No, I'm not going all Brittany Spears on you, I'm just referring to my neglect of this poor blog! We've had lots of things going on, most of which I can't blog about.
DS has returned from visiting his daughter, gone back there, then back here, and is now back there. Things are still in a bit of a turmoil on that front.
Barbara will be coming to visit for Sock Summit II in July, which means I've got to get the guest room cleaned up. Unfortunately, there is a LOT of organizing that needs to happen in there.
I have been wearing the Tangle Yoke Sweater several times a week and I LOVE it. It's definitely my first choice for spring warmth. Our weather has been chilly and cold; perfect sweater weather. Until yesterday, when it hit 80+ degrees.
Andy Rooney was sick, very sick, a few weeks ago. Sick enough that we thought we might lose him. He eventually pulled out of it and is pretty much back to his old self. He was 14 years old in January, so we know we won't have him too much longer.
ToolMan and I continue to love this house; we are sooooo comfortable here. We enjoy having all the big windows and views of the neighborhood and watching all the little kiddos playing up and down the street. We'd like a few things to make it more comfortable: front porch chairs (we'll be the two neighborhood old fogies in rockers), a dresser for the master bedroom, and stash storage in the guest room.
Not much spinning has been going on; I have several bobbins that need to be plied. Knitting has been happening, although without a great deal of progress. I'm still working on the Big Blue Thing. I was out to the border, but had to rip out 13 rows and start it over. Now I'm finally back to where I started the border. Next time, pictures. I promise!
Showing posts with label Inside. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inside. Show all posts
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The $.25 Tour
Well, we've been in the new house 3 weeks and we're mostly unpacked and settled in.
The living room is done; a few more pictures and some accessories to be added from the last boxes to be unpacked.
The dining room finally came together today. I desperately want to be rid of the mini-blinds; they are beyond ugly.
The living room is done; a few more pictures and some accessories to be added from the last boxes to be unpacked.
The dining room finally came together today. I desperately want to be rid of the mini-blinds; they are beyond ugly.
The kitchen is finally organized enough that we can mostly find what we're looking for. We love the utility room; it has a pantry closet and back door to the yard.
The new hutch has been filled with our dishes. Our everyday stoneware looks so classy in there!
We can finally see the floor in the master bedroom. There are lots of things we love about this house: the cathedral ceilings, the floor plan, the architectural details. The french doors in the master with it's own patio is definitely a plus. The pink verticals, however, definitely have to go. Whoever invented these things should be shot.
Another thing we love is the master bath with the big shower; walk in, double size, two seats, two massaging shower heads, trackless doors, and a heat lamp. It's perfect for loosing up stiff joints and steaming out sore muscles.
The guest bath done. In fact, DIL has used it the last couple of weekends while DS is in Texas. He should be home next week; we can't wait to hear all about his trip. Hopefully, he'll have some pictures of the newly found granddaughter to share!
One of the bedrooms will become ToolMan's office. He picked out and assembled a new computer desk. We've still got some unpacking to do in here and pictures to hang and more mini blinds to be banished. I may leave my spinning wheel in here; the light is really good for spinning.
The guestroom was cleared out just enough for DIL to use. I've been using the bed for piling up pictures and artwork that needs to be hung. Most of my knitting and spinning things have made their way in here,
including most of the stash. Some stash wound up in the garage, and the holiday decorations in here somehow. I'll get sorted eventually into some organization. And I'm getting rid of those damned verticals, if it's the last thing I do.
Oh, the best thing about this house? No stairs!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Busy, busy, busy
Horizon Restoration has been cleaning up the smoke damage since Wednesday. The crew they sent has been excellent; they've washed, cleaned, vacuumed, and put back every single item in our house. Every. Single. Item. Every glass, fork, knife, spoon, pot, pan, bowl, cup, mug, plate, dish, knick knack, picture, etc. Every drawer, closet, shelf, cabinet, rack, pantry, and basket has been emptied, cleaned, the items cleaned, and put back. They emptied the bedroom closet, cleaned the walls and hangers, cleaned the shoes and shoe racks, and put everything back. On Monday, they'll take down the old cabinets, start repairing the wall, replace the stove and vent, repaint, and clean the upholstered furniture. Last will be cleaning the carpets.
Yesterday was World Wide Spin In Public Day, so I joined a bunch of spinning sisters Spinnerati in downtown Hillsboro Farmers Market to demonstrate spinning and answer questions. I did take my camera, but totally forgot to take pictures. Go on over to Rachel and Tami's blogs; they have good pictures and descriptions of the goodie bags. Tami organizes this every year and does a bang-up job of it! She wrangles enough volunteers to sew bags and indie fiber folks to make sure they're filled to the brim. Here's the one I got this year:
Yesterday was World Wide Spin In Public Day, so I joined a bunch of spinning sisters Spinnerati in downtown Hillsboro Farmers Market to demonstrate spinning and answer questions. I did take my camera, but totally forgot to take pictures. Go on over to Rachel and Tami's blogs; they have good pictures and descriptions of the goodie bags. Tami organizes this every year and does a bang-up job of it! She wrangles enough volunteers to sew bags and indie fiber folks to make sure they're filled to the brim. Here's the one I got this year:
I love the print with all the vintage lamps, and it's got double drawstrings, so it'll make a dandy project bag. I did get some spinning done on the coral top that I was working on, but everyone seemed to be spinning worsted or plying, so I pulled out the last bit of "exploded clown" and spun woolen long draw. It always fascinates people to see yarn magically appear in mid-air out of a cloud of fuzz.
Tami also had arranged for door prizes from some local vendors. My number was the first one drawn, so I got first choice! I picked a 2011 calendar of antique wheels that I can hang in my office,
and another bag with two little buns of fiber that Duffy carded and a bar of spearmint soap from Peace of Soap.
The goodie bag had a soap also, so I might send one of these to Mom with her socks.
I'm working on the socks; I'm pretty well into the cuff on both of them now.
The pictures really do not do justice to this yarn; the colors are much more pronounced. And the fiber is just delish! This pattern has the gusset increases on the bottom of the sole, ala' Cat Bordhi, and this is the first time I've used that method. I'm a little afraid these might be a tad big for Mom; I'm hoping they'll shrink a bit when they're washed and blocked.
Mom has another pair of socks I made her a couple years ago but she says they're a smidge too small, so ToolMan cut out a pair of sock blockers for her. He's got them all sanded and finished, just waiting for socks to be put on them and shipped back east.
Last but not least, ToolMan decided to start an ArtFire Studio to sell his handmade shawl pins, hat pins, and buttons. The pictures are pretty, but really don't do them justice. Each one is unique, one of a kind, completely hand made. He does a great job of making pretty things!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Breaking the Silence
Here's the reason I haven't posted in the last couple of weeks:
A kitchen fire on Labor Day. Yes, we're both fine, and so is Andy Rooney. The whole house filled with smoke, all 9 fire alarms went off, the neighbors showed up to check on us when they smelled the smoke, and everything in the house is covered in a thin film of greasy soot. For the last couple weeks we've been dealing with insurance adjusters and restoration estimates and shopping for a new stove and exhaust fan.
The cleanup crew started today, as did the cleaner who took away all the drapes and blinds. The cleanup crew began by cleaning the walls, furniture, light fixtures, etc. with those magic erasers. That's when ToolMan and I realized just how much smoke had been in the house. Look at the corner where they stopped today:
Appalling, isn't it? The white areas aren't really clean at all; they've only had the first layer of soot taken off. They're cleaning only to get the grease off as the entire second floor has to be repainted because the smoke permanently stained the paint. Now we have to pick a paint color for the kitchen.
A kitchen fire on Labor Day. Yes, we're both fine, and so is Andy Rooney. The whole house filled with smoke, all 9 fire alarms went off, the neighbors showed up to check on us when they smelled the smoke, and everything in the house is covered in a thin film of greasy soot. For the last couple weeks we've been dealing with insurance adjusters and restoration estimates and shopping for a new stove and exhaust fan.
The cleanup crew started today, as did the cleaner who took away all the drapes and blinds. The cleanup crew began by cleaning the walls, furniture, light fixtures, etc. with those magic erasers. That's when ToolMan and I realized just how much smoke had been in the house. Look at the corner where they stopped today:
Appalling, isn't it? The white areas aren't really clean at all; they've only had the first layer of soot taken off. They're cleaning only to get the grease off as the entire second floor has to be repainted because the smoke permanently stained the paint. Now we have to pick a paint color for the kitchen.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Out one end, in the other
The CT scan shows that the kidney stones are now completely gone; thank god; and tests say they were mainly potassium and calcium. But I still felt like death warmed over one too many times. Turns out, in addition to the kidney stones, I was dangerously low on potassium. Low enough to wind up in the ER getting an IV. The potassium tablets are about 1/2 inch long and about as big around as a US size 10 1/2 needle (and yes, I DID use my needle gauge to find that out). The doctor says they're way bigger than the kidney stones I just got rid of. I don't believe him.
Just Sayin'
Passing kidney stones is a LOT easier said than done.
You don't want to know how I know.
Really, you don't.
You don't want to know how I know.
Really, you don't.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Whistle-pig *
I was going to title this post with something cute about groundhogs and poking my head out of my den, etc. except Stephanie beat me to it. As Yogi Berra would probably say, "Groundhog Day is like Deja vu all over again."
The gall bladder was finally taken out last Thursday! Woot! Knowing that I always sleep much, much longer than most folks, they decided to wake me up from the anesthesia and send me home the same day. This turned out not to be the best plan. Apparently, it takes four full days for anesthesia to completely leave your system. So for someone like me, who is very sensitive to medications, this can be a problem when combined with prescriptions at home for pain. ToolMan called the surgeon on Friday, concerned that I was having very severe headaches and nausea with double vision and roaring in my ears. The surgeon issued prescriptions for changes in meds, but because it was Friday and the doctor was back in surgery, meant he had to go pick up the 'scripts and drive them to the pharmacy to be filled. He did and we changed meds, which worked for a day. By Sunday, the headaches, nausea, and roaring were back with a vengeance, this time with not only double vision, but flashing lights. Another phone call to the surgeon, a check of my blood pressure, and we were off the the emergency room. Turns out the anesthesia, combined with the increase in blood pressure medications before surgery, and the new pain meds were not all playing nicely together. My blood pressure was very low, my potassium was nearly non-existent, and I was dehydrated. A couple bags of IV with potassium and meds to clear out the lingering anaesthetic worked wonders. They did run a CT scan of my head to make sure nothing bad was in there (and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure they actually found anything in there at all) and then sent me home where I continued to do what I had been doing for the previous four days. That is, sit in the recliner, hold the television remote in one hand, a bottle of water in the other, and stare off blankly into space, drooling occasionally. By Monday, I could actually retain a thought process long enough to choose something on the telly and by Tuesday I could actually track an entire one-hour program. Today, I went back to work and thanked all my co-workers for the lovely flowers which were outside our door on Saturday.
The gall bladder was finally taken out last Thursday! Woot! Knowing that I always sleep much, much longer than most folks, they decided to wake me up from the anesthesia and send me home the same day. This turned out not to be the best plan. Apparently, it takes four full days for anesthesia to completely leave your system. So for someone like me, who is very sensitive to medications, this can be a problem when combined with prescriptions at home for pain. ToolMan called the surgeon on Friday, concerned that I was having very severe headaches and nausea with double vision and roaring in my ears. The surgeon issued prescriptions for changes in meds, but because it was Friday and the doctor was back in surgery, meant he had to go pick up the 'scripts and drive them to the pharmacy to be filled. He did and we changed meds, which worked for a day. By Sunday, the headaches, nausea, and roaring were back with a vengeance, this time with not only double vision, but flashing lights. Another phone call to the surgeon, a check of my blood pressure, and we were off the the emergency room. Turns out the anesthesia, combined with the increase in blood pressure medications before surgery, and the new pain meds were not all playing nicely together. My blood pressure was very low, my potassium was nearly non-existent, and I was dehydrated. A couple bags of IV with potassium and meds to clear out the lingering anaesthetic worked wonders. They did run a CT scan of my head to make sure nothing bad was in there (and to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure they actually found anything in there at all) and then sent me home where I continued to do what I had been doing for the previous four days. That is, sit in the recliner, hold the television remote in one hand, a bottle of water in the other, and stare off blankly into space, drooling occasionally. By Monday, I could actually retain a thought process long enough to choose something on the telly and by Tuesday I could actually track an entire one-hour program. Today, I went back to work and thanked all my co-workers for the lovely flowers which were outside our door on Saturday.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Walking In Winter Wonderland
If you live somewhere other than the Portland Metro area, you not have heard, but we have snow. Lots of snow. This is a very un-Portland like event. We get lots of precipitation in the winter, but it's usually in liquid form, not stuff that has to be swept, shoveled, graveled, and otherwise dealt with.
Last night it was coming down in big fluffy flakes. Again. I looked outside about 8:00 and the neighborhood was looking very festive, indeed.
Our neighbors to the left,
across the street,
and to the right
had lights outside. There was no traffic so it was very quiet and peaceful. The snow we have is very light and fluffy. You can't really tell in the pictures, but it's about 8 inches deep. I walked out into the street in my fleece pajamas wearing sock and Birkenstocks to take pictures and my socks were dry as soon as I got back to the front porch to stomp off the flakes.
This morning when we got up, we had gotten some frozen rain overnight so the snow had a crust on top. Yesterday, I used an old broom to sweep off the stairs to the backyard for Andy Rooney and he enjoyed romping in the fluffy snow. Today, I had to use the broom handle to break the crust on the stairs all the way down, then stomp down enough area in the backyard for his morning "constitutional." His eyesight is bad because of the diabetes so he gets very disoriented with all the white snow. In the house he depends on his hearing to locate us by our voices, but in the snow he seems unable to do that; I had to be right in front of him so he could follow my voice back to the stairs.
The forecast had been for more frozen rain this afternoon, but thankfully we only got it for a few minutes before it turned back into the big, fluffy flakes again.
There was very little traffic this morning, but with the additional layer of snow, more people were moving around this afternoon with very few problems, as long as they were slow and steady.
We got just enough frozen rain to make the trees and shrubs look like they've been encased in a layer of glass.
The snow is pretty, but was also a perfect excuse to stay inside in my fleece jammies and wool socks all day. I did some spinning of samples of alpaca roving, and experimented with spinning with some silk hankies and kid mohair locks. ToolMan's been asking for a knitted driving cap so I surfed Ravelry for a pattern, and wound a skein of hand spun wool from the stash to start it, then discovered both my size 6 circulars already have projects on them. So, I'm cranking out the last few rows of a cowl for myself to free up a set.
And I did several loads of laundry in the new washer and dryer. Have I mentioned how much I love these? We got some good rebates and energy credits for buying these. It is amazing what a great job they do and how little water they use. And talk about smart appliances: You just tell them what you put in and they determine the temperature, spin speed, amount of detergent, etc. You don't even have to set a load size or water level choice on the washer; it weighs the clothes to determine how much water to use! And no setting a time on the dryer; it senses the humidity so it knows when to cool off and when to shut off! And no more annoying buzzer when they're done; they each play their own cute little chime. You may have to turn the sound up to hear it.
Last night it was coming down in big fluffy flakes. Again. I looked outside about 8:00 and the neighborhood was looking very festive, indeed.
Our neighbors to the left,
across the street,
and to the right
had lights outside. There was no traffic so it was very quiet and peaceful. The snow we have is very light and fluffy. You can't really tell in the pictures, but it's about 8 inches deep. I walked out into the street in my fleece pajamas wearing sock and Birkenstocks to take pictures and my socks were dry as soon as I got back to the front porch to stomp off the flakes.
This morning when we got up, we had gotten some frozen rain overnight so the snow had a crust on top. Yesterday, I used an old broom to sweep off the stairs to the backyard for Andy Rooney and he enjoyed romping in the fluffy snow. Today, I had to use the broom handle to break the crust on the stairs all the way down, then stomp down enough area in the backyard for his morning "constitutional." His eyesight is bad because of the diabetes so he gets very disoriented with all the white snow. In the house he depends on his hearing to locate us by our voices, but in the snow he seems unable to do that; I had to be right in front of him so he could follow my voice back to the stairs.
The forecast had been for more frozen rain this afternoon, but thankfully we only got it for a few minutes before it turned back into the big, fluffy flakes again.
There was very little traffic this morning, but with the additional layer of snow, more people were moving around this afternoon with very few problems, as long as they were slow and steady.
We got just enough frozen rain to make the trees and shrubs look like they've been encased in a layer of glass.
The snow is pretty, but was also a perfect excuse to stay inside in my fleece jammies and wool socks all day. I did some spinning of samples of alpaca roving, and experimented with spinning with some silk hankies and kid mohair locks. ToolMan's been asking for a knitted driving cap so I surfed Ravelry for a pattern, and wound a skein of hand spun wool from the stash to start it, then discovered both my size 6 circulars already have projects on them. So, I'm cranking out the last few rows of a cowl for myself to free up a set.
And I did several loads of laundry in the new washer and dryer. Have I mentioned how much I love these? We got some good rebates and energy credits for buying these. It is amazing what a great job they do and how little water they use. And talk about smart appliances: You just tell them what you put in and they determine the temperature, spin speed, amount of detergent, etc. You don't even have to set a load size or water level choice on the washer; it weighs the clothes to determine how much water to use! And no setting a time on the dryer; it senses the humidity so it knows when to cool off and when to shut off! And no more annoying buzzer when they're done; they each play their own cute little chime. You may have to turn the sound up to hear it.
Isn't that cute? It's like they're singing!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
They're Coming!
My parents, that is; for Thanksgiving. So the family has been given a little extra "spit and polish." Meaning, I straighted up the fiber corner and we chased out the dust rhinos.
The dining table has been polished.
The larder has been filled and the turkey has been approved by Inspector 37.
What does it say about our family that the refrigerator holds Half-and-Half, Milwaukee's Best, and Activia?
In preparation for the first overnight guests in quite a while, the guest room got an extra dusting and straightening up. Meaning, I folded up the blocking board and made room in the closet.
I also stripped off the sheets and threw them in the washer.
Only to hear ToolMan cursing a few minutes later. Seems the seal has gone out on the washer and water was running all over the floor. Sound familiar?
Of course, this happened when I have two laundry hampers full of dirty clothes, company coming, and now every towel in the house is wet. So, first we went off to Home Depot; there are some really cool (read "expensive") washers and dryer on the market now. Mom and Dad arrive on Tuesday and the new washer and dryer on Wednesday, so next it was off to find a laundromat. I had no idea how scarce those had become. And I had forgotten how icky they are; thankfully ToolMan was with me. Minimal laundry was done and hauled home and the floors dried out. We're ready for company for the holiday.
The dining table has been polished.
The larder has been filled and the turkey has been approved by Inspector 37.
What does it say about our family that the refrigerator holds Half-and-Half, Milwaukee's Best, and Activia?
In preparation for the first overnight guests in quite a while, the guest room got an extra dusting and straightening up. Meaning, I folded up the blocking board and made room in the closet.
I also stripped off the sheets and threw them in the washer.
Only to hear ToolMan cursing a few minutes later. Seems the seal has gone out on the washer and water was running all over the floor. Sound familiar?
Of course, this happened when I have two laundry hampers full of dirty clothes, company coming, and now every towel in the house is wet. So, first we went off to Home Depot; there are some really cool (read "expensive") washers and dryer on the market now. Mom and Dad arrive on Tuesday and the new washer and dryer on Wednesday, so next it was off to find a laundromat. I had no idea how scarce those had become. And I had forgotten how icky they are; thankfully ToolMan was with me. Minimal laundry was done and hauled home and the floors dried out. We're ready for company for the holiday.
Friday, November 21, 2008
I want a pony.
I drink Red Rose Tea. Lots of it. No, really, a LOT. I drink at least one cup in the morning before work, then usually several tall glasses iced when I come home, and sometimes another cup or two hot after dinner.
Red Rose has been putting little Wade Porcelain figurines from England in each box for years. It's like the little prize in Cracker Jacks, only not cheap plastic. The figurines are in series; the idea being to collect 'em all. Right now, the series is "Pet Shop." Mine are sitting on the ledge right above the kitchen sink.
Like I said, I drink a LOT of this tea. Now, where's my pony?
Red Rose has been putting little Wade Porcelain figurines from England in each box for years. It's like the little prize in Cracker Jacks, only not cheap plastic. The figurines are in series; the idea being to collect 'em all. Right now, the series is "Pet Shop." Mine are sitting on the ledge right above the kitchen sink.
Like I said, I drink a LOT of this tea. Now, where's my pony?
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Peek-a-boo!
Here I am! Yeah, okay, it's been over a week since my last post. Blame it on the trip to Woodland WoolWorks last weekend; I mean weekend before last (Sorry!). Since then, I've been completely obsessed by spinning. In fact, I've hardly knit since then. Can you believe that? So, MonicaPDX says my first yarn wasn't as lumpy and bumpy as I claimed. Well, Monica the proof's in the pudding; and here's the pudding.
Here's the first batch I spun and plied:
Looks pretty lumpy and bumpy to me.
Then I read about "pre-drafting." Aha! The light bulb went on! This is the second batch I spun and plied.
Not at much to show, but much more even. Except for the one little extra boucle where I over-twisted the single.
Once I felt like I had the hang of it, I went to town and made this:
Still a little thick and thin, but definitely better. I did manage to do a better job of plying this time, so I went ahead and set the twist on this one. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, if anything. For right now, I'm just enchanted with the making of yarn.
Now, as if this new addiction, er . . . hobby, wasn't bad enough as it is, Chrispy offered the loan of her spinning wheel. Did I mention that she's an enabler? In fairness, I had offered her some of the fabric stash I acquired way before I started looking over the cliff of spinning. But her offer really did push me over the edge. So last Sunday, Tool Man and I drove up to her house. She and I talked fiber and knitting and measured out a goodly amount of fabric for her while Tool Man and Churchable got to know each other and petted dogs. Then she carried her wheel out to our van and strapped it in the car seat. I promised to take good care of it and share nicely with Cindy, who's also been bitten by this bug. However, not every family member was quite as happy to have a spinning wheel living in our house.
Make a choice here, Mom. It's either her or me.
Andy Rooney is usually offended whenever Tool Man or I (or anyone else in the house for that matter) gives less than our full attention to him.
Ellen says her dog, Shelly, has been hoarding windfall apples from their yard. Well, she's got nothin' on The Roon. He's always hoarded his toys, as evidenced by his basket.
Just for the record, that basket is 22 inches wide by 28 inches long by 10 inches deep. That's a LOT of toys. And yes, every single toy has a name by which he knows that toy. Every. Single. One.
But lately, he's been stashing for winter, so he's been "burying" biscuits all over the house. There's one in the family room.
And there's also one in the lower hall.
And one in the living room by the fireplace.
And one at the bottom of the living room stairs.
And one in his bed (where he never sleeps) inside the master closet.
And one at the foot of the bed.
And two on the bed (where he does sleep).
And we're not allowed to touch any of them; in fact, we can't even mention them. If we do, he has to grab it, growl, and stalk off to find a new hiding place. I have no idea where he gets this stashing thing from; must be from Tool Man, 'cause it certainly can't be from me.
Here's the first batch I spun and plied:
Looks pretty lumpy and bumpy to me.
Then I read about "pre-drafting." Aha! The light bulb went on! This is the second batch I spun and plied.
Not at much to show, but much more even. Except for the one little extra boucle where I over-twisted the single.
Once I felt like I had the hang of it, I went to town and made this:
Still a little thick and thin, but definitely better. I did manage to do a better job of plying this time, so I went ahead and set the twist on this one. I'm not sure what I'll do with it, if anything. For right now, I'm just enchanted with the making of yarn.
Now, as if this new addiction, er . . . hobby, wasn't bad enough as it is, Chrispy offered the loan of her spinning wheel. Did I mention that she's an enabler? In fairness, I had offered her some of the fabric stash I acquired way before I started looking over the cliff of spinning. But her offer really did push me over the edge. So last Sunday, Tool Man and I drove up to her house. She and I talked fiber and knitting and measured out a goodly amount of fabric for her while Tool Man and Churchable got to know each other and petted dogs. Then she carried her wheel out to our van and strapped it in the car seat. I promised to take good care of it and share nicely with Cindy, who's also been bitten by this bug. However, not every family member was quite as happy to have a spinning wheel living in our house.
Make a choice here, Mom. It's either her or me.
Andy Rooney is usually offended whenever Tool Man or I (or anyone else in the house for that matter) gives less than our full attention to him.
Ellen says her dog, Shelly, has been hoarding windfall apples from their yard. Well, she's got nothin' on The Roon. He's always hoarded his toys, as evidenced by his basket.
Just for the record, that basket is 22 inches wide by 28 inches long by 10 inches deep. That's a LOT of toys. And yes, every single toy has a name by which he knows that toy. Every. Single. One.
But lately, he's been stashing for winter, so he's been "burying" biscuits all over the house. There's one in the family room.
And there's also one in the lower hall.
And one in the living room by the fireplace.
And one at the bottom of the living room stairs.
And one in his bed (where he never sleeps) inside the master closet.
And one at the foot of the bed.
And two on the bed (where he does sleep).
And we're not allowed to touch any of them; in fact, we can't even mention them. If we do, he has to grab it, growl, and stalk off to find a new hiding place. I have no idea where he gets this stashing thing from; must be from Tool Man, 'cause it certainly can't be from me.
Friday, July 27, 2007
How One Thing Leads to Another . . . .
Remember I said the contractors were starting to tear the siding off our house? Well, here’s what the front looks like this morning:
They left a note on our door that when they started tearing off the front door molding, they found moisture, dry rot, and mold. So they had to remove the front stairs and porch, take out the wet sheathing and insulation, and let it dry out. And that they would be removing our front door and replacing the structural upright beams today. So Tool Man and I got up bright and early (these guys usually start at 7:00 a.m.), had coffee and tea, walked the dog, and Tool Man proceeded to take the hardware off the door. We’d just bought it a few months ago and want to reuse it, since the contractors will have to replace the whole door and the new one comes with cheap hardware. Then the contractors came (promptly at 7:15 a.m.) and said, "Oh, we’re not going to replace the door today, we’re doing that tomorrow." So Tool Man is putting the locks back on the door today, so he can take them back off tomorrow.
We live in a row house, meaning it’s in a row of houses all connected to each other. Meaning, we don’t have direct access into or out of our back yard, except through the house. When we bought this house 3 years ago (somehow it seems MUCH longer than that), this had been a rental and the backyard had been left untouched for 4 years; it was full of vetch, blackberries, and thistles higher than the privacy fence. So Tool Man sprayed, cleared, dug, tilled, raked, and leveled the backyard before we moved in, so that the very first day we were here, it looked like this:
Then he laid a brick patio, sowed grass, planted shrubs and flowers and bamboo, and has spent the last 3 years fighting slugs and grubs, and bitching about the dog leaving brown spots in his lawn. So, to do all that, he went up and down stairs with bags, jugs, a tiller, lawn equipment, and debris bags. We have neighbors on each side, while pleasant enough to talk to, are not the best landscapers. They have dandelions which go to seed and land in our yard, blackberries which creep through the fence into our yard, a stagnant water feature, and flood lights directed into my living room. So when the contractors decided to take down sections of fences for access to everyone’s back yard, just where did they stack the sections? You guessed it, right in the middle of Tool Man’s backyard.
The contractors originally stacked it against the standing fence, on top of the garden phlox and trumpet vine he just planted this spring. So we had to move the sections ourselves into a sort of lean-to in the middle of the lawn. So not only can he not mow the grass (which will probably die anyway from having this stuff stacked on it), the hostas and bamboo behind the sections are probably going to die from lack of sun. Not that we have a tremendous amount of that here in the Great Pacific North Wet, anyway.
Oh, and back at the front door? Well, the contractors said we had to remove everything from the foyer because of the reconstruction. Remember our foyer?
Well, now it looks like this:
We couldn’t take down the mirror; it’s earthquake-strapped to the wall because it’s so heavy. But we did move the clock, the trunk, etc. down to the landing by the family room.
Which is why my toe looks like this:
They left a note on our door that when they started tearing off the front door molding, they found moisture, dry rot, and mold. So they had to remove the front stairs and porch, take out the wet sheathing and insulation, and let it dry out. And that they would be removing our front door and replacing the structural upright beams today. So Tool Man and I got up bright and early (these guys usually start at 7:00 a.m.), had coffee and tea, walked the dog, and Tool Man proceeded to take the hardware off the door. We’d just bought it a few months ago and want to reuse it, since the contractors will have to replace the whole door and the new one comes with cheap hardware. Then the contractors came (promptly at 7:15 a.m.) and said, "Oh, we’re not going to replace the door today, we’re doing that tomorrow." So Tool Man is putting the locks back on the door today, so he can take them back off tomorrow.
We live in a row house, meaning it’s in a row of houses all connected to each other. Meaning, we don’t have direct access into or out of our back yard, except through the house. When we bought this house 3 years ago (somehow it seems MUCH longer than that), this had been a rental and the backyard had been left untouched for 4 years; it was full of vetch, blackberries, and thistles higher than the privacy fence. So Tool Man sprayed, cleared, dug, tilled, raked, and leveled the backyard before we moved in, so that the very first day we were here, it looked like this:
Then he laid a brick patio, sowed grass, planted shrubs and flowers and bamboo, and has spent the last 3 years fighting slugs and grubs, and bitching about the dog leaving brown spots in his lawn. So, to do all that, he went up and down stairs with bags, jugs, a tiller, lawn equipment, and debris bags. We have neighbors on each side, while pleasant enough to talk to, are not the best landscapers. They have dandelions which go to seed and land in our yard, blackberries which creep through the fence into our yard, a stagnant water feature, and flood lights directed into my living room. So when the contractors decided to take down sections of fences for access to everyone’s back yard, just where did they stack the sections? You guessed it, right in the middle of Tool Man’s backyard.
The contractors originally stacked it against the standing fence, on top of the garden phlox and trumpet vine he just planted this spring. So we had to move the sections ourselves into a sort of lean-to in the middle of the lawn. So not only can he not mow the grass (which will probably die anyway from having this stuff stacked on it), the hostas and bamboo behind the sections are probably going to die from lack of sun. Not that we have a tremendous amount of that here in the Great Pacific North Wet, anyway.
Oh, and back at the front door? Well, the contractors said we had to remove everything from the foyer because of the reconstruction. Remember our foyer?
Well, now it looks like this:
We couldn’t take down the mirror; it’s earthquake-strapped to the wall because it’s so heavy. But we did move the clock, the trunk, etc. down to the landing by the family room.
Which is why my toe looks like this:
Sunday, June 3, 2007
A hard week . . .
This was a hard week for me. My boss has finally realized what the rest of us have known for several months: that she'll never be able to practice again. She signed the sublease on Wednesday and asked that I pack up her office. On Thursday, she made plans for movers to pack up her belongings and for renting her properties. Then on Friday, she came into the office to sign letters of recommendation for the staff, and she and I went through her desk. We packed up a box of things for her to take home: her children's pictures, a few mementos that were special, the envelope of "atta girls" she kept in her desk, her Mont Blanc pens. The last thing into the box was a tapestry pillow on her couch that I had given her for Christmas a few years ago. It said perfectly how she and I practiced family law, "A hundred years from now, it will not matter how much money I had, or the house I lived in, or the car I drove, because I made a difference in the life of a child." By that time, she and I were both too teary eyed to do any more packing. She thanked me for cleaning out her office, and I told her that I'd do anything for her, ever. Then with hugs and tears, she was gone again.
I heard one of the associate attorneys on the phone after my boss left. I think it was an opposing counsel, asking how things were going in the office. The associates said everyone was doing ok and hanging on, then, "Poor Bobbie, it's been really hard on her. She's been tending a grave here." In a lot of ways, that's true: my boss's practice is over, the firm is essentially dead, my employment has an ending date. In other ways, I wish it were true; because if it was, then this daily grief would be over. The hardest part of this has been physically seeing my boss and not knowing whether she's with us or not. And knowing that even when she is, it's only temporary and may not last more than a few minutes.
After I left the office on Friday, I did have a call with the headhunter. She has two more firms with openings for paralegals. Both VERY hush-hush; can't even say the name of the firm. I'm familiar with both firms, and either one would be a plum. Hopefully, she'll be able to set up interviews for next week.
Tool Man had a busy week, too. He got the painting finished in the master bath and bedroom. And he's got the baseboards and door trim back up. And he moved the armoir from the garage to the master bedroom, carried in the bigger tv, and hooked it op to the cable box.
This is the 100th year of the Rose Festival, and Portland is buzzing with things to do. We had planned on going to the Starlight Parade on Saturday night, but by that afternoon, we were too pooped to ride the train downtown. We will go downtown next weekend, probably on Sunday, to see the dragon boat races, the tall ships, see the floats and the centennial history of the Rose Festival. Too bad we'll miss floral parade; I like the One More Time Around Band.
Tool Man tackled the backyard today. We had drizzle early in the week, and the backyard doesn't get a lot of sun (it's on the west side) so it takes a long time to dry out enough to mow. But, with the warm weather, the mountain laurel we planted three years ago finally bloomed. A lot! Would you just look at this:
It's called "Mountain Fire"; the little flower buds start out almost hot pink and then turn white just before they open. And they have these fantastic red markings inside the white flowers. Wait, you can't see the blooms up close. Here, how's this?
The flowers are only about the size of a quarter, but it looks like someone used a dark red Sharpie inside each one. No fragrance, but with blooms like this, who care?
I've been knitting warshrags this week. After a long project like Argosy, I like to do something fast, something for immediate gratification. I had decided to knit from the stash until I have a new job and I had a bunch of Sugar and Cream that I bought on 1/2 price sale last winter. So here they are:
This really doesn't show the colors accurately, and I can't figure out how to make it right. I need to have Tool Man give me a lesson on Photoshop to fix that. The dark blue is really purple, red is really hot pink (with some neon orange), the pale green is really lime, and the light blue is really a hot turqoise. And the carpet is about 2 shades lighter and has far less "tweed" than the picture. Go figure.
I heard one of the associate attorneys on the phone after my boss left. I think it was an opposing counsel, asking how things were going in the office. The associates said everyone was doing ok and hanging on, then, "Poor Bobbie, it's been really hard on her. She's been tending a grave here." In a lot of ways, that's true: my boss's practice is over, the firm is essentially dead, my employment has an ending date. In other ways, I wish it were true; because if it was, then this daily grief would be over. The hardest part of this has been physically seeing my boss and not knowing whether she's with us or not. And knowing that even when she is, it's only temporary and may not last more than a few minutes.
After I left the office on Friday, I did have a call with the headhunter. She has two more firms with openings for paralegals. Both VERY hush-hush; can't even say the name of the firm. I'm familiar with both firms, and either one would be a plum. Hopefully, she'll be able to set up interviews for next week.
Tool Man had a busy week, too. He got the painting finished in the master bath and bedroom. And he's got the baseboards and door trim back up. And he moved the armoir from the garage to the master bedroom, carried in the bigger tv, and hooked it op to the cable box.
This is the 100th year of the Rose Festival, and Portland is buzzing with things to do. We had planned on going to the Starlight Parade on Saturday night, but by that afternoon, we were too pooped to ride the train downtown. We will go downtown next weekend, probably on Sunday, to see the dragon boat races, the tall ships, see the floats and the centennial history of the Rose Festival. Too bad we'll miss floral parade; I like the One More Time Around Band.
Tool Man tackled the backyard today. We had drizzle early in the week, and the backyard doesn't get a lot of sun (it's on the west side) so it takes a long time to dry out enough to mow. But, with the warm weather, the mountain laurel we planted three years ago finally bloomed. A lot! Would you just look at this:
It's called "Mountain Fire"; the little flower buds start out almost hot pink and then turn white just before they open. And they have these fantastic red markings inside the white flowers. Wait, you can't see the blooms up close. Here, how's this?
The flowers are only about the size of a quarter, but it looks like someone used a dark red Sharpie inside each one. No fragrance, but with blooms like this, who care?
I've been knitting warshrags this week. After a long project like Argosy, I like to do something fast, something for immediate gratification. I had decided to knit from the stash until I have a new job and I had a bunch of Sugar and Cream that I bought on 1/2 price sale last winter. So here they are:
This really doesn't show the colors accurately, and I can't figure out how to make it right. I need to have Tool Man give me a lesson on Photoshop to fix that. The dark blue is really purple, red is really hot pink (with some neon orange), the pale green is really lime, and the light blue is really a hot turqoise. And the carpet is about 2 shades lighter and has far less "tweed" than the picture. Go figure.
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