OMG...it looks like it has snowed at Missy M's house! She has 5 or 6 large Bradford Pear trees in her front yard which were in full bloom last weekend when I was there...and when the wind began to blow on Sunday, the white petals began to fly all about, like snow flakes. Gorgeous!
Yes, I'm still traveling back & forth, to & fro, from KY to MO. I'm thoroughly sick of Interstate 64. I've listened to more books-on-CD than you can imagine...almost every one of Agatha Christie's mysteries.
I especially like to listen to Hugh Frasier's voice (he is the actor who played the definitive Capt. Hastings in the definitive David Suchet-versions of Poirot on BBC/PBS/A&E TV). He does all of the characters' voices so well...even the female, even the "foreign" accents! Suchet is also a reader on a few of the CD's, and he can make his voice sound just like an American woman speaking...or a French man...or Russian woman...or...you get my drift. Amazing talents. I guess I'd better get on the St. Charles County Library's website and reserve me another couple of books to listen to on my next 6 hour ride (3 there, 3 back). Sigh.
Still, I do have good news to report on the home front(s). Here in MO (where I am at the moment), we've had the home inspection and the termite inspection...and there are only 4 things that the buyer is requesting. Three are what I would term "minor," with only one in the "major" catagory...meaning we will have to get someone else to complete it. The home inspector found that 2 of the plumbing vents on the roof have "deteriorating" seals, and the buyer wants us to replace them. Of course, this is not something we will attempt to do (go on the roof), regardless of how dyed-in-the-wool-DIYers we might be. (And, of course, the inspector "found" something that we cannot check out ourselves...but I digress.) We've already signed off on the request, so the next step in the sales process is the appraisal...which should happen soon, maybe as early as tomorrow. After that, it's all over except the actual closing on 5/7/09. Banner day!
In NC, where Mr. T is, there is also good news. He is meeting the Realtor there tomorrow to start the "real" house-hunting. By "real," I mean that they will be visiting properties with an eye for purchase (sooner rather than later), instead of what we were doing, which was to visit properties to get a feel for neighborhoods, etc. Ours was a weeding out process; theirs will be a selection process.
Of course, we are all currently grieving the loss of the Memphis men's basketball coach to the University of Kentucky. Coach Calipari really lifted the program from the doldrums 9 years ago and breathed life back into the Tigers. He's a marvelous recruiter and is able to bring top talent on board...at least until they leave for the NBA. Double sigh. Got to get over it and move on. Still, as I said in my Twitter to the Commercial Appeal, Alan Graf (a top FedEx exec and big Tiger booster) put it best: “Now, [UK]'s the same university that (drove away) Tubby (Smith) after a national championship..." I guess we'll just have to see how this decision plays out. Hopefully, before too very long, we (UofM) will have a new coach in place...and renewed enthusiasm for next year's run at the Final Four!
Meanwhile, I have to keep the stress of waiting and anticipating under (some) control. I started a sweater for friends' new grandbaby on Saturday, using some CotSoy yarn in Missy M's stash and her Queensland Collection book with the Juniperus pattern as my guide. I knitted almost constantly through Monday night, stopping only to eat and to drive back to MO (and if I could figure out how to knit and drive...safely...I would do it...:). I finished the sweater on Tuesday and the little hat (a made-up pattern that mimics the Juniperus color changes) on Tuesday night. There's a photo on the right of the two pieces. The other photo (left) is a picture of the pile of "ends" that I had to weave in 
on all of the color changes (stripes)!
Have I told you how very much I hate to weave in the ends? Well, just in case you missed my previous rant(s), I HATE TO WEAVE IN ENDS! Hate. to. Still I love how the stripey little sweater looks, don't you? Worth it. And, then I put all the little
yarn cuttings out for the birds to use in building their nests. Recycling at its best!
My current project is completing a pair of Sockotta socks that I started way back in October (see photo to the right). I had completed the cable patterning for the cuff of Sock #1 before I put this project down to work on Christmas presents. Last night, I was able to turn the heel, finish the instep, and start the toe decreases. Should be able to finish up Sock #1 today and get started on Sock #2 by tomorrow. I'm hoping to get them finished in time for N/M/E's upcoming birthday. I do find that a deadline always makes me knit "on purpose." No stress...
