I had myself a wound concealed.

Tuesday I took the day off to get Middlest to the dentist for three fillings. It was a much needed break for me, and I didn't get too far behind at work. I've been struggling to keep up. It helped that last week I only had two attorneys to wrangle, not three.

On Thursday after work, I drove to Arlington to pick up Fourthborn for the Dollidays party on Saturday at our friend Lisa's.

Friday was a little more than half a day of work, as we had our Christmas luncheon at a restaurant just east of downtown. The venue was on the rooftop of the restaurant. During fair weather, the sides are rolled up so that you can enjoy the view and the breeze. On Friday we had mist with intermittent drizzle. I sat with my back to a gap but have thus far managed not to take ill from getting chilled and dampened. It was two long flights of stairs up to the venue, with no elevator, and two long flights back down again. We got to leave early. I took my coworkers back to our parking garage afterward and drove home to drop off most of my stuff.

Hit Costco on the way to McKinney to pick up rolls and tomatoes for the ward Christmas dinner on Saturday night. Drove around and around downtown McKinney, trying to find parking for the concert. Thankfully, there was a shuttle car in the parking lot, and I thoroughly enjoyed the All Star Jazzy Christmas concert. I will definitely become a season ticket holder next year. These guys are amazing, and in the meantime I have February's concert to look forward to: a polka band is joining the chamber orchestra!

The shuttle was elsewhere or absent when the concert was over, so I walked four blocks to Diana in the same miserable mist/wind/drizzle I'd "enjoyed" that afternoon. About two blocks in, my right hip was screaming. It was audibly popping, as my knees do when I do a forward fold (but the knees have enough sense not to hurt me). I think I may be bone-on-bone in that hip.

I came home, slept, helped clean the meetinghouse yesterday morning, then delegated the making of the brownies to Fourthborn while I took a 600mg Ibuprofen and a nap. We went to the dolly Christmas party. Middlest was in pain, crabby, and reactive. I inadvertently provoked some unpleasantness. Party ended, we came home, I took another nap, and then the three of us went to the ward Christmas party. Another low-key spat, inaudible to others, but we stayed until the kids all trooped over to get their faces painted and the general melee over the desserts had ended.

Took Middlest home, took Fourthborn home, came home, and popped one of the pain pills that was prescribed for the plantar fasciitis. Slept for ten and a half hours (without setting the alarm), leaving me just enough time to inhale breakfast, scoop my hair into a bun, throw on something clean, and walk into the chapel while the bishopric was making announcements but before our opening hymn.

I'm in significantly less pain today. After church I slept, not sure if I would make it to the stake Christmas musical offering tonight. But I did. I saw a dear friend from Fort Worth, there to tend her daughter's two little boys so that her daughter could play in the orchestra (daddy was home, ill). We caught up on each other's lives before the music started.

The greatest surprise was having the younger twin's wife come up to me with a huge, delighted grin, and wrap me in a bear hug. I walked over to her husband a few minutes later and wished him a merry Christmas and shook his hand. He responded without quite turning around to look at me. I'll take my miracles any way that I can get them. He also gave the closing prayer, and I could hear echoes Beloved's voice as he prayed.

Beloved has been gone almost six years now. I know I'll recognize his voice when I see him again, but the sound of it has pretty much faded from my memory. So this was a sweet and tender mercy, all around.

For part of the concert tonight, my friend's older grandson was trying to edge out of her reach. So I got up and stood just behind where he sat on the floor, hoping that my hip would cooperate. I may have stood there for half an hour or so, until he, of his own volition, scooched forward on his derriere three rows and returned to sit with his grandmother. I sat down gratefully. When I walked out to Diana after the closing prayer, I walked without pain.

I'm a little achy as I write this, and undecided whether I'll take another pain pill tonight. I will definitely be setting the alarm. My mashed potatoes are done, so I'll portion them out, reheat them if necessary, and grab my evening meds. I'd like to sleep for about three days, but I have work all week and other concerts on Tuesday and Friday nights. I'm hoping to say in my pillow fort all next weekend except for church. Wish me luck.

A great weekend, and a good day at work.

Loved the brunch on Saturday with 80% of my kids plus BittyBit (who is now nearly as tall as I). Picked up a few items after brunch while we were still at IKEA: bathmat for Middlest's bathroom, new area rug for his bedroom, a gnome/tomten for me to take to work and brighten up my cubicle, and maybe a couple of other things that I've already forgotten. Oh yeah. Red seat cushions for the straight backed chairs in the living room.

Then we went to the bead store in BigD, and I bought the makings for two pairs of earrings. While organizing the box that holds most of my beads and beading supplies, I found two larger Murano glass beads (red, of course) that I've popped in with the others. I made up the Christmas tree earrings from the kit (Swarovski crystals that are more bling-y than my usual preference but still cute). The other pair will have to wait for more inspiration. And maybe some gunmetal findings. I am almost equally into gunmetal and rose gold. A foolish consistency, and all that...

Went to a singles potluck followed by the First Presidency's devotional last night. Made brownies. Brought only half a dozen of them home, so Middlest got three and I took the rest to work for part of lunch today. Also brought home two slices of Marie Callender's coconut cream pie, but since I've had brownies today, my slice will have to wait until tomorrow.

I'm continuing to make progress on Leftie. I'm almost done with my third repeat of the seven color stripe sequence. Those tiny leaves just make me grin.

Today I wore my cropped Fair Isle sweater (the Michele Rose Orne one I knitted on the train while still living in Fort Worth) over some of my Gudrun Sjoden stuff. Totally knocked it out of the ballpark. I'd like to knit this one again in a plied yarn. The Malabrigo and/or Manos del Uruguay yarns are single-ply, loosely spun, and pill if you look sideways at them. I would also knit it in the round and steek the center front, rather than having a flobbity-jillion ends to weave in, as I did with this one. Oh well. I will keep the "sweater stone" people in business until there's nothing left of this sweater to swipe at.

Tomorrow I take Middlest to the rescheduled dental appointment. I'm taking the entire day off and foresee lots of happy knitting time but no actual Knit Night. I might even attend the Relief Society activity, instead. Don't faint.

When I was a RS president, I couldn't understand why someone who had served in that capacity would ever skip an option to get together with the other sisters. I get it now. I love the sisters in my ward. I don't have a best friend in this ward, but I don't really have time for a best friend at the moment. When I get off work, I want to come home, take off my shoes, my compression hose, my bra, my earrings, put on my PJs, and knit or read until I can't keep my eyes open any longer. My knitting group is wonderfully non-judgmental if I need to nope out on any given night.

I've had a nice visit with Middlest while eating dinner, and now I'm going to scoot off to my room.

Better. *So* much better.

Today I got through everybody's incoming mail, worked most of my ToDo's, sent out or faxed the signed stuff, and had a coworker file something for me, as the e-filing portal has been intermittently glitchy all week. She's had no difficulty. I, however, got one item filed yesterday before their system went Oops! Haha! I forgot I was broken.

My ambient stress level is much lower today. I am still going to pop a muscle relaxer tonight. When I had my mammogram before going into work this morning, the tech asked if my neck were stiff. I told her yes, always. Admittedly, until recently it was relatively relaxed. I think I went off my muscle relaxer three months ago. I hadn't needed it. I hope I won't need to take it for more than a couple of days.

I'm baking a cauliflower pizza as we speak. I'll have some carrot sticks as well, and maybe I'll nuke a serving from the second tub of lobster bisque. If not, I might eat some of the ice cream I picked up after work when I got Middlest's vitamins. Not all of the ice cream. Just some of it.

Ta Daa! My pizza is out. Middlest's pizza is in. And I'm going to go eat my pizza in bed.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were about the same as last week.

I'm covering three full dockets this week. And I am not quite drowning. Today was better, however. With half an hour or so of "recess" for a coworker's baby shower, I worked through the day nonstop and took my lunch period at the end of the day.

It was nice to have more light than usual on my drive home. But I didn't go straight home. I made a beeline for the Kendra Scott store in Uptown (i.e., Dallas just north of downtown but before you start hitting the suburbs). My wonderful sister gave me an amazing necklace for Christmas last year. Very boho, with three large amethyst drops and a whole lot of gunmetal chains and charms, smoky quartz beads, and a few crystal beads. I wore it to work today with one of my Gudrun Sjoden tops and the sterling earrings that I made when we lived in Fredericksburg a quarter of a century ago.

I was hoping to come up with a pair of earrings that were similar in style and tone to the necklace, and I think I succeeded. Pictures, maybe, eventually, but I'll be wearing it all to church on Sunday and maybe to the family brunch on Saturday before that.

There's been some knitting. And Lunch/Dinner almost as soon as I walked in the door. I tried to be sensible about it, but at some point my body is going to realize that it has been robbed. I only hope that that doesn't happen between midnight and when the alarm goes off.

I'm starting to fade, so it's time for scriptures, meds, and lights-out. I'm tired but peaceful. That's a good place to stop.

Monday was OK. Tuesday and Wednesday were Hades.

We were already short-staffed at work. Lots of people took part or all of the week off before Thanksgiving. My attorneys had three answers that were due next Monday. I was out all morning on Wednesday for Middlest's monthly doctor appointment and Rx run. SemperFi was stressed, because he wasn't sure that we would get both of his answers filed in a timely manner. (We did.) Late on Tuesday afternoon I muttered quietly that I could really use a tranquilizer gun.

Knit happened. Reading happened. Sleep happened. Chocolate abuse absolutely happened, and I finished the last third of the Coke that's been sitting in a drawer (capped) for the past two or three weeks.

I did a little research. The turmeric has been wonderful for reducing inflammation in my body. And I have had moments of falling asleep while reading, nodding off at my desk at work. Thankfully, never while driving. I'm on the lowest possible dosage of Metformin for my diabetes. I will ask my doctor if it's time for me to start monitoring my blood sugar. I don't know if I'm blacking out (for want of better words) due to my blood sugar tanking, or if it's spiking without my knowledge.

Had a great time at Firstborn's yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner. I spent most of the time there talking with the children's father and his "wife?" about this and that, and backing the kids up when they wouldn't let them have more than one dessert apiece. I also made the conscious choice to eat a sliver of pumpkin pie with no Cool-Whip and small portions of everything else, and not the slice of pecan pie I wanted when I'd just told "wife?" that that was the worst possible dessert she could choose for her diabetes. When I brought home our leftover corn casserole, I did slip in a slice of pecan pie, and I ate it much later, happy that I'd not been a hypocritical and rude in front of them.

The corn casserole, as far as I'm concerned, was a success. We left some of it at Firstborn's for the heart-kids who were at the Cowboys game and I didn't get to see. Fourthborn doesn't like corn, and Middlest can no longer enjoy it because of diverticulosis, so it's mine, all mine, and divided into portions to take to work next week. I had some, cold, for breakfast this morning when I woke at ridiculous o'clock and didn't want to wake Fourthborn by running the microwave. It's every bit as delicious cold as it is warm.

Today is payday, and the bills are paid, and I had a nice nap after breakfast and have spent much of the day reading. Time for more knitting, methinks.

Fourthborn is staying with us through Monday night, and I'll take her home when I take Middlest to the dentist on Tuesday to have three cavities filled, after I have my quarterly blood work in my doctor's new offices.

Knitting. And maybe an early bedtime. I'm happy, and I'm winding down.

Oh. I discovered two new musicians/groups today: (1) Vanessa-Mae and (2) Black Violin. I've added both to my Lindsey Stirling station and my Piano Guys station. I also heard a really great version of Vivaldi's "Storm" performed by three saxophones and I think an oboe (like a fat, shiny clarinet?).

A wee experiment tonight.

I decided that during and after dinner, I wanted to read several pages in the CIA History that I shelved as being not precisely edifying while I was on my social media fast last month, and then read again or listen again to Elder Bednar's most recent address, which was our topic in Relief Society yesterday, after which I would read my allotted segment of The Book of Mormon and, if my eyelids were still cooperative, grab my freshly-charged Kindle and do some recreational reading. I've managed the first three and am about to gather my meds, my snack-with-meds, and enjoy a few minutes with my Kindle.

I wore my Cardi Cozy to work today. Observations: do not wear a mohair sweater while also wearing lap and shoulder belts. Pilling does not even begin to describe it. More like miniature tumbleweeds. I also need to lint-roll the front and back of my shirt and my skirt. When the office warmed enough around midday that my sweater was superfluous, all of my curves sported a halo of fuzz.

We get to dress uber-casually tomorrow. I will wear the T-shirt my friend Amy brought back from a business trip, from a cafe called [Beloved]'s that specialized in soul food. That shirt surfaced recently. I'd like to wear it at least once before the tides on that side of the room suck it under again.

My eyes are growing heavy. This will have to do for today.

Greetings from my phone.

This week's issue of "The Economist" came in today's mail. I skipped Knit Night and am already 26 pages in. Ergo, speed is picking up, and I'm recognizing bits of narrative from week to week. Oh yeah, that country. They've been having a problem with X, and they're trying Y as a solution, and it just might be working.

Brilliant political cartoon on page 10, with the POTUS as a raging bison and the Republicans and Democrats attempting team-roping.

The knitting continues. As does my slow, deliberate reading of The Book of Mormon, highlighting every reference to the Savior.

Best meme I've seen this week, shared by a wonderfully quirky shop I used to patronize in Fort Worth.

TEXAS: Hey Fall, you coming?
FALL: Yeah, me and Winter about to pull up right now.

Night, y'all.

Charity begins at home.

A friend in my ward shared a link on Facebook to a locally-run charity which benefits women artisans and their families in Peru. I've put a link here on my homepage. 100% of the sales receipts go to the artisans. All overhead is paid by donations. I can spare $25 a month to make another artistan's life better. Can you?

In less virtue-signaling news, I haven't accomplished much for Saturday. We did the Costco and Kroger run, picked up fresh dairy, and I indulged at Hobby Lobby: an earring spinner, a plaque for my kindness wall at work, and a ball of cordonnet cotton in subtly variegated creams and beiges. I've decided that the beading I began on my 20 year old cotton skirt two or three months ago (but did not finish) is not what I'm wanting, so it will be replaced with embroidery, perhaps including a foray into sashiko.

Mostly I've been reading. I'm about 3/4 of the way through my third issue of The Economist, and I read a little over 10 pages in The Book of Mormon tonight. Knit has barely happened. A lovely nap did happen, and I washed and hung up a single load of my Gudrun Sjoden brights.

When I saw my friend's post on Facebook, I thought, I would like to do that. And when I read King Benjamin's address tonight, he reinforced that impression. (Mosiah 4:16-19, 22-23)

16 "And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

17 "Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

18 "But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

19 "For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

22 "And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.

23 "I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world."

Convicted, as our Baptist cousins would say.

The fridge at work.

It gets gross and smelly on a regular basis. About every two or three months, one or the other of us will send out an email letting people know that at 2:00pm on Friday, the fridge is getting mucked out. This week, I was the one who had had enough. This is the email that I sent out on Wednesday:

Subject: The fridge (ominous background music)

The fridge is beginning to smell like a bacteriology lab. (If I can smell it after decades of sinus trouble, you know it’s bad!) C. and I will be donning our hazmat suits at 2:00 on Friday afternoon. You know the drill: all expired and otherwise suspicious items will be tossed. If you value it, please eat it up or take it home. Thank you!

Which led to this exchange with one of my attorneys:

J: You should have the Poltergeist help you!

[Backstory: a few weeks ago I walked into the supply room and found a clean bowl and spoon on one of the shelves. Somebody blamed it on a poltergeist.]

Me: Nope. She'd just leave it in the supply room.

J: Haha!

Fast forward to a much improved fridge, and this follow-up email:

Subject: The fridge (update)

Birds are singing. Butterflies are fluttering. Lambs are frolicking. Vivaldi is playing softly in the background. (i.e., the fridge has been divested of all things expired, freezer-burned, or impersonating a petri dish).

Your friendly neighborhood hazmat team, C. and me.

(That's all I've got for y'all today. Over and out.)

Blogging from my phone tonight.

(Even if it doesn't format as nicely as when I work from my keyboard.) ShutUpMaggie woke Middlest and me well before our respective alarms. It made for some punch-drunk conversation over breakfast.

Nevertheless, I had a quietly productive day at work. Hoping for another one tomorrow.

I'm interested in what my A1C reflects when I check in later this month. My appetite has been greater than usual, and the breakfast I eat at home is barely enough to fuel the drive to work. Sometimes I have to get an order of scrambled eggs from the deli. I think it might be the turmeric. Not sure if I need to start testing my blood sugar, but I'm going to discuss that with her. I don't know if I'm having spikes or crashes. Maybe we just need to reduce my Metformin?

I also need to figure out how to magically lose seven pounds before the next appointment. And start eating more salads again. And. And. And.

Made my first batch of overnight oatmeal a little bit so. Pumpkin spice, heavy on the spice.

Leftie is coming along nicely. I wove in two sets of ends tonight. Mostly I read the issue of The Economist which arrived on Monday. But now it's time to read my scriptures and try for an early bedtime. I'm happy. I'm also verging on knackered.

Things misheard and unsaid.

On the drive to work this morning, the DJ announced that we would shortly be listening to Mendelssohn's "Ruy Blas Overture." I heard "Wee Glass Overture," and thought, well, he was rather fond of Scotland.

The guy who examined my receipt at Costco tonight was named Chance. I thought, he's not a Fat Chance, and he's not quite a Slim Chance. I guess he's a Reasonable Chance? When I told Middlest, my beloved child said, "And he's not a Chance in Hell." Middlest for the win.

Last night I finished the second baby sock and wove in all of the ends. I also read a great swathe in last week's edition of The Economist. I'm getting faster, and I'm starting to remember bits from week to week, or at least that I read something about a subject in a previous issue. The third issue arrived on Monday. I'm hoping to finish last week's edition before calling it a day.

Mid-term elections are over. I'm mostly pleased with the outcome. Pete Sessions has represented Texas well (in most respects) for 22 years. It was time for some fresh blood, and we got it. And Beto came within three points of beating Ted Cruz.

In further knitting news, I am having so much fun knitting Leftie.

This is the part where I publish and then work on my calling as chorister. We have the Primary program next Sunday and Thanksgiving the week after that. So I'll be able to knock out two weeks' worth of numbers in one email.

Later, gators.

The quilting part is done.

I'm hoping that tomorrow I will get the binding assembled and machine stitched to the front of the quilt. And then I can hand stitch the binding down a few hours at a time. That will surely be easier on my hands than all of this quilting. I have three fingertips that are pretty seriously chewed up.

The heel flap is done on the second baby sock, and I'm ready to pick up stitches for the gusset.

I've done nothing on Leftie today. But I've read another eight pages in The Economist, which gives me a somewhat similar sense of accomplishment.

Time to read my scriptures and go to bed. We're meeting again tomorrow for our fledgling brunch tradition.

Personal, family, and auto maintenance

Diana got a free oil change today (it was part of the purchase/refi package). Middlest, Fourthborn and I got our teeth cleaned, which we followed with the traditional trashing of the teeth at Cheesecake Factory.

Ibought a copy of The Martian Chronicles for Middlest and a copy of Geek Knits by Joan of Dark. It promises to be amusing.

The second baby sock is ready for its heel flap. I added a couple of rows to Leftie. Since coming home, I've cleared great swathes of emails from my inbox. I've updated my Amazon Prime membership. Since I wriggled out of my compression stockings almost the moment I walked in the house, I have felt my ankles blossoming while I sit here at the computer.

So I'm going to do my impression of a sensible human being, grab a healthy snack and my meds, and go read as much Book of Mormon as I can before Body tells Brain, "Shut up and leave me alone." As you may suspect, I did not sleep well last night, and it's been a long day. I need to take some time (not tonight, but soon) to work out my budget over the remainder of the year. There are three dental appointments to pay for, and three fillings coming up for Middlest, and the balance of last week's expense for Middlest's meds, and my new glasses and and and

It will all work out nicely. That doesn't mean it won't require planning, ingenuity, and prayer.

Quilting, quilting, and more quilting

I've made great progress on the quilt this week. There may be more quilting before bedtime, but for now I'm letting my hands and fingers rest. It is reasonable to hope that the actual quilting will be done sometime in the next week and that I may get started on binding the edges.

I've been reading my first issue of "The Economist." The second issue is waiting, untouched. I may or may not finish the first before the third issue arrives next week. Some of the articles are a faster read than others. I'm not entirely sure why I'm doing this. But as I discussed with Middlest recently, much of my life has been spent in survival mode, and now I'm finally able to look outside my (our) four walls, beyond our immediate family, into the world at large. There is so much to learn. And the Lord, through His prophets, has encouraged us to learn as much as we can about as many things as we can. While I would much prefer to continue focusing on the fiber arts and my scriptures, I will probably be more useful in the eternities if I have an updated knowledge of business and finance, what's going on in countries I might never have heard of, and how the pundits in Old Blighty think everything ties together. I have discovered a podcast on BBC4 (In Our Time) about all sorts of fascinating things. I listened to 3.2 episodes this afternoon while quilting and then knitting.

Right now my fingers are sore, my hands are not as tired as they were half an hour ago, and my eyes and ears are also less tired. I think I will gather up some reasonably healthy snacks and go read/listen awhile longer.

In knitting news, I finished the first baby sock in another pair from the leftovers of Hitchhiker. And I've added a few more rows on Leftie. I enjoy Martina Behm's designs. They are witty and appeal to my inner math geek.

I've updated another spreadsheet and downloaded some missing e-statements to my C:drive and my external. By the end of the year I hope to have everything that Middlest downloaded from my profile on Beloved's laptop properly sorted into my C:drive and backed up.

I ordered a pair of earrings from an Etsy shop last night. Rose gold wire work. Name of the shop? Pillar of Salt Studio; Sara Lott is the shop owner. So naturally I had to check it out.

My computer is home!

They fired it up for me, and it was so great to see the picture of Beloved and me taken outside the temple after his eldest son's sealing (my wallpaper).

I've pretty much noodled away the evening, messing about on my phone. I was listening to a chapter in 3 Nephi when I got distracted trying to figure out how many people have been translated without tasting death. Moses. Elijah. Elisha. Alma. John the Beloved. The three Nephites. I wonder if there are others from the Old Testament, or if the priesthood keys which they held were transmitted to Peter, James and John after the death of Christ. I wonder if Moroni was translated or if the Lamanites finally caught up with him and murdered him. I wonder if there are other translated beings from among the lost ten tribes after Christ ministered to them. (I wonder if their wives were also translated. Those would be some pretty amazing senior missions!)

I used to think that we would need little red wagons to convey our scriptures church after we get the records of the lost ten tribes. But I think that smartphones will probably take care of that problem.

Going to bed now.

I'm a little crabby (PTSD remix)

Last week was weird and intense and expensive and mostly fun. I saw the podiatrist on Monday afternoon. I've been semiconsistent with my exercises, and not at all compliant about wearing shoes at home. But basically my foot feels much better.

On Tuesday, Middlest rode in with me, as we had eye appointments that afternoon. I left my phone in Diana and went down to get it. As I was putting the key back in my bag, I realized that my wallet was still on my bed at home. So we left at 2:30, got tangled up in traffic, fetched my wallet, got tangled up in more traffic, and called saying we were almost there but might be a few minutes late.

As it turned out, only one minute late when we pulled into the parking lot. Middlest's Rx is unchanged. My left eye is slightly less nearsighted. My right eye is significantly less nearsighted. I've been fitted for new specs but am postponing the purchase until October's SS check.

None of us (including Fourthborn) were up for Knit Night, so we went to our favorite sit down TexMex restaurant for dinner. Took Fourthborn home, drove back here, and basically collapsed.

Wednesday and Thursday were unremarkable except for the amount of money I spent. Friday we went to our friends' home for dinner. It was sprinkling here. It was raining moderately there. When we left, the sky had opened up. We were parked right by the stairs, and I was soaked to the skin before I got in the car. There were parts of the drive where we were going 35mph on a 70mph toll road, flashers going, and we were by far not the only ones.  Uncomfortable reminder of the rainstorm we endured along the Great Lakes two years ago. Scary!!!

Yesterday I'd hoped to stay in my jammies all day, but my Rx was ready, so out I went. Intermittent sprinkles and downpours. As I rounded one turn in the inside lane, a car in the middle lane sloshed by, and a lot of water hit my windshield suddenly. I couldn't see where the concrete median was. I couldn't see the light pole I'd been approaching. I braked hard and hoped for the best. Getting rear ended twice in a month was not my idea of a real good time. Thankfully, nothing happened, but I've been jittery ever since.

Ate a sensible breakfast before church and still fought sleep while sitting up on the stand. So I came home after sacrament meeting, had a snack, and slept for four hours.

The beading class I was looking forward to tomorrow afternoon has cancelled, because I'm the only one who signed up for it. The woman who was going to teach it will be working in the shop. I'm taking the time off as scheduled, picking out supplies that will complement my wardrobe, and picking the teacher's brain re: technique.

And now I'm going to try sleeping again.

Refi successful.

Got the confirmation today. They're overnighting the payout to Exorbitant Bank. Called my insurance agent and had them take the Tardis off as of last Thursday and update the loss payee to my credit union. Goodbye, multi-car discount. You were nice while you lasted.

In other news, my old roommate posted a picture of my 1998 chapbook to FB. She was cleaning things out, found it, and reread it. I'm glad she felt it had held up to time. I laughingly say that I've written the world's largest collection of pissed-off wife poetry. As well as (I think 300?) Mormon limericks.

I actually made it to Knit Night tonight. I've turned the heel on the baby sock and am ready to pick up stitches for the gussets. Before that, I hit the fabric store for a fresh supply of betweens and a handful of other items, including a needle threader with an LED light. How cool is that? I also bought small stacking boxes to organize my needles, pins, and various small tools. I'm tired of having to look in three or four unlabeled containers for what I need.

I suspect I'll be spending a good part of the weekend mucking out my studio, which looks like an explosion in a sweatshop.

On that happy note, I'll go to bed.

Because today I have no sense.

Which is not the same as nonsense. Or nunsense. Actually, it was another good day. Found a new home for my lawnmower. Tossed the weed whacker in, just to be rid of it. There is now about a playpen's worth of freed up floor space out in the garage.

Only the tiniest amount of knit happened. Four or five rows on the heel flap.

And you'd think I'd know by now not to shop for groceries when I'm hungry, but I was craving fresh fruit. I even bought a "personal" watermelon, roughly halfway in size between a large cantaloupe and a small bowling ball. Madness, I tell you. I went in for water and sodas. I came out with clam chowder and lobster bisque. And horseradish.

Guac it to me, baby!

So, that was gross.

Woke up this morning with three digestive
distinct areas of discomfort. I've been spotting since Friday. Add to that, abdominal distress, most likely due to the verde sauce on yesterday's enchiladas. And my right ear, which has been intermittently plugged when I first arise for the past four to six weeks. It normally clears after I've been up for awhile and drunk my juice. It hasn't cleared all weekend.

So I went to church as usual, and my friend B said, "You're going home after sacrament meeting." It wasn't a question. Or an order. Just a clear observation from someone who knows and loves me.

I got a blessing after sacrament meeting, and then I came home and puttered online until the after hours clinic opened.

My right ear was plugged. She couldn't see my eardrum to know if it was infected. So the nurse dropped something liquid and magical into my ear, and I lay on my side for several minutes. Then she irrigated my ear, which turned into almost baptism by immersion. I looked like I'd been in a water fight! But the doctor got a good look in my ear, and I'm on amoxicillin for the next ten days.

I also got quite a bit of knitting done in the waiting room, exam room pre-water-fight, and at the pharmacy. I'm ready to work the heel flap, but the only knitting that's happening between now and bedtime is arranging the stitches on longer needles. I've managed to get through the day without a nap, and every cell is screaming for sleep. Well, except the eardrum. It's just mumbling gratefully.

I kinda killed the laptop.

I can go online, but I've fried most of the letters on the bottom row. That happened earlier this week. As did getting rear ended on the way to work on Tuesday. I'm fine. Diana is in the shop, and I'm driving a sleek black Altima that I've named Black Widow.

Last weekend Middlest and I saw "The Bookshop" and loved it. It's not a happily ever after movie, but we both found the ending quite satisfying.

Today Secondborn and BittyBit (who is now nearly as tall as I am) saw it. They were less impressed. Maybe living with my bipolar child has skewed my sense of humor?

Have I mentioned that Littlebit and 5BDH are expecting? I'm picking up the tempo on baby socks. Plus there are two new families in the ward who are due about the same time.

I've been going a little nuts buying books for my shelves or my Kindle. I pre-ordered Bob Woodward's book on the current presidency. It should pop up midweek. Meanwhile, I am plowing through a history of the CIA. I blame Malcolm Gladwell.

Tola, you'll be pleased to know that I am finally in a position to support the local public radio station. Their fund drive ended last night, and I called them on the way home from work (buckets of rain; stuck in traffic) and gave them my widow's mite.

In other news, I'm rehabbing my left foot for plantar fasciitis. Got a shot (owie!) and am trying to remember to do my exercises.

1BDH sold the Tardis for me, so I've been having a little fun with the proceeds. Four new skeins of Manos del Uruguay for future projects. It's so much fun to reach over to the fallow side of the bed and pet the yarn.

Time for me to take evening meds, read my BOM, and call it a day.

Done(ish)

Just needs to be blocked.

Not much to report, chez Ravelled. I'm back at work on the shawlette that I began at my sister's. I've frogged the Frankensock and begun again with a single ball of yarn. I've saved all manner of cute baby sweaters to Pinterest. Why?

LittleBit and LBDH are expecting!!!

By George, I think we've got it!

This is incarnation 4.5 for the yarn. It is finally, *finally* making visual sense to me.

My three days back at work were productive and increasingly intense. By the time I left on Friday, I was pretty tightly wound. This, notwithstanding how beautifully everyone took care of my attorneys while I was on vacation, or how little catching-up I've had to do.

Yesterday helped a lot. I joined friends to clean the chapel. We picked up our quilt blocks. Then we picked up Mel, and Fourthborn, Middlest and I drove to our friend Lisa's for a belated birthday party for Middlest. I took Mel home, dropped Middlest at the house, took Fourthborn home, and spent the drive home and the rest of the day in my room. Knitted a little, read a little, listened to a podcast, and got to bed at a more or less reasonable hour.

It was a good Sabbath. I had a long nap, and we've now ticked over into Monday morning. Going back to bed.

On vacation, part two.

So: Sunday. My dear blog friend, Tola, and her husband picked me up for church. GPS got them thoroughly lost, but my brother in law beamed them in (they weren't far). It was lovely to attend their ward, meet their friends, and sing with them. Tola's voice and mine play nicely together. We even broke on the same note!

After church they took me to see their home, which is charming and nearly 100 years old. I got to meet the cats, one of whom claimed me as his. And I learned how to pronounce two of their names, which are Gaelic and were previously indecipherable to the German one-fourth of my DNA.

Tola got me home well in time for family dinner with my niece and nephew. Grilled salmon, potato salad, and corn on the cob. I flaked out around 8pm and slept for nearly twelve hours.

Yesterday I mostly sat on the couch and read or knitted while rehydrating. I'm using a short glass for my water, which gets me up and moving pretty frequently for refills. I did take a short nap in the afternoon. I didn't want to. I just wanted to be in proximity to my beloved sister, knitting companionably.

The shawlette I've designed continues to please me. I will probably finish it today or tomorrow. And then ~ oh dear ~ we shall have to take a field trip to that fabulous yarn store we visited three years ago.

On vacation, part one.

The adventures began on Friday afternoon, when I got to the airport with oodles of time to spare. Drove around and around the long term parking and was about to exit for the short term when I spotted a couple coming out into the garage proper.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I am," she said (he was splitting off in another direction), "and I'm right over there on the end."

She backed out. I headed in. Made it through security and upstairs toward the gates. Dashed into the loo, got turned around, and accidentally exited the secured part of the airport. Went through security again. Got a snack at a kiosk. Cooled my heels until boarding time.

Discovered that business preferred on Southwest is not all that different from flying coach, except that I got to board earlier. Made my way to the back, for its proximity to the loo.

First leg was to Sacramento. Massive turbulence just east of Sacto, presumably because of the fires. At one point my seat dropped beneath me and my (closed) snack flew down by my neighbor's feet. I thought I was on the Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags over Texas!

Wasn't scary, just startling. Flight from Sacto to Portland was uneventful. Found the car rental booth, which was outside of the terminal and insufficiently air conditioned. Stood behind a lovely family from the UK as they arranged for 15 days with their car.

When it was my turn, I was tired, hungry, sweaty, and decision-fatigued. I opted for the additional insurance, because I couldn't remember if my auto policy covered me in a rental (it does; I called my agent the next morning), which put me significantly overlimit on my credit card.

Shuttle bus driver was utterly delightful. I was his only passenger, and we had a great conversation about classical music.

Once in the car, I started googling motels. That's when I discovered that an modest but decent room that would cost me $60-85 elsewhere was going to cost $165-225, assuming one was available. I almost cried. Finally I remembered that my cousin lived just across the river, so I chucked my pride and called.

Their guest room was occupied, but they had a blow up bed, and I was more than welcome. Cousin Norm brought out the wok and heated up their leftover Chinese food, which I inhaled gratefully. Then I watched an episode and a half of "Shetland" and tried to wind down enough to sleep.

The bed was very comfortable. Getting out of it was not! After a lovely breakfast and a few more hugs, I drove down to meet Wanda, who has been a blog friend since 2006. I am bringing home a wee rosewood drop spindle for Blessing. Wanda fed me lunch. It's always great when you meet someone you've known from online, and they're even better in person!

From there I drove back up to Portland to meet my cousin Jeff (from my German line) at IKEA. He is a hoot and very much a kindred spirit. He and his wife used to sing professionally. I would love to get them together with my kids and sing sing sing.

He went with me to the rental drop off and was prepared to help me do battle if they gave me any guff about turning the car in early, which they did not. He then took me to the Amtrak station, and my sister and brother in law picked me up in Tacoma.

That was Friday and Saturday. Next time I'll tell you about Sunday and today.

Knit has happened. I may have a finished object for you in the next day or so. I'm also reading Malcolm Gladwell. I'm feeling almost caught up on sleep and hydration.

I didn't. But I nearly did.

I spent a good chunk of Saturday covering small stains and splotches on my vintage cotton skirt with beads and Ultrasuede appliques. Technically I have everything properly camouflaged, but it doesn't quite look or feel done.

I am also nearly done with the cowl. As soon as the current load of laundry goes into the dryer, I'm heading to my room to maybe finish it off. There's less than a fistful of yarn left. (I am suddenly hearing the soundtrack of a spaghetti western. Effigy at no extra charge.)

Work went reasonably well today. I wrangled 1.5 attorneys for the first half of the day and 3.0 attorneys in the afternoon. Everything important got done. The rest will be there when I go back to work in the morning. I'm strangely OK with that. Or maybe just OKly strange.

Hoping for a good night's sleep tonight, because I have lots to accomplish tomorrow, and I want to go to Knit Night afterward.

Later, gators.

I might have a finished object for you tomorrow.

The cowl is galloping along. I will be a little sad when it's done, because that yarn is soft and squishy without losing an iota of structural integrity.

I daydreamed on the drive home about taking a 20 year old skirt that still has plenty of life in it, but needs a bit of refurbishing, and the 25 year old filet crochet lace edging that I made for Firstborn (which she politely declined as being lovely but not really her taste) and seeing if they wanted to play together. After dinner I went to where the lace has been living for the past six years, and it's not there. I think I put it in a "safe place" when I grabbed the copper mug it had been coiled up into so that I could use it (the mug) for something else.

Middlest says the fastest way to find the missing lace is to purposefully launch a mission to find something else. Which won't be hard, because our house is a repository of projects-in-gestation, and if I just pick up enough things that are Not It, the lace will jump out and holler "BOO!" And when it does, I am going to tea-dye it. Maybe. Probably. I bought a box of the darkest, most sinister black tea when I picked up our bottled water on the way home tonight, and I've stowed it in a kitchen cupboard, but I think I will move it to my studio before bedtime after slapping a hot pink sticky note on it that says "for crafting, not for consumption, so no, I haven't gone apostate on you." [In case you're just tuning in, devout Latter-day Saints don't drink tea, unless it's herbal tea. It's part of our health code known as the Word of Wisdom.]

I think it's going to be a lovely, quiet weekend. Tomorrow is Middlest's 35th birthday and it would have been my 45th anniversary with FirstHubby. I'm incredibly tired from a week of slaving over a hot keyboard, and I need to make things in order to restore some degree of balance.

Later, gators. The yarn is calling.

I loathe trial notebooks.

The past few days have been spent working (or trying to work) on a set of them for one of SemperFi's cases. I worked two hours of overtime last night and came in early this morning to finish the job, because we were #2 in that court. If I'd blown off the trial notebooks, the first case would have settled out of court (because that's how the legal system seems to work) and SemperFi would be sitting on the front line with no ammo.

Thankfully, the #1 case went to trial, and we are prepared to go later this week or should we be reset 90-120 days out. And I do not have to spend the rest of this week working on a new batch for a case that was set for next Monday, because the agreed motion for continuance was granted. Which gives me six working days to whip the notebooks into shape for the case that was set in March, that is definitely going to trial while I am on vacation. I've been working on those notebooks in spare moments since March. The notebooks I just finished consumed over four reams of paper. This other case is at least half again as big. Oye to the veh.

In knitting news, I'm now two-thirds done on the cowl in my German yarn. Pictures maybe tomorrow.

And I'm hammering out more details for my upcoming vacation.

Had my periodic one-by-one with the office manager and feel very good about it. There are a few things I need to work on, but she has the gift of truly constructive criticism.

Drove home in a torrential downpour, and the other drivers were being uncharacteristically polite and mindful of one another. It was lovely to observe.

On that happy note, I'll say goodnight. I left work at 3:30 today because I'd gotten there so early, and I've already had a two hour nap since coming home. I'm ready to sleep again, and I hope that my dreams are as interesting and peaceful as the earlier ones. There was a lot of Alabama Chanin style creativity going on in those...

My feelings looked like that on Monday morning.

Three very fresh chocolate chunk cookies from the deli in our building, and a pint of milk.

Why, you ask? This may take awhile. SemperFi was (and still is) in trial prep mode. He discovered on Monday, when he was working remotely, that an expert's videotaped deposition had not been uploaded to our electronic file. He needed that depo so it could be edited for use as evidence. He asked me to call the number on the bottom of the invoice and find out if we'd actually received the DVD. Shortly after we hung up, I heard our paralegal discussing the same depo with him. I walked around to her cubicle after she hung up and asked if he'd asked her to work on that video. We decided that he'd asked both of us to do the very same thing, and I got irritated and blew off his request, thinking that she was handling it.

He called me a little later to find out what I'd learned. I told him that C. and I had discussed it, and that she was working on it, and I was working on something else. He got testy and informed me that C. was working on something else related to the DVD, and he repeated his instructions. I told him, "I'm trying to work on your damn trial notebooks." I could hear quiet gasps from all three neighboring cubicles, because that's not my modus operandi at work.

I got off the phone, told C. I was going downstairs to get some cookies and milk, and then I would make the phone call. Called the company. He was pretty sure that it had been sent, and he would check with both of his staffers and get back to me. Meanwhile, I looked to see who had uploaded the invoice to our file, and I emailed her to ask if we'd gotten the DVD. When she got out of her meeting with the office manager, she wrote back to say that it was in our IT person's cubby, waiting to be uploaded, because there are only two people on our staff who are authorized to do so, the IT was out on vacation, and her backup was out for other reasons.

I emailed SemperFi, told him that we did in fact have the DVD and why it wasn't uploaded to the file, and that I would put it on his desk. Then I called the videographer and let him know the DVD had been found.

It took me all day to (mostly) calm down from my outburst. The older I get, the longer it takes to recover emotionally and physically. I was still deeply weary when I got home, and Middlest could feel my crabby, jangly energy as soon as I walked in the door. I ate some leftovers, washed a load of delicates and hung them to dry in the garage, and spent the rest of the evening in my room, listening to podcasts and knitting.

On Tuesday, SemperFi needed me to try to fix a minor technical issue with Word on his laptop. I wasn't able to, but one of the paralegals was. I apologized for swearing at him. He said, "I don't remember you swearing at me." "When I told you I was trying to work on your damn notebooks." (Said with calm, rueful tone.) "Oh, that." He laughed.

He left at midday for an afternoon appointment, and I got some work done. After he left, the managing attorney came by my desk and asked, very quietly, if SemperFi was OK. I murmured to her that he was in trial mode, and that I'd sworn at him the day before. Told her what I'd said. She blinked, then laughed out loud and high-fived me.

I still haven't finished the damn notebooks, but I'm mostly done, and there's a huge trial set ahead of us, so even if that one settles over the weekend, I still have Monday to finish. And then I get to do another set for a different trial, and finish the ones I've been working on, off and on, since an earlier setting in March, in a third case.

I foresee a lot of cookie abuse before I go on vacation later this month.

Chiggers.

You may recall that I've stated that the great outdoors either wants to eat me or make me sneeze. Last night was no exception. I went out at dusk to take the second photograph of the new sign. I wanted to get it over with, so I put on shoes but no socks. Then I came back inside and put my jeans on my bed. Resulting in this.

And this.

I've developed a bad habit of throwing clean laundry onto a corner of my bed. And throwing once-worn but still wearable clothing near that. It took me over an hour, with frequent breaks, to get everything off my bed so I could change the sheets.

Middlest very kindly painted my bites with nail polish to smother the little bozos. It helped somewhat. I posted this on Facebook:

The wonderful thing about chiggers?
A chigger's no wonderful thing.
I'm itching and scratching and itching
Momentarily, life's lost its zing.

Which inspired a number of comments regarding how to get some relief. Nail polish (check). Bath with bleach in it, for 10 minutes. (Middlest said no bleaching the lady bits. I concurred. My lady bits have had quite enough trauma over the last six months without my adding chemical burn to the list.) Chiggerex Benzocaine Ointment (it's the Sabbath). Skin So Soft (ditto, though I know a great Avon lady). Looks like I will be making a run to Wally World on my way to work tomorrow. And washing or re-washing approximately eight loads of laundry over the next several days.

In the meantime, I am cooking up some Trader Joe mini ravioli, because my stomach wants ice cream and I didn't buy any yesterday, so pasta with red sauce will have to do.

Fencing match.

Sign, approximately crocheted onto the fence.

I posted the following on my ward's RS Facebook page: I have a somewhat whimsical ministering request. Could someone with half a dozen spare zip ties come down my alley and fasten somewhat more permanently the numbered sign which the city insists that I post on my back fence, and which I have temporarily crocheted to it? I'll bake you brownies. I'll also bring Blue Bell if you hang it so it's perfectly straight. Because I'm ever so slightly OCD. Please and thank you.

My friend Sandy to the rescue.

This is all the stuff that my lawn dudes removed from the back fence yesterday. It will go bye-bye on Tuesday. It's only about two feet high at the highest, but I didn't want to include any of my neighbors' license plates, so basically it looks like a large pile of Ent droppings.

First finished project. They are now enjoying a leisurely bath in the sink.

Second finished project.

What's next? Tune in tomorrow! I have an idea, but it remains to be seen if the yarn wants to play along.

A remarkably good workweek.

Given that I was out of the office for a day and a half. Two answers filed today, one case closed, and a good start made on the next trial notebook. A blessedly brief tactical meeting for a committee that I'm on.

Before bedtime last night, I finished the heel flap. Since then I've picked up stitches and am working the gusset decreases. There's an excellent chance that I can finish the second sock before bedtime. These socks will be fraternal twins. They are meant for TheKid and his girlfriend, who are having their second child, a boy. I don't think I've ever finished a pair of baby socks in eight days. The baby is arriving next Tuesday, and we didn't even know that they were expecting until two weeks ago.

Fortunately, baby socks are a small, portable project, unlike (say) beading the hem of a me-sized sweater.

In fashion news, I saw something interesting/strange on Pinterest in the past couple of days. Some bright soul has designed short half-slips with deep lace hems (maybe 8-12" from waist to hem), to go under tunics or shirts to visually lengthen them. I have some half-slips that I don't wear, that I could re-purpose to that end (har har), plenty of elastic for new waistbands, and at least one piece of suitable lace. Sewing might happen this weekend, or I might just sketch out some designs.

But for now, I need to get out of this chair and put my feet up and start knitting. There are podcasts stacking up like cordwood on my app. (I need to figure out how to delete them once I've listened.)

Later, gators.

Semi-social butterfly

Took a late lunch, because I had a one-month checkup with my surgeon, primarily to see if the progesterone was working and if I'd noticed any side effects. I told him about the interaction with my muscle relaxer, and that I haven't missed the latter since I stopped taking it, and there have been no further side effects. He okayed me to fill the Rx for the higher, maintenance dose that I will take the rest of my mortal life unless I decide to have them evict my uterus.

LittleBit hadn't been at her job when I stopped by before my appointment, so I texted her a hello and did my adulting. She had the day off, and we met afterward for pizza and conversation. I was a responsible diabetic and ordered a kid-size pizza. It filled me sufficiently, and now that I'm home I'm finishing the fresh fruit cup that I took to work and didn't have room for. The fruit is a little on the shabby chic side by now, but it hasn't fermented, and it tastes delicious.

A little more progress on the second baby sock. In a few minutes I'm heading for my room to finish the cuff and see how many more beads I can add to the hem of the sweater before my body says we're done and I should go to bed now.

Oh, and I bought a dozen rolls of deeply discounted washi tape to see if I like the washi tape manicure I saw on Pinterest, or if it will be my very own spectacular Pinterest fail. Either way, it's not happening tonight, because it's only 100F out there, and I am tired, and learning a new life skill is just not on the agenda this evening.

Be good, and remember Whose you are.

We played at the dentist's today.

No X-rays, just cleanings x3, so my pocketbook is getting off easy this time. We really, really like the new hygienist. The one we had really, really tried to like decided to retire, and the new one is about this [ ] far from being able to walk on water as far as the three of us are concerned.

Knit happened. I'm a little over halfway done with the cuff of the second baby sock, but as soon as I log off here, I'm heading to my bed to add more beads to the hem of the sweater. I had almost reached the midpoint of the back when I had to stop so we could be on time for the oil change that Firstborn booked last Friday.

About that. When we got to the dealership, a gentleman took the key and directed us to the waiting area. Five minutes later, he returned to say that they were really backed up, and the oil change that we had an appointment for would not happen for two and a half to three hours. I said, "Even though we booked an appointment?" He was genuinely apologetic. I explained that this would not work for us, because we had dental appointments beginning at 2:00 and lasting the rest of the afternoon. He had the car brought around. Middlest and I picked up Fourthborn for the grocery shopping that we had planned to do after the dentist and the traditional trashing of our teeth via cheesecake. Middlest and Fourthborn tackled Fourthborn's shopping list.

I walked next door to Hobby Lobby and fell in love with a white shadowbox, about five inches deep, maybe two feet wide and a foot tall. I'm not sure if it is going up on what I call the Jesus Wall, right inside the front door and bearing scriptures and portraits of the Savior, or on the dining room wall above the piano. The shadowbox was 50% off, and I got to the car very shortly after the kids got there with the shopping cart.

We got Fourthborn's food to her apartment and ourselves to our dentist with several minutes to spare.

Later, gators. The yarn is calling.

The dead people are relentless.

My tree now has over 4,000 people. I think I've added about 200 of them in the last ten days.

Great time at dinner with my friend L. and her sister, also an L. At La Madeleine. That's a lot of L's.

Got a bit of knitting done at stoplights on the way to work, and at lunch, and while waiting for my friends to show up at the restaurant. I don't think I can manage a podcast tonight. (I am burping tomato basil soup, and we have a long day tomorrow, so it's time for some buttermilk and my meds and a chapter in my scriptures.

Night, y'all!

And another sock bites the dust!

All that remains for this one, is to weave in the ends. Its fraternal twin is cast on and waiting for tomorrow.

To my delight, I learned this morning that Linda, who has been a friend for nearly 20 years, and whom we visited in Iowa on the way home from Tennessee year before last, is in the area this week. We're having dinner tomorrow night, and I might get to meet her sister.

I'm really enjoying the podcasts. I'm mixing them with General Conference addresses, my Book of Mormon, and various Pandora stations. Tonight I learned about a young progressive Democrat who is battling the party machine as well as the Republican candidate for a Congressional district in upstate New York. It was fascinating. While I don't share much of his beliefs, I agree that both major political parties are broken. I wish him well.

No progress on beading the hem of the cardigan today. Wonderful nap after church, however, and amusing dreams. Great conversations with Middlest before and after my nap. I'm calling this day a win.

And the beads go on...

Kinda like Ravel's "Bolero" but with bling instead of measures.

I've worked the right lower edge, around the side, and about halfway to the midpoint of the back. In other knitting news, I'm ready to work the heel flap on the new baby sock.

I was at the mechanic's as soon as they opened, and the car is safety-inspected. I also picked up dairy items and fresh fruit and was home by 9:00am, before the great outdoors heated up. After which, I promptly took a five hour nap.

Just remembered that I haven't refrigerated the breakfast casserole. Time to divide and conquer! Night, y'all.

Car progress, knitting, and quality time with 60% of my kids.

Middlest in the morning for the monthly doctor visit, then two round trips to the pharmacy in a neighboring town, because we have all of those Rx's on auto-refill, and we forgot to inform the pharmacy that Middlest is no longer taking one of them.  Second trip was for a refund.

Tanked the car and drove to Firstborn's, where she and Fourthborn were working on quilt blocks. (Unlike me.) Between Middlest's appointment and hanging out with my other two, I got half a cuff done on yet another baby sock.

We watched "Coco." What a great movie!

Emptied the Tardis so my kids can sell her for me. Cancelled her Tolltag. Knitted some more. It took half again as much time as it usually requires to get home. I am happy and tired. I want dinner, podcasts, and knitting. But maybe I will just make an early night of it, after dinner.

Tomorrow I'm getting the car safety inspected, and then Firstborn will renew the tags. I forgot to give them the key for the Leer cab in the back.

I used the backup camera to ease the new car up the driveway without driving over the landscaping timbers like I did (more than once) in the Tardis. It took me two tries to do it, but I suspect that eventually it will become second nature.

Beads me.

It's a lot deeper in real life. And the big beads are sparkly as all get-out

But both sleeves are now beaded, and they are almost exactly the same circumference, and I am done for the night. Next step is to bead the hem. No earthly idea how long that will take, or how many podcasts I will get through.

Life is good.

... followed by a really rough night.

I went to bed earlier than usual last night, then tossed and turned for two hours, finally getting up around half past midnight. I spent the next couple of hours trying all the standard tricks: hot milk, lavender oil, lotion on my feet, white noise machine.

Somehow I forgot to set my alarm for this morning. I awoke(ish) to a room that was too light. Quarter to seven. Threw breakfast together, and when I was putting my dishes into the sink, Middlest came out and helped me gather things for my lunch bag.

Made it to work with two minutes to spare. Survived endured the monthly support staff meeting with a modicum of grace and was enabled by additional grace to remain focused and on task for the rest of the day. I did not ~ quite ~ need to break out the last dab of Cherry Coke leftover from that day I sleepwalked through before I stopped taking my muscle relaxer. I blasted zydeco all the way home, just to be safe.

So: dinner is down the hatch, and I've bound off the hem of the sweater while listening to two podcasts. I am (vaguely) trying to puzzle out how to stay awake for another hour and a half so I can take my evening meds on time and crash. I think I might make it another half hour. Feeling very much a mombie at the moment.

This was a really good day.

I got a lot accomplished at work, ate sensibly, and finished weaving in the ends on the baby socks. Picked up Fourthborn, enjoyed a healthy meal at IKEA with my Knit Night friends, and delivered my kid to her apartment without a scintilla of the drama that made last Tuesday so memorable.

I did not knit, however, because I'd left my size 10 needles at home, and I need them to bind off the hem of the sweater.

As soon as this load of wash is done, it goes into the dryer and I fall into bed.

Mailed off letters to my senators and congressman today. Was pleased to see that Snopes debunked the various Republican spins on how long this "policy" of separating children from their parents at the border has been around.

If it hasn't already been done, somebody needs to revive the Nixon-era bumper sticker: Jail to the Chief.

New hymnal and children's songbook are coming!

And the church solicited input from the members as to favorites, what to omit next time, what we'd like to add in. I commented that I hope that Sister Gladys Knight is on one of the committees. The music will be standardized in every language, which will be great.

I linked a bunch of records tonight. Have yet to solve the mystery of the cousin who married hubby A one month and hubby B a month later. I got those dates from a transcription of that family's Bible.

I'm nearly done with the second baby sock. I didn't touch the sweater today. This is the part where I go do something about both.

Checking in.

I just spent a happy couple of hours linking records to one of my 6th great uncles. The prize was finding a transcription of his family Bible. Lots of names and dates, half a dozen more people on my tree, and more records to link. I was able to confirm the spelling of his first wife's last name, and I have names and spouses for their three children.

In knitting news, I've done nothing on the sweater today. (That is about to change.) While at church, I turned the heel on the second baby sock. Mid-afternoon, I took a five and a half hour nap, which means that I will be up for awhile.

I've told the ancestors "see ya later" and am going to set up my bed for a spate of beading. When I get tired of that, I'll work on the sock. I'll listen to my scriptures first, then pick out a podcast or two.

Quick update before crashing.

Lovely, quietly productive day. I think I've reached the hem on the sweater. Right now it hits about level with my sacral dimples, and I think the beading will stretch it downward a bit without making it so long that I'd sit on the hem. Which, with beads, would be distinctly uncomfortable.

I squinched the stitches away from the tips of the needles and tried it on, which is why I was able to guesstimate the length in back. Then I squinched the stitches differently so that I could see how it hangs in the front. There were maybe two yards left on the ball, and I'm now regretting slightly that I broke off the extra in order to not trip over it while trying on the sweater.

If my grammar makes no more sense to you than it does to me, it's because I'm typing a little after midnight on Sunday morning, and Middlest is eating chips and hummus, which is slightly less distracting than when my kid cracks jokes, because I said, "I love you and please don't talk to me, because I'm writing."

There will be no more knitting tonight right now, as I managed to get through the day without taking a nap. And I am blessedly and understandably sleepy.

Had a good long discussion about the car with Firstborn. Paid down my credit card to less than $200 today and will talk to my credit union Tuesday or Wednesday, after it's had a chance to show up on my credit report. We need, in short order, to get the car safety inspected and the tags renewed, and then we can worry about the financing and the title transfer.

OK, y'all, I'm so done for now. Later, gators.

I figured a few things out today.

While stopped at traffic lights, I learned where more things were located on the dashboard. After work, I was able to adjust the driver's seat more to my liking.

Our system was down at work for almost three hours. I was probably the happiest person there, because I had my knitting. I added at least two rows to the sweater before I realized that I could work on the beast of a series of notebooks for a trial that was originally set for March and is now scheduled for July.

Back in March, I printed off about six reams of documents and had made a good start at organizing some of them. This afternoon I grabbed two empty notebooks and started working on the index sheets that go in the front of each notebook. I filled one notebook and will fill the second one as soon as I have a break from ordinary activities. There is still a 9" or 10" stack of unsorted papers in the bottom of a file drawer. Quelle joie!


Right now I'm boiling some spinach and cheese ravioli that I bought last Saturday at Costco. There's a recipe on the bag for "lazy lasagna" that I might try with some of the rest of the ravioli. I haven't had lasagna in a very long time, and I love it. Maybe I'll get marginally ambitious this weekend.

The ravioli is nearly done, and I am ready to go offline and put my feet up. Hoping for another good night's sleep. Yesterday's massage worked wonders on the tension in my neck and shoulders. I'm still aching a little from a couple of trigger points he released, but my range of motion is about where I'd like it to be.

Night, y'all.

Respite.

Tardis update: estimated repairs are, at minimum, roughly half of her book value. at maximum. I have a lead on a replacement, and in the meantime I have a dependable ride while I do my due diligence.

After work I drove straight to Whole Foods for a half hour chair massage. I feel calm inside my mind and heart, and my body is almost as relaxed as it was before the Tardis went blooey. Heaven and Beloved are definitely watching over me. And I am so thankful.

Planning on an early night to make up for getting to bed after midnight this morning. Light dinner, light knitting, and hopefully out like a light shortly thereafter.

To be continued...

Adventures!

The AC in the Tardis has been a little weird lately, and I was going to get it looked at on Saturday. But tonight, as Fourthborn and I left Knit Night, there was a sound like a herd of panicky mice and the smell of burning rubber, and then nothing. So I turned the AC off. And by the time we reached the end of the parking lot, I knew I needed to head for Firstborn and 1BDH's. We limped along. The battery light came on. The temperature dial started edging toward uh-oh. The battery indicator started edging toward nope. When we were near our goal, there was a boom! and a puff of smoke to the right of the hood. We got as far as the parking lot of one of the hospitals. My power steering was gone. I did not hit the lady in the wheelchair when I ma'am-handled the Tardis into the parking lot. AAA has towed the her (the Tardis, not the lady in the wheelchair) to my kids' mechanic. I'm driving a spare car. Home and safe and very glad that my kids love me. Apparently when the AC belt blew, it tried to tango with the serpentine belt, and that's when all you know what broke loose. It'll be all right in the end. If it's not all right, then it's not the end.

A satisfying speed bump.

We had lunch on Saturday with friends from Tennessee. The brother of Middlest's best friend, and said brother's best friend since college.

I'd worked a little on my great-great-grandfather's records before the Costco run and was just getting back to it while the pizza baked, when we got the text from our friends that "now" was best. So I shut down the computer, covered up our individual pizzas, and drove to a nearby city.

We ate at a place that best friend from my childbearing years had taken me to some time ago. It did not disappoint. I am not particularly fond of Thai food, and this was a notable exception. I had three small meals' worth of leftovers. (All gone now.)

While preparing to go back to work on my great-great grandfather's records, I was briefly distracted by this article. I quibble with its premise that we are simply great apes who do certain things better than other apes, and that's why we've endured. But I wholeheartedly agree with its conclusion that the interlocking webs of connection and relationship are a large part of what make us fully human.

I learned a lot about that great-great-grandfather. He fought for the Union, mustered in in September, when his youngest was three months old, and died of typhoid fever in Tennessee, leaving my great-great-grandmother with a young daughter (my great-grandmother) and a baby.

I've gotten a number of other records connected to other relatives, and I feel pretty good about what I accomplished over the weekend. I linked a few more records at breakfast this morning, and I probably ought to do some more, but sorry, dear ones, I'd rather knit. Before I let myself do that, I will bring in the laundry that I washed at 1:00am and start another load to hang in the garage overnight.

Why was I doing laundry at 1:00am, you ask? Well, I took a little nap around 5:00 yesterday afternoon and woke up at 12:30, ravenous and 2.5 hours past when I should have taken my meds. I got that all wrangled and was ready to work by 1:00. Hey, I kept the Sabbath, and I was so tired on Saturday that I forgot to do some urgent laundry. And then I knitted a lot and listened to my scriptures and other edifying things until I was sleepy again, around 3:00.

It was a good day at work. Took care of the urgent stuff for my people and got through (almost) everybody's mail, including the attorney I back up, and I know what needs doing today.

Duty calls. I figure that I've got about fifteen minutes of adulting, and then I can chill. The trash and recycling are already out on the curb. Go me!

Today? Intense, busy, and verging on wonderful.

I added four rows to the body of the sweater. Filed an answer that was due next Monday. Wrangled ToDo's and mail folders and outgoing. Came home by way of the dairy store for milk, buttermilk, and orange juice. Declared adulting to be officially over and watched two episodes of "Random Acts."

I'm hoping to have tomorrow's adulting done by 11:00am, before the heat is brutal and I melt. That way I can spend the rest of the day alternating between knitting and playing with the ancestors. I remember three years ago when I had something like four hundred hints and felt overwhelmed at the thought. Now I have over 15,000 hints, and it's like trying to figure out how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

Why angels would want to dance on a pinhead when there are plenty of good ballroom floors available in this world, has never made sense to me.

For a little while this afternoon I was typing like the wind. It was as if twenty years had fallen off my hands. I broke up that task into smaller segments, and I stretched in between or scratched my traps with my back scratcher to fend off the tension that was starting to build. I've been thinking about taking the smaller dumbbells to work. In a few minutes, I'm going to experiment with the greater and lesser dumbbells and the stability ball, to see if I can do some lightly weighted stretches to open up my chest. And then I'm going to brush my teeth and go to bed and sleep until I've had enough.

Tuesday was a beating.

Stayed up too late Monday night, then didn't sleep well. First task once I was at work was to polish off the last third of the Cherry Coke that had been waiting patiently in a filing cabinet drawer. Once I'd finished, I went down to the deli and bought another bottle.

I was hoping for an early night after Knit Night, but Fourthborn had a larger than usual shopping list, and I sat in the car for the better part of half an hour with the windows down, playing Sudoku on my phone and scanning the area for malfeasors. Took her home, hit the drive-thru at Bueno for a party taco because it was well after 9:00 and dinner had worn off. I didn't want a big meal, just enough protein, fat and carbs to get me home in safety so I could take my meds and go to bed.

I was almost asleep when the weather radio went off. And it went off again within half an hour. Plus, Middlest was comforting some online friends who were grieving, and even though my kid was speaking as quietly as possible, it was still filtering through the vent into my room. So I fired up the white noise machine on "rain" setting, massaged some lavender oil into my forehead, and hoped that the white noise wouldn't make me have to get up and pee. I ended up getting something like four hours of sleep.

Last night I came home, ate a light dinner, and was in bed a little after 9:00. I was so tired that I forgot to set the alarm, but Middlest woke me this morning, and I've had a great day. Linked a few more records while dinner cooked, then added three rows to the sweater body and eight beads to the second cuff.

While knitting, I listened to the youth fireside put on by President and Sister Nelson on Sunday night. It was well worth my time. I also listened to today's portion of the Book of Mormon (Abinadi's last hurrah).

I've cleared the knitting away. Part of tomorrow's lunch is pre-packed. And I'm going to take my meds and go to bed. I'm planning a simple weekend. Adulting, knitting, reading, family history research, and self-care. Not necessarily in that order.

Linked more records tonight.

I'm still frustrated at not being able to find my great-grandparents' marriage in Germany in 1854. I looked at my great-uncle's date of birth and worked out that she was about five months pregnant when they arrived here. That is one voyage I would not have wanted to make. But I'm glad that she did.

My poor little beak is so sore. I'm not sure what is blooming right now. The trees seem to be done. But the pollen count is high, and I rotated my antihistamine on Friday, and I'm not sure that it's working. I checked. It's grasses. 23ppm. No trees, and too early for ragweed, thank goodness. It's supposed to get worse as the week goes on. This is one of those days when my resurrected body cannot show up a moment too soon.

I've picked up the stitches at the bottom of my sweater. Spent so much time linking records that I  have zero interest in adding beads to the cuff of the second sleeve. I think I will just mosey into my room, listen to my scriptures on my phone, and work a couple of rows on the body. I'd like to be asleep as close to 10:00 as I can manage, since the dead people kept me up late last night, and I have Knit Night tomorrow.

Friday was my 19th anniversary with the company. Boggles. The. Mind.

Kept it simple today.

1. Followed through on my assignment to help clean the meetinghouse.

2. Picked up all four quilt blocks, because Firstborn was out of town and they hadn't sewn the May blocks, Middlest had a migraine, etc.

3. Figured out how to decline the money that Firstborn had sent via FB Messenger to reimburse me for her block and Fourthborn's. There have been sufficient belatedly-revealed debacles that I don't trust FB with my card numbers or a link to my PayPal.

4. Picked up three cases of water and had a minor brainfart, wherein I looked at the DP flavors and thought "they don't have the one that Middlest uses as part of the migraine regimen," forgetting that it is not DP but Mountain Dew. So I bought a pint of ice cream for my kid, with the promise to go out after the sun went down and acquire the Mountain Dew.

5. Ate sensibly. All day. I know, right?

6. Went out and got the Mountain Dew.

7. Saw the text from my bishop once I got home, asking kindly about the lack of an email with tomorrow's sacrament meeting music. Gack!!! Repented. Checked my email archives (since my spreadsheet is on my other computer, which is still at Secondborn's house) and eliminated a couple of choices. Sent the email.

8. Five rounds left on the second sleeve. Hoping to get one or both of them bound off, incorporating beads, before calling it a day.

Best workday in weeks. Maybe months.

I was well and truly blessed. And focused. And productive. And non-drowsy. At one point, I could feel my neck and shoulders starting to tense up, so I stopped what I was doing and spent a couple of minutes stretching out.

There are twenty-four more rounds to knit on the second sleeve, and then we get to see if the two sleeves are the same length.

I spent the best two and a half hours tonight, watching "Be One" on my phone and weeping for joy. Forty years ago today, I was (hugely) pregnant with Firstborn and working as a temp. One of the other secretaries burst into the room where I was working and announced, with eyes big as saucers, "The prophet has just had a revelation!" I remarked mildly that that was his job. Did she have any details?

Forty years ago today the priesthood was extended to all worthy brethren, regardless of race. Which meant that blacks of African descent could now serve missions, receive the ordinances of the temple, and be sealed in forever families. Their children could be born in the covenant, as mine were, and as Beloved's were. I was thrilled. (If any of my friends were not, I never knew.) The children's father was equally ecstatic.

I love President Nelson's teaching that racism, sexism, and other isms are not appropriate for members of the church. That we need to be building bridges and not walls. (I hope that was heard in Washington DC.) That we are all beloved children of the same Father, and that we need to follow the Savior and love God first, and then our neighbors.

Night, y'all. Play nice.

Just a note.

Didn't take the muscle relaxer last night. Not drowsy at work today.

Also, another ten rounds or so added to the sleeve.

And I played with the dead people for about an hour and a half.

Calling it all a win. Night, y'all!

My BP is normal again!

A lovely 102/65. I am elated. I take this as a measure of how stressed my body was, lugging around all of those polyps. I have also lost six pounds since my surgery. I'm guessing four of them were the various bits and pieces scooped out of my uterus.

I discussed going off the muscle relaxer with my doctor this morning, and she reassured me that I was safe to do so, and that I could do it without tapering off. So I didn't take it an hour ago with my other nighttime meds, and I'm hoping that that relieves the drowsiness. Because while I adore the taste of Cherry Coke and have missed it enormously, it is not in my best interest as a diabetic to consume it on anything like a frequent basis.

We also discussed my origami toenails, and she asked if I needed or wanted help wrangling them. She said it ought to come under the heading of diabetic footcare, and she's recommended a podiatrist. Maybe when I lose the "significant amount of weight over the next three to five years" which my surgeon strongly recommended, I will easily be able to reach my toes. And maybe when that happens I will regain sufficient flexibility in my hips that it is not painful to do so.

A girl can hope.

Did a lot of dovetailed errands today. Doctor's appointment. Picked up Fourthborn since I was in town and dropped her off to deal with some paperwork of her own. Went to La Madeleine and got a personal-sized quiche Florentine to break my fast. (That spinach counts as one serving of vegetables, right?). Picked up Fourthborn and took her home. Found the UPS Store and returned an electronic something for Middlest. Drove to the bead store and bought four colors of beads in two sizes for the hem and cuffs of this sweater. Came home and took Middlest to the doctor for some lab work and a quick consultation. Came home and slept for six hours.

I've now been up for approximately two hours, have eaten another three servings of vegetables and a spoonful of ice cream, and came out here to double-check my knitting chart. The dishwasher is humming. I am not, because Middlest is asleep. Going back to my room to knit until I'm sleepy again.

Tomorrow could be an interesting day at work, but I'm hoping that between the nap and one less medicine, I won't be fighting drowsiness all morning. Wish me luck!

Good day at work. Much happy knitting at various times.

I need to go to bed half an hour ago, because I have my quarterly diabetes checkup tomorrow morning. I also need to reset my alarm, because I don't entirely trust myself to spring out of bed when the alarm goes off, and I need to bring in the trash and recycling bins before I scoot on down the road.

I'm a little crabby because I submitted two medical bills for reimbursement, and they were denied. I will have to resubmit them when I'm back at work, because I don't have the ability to make comments on PDFs here at home.

I might have mentioned it last night, but I'm going to ask my doctor if I can go off the muscle relaxer. I had to leave church after sacrament meeting on Sunday because I was so drowsy. And today I had to go down to the deli and buy a 20 oz Cherry Coke because the drowsiness was even more pronounced. (I only drank part of the bottle.)

My evening meds have kicked in. I'm outta here.

Moral heroes.

I want to be one when I grow up. I found this article in the NYT (my last free article of the month), and because I've disabled my platform on Facebook, I can't share it there. So I'll share it here.

In knitting news, I'm about 4.5 inches along on the second sleeve. It goes a lot faster when you know what you're doing.

In family history news, I spent about 4.5 hours linking records, mostly on my Elliott line. I thought for a minute that I'd discovered my fourth great-grandfather, but the record was for a soldier who'd fought in the Civil War, and my third great-grandfather had been gone for two decades. So, nope. But I did discover that one of my third great-grandfather's sisters was a knitter, and her daughter was a weaver (census records).

I spent the rest of the evening finishing the third Magnus Chase novel, and now I am going to listen to my scriptures, brush my teeth, and go to bed. I have to work tomorrow. And I hope to have enough spoons to go to Knit Night afterward.

And it came to pass(port)

We got Middest's passport photo taken yesterday. That was the one thing that absolutely needed doing, as far as I was concerned. And we did it. We'll take care of the paperwork after I get my Social Security check next month.

I did not quite finish the first sleeve on my sweater, but it's now the proper length, and the stitches are collected on a holding thread and cinched tight with the last of the ball of yarn inside. I've decided to finish off the cuffs and hem with beads, to counteract the tendency of stockinette fabric to curl upward at the top and bottom. In my stash there are beads of the perfect color; unfortunately, they are meant for laceweight yarn or tigertail or multiple strands of silk thread. So I will hit the bead store after my quarterly diabetes check later this week.

Meanwhile, I have begun the second sleeve, and if I follow my spreadsheet, I won't get lost and end up with mismatched sleeves. (Unless, of course, my gauge goes wonky.)

Best thing that happened at church today was one toddler's clear and enthusiastic "Amen!" at the end of the first sacrament prayer, followed by echoes from several other toddlers in rapid succession.

Less-good thing that happened was that I fought sleep all through the last half of sacrament meeting, notwithstanding my interest in the talks that were being given. I went home before Sunday School, texted my RS president to that effect, and was asleep shortly thereafter. My surgeon did warn me that the progesterone could make me drowsy. Several of my other medications could do the same, which is why I take those all at night. I might have mentioned here that I am feeling no pain, tension, or anything like unto it in my back. When I see my doctor next week, I'm going to ask if I can go off the muscle relaxer, and if so whether I need to taper off.

Time to go play with my knitting some more.