48 stitches and it should be that many all the way through the project....not me. Knitting with straight mohair, I have managed to increase to about 58 or so??? Oh yeah and at that rate, i won't have enough yarn to do half of the kit. I am slowly decreasing and thinking because it is a ruffle that maybe you won't see it so bad, or I can increase in the same spot on the other side. So for those of you that think mindless knitting is just that, guess again. Unless of course you have my mind, which is sometimes mindless. If one side of my scarf looks a little wider, it is an optical illusion, you really cannot use a tape to measure it, I made it bigger on purpose to cover my boobs better....that's it , yeah that's my story and I"m sticking to it.

Ahhhhhh Top o the mornin to you

Happy St. Patricks Day to you all. I am not Irish but who isn't Irish today??? We are having Corned Beef and Cabbage today in the shop, I wanted to do something Green to drink not beer, but decided, there just isn't anything that would be good with Corned beef and cabbage that was green....but beer!!! It is a good mix. I have the window open to let in some fresh aire. I cleaned my oven yesterday a long overdue job, man it sure is easy now, you just push a button and 3 hours later wipe it out....no stinky oven cleaner. It is good to be able to open the window though, it still has a burning stench. I bought myself some tulips the other day, they were so pretty and so Springish I just had to get them and I am so glad I did. I love looking at the inside of flowers, at all of the stuff going on in there. I did some spinning and getting a new skein set up to go....Have a safe Irish day.

Spring is here

Officially they say Spring is here when you see your first Robin, well today was the first day I saw a robin. I have seen, little birds and wood peckers and my favorite cardinals but no robin till today. I don't know if I buy into this but, it would be a good feeling. With Spring in the air so are all of the new yarns coming in. I am also making Yarn Batt-er, to make your own yarns. They are fun and funky batts with add in so you too can do some Art Yarn. I am working on the Passport project and have one in mind, just deciding which way to go with it....hhhhmmm.
My mom is celebrating her 87th birthday this month, so we are having a little party for her at the Senior living that she is at. We are having cake and coffee and all she keeps saying is, "this is going to put you in the poor house" yeah mom I don't think it will be the cake and coffee that will do it??? She will never change. Well off to running with some errands for the shop. Enjoy this beautiful weather.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Help me I'm falling down the Rabbit Hole....I never went to movies as a kid, I think I saw maybe two or three, one being Creature from the black lagoon. I swear the whole neighborhood went and I was the only one that had not seen it. The theater was one of those old Gothic types, the Paradise downtown West Allis, it was creepy enough to begin with let alone see a scary movie. So the movie is playing and I am riveted, the scene where the girl is swimming and the creature goes to grab her ankle??? The kid behind me grabbed my ankle, I stood up screaming for what seemed like 5 minutes, I mean screaming one long loud, almost peed my pants scream. They were shusshing me and trying to get me to sit back down all the while laughing their butts off. It had to be hysterical for them and traumatizing to me. LOL The only time I got to go to the movies was when my mom's friends daughter wanted to go and she had no one to go with so I had to go with her. At the time I really thought she invited me and I was special...later I realized she couldn't go unless someone went with her and dodo bird me was told to go. which to me worked out, I got to see some movies, like Hans Christian Anderson, I never saw Bambi or the rest of the classics, but I did see Alice in Wonderland, and I was smitten....and about a year ago, I rented every different version of Alice to see which was the one I had seen and loved the best. I do believe the one I love most is the one with Whoppee Goldberg as the Cheshire Cat. Well that was until I just saw the new one.....Now what movie has Johnny Depp been in that you didn't like??? He is a fantastic character actor, he fills the part...the only part I was a little put off by was the White Queen, she was a little too...boring??? But the red queen was so cool and the other weird thing was the dumb dance at the end and the music at that point was well.....Tim Burtonish..
So now I am working on Mad Hatter batts to spin.....ohhhhhhh this mind is going down the rabbit hole..

Small Pockets

I know I am a big woman, I know they use yardage to make jeans to fit me, but.....don't cut corners on the front pockets please!!! I bought new jeans and the pockets are the size of a credit card. What that means is if you put anything into them, when you sit down it all comes out?? So the advantage of this is, your pockets never have anything in them and the downside is, it is all on the floor!!! Not to mention the small back pockets on the arse, which make them look like fleas on an elephant??? Either they put all this flashy embroidery on the back pockets or make them itty bitty which makes one look extremely arsy??? I am a fashion mess,,,,all I want is my decent pockets.
On the upside I think Iggy is feeling better and now I have a belly ache.....I think it's the weather...

Sleepy day

Today is overcast, rainy and just good nap weather. These are the kind of days to light a fire in the fireplace, find a blanket, lay on the couch and read a good book or watch a good movie. Well we can dream can't we?? First off I don't have a fireplace, second if I lay down to read a book you can pretty much bet that I will be sleeping shortly. Yesterday I had to go to a funeral, my sister in laws cousin died, 57 years old. A really great guy...so I went to the wake, I walked up to the church and honestly the line went out the door with people waiting to pay their respect. I kind of sidled next to the line to get to my brother and Cheryl, skipping the whole line thing, she won't remember seeing me anyway. When I sat there with my jaw hanging open, I don't think I even know that many people let alone have them come to my funeral???? I told my brother, I'd have a five car funeral and that's if everyone takes their own car....what an honor and tribute to a life to have that many visitors, this was something you normally see at a young persons funeral. He worked at the Harbor commission and was a really nice guy, friendly and fun. His family was so close they all lived within blocks of each other, an old Italian style family. What kind of mark will you leave when you die?? I want people to know I lived...I want to leave a mark and not on someone's forehead, I want to change the world a little, I know it will not be Hollywood style, just to have changed someone's life, a little. Teaching is a great way to do that....sharing what you know. What good is knowing something if you don't share it?? It's like a good recipe, who cares if you are the ONLY one that can make that casserole that everyone loves?? It is an honor that someone would ask for a recipe, no one would ever ask for my recipes, but if they did and I would say, that is MY secret??? I will die with it and only be talked about as "she would never give us her recipe!" Instead think how great it would be if on that recipe card you put your name, every time that dish would be served, and diners would say "oh this is great" your name would be honored, It's Aunt Sally's recipe, it's one of my favorites....That is a life well lived, sharing, don't be stingy with your life...live it.....

Red Rubber Ball

So on my way home from doggy daycare where I dropped off a non diarria pup, it was a little iffy today, the sun was like a huge red rubber ball. I am always fascinated by the sun and moon. It is huge for a moment and then it gets smaller and changes color, I took this photo through the windshield and with my cell phone, so no promise of even one iota of what my eyes saw. Today is my day off, I should clean but cleaning is way overated, instead, I will wash clothes, go to the accountant and then some errands cut short yesterday and then to see Alice in Wonderland.....I love Alice in wonderland, it may have been the only movie I saw as a kid. I love the one when Whoppee is the Cheshire cat....it is wacky and somewhat spooky but let me tell you nothing compares to be to lazy to change the channel when the movie "Hostle" came on....OMG, it was a chopem up, hack em down, cut and blood chainsaw gory movie and i was riveted.....I couldn't stop watching I guess I wondered what the plot would be?? Of course there was none...the acting was terrible, the graphics were just that and then there was a sequel....oh no I took a nap, no sequel. Ehhh I just can't shake the images or demented idea of even making such a movie...AND I watched it.
I am toying with the idea of another traveling scarf, I am getting requests for it so I think this summer I will start one up again, they were so pretty. We can make another journal and start knitting. Well I am off to soak in a hot tub filled with Bella Vita bath bombs, some music and no eyes or teeth trying to steal my washcloth. Enjoy the day, it is going to be a preview of Spring!!!!!!

A Truly Crappy day no joke

It all started innocent..my plans were to pick up my mom and take her for a burger at Fretchs burgers and then run a few errands and go through the park looking for deer. The burger was good, a whole lot of food and my mom had a butter pecan malt. Iggy was in the car waiting for his usual tidbit of leftover food and never too concerned what it is. Then to do some errands, stopped at one place and the line was waaayyyy too long for my liking and decided I would go back tomorrow. "Let's just go to the park" was my suggestion and there were deer laying under trees and relaxing all over basking in the sunshine. Iggy was all of sudden trying to climb out of the car, he was jumping towards the window and acting totally weird....so he went into the back seat and tried to climb the window in the back and then I heard it....he had diarria....all over my car seat....I pulled over asap and took him out while gagging from the stench....he went some more but outside....my mom was stuck in the car but I left everything open. Poor Iggy is all I could think of, he tried to get out, he tried to let me know, he had some belly ache. Then to clean out the car, he pooped on Bradley the pillow that I keep for road trips.....not anymore. So I threw snow on it and hoped to clean it better when I got home. About this time mom is ready to walk home, so I take her home and hope to get home without any more incidents, now I am feeling a little queezy myself...I think it is just I am not the iron stomach I was when I was a mother of a child...so I cleaned up the seat and hopefully it will be nice and clean and not stinky....Iggy went again and I am now cooking rice and boiling hamburger for his dinner....I think my Asian lettuce wraps made him sick....proof my cooking is deadly.

Scattered pieces

I have bags in my living room, suitcase in my bedroom, boxes in the shop. Money in every pocket of every outfit, coffee in hand and making a sigh of relief. Thanks to everyone for another successful Sheep in the City Getaway. We had many many new faces, we had groups of friends that enjoyed the weekend doing what we do best yarning, oh and there was some yawning going on too. We had one casualty to a virus/flu, and many many thanks for Angela stepping up to the plate....Everything went smooth, it was a little too hot for most of us of a certain age, but no one complained. We could have used more chairs...but we took all the chairs the hotel had? We all could have used more sleep, but...SITC comes once a year....sleep tonight. We had tons of wonderful door prizes, most vendors were extremely generous. We had so much fun with the cake walk and the soap opera "As the Wool turns" I think we all had a good belly laugh. Our little mascot was there Sassy, please don't tell Iggy, I can't show him any photos. Although they could become the first couple? The fashion show was wonderful, so many many talented knitters and I only wish I would have had time to talk to each and everyone of you that came. I kind of relate it to the day you got married, well one of the times and you stand around and thank everyone for coming and smile and you are so caught up in the moment that later that week you say "were they there???" Did I do this??? So today I am chilling, running to the bank, trying to straighten out this organized mess, something I am very good at....the mess part. Thanks so very much for all of the help and support of my friends and words of encouragement from so many new faces.