Top Ten Reasons ...

I have been absent from blogdom:

10. Work, work and more work.
9. See above.
8. Moving. One of Jack's friends asked to rent our converted barn, so we decided to move full-time into the new place. So, my previous thinking that I had oodles of time to pack and move at a leisurely pace was suddenly gone. The good news -- I found yarn I'd thought I'd lost! The bad -- I really need to stop buying yarn. Really. Will I? Nah.
7. Family stuff -- better now.
6. A semi-serious case of knitting slump. In spite of the embarassment of riches found during the move, I have gone through a few weeks of being less than enthusiastic about any project. I'm starting to move on, though, forcing myself to pick up the needles, as well as do other things I enjoy but have let go. Why is it when we're in a slump, the we stop doing things that make us feel good? So, here's what I will be starting: Lady of the Lake, in a warm rust color. That should get my knitting mojo flowing.
5. In-law visit. Think of the most stereotypical portrayl of a little old Southern lady, and that's my MIL, Frances. 87 years old, making biscuits in my kitchen. Threatening to make something called "sausage gravy". And freezing in the cold (72-74) temperatures.
4. A severely sprained ankle. Damn I never knew those could hurt so much or take so long to heal! I'm still going to physical therapy, and frustrated at the lack of progress.
3. It's hard to blog when you're sleeping.
2. It's hard to think of 10 reasons why you haven't blogged.
1. I was kidnapped by aliens who wanted to learn to knit. (okay, see #2)

Rest assured, I have still been reading pals' blogs, and hope you all are still with me. Hockey season starts in LESS THAN A WEEK, and I'm scooting over to the knitalong to stir up some trouble.

I'll post a progress photo of "Lady" tomorrow, promise!

Still moving ....

It's gonna take forever. And now that we have a house big enough for me to have my "own" room (call me Virginia Woolf), I'm faced with the blessed dilemma of yarn storage issues.

Bookcases? Shelves? Wicker baskets?

Funds are an issue, so I'll welcome any suggestions for cheap and easy ideas. Hmmm. Cheap and easy .... if only Paris Hilton had a line of furniture!

Knitting has been slow -- too much legal work. I am making myself stay away from the office this long weekend, though. My very sanity hangs in the balance. Or at least that's what I'm telling the spouse.

One more moving update -- the Siamese is becoming even more co-dependent. I swear, she needs a 12 Step Group. Ever since the big move, she is attached to me like velcro. As I type, she is attempting to get on the keyboard. She won't leave the deck off the kitchen, and crouches, turning her head back and forth like she's at Wimbledon, looking for .. for ... what? Arghh. I hope this is just a phase.

*** message from Miss KItty ***
she has GOT to be kidding. uproot me from my known environment, move me out farther into the country. there are FROGS here. a cat of my stature should be on Park Avenue. on a velvet cushion. not in the sticks where a girl gets her paws dirty just stepping outside. quick -- send Fancy Feast!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation ...

.... or why I've not been blogging!

When last we heard from the recently-50 year old knitter, she was about to embark on a journey to Cape Cod. Never having been to "The Cape", she was eagerly anticipating a relaxing week of sun and sand.

Here we see her celebrating two of Massachusett's treasures: Beer and Red Sox.

Lest you think the vacation was all frivolity, witness this hidden benefit of old age:

Who knew it was the 50 year anniversary of the replica of the Mayflower? And who knew us old folk would get in free! (Not that I saved a ton, just enough for a Sam after the tour, but hey ...)*I saw Pilgrims:

And chickens: And this guy! Not to be confused with this guy (Captain on the pleasure boat):

I must say, it's not so bad being 50 after all.

As this is a knitting blog, here's what I've been working on:
It's this pattern:

(sorry, forgot to turn it around!) I bought it at Adirondack Yarns in Lake Placid this February. It has cool green glass square buttons and is knitting up fairly quickly on size 11s. Believe me, I need instant gratification -- it's been so hot here, and for every day of vacation, it seems like TWO days of work piled up on my desk. I'm just now surfacing.

* Plimouth (yes it has an "i" not a "y" -- again, who knew????) is staffed by actors and actresses who stay in character if you talk to them. I asked, of course, about knitting and they told me -- gasp -- that knitting was for the lower classes, the poor and orphans! That they sent for their stockings from London, and they were too busy doing more important things than knit. How's that for Pilgrim's Progress?

It's My Birthday ...

Okay, it was yesterday. 5-0. Today is, in the hobbit tradition, Second Birthday. I looked for an image on line of an old lady knitting, but liked this one better. *sigh*

The AARP invite is on my desk. No red hats though. How did this happen? *double sigh*

Yesterday, however, was a great day. The kids and I went to Ithaca, and even the boy went here with me, and we had dinner at the Moosewood Restaurant, a mecca for all vegetarians. And today, my lawyer pals suprised me at lunch, and hubby is taking me out for dinner. Not bad for a budding senior citizen!

Tomorrow, I'm off to Cape Cod for a few days, trying not to think about work. I'll be back on Monday, hopefully with photos not only of the vacation, but of the almost finished sweater I'm doing for oldest daughter.

... hobbling off ...

The Perils of Moving

Here it is so far .......

3 suitcases. Full of yarn. And it's only the beginning.

The moral: You can't be in stash denial when you move. Face to face with with my own obsession.

A New Application for EZ's philosophy ... and more

So until recently, as in maybe last year, I was the type of knitter who followed every pattern exactly and never ever wavered. Oh maybe regarding the choice of yarn, but not the way the sweater/garment was put together, or even any of the design elements. Then, I discovered the magic that is Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Boy did I feel cheated! Here I'd been knitting off and on since the age of 8 (more about age later), and hadn't evolved past the printed pattern instructions! I was a mere sheep among knitters, a knitting automaton, a drone with needles.

EZ changed all that for me, and I've tinkered, altered, and even designed my own! Remember Big Blue?

Then the other day it occurred to me -- why can't I do the same thing in other areas of my life? Not a risk taker by nature (Oh really? I can hear my sister say? My sister, otherwise known as the "Slot Machine Slut" by yours truly ...), I decided to apply EZ's plunge ahead-trust your instincts-be bold to ... cooking!

Faced with the never-ending question of what to have, I looked around the kitchen and saw: 1 bag of small red potatoes; 1 head of broccoli; and 1 Vidalia onion. In the refrigerator, I spied a good-sized chunk of sharp cheddar cheese and a stick of butter. Hmmmm. Applying EZ's EPS system (or a variation thereto), I determined that all of those ingredients went well together, so I ... boiled the potatoes, with skins on. Chopped them into chunks, and mixed in half a stick of butter and the chopped onion. Spread in a baking pan, topped with lightly steamed broccoli and grated cheese. Baked for 40 minutes. Hurray! (Sometimes, it's the small things...)

Do I have a photo? No. Do I even know where my camera is since we're in the process of moving between houses? No. Did I have to go to Target and buy new underwear because (a) I couldn't find a clean pair; and (b) No time to do laundry? Yes!

To top it all off, I'm turning 50 next week. The AARP invite came in the mail yesterday. How did those bastards find out? I'm torn between ripping it to shreds and glomming on to the discounts. *sigh*

And finally, thanks to all who sent concerns and good wishes regarding my family situation. Suffice it to say, I have a brother who has made some really unfortunate choices with devastating results. It's knocked me for a loop, and knocked me off my knitting mojo too. Funny, usually knitting is soothing, but when something like this happens, it's hard to even get through some days. But I'm back in the saddle, and working on a new project for Elizabeth, my oldest daughter, for her birthday.

Which, to tie this entry up into a neat package, is also tomorrow. Which also happens to be the birthday of .... EZ herself!

Karma.

Family Emergency

Just wanted to let you all know I'm out of town and in the midst of an emergency involving one of my siblings. Things are going as best as can be expected, and I'll be in touch later.