Petunia rambles on and on….

Oh, my, it’s been a long time.  I can’t possible write about everything that went on for all this time.

There was a trip to daughter’s, to see her receive her Associate’s Degree in ParaLegal Studies. Well, actually, the school mailed her the diploma months ago, but she decided to participate in the ceremony in January. Pop and I made the trip, baited by this great occasion, and the twins!

Yes, I was one proud mom – it’s not an easy accomplishment, when you have a home, a job, a husband, 2 small sons.  And the yellow/gold sash signifies graduating with High Honors! We had a nice visit that was all too short.

Then there was the combat with a large bag of fleece. It’s beautiful merino, and it’s all clean now, and I’m combing it.  But I can work at it just so long before tugging on the combs rubs blisters on my hands.  I should stop just before that point but I’m too stupid to do that.  The house smelled like a wet sheep for several days, but the beautiful top I’m getting is worth it. It’s just very slow going.

Believe it or not, it’s coming out snowy white.  Like this:

Isn’t that beautiful crimp??  But the combing is killing me, killing my hands. The tools are vicious looking – I ought to carry them with me when I go to the mall after dark.

I could defend myself pretty well with a pair of those, huh? I’ve got a huge bag of wee bird’s nests, but have a hideous amount still to go.

Did make a trip with friends up to Vulcan’s Rest in Chesapeake Cityon SuperBowl Sunday – they were having a sale – 25% off everything in the store.  And it’s a great store.  I managed to stay away from the yarn almost and concentrated on the fibers.  Got some interesting merino/silk blends to spin.

LOVE all the colors!!  And this basket fascinated me – I DO NOT need to add another craft – I have too much STUFF around here now!

They do hold basket-weaving classes but fortunately, the times are very inconvenient for me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve been spinning – dug into the cedar chest and found a braid of 65% merino/35% silk, hand-dyed by The Sanguine Gryphon. I got it at her house on the first Eastern Shore Yarn Crab Crawl. Beautiful, isn’t it?

It’s gone from that to this:

Actually, I split the 4 oz. braid into thirds, so I got 3 bobbins like this, plied them together into a nice sport weight, probably about 350 yards. It’s skeined, washed, beaten up a bit and is hanging to dry now.

Enough. It’s late, I’m old and I need some sleep.  More soon. Maybe.

We’ve gotten through the holidays – kids were all here on the weekend before, due to scheduling conflicts, but it worked out well as I had to work on the actual holiday; that’s how it goes when you work in the health care field.  And when daughter and husband went off for a week ALONE, we got to keep the boys!

Snow has been a “big issue” here several times already.  Not monstrous amounts, but where I live we don’t get much, we don’t get it often, and when it does fall, folks here have a tendency to go effing ballistic. The grocery stores are stripped bare, as if people expected that 3 inches of snow would keep them house-bound for 2 months.  I can understand the panic-buying of milk and bread, but never got why they all buy out every roll of toilet paper in the state – perhaps all that soggy bread gives people the shitz??   (Note to self for next November – Buy 6 months worth of TP and store it in front bedroom; avoid the crowds) At any given time, I’ve got enough food here to last us for a month or more, save only fresh milk for coffee – we could get along with that powdered creamer, though, if necessary. Eggs might run out, but we can live a while without them, I guess. I wouldn’t mind the snow at all – would just settle back and knit or spin, if I didn’t have to drive to work with the nuts out on the roads who know far less about driving on snow/ice than I do having learned to drive in Broward County, Florida.

I didn’t realize that snow collected on traffic lights! And I get bored waiting for the light to change every damn morning. For whatever reason, the other side got to go, and then the cross traffic TWICE, and still I sat.  See, kids, THIS is why Mom’s always got a camera.

I love the way the snow gathers on branches, and even get amused at how it covers my car like a white paint-job. I laugh at the poor dog trying to sniff out her “pooping spots” in the yard, going around and around and not finding the spot that suits her “need.” (I would take care of business a lot quicker, were the wind blowing up my bare arse)

Knitting continues. It’s not a choice – it’s a therapy! Sanity is yarn.  Made scarves for the girls – look at the Not a Celebrity Scarf by Skacel on Ravelry – I did several of them, while I had the clutch in on my brain. Simple pattern, minimal thinking. The Grand-girls seemed to like them. And socks.  I made a pair for me!

Lorna’s Laces in Baltic Sea, sport weight, plain vanilla sock pattern, toe-up, size US 3 circular needle done Magic Loop and two at a time, so I don’t mess up and make one longer than the other.

And our knitting group is going to do a KAL using a sweater pattern called “Son of A.R.A.N” by Janet Szabo.  One of our ladies had made the sweater some years ago, and when she wore it to a meeting, we all went green with jealousy. Now, with the frenzy of the holidays over, and nothing but snow, ice and boredom ahead until Easter/Springtime, we all thought this was a good idea.  I went “shopping” in the stash here at home and found a sweater’s worth of Royal Blue Cascade 220 that will work nicely. MUST SWATCH, say the knitters of the group and found out that I am a loose woman.  I need to get 22 stitches over 4 inches and the recommended needle is Size 7.  Not sure how it would go, I did a long swatch – must have been all the scarves I did – and did 4 inches each with Size 6, 7 and 8 needles, bound off, rinsed it and patted it out on a towel to dry. THEY WERE ALL TOO WIDE. I’m going to need to use a Size 5 needle to get gauge. We start the saddles next Monday – and for those that don’t know, saddles are shoulder band-like parts with a cable that’ll go across and then down the center of each sleeve.  Go to the site and see the picture which I can’t post here due to copyright issues.   But oh, it’s gonna be beautiful.

Gotta go.  The poodle-ometer just came in from outdoors and she’s white.   It’s snowing again!!

Long, long ago, there was a song.

No one said it was easy, but it once was so easy. Well, I believed in love…..

Why did it end this way?  This wasn’t how it was supposed to be…..

So many times, I know I should have told you….

Losing you, it cut like a knife; you walked out and there went my life.  I don’t want to live without you….

On my own, I’ve got to find where I belong again.  I’ve got to learn how to be strong again. I’ve got to find out what was mine again.  My heart is saying that it’s my time again….

And when I first heard the song back in the ’80’s, it took me even further back.  And every single time I’ve heard it ever since.

And today, this date, it is right that I still remember all of it.