Water Torture

It seems to me that the weather leads the news stories every night for months now.  There is always someplace in the US that is experiencing something that hasn't been seen for decades.

Apparently we aren't the only country suffering from odd weather either, since this week I've been reading about the troubles in the UK, as well.

On an extremely local level our long period of cold weather and build up of snow on our roof finally resulted in some worrisome developments.  (I have been worrying about this for weeks and tossing Roof Melt onto the roof which made about as much difference as spitting in the ocean.)

We lose enough heat through the attic roof to melt snow which then freezes on the eaves and eventually it backs up and leaks into the house.  Drip, drip, drip.  

Good Guy called the roofing experts who came fairly soon---I think we aren't the only folks having problems------to remove some of the snow and to sprinkle salt on the overhangs so they could melt.  They said even with our timely two days of thawing it would take a couple of days to thaw enough to help.  

Anyway, we enjoyed our two days of above freezing temperatures and braced for the next round of winter weather.  I hope you are safe and warm wherever you may be.  

Now they are reminding us that when all this stuff melts and the ground is still frozen the water will run off to torture people along the riverbanks.  The other "water" torture here is that the frost is gone so deep that water pipes are freezing at various spots around the area.  More fun!

I have a friend in California in the drought area who offered to send us some warmth if we'd send some moisture.  We're working on the logistics of that exchange now.  (It's not a bad idea---but who would we trust to negotiate for us?)

Hang in there and carry on.  Our dripping has stopped for now, at least.  I'll enjoy it while I can.

Slogging Through

 February 12th was a noteworthy date!

Two enormous projects, which were picked precisely because of their extreme projected long duration, were completed yesterday.   Just a sec.  I'll get the pictures.

I resolved to read some more Dickens, for no other reason than that he's pretty entertaining----once I get used to reading the longest sentences ever written by English speaking writers.  I have all of Dickens' works on my Nook and I read on and on and on,  reading The Pickwick Papers.  At last I took the actual book out of the library because I couldn't tell if I was making any progress at all.  That worked better for me and I finished yesterday.  

The sock picture?  After all my Christmas sock knitting, I decided to make myself a challenging pair of socks from Nancy Bush's Folk Socks book.  I chose Country Socks which are knit of DK weight yarn (of washable wool) on size 2 needles.  For those of you who never knit, this means that for me, I need to knit about a dozen rows before I have an inch of knitted fabric.  I started right after Christmas and I finished them yesterday.  That's a long time for me.  

I did take a little time out and finish a baby sweater and make a little toddler cap for some diversion and to see something actually get completed. I'm not a fan of having multiple projects in the works at the same time since I don't like UFO's much.  But having something quick and something pokey going at the same time is okay with me.  

Also, for variety I have been piecing some quilt tops.  I resolved to send a box of quilts for the Bundles of Joy project once every three months.  Thanks to Saint Marcia, I sent a box in January and another box this week.  The only other box I have on hand is quite large, so I'll need to do some more sewing before that one gets sent.    I'd even show you the pictures if I could find the files.   (grumble, mumble.)

So today I have a fine sense of accomplishment.  By the end of the day I'll be occupied with new projects that will take an age and a day to finish.  sigh!  The need to strive!

Have a great holiday weekend.  President's Day, coming right up!

January Thaw Report

Now that we are home it seems safe to tell you about our week of basking in warmth.

The header picture is taken from our balcony as the sun caught the building.  It was such a treat to be able to sit out there in shirt sleeves early in the morning.  How little it takes to please people from cold climates, especially in January!

I'm not a party girl----big surprise, but it is a nice feature to be able to get an ice cream cone or a cold soda anywhere on the property at any time without carrying cash with you all day.

One morning was spent on a big "sailboat" (equipped with sails, but it used the motor), out on the bay watching whales.  We were in the area where the young are born during the winter so there's lots of whale spotting going on.  We saw breeching and spouting and it was a thrill every time.

One whale picture looks pretty much like any other one, but we had a photographer aboard who (they said) photographs the whales tails and that scientists can identify the animals by the differences in the patterns on the tails.  

Interesting, I'm sure.  I'm always a skeptic and don't believe in the "every snowflake is different" claim either, but who am I to say?  

We met some interesting people as well, and spent quite a lot of time with a couple from Chicago who originated in other countries.  He was originally from Sicily, and she was from Argentina.  They were funny and lively folks and enriched our stay with many interesting tales.

I was surprised at the number of young couples vacationing with small children.  I'm happy that such affluence exists, I guess.  Our children went everywhere with us because we couldn't afford a babysitter, much less the expense of a journey.  Thinking back on it, I don't think we minded, either.

Being the exciting, fun-loving person that I am, I brought a Nook full of books, and two knitting projects to occupy my time when I wasn't basking in the sun (yuk), pounding down drinks, or dancing on the tables.

Oh, stop that silly laughing!  

Our week came to a close, and we tried to pick clothes that would be suitable for landing in Chicago in a -30 degree windchill.  When you know it's coming up, you can prepare---even if you look like a dork in the southern airport waiting area.  Dork, who, me?

I love being back home again anyway, no matter what the temperature.  Now to fight the ice build up on my eaves.  Back to the battle.

Super Sunday

The main reason this Sunday, the most hyped football game Sunday of the year, is noteworthy to me is that it marks the last game of the season.  I really do like football------American and Canadian football------as opposed to futbol as understood in the rest of the world.

In fact, I sort of missed out on the whole soccer mom scene, since the little kids soccer teams began in time for my grandchildren rather than my own children.  But I digress.

I've really liked football for a long time.  But now that I bear the aches and pains that result from a lifetime of using my body, falling, etc. I find myself cringing when people get hit and hurt.  This coincides with the League's awareness of concussions and the resulting disabilities-----not to mention the lawsuits.

The last football game of the season.  So now we are consigned to basketball games and golf until baseball begins in April.  Sigh.

I do have a fallback plan for screen time though.  I have a TV and DVDs and even videotapes upstairs.  I laugh at my brother-in-law who has watched Sinbad so many times that he must know the dialogue by heart, yet I can watch the six hours of Pride and Prejudice again and again.

I don't need to though.  We have bushels of English mystery series on DVDs that I haven't seen yet.  I love Miss Marple, sharp old thing!

January's projects were chosen to be long, time-consuming things.  I read a couple fast-moving things, and I highly recommend Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.  I tried the audio book without success, but finished it quickly once I had the printed word in front of me.

The long project is The Pickwick Papers.  I have that on my Nook, but I took a copy out of the library so I would have some idea if I was making progress or not.  I'm enjoying it, but it's 800 pages of fairly small print.

The other long project is called Country Socks from Nancy Bush's Folk Socks book.  It's on size two needles with DK weight yarn and it takes something like 11 rounds to make an inch of fabric.  They are wool and they will be warm as toast and they are mine!

After months of knitting socks for loved ones all Fall, I am happy to have a pair for myself.

I hope you are eager to cheer for the hard-working athletes as the Olympics begin this week.  If you're prone to pray, remember their safety.  Mayhem is everywhere.