In An Attempt to Post More Blogs...

I cried a lot 4th of July weekend because of Ringo, but I'm okay now. Really.

Jonas really took off walking on the 4th. We were at the Aldrich's house, and I think the carpet inspired him to stop dragging his knees on the floor! He went to a little pool party on Saturday at Alexander's house. Alexander is 22 months old, and the other little one at the party, Morgan, is 23 months old. Jonas walked and played with them a lot. But when they were ready to run around, he couldn't keep up and reverted to his crab crawl. I'm sure he'll be running himself in no time at all.

Which means I have to stop putting off joining the local gym! I've lost all of the baby weight finally, but I haven't lost the other weight I put on during pregnancy. You know, the 20 some odd pounds I can't blame on Jonas. I definitely went overboard on the ice cream, and I didn't exercise at all. I don't want to do that the second time around. (Yes, Baby #2 is on my mind, but nowhere near a reality at the moment, so don't get so excited.) I want to lose fat and gain muscle so I can be a healthy, happy mom and a good role model to my son. I want him to know that exercise is (sometimes) fun, and it should be an everyday part of his life even when he's an adult. I used to be very phyically fit until I went to college. It's been down hill since then, but I'm ready to change that.

We're getting geared up for a busy second half of the year. We've got a wedding this weekend and a short visit to my Aunt Peggy's. In August, we'll be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary, and Jonas and I will be flying to Vegas to visit Lara. Jason will join us at the end of the trip. In October, the first weekend is Lincoln Days, and the second weekend is the Stone Mountain Games (Scottish festival) down in Georgia. Mom, Jeanne, Jonas and I will be going down for that, and I'm hoping to meet up with some of my aunts and cousins and Lara's parents. Of course, the end of October is Halloween, and I'm sure I'll be busy sewing (or pasting & stapling) a costume for Jonas. (I think I'll have him be a lamb this year since it's probably my last chance to dress him in something cutesy.) The first part of November Jonas and I are going on our Mystery Trip, and then we'll finish up the month with Thanksgiving. I have a feeling I don't even need to explain how HECTIC December will be....AND I'm still trying to figure out how to squeeze in a trip to Fayetteville, NC and one to Catawba, VA because I OWE quality time to lots of people. (I really do. I've been promising visits to people for years.)

All the while I've got to get my house truly whipped into shape for a possible dinner party in August, I have to knit up a storm to a.)get rid of my yarn stash and b.)fullfill knitting promises (which seem to multiply faster than the visiting promises), and I'm sure there are going to be a lot of little or big surprises along the way. And I still have to juggle my regular, everyday life.

Bring. It. On.

That Damn Cat

Somewhere in this house, I have a video tape of my Great-Uncle Cy petting Ringo, when Ringo was young. For no reason at all, other than being a cat, Ringo leaped up and chomped down on Uncle Cy's hand. And Uncle Cy said, "That damn cat just bit me!"


Oh, Ringo.

I miss you. I'll probably always miss you. I remember the first time I saw you. My next door neighbor Jean called me over to see a kitten she'd found abandoned. I opened the door to the screened-in porch, and there you were with her son-in-law Scott. You looked impossibly tiny next to all 6 feet 10 inches of him. I had to have you. I didn't care what Mom and Dad would say; I took you home anyway. You fit in the palm of my hand, as you were only 3 inches long and 3 and a half weeks old. I named you Yoko. Until five days later when Dr Berry informed me that you were a boy.

Fourteen years. A lot of memories. A lot of hairballs and fur and bites and scratches and growling and purring and cuddling and laughter. You were a trouper for all the moves you made with me- my parents' house to Atlanta to my parents' house to Acworth to townhouse #1 to townhouse #2 to my parents' house after the flood then back to townhouse #2 to our current house and finally back to my parents' house, to be buried with the dogs you grew up with.

We had a heatwave all June, and no matter how much I combed you, you kept shedding. While we were in Aiken, I suppose you injested too much fur. You upchucked all over the house after we returned. You also sneezed and wheezed. You lost weight. You stopped begging for food. When I saw the cut on your nose last Sunday, I wasn't too worried. But yesterday, it looked worse, and your cloudy eyes were runny. It really seemed like you were looking at me and begging to be put out of your misery. Or just begging for some antibiotics. Jason and I weren't sure. When I took you to see Dr Berry today, I was prepared to have to say goodbye. The diagnosis wasn't good. You definitely had cataracts in your eyes. You probably had a herpes infection causing the sneezing. The cut on your nose? Most likely cancer. I thought about bringing you home and trying to make you comfortable for awhile, but I remembered the way you'd been looking at me so I decided it was time.

I took pictures of you, which you look dreadful in. I kissed you and petted you. Mom and Jonas petted you. I looked in your eyes, and I swear I saw understanding and acceptance in them. I think you were ready to go. And can you believe that even though you were heavily sedated when Dr Berry stuck the needle in your arm, you managed one last growl for him? You were ready to go, but not ready to go quietly! Just like Uncle Cy said, That Damn Cat!

As I sit here writing this, alternately laughing at some memory (John & the hairclip!) or sobbing because you aren't wrapped around my feet, I am worried about Ruthie, The Cat Who Wouldn't Die. She was upset when we came home because she's not used to being alone. She's usually the one going to the vet, not you. She, with the squinty eye, with the mysterious scar on her throat, with the pupils that are different sizes, with only one kidney, with that abcess back in April I had to inject antibiotics into (which was one of the grossest experiences of my life), who has never been without you....will she grieve terribly? Will she forget you?

I won't forget you. I'll miss so many things about you, but since I firmly believe that every living thing goes to heaven except for truly evil people, I'll see you again some day. Thank you so much for all of the love and trust. You weren't just a damn cat to me; you were a friend and one of the great loves of my life.

love always,
Your Human




P.S. Ringo isn't dead in that second picture. He's just sedated at that point. I wanted to point that out. No post mortem photos on my blog. Ew.

Almost July? Already??

Holy crap, I didn't realize I've been neglecting my blog for a whole four months! I thought it had only been three.

A lot has happened, of course. Jonas turned one. He walks sometimes. He has eight beautifully white teeth. I quit my self-imposed monthly knitting challenge because I realized it wasn't very much fun. We've traveled down to Aiken twice, and both times I meant to blog from the world's most awesome Mac but was thwarted by motherhood, knitting, and a newly minted teen (Tarra). I bought a new dishwasher and some plane tickets to Vegas and a Secret Destination, instead of buying myself an awesome Mac laptop to replace this Thing I Suspect Will Catch On Fire Soon. (Because of the the broken thingy where the battery thingy plugs in....I told ya'll about that, didn't I?) We went to Emery's first birthday party. I had a birthday. Jonas was baptised. I rejoined the Methodist church I grew up in. We went to a family reunion WHERE NOBODY CRIED (clearly that was Jason's family and not mine).

I'm sure other stuff happened. Maybe I'll recall it. Maybe I'll go more in-depth on some of the things mentioned above. Or maybe not. I may post pictures. Or not.

I spent a lot of the last four months debating on whether or not to continue blogging. It can be such a Chore and Not Fun. It can be a security hazard. (It's so not fun to not be able to blog in the moment when we're on the road.) And nearly everyone who reads this blog is a friend of mine on facebook so you sometimes (rarely) get updates there. But when it came down to it, I'm just not ready to let go of this outlet for my voice. If I get around to it, I may start another blog, using a nom de plume (which I would let you faithful readers know about, of course) so I can blog anything and everything from wherever and not have to worry about the safety of my house. Oh the things that run through my mind at 3 am when I can't sleep!

Meli and Other Jason "surprised" me with a visit last night. It was supposed to be a surprise, but when I caught my husband CLEANING the house, I knew something was up. My crafty mind figured out what was going on last Friday, and I then spent all weekend teasing Meli, not letting her know I knew until she was a half hour away. I texted her that I was on my way home from swimming (!) and that I might or might not get to the house before her. She was like "WHAT?!?!?! HE TOLD YOU????" And I said, "You have to get up pretty early to pull one over on me." (That's all paraphrased because I'm too lazy to go get my phone and review the actual texts.) They were just here for the night, but I'm happy even with the short visit. We ate dinner at Red Lobster and breakfast at Paula's Hot Biscuit.

Unfortunately for Other Jason, his Kentucky trips continue to be cursed. The last time he was here, he had to replace his drive shaft. This time is was the alternator and battery. And he gave the Bronco a thorough tune up before hitting the road! I told him it was a sign from the universe that it was time to by a hybrid sedan. He may have been more receptive to the suggestion had he not been folded up in the front seat of the Rabbit at the time. (I did point out that a Rabbit is NOT a sedan!)

Off to take care of my son and knit something.

P.S. Frankenthong is hitting the road with Meli and will reach M in time for her 39th birthday! I have requested pictures of her face when she opens Frankenthong and also a picture of her wearing Frankenthong (over her pants, of course) to be posted on the blog later. Because I know you'll want to experience that.....

February Challenge Announced. And Completed. (!)

Thong. Thong. Thong. Knitted Thong. The February Challenge is/was a thong. The usual craziness of my life is not what delayed this posting. Rather it's the fact that I am somewhat a Victorian at heart, and the thought of discussing a thong on the internet with possible strangers had me paralyzed. So deep breath......I KNITTED A THONG.

Really it's a Frankenthong. It started out as the bottoms to Joan McGowan-Michael's Basic Baby Doll and Panty (ugh! my least fave word ever) from her book, Knitting Lingerie Style. Oh, here's where I tell you a very important rule to the challenge that I failed to mention.....All of the yarn has to be from my stash. The pattern calls for Adrienne Vittadini Celia, which is 109 yds/50g of 100% silk. From my stash I pulled a skein of........I Love This Cotton! #24 Ivory, which is 180 yds/100g of 100% cotton. Silk, cotton. Silk, cotton. A child can see how this was going to go wrong fast. As I had promised Jason, I did not start on the thong right away. I waited until the 4th and cast on. I updated Meli all day long. I bragged about how quickly the thong was knitting up. I finished it that night, minus the elastic in the waistband. The next morning I sent her this text: "Omg. The thong turned out horrrrrrribly wrong. Horribly. Everything was going along fine & the next thing I know, I've got a skinny diaper for a big sumo wrestler......I knew the project was too easy!" Followed by this:

And then this: "Amazingly I had NO CLUE how bad things were until I finished knitting and really saw how loooooong the waist band was. It's, oh say, 9 in too long. Hello. That's almost A FOOT TOO LONG!"

I could have fixed it that Friday. I could have picked a different thong pattern. I could have tried to find a different yarn in my stash. Did I? No. I dropped the GIANT thong on the middle of my dining room table and tried in vain to ignore it until last week. I read Days of Gold by Jude Deveraux, started The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, knit a baby sweater for Alaina's new baby boy, knit a pair of modified Bella's Mittens for Trena, watched every minute of the Olympics aired on NBC and USA, finished a celtic horse cross-stitch that I had started two years ago, and did my usual take-care-of-baby/hubby/cats/house routine. I also considered participating in the 2010 Knitting Olympics but nixed the idea as I am still recovering from my tight deadline in January.

Finally, I could no longer ignore the thong. And I was tired of pushing it out of the way everytime I sat down to a meal. I didn't want to frog the whole thing since I thought the main part of it was somewhat okay. I grabbed my scissors and decided that even if I completely ruined the thong by cutting it up, I only had a days work invested in it, so what the heck. I cut the whale-sized waistband off, held the rest up to a thong from my young'un days (which is why you should never get rid of anything....might come in handy someday) to figure out the "butt strip" length, hacked off some of the length there and whipstiched the end like crazy to prevent unraveling. Then I actually figured out my guage, multiplied that by desired waist length, cast on the appropriate number of stitches, cast off, dug out some elastic, and voila.

It's not pretty, and I don't think the lucky recipient can wear them as a real undergarment. But that wasn't really the point since she doesn't wear underwear. I will protect her identity by only saying that her first initial is M and she lives in Virginia and ripped the seat out of her jeans in spectacular fashion the first day I met her. (And that's how I know she doesn't wear underwear.)

Lessons Learned in February:

1. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

2. Some things have no substitute. Or cotton is nothing like silk....

3. Finishing projects, old or new, is really, really satisfying.

4. I like store-bought underwear very much.

For March, I will be knitting two socks at once on a long circular needle. Oooooh.

Quick Jonas update.....we went for his 9 month wellness checkup on the 2nd. He weighed 21lbs something ounces (the card is in a pile somewhere.....) and was 29 1/4 in tall. He's 80th percentile for height, 75th for weight, and 60th for his head size. His third tooth has poked out, and he has three more that are ready to make their debut any day now. He continues to be a totally awesome baby!

We ate at a bad Chinese buffet in Paris yesterday after taking Aunt Esta to church (where they applauded her being there because she hadn't been in so long....too funny!). Jonas was very excited to get to wear Grandpa's watch and hold a fortune cookie and wouldn't hold his arms still for a picture.

January Challenge- Complete!!

As I type, the lace nightmare is upstairs, blocked and drying. I had to switch gears and knit a different shawl than the one I had originally begun knitting. I started the new pattern on the 22nd. I DO NOT advise knitting lace against a tight deadline! I will still knit the other shawl, but it will have to be a two-month-long challenge. I know it can be knit in a full month.....I'd like to be able to take enough time to do it properly, though. I kept screwing it up. Might have something to do with chasing a very mobile, very fast, almost 9 month old baby around my non-baby-friendly house. Yeah, I guess I need to do more than sweep the cat fur from the living room floor and plug up the outlets. Maybe I'll work on baby-proofing and cleaning during the next two days during my knitting time-out. (I had to swear to my husband that I wouldn't knit for at least two days once the lace was finished. And after my 19 HOUR knitting marathon last night.....my fingers are super swollen. I should finish typing and go stick them in the snow.)

Sorry for the bad pictures. Blogger and I continue to have disagreements on how well my pics should load. (I believe they should look normal, and Blogger believes otherwise. Oh well. This is a free service, and I shouldn't complain!)

Pattern: Fir Cone Wrap by Wendy D Johnson

Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow in Lost Lake Heather (This was an old color that I bought a few years ago.)

Lessons Learned in January:

1. As stated above, don't knit lace against a tight deadline.

2. Don't give up.

3. Be open to change.

4. Keep going even when you think it's impossible.

5. I am married to the most understanding and supportive husband in the world. (Ok, Ok, so I already knew that, but I had to say it again!)

6. You can't add days to the month. (I tried to tell Jason that January might have to be extended to the 32nd or even 34th, but he wasn't buying that....)

7. Sometimes you have to stop and read a book. (I read The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil to break up the monotony of k8, k1, YO, k3, sk2p0, k3, YO, k1, YO, k3 and so on for 44,460 stitches, not counting all the stitches I had to rip back and re-knit. I do recommend this book.)

8. The dishes don't do themselves. Nor does the laundry wash, dry, fold, and put itself away. If only!

February challenge project to be announced soon.......

On the Wagon

I'm talking about the year-long-bloggable-project bandwagon.  Like cooking all of Julia's or Martha's recipes.  Or spending a year trying to find happiness.  Or cooking a $5 dinner every night for a family of four.   I read on the web or saw on the news a story about how the year-long project is the new thing to do.  All the cool kids are doing it....so then, what is my project?  Well, don't get too excited, folks.  I'm not out to change the world or get a book deal.  I just want to challenge my knitting skills.  That being said, I'm going to knit something new every month (knit it AND finish it).  And by new, I mean an item I've never knit before.

My first project is a lace shawl with a difficulty rating of experienced (which I'm not concerning lace).  I started it last week, and after casting on 624 stitches with lace-weight yarn and size 3 needles SIX TIMES, I am in the groove.  It's not so bad.  (And this is where the Knitting Goddess strikes me with a bolt of lightning...)  I promise pictures the next time I'm not blogging from Pixi because I have nooooo idea how to put pics on the blog from my phone.  That's way too advanced for me.

now, back to my knitting.  January will be over before I know it, and I've got a ways to go on my first year-long-bloggable-project project....

pixi dust

Hello, 2010! You've been good so far...Jonas took his first steps on his very first New Year Day.  We finally had a decent snowfall.  Jonas really enjoyed crawling in the snow.  (And then I realized that he's never even touched grass, yet!)  Last saturday, Jason & I finally upgraded cell phones. Yay!  I got a palm pixi.  And in case, you're wondering, I LOVE this phone!  I'm even blogging from it now.  Watch out world!