Another TGIF Post for You

Oh it's been a week, let me tell you.  But you know what?  It's Friday, and in my case at least, leading to a 3-day weekend, as we have MLK Day as a holiday.  I don't even care that it's supposed to rain like a flood on Sunday and then freeze overnight because of the polar vortex, because I don't have to even leave the house except to take Hamlet for walks.  Mind you, I do feel cheated because the flooding rain on Sunday was originally predicted to be snow.  But since it's a long weekend, I'm gonna let it pass ...

Anyway, I have decided that this is a perfect time for another TGIF post to make me re-orient my thoughts.

Thinking about - how if you are someone who loves winter, you are considered some kind of weirdo freak.  But if you love summer, you are "normal."  Who decided that?  No, never mind I really don't care, I will always take winter over summer.  Sorry normal people.

Grateful for - the words of Mary Oliver.  Her poetry may have been dismissed by critics, but for someone like me, who has an ambivalent at best feeling towards most poetry, it made me happy.  Because words and language are a deep and meaningful part of my soul and being.

Inspired by - all of the voices raised to challenge, inform, and share knowledge and experiences this week on Instagram and other places as a result of a blog post by a woman getting ready to take a life-changing trip.  I am guessing that this weeks' events gave "life-changing" a different meaning than she originally intended, but I am glad that people spoke up and out to let everyone else know the real state of things.  I have many opinions (because, well, I'm me), but in cases like this I do a truly poor job of making them coherent.  So I would just ask that you read, think, and learn from all of this.  And try as hard as you possibly can to do better.  I consciously try, and often fail because I haven't give things enough thought, or I just did not know something.  No one should stop learning, ever.

Fun things - I have no idea.  Doing nothing is fun, but so is a good book, a good cup of tea, an old movie (particularly one of the ones that just have you thinking, "What?"), and animals to cuddle.  Or baking gingerbread muffins on a cold day.  Just being, when you are fortunate enough to be able to do that because it's what you want to do.

I hope all of you have a lovely weekend, and a safe one.  Be kind to each other.  And remember that we are all just passing through.

Penn and Oden

Once Again, My Mother Was Right

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you have been subjected to many of my mother's favorite sayings.  One of the ones we would hear most often growing up was "It's either an a** or an elbow with you, isn't it?"  This was said when for instance you just got over a cold and then sprained an ankle, or some combination like that. 

She was right.  

Of course, you all know of my long and varied times of getting over one illness or injury, just to have another show up.  It happens to everyone at one point or another, but in my most self-pitying moments, I feel like it only happens to me.  The day in October that I finally felt like I was truly recovered from pneumonia was the day I feel and broke my wrist.  A**, meet elbow.

At the moment, it's not *exactly* the same, but close enough.  When I fell and broke my wrist, I also broke two front teeth.  One had been previously broken a few years ago when I fell (I guess) and ended up with kidney cancer.  Last month, I was eating yogurt, and the temporary replacement that had been put on the one tooth in October came off.  Since I had maxed out my dental insurance, I was waiting until now for them to be able to do two crowns:  one for the broken tooth, and one for the implant in progress.  The dentist temporarily fixed the tooth, and all was well.  I have an appt this coming Thursday afternoon for the crown over the implant site.

And now that appt will also include temporarily fixing that same tooth, yet again.  Tonight I was eating soup and guess what?  Ugh.  I called to see if they wanted me to come in right away, or wait until Thursday.  (It will get a crown, but they can only do one at a time with my insurance and the implant is overdue.)  Which is fine, but it means that I have to spend a couple of very uncomfortable and self-conscious days until then.  And I have to give a tour on Wednesday at work, which makes it even more annoying.  Plus, the broken tooth keeps catching on my gum and that really hurts!

I know I'm lucky to have dental insurance, and the original crown on the tooth that broke off again would still be in place if I hadn't fallen in October, but really???  I'm so tired of all of this stuff, and I was just starting to feel like I was getting back to normal. 

An a** or an elbow.  Once again, my mother was right.  ;-)

Furball Friday

When it's a very cold Friday, and you are a small, one-eyed kitty, sometimes curling up for a nap is the best idea.

It also works well if you are a large, 80-pound Golden Retriever.

Here's hoping your weekend will be cozy and relaxing!

Those Kids Need to Get Off My Lawn

I started today in a good mood, honest.  Hamlet and I had a nice early morning walk, the kitties were cuddly before I left for work, and I fixed myself a nice cup of tea once I got here.  

Now it's lunchtime, and stabbiness has taken over.  I just realized that three things happened leading to the stabbiness, so I am sharing them with you for Three on Thursday, aren't you glad???

Event the First:  One of my co-workers eats at her desk all of the time, even though we are not supposed to do that.  It's annoying mainly because of the food smells when you are trying to work.  This morning she arrived and found evidence of a mouse having been in her desk.  She called the maitenance dept and they were out of snap traps, so put down a glue trap.  A mouse was almost immediately caught, and the poor creature was so distraught it broke my heart, and still makes me feel terrible to think what happened to it.  Then said co-worker cleaned out her desk drawers and HOLY CRAP she had a small grocery store snack aisle in there!

Stabbiness Level:  Blood Red

Event the Second:  One of our co-workers is out this entire week at a workshop.  She has several volunteers who come in, and she told them to come in anyway, because her assistant would set them up to work, etc.  Today's volunteer starts at 10 a.m. and showed up about ten minutes ahead of time, and of course the assistant had not even gotten to work yet (long story, we're not even going there).  I tried to help the volunteer, but couldn't really do much.  The assistant finally showed up about 10:10, and got the volunteer settled.  Then he came back into our office and was annoyed because she "showed up early."  It took every fiber in my being not to say that she probably showed up early because a) she takes public transportation, and b) she probably didn't want to be late.  And that maybe he should have made an effort to show up early ...

Stabbiness Level:  ____ Brown

Event the Third:  I started to watch a knitting podcast at lunchtime, and about five minutes in, the person's phone rang, and she stopped and said, "I just got a text - let me see what it's about."  She checked the text, typed out a response and then picked up again with what she had been saying.  If you know you are going to be recording, and you forgot to turn off your phone (which, I'm sorry come on), and you get a text/call/whatever, wouldn't you say "Excuse me" turn the phone off, and then continue??  Let's face it, if you are waiting for a text saying the brain transplant surgery was a success, maybe you shouldn't have started recording.

Stabbiness Level:  Annoyed Orange

*****

And now that I have dragged you down with me, I wish you a good day and hope your day is going better and will continue to go better than mine has!  :-)

2018 Knits

Before we get much more into the new year, I wanted to do a summary of what I made during 2018.  I'm pretty pleased with my total, especially when you consider that I couldn't even attempt to knit for the months of October, November, and December.  Realistically, if I hadn't broken my wrist, I think I could have gotten one or two more pairs of socks done - though it still would have been short of twelve pairs for the year!  No problem though, since for me, the Box o' Socks is for fun and a bit of challenge more than anything else.

Anyway, I'm happy with what I was able to accomplish.

Eight pairs of socks

A sweater for me

A sweater for my new great-nephew Oden, who was born in April

A patriotic dishcloth for the 4th of July

A pumpkin hat and an eggplant hat for dear friends, whose babies were originally due in October, but arrived towards the end of July (they are doing really well, btw).

Total:  13 items - I thought it was a lower number, so that's pretty exciting as far as I'm concerned!