late

11:45pm and just home from dance class.


NOW: Almost-midnight snack of manchego cheese and whole grain crackers. A few grapes. David Letterman chattering about something I am not paying attention to. Remembering that I actually started a phone call today by saying, "This is the voice of PMS calling....". Turning off tv and opting to read myself to sleep instead.

short n sweet

Just got home from the zen center (MyFavoriteKid and I met TheMostImportantGuy for dinner near there, and then we all went to the zen center together). I haven't been able to go for a couple of weeks, and I've really been feeling it. Sure, I can practice at home, but there is something very nice about practicing with the group. Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings are the biggest gatherings there, and I got to see some faced I hadn't seen in awhile. It was nice.



NOW: Digesting a piece of MyFK's left over birthday cake. Really wanting to knit for a bit (yay! wanting to knit! FINALLY.) Wishing my cats would come in from outside so I can shut down the house and go to sleep without worrying about them. They are enjoying the warmer weather, the longer days, and the moonlight.

the state of the amputee address

NOW: Too many miscellaneous papers on the desk. Everything I don't have time to tend to (which is lots, and seems constant) has the potential of making me shift into "feelin' like a failure" mode. I'm trying to figure out how to be easier on myself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I really am in a bit of a "state".

For the last few days I have started getting out of my cave, and when my girlfriends ask me how I am, I have actually been telling them. Out loud.

I am fully aware that I have lots of little life issues percolating in my brain, but none of these issues have solutions really...they are all about accepting change. It's not like there are problems to be solved, or things to be fixed, in most cases. There's no "action" to be taken. None of the issues feel urgent or pressing. They are just "there". Viewed each on their own, none of the issues feel big. Taken one at a time, they feel sucky, but manageable. I just forget there are so many of them....but then on the days when I am forced to see a few of them together, or even as a whole, well....it's fairly massive. One of the reasons I don't remember there are so many issues is because I dont really talk about them. No talk = Out of sight, out of mind. It's a funny little game of denial.

Once I started listing the issues out loud finally for a friend this past Sunday, I realized...holy cow. I've got a lot going on. I'm going to work on doing the talking thing more. It helped. I'm trying to figure out how to do it here because you guys are actually one awesome source of support for me....not to mention that just the act of typing is such a fabulous method of "processing".

My hesitation is that some of the "issues" involve people who might be reading this LOLOL.
Tricky, this blogging thing is, aint it?

evidence of knitting

I did NOT get up out of bed after posting last night (it was nearly midnight) and start new knitting project.


I waited until this morning ;-)

two skeins of Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! in
"Grey Scalloped Bar Butterfly" and "Sooty Dancer"

I remembered that today a mother-other-than-myself was responsible for carpooling kids so band camp, so I had the morning free.

Things didn't start off so well. I fought with tangled skeins and the ball winder until I almost threw my hands up in the air and walked away mumbling like a crazy person. Actually, I DID do exactly that---I just came back to it is all. Special thanks to Kerry, because it was at that exact moment of giving up that her comment on yesterday's post appeared: "Yarn is my milk of magnesia. Hope it worked for you too. ;-)"

Well, I got the yarn untangled, rewound it up in neat little cakes, and cast on for another Stephen West shawl, Daybreak.
(rav link)




Sheesh, I feel better already.



NOW: Lots of crickets chirping tonight. Sitting at diningroom table, dog is outside having his "evening sit". I think he likes the sound of them, too. It's very peaceful. But now voices up on the hill, way up at the house above me...and dog is barking. And now quiet again. Woof woof, chirp chirp.

things i laughed at today

Funny Number One

MyFavoriteKid and I took my dad (and mom, too) out for a Father's Day brunch this morning. As we did not want to leave MyFK's dad (ie TheEx) sad and alone and missing out on a Dad's Day moment, we had him join us.

Before leaving the house to pick up my parents, MyFK asks me if he should be dressing up. Having never been to this particular restaurant before, I suggest he wear some newer jeans and a somewhat plain t-shirt. He agrees, yet comes out of his room sporting some funky old camouflage shorts and a black concert t-shirt (from a heavy metal band). The shirt has skulls and whatnot on it, and it also has a few holes in it.

Bickering ensues. He loses. He goes back into his room and changes into the aforementioned jeans. He comes out of his room and is sent right back after even more bickering. He comes out a second time wearing a less graphic, kelly green t-shirt on top. Finally.

We meet TheEx for brunch.
And he is....
I shit you not....
wearing camouflage shorts, a black band t-shirt with a cross and skulls on it, and it has a couple of holes in the back.


(this is why he is TheEx...and this is also why it is so damn funny)



Funny Number Two

I've watched this danged clip four times now, and I'm still cracking up.





NOW: I am in my room, on top of the bed, and both kitties are curled up sleeping. I am sitting crosslegged (well, as crosslegged as one can get with only one leg, and no second leg to really cross with). My foot is hot from the laptop being balanced on it. I have already "shut down the house" but I am seriously considering getting back up and pulling out some yarn, a swift, a ballwinder, and some needles, and casting-on a new project. I don't even have a project in mind, though. I know just that I haven't really knit in weeks. I don't feel like working on one thing that I already have going, so I've just been knitting nothing. This not-knitting-thing is either a part of creating my poopy feelings, or perhaps the poopy feelings have just already been lurking...but I'm not using the soothing stitches I normally knit to help alleviate the poop. I'm not even sure knowing which it is even matters. I just need to start a new project. And it's 11:30 at night.
hahahaha
(crazy yarn lady)

weekend recap

Home. After many hours of driving.

We did indeed spend our first night at a rest-stop. There were a few other overnight "nappers" already tucked in when we arrived. It went just fine.

Although I did indeed velcro the pepper spray to the little shelf directly above my pillow.

That turned out not to be so smart because then in addition to worrying about bad things happening that would require me to use the pepper spray, I also got to lose sleep worrying that the velcro would break loose, and the spray can would bonk me on the head, and then I'd fumble around half asleep and spray myself in the face while trying to figure out what just hit me.

(I once saw a sign that read, "Worry Is The Misuse Of Your Imagination." So true.)

Anyhow. The next morning we woke early and finished the drive to the home where the retreat was being held. 'Twas a humble abode, but I do mean that with much affection.


The place, and the property, were full of character and truly special. Once you walked in the front door you were greeted with a wood burning stove and these fabulous worn floorboards (very old house). Then you took a turn to the right and stepped into this...



Pretty great, eh?

Our schedule for the day...the usual.
Lots of sitting and walking ;-)



Here's the makeshift lunch I assembled out of what I had in the van....



(romaine, grapes, walnut gorgonzola bread, pretzel chips, hummus, tofu "egg" salad, cured olives)

Here's where everyone sat together for tea at the end of the day.


That's the view from the kitchen window. Now that I think of it, that whole wall, plus the adjoining wall...it was all windows. I think the owner described it as, "the hundred thousand dollar house with the million dollar view".


Rather then staying overnight on the host's property, we decided to put in a couple of hours of driving back towards home so that we'd have less time to drive today. This weekend was the Redwood Run, so there were tons of motorcycles traveling the same path as us. I was glad to chop the drive up into smaller segments. We stayed at Benbow RV Park. A little plush, but we had stayed there last summer and remembered loving it, especially because it was just a few minutes from the main drag in Garberville, which meant that we'd also be able to have breakfast at The Woodrose Cafe.

On the drive home we made a very impromptu stop at this little winery/distillery that grabbed our attention as we were whizzing by called Jaxon Keys.







Super cute. Their tasting room is a big house on hill. It has a porch full cushioned wicker furniture to sink into and gaze out at the vineyards and the valley. They offer tastings (the wine we tried was very good), but they also offered wine by the glass, plus they had a little corner "shop" with cheese, crackers, and spreads...so we just made ourselves a little afternoon snack on the deck.


Another fab run in the van :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Now: Tony Awards just switched to the local news and I really need to go turn it off. Depressing. The flowers on the diningroom table are fading. There is a skein of yarn that arrived in the mail this weekend and it's sitting right next to the laptop---creative ideas of what to make with it abound. Seriously distracted by the week ahead and how full it looks. Wishing I could be more present in today instead. Tomorrow isn't even here yet.

on the road again

In between everything else that was going on this week, I started getting TheMiniMaison (my conversion van) in tip-top shape for summer travels.

We are starting out with a small run this weekend.

Loading time!
~~Ohhh, how I love da van~~

Here's what we're up to:

There is a guy who is affiliated with the zen center we go to. He lives quite a ways up north (4 to 5 hours north), but he does travel down to our center sometimes for the longer retreats. I got a chance to talk to him at the end of that big 8-day Retreat back in Feb/Mar, which was not an easy thing to do, lemme tell ya'. Kinda hard to meet people when you are keeping silence and staring at the floor.

Anyhow. I found out that he leads a very casual meditation gathering up where he lives, and then once a month or so on a weekend he leads a longer full day sort of thing. He told us we're welcome to come up any time and that he has space for us to camp, so...off we go!

Only bummer is that this retreat is tomorrow, and TheMIG couldn't leave work early tonight. Our first plan was to wake up super-duper early (4am-ish??) and drive up to be there for the start at 10am.

Five hours of driving.
Not counting stops.
On the curvy highway roads through the redwoods.

Hmm.

Well, our second plan is to leave tonight around 7:30-8 and get a couple of hours of that driving under our belt. Park overnight. Then we get up in the morning (still early, but less early) and do the last 2 or 3 hours of driving to get us there at 10am.

Sounds much better.

Except we do not have a firm plan for where we are staying overnight.

I'm totally self contained, and my van is compact. It fits in a regular parking spot no problem, so it's not as obvious as an RV. But I've always always parked at an actual campground or RV Park, or in front of the house of someone I know. I have a hunch that tonight we might be parking at a Truck Stop or a rest area (I've sniffed out what is between here and there, so at least I have a vague idea), but I'm still a bit freaked out about the whole idea.

TheMIG tells me he has done lots of this "back in the day" while he was touring with his band, and that besides: this is good practice for the apocalypse (we both have recently read The Road).

Somehow I do not find this settling.

I made him go out and buy multiple bottles of pepper spray and I am going to velcro one to the nightstand I think. And maybe one to him. LOL



Now: I am watching TheMostImportantGuy on his webcam right now (he's at work on his laptop having a Bizzness meeting). Entertaining to watch, as always. There's no sound but I like to guess what he is talking about by his facial expressions. I am wishing he was on his way here instead so that we could go! My pissed off kitteh is howling because I have shut his door the outside world, and I'm sure he knows that this is not just for today but for several days, as the dog is missing (he's already at the kennel).

all i have is now

Now: 11:48pm. Just home from dance class. Wishing I was taking a shower instead of posting, yet rather than doing either, I am looking at the free templates blogger offers (don't you think it's about time for a change around here??). The dog is sitting in my bedroom closet, peeking out at me through the hanging clothes.

As seen in a treatment room I had with a dermatologist yesterday:


I do understand the concept of marketing to your target audience, but srsly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Now: Noticing that all my pets are staring at me, because I am an hour late feeding them. Feeling a twinge of anxiety (experienced as shallow breathing and that "punched in the gut" sensation), which is probably just me reacting to having a To-Do list that is way too long to ever be accomplished. Remembering a conversation from earlier today at the centralized mailboxes where I live. A neighbor I barely know asked me how I was, and I told him my To-Do List was too long. He told me that meant it was time to throw the list out and start over. I'd estimate him to be in his 70's or 80's, so he probably knows that of which he speaks. The real sage advice.

This morning I woke up, and I swear the first thought that popped into my head was:
"Hoooo-boy. That post I made last night made NO sense, and I should bury it RIGHT NOW underneath a NEW post so that no one will ever read it."

I was about to do just that and then found the comment some of you left, and my panic subsided a bit. I guess it made a little bit of sense, at least *phew*. I've had more thoughts on the topic throughout the day, and I will be back to continue (famous last words).

Here's what I was going to bury the post with, just for kicks and giggles.....

the last school lunch box of the year

MyFavoriteKid has two more days of school to go, but they are minimum days, so he will eat lunch at home instead of my packing him something. I realized that this morning as I was packing it. I'm done! (for awhile)

I'm really glad MyFK prefers to bring lunch. I know the school lunch program is better than it used to be, but it really is mostly crap. Today his lunch was some smoked salmon, whole grain crackers, and steamed green beans. The "snack" (which he eats on an earlier break) was crappish, though. Chips, a slice of jerky, a piece of chocolate...and some cheese and apples, at least.

I'm sick to death of packing lunches, so I'm glad for the shift. It's going to be nice to not have to find things that he will find yummy eaten cold and still hold up well in a backpack that is tossed around 14 times before the lunch box is opened.



Now: I can't get the dog to come inside and it's pissing me off because I want to go to bed. He's barking hysterically at something near the fence. I'm so irritated I just shut the door on him and turned of the light in the yard. Like that's going to help.

This "Now" thing is becoming a way too convenient default for me. Things are just bananas here (last week of school chaos with a whole bunch of new little issues sprinkled over the top).
I feel like I've been saying that for awhile now and I'm kinda getting sick of hearing myself.


Now: Flowers on my table are colorful, but getting droopy. My To-Do lists are also on the table, and are divided over multiple pieces of paper, which means something is sure to fall through the cracks. I did not knit today, but the day is not over. Okay, well maybe it is.


I did go to physical therapy today, though. We didn't work on the walking bit, but she did teach me some stretches and strengthening exercises which should help me have greater endurance (provided I continue to do them, of course). Some of these muscle groups have not worked this way in ages.

I also went to the zen center this morning. I have been there less and less these past couple of weeks since the retreat. Scheduling conflicts, not lack of desire.

Today I asked the resident monk (who is now the abbot) a question.

In my practice (both while in meditation and while in "post-meditation", if you will...ie while doing everything else I do in my life besides "formal" practice), I have been striving to cut-off the thinking that comes up that is judgmental.

For example: This is good! That is bad! I like this! I don't like that! I want this! I don't want that!

What I'm striving for instead is to just see something as it is. Period. For example, I have an apple in front of me right now. Can't it just be an apple?? Do I really need to have an entire discourse in my head about it? "Mmmm, I like apples. I wonder if this one is ripe. Oh, it has a bruise. I should eat that apple, it would be good for me. No, it's too late to be eating. Hey, I like red ones better than green. Is this organic?" My head goes on and on and on sometimes. It's a riot. I mean, can't I just look at the apple, and just see it? And when I pick it up, just feel it? And if I eat it just taste it?

Not sure if I am making any sense here. It's only, ohhhh...quarter past eleven at this point. Anyhow. I have a little wish for myself to just see things as they are and not decide how they are, because 99.9% of the time, I've assessed things wrong anyhow and then also missed out on all the fun of just letting things BE.

That being said, I've been wondering lately about this "wanting" business. I get that a whoooole lot of suffering comes from "I want this," and "I don't want that." However (and this feels like a big However), there is no way in hell I would have ever gone to or made it through culinary school, for example, had I not wanted it so badly. And there is really no way in hell I am ever going to learn to walk again if I don't want that just as badly. So do I really want to stop "wanting" things?? Seems to me that wanting things sometimes is kinda important to making them come about. I mean, I already have a huge track record of successes where great things only happened because I wanted them to happen so badly that I threw my best effort out there.

And I have also "not seen things exactly as they are" on purpose, and with much success. Like, creative visualization, if you will pardon the granola. I have used the tool of imagining things to happen as part of the process of making them happen...meaning, not seeing things as they are, but instead how I would intend them to be....kinda like the way football players will imagine themselves scoring a goal before they even go out onto the field, or the way I often rehearse a performance in my head before I hit the stage. Its' not real, it's not happening. But imagining something being done for me has proven to be quite useful in pulling it off at all.

But it feels like a conflict sometimes. I'm striving not to have these judgments, to see things how they are, and also to not be attached to the outcomes of things. Yet I know that in some cases, having a judgment (in this case, a want of something) and doing a faked-out mental process around it...well, it seems necessary. Even if I am not attached to the outcome.

Am I making any sense here? (maybe I shoulda done this tomorrow LOL)

Anyhow, I laid this question out to the monk, and he said:
There is nothing good or bad about wanting, just like there is nothing good or bad about thinking. The question is: what is your motivation for wanting this thing (whatever it is). Is it for you? Or is to help all beings?


Good question.
Sleeping on it.

Watching and listening to Joan Baez on PBS/American Masters. And knitting. Finally.



Sorry to be so brief, but it's such a perfect ending to the weekend, I just really need to soak it up.

snaps on saturday

TheMIG's nephew has graduated high school
the partying began tonight

Sitting on the edge of my bed in a t-shirt and underpants, wishing like hell I was IN bed instead of ON TOP of bed, because I am so so so tired. Watching the orange cat outside the bedroom door trying to catch a moth. Looking at the white blouse I wore today and wondering how I ever managed to not spill food all over myself (like I usually do). Happy there is no reason to set an alarm clock for tomorrow.

now. i'm diggin' it.

Blondie's "Heart of Glass" is playing through the cable/radio channel on the "Classic Alternative channel. Flashbacks of school dances and roller rinks. Listening to the dishwasher clean up the party dishes (it was my mom's birthday today, and 7 of us were here indulging in multiple flavors of cupcakes and assorted slices. plus wine.) The dog's pet tags are dangling from his collar clink on his ceramic food dish. Listening to MyFavoriteKid in the den on the computer playing with an Audio Editing program, making all sorts of music. Tracking a package I sent to another birthday girl, making sure it arrived on time.

And I bought a skein of sock yarn today. Not that I needed more. That's for sure. I was just trying to kick-start the knitting mojo. For some reason it seems quite stuck. I am about to wind it into a ball, and then I'm going to cast-on a pair of plain ol' vanilla socks.

And TheMostImportantGuy just leaned over and gave me a sloppy kiss :-)

now & nitey-nite

Now: 11:46pm. Very tired. Just home from dance class. The buzz of the refrigerator is driving me bananas. Wondering how to change the setting on my alarm clock so that it will go off in the morning with something more alarming than ocean waves (I usually love waking up that way, but this morning I overslept 15 minutes because I was dreaming my cats and I were at the beach). I've been carrying my knitting around with me everywhere for a week and half now, and I have hardly knit (have you seen my mojo?). I am wondering if not knitting is contributing to the anxiety I have had he last few days. Black kitten (MrDarcy) just jumped up on the bed and sat down near me. He never does that. Whoops, nevermind. He's gone.

Things are feeling really hectic around here. I think it's because we're days away from summer vacation. MyFavoriteKid's last day of school is next Thursday and there are all sorts of end of year tasks and events being added onto our To-Do Lists. I'm also working hard to get some ducks in a row for summer plans great and small.


Now: A bird call I cannot identify. Handknit socks, folded neatly on the table. Feeling anxious, but not sure why. Desiring a cup of herbal tea. And a new knitting project.



Today I had a meeting with the director of our city's newly built senior center. A friend of my mom's asked me to go down there with her because they'd like to start a knitting group/class, and they were wondering if I would be interested in leading it (Are you kidding? Of course I am interested! Knitting and seniors are my most favorite things---even better when in the same place at the same time!).

I wasn't sure what was going to happen in the meeting. Was it an interview? Was she going to want to see FO's as proof that I can actually knit? Thinking that she might, I grabbed a pile of stuff as I headed out the door to meet her: shawls, socks, hats, etc.

She didn't want to see a thing.

She said, "Funny, but the quilting lady did the same thing when she came in, too. She whipped out a pile of quilts. I trust you guys. I believe you. You don't need to prove it to me."

I made her at least look at a sock. hahahaha

Anyhow, she's putting up a sign-up sheet for canvas for interest, and we're going to try to find a time that works well for the interested seniors that also works for me. We're going to wait until after summer to get it going though, and I feel relieved about that because I'm going to have a hard time with consistency I think over the next few weeks due to travel.

But I hope it works out!

now (and earlier today)

Since I'm 365-ing it here this year anyhow, I thought this month I'd play along with NaBloPoMo's theme for June: NOW.

kinda smacks of zen, don't it? ;-)

So here's how I'm going to do this. I'll still be posting the normal whatever it is that gets posted around here that makes up my crazy mish-mash of a blog. But somewhere in the post I will throw in a line or two about what is happening "NOW". I'm inclined to let it happen where it may, so it could be smack dab in the middle of a post (and it could just BE the whole danged post, if things spin out of control on some days). I'll put a little "sticker" nearby so that you know what it is, k?


Quiet piano music coming from the radio. Dog barking and human voices up on the hill. Crumpled napkin beneath my cell phone. Day planner open to June showing a busy month ahead. I fret.



Like that.
Ok?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the record, I know I need to write about the Women Food And God book/workshop. I think about it every day, and not just in the, "Damn, I still haven't written that up yet," sort of way. I think about it in the, "How do I make this fit into a post when I'm all over the place about it," sort of way. I AM indeed working on it. Not just in my head, either. I'm writing about some of the exercises she took us through. Those seem to be the most concrete things I can relay at least. It is in progress. Stay tuned.

I'm also still working on a post back from February about Olympians, if you can believe it. Sorry, dudes. It's just how I roll.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news: man oh man, is Physical Therapy ever kicking my ass.

This walking thing is so hard. The funny thing, is that she (ThePT) seems to think I am doing fantastic. I'm going to take her word for it, because my word usually includes not giving myself a single ounce of credit.

This morning I showed up after not seeing her for over a week, and I thought she was going to cry. She said she couldn't believe the difference.

I have ditched the crutches and am using a cane, but only because when I use the crutches for support I use them like crutches. I have been on crutches for 6 years now, and I can't seem to use them any differently than the way I do, which means I throw a whole lot of weight onto my hands as I lean forward to take a step. This is not what needs to happen for walking two-legged and upright, though. Switching over to the cane instead has forced me to be vertical and to get weight onto the prosthetic leg where it belongs (and where it needs to be in order for the leg to function and bend properly).

I also managed to correct (although I'm not sure how) the width at which I keep my legs apart. It would seem that after years of one legged-ness, I have learned to keep my sound leg directly underneath me. Like as if I were doing the tree pose or something.



Well, okay--not "as if". I DO keep my sound leg directly under my center. It's the way I tick, man. I AM the embodiment of the Eternal Tree Pose really, if you think about it.

Anyhow. In PT last week, I was walking with a very narrow base of support. Almost like the way a model would walk.

except that I don't look quite that chic when I'm in PT
or any other time...LOL

So my automatic gait was to walk very much one foot directly in front of the other, like being on a balance beam. When I tried to give myself some space in between my feet, I felt like I was walking like a duck. Or like a was a two year old toddling about the room. I felt like I looked like a waddling idiot, and it was totally unnatural for me to do it. The only way I could plant the foot in the right place was to chant (and I mean literally chant, like a mantra): walk like a duck, walk like a duck, walk like a duck, with every step I took.

Silly, I know. LOL

The funny thing is that what felt wide to me was still narrower than normal. And last week while this little lesson was taking place, ThePT had me take a full pass across the gym while walking towards a full length mirror she rolled out in front of me just to prove her case because I didn't believe her. It may have felt like I was "gettin' my waddle on", but I was actually still a bit on the narrow side.
Just goes to show ya'.
The brain is goofy.

Anyhow, I guess somehow when I was asleep I corrected this and she nearly weeped tears of joy when I saw her this week because the change happened so quickly. This is interesting to me, because I'm going to be honest with you (and I was not even this honest with her)...I put very little time in on the leg this past week between appointments. I hurt my knee during the zen retreat from all of the getting up and getting down off the mat for three days, and I have been in pain for over a week now. I mean, I can barely even put weight on it with a bend in the knee (I am finding a solution for that for the next retreat...I can't have zen practice taking me out of commission like that). So here I am at today's appointment and she is teary eyed over my amazing progress and all I can think to say (to myself) is, "Well, imagine if I had actually PRACTICED." It kind of reminds me of MyFavoriteKid and the clarinet. He is awesome. His teacher even has him in line for 1st Clarinet. And he doesn't play a note outside of school.
Imagine if he practiced.

Okay, so back to PT today. There she is watery-eyed, and I'm sweating from a kajillion passes to and fro through the gym, and what is the reward for my hard work? More hard work, of course.

Outside we go to the Minefield-Of-Ambulatory-Encumbrances.

No, I don't know what it's really called. Probably the "Rehab Garden" or some shit. i shouldn't knock it. It's really lovely, actually. And amazing. It's a beautiful rooftop garden. Full of ramps. And curbs. And a bed of gravel. And a sandy path. And a patch of grass. And stairs (ooh, the stairs: 2" stairs, 4" stairs, and 6" stairs). I think I also spied a putting green in the corner.

So we go up and down and all around the garden for a good long while, and then we go out to my car so she can help me find a better way to get in and out of it without falling down, because that seems to be when my disasters occur. I kid you not. Twice so far. Ugh. Pavement is not my friend.

Then she takes me back inside to practice (you'll love this one) "falling techniques". She lays a big wrestling mat on the floor and has me walk towards it until I trip over it basically, and go flying. Fun times. And multiple fun times. The biggest thing I learned today from her today was (hellooooooooo) LET GO OF THE CANE so you can use your hands to break the fall.
Dudes, I hold onto the cane.
Like it's gonna help me once I'm going down.


Not.

So now I know to throw the cane, get my hands underneath me instead, and try to keep myself from going straight down on my knees, because it isn't good for my real one OR the fake one (but how long before can you say "hip replacement next?" LOL).

So, yah. PT today. I feel like I was hit by a truck.
Pass the ibuprofen, please.

And this week, I practice.

chrismoose & mismatched socks

Ohhhhh, I have been wanting one of these forever....


Well ok, what I really wanted was a deer (I have a special place in my heart for deer), and this is not a deer. It's a moose. A ChrisMoose. Heh. But I still love him so.
I found this guy last year, about a week after the holiday season during the last of the clearance sales. He was originally eighty bucks, and I got him for 75% off. Score!!! I loooove him. His head moves around and all that. Might need to knit him a scarf. ;-) The tree in front of my house needs one of those tree sweaters, too. Must get knitting.

In other knitting news, I made a really great beret out of more of that big fat yarn. I knit it up in gray, and I sewed on a smattering of these lovely black glass vintage buttons. The very first day I wore it, MyFavoriteKid was messing around with it, dropped it, and one of the buttons shattered. Now I'm kinda thinking that the beret could have a bit more slouch to it, so I think I might rip it out and re-do it. Seriously no sweat though. The yarn is so giant, the hat only took like a day to knit up.

I also working on a shawl right now, and I have finished some socks.

mismatched, I know....but I only wear one at a time anyhow ;-)

Karen's Sugar Free Socks
My Ravelry Project Page ~ Ravelry Pattern Link ~ Direct Link to Pattern

These were for the Sock Knitters Anonymous October challenge. This fit in the "Socks For a Cause" category because the designer donated a portion of the pattern sales to the American Diabetes Association.

I had Oct-Nov to complete them, and I went right to the wire,just finishing them today. I dug this yarn out of my stash and there wasn't enough to do a full pair in one color. To be considered for the raffle held by the group, you do have to complete a full pair, but it was okay that they were mismatched. These socks are thicker, more like house socks. Slipper socks. Damn cozy. Can't really go wrong with wool and cashmere ;-)

I had until today to cast on for the November challenge, which I am now obviously very behind on, but I started it up anyhow because there was a Mystery Sock with a techinique I haven't used much, so off I go! I have until the end of December to finish them, and maybe now that NaBloPoMo is over, I might actually get them done!



Will be back soon.
Maybe sooner than you think!

almost there....

While I'm still in the same season, let me show you what the KnittingLadies of the convalescent hospital and I cooked up as a little fall project to decorate the door to the diningroom:


I bought a foam core thingy, and then gave the ladies small balls of wool (Lamb's Pride Wortsed) that I had left over from other projects...and I told them to just knit a square. Or a rectangle. Or a strip. Whatever they wanted, in whatever stitch pattern they wanted, and mistakes no problem (because we'd cover it with other decorations and pixie dust, if need be).

This worked out great, because lemme tell ya'....TheLadies are all over the map in terms of their ability and/or attention spans. We worked on the squares for a couple of sessions together over tea and cookies, and then the final week we took turns tacking the knitting onto the wreath using floral greening pins. Then we added some fake leaves from the craft store, some ribbon, and a little scarecrow guy...and tadaaaaa! We had a holiday decoration ;-)


I, in fact, did very little of the knitting for this. I started a square to fill in the remaining gap, and actually one of the ladies finished it off for me while I was helping with the tacking and whatnot. It truly was a group project for them, and they were very proud of it.
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Just today and tomorrow...and then November (and NaBloPoMo) is over.
ahhhhhhh.....

snaps on saturday (with some haiku for good measure)

out of the window
fall leaves yellow and decay
Buddha sits within