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.

Check in----Check up

Oh my, January is rolling along at top speed in spite of all the cold and snow.

My birth family, now consisting of my sisters and myself, enjoyed a day with some of the kids and grandchildren last Saturday, finally having Christmas together.  So our Christmas season lasted longer than usual, which was fine with everyone.

The nephew who got married on Thanksgiving hosted our Christmas party.  That is great hospitality for a new bride, I think.  He maintained that she was so eager to meet everyone and have everyone meet her and her children.  We all had a jolly time together with much good food and lots of laughter and visiting of course.

Their area of the U.P. has had over 150 inches of snow, and with the polar vortex, there hasn't been much melting.  I was amazed by the height of the snowbanks on the back streets.  In main travel areas the plows and graders have taken the banks down or away completely, but trees have great snow clots stuck in the branches, and the roofs are laden with snow.  Watch out for that mischief maker, Mayhem!  (I hope that actor isn't stuck forever with that identity from the State Farm ads.)

Now that I have written that, I hope they're State Farm ads.

In other news, we've decided that it will be a nice break to spend a week in warmer weather.  I have friends who are in transit to spend months in Florida or Texas.  I can't be gone that long because of the Cat Family Members, but I'm getting to wish that we could do that.

As much as I love our cats, I wish cats were more adaptable and could travel.  Taking them someplace would mean putting up with days of yowling from the cat carriers.  I couldn't stand that, and neither could Good Guy!

While at home, I'm fretting about the ice dam on the eaves on the north side of our house.  I'm trying a new product called Roof Melt in hopes that it will remedy the problem.  Somebody remind me to tell you if it works!

Good luck to the teams that will be playing today.  Once my team is out of it, I don't have much loyalty to anyone.  Good Guy likes the Patriots though.  (Tom Brady was a quarterback at U of M.)  That's all it takes.

Stay warm, my friends, if you're in the Northern Hemisphere.  There's still lots of winter ahead.

I sure know how to cheer folks up, don't I?

AT&T, We Love You

One of the reminders I made for myself for habits in the new year was to spend less time in front of screens.  This includes television and game playing along with the internet.

It is working out even better than I would have hoped, thanks to lack of service for 48 hours.  It is odd to pick up the land line and have no sound there at all, and no internet.  Of course it isn't just odd, it's maddening.  Even when you have cellular service and can phone and text if you want to.

It is akin to not having electricity or water in that I can't seem to think of anything to do that doesn't require the service of whatever isn't working at the moment.  And I automatically use the light switches or the faucets even as I'm thinking about the fact that something isn't working.  How much of our behavior is robotic???

Which, in turn, reminds me of how important it is to incorporate any good changes into daily habits.  I get up early and make sure that by the time 7:00 AM shows on my clock I have breakfast and take my meds----so I don't forget about them completely.

By cutting down on screen time, I spend more time in front of the sewing machine and have pieced all the squares for a baby quilt and I'm sewing the rows together this morning.  I'll post a photograph over the weekend sometime.

After days and days of numbing cold, we have warmer temperatures today.  I expect to see some fool out there in shorts.  I guess temperature is relative too.

I just finished reading Brain On Fire, by Susannah Cahalan.  It's like an episode of House, except that her medical team seemed like normal human beings.  They solved a tricky medical mystery, though.

Bye for now.  I'm off to sew.

End it with a Four!

Does anybody else write checks anymore?

I believe I have, at least temporarily, solved the 2013/2014 problem.  My sister once advised me to write in the year for a few checks into the new year, when I'm likely to automatically fill in the old year.  It always seems to me that it would be wise to keep my wits about me while I'm writing a check and not have my brain go on a little mini-vacation with my money.  But I digress....

But this year I'm keeping my journal in a big spiral bound notebook which is blank.  Therefore, I need to fill in the dates myself.  So far I have written 2014 for January, February, March, April, and May.  I think I'm getting the hang of 2014.  By about the September dating, I'll feel confident.

You may notice the change in the header, from Tahquamenon Falls to a quilt top.  I like it.  I sewed some darker borders around the edges, which makes it too large to fit on the backing I have for it.  So the borders will come off again and I'll use them for a dark binding on the edges.

I need to learn to plan so the tops fit nicely onto a 44 inch flannel back.  What is the saying that the Amish say.  So soon old, so late smart?  That's so true.

My friends have picked a words to guide them into the new year.  One picked Focus, one picked Order, one picked Simplicity.  (All good words.  I'm partial to Chocolate, myself.)  I'm choosing Generous.    I need a reminder against stinginess.

The coldness of our winter seems to make the nightly news on a regular basis.  It is a reason to be thankful that we have working utilities and a reliable furnace.  Doing anything outdoors becomes a chore to be avoided, so I bundle up to feed the birds and rearrange the snow a bit and then dash back indoors to bundle up and drink something hot.

Even in this weather, when I envy folks in warm places, I remember how much I hate hot weather.  I can function in the cold, but not in the heat.  I pity the fans and players who will be at Lambeau Field tomorrow.  It will be brutal!

Excuse me now while I un-sew my borders.  I'll be back soon.