Bye, Bye Birdies

People have asked me what I will miss most about STL when we have moved away? The short list would have to include (1) seeing the Arch, which is just a remarkable sight from almost any angle; and (2) going to see the Cardinals play. Now, I'm still a Braves fan, but I've enjoyed the excitement of a game day with even the staunchest Red Birds fan.

As this is our last weekend together in STL, Mr. T and I decided to take time out from the packing and moving activities for one last trip to Busch Stadium III on Saturday. It was a beautiful afternoon...clear and sunny, albeit windy and a bit chilly for a baseball game...57 degrees for the first pitch at 3:10 p.m. I guess you have to expect changeable weather in April...and at least it wasn't snowing like it was for Opening Day on Tuesday! It's called being thankful for small mercies, I think.

We had great seats in the Upper Infield Terrace, right over Home Plate...way up there, over Home Plate...right over the big B in Budweiser, if you've ever noticed it at Busch...:) We like to sit up high so we get a good view.

I took my knitting with me, for my own personal Stitch 'n Pitch Day (as I won't be here for the "real" event), but it was just too cold for me. I wore my gloves almost the whole nine innings!

With the Cardinals ahead of the Astros 1-0 in the 5th, the crowd was feeling good enough to start The Wave...probably an attempt to stay warm, but still fun.


Then, with the bases loaded, Pujols stepped up to the plate. I had just enough time to get my camera out of my purse before he swung and connected for a Grand Slam! And, to make it even sweeter, the ball bounced off the McDonald's "Big Mac Land" section (see the photo, left, for the replay on the Jumbo-tron), earning every one of us 43,000-plus spectators a Big Mac on Sunday.

You would think he'd done a day's work, but you'd be wrong. In the 7th, Pujols knocked another homer to the left-field corner bringing in the two men on base. Wow! What a remarkable player. Even Tony LaRussa seemed in awe...struggling for the right words in the press conference.

My dear, darling Daddy, whose birthday was April 11 and who left us 19 years ago today, would have loved a game like that.

OK, so we're powering down and packing up, meaning I'll be off-line for a few days. Our closing is still scheduled for May 7th, and we are feeling pretty good that it will happen as planned. Our buyer even stopped by to meet us this evening...more on that with my next post.

Stay tuned for updates...

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!!