Membership So Far: Just Us

For any of you who don't live in Pennsylvania, you may not even be interested in this post. Heck, even those in the state may not be, so let me say up front that this post is about politics. Which, like it or not, is part of every single part of our lives, in one way or another. So if you don't care, don't agree, or it makes you angry that this post is not about knitting, reading, cats, etc., my best advice would be to move along right now.

In the upcoming November general election, we have two statewide races that are big ones: John Fetterman, the current Lieutenant Governor (D), and Dr. Oz, television personality and resident of the state of New Jersey (R). 

You don't want me to get started on Dr. Oz. Trust me, you didn't even want that to happen before he decided to use his in-laws' address to "prove" his state residency. I was a non-fan of Dr. Oz before it become de rigueur here.

Then there is the gubernatorial race, which has Josh Shapiro, the current Attorney General (D), and Doug Mastriano, currently a PA state senator (R).

BUT.

Doug Mastriano is a danger to both PA and the country at large.

What you need to know more than anything else about Mr. Mastriano, is that he participated in the January 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol. He would be more than happy to de-certify the election results, is happy to oppose abortion on any terms, and thinks climate change is "fake science."

Did I mention that he participated in the insurrection?

Anyway, on one of the commercials featuring him, he is wearing a cap that says, "Cold War Veteran." This has put me over the edge. WTAF? It's the most ridiculous thing I've seen, and makes no sense. 

Why does he not have a hat that says "January 6 Insurrection Veteran?" Because, did I mention that he was there?

Anyway, I just cannot get over that stupid hat, I'll admit it. It represents everything I think is well, stupid about him. 

But then I realized - guess what? The Tim and I are also "Cold War Veterans!" Granted, we do not have gear proclaiming it, but we spent time as children hiding under desks to practice in case the Russians invaded, or dropped a nuclear bomb. We lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis - granted we were kids, but it happened. We spent many of our formative years hoping and praying that the Russians wouldn't find a way to get us, or our family and friends. 

I pointed this out to The Tim, and he agreed but mostly rolled his eyes as he is both annoyed (by having to always hear about it) and amused at my rants regarding Doug Mastriano.

Anyway, current Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro is the complete opposite. He has done a LOT of good as Attorney General - working to combat opioids in the community, filing a report showing the abuse rampant in the past in the Catholic Church here in the state,* to name just two - and is a reasonable, educated person. (OK, he also has two dogs, one of which is a Golden Retriever, so ... well, you know. 😉) He also seems to be a genuinely good guy. For a while he was the chairman of one of the local county's Board of Commissioners, and was well-liked.

You know what he's never been involved with?

The January 6 Insurrection.

And so, when the opportunity arose to get a yard sign to show our support, I hopped right on it. The sign arrived the other day, and we are now proudly declaring ourselves to be "Cold War Veterans" For Shapiro:

Membership So Far: 

1. Me

2. The Tim

But every great journey starts with a single step, you know?

No matter where you live, PLEASE VOTE IN NOVEMBER. More than ever before, our country's future hangs in the balance.

My name is Bridget and I approve this message.

*For the record, I was raised Catholic and still consider myself to be one. I am not offended by Josh Shapiro's report and the evidence produced, because guess what? Priests do and have done things that are terrible and should be prosecuted. They should not be above the law more than anyone else should be. So no, I'm not "anti-Catholic." Thank you for reading.

An FO for Monday

Back in February, I posted this photo on Instagram - a sock having just passed the heel gusset and ready to go on to the foot. It was my first DK weight sock attempt.  I finished the sock, but to be honest I really hated it. Just I didn't like how it looked and I didn't think the colors looked good together. So I put it away to decide if it was ever going to have a mate.

Then in July, I decided that I wanted a quick knit. I thought, well, it's summer, knit a pair of shortie socks for yourself. But I was uninspired. Then I thought, why not take apart the single sock I didn't like and use it for some shorties? DK weight shorties would be nice to wear around the house when the weather cools in the fall.

So I took apart the single regular sock, and got started. This past Friday I finished the second sock, so now I have a pair of shorties for the fall.

Project: DK weight shortie socks

Pattern: DK Weight Vanilla Socks, by Crazy Sock Lady Designs (free on Ravelry), adapted to be shortie socks

Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz DK Sock Set, in the colorway Rory

Needles:  US size 3

Modifications: I adapted the pattern which is for a pair of regular socks, to be shortie socks. I mostly used the pattern for the number of stitches, etc. I also used the Shadow Wrap Heel from Earthtones Girl, instead of a regular heel and gusset.

Comments: I'm pleased with these socks, and will wear them around the house. But I have to say that this is one yarn set that looked a whole lot better in the skein than actually knit up. The colors on their own are nice; I like the navy with the main color better than the lighter blue. But this yarn just didn't end up appealing to me as I was knitting it. I'm not sure why, because I am a big fan of blues. I do like the shorties better, but if I had seen the way this colorway knit up, I would probably have chosen something else. Oh well, they will still be cozy and warm.

And an FO is always a good thing!

Friday Funny

Who wouldn't???

Have a good weekend! 😀

Quick Post Before I Forget

I saw this the other day, and want to share it before I forget.

Q: How do you comfort an English teacher:

A: You say "There, their, they're."

Have a good Tuesday!

Then July Happened ...

When we last left my life saga, we had reached the end of June, the end of my full-time job of 12 1/2 years, and the end of guaranteed income and health insuruance. Well, I had signed up for Social Security and Medicare, but had not yet heard that they were active. So ... only kinda/sorta worried about income and health care. 

To end June in the BEST possible way <insert sarcasm>, The Tim woke up on June 30 not feeling well. You may or may not remember that The Tim is seldom sick - he hardly ever even gets a cold. He took and Covid test, and of course it was positive. Which, if you think about it, was really the perfect way for June to end. Anyway, we had avoided catching it for over 2 years, so I guess we had a good run. He called his doctor, and was given Paxlovid, so between that and being vaccinated and boosted, he was on his way to recovering.

We hadn't made any specific Plans for July 4, so we didn't have to cancel anything, but we usually have our own little picnic, and I figured I'd just wait and see how he felt before getting anything to have or fixing any food ahead of time (i.e., potato salad). 

Fortunately for him, he had milder symptoms - a sore throat, some fatigue, and congestion. And the Paxlovid made a huge difference.

You are likely guessing the inevitable at this point, and dear reader, you would be correct. In spite of my best efforts to avoid interacting with The Tim, our house is only so big. So on the morning of July 4, I woke up feeling AWFUL. And of course, tested positive for Covid. I do not recommend it as a way to celebrate a long weekend holiday - 0 out of 10 stars.

My doctor prescribed Paxlovid as well, and as is my kind of luck with illness, my symptoms were a lot worse. I was pretty miserable for a couple of weeks, though again, the medication and being vaccinated and boosted made a huge difference. I still have some congestion and a Covid cough, and fortunately my constant fatigue is nearly gone. But the coughing, aches, headache, earache, and overall difficulty breathing made me thankful that if I had to end up getting Covid, it was now instead of in the early parts of it. The suffering of those people was unbearable to think about.

So, we both recovered, and then I got to spend the next week or so fighting with my former employer. I received the paycheck that covered my leftover vacation days, except it only covered half of them. When I called to question it, I was told that I had more vacation left than it was the policy to pay for - I mentioned that it was not on purpose, it was because we were not allowed to take any vacation when the number of staff was so low. But alas, I did not prevail. And yes, I could have made an issue of it, but I was just done (which is I'm guessing what they imagine will happen). I "officially" closed that chapter, with no regrets.

In the third week of July, the woman who is one of the owners of the LYS near my house - Loop - contacted me to see if I might be interested in working a couple of days a week in the shop.  Um .... YES! At this point, I knew that I would be getting Social Security starting in the middle of August, but I had still been looking for a part-time job. The LYS job is currently two days a week - Tuesdays and Sundays, and the pay isn't really great - but you know what? After looking for a part-time job for over a year, I'm thrilled to have *anything* at this point. Plus, my commute to work on those two days is two blocks!!! The people are nice, and the yarn is pretty, and if nothing else ever happens, I have this job, and who knows, maybe I'll be able to add on another day at some point.

So, let's review:

Beginning of July = ICK

Middle of July = Better, but still questionable

End of July = YAY!!!

Finances will still be iffy for a while, until we get used to all of the adjustments that need to happen, and my Medicare is still being processed, but progress is being made, and I think it will be OK in the end. Because I really believe that, but also because we have to make it OK in the end, right?? 😊