Still and Snow

Friday night and yesterday we had a lovely fluffy snowfall, and we haven't had a wind to blow it all around. Therefore, this morning we have this lovely scene.

It is wonderful to be retired and not have to go forth into the snow, or even get out to shovel, unless you really want to. I shovelled the path for the postman which cuts across lawns from the neighbors, but the squirrels, deer, and bunnies can break their own trails.

I'm sure our local ski operations are ecstatic about a snowfall that's more than just a dusting, and the Continental Cup sponsors are glad we'll have some snow for the ski tournament next month.

You can read more about it at http://www.kiwanisskiclub.com/ which has more information. I expect you will hear more about it here as the time grows closer. No matter how many times I see young men fly off that ski jump, I am always amazed at their courage or their foolishness. Whichever trait enables a person to do that stuff.

This is just straight ski jumping, not extreme tricks and such---and the Austrians always win, but it's a big event here!

Five on Friday

1. Last night at 8 PM when I returned home from a small group meeting at church, our yard was teem in wildlife. There was a "stranger" cat sitting where my car usually sits, watching deer eating the seeds out of the bird feeders. He didn't move, either. I guess he was happy to find a place that wasn't snow covered.

2. The book I'm listening to on my MP3 player has a character who shares my daughter's name. It gives me a little buzz every time he reads it.

3. GoodGuy has been truly suffering with a cold ever since our return from New Orleans. It isn't very lively around here when his main conversation consists of coughing and nose-blowing. It's a week now, so he should be mending soon.

4. Unlike the east coast which has been socked with snowstorm after snowstorm, we seem to get a little dusting of snow each day. More like snow you can sweep, rather than snow you must shovel. It keeps things looking fresh and white without all the inconvenience and dangerous road conditions.

5. Progress report on the sweater? One sleeve is as far as the armpit, one sleeve is started---a bit more than 4", and the body (fronts and back) are about 12 1/2 inches. The pattern says 14, but he wants it longer than that. That's why I'm doing the sleeves so they are completed and I know I have enough yarn. I always worry about that.

Have a fine TGIF day.

Mean Spirited

We Yoopers and Wisconsinites are jubilant because (for a great many of us) our favorite team will be playing in the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks.

The football season is nearly over, but the sports channels and sports talk shows on the radio still have hours to fill. (Some of these talkers must be two weeks out of their Pampers. They talk about Bart Starr as if he were from the leather helmet age.) Ignorance abounds.

But I digress. Poor Jay Cutler, the much maligned quarterback of the defeated Bears---I love that phrase-----defeated Bears--------is catching heat for not playing injured. According to his coach, it wasn't Cutler's decision to be benched with his injury; it was the coach's decision.
But other players are on his case for not playing injured in such an important game.

Then when they still would have lost, it would have been his fault for something else. Not every guy who plays football is a sweetie-pie and Cutler may not be as lovable as Bret Favre or Peyton Manning----but he's not hired to have personality. He's hired to be the quarterback, and he helped get them to the top of their division. His teammates say he's tough. They should know.

You done good, kid! Heal up fast. Enjoy watching the Super Bowl game from your couch. (Thanks from a Packer Fan.)

Deadpan

http://www.caregiverstress.com/2010/07a-reminder-that-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/

In spite of copying the URL, I can't make the link work here. But check on Laughter is the best Medicine, and watch the Invocation. It's a hoot!

(I have a rant to post later about football, but in the meantime, if you need to laugh, check this out.)

I can't believe that she never changes expression!

Sigh of Relief

I try not to talk much about football unless I'm facing my audience. I won't talk much about football today, either, because I know if you aren't a fan it's boring.



Let me only say about my team being the NFC footbal champions by beating da Bears, "Way to Go, Packers!" About their chances of beating the Steelers......only time will tell.



Unfortunately, we will have to listen to weeks of guessing (otherwise known as expert analysis) by the talking sports mavens. Well, we don't HAVE TO listen. We can put on our headphones or go and spin in the workroom while GG has the television on.



About life, I'm optimistic. About politics, I'm a cynic. About football, I'm a skeptic. Show me, Packers, show me.

Recap

It's about time to think about packing up and print out our boarding passes so we're taking stock.


We have not eaten beignets, drunk daquiris, or hurricanes, or had any po'boys.


We've eaten muffelettas, fried green tomatoes, sweet potatoes, bread pudding, crayfish galore(I swear they sneak into EVERYTHING.) Not that I mind. Tonight I had blackened catfish. Time to get our seafood jones satisfied while here.


Today we saw the city to be viewed from the windows of the streetcar routes, and we ended up at lunchtime at a most excellent restaurant called Refuel. Everything we ate was so fresh and delicious. It's hard to stand out in a city known for delicious food at every turn.


The food was fine tonight but the music was more memorable. The performer could sing, and made the most wonderful music on a sax, a trumpet, a flute, and bongos. We told him as we left that his folks definitely didn't waste money on HIS music lessons.

On one of our times here we didn't hear anything but country music, which was a huge disappointment to us. We enjoyed lots of great jazz on this trip.

Another great music city is Savannah. One year when we were there it happened to be the week of the free jazz festival and we were in Jazz Heaven! What serendipity!

We just can't wait to brush the snow off our car in Milwaukee!

Worth a Thousand Words

Do You Want Silly, or Really Silly?

Yesterday as we were walking near the Park on our way toward Cafe du Mond we were accosted by a clown who fashioned a hat for GoodGuy, who is nothing if not a good sport. We walked along as she worked and visited and joked and laughed. (We passed the hat along to a child along our route as we walked back to our hotel.)

It is not high tourist season here, since it is well before Mardi Gras, and the buskers and street performers are having to work hard for their donations. One group stole my heart. A lady clarinet player and vocalist---backed up by a tuba and drum. Wow, could she get music out of that horn! I especially appreciate anyone who can coax real music out of a clarinet having attempted it for a long time as a kid.

I am making good progress on the sweater project, working on a sleeve and the main portion, which consists of back and both fronts all made together. 308 stitches per row. Picture tomorrow if I show up here.

The weather? Lovely today. It was so warm sitting out by the pool that we came back to the room for a while. Doesn't that sound good?

Warm and sunny, with a chance of pralines

It is a mostly sunny day here today, with an occasional very light drizzle and we were toasty warm in the sun this morning as Good Guy read and I knit. I am listening to a Stephanie Plum adventure on my headphones, so occasionally I had to laugh out loud. Then we walked out to find some Cajun food for lunch. It is difficult to get hungry here with food supplies on every hand, and street carts with hot dogs between them.

It is a pleasant change from driving the last part of our Wisconsin end of the journey in snow and wind, plus a few delays for safety's sake in leaving at the Milwaukee end. So instead of landing at 2 PM, we landed at 4 PM. No matter to us, since we had no agenda.

Ahh, retirement. It's a wonderful state to be in. Louisiana is OK, too.

Mid-month beginning

It's the middle of the month already and I'm ready to begin The Sweater project. I paced around yesterday, waiting for the UPS truck. I was assured online that my yarn would arrive before the end of the workday on Thursday. Of course, it did, but not until 4:30 pm, so that made for a lot of road watching.

In the meantime I checked out the ideas we had for altering the pattern so it doesn't appear to "ruffle" at the bottom, which isn't a look most men prefer. (Thanks, Keepie). And I think we're good to go. I won't have to wonder what to do with my hands for the next few months methinks.

My sister is arriving for the weekend and we're preparing for our little journey, too.

I'll try to take some New Orleans pictures. (I know, I know, I should take some pictures of HERE, but it's just all white and grey. I can say that objectively, without the depression so common here in the winter.) Our winter has been an easy one so far, compared to the rest of the country. Or the world, for that matter! The flooding in Australia! Snow all up the east coast!

I'll keep you posted on the sweater progress, because that's most of what's happening now. I guess I'll still be dressing for cool weather, even in NOLA.

Temporary Fix

I was giving you a big build-up for a minor accomplishment yesterday when I took my Combo #3 picture. I went back to my settings and opted for the old editor. This got rid of the "Google Cloud which never works. I have never seen the "old editor" screen before, but it works OK.

For latecomers, this picture is of my new "big three", so I can hear audiobooks wherever I knit. (Books downloaded to Netbook, transferred to MP3 player, and trundled off with me to wherever I go with the knitting needles.)

My new thing to contemplate is the fun of going through airport security with my trusty metallic knee. Perhaps I'll wear my "QUESTION AUTHORITY" t-shirt just to add to the spirit of adventure.

Have a nice Thursday!

Combo #3

Good Guy and I have short-hand for ordering our favorite pizza combination at our favorite pizza joint in Iron River.  (That would be the Riverside Bar and Pizzaria).  They are readily found in a search engine but I can't seem to copy it.  Anyway, they are loaded with sausage, onions, and mushroooms when you order a #10. 

But my combo #3 is my new Favorite Thing of the Week.  Against all odds, techno-fool as I am, I learned how to download books from the Great Lakes digital library, transfer them to my Walkman, and I can now knit and hear literature being read at the same time.

I even took a picture of my  big three, including the socks in progress--- for your enjoyment, but the Google cloud won't allow me access to any pictures stored in my computer.  Or anything else, that I can see.  So though I have one success to report, everything isn't as I'd like to have it.

The rust colored yarn I ordered will be here by the end of the business day tomorrow, UPS assured me online.  So I can begin Good Guy's sweater/jacket and work on it as we travel next week. 

He is celebrating  being a non-smoker for the past 30 years and we're going to New Orleans for a few days. 

Thereby hangs a tale.  After numerous bouts of upper respiratory infections, he went back to his doctor and as much as accused her of being a quack.  She tapped his breast pocket containing his Lucky Strikes, and smiled.   As if to say, blame me if you wish.......  He quick cold turkey and hasn't had one since.  He doesn't chew, smoke a pipe, or cigars either.  Bless his heart! 

If you have a lively imagination you may picture my little netbook, my MP3 player, and an almost finished pair of woman's socks in tweedy brown and green.  In the meantime I'll fire off a grumpy note to Google.  I'm sure they're accustomed to them.

Four on Friday

Now I present to you all my first big accomplishment of the year.  Namely, clearing off my desk, a number one "hot spot" if ever there was one.  The accumulation is neatly filed into a portable file box with labelled files, or into the medical file.  Of course after The Year of the Knee, the medical file is bulging.  I hasten to add, not only did I Get it cleared, I've kept it cleared!

 Update number two:  I conquered yet another technological marvel this week by downloading audio books from my library to listen to while I knit.  I must admit that sometimes I think the Amish have the right idea by accusing electricity of separating the members of the family.  Since, at the moment Good Guy is reading the news on a computer, and I'm doing this and nobody is communicating with anyone in the room. . . . . . .  

Update three.  The pattern has been agreed on, and the yarn has been ordered.  I should like to think that it is, even now, wending it's way here from New York. 

Number Four:  Due to the fact that I had so much trouble finding the size pattern I need, I suggest to the knitting community that somebody write a book of patterns for distinguished portly men.  Somebody younger than I.  I know that isn't the sexiest task for designers to take on, but it's an area where there is a woeful lack.  If I decide to take on that challenge I expect you all to buy a copy, whether you knit or not.  The chances of your having to do this are so extremely remote, I can't even imagine how to tell you!

Have a nice weekend, if I don't get back here before then.  We have "storm warnings".   LOL, wind and less than an inch accumulation.  Storms aren't what they used to be....

Making Plans

January looms before us.  From this vantage point it appears to be long and cold compared to the rest of the year.  So I think (even now, I know I'm mistaken, but it's better to FILL the month) I will have endless hours to complete huge projects during January.

It is appealing to plan a trip to a warmer clime.  But the Fuzzies miss us when we're gone.  (That doesn't always deter us from going, of course.) 

But the projects I have planned are portable, if we travel.  Good Guy wants a sweater, in spite of the fact that two previous sweaters have gone unworn and have been given away.  I threatened him with mayhem if I devote a season to knitting for him and the sweater isn't used.  If I make him a proper sweater he will wear it.

Okay.  Now Good Guy isn't a small man and "making him a proper sweater" will entail something akin to knitting a car cozy.  I may have to (gasp) write my own pattern.  I have been knitting for a very long time, and I shouldn't be so verklempt about doing this.  Simple---measure, swatch, decide, buy yarn and go at it.  When it's done, I will wonder why I made such a trial out of it.  I'll keep you posted.  I have all of January.   (hysterical laughter.....)

On a completely different subject, I am very ambivalent about the end of the regular football season.  I am relieved that my team will be going on to the post season, in spite of my lack of faith in them.  I get sick of football by this time of the year.  But I love Monday Night Football------once I've had all day Monday to recover from football overload on Sunday.  I'll probably even miss Thursday night football.

If it weren't for sports, football, tennis, golf, and college basketball, we wouldn't need a TV set at all.  Seriously.  Once I learned that the only reason there is  "Programming" at all is so advertisers can sell stuff, I became disillusioned.  Call me naive.  Call me the lady who would use the mute button a lot---if she could ever touch the remote.

Onward and upward.  Find the tape measure, order yarn, stay tuned for further developments.  Yikes, it's the third of the month already!!!!

I must add a post script here too.  The 24 hour heart monitor test result was good.  No abnormalities or cause for worry.  Thanks for caring.  (If only knitting were aerobic activity!)

The Present

Once there are no little kids on the scene for Christmas, there's lots of time to ponder what the secular holiday is about.  In that spirit, I've decided that the excitement before package opening is pretty much like the beginning of the new year.

While that beribboned, shiny present is sitting under the tree, unopened it could be anything!  (Within the physical confines of size and shape, of course.)  The anticipation and the guessing are a great portion of the fun of the whole event. 

That is always how I anticipate the beginning of the new year.  Maybe this is the year I see Hawaii, or Ireland, or Greece.  Maybe this year I'll spin beautiful yarn, or decrease in size, or take a picture every day.  I do know not to intend to do something every day, however.  The first day I miss, I'll feel like a failure.  Uh-uh.  No way I'm setting myself up for that.

But I may form new habits that don't require discipline to do them any more.  Who knows?

And now is a good time to begin.  Spend less time with inanimate objects and glowing screens.  Gotcha, I'm all over that! 

Happy New Year!  And thanks for everything!  May your pristine new calendar fill with things you enjoy doing, and people you love to see.