Is That Really Snow? No...April Fools!

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...

Status: Pending

From the Houghton Mifflin online dictionary:

pend·ing

ADJECTIVE:

1. Not yet decided or settled; awaiting conclusion or confirmation.



2. Impending; imminent.

And, there we are. We got an offer on our MO house on Saturday; countered on Sunday; and ironed out the (very few) issues on Monday. The reason that it took so long was that we weren't in MO, and the buyer's real estate agent was apparently on the road as well...and everything had to be done by email and fax with cellphone follow-ups. Thank heaven for technology, right?

That means that instead of being in an ACTIVE status on MLS, our house is now in a PENDING (closing) status. I happen to prefer either the definition of "awaiting conclusion" or the one of "imminent," don't you? Sounds like it's really going to happen.

The closing date is set for May 7th...good Lord willin' and the inspectors don't find much of anything wrong when they come next week. Then, we can turn our eyes toward the East...to the Piedmont of North Carolina...to High Point. Can't come soon enough...

Mr. T and I were actually in NC when all of this took place, so we were able to set up our initial meeting with our Realtor there. We told him about the houses and subdivisions we are interested in and gave him an idea of what we need...and what we'd like to have...in our next home. He seems to be a calm person...and we figure we'll need that to balance, well, one of our personalities. No names, here.

We are using an American Airline Advantage program partner called American Home Miles, to help us coordinate our realty services on both ends of this move...which means we will ultimately earn airline miles for both the sale and the purchase of our homes. Which means that I'm already planning where I'm going for vacation before I even get settled in our new abode. SOP. For me, at least.


Meanwhile, we wait. Just like Wilson (our Pot Person, pictured above, right...who will stay here in MO to guard all the flowers we planted, like the ones on the left called "Rip Van Winkle" daffodils), we wait. I hate to wait. Hate. To. Wait. But, waiting for the closing date to arrive is better than the in-limbo state of waiting for a buyer to make an offer. Infinitely better. Now, we have an end-date to the waiting. Thursday, 5/7/09.

So, to help with the tension, I've started another pair of socks (right), using a Red Heart sock yarn Missy M got me. This is a new kind of sock yarn, made with aloe vera, called "Heart and Sole," in colorway "Green Envy".

Lest you think I may have more UFO's than places to put them, please know that I finished that second Harry Potter sock...ta-da. And, I am almost half-way done with my Woven Scarf and maybe 1/4 of the way through the crocheted Prayer Shawl.

Alas, I found out the hard way that I need to have a simple knitting project on hand (say, socks) when watching the Tigers play in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Yeah! They made it to the Sweet Sixteen round and will play Missouri on Thursday. Too much excitement to pay attention to any detailed pattern changes, like the scarf has, or to doing something slowly (like I have to do with crocheting versus knitting). The scarf that I had to frog all the way back to the beginning, not once but twice, when I made a mistake due to inattention to detail. Twice. I must have something to do...and socks are the answer.

MDBT

So, now you know. Last Tuesday, I vacuumed the house (yet again), put fresh flowers in the vases (yet again), and refreshed the cookies in the cookie canister (yet again). Yes, everything looked spic and span...all ready for that potential buyer to walk in the door and fall madly in love with the place. My work here was done.

After letting our Realtor know I'd be MIA for about a week, I packed my bag, locked all the doors, and headed off to Orlando to join Missy M for a week in the sun. It was time for our annual Mother-Daughter Bonding Trip (MDBT)!

She was attending an e-Learning conference held in Lake Buena Vista Tuesday-Friday, so I just lounged around the pool (where, even with SPF #30, my blindingly white skin turned bright pink), worked the crosswords and the sudokus, and read my latest book (a bio of Andrew Jackson by Jon Meacham called American Lion). You know, acted like I was on vacation.

Remarkably, I didn't knit a stitch (except in the airport and on the plane)...and we didn't make it to a single yarn store. Not one. Gasp!

Then, it was time to see the World...Walt Disney World, that is! We started off at the Magic Kingdom on Saturday...then to a Braves Spring Training game at Disney's Wide World of Sports and shopping in Downtown Disney on Sunday...and finished up at Disney's Hollywood Studios on Monday. Lots of changes there.

I wore my Step Counter (aka my Clicker) and registered over 25,000 steps in the 3 days we spent on the properties! [2000 steps, more or less, equal 1 mile] Wow!!

In addition to playing around with Mickey and Friends, we reacquainted ourselves with the area we left over 7 years ago (can it really be that long ago?!) by driving by the butterscotch-colored house on Jessica Lane, where there have been remarkably few (if any) changes. And, on Sunday, from a parking lot in Downtown Disney, we got to see one of the most exciting moments in the life of a central Floridian: watching the launch of the Space Shuttle (photo to right, below)!

As you can imagine, I took loads of photos on the trip. I whittled them down to a manageable amount and uploaded to my Share Page at Photoworks.com. You can see the slideshow of this album over there in the left column <<<<<<<. I also created a Photo Book...currently a work-in-progress. Feel free to enjoy at your leisure.

I have been home in MO just long enough to toss out the old flowers and replace them with fresh ones...which I've actually augmented with some from the yard. The daffodils are coming in fast & furious in this unusually warm weather we've had this week. Now, I've just got time to re-pack my bags and head back to the airport.

Where to this time, you ask? Stay tuned...

Socks, Showers, and Spring Flowers

OK...I'm definitely ready for it...Spring has arrived in MO! I got home last night, and before I even unpacked the car, I checked the front to see if any of the daffodils had opened up in the last 4 days while I was in Louisville. Hooray! As you can see from the picture (right), a few had...with more to come (see? there in the background?).

Actually...with LOTS more to come, as Mr. T and I planted 100 more daffodil bulbs late last Fall, when we divided (and expanded) all of the daylily and iris beds. Should be quite a show...for someone. I honestly hope that I am not still in MO to take photos of all the beautiful blooms in 2009. Honestly.

Oh yes, Spring is here for sure. The weather forecast is for thunderstorms, high winds, and lots of rain for this afternoon and evening. Joy. Can the sound of the tornado sirens be far behind? Oh well, hopefully the rain will bring more flowers...

On a calmer note, I wanted to post photos of my latest Finished Objects. I polished off that scarf (right) I started during the awful, terrible, horrible, very bad snow & ice storm last month. Remember? The one I was knitting by candlelight? I had enough of the Paton's SWS Soy/Wool yarn (so soft!) to do a headband to keep my ears warm...which I'm more likely to wear than a hat. Of course, I'm hoping I won't need either the scarf or the warm headband until next Winter...

And then there are the socks...

...a couple of pairs for a couple of really great friends. The ones pictured on the left are in scrumptious green yarn called "Blarney" from the Plucky Knitter...snatched, er - borrowed from Missy M's stash...just perfect for a red-haired friend with the gift of gab, wouldn't you say? Can you guess who the pair on the right went to? They are knit in the pattern "Anne's Magic Stripes" using Malabrigo yarn called "Turner," which I purchased on a recent ATL trip at The Yarn Garden in Lawrenceville, GA.

I worked up both pairs using the Two Socks on Two Circs method, meaning that I knit both socks at once with two circular needles. Yep, I'm hooked on it...I love finishing both socks at the same time. I picked up an Unfinished Object (UFO) to work on this weekend...the second sock of a pair of Opal sock yarn's colorway Harry Potter socks that I had started in January before I learned the 2 Sox on 2 Circs method...and I was bored within 15 minutes! My only motivation is that I have already finished Sock #1...and it desparately needs its mate!

So, of course, I started another project...a prayer shawl that I am crocheting. I've got both projects in my carry-on for my flight...along with another UFO (a knitted "woven-look" scarf in yummy Manos del Uruquay wool clasica "space-dyed" yarn in purples and reds) in my bag...wonder which one I'll work on?

Carry-on? Flight? Bag? Huh??? "Wonder where she's off to now?" Stay tuned...:)

There're No Friends Like _ _ _, Enduring Friends

I count myself as one of the most fortunate people in the world because I have friendships that have endured the test of time...a long time...more time than I care to admit to, actually. More than fifty years, in one case. Yowza! Isn't that just amazing?

Anne and I have known each other since my first days in Henning, where we moved to/from Memphis when I was three years old. We were in Sunday School together as tots...we attended 8 years at Henning Grammar School together...and we graduated from Ripley High School together. We went to the beach together...we were in each other's weddings...and we both have "only" daughters, born just 6 months apart. We used to talk to each other almost nightly on the phone (at least until 9:00, when it was "lights out" at her house), especially when we needed to check our Algebra homework (Mrs. Cloyes!) or our Latin homework (Mrs. Thomas!)...even though we had just spent a whole day together in classes. Of course, we've embraced email as our standard of communication these days, but the beauty of a lasting friendship like ours is that we can just pick up where we left off...even if we haven't actually talked to each other for a year or more.

I've had the opportunity to get together with Anne a couple of times in the past few weeks. Spurred on by the prospect that my impending move might mean we don't get to see each other for a while, she contacted Janie...another long-time friend, and they drove to rendevous with me at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah. Now, this was the same week as that awful, horrible, terrible, very bad ice & snow storm in KY. But, as we had already postponed once, we braved the weather forecast and the roads...and had a fabulous time together! BTW, if you find yourself on I-24, going through KY, be sure to schedule some time here...it's worth it!

Anne and I also met up at Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston this week...home of the throwed rolls (that's one of 'em there on the left), for anyone in the dark about this quirky southeastern Missouri destination...and talked at our table for so long after our meal was done and our gallon of tea had been consumed, that we felt obligated to double our kind waitress's tip, sort of like paying rent on the space, don't you know? Janie couldn't make it because of work, so we had to keep up the conversation without her help this time...and, of course, we didn't seem to have any problem with that assignment. That's us together in that picture (above, left)...and we were every bit as happy as to be together we appear to be.

I hope we have many more opportunities to keep our friendship fires kindled in the coming years!

Gee, Ma -- I Want to Go Home

I made my first house-hunting trip to NC last week, and I felt like I was going home again. (Sorry, Mr. Wolfe...I think you can go home again...at least, I intend to give it a try...:)

We stayed at the Homewood Suites, where we could enjoy plenty of room to stretch out and relax. Although they offer a breakfast buffet, they don't have a restaurant on the property. No worries, as we tried a new (to us) restaurant nearby called Fatz, and then later that evening, we walked across the parking lot to the Embassy Suites for a Valentine's Day toast in their cozy lounge.

We were treated to a lovely Sunday lunch with friends (thanks, AW!) at the Steak Street restaurant...another one of the many new places to eat since we left High Point in mid-1997. Hint: if you ever get there, try the Grilled Voo Doo Shrimp...it's an appetizer, but I had it with a loaded baked potato, as my entre...ooh, I sure wish I had some now...drool, drool. Great suggestion, CW!

A perfect long weekend. With beautiful weather to boot.

Still, we had work to do. We looked at houses and subdivisions from Clemmons (on the west side of Winston-Salem) to Kernersville to Oak Ridge (on the north side of Greensboro) to Mebane (on the east side of Burlington)...and of course, all over High Point. Mr. T said he still likes HP the best...and I think I agree with him, although I do have a soft spot for the Sedge Garden area of Kernersville, where we lived once before, too, and where we found a subdivision of lovely homes. Actually, we found at least 3 houses that were high possibilities...and we thought seriously about putting a contingency contract on one of them. But...we feel strongly about selling this house before we take on another one. Sigh.

So, I'm back in the land of below-freezing temperatures (20's today...snow predicted for Saturday), shampooing the carpets on the main level to get ready for another Open House. Our agent held it open last weekend, and she had one...possibly two...very interested couples, so we are still hopeful. We are all convinced that once the Spring weather arrives and the flowers begin to blossom that the depressing mood will lift...and people will begin to want to make a move. Let's hope that they will want to move here!

Speaking of Spring blooms, I couldn't resist taking a photo (above...taken with my phone) of the daffodils in bloom at the A. B. Seed store at the Piedmont Triad Farmer's Market on Sandy Ridge Road in Colfax...just north of High Point...one of my favorite places. We ate at the Moose Cafe on the property and strolled through the store and its grounds. There aren't any fresh vegetables to be had yet, but come late Spring and Summer, this place will be jumpin'! I hope, I hope, I hope I'll be there to enjoy it all!!

I Have Had Enough of This*

*...with compliments to Bill Cosby's wife for that line...

OK...on the last post, I wrote about the wonderful things that happen on a Snow Day. You bake bread...you make hot stew...you enjoy a video with your family in the warmth of your home while the white stuff falls gently on the land. Right.

That all changed rather quickly on Tuesday night. The lovely snow changed to ICE about mid-day, and by early evening trees, lines, and almost all surfaces were thickly coated, as you can see on the bird feeders in the photo to the left. The satellite dish was rendered inoperable about 9:00, leaving us with only the local channels for our information, along with Missy M's iphone connection to the Internet (wonderful invention, that!)...and all reports were that it was going to get worse before it got better. No truer words...


Just as the Drool Gang was doing the last potty call romp in the yard around 11:00ish, the transformer on the pole at the rear of Missy M's back yard EXPLODED spectacularly into the night. I cannot believe they aren't totally traumatized about the backyard now. Nana/Mama/Edith said it sounded like World War II documentaries of canon fire. The sparks shot up and out...and brought back memories of firecrackers at a July 4th celebration. OMG. Then, the lights cycled back on...and the following boom was deafening. More sparks. A red-hot wire broke (see arrows in the photo to the right, the circle in the photo below) and snaked through the side yard, winding up looped menacingly across Franelm Road. And, all went dark. And cold. And eerily quiet.

Missy M made the report of the outage to LGE...and a report of the downed power line across the road to 911...and we began to try to figure out what to do next. We had a gas water heater...would we have hot water? Yes, thank goodness! We had a gas stove and cooktop...could we light the burners with matches? Yes, TG!! We had flashlights galore, which we gathered into the kitchen to determine whether all batteries were good or needed replacing...and did we have replacements? Yes, for the flashlights, but not for the big portable radio. And, candles...and the butane lighter...and matches? Check, check, and check. The weather radio had batteries, but would not work, even with a set of replacements. Drat. Our communications link became the telephones (Missy M has two "wired" phones, which worked, in addition to the portable, which needed electricity...and therefore was useless now) and the cellphones, which would need recharging before too very long. Now, what would we do for heat? It was in the teens outside and dropping. The house was in the low 60's according to the thermostat (which was battery-powered, and thus remained on throughout the ordeal).


We called Mr. T to report our predicament...and then settled down to try to get some sleep. We each piled lots of blankets and afghans on our beds...and claimed at least one dog to sleep with and keep us warm (bless their little 101 degree body temps!). N/M/E also got a knitted cap and gloves. And, I fired up the gas range with pots of hot, steamy water to create a radiator effect. We made it through Night 1 OK, with the indoor temp dropping to 56 degrees.

Day 2 revealed just what a pickle we were in. Missy M worked long and hard to dig at least one car loose from the the driveway, but was unable to drive it anywhere once released...the ice and snow in the street were too deep for my PT Cruiser to clear (as it has a low body clearance, to begin with). On top of that, we could see where the crews had "police-taped" the street where other downed lines were...or possibly downed tree limbs...or both. It seemed impassable. And the outside temps were dropping with more snow and ice falling. More importantly, the indoor temperature had dropped to 54. We had reservations at a local Hampton Inn, but they weren't answering their phone, so we assumed (rightly, as it turned out) that they were without power, too...so we couldn't chance getting N/M/E out on the slippery ice to take her to a location that might be worse off than we were here.

Riding to our rescue in the middle of the night...Mr. T! He drove 650 miles from where he'd been working in NC (where it was 70 degrees, I might add). And, he brought a kerosene heater to keep us warm, too! Hooray! Our hero!!

Day 3...and a co-worker of Missy M's offered one of their generators, when their power was restored. Yeah! Now, we could power up the refrigerator...and one other item. Now, there's a new party game for you. If you can only choose two items to power up, which two do you choose? We settled on the fridge and on powering N/M/E's portable heater in her room, most of the time. On Saturday, we did use that second line to recharge Missy M's computer, which we used as a Video Player at night (after she'd recharged it at work during the day on Thursday and Friday), and on Sunday, we did get a portable TV working, using the antenna to receive a local channel, with hopes of being able to watch the Super Bowl. The only problem was time...the generator ran about 3 hours on a full tank...so, we knew we'd have to "fill up the TV" in order to watch the whole game! Cheese dip and chips...and chili...all stove-top items...were on the menu, along with No Bake Cookies**. Game on!

Fortunately, at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday evening, after nearly 115 hours without power...and rapidly running out of clean towels and clothing...we were restored! Woo-hoo! Thanks to the crews in the neighborhood, one of which was from Mt. Airy, NC...one of which was from SC. We really appreciated all you did! As Mr. T. said, he has a new-found respect for how-in-the-world people in developing countries do it...how do they live without power, or with unreliable power sources? It's such a challenge to come up with ways to do the things we take for granted. And, we were luckier than most...we had a gas stove and gas water heater, and reliable city water and sewer service...and with the kerosene heater and the gas-powered generator, we were able to fill in most of the gaps...but I wouldn't want to live like that for much longer than we did.

We've kept in touch with Brother T in Northern KY, and were glad to hear that they evacuated their power-less home to move in with SIL's dad...his house had power and served as homebase for all her family. Good to know they are safe and warm.


Of course, I had to do something in addition to trying to survive. Missy M and I got our pointy stix clicking by candlelight...she's working on a hat; I tried to work on a pair of socks, but switched to a scarf when I found I couldn't SEE the tiny stitches on the tiny US1.5 needles for the socks.

I'm calling the pattern my "Snowed In Scarf." I borrowed some SWS soy-wool from Missy M's stash...in two different colorways to give it some pizazz. It's a combination of two patterns I knew about, so I didn't have to look it up in the dark: Mirabellis, from the One Skein Wonders book, for the end-ruffle effect, and a fabulous rib that Missy M introduced me to. CO 144 stitches on US11's. Change to US9's for the rest of the scarf. Row 1...K2tog across the row, decreasing to 72 stitches. Row 2...K2tog across the row, decreasing to 36 stitches. (The next two rows set up the ribbing.) Row 3...(K3, P3) across the row. (I placed a stitch marker after the first 3 stitches to help me know which row I was on in the dark...by touch, I'd know I was supposed to do K3, P3.) Row 4...(K1, P1) across the row. Repeat Row 3 & 4 for the length you want (I like 60+ inches). Next-to-the-last-row: Change back to the US11's. K1f&b of each stitch, increasing to 72 stitches. Last row: K1f&b of each stitch, increasing to 144 stitches. BO in K stitch.

During the daylight hours, I was able to finish a pair of socks and cast on another pair, again with some borrowed stash yarn. Both are destined as gifts, so I'll hold off on pics or descriptions 'til then. And, truth be told, I had to re-start my Snowed In Scarf not once, but twice...as I found that I'd made some mistakes in the dark. Oh well.

Ah...knitting and blogging again. Back to normal.

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**No Bake Cookies Recipe, a favorite of my cousin Pannie Baldy**

2 cups sugar

2 T. cocoa

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup milk

Put the above in a saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil, stirring to keep from sticking. AFTER it has come to a rolling boil, let boil for 1 full minute without stirring. Remove from heat source.

Add 1/2 cup peanut butter. Let melt. Stir until smooth.

Put 3 cups quick cooking oats in a large mixing bowl. Pour hot mixture over the oats and stir until thoroughly mixed. Drop by teaspoonsful onto waxed paper. Chill until set. Enjoy!