more color

Basil Kitty's Favorite Place

Being sick is pretty boring

I have been catching 12 hours of sleep a day, between night time snoozing and an almost daily unavoidable nap.
(Sorry for missing your calls, Don, I will try and call you this afternoon). I got sick twice this week. I have a doc appointment on Tuesday, not much hope that she will discover something we haven't found in ten years, but it will be good to get my yearly physical out of the way. It is possible it is time for my every-5-years pneumovaccine. Although it is just to help avoid pneumonia, I seem to feel better for a month or so right afterward.
I managed to get out of the house last weekend, so that was good. We had hoped to get up to Gaylord for my birthday but between precarious health and Oscar's intense study schedule it's not likely to work out this year. Oscar's back has been bad the past few weeks, too. A long drive like that is not a good idea either.
I have been able to get some rough drafting on the book reviews done, as well as some simple (non -otterwise-design) knitting. I'll have photos of the knitting stuff later, when Oscar has time this weekend to help.
I am feeling better today than I have all week, thanks in large part to all those naps I think :-}
(photo from one of my outings last week)

A Smile

from Totally Looks Like 

warming

I have been enjoying design-on-the-needle lately.
An online friend is going through a rough time so I made her a shawl. Thank goodness another online friend let me know the planned recipient is sensitive to animal fibers, and also what colors she enjoys. (photo above, thanks to Oscar).
So I finished the shawl and as often happens it sparked an idea for a pattern. (The pattern will use wool rather than cotton, and will be in a different palette).
I am also enjoying free-knitting some sweaters, hats etc. for charity.

Many charities locally prefer people to just purchase new clothing for donation, some of it not as warm as a woolen item would be. I have decided to donate my efforts elsewhere. If we had a more financially stable situation, I would be glad to donate school supplies, hygiene items etc locally, but that will wait until we are settled.
What I can do this year is use my partial skeins of wool yarn to knit.

The group I work through is called Wool-Aid. Unlike many charitable organizations here in the States they prefer items to be made of wool.  (Even if you don't craft, I know they are always in need of money for postage, please consider sending even a few dollars their way.)
They help people closer to home as well as in other countries, but the sweaters I am making at the moment I think I will send on behalf of Tibet. A year after the earthquakes, approximately 100,000 people are housed in thin-walled tents. Some of them are sole survivors of their families, many of them are children. Although the website states an end date of May 2011, they have continued the campaign because of the great need, and the next mailing is slated to go out in November.
If you are a crafter and on Ravelry, the wool-aid group is located HERE.
They also have a section earmarked for "finished object to go where most needed". Which I think is fabulous. People can send Wool-aid whatever woolens (80% or greater animal fiber content) they have to send, and Wool-aid will steer them toward whatever campaign has the most need at the time they are received.

The New Normal?

I am sick, again. (sinus stuff, minor sore throat, overall aches and pains, low-grade fever)
I managed almost a week of feeling fairly good, getting 9 reviews done and working on some new patterns, then I got sick again.
Looking back, I have only managed to complete one pattern since November of last year. I guess the decision to seek SSD was a solid one. I certainly am not earning enough to pull my weight.
I filled out another form for SSD earlier this week. Going through the details of how I got here was harsh, and triggered a PTSD episode which is still being felt (in a much less acute way) today.
If they say no, they say no but at least I tried, this time with the help of a lawyer.
I am mostly knitting for charity this week. I find it soothing to keep busy, and feel useful that way.
Tonight Oscar is at a pink slip party put on by Detroitnet.org. Speaking of Oscar and Detroitnet, they posted a review Oscar wrote earlier this week HERE. He is SO good at what he does!
He has also passed his second certification exam with an even higher score than the first one, and is already studying hard for the next step. I am so proud of him!
Anyway, if this level of health is my new 'normal' it is still a lot better than it could be.

A Different Kind of Hero

As I look at the calendar today, like many other people my mind turns to that day 10 years ago when the U.S. lost a measure of her innocence. Much of the media has focused on memorializing the lives lost, particularly the members of the military who have died in action since that day ten years ago. Although I honor them and their families as well as those who serve to this day I find September 11th, 2001 bringing to mind a different kind of hero. Yes, the United States lost innocence, lives of fire fighters, EMTs, police and members of the military as well as people who were just going about an ordinary day, but we gained something as well.
With the actions taken by ordinary people we gained an understanding of the potential strength that lies within each of us. Today I honor the people on Flight 93 who knowing they they had the chance to save lives gave their own to crash a plane before it reached its target. I honor all those in New York City who rather than run away from the plume of smoke ran toward the danger hoping to make a difference. Yes, the bravery of the firefighters, military members, police and EMTs is laudable, and they are heroes every day they put on a uniform to do their jobs but to me the more powerful memories are those of the heroes in civilian clothing. What we gained on that day ten years ago was the knowledge and responsibility that each of us carries a hero within. That we can and should make a difference whatever our level of skill, knowledge and physical ability. We are heroes, all.
(photo by Oscar)

It stopped raining this afternoon

A Good Day

We ended up not travelling on Tuesday to see my folks. We decided instead to plan a trip to visit when they are up in Gaylord, sometime after my birthday (October 6th). The only problem with this is it meant I went more than two weeks without getting out of the house. Tuesday we just worked at home, not even going to the Farmer's Market. Oscar wanted to study for his upcoming exam (scheduled for Monday). Today since the cool weather continued we decided we wanted to make a pot roast, and to get me out of the house we traveled to Coleman's market. They sell produce, some home-canned goods (yummy hot and spicy Chow Chow, Hungarian pepper relish, Sweet onion relish and lots of home-made jams) as well as flowers and the standard fruits and veg, many from local sources. Today we bought potatoes, onions and turnips to use in our pot roast. It took a very short time to clean and cut up the veg and season the roast, and I just popped it in the oven a few minutes ago.
We are both very thankful that all our loved ones are well and safe. A friend I have known online for more than 13 years lost her father this week to a rapidly spreading cancer. It is impossible for me to travel and see her in person, but after she shared her news, I began to knit a shawl for her. I bound off the shawl the same day he died, washed and blocked it, and today it was dry enough to mail to her. I am so grateful that even though I can't be with people I care about in their sad times, I can send tangible hugs with my knitting.
Otherwise things are ok here. Oscar had a small accident with a poorly made chair and injured his back, but we have been able to save enough money back to take care of such emergencies. He just got back from the chiropractor and she told him it was very good he came, and to come back next week as well.
I have made the somewhat difficult decision to sell more of my knitting books. It has taken me years to collect all the volumes of Weldon's Practical Needlework (Volume 3 was especially difficult to find) but when I learned they will be released in ebook form, I decided it made better sense to sell my books now then get the ebooks after things are more stable financially. The big heavy books are becoming difficult for me to read anyway, and we need the money more now than I need the books.
 Another upcoming bill will be the series of blood tests and my yearly physical at the end of this month. The number of pain meds I am on mean the doctor feels more comfortable keeping track of how my system is handling them, and with my immune disorder it is important to check my white blood cell count on a fairly regular basis. As often as I have been ill this year, it is a good idea to get my physical done rather than skip it.
The good news is the money I earned in August from my Knit Picks sales is almost enough to cover the doctor appointment. I have called St. Joe health center to see if they have some kind of sliding scale for the cost of lab work to help people who are unemployed and have no health insurance. It will all work out, I'm sure.
I also have managed to write more reviews this month. My mind has been working well as long as I catch it first thing after I get up :-} So far in September I have submitted eight reviews, almost one per day :-} I will try and keep at this pace or greater. I still have 100 books waiting.
 (photo is of Oscar holding up Ellen's shawl)

Fibery. Flowery, Vegetably, Buggy Amazement

As I was visiting Lucy's Attic24 (link to the blog to the right of this page) I came across a post that really made my day.
Blooming Marvellous
It seems something magical happened in Bournemouth this summer. As the project blog states, a group of interested folks in the area created "An intergenerational community knitting/crochet project culminating in a knitted/crocheted 3D garden which climbed, creeped, blossomed over 3 floors of Bourenmouth Library and is now on tour around the UK"


No photos on my post here, but if you click on the first link above you will find a wondrous marvel of creativity in the photos taken by Lucy.

same-oh same-oh

Not much excitement around Casa de Nutria (not the swamp rodents in southern Louisiana, but Spanish for  'otter', and please forgive any grammatical mistakes, I don't speak Spanish yet.)

Oscar rocked his first certification exam, and is studying hard for the second. He thinks he might be able to take the second exam next week already.

I've been under the weather (again) but have managed to write and submit two more reviews.

My Kaleidoscope pattern has been accepted at Knit Picks, and is scheduled for their next photo shoot.

We had a fairly long string of pleasant days, but today and tomorrow are very hot and sticky... High of 97... it being Michigan, Monday's high is slated to be 67. Yep. A HIGH of 67.

Universal Yarns sent me a skein of yarn for testing. So far it has passed the multiple frogging test (rippit rippit) and I have decided I like it best at a very loose gauge.

We go to visit my parents on Tuesday, no other big plans in the works.