Where has the month gone?

I cannot believe it. The calendar says "October 20" but I'm not sure how it got there so fast. We started the month off with a weekend in Chicago (see photo to right of us in front of the Art Museum), where we met Missy M (who arrived there early for a scheduled training session) to play tourists in the Windy City. Then, I was in ATL for a week for work (and dental work), so I guess that must be why I feel like time went whoosh this month.

In addition to spending more time on business this past month, I've also been spending some more hours in the gym. I noticed in the late summer that I was feeling better...well, stronger, I guess is a better word. My back seems to generate less pain, and I seem to be able to walk longer before my foot and leg start "dragging." (Imagine: Quasimodo). Hmmmmm...something's different, for sure. So, long-story-short...I got myself back to the Y...am up to 3 miles on the treadmill, plus a couple of sets on the circuit...and, am still feeling good. This could be a real good trend indeed.

For sure, I credit the increase in flexibility from the circuit machines to helping me recover so quickly from a tough yardwork-out this weekend. We cleaned out the beds in the front; emptied pots of soil in preparation for winter; divided iris and daylilies; and re-planted as many as we could find a spot for. I thought I wouldn't be able to move today...but, to my surprise, I barely had a twinge of an achin' muscle. Thank goodness.

Oh, and one other home improvement I forgot to mention (although this one was mostly done by Mr. T., 'cause it involved E-L-E-C-T-R-I-C-I-T-Y) is shown in the photo to the left. That's our new dining room chandelier! I had seen it a few years ago in the Pottery Barn catalog...but thought it a wee bit pricey. When I revisited it online, I found...to my disappointment...that it was discontinued. Drat. No worries! Found it on Ebay!! Less than half the original price!!! Brand new...in the box...shades still in the cellophane wrappers. Cool. BTW, can you tell this was my first ever winning bid...:)

Alas, all-of-the-above have left me fewer hours for knitting. I did finish a couple of projects since my last FO report, including:
1. Cutie-cute baby sweater and hat [for a neighbor's grandchild] out of super-soft Queensland Bebe Cotsoy yarn.
2. Some snazzy socks for N/M/E out of "Miami Nice" color of Maizy (85% corn fibers, can you believe?!) in the Rippling Dunes pattern.

So, what's on the needles now? Well...
1. That Shawl-collared Cardigan sweater in Highlander for Mr. T.
2. A scarf for Missy M (shhhhh...:)
3. Scarf for SIL
4. To-be-felted bag for moi in Andes yarn

Fortunately, I should have some quality knitting time coming up as the Boyz of October begin batting in Tampa on Wednesday. Woo-hoo! Go 'Rays! Plus, I'll be in the passenger seat this weekend as Mr. T. and I head to homecoming in Memphis. Go Tigers Go! Knit, girl, knit!!

A Brand New Ride

Woo hoo! We're on a roll now. Check out the new ride that followed me home from the dealership last Friday (photo, left, with Nana/Momma/Edith). After eleven years, I said "so long, farewell" to my baby Toyota Corolla...and "welcome home" to a Deep Water Blue Pearl PT Cruiser, which (after much thought) I named "Lillie." (Not making the connection? Well, my grandmother's name was Lillie Pearl...)

N/M/E and I had rented a PT Cruiser for our recent trip to Gatlinburg, and we both truly appreciated the ease of entry and exit, as well as the amazing amount of flexible space created by the hatchback and the foldable/removable rear seating configuration(s). If only the driver's seat had been height-adjustable (it wasn't made for someone 5'2"...:) and cruise control had been included (that was on my list of requirements for any replacement for the Toyota...which didn't have cruise...).

Well, we found out that the Touring version of the PT Cruiser had both of these items...and a whole lot more! Remote key locks? Check! Comfortable ride and good gas mileage? Double check! Same ease of entry/exit, 24 mpg, and the tires are almost cartoon-like, they give such a balloon-y ride. CD Player? Triple check! I can play CD's and my IPod...and I get Sirius radio for a year!! Ooh...and I have a sunroof! And, heated seats!! And I can rearrange the way-back in order to give ALL the Drool Gang a ride to the Dairy Queen!! And I even love the color!!! Memphis Tiger True Blue, wouldn't you agree? Oh yeah...I'm like a kid at Christmas, for sure. You will possibly forgive my enthusiasm and explanation points...you see, I've not had a "brand-new" car in 20 years. Shows, doesn't it?

I put Lillie to the travel test almost immediately, hitting the road for Nashville for a family funeral. While N/M/E and I were sad and tear-drained, we rode in complete comfort...and arrived home, no worse-for-wear.

Welcome to the family, Miss Lillie Pearl!

It was the best of months, it was the worst of months...

...with apologies to Mr. Dickens...the title just seems to say it all.


I don't even know where to begin this first post of September. I suppose I should start where the month itself began...with a little vacation for N/M/E and me. We rented a PT Cruiser (see the photo, left/below; more on that in my next post) and headed to Gatlinburg via Missy M's house. We had a CD with Cyndi Lauper's 80's hit "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," which became our theme song for the week. Had a great time, visiting many of our ol' haunts including the Apple Barn, the Old Mill, Newfound Gap, and The Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge. We also found a couple of new favorites, like Smoky Mountain Spinnery (yarn!) and Alewine Pottery. N/M/E seemed to thoroughly enjoy our trip, which included stopovers (both ways!) in Berea, KY (fabulous food and Arts & Crafts). Our last night out was spent back at Missy M's. Ella Rae wasn't too sure about us on our first visit, but she seemed to remember us when we returned. She's grown for sure, but she's still a teeny-tiny little ball of energy!

Home again, home again, jiggiddy-jog. Just in time to help Mr. T celebrate his birthday. Woo-hoo! Instead of a cake, I made him some apple fritters from a mix from the Apple Barn...served up with the bestest apple butter in the universe. Yum!

We were also "just in time" for the hot water heater to flood the basement. Replaced that. $$$. Bummer. Then, the kitchen disposal developed a leak. Replaced that. $$$. Deux Bummer. Oh, yes...and that thingama-gig in the tank of the toilet...yep, it needed replacing, too. Trois Bummer! Thank goodness Mr. T. is so willing and able to handle all these household maintenance madnesses. So, what else could go "out," you might ask? How about my 11-year old car (electrical short/blown fuse that made us think for one dreadful night that the transmission was a goner)? And (finally, I hope), the piece de resistance...the ice maker developed a "silent" leak into the baseboard...under the kitchen tiles...into the sub-flooring...and, gravity being what it is, down into the basement ceiling. No place to go but up from here, right?

Visits from both my brothers this month have helped keep us from being weighed down with woes. Brother T and I tried to set a record for gabbing, talking until nearly 2:00 a.m. one night...what fun! I'll bet he was glad to return home to be able to rest his vocal chords. Brother J was here, close enough to his birthday to rate a special dinner (Black Pepper Shrimp) and cake & ice cream...oh, and PRESENTS!


We were extremely fortunate to have survived the flooding from Hurricane Ike with little more than a full-to-the-brim rain gauge (5" at the top). Many friends and neighbors are still dealing with the aftermath of flooded basements. The worst we saw was in the photo (left) of the ducks on the water...which isn't a lake at all, but the third hole on the Par 3 Golf Course on Highway K, here in town. Duckworth Creek (appropriately named, eh?) couldn't empty into the Missouri River, which was above flood stage, so it went where it could. Good news...the water has since receded, and golf carts have replaced the ducks, as of Friday.

Still, all of the mishaps that have occurred are just little inconveniences in Life. As you know, the broken appliances...the water damage...the ailing car... can all be repaired or replaced. But, today, we learned of a sorrow that only time will help heal. The oldest of my first cousins on my Daddy's side passed away last night. Just writing these words brings a fresh round of tears to my eyes. She was loved by all that knew her...but, for me, the next-to-the-youngest of the Firsts...all the way down the line from her...she was truly a special person, one who gave me a marvelous gift. You see, she is the one who taught me how to knit when I was 9 years old. House slippers. Made with acrylic yarn on size US 10.5 needles. Taught me how to knit and how to purl (but I had to go home before she could teach me how to bind off...:). And, even if she hadn't been such a kind, loving, funny and fun-loving sweetheart, I'd still forever be grateful for that gift. Betty Jean, you will be sadly missed.

FO and UFO Report

Look at that...the calendar is ready to change to a new month, which will bring us another Fall Season. Before I flip the page to September, I thought I would report on the state of Finished and Unfinished Objects in the ol' knitting basket(s):

FO's include:

• Nana/Momma/Edith's Cornflower Blue Pullover (photo to the left) - I finished it up this week, and N/M/E is happy as can be (both because she loves the sweater and that it is finished!).
  
  I used the beautiful Queensland Bebe CotSoy yarn in Color #1, a cornflower blue. This yarn is 50% organic cotton, 50% soy...and 100% soft! As I've said before, N/M/E is allergic to wool, so I am always alert to non-sheepie fiber. I have 6 balls in blue left over (better to have too much than not enough, right?), which I plan to use for a baby sweater or two...using a pattern that Missy M shared with me from a book she purchased on her last trip here.
  
  I also used my favorite Oat Couture pattern called "Metro Pullover." Well, as I've said before, I modified my favorite pattern. This yarn's gauge is 5.5 stitches per inch versus the pattern's recommended 5 stitches per inch. Ho hum...get out the calculator. And, N/M/E liked the Metro Pullover I made for myself so much that she kept saying she wanted hers to be "just like yours." I did add the cable down the front (instead of the pattern's suggested false button placket), but I choose a different cable pattern. And, I made her sleeves a bit longer since she is so cold-natured. She's going to wear her new sweater with some white linen pants on our upcoming trip to Tennessee.



• Sailor-Collared Baby Sweater and Cap - I finished up this little gift set late last night. It was a pleasure to knit, as the yarn (Bambino Four Season's Grundl in #33 yellow and baby boy blue) is so soft. It's 50% wool, 30% nylon, and 20% cotton...or, at least I think that's what the ball wrapper says, since my German is practically non-existent. I bought this yarn online from Herrschner's on sale, and found that the gauge from my swatch on US 7's matched the recommended gauge from a Crystal Palace (credited) pattern from my 2008 Calendar box for a Sailor Collar Sweater. (NOTE: I have yet to find a pattern in this box that doesn't require creative license, shall we say? This one was no different, with several mistakes and unnecessarily difficult directions. Sigh.) Since I had so much yarn left over, I decided to knit up a hat to match, using the seed stitch border and the stripe pattern. I imagine that this set will go to ... oh wait, it's a gift! Mustn't spoil it...:)

UFO's include:

• Two scarves that are gifts, so I'll not say anymore about them yet.
• One pair of socks pour moi, using the Maizy (corn fibre) yarn in colorway "Miami Nice." If I can finish the second sock (why does the 2nd sock always take so long...hmmmm...?), they should go nicely with my new Teal Summer Sweater which I finished for the Ravelympics recently.
• Too many crocheted baby blankets that I've started but put aside in favor of knitted sweaters. Too. many. Maybe I'll work on one of these on my upcoming trip? We'll see.

Time to close for today. It's a sunny, 86 degree day here...which means that outdoor projects are calling. I'll be on the road for a few days so I'd better make hay while the sun shines, huh? Or rather...dig iris for dividing and mulch the roses and pull some weeds in the Contemplation Garden and...and...and

Pond Update

Check it out! We had a bloom on one of the water lilies this week. The photo (left) shows off the flower in all of its glory.

I've been intrigued by this bloom, to say the least. It was a "pod" for over a week, teasing us with the possibility, but giving no indication of the color (the package had said "white"...:). Then, on the first day of blooming, it began to open about 8:00 a.m. It was at full bloom by about 10:00 a.m. And, it was tightly closed again by no later than 2:00 p.m.! This process repeated for 4 days. I was glad that I got this pic on Day 3! (Online research said that day blooming water lilies would bloom for only 3 days, so we were apparently lucky.) No sign of a bloom on the other lily, but I continue to monitor it closely.

In addition to the blooming lily, we have had an explosion in the fish population! You might remember that I said we had 10 "new" fishies? Um...I mis-counted...not too hard when the objects of your census are swimming around! There were actually 12!! Plus the "original" 3 big ones, that makes 15, right? Wellllll. When feeding the flock the other day, I noticed some swishing going on at the bottom of the pond and saw a baby goldfish! And, where there is one...yep, I've seen at least 2 more "black" ones (although as they age, they seem to change from black to gold or mostly gold, with a little black and white). So, as of last count, we have some 18 fish: big ones, medium "junior" ones, and little "baby" ones. The photo (right) shows the big gold one ("Goldy Spawn") and several of the junior goldies. (Since the three remaining junior "black" ones are about the same color of the water, you wouldn't be able to see them anyway.) Stay tuned!



BTW, be sure to check out the newest album on our My Photoworks.com Share Page (link is over there <<<<---left column). I got those photos from the disposable camera we had at the Missouri Botanical Garden developed this week and most were pretty good. Well, except those two with "someone's" thumb in the viewfinder...just ignore those. Anyway, there are several of the Niki statues throughout the garden along with the remaining Chihuly (glass) sculptures that the Garden purchased after the recent exhibit (one is the chandelier in the lobby; one is a sunshine-ray over a gate...and over my head in one photo...:). Still, my favorite pic is this photo (left) of Mr. T. in the boxwood garden where the jumping fountains are at play. Tee hee.

The Tomatoes are Finally Here

I had my doubts, but I am happy to report that my tomatoes have finally begun to produce. As you can tell from the photo, I was able to harvest more tomatoes than cucumbers on this particular day...plus more than enough hot peppers. It has been such a strange weather year, with too much rain in the Spring...followed by too much rain in the early Summer...followed by a mild August...making for worlds of cukes and far too few tomatoes. I did get one puny salad tomato before July 4th, but really. This year has just been sad so far, veggie garden-wise.

Of course, that big ol' red, juicy Big Boy over there on the lower right in the photo (right) didn't last too very long after this shot was taken.








I washed it...and it's smaller friend there...and began the preparations for my favorite sandwich of all time: tomato (fresh off the vine), bacon, mayo (Hellman's, of course), salt (lots of it) and pepper...all piled on two fresh, fresh slices of yummy white bread. Oh yeah. Now, that's what it's all about!

Crossing the Finish Line

I made it...with a few hours to spare, even! Yes, I finished my Teal Summer Olympics Sweater for the Ravelymics Sweater Sprint challenge. I was sewing on the buttons and weaving in the (insert bad word here) yarn tails during the Gold Medal ceremony for the US Women's Relay around 10:30 p.m. CDST Saturday night...heck, I felt like they were playing the National Anthem for me!! Especially after my "crisis of confidence" on Friday night when I wasn't at all sure I could make it to the finish line before 10:59 a.m. Sunday morning (official time of the Closing Ceremonies in Beijing). But, I kept on knitting...and am happy with the results. (Play theme from Rocky here.)

As I posted the photo (above, left) to the Ravelry site, I saw all the fantastic projects that were completed by many, many talented folks. Amazing! Some of them looked like the knitter must have worked night and day, day and night, for the full 17 days. My sweater is a simple garter stitch pattern (well, I wanted to be able to complete my project in the time period), for which I used a yarn with an interesting texture (Pebbles) and some really neat buttons to dress it up. And, as you can see (above, right), I earned my Bobicus Medal for the Sweater Sprint (don't ask...it's a Ravelry thing...:)

Will I do this again in 4 years? Oh yes...I do love a challenge, after all. But, I may take a hint from some of the other FO's that were posted...I may consider using a heavier weight yarn and larger needles, and I'll certainly try to find a way to lessen or eliminate all the weaving in at the end...I do hate that part, that's for sure...:)

So, what's next on the stix? Well, I want to finish Nana's Cornflower Blue Pullover. This one is already off the stix, actually, and in the "finishing" process: all I have to do is seam up the sides and weave in the loose threads (yuck...yet again) and I'll have another FO for '08. Next up: Mr. T's Red Shawl-Collared Cardigan...more on that at another time.