OK, Now Rhinebeck

First, I did not win the lottery (though I did get two numbers on one ticket, which is more than I usually get). However, when I called the hairdresser this morning to reschedule my Thursday appointment, she was able to get me in tonight since she had just had a cancellation half an hour earlier, and when I was leaving there it was sprinkling and I saw a rainbow, so it's safe to say that the week is still going swimmingly. (Not unrealistically so: I did not get three extra hours of sleep last night. It is still real life.)

Now, Rhinebeck! The weekend was awesome, good weather, good friends, no car trouble, and only some spots of traffic. Lots of gorgeous yarn, as I alluded to on Saturday night. All in all, wonderful. Here's how it went down. Are you ready for many, many pictures? Let's go!

Two of my friends were dropped off at my house Saturday morning, and we got all our stuff into the car and picked up one more person, then hit the road. The drive went fine, and it was sunny and nice fall weather. We got there before noon, and I (of course) led the way to The Fold's booth first. I got to show the mink shawl I made to Linnae (Grinning Gargoyle, the yarn) and Drin (Mushroom Knits, the pattern), which was great fun. I wedged my way into the booth, oohing and ahhing, and ended up grabbing two skeins of mill ends (which are discounted because there may be knots or other issues) one in a gold/brown mix and one (of course) blue.

Our next stop was, as planned, the Sliver Moon Farm booth for Periwinkle Sheep, but I was downcast to learn that she had not brought any of the Sock Dreams line; it hadn't even occurred to me to ask, but she said she'd had trouble with her supplier, and the only other she had found in time to be able to dye it for Rhinebeck was much more expensive. The good news is that she will be making it again, so there's that. I consoled myself with plenty of other yarn; there's no feeling of deprivation here. From that point on, we made our way through a blur of booths and buildings, seeing so much loveliness it was overwhelming. And fun decor! And animal parades!

When we did start feeling overwhelmed, we went to the animal areas and made some friends there.

It was nap time for a lot of the animals. Ear in the food bowl.

Head on your neighbor.

All in a row.

Nom nom nom, clipboard is delicious.

More naps.

I'm awake! Just resting my legs.

Whazzup? Over there?

Looking askance.

 Hey dude, what's up?

 Did you hear that? I heard something...

 Dude, all I hear is my stomach rumbling. Let a fellow eat.

 Why, yes, I am just that cute! Thanks for noticing!

I mustache you a question...

 Now I heard something over there.

 Take a load off.

 And bat those eyelashes.

 Hello, fluffy!

The name of the 4H club cracks me up.

 Spots!

 All over!

I'm just a little guy...

 What did you say? I am shocked!

Here's Saturday's haul in the improved light of Sunday morning. Beauteous!

The top one is the Briar Rose that was the last purchase of the day, that I couldn't make myself put down, and couldn't stop hugging. Mmmmmmm.

Saturday after we left the grounds, it took us over an hour to make the 15-minute drive into Kingston. Once we finally got there, we checked into the Superlodge without trouble, then went a mile or so down the road to meet friends for dinner at the Olympic Diner. I'm sorry to say that the food was only "fine" and the service was mystifyingly slow, so I can't recommend it.

After dinner, most of the group went back to the motel, but I joined one of my friends to go to a gathering back in Rhinebeck of some of her "friends in the computer" who had rented a house there for the weekend. We didn't stay all that long, what with being all exhausted, but hung around talking to people, and looking at the beautiful yarns that one of the group, a dyer, had brought (I took home one skein, the one on the right in the picture above). Eventually I had to call time, though; it was 10:30 before we got back to the motel, and I was a weird combination of exhausted and wired that meant I didn't get to sleep for an hour. Morning came all too soon, though not soon enough given all the super-weird dreams I had. The brain is a funny thing.

Once we all checked out, we drove over to Rhinebeck and went to the Everready Diner that's across from the fairgrounds for breakfast (as opposed to the one in Hyde Park that we'd eaten at in previous years). The food was delicious, a vast improvement over the previous night's dinner, but the service was again mystifyingly slow, especially given that the restaurant wasn't full up. Who knows.

Before we went in, we stopped to admire some amazing cars in the parking lot. I want this one, of course, in Bruins colors.

 But this was also a beauty.

 As was this. All in amazing condition.

The weather, which had clouded over Saturday afternoon and thrown some rain down overnight, cleared beautifully for Sunday. Sunny, but not too warm, just what the knit-fiends were hoping for.

 The trees are just lovely, right?

 

 This one agreed, of course.

 It's hard to tell what this one was thinking.

This little guy was having the best scritch of his life from the man leaning over. I'm not sure if they knew each other, but that little guy was in heaven.

 Throwing his head around, begging for more.

 Just a gorgeous day.

 I noticed at one point that Sunday, I was back on the blue wagon. What can I say, I like the blues.

 Colors everywhere.

All right, I'm flagging. I'll wrap up, and show all the yarns, another time... probably not tomorrow, definitely not Thursday, but Friday night or over the weekend.

After I take Miri in Saturday morning, that is; I heard back about that while I was working on this tonight. What a week!

By the way, for the reader who commented on Monday's post asking why I was getting rid of Miri, since there didn't seem to be an e-mail address I could respond to directly, I thought I'd mention it here. My initial reaction was, "Have you been reading here long?" Because I feel that I've complained about Miri for so many years, the question surprised me. Anyway, it's all in the archives, but this is the Cliffs Notes version.

I got Miri, in January 2009, for one reason: to keep my other cat, Harold, company. I'd had Pan and Harold since they were kittens, and when Pan died 10+ years later, Harold was desperately lonely. I looked for a cat that would like other cats, and took Miri because she'd been seen with another cat before she was rescued, and also loved the other cat where she was fostered. She was very good for Harold, and it didn't bother me much, that year, that I couldn't get her comfortable with me; I had Harold for a pet, plus that was the year my father died, and I didn't have the energy to spare worrying about her. I tried to be nice to her, and she was skittish and fearful at me, and that was it.

In November, however, Harold died, and suddenly Miri and I were all each other had. She was clearly lonely, and would try to get close to me, only to flee when I moved, or sneezed. It wasn't working well for either of us, and I knew I'd need to find another cat soon, for both of us.

In January 2010, I brought Carlos home. He's a love, sweet and cuddly with me, and he mostly didn't mind Miri's attentions, though he never sought her out or seemed to return the love. Still, she was happier and I was happier with Carlos around.

Now, four and three quarters years later, the situation is pretty much the same. I love Carlos, and he loves me; Miri loves Carlos, and he is indifferent to her. Miri is just as scared of me as ever, no matter how I've tried to be friends with her. It isn't her fault she doesn't trust people; maybe she was born this way, or maybe something awful happened to her before she was rescued, but either way, she can't help it.

On the one hand, I do believe that when you get a pet, you commit to take care of it for its lifespan. On the other, I feel I've given this sufficient effort, nothing has changed, and it's time for her to move on. The organization I got her through is willing to take her back, and I hope they can find her a situation with lots of other cats to love, and not much human interaction to trouble her.

And Then I Bought a Lottery Ticket

This started out as a good day, and then got better, and then better again. Wow!

I had a great time this weekend (more on that tomorrow, I'm working on it, but I'm running out of today already), and was home and exhausted around 7:30 last night. It was so nice to lie around and relax, petting the kitty, instead of rushing to unpack and get to bed because I had to get up for work. I slept until almost 9! It felt great. I got up, turned on the coffeemaker, and looked at my e-mail, then sat blinking stupidly at a message from the cat-rescue place telling me they might (finally) have foster room for Miri, and asking about my schedule to hand her over.

Oh.

Really?

Well. Let's not get too excited prematurely, but, ooooh, would that be awesome. I kind of won't believe it until it happens, but I hope, I hope.

I hung around the rest of the morning, read the paper, cuddled Carlos, took yarn pictures, all that stuff. Then I went off to a doctor's appointment, and as I went into the building, I took out my phone to turn the volume off, and found a text message from my Bruins-loving friend and previous ticket source, inquiring whether I was free to sit in the front row Thursday night at the Bruins game.

Oh.

Really?

Well. I guess I could make that. Though I have to reschedule a haircut and all. Kind of a pain.

Aaaaahhhhhhhh!

(Perhaps not the best news to get right before an appointment to check my blood pressure, by the way, but he wanted to put me on medication anyway, so it's not like that tipped the scales.)

So, as you might expect, when I went to pick up a few groceries, I got a ticket for tonight's lottery, too (two, actually, as there are two different ones drawing tonight). Probably nothing will come of it, but really, given this day, it might!

I'm off to pick up my prescription, go to the chiropractor, and to stitch and bitch. Busy, busy, busy ... and happy!

Rhinebeck, Day One

Crappy photo, fabulous yarn. Eminently satisfactory.

Quick: While I Remember Apple Festival

Right, as I mentioned yesterday, a few things from last weekend, quickly, while I get ready for this weekend!  (Oh, October.)

• Grandma did like the gourds. In fact, she thinks they should be pictured in a magazine. I guess that's a win!
• ​I showed her the stress ball that I knit, and she liked it so much that I gave it to her (I didn't call it a stress ball to her, but something I use to exercise my hands, and she started fidgeting with it just as I would). I'll make myself another, one of these days.
• I bought another skein of some alpaca yarn I got there last year (the first yarn picture here). I still don't know what it's going to be, but now I have more, soft and pretty!
• I got, or rather my aunt got for me as a birthday present, another piece in "my pattern" from the Sunny Day Pottery booth. This is a kitchen piece, which holds both the bottle brush I have that's always falling over, and a sponge. Obligatory crappy picture:

And a few pictures from the Fest itself, first from the same booth, stealthily taken:

Oh, that's what that dish is for: hordouvres. I should have known.

Love this sign, riffing on the keep calm thing:

And also this guy, in a booth that sold goat's-milk soap:

Guy carving giant pumpkin.

And, of course, pool ponies. Naturally.

Now! Pack we must!

Not-so-secret knitting: the final reveal

I haven't actually talked much about last weekend, have I? My Apple Festival reporting has suffered since I became a Rhinebeck addict, that's for sure; they're just too close together. Well, here's one thing, and then I'll try to touch on a few things tomorrow.

As you know, I've been blogging about the shawl I've been knitting for my aunt, but you may have noticed no news about it recently. This is because, a few weeks before my trip, I saw the possibility that I would be able to finish it in time to present it in person, and decided to make that part of it a surprise. I like a deadline that's less fall-down-dead due date and more if-possible target; less pressure. In fact, I finished knitting it the Saturday before Apple Festival, and blocked it on Sunday. Perfect! It was handed over shortly after I arrived.

How did it get there? First, we wash. The week before, the pot held applesauce; this time, merino. Flexibility!

I put the foam squares on the bed to lay it out, leading to much angst in cat-ville. Miri fled the scene, and Carlos skittered around my feet while I was tugging and pinning as though I had yelled at him when I totally hadn't. It looked pretty, all flattened out, see?

I turned the fan on toward the bed and closed the door, so that neither of us had to worry. Well, about the bed; Carlos was deeply worried by the closed door. I try to imagine how I would have felt if a wall appeared across the living room, blocking off space I always used to be able to get to. He kept walking back up to the door as if it might open this time. Eventually he went to the office perch to sulk. I opened the window in there, which was only slight consolation to a guy who likes his routines (as well as his bed and his window). Later I was sitting in the living room when Miri came out of hiding and meowed at me; I told her that Carlos was in the office, and pointed, and damned if she didn't walk straight in there to join him.

All is not right in the world.

I went in a couple of times to check on how the shawl was drying, as well as when I was putting laundry away, and I swear Carlos was aggravated that I could get in there when he couldn't. What is the point of having big paws without opposable thumbs?

A final thought: I enjoyed making something for someone based on their input. Surprise presents can work out well, but it's also nice when you can be pretty sure the recipient wants it. I'm definitely open to suggestions, loved ones! I mean, chances are I'll knit you something anyway, but feel free to give me ideas.

I'll leave you with more pictures.

Sorry and Glad It's Only Wednesday

I was putting my contacts in this morning, and while the right one gave me no trouble, the left dropped off my fingertip and vanished from the face of the earth. it was quite baffling. I eventually put in another one (they're monthly disposables, so I have plenty on hand) and found it, where it had flown to land on the face of the faucet. Crazy. I can be short-tempered, but this didn't even make me mad, just baffled. But ... but ... where'd it go? I'm glad I did find it; it would have nagged at me, otherwise.

My commute, on the other hand, did make me mad. I don't know if it was the full moon, but I was behind some extra-stupid drivers this morning. I don't think it was even just perception. One slowed and turned without signaling even at the last minute (a trick some use that irritates me mightily), and another stopped at a bend in the road, even though our direction had the right of way (no stop sign, no yield, not even a caution) and there was no one coming from the side street. A third clearly did not know where he wanted to go, and did the slow--stop--pull over trick right at a big curve on a narrow street. Not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, that one!

It wasn't any better tonight, either. Do you think there's anything to the full moon explanation? I know I've heard that ER doctors swear by it, and the guy at the auto place last night was talking about how even they'd been seeing crazy behavior this week. Funny, isn't it?

I got gas on the way home, I've done two loads of laundry and made and ate dinner and washed dishes, and the dishwasher is running. The books I have to return to the library tomorrow are by my purse. I need to finish my shopping list for Target, which I plan to visit after work tomorrow, along with Petsmart. What else, what else? Off to consult the list--well, lists, these days. October, you know, is crazy around here. In a way I wish it could be Friday already (don't let's even talk about work today), but on the other hand, I still have a lot to do before the weekend. Rhinebeck! Rhinebeck! Rhinebeck!

More Yawns

Right, here I am! Still tired, though, whew. Carlos and I both wanted me to stay in bed this morning. Alas, as I told Grandma when leaving yesterday, if I stop going to work, they stop paying me. It was a stressful day, though, for several reasons, which I could have done without.

One reason was that we had a fire alarm in the building this morning; it seems to have been a drill, given that the man who waved us back in had earplugs, but it was reallyreallyREALLY loud and nerve-wracking, and gave me some much-unneeded adrenaline to cope with.

Then, since the walls in the office are so loud, I could mostly hear a meeting that involved one of my co-workers apparently being in serious trouble for something, and I felt very stressed by what was happening. Which is kind of ridiculous, since it was nothing at all to do with me, but I've always hated being around fighting or even loud disagreements, and just the idea of what it seems he did made my stomach clench. Ugh.

The main reason, though, was car-related--I know, again! Which led from the "another $400?" question right to the "is this the tipping point? Do I need to go car-shopping now?" question. I went with the compromise of fix-this-now (I can't fathom buying a new car in the next three days, or worrying about the car all the way to Rhinebeck and back), but need to start doing some looking and pondering now, so that when the time comes, I'll have an idea what I want to get (though I will probably still beg one of my friends who can actually negotiate to come with me then). Great; more on the to-do list.

Anyone want to weigh in on what to get? Not too expensive, obviously. I've been driving the Mazda3 wagon for seven and a half years; the Saturn for 10+ years before that. What I'd really like is to be a bit higher up off the road--I'm sick of being so much lower than most of what's around--but of course I don't need anything all that big. One friend mentioned the Toyota RAV4 as a possibility, so I'll test that one and see how it feels. I only know good things about Toyota. I'm not really in the mood for another Mazda, as you might imagine. What else? Talk to me!

Yeah, Tired. That.

It was a good weekend, but wow, I'm wiped out. Hopefully I'll be up for more tomorrow. How was your weekend?

In Order to Have Something

I look at my behind-the-scenes Blogger page, and see that I've published over 1950 posts, and I marvel at it.

And then I realize that some of them are like this one: Hi! I have to go pack! Later! And it becomes, shall we say, marginally less impressive.

Oh well. Such is life. Here are some things I've seen on Facebook recently, that I don't think I've put here yet. If we're Facebook friends, forgive the repetition.

As I said on this one, "I actually forgive the spelling errors for the sense of humor." Click to enlarge.

Rhymes with Orange is clearly done by a knitter, or at least someone knit-friendly, as I believe I've noted before.

Finally, I don't curse as much here as I do in real life (and especially in my head), but this is worth it.

Just too true!

Now, I have packing to do, a game to watch, a kitty to cuddle ... busy night! Catch you later!

Hippo Birdy to Meeeeee!

Over the last week or so, the leaves have been turning beautifully, and this morning was mostly sunny, so I could really enjoy them on my birthday. Mother Nature wishing me happy birthday!

So did Starbucks, mind you.

And the Google home page! I was surprised to see cake and candles when I opened it this morning, but there it was. For me!

And don't the Chinese think that 8 is a lucky number? Well, here's what my car passed this morning.

 

So that's like "happy birthday" in Mazda-speak, right? All sorts of friends sent me messages, cards and e-mail and Facebook and even text. And my best friend's mom made me steak, mashed potatoes, and peas for dinner, with a Pepperidge Farm coconut cake for dessert: my complete favorite meal at age 10, and still a favorite today. Just delicious--and she sent me home with leftovers.

I've been eating pumpkin seeds all week, too; I got about two cups out of those pumpkins. Happy fall! I do love this time of year. And particularly the smell in the air, and the trees that change color in stages.

 

Happy my birthday to you!

Quick Sock Shot

One side benefit to all my plans the weekend before last was that I got a ton of sock knitting done. I went from being half an inch from starting the heel (when I pulled it out that Saturday evening) to trying to decide when it would be time to switch to the cuff ribbing on the leg. Well, I finished the thing last night, and cast on sock two.

It's a crappy photo, but still. Isn't it funny how one thing turns into the other?

A Clipping Pace

Saying that the day (and, it being Monday, the week) started well because I trimmed the cat's claws may sound odd. However, when the cat in question is Miri, and I've been trying to get hold of her for I don't know how many weeks, you can understand my relief in being able to state that I finally got hold of her, and for a few weeks at least, she will not be sticking to things. Little ingrate.

I'm wishing I could say that by the time she's due again, it won't be my problem, but I'm afraid that won't be true. I've been waiting to address the issue until I had good news, for fear of jinxing it, but not talking about it has not been working either, so here we go: I've been talking with someone (a person at a rescue organization) about getting rid of Miri, which, yay! Except that it's been two months of communication, and guess who still lives at my house? Princess Floof herself. So. Humph.

In totally related musings, here's why you should try to under-promise and over-deliver: if you know it will take a week to perform a task for someone, which is better, to tell them it will take two days or that it will take two weeks? Which is going to lead to a happier customer?

I know, I'm not exactly a customer here. But a corollary to this is, if you don't know how long it will take for something to happen (say, for room to open in a foster home), then say you don't know how long it will be. Don't say you think it will be a week or so. Ahem.

So, the oven. After the National Grid man left yesterday, I went onto the website for a local appliance store, and since the website said they did service but nothing about how it worked, I filled out their little online form to ask for more information. Someone called me back today while I was eating lunch, so I missed the call, and for the life of me I couldn't make out her name on the message, meaning when I called back, I couldn't ask for so-and-so. And the woman who answered the phone was completely flummoxed by what I was saying. Why would they have called me about service? Was I saying that I had called yesterday? No, the website. You called...us? No, I filled out the form. On the website. I'm not sure she ever understood; it seemed like she decided to skip over the whole thing and start fresh. Whatever. They're coming Friday morning, and in the meantime, I'm taking the cookie dough to a friend's tomorrow night and borrowing her oven. It works out.

Okay, Sir Purrs-a-lot needs me. Later!

Not a Gas Leak. And Pumpkins!

So the good news is that the nice man from National Grid says my oven is not leaking gas, which is good news. However, it's got a carbon monoxide problem, which although it won't result in the house blowing up (also good news), does require not using the oven until I can get someone here to look at it.

In related news, I have cookie dough for my cousin's son's* birthday in the fridge, but I don't know that I'm willing to make them in the toaster oven, so that might be delayed. (He's turning 14, so it's not like I'm disappointing a three-year-old or anything.) Sigh. Add another thing to The List.
*So he's my first cousin once removed. Somehow, "my cousin's son" comes out more easily.

And how was your weekend?

Mine was actually good otherwise. I got a lot done without feeling like I never sat down. Not exciting stuff mostly (laundry, dishes, vacuuming, that kind of thing), though there was one not-every-weekend thing: pumpkins. The last year or two, I haven't gotten around to getting a pumpkin to roast the seeds, and I really wanted to do it this year. I went to Wilson Farm, where they had many wonderful options.

I brought home two, and they passed inspection.

Well, I suppose it's all right. This once.

I gutted the small one yesterday, and lesson learned: my hand only just fit inside, making the seed removal a bit awkward. My hand was pretty tired afterward. But the seeds were good! Today I went for the bigger one (and had to roast the seeds in the toaster oven, ahem).

I rinse the seeds off, spread them in a single layer on the cookie sheet, salt them, and then bake them until they rattle when I shake the sheet. Yum! Must be fall if I'm eating pumpkin seeds.

I picked up a few other gourds, too. I was going to see about getting a plant to bring grandma next weekend, when I passed a bunch of little funny ones, like I got last year, and thought hey, that might amuse her. I picked out these two, and enjoyed how they can be paired.

Yes, if it doesn't amuse her, it has at least amused me.

The Bruins won last night, which was nice, and are now 2-0 on the season. Whoever made the schedule so they're now off for four days, though? Very funny.

It Is So Bedtime

If not seven, there were at least four Mondays in my week. (How many in yours?) So before I head to bed, here are a few things to possibly amuse, inform, or entertain.

• A really interesting piece about the first woman senator. In 1922!
• Tremendously cool poster showing relative sizes of all sorts of sci-fi spaceships. Click to enlarge!
• Apparently last night was the first time in NHL history that a team's first goal of the season came on a shorthanded penalty shot. Who'd have thought? Go Bruins!

And go to bed, ccr, now please.

Someone says it's bedtime.

Of Head and Bruins

I woke up this morning and found myself in the middle of a pretty bad headache, which is a disconcerting way to start the day. After the usual treat-and-sleep, it was better enough that I was able to go in to work and get something done, for a half day anyway. One of my coworkers proved he knows me pretty well by saying that, no offense, I didn't look great, and none taken, I'm sure I didn't. Still, I haven't had an awful headache since August, which is a nice long break for me.

I wore a Bruins t-shirt to work under my grown-up shirt, and now I'm home and rocking the t-shirt, off to watch the Bruins open their season. Go, Bruins!

All I Want to Say About Politics as Usual

It feels wrong to ignore the extra-stupid stupidity going on this week, so to address the current situation of my country's government not governing, I offer three things. First, this quote from President Obama, speaking to NPR:

"I shouldn't have to offer [the Republicans] anything. They're not doing me a favor by paying for things that they have already approved for the government to do. That's part of their basic function of government; that's not doing me a favor. That's doing what the American people sent them here to do, carrying out their responsibilities."

Second, the inestimable Jon Stewart on the Daily Show:

And finally, the cover page of the New York Daily News on Tuesday:

And now, if you need to get that topic off your mind, I offer you:

• This post with pictures of a bunny. (I particularly like the next to last photo; you?)
• Terrible real estate photos

 Hai and bai!

Of Chocolate, and Hockey

One of my friends gave me some chocolate for my birthday (if you, too, are a caramel fiend, this and this are equally fantastic), and as it happens, this is a great week for me to have good chocolate around. This is my second cycle off the pill (to see if it helps lower the blood pressure, which it doesn't seem to be doing, alas); the first one was 29 days, but this one was 24, highlighting two things about being off the pill I don't like: unpredictability, and short cycles. Sigh. Plus cramps, which were especially bad this morning; I found myself thinking, "Come on, codeine, I'm way too aware of my midsection."

In other, happier news: the NHL starts tonight! The Bruins don't play until Thursday, but it's officially hockey season, yay!

 I'm off to watch whatever's on. Hockey, hockey, hockey! It makes me feel like this:

Zzzzzzz

As I expected, the weekend was both very good and very tiring, and I need a weekend to recover from it. Still, I had good cake twice, and I have a pot of applesauce in the fridge, and got to hang out with friends, and it was worth the aftereffects.

However, I cut stitch and bitch short tonight, and now I need to go crash on the couch with Carlos, and do some nothing for a while. Please excuse me.

Carlos Speaks for Me Tonight

It's been a good day, but...