This and that

First off what a glorious grey cool morning - and the nights are getting almost chilly. Fall will officially be here soon and I am loving it already!

Now to the funny part of the the post - poor Rich hurt his back then re-hurt it worse last week so he is crookedly hobbling around - soooo the other day when the washing machine alarm went off I ran downstairs to fix it - the blasted thing had walked itself partially off it's platform - dummy here (yes that would be me) tries to pull it back up (which is usually doable -difficult but doable) but apparently it has water still in it so NOT so doable - I pulled something under my wing. Owie!

The downside of that (other than pain) is that my joining the Health Club got put off from yesterday to maybe tomorrow. If not tomorrow then Monday. As long as I get in while the special is on I will be a happy camper. I'm just planning on starting off really slowly using the treadmill and bike (which my Podiatrist said was ok as long as I started slow) then eventually work up to more. The plan is to try that, come home and ice the Achilles tendon and hopefully avoid more PT. I could have done (probably should have still been doing) both at the same time - but a few PT sessions is equal to the cost of the membership for the year. And I go back to doctor in 3 weeks to evaluate if it is working or if I have to give in to more PT also. So fingers crossed that I am smart enough to stop and come home and ice enough to avoid going back for the PT. And if anyone ever asks Achilles Tendonitis hurts a lot! Avoid it if you can ;)

Oh and Rich is doing a little better too - he can sneeze and not follow it with painful mutterings at least now. It is a start....

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cucumber casserole recipe for Vi

Aunt Tillies Cucumber Casserole (by way of my Dad and Aunt El)

4 qt container
6 medium onions chopped
3 qts chopped cucumber

Put chopped cucumbers in colander and let set for awhile - then take out by handfuls letting the juice that drips off go ..put into a pan

Put onion in then mix cucumber and onion up with 2 beaten eggs

1/2 box Royal Milk Crackers (broken up or crushed)

Put 2 inches cucumber mix in a casserole - salt and pepper and put sliced butter on it then put 1/2 inch of the crushed crackers - repeat layers.

Bake at 400 for an hour then let set and serve.

Oh and I spray with the casserole with PAM before starting -
This holds the heat forever so it can set quite awhile before eating...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

So let's see if this works

The last time I said I would try to post more was exactly a year ago - guess that didn't go so well. Now I have this (hopefully) set up so I can post on my iPad so perhaps I will do better this year ;)

I'm trying to get lots of caffeine in this morning before 8 am since that is my cut off until after the nuclear stress test tomorrow. acck acck acck. I am a bit of a wreck about this so send good thoughts my way. The combination of my fear of needles, the fact that they can never get an IV started without major contortions and much muttering and then add the fact that my Achilles tendonitis is still screaming at me is adding to the stress. Will I be able to do the treadmill - will they have to do the chemical test if I cant go fast enough or long enough (please god no) then of course there is the normal worry about how it will turn out...Rich who had "the episode" that started all this had everything look fantastic. ...me who is just trying to be a responsible adult (yes I know about time right) probably won't have it be perfect -much like my 24hour monitoring wasn't perfect .....so looking for the good - anything that pops up like my rapid heartbeat (which btw I'm not allowed to take that med. tomorrow before the test) will be addressed to keep me around for a good long time to come.

And I made it thru the echo last week without Docs running into the room or calling me later in the day so that was good .. So we just need to get thru tomorrow then the doctor appointment next week

Oh and the stress has made for a wonderful LP flare up and I now have ulcers in my mouth again...fun fun fun..

Wow I got a LOT of venting and stress out all at once didn't I?

Ok a half hour left to hammer back more coffee :D....


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

the Darwin Award goes to

the guy on the police call I just heard --

seems his moped ran out of gas on the Ponquogue Bridge last night coming home from one of the bars (he didn't say that but I am positive of it - and you will see why) so he left it there and walked the rest of the way - he just went back and it isn't there!

I'm sorry but this is the one occasion that D'uh really fits......

going to try to be a bit better about posting

but I am sure it will still be pretty sparse - especially right now - it is hot - as in - it is Stinkin' HOT -- and what am I doing - making macaroni salad - usually I think to do it early in the morning before it gets this hot (85 in my house already - in the living room don't want to think what the kitchen is with the steam) but it will be good tonight to have something cold - right?

Off to drain the noodles ....

A Rant

I am getting so sick of knowing people who have aneurysms or die of them - a friend from the Fire Department died of one this morning - 50 yrs old - in a car going to the airport to go to a golf tournament - he was in the back seat and everyone thought he was asleep. He had a wife, kids in college, a good business and was very active in the community - he will be greatly missed.

Tonight is the annual Banquet for the Fire Department - it will be an evening of mixed feelings - with many remembrances of our friend.

It was a just a week ago my uncle died - this has not been a good week..

HOW I SPENT ELECTION DAY

IGNORE THE LAMPSHADE BEHIND THE XRAY AND THE CAMERA FLASH ON IT
SORRY FOR ALL CAPITALS BUT IT IS A CHOICE OF CAPS OR ALL SMALL BECAUSE OF THIS - YEP IT IS MY RIGHT ARM - WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR THE EXTRA LOUSY TYPING.


CAN'T KNIT PROBABLY FOR AWHILE -CAN'T COOK, DRIVE, SHOWER --WELL TO BE HONEST CAN'T DO PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING

I HAVE TO TRY TO NOT SHIFT THE BONES - THEY ARE A BIT CLOSER THAN THE PICTURE ABOVE FROM SOME PRESSING,MOVING TWISTING BY DOCTOR AND I HAVE A BRACE THAT COMPRESSES IT TOO. TRYING TO AVOID SURGERY AND PLATES BECAUSE THE RISK OF NERVE DAMAGE IS HIGH BECAUSE OF WHERE AND HOW THE BREAK IS - IT WILL HEAL - NOT AS WELL AS THEY WOULD LIKE -THEY WOULD LIKE THE BONES TO BE CLOSER ETC BUT EVEN IF IT IS THICK AND NOT QUITE STRAIGHT AND TAKES LONGER THIS WAY IT SEEMS TO BE THE WAY TO GO.

SO NO I DIDN'T GET IN TO VOTE - THIS HAPPENED AT THE POLLS - BUT HIMSELF DID GO BACK WHEN HE DROPPED OFF A SCRIPT FOR PAIN MEDS FOR ME AND WHILE WAITING FOR THE SCRIPT TO BE DONE ==

BTW MY HEAD IS A MESS TOO - THAT ALSO HIT THE BRICK WALL AND THE BRICK WALL REALLY WON!

what color green are you?

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you. Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks. Your warm personality nicely counteracts any strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

Thanks Martha that was fun -- but like I said to you I think I have scared off more than one person with my quirks ;)

Laugh for the day

last night I went out to check the irrigation (which is new) and walking around the house - I'm staying close to the house to avoid the sprinkler that was going and as I stepped next to that sprinkler I sunk up to my knee with the mud filling in behind me - I pulled my leg out (not an easy task btw it was really really stuck) - then I reached in to pull my shoe out - which by now has been completely covered by the mud that moved back in when I pulled my leg out - so I have to keep reaching around in the mud (mud up above my elbow btw) to find it -- all the while lying on the ground because when I went I went all the way down --- pure grace in action you know --- and by this time the sprinkler has come back around and is now facing me again - here I am sort of laying in the mud sort of kneeling in the mud and pulling on my shoe trying to break the mud suction that has formed - laughing and getting soaked as the sprinkler is going directly in my face with the head of it being about 6 inches away from me - here I sit with one arm in the mud and my other hand up in front of me trying to keep some of the spray from hitting me in the face - I finally pull the shoe out - I have mud up the bottom of my shorts - I am soaked, mud covered and laughing and I can't get up -- the ground is too slippery - I tried 3 different ways to get up and ended up getting on my hands and knees and pushing at the ground hoping that my hands and feet wouldn't keep slipping in opposite directions too far (tell me you can just picture that - and it is exactly what you are picturing) and finally I managed to get up.

So now my shoes are on the porch - my clothes are down in the basement waiting to get washed later - I stood in the shower to rinse off and put more sand and dirt down my drain than I probably should have and I still had to go out later to be sure the timer for the irrigation was timing off.

All in all an average day in the life of rho....

Visitors to the field across the street from us

3 deer in field across from my house 8/23/08
Originally uploaded by rho1640

We have been watching this family of deer all during the summer - it is a little hard to see them I know but that is as close as they come to the road. The two smaller ones have grown so much even in the last month - This year there are 3 last year there were 5 total.

And no - none of them ended up in our freezer. We don't hunt in our front yard - and I think it might be against village ordinance anyway ;)

Hair

a picture of my hair since I started letting it go naturally curly - not to mention naturally white. I'm loving how much easier it is to go with the flow rather than fighting it everyday only to have it do what it wants anyway. Of course for this hot humid weather I end up wearing it up - but that is ok too. In fact I found a new use for Harmony DPN's - they make great hair picks - and they match almost any outfit I could ever come up with. How much better can a $7 purchase be - and you get 5 for that price - Aren't they pretty??

Also someone put a good idea up on Ravelry - If you are flying somewhere and think the TSA might take away your knitting needles (which are legal in the U.S. but the TSA agent is the final say) you would still have something to knit with - just let your hair down on the plane and knit on.....

Wow

I just can't believe how long it has been since my last post. I would love to say I was just too busy to post but it is more that I was too cranky or uninspired to post. Ahh well. . . .

I seriously am going to try to post something more often - If it were a perfect world I would say I will blog everyday - but I know myself too well to commit to that - and anything is more often than in I have been doing - so I will post more often than in the past

I found a blog that I am reading and enjoying more that I thought possible it is My Mom's Blog
I actually started at her first blog post and have read thru to the current one so to borrow from her intro on her blog it says "At 83 years young, Millie Garfield is one of the Internet's oldest bloggers, according to The Ageless Project. With an authentic and humorous voice, a knack for story telling and frequent updates, Millie's blog, My Mom's Blog, shows that people want to hear from someone with a story to tell."

What a joy to read - - she is my inspiration to post more often - I want to be Millie when I grow up :D

Still sad but getting better

I can't think of any more to say about my friend Trish - so I am going to use what I posted on Ravelry -

I considered Trish one of my best friends. So how can you get so close to someone you meet through this thing called the Internet? Trish and I met originally on Knitter’s Review and started by PMing (private messaging) each other. Then it went to email (though neither of us gave our email addresses out easily, lol), and then there were phone calls. We never met in person, but our weird sense of humor was the same (she actually got my jokes), our love of knitting (God, the talent that woman had—check out her project page—and that was only a tiny bit of what she did) and our love of FOOD. Cooking and recipes and hard-to-get exotic ingredients were a big part of our conversations.

Trish was one of those people who did everything well—and if I didn’t love her so much I would have hated her for it ; ). If anyone needed help she was there to give it—and still is—she was an organ donor and her kidneys and corneas already are helping people. I am telling myself that the corneas went to a fellow crafter who now has a chance to continue something they love and her skin will help so many people.

I am stealing this from a post M made on Knitters Review. She spoke with Trish’s husband Bob,and he said,

So far, her donation of skin, organs and corneas have given new hope to 45 people and as Bob expressed, “I am so proud of her for this.” In a note from Bob, Rho learned the donor network also told him that her kidneys were placed yesterday (Friday, March 7) to two people in the Phoenix area and he will be notified about the progress of the recipients.

So as you can see Trish is still helping people. The phrase that comes to mind is she is still helping people knit their lives back together by her selfless donation.

She was also passionate about animals and animal welfare—and was passionate about Cocker Spaniel Rescue. One friend is going to donate money in her honor there.

She may not have posted here (Ravelry) a lot but I know she was on daily checking in with her friends and new patterns and ideas and yarns—the knitting community meant a lot to her. I can see her organizing a Knitting Circle in heaven. I told her husband that and he said to me, “I believe you’re absolutely right about her organizing the Knitting Circle in heaven. I can just see her now, surrounded by knitting needles, bundles of gorgeous yarns, knitted socks, scarfs, shawls, sweaters, patterns and all of her tools sitting with our cocker spaniels and tabby cat.” Isn’t that a husband who appreciated his wife’s passion and paid attention to what she was doing?

Two Two posts in one day -

I just took this quiz and I absolutely love the results so I had to post it immediately




You're The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!

by Douglas Adams

Considered by many to be one of the funniest people around, you are
quite an entertainer. You've also traveled to the far reaches of what you deem possible,
often confused and unsure of yourself. Life continues to jostle you around like a marble,
but it's shown you so much of the world that you don't care. Wacky adventures continue to
lie ahead. Your favorite number is 42.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Wow it's been ages

hasn't it - time just gets away sometimes.

I've had a few bouts with various flu strains going around then MIL was in the hospital and then on hospital hospice so there was lots of running back and forth there. She passed away last Sunday and last week was the wake and funeral - so it has been busy here.

I did take the entire weekend and did nothing at all - I even napped one day for about an hour. Hubster took Saturday to rest up then yesterday met some friends at the range so that was a good mental health day for him.

Now himself is on the phone with a good friend who has been going thru the same thing this past week with his MIL in hospice and she passed away last night - so it looks like we will be going to the same funeral home again.

Once upon a time we got together with family and friends for weddings, births, graduations, etc - now it is at parents funerals.

Camera Fixed!

And here are some pictures - first off my new pet - My Ashford Joy being modeled in what is apparently my modeling chair - this is the wheel that Jane helped me pick out and pick up - Thanks :D
Isn't she pretty..... Second up is some of my spinning of some wonderful blue that Jane picked for me at Rhinebeck and surprised me with - she knows my color for sure doesn't she? - Can I say thank you again -- it actually makes me look pretty good for a brand new spinner - 2 weeks today
and another picture from a different angle - trying to get the light better so you can see - but I am sooo not a photographer...
but you get the idea ---

so be nice - remember I am new at this -

A short note

to mention that I just got a new charger for my camera battery - batteries are charging so maybe by tomorrow I will have pictures of my new wheel up :D

I was going to order a new camera for me but then I decided to look and see if I could get a charger all by itself ..... and they had it -- not only that but it is a better charger because it plugs directly into the outlet AND has an adapter to use to charge it in the car .... much cheaper solution that leaves it open for me to buy more fiber at the retreat --- happy dancing ***

what happens when there is nothing to post

you do a quiz!

You're Watership Down!

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

still feeling blechy, no camera for pictures so this is what you get ;)

For anyone who doesn't know already ....

I got a spinning wheel - well I tried to upload a picture but blogger isn't letting me do it right now - they say they are aware of the problem -- sooo just plug in Ashford Joy Double Treadle into Google and you will see what she looks like. And since I still don't have a working camera that is most likely the picture I was going to use so you are seeing what you would see here. If it lets me later I will post the picture from the Ashford site ....

Jane is the best friend and enabler ever - she even drove me to the store :D

ok - since I have the creeping crud I am going back to bed....

I really really hate to admit it but . . .

the trellis shawl kicked my butt... I gave up on it for now - after ripping it out 14 times I figure it was trying to tell me something. Something like don't do me now!!!!

So I am not using that yarn to make a simple seed stitch which also seems to be giving me a problem - I think I have to put some of the blame on the fibro flare I am in and the fibro fog I seem to be in the mist of. Hopefully tomorrow when I pick up my shawl I will see where I goofed and be able to fix it easily - instead of ripping it out again.... It is so sad it is funny at this point I swear.