What's going on?

There's a lot going on lately and I feel like most days when I get home from work, I have zero brain power left. As I've been training my replacement, I am reminded why that is. It tires me out just telling her what needs to be done each day, each week, each month, each year. Whew.
I got home tonight to an empty house so I did not cook a thing - last night I had a little car misadventure in rush hour traffic and still had to come home and put some fish in the skillet. (Eating healthy takes more work than fast food; I don't know why........)
I have eaten a microwave baked potato, spun some wool and started my TiVo'd episode of Castle. Here's the finished back of the purple sweater and the start of the front waist band I'll be working on.
We took a little weekend off to see my father in law and visit my favorite store in Asheville, NC, Earth Guild. I bought some Cushing Dyes and can't help but notice the tactile nature of the color names.

While there, the shopkeeper explained why the police had blocked off a nearby street. A city bus had swerved and ran right into a store. The whole block was shut down due to a busted gas main and someone may have been killed. This was literally a couple of hours before we arrived downtown. Strange.

I got some great shots of the scenery on the drive there (detour due to rock slide which we barely missed on our last trip to NC!) Detours are made to take you off the beaten path, and that it did. Beautiful little mountain hollers and a gorgeous waterfall that I could not get a picture of, but we saw it nonetheless.

Note the clouds!!!!!!

Lots of flowers in bloom in the mountains, and I had to share a few.



Plus one of my own back yard - Snowball Tree.
I am thankful to be surrounded by beauty all the time. Some times I think I'm one of the lucky ones. Life is full of near misses and I'm very aware of the protection of the Lord, almost to the point of feeling like Mr. Magoo sometimes. Stumbling through life with calamity all around, yet I'm taking pictures of clouds and flowers!!!!

Judas and the Woodpeckers

I've almost completed the back of my pretty purple sweater. On the drive yesterday and into the evening, I knitted away with my terrific Addi turbos. Greased lightning, kind of.
The armhole decreases are straightforward and easy. The joins should go pretty well.
I need to bind off for the shoulders and neckline and then I can start the front.

I'm convinced that no matter where you go, there will be a Judas Iscariot in the mix. No kidding. It never fails that there's always someone who will bring up the negative side of every single thing that is said. SNL calls it Debbie Downer. Whatever you reference you choose, it's inevitable that you will have to deal with this person; someone who outwardly doesn't break the rules or cause physical harm but who will always and forever leave everyone in the group in a bad mood.
For the longest I couldn't understand why the Lord didn't fix this glitch. But now I think I know why they're there. Just like Judas, who WAS one of the disciples, they serve a purpose. Trying to get rid of them, or tell them 'exactly what you think of them' does no good. It's better just to accept their presence and try to make the best of things.
My daughter has told me of someone like this that drives her crazy. I can think of ten different "Judases" who I've known. At least! Yet their demise will come. But know this: resistance is useful if channeled in the right direction. Let it have it's work in your situation. Let the resistance be your chance to improve, learn and be a better person. The Lord will take care of that Judas, in due time. It's probably not your job to bring them down.

When I arrived yesterday, at my little retreat destination, I immediately went outside to walk around and listen to the wind in the trees. There was a definite tapping that I realized later was a woodpecker. I never could see where he was, but I heard him. In fact, when we woke up this morning, (the windows were open) I heard him again. Lots of other birds were chirping and singing, but the woodpecker was still at it. I figured once again, this little guy serves a purpose, whether I know what it is or not.

Road Conditions

Every time we take a trip, I look forward to two things. (Not eating out or sightseeing!) I love deciding which book(s) I'll be taking to read and I love picking, sometimes by default, what I'll be knitting. Since I'm clearly on a roll with the deep purple sweater, I will definitely take it with me.
I have switched to my Addi turbos though, just for convenience sake.
Traditional straight needles start to get in the way when the sweater gets bulky. This makes it much faster and hopefully I'll be in the armhole decreases soon, which will really make me glad I switched.

As for my book, I haven't decided yet. I do have a paperback I borrowed from a friend. It's written by a mutual friend and is her 'true' story. Not really a biography, but a book about some pretty stressful events in her past.
I think everyone should write a book. Most people have at least one really interesting story to tell, and we usually never hear about it. Her's is a sad story, at least so far, and all too familiar, I'm afraid. Abuse in the church, which is a really hot topic these days.
So, I'll probably take this book, and get a new Kindle book. My latest audio book is Folly by Laurie King. I've always wanted to read it and I started it last week on my iPod while working in the yard. Laurie is a famous writer and I have one of her Mary Russell books in paperback. Folly is a real departure from the rest, IMHO. So far I really like the main character, who although a bit odd is funny and real.

I'll also be taking the new Spin Off. It has a great little one page article on wheel maintenance. Plus some goodies that keep me inspired.

Rich beyond measure

On a day like today, words fail to describe the feeling of complete blessedness I have. Two days in a row, now, I woke up to look at my bedside clock and smiled. It's been a very long time.
My entire morning has been spent in the yard, again. I love it! Flower beds neglected for two years will come back to life this summer. I trimmed the pampas grass, dug up old day lilies and peppermint gone wild, and trimmed (hacked with the electric shrub-killer) the forsythia bushes that have become larger than most small cars. Ok, not really, but they needed to be cut back.
It's almost time to go buy tomato plants and petunias; just a few more days!

Yesterday was equally fun for me, getting to work in the flower beds all afternoon and clipping my salad greens straight from the back yard.
My husband smoked some tuna steaks, a whole chicken and a pork loin for the coming week. I had one of the tuna steaks with my salad. We ate while watching the fourth installment of The Pacific. Episode three was way, way more racy than I bargained for, and I was relieved that last night was better. (We don't normally have HBO but subscribed so we could watch this series. Now I remember why we don't have it all the time!)

I worked on the Deep Purple sweater while watching TV, and finally finishing the Leroy Brown socks. I am very pleased, in spite of all my mistakes. I am Smitten with Knittin!

Now, I want to show you a picture that will blow you away. Here it is.....
I know what you're thinking. The same thing I thought when I saw it. NO WAY! That CANNOT be the Whirling Butterfly plant from last year! Nuh uh. But there it is. I spent a lot on those plants and fully expected to have to buy them this year as well. But the Lord has blessed me once again. I am so rich, I never had to even open up a seed catalog. These aren't supposed to come back but they did. So now I have my favorite plant of all time, again, for free!

Will wonders never cease?

I've had some great conversations with my friend Nancy lately. She had lost a journal a few years ago and thought it was gone forever. Last week, while unpacking from a recent move, she stumbled across the journal. A great reward for a task that no one wants to undertake!
I started blogging in 2004 and my site was hacked last summer. I had thoroughly decided it was gone and yesterday asked my husband to give up the domain name and cancel the account. In the process, my son was able to retrieve all my posts and save them remotely. Will wonders never cease?
Another wonder-ful thing happened recently. While sitting in church week before last, a mourning dove swooped all over the sanctuary, lighting here and there, almost trying to get us to look at him or at least look up. I couldn't help but think about how the day Jesus was baptized, that the Holy Spirit descended like a dove. Will wonders never cease?

And last night, Duke barely eked out a victory over Butler in the NCAA men's championship game. But Butler nearly won, with a coach who'd been at it for 3 years against a coach who'd been at it 30. Will wonders never cease?
And during the game, I knitted as much as I possibly could while looking over the top of my glasses. The heel is very close to being finished, but I simply had to put it down in the last 5 minutes or so. Too close!

On Easter Sunday my 23 year old son proposed to his girlfriend as we were about to eat lunch. She tearfully accepted and everybody clapped and cheered. What a cool thing he did - in front of everybody!! My precious son and his fiance! What a delight to my heart.
This morning my husband had to get some blood work done. He's had quite a scare, with his blood pressure rising so high he nearly died. With diligence in eating right and exercising and taking some medication, it's back to normal and we hope it will stay that way. These are the things that make you realize what really matters in life.
We can go through life trying to please the unpleasable, working for an imaginary pat on the back, or we can do what we know matters. In my book, that means love God and love people. Period. Not stuff, not admiration or respect. Just God and people. The Bible backs me up on this point, too. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. The two greatest commands.

A Hole in Two

The Masters is coming up and everyone is recognizing the signs that spring is here. Beautiful days for golf, beautiful days for cutting the grass, beautiful days for flowers to bloom. My yard is brimming with these little flowers, all over the place. The shrubs are in full bloom.
I am so happy with my little home. Lots of quotes say there's no place like home and I believe its true. We love our house, our street, our town. I am so thankful for all I have; some people are not as fortunate as I am, and I recognize that. We live in a wonderful land, with freedoms and possibilities too numerous to count.
I spent some time last night picking up the stitches for the heels in both socks and they look mah-velous) to quote Billy Crystal.
I now have a VERY large hole in both socks but the stitches are safely on four small dpns, ready to be knit when I have a spare moment.

I will probably not have time to work on them at all this weekend, maybe Sunday night. It's Easter weekend and we have guests coming to stay with us, and a big meal planned for Sunday after church. I'm thinking almost 15 people. But I'm not afraid - I'm downright excited. I can get a lot done ahead of time, and I'm blessed with women-folk around me that are pretty skilled in the kitchen. It will be a blast to have our house filled with loved ones!!!
I must get back to work; dear hubby is cutting the grass and I just heard the buzzer go off to let me know the sheets are ready. Have a Blessed Easter!!!!

Ancient Paths

This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16
I am at a crossroads for sure and when I saw this Bible verse on someone's facebook page yesterday, I had to copy and save it. What a comfort to find a good way, walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
As Easter draws near, I pray that you will find rest for your soul, no matter what you are facing. He died so that we might live, and live abundantly. Bless you!

I got blessed today, by these beautiful flowers. Someone thought today was my last day, but I'm leaving April 30, a month to go. But the flowers were no mistake. I was tickled pink over these lovely daisies. There must be 40 of them!

I have completed the last toe of the socks and will begin the heels. I am sooo ready to be done with these things. I am pleased though at how they turned out. The countdown is on! Soon I'll have something else to post besides these Leroy Brown socks!!!!

Abundance

The joke around the office lately has been about how many coffee makers are in the kitchen/ break room. We recently got a Keurig machine with all the goodies. Apparently all of the machines bought from Costco in recent months have been defective (ours included) and the company has a policy to quickly replace the machine. However, the new one hadn't arrived yet so we dug out all the old ones in the supply closet (graveyard) to make coffee. Spoiled from our neat cup-at-a-time maker, no one wanted to make a whole pot anymore so someone brought a big box of coffee from Starbucks. And we share the kitchen with another office so their coffee maker is in the kitchen. Plus our boss's 10 gal. industrial size maker for large meetings, all were sitting on the counter. My co-worker jokingly asked me what that meant and I told him it meant we work very, very hard! :-)

The sole of my Leroy Brown second sock is well under way and I should finish it this weekend. Then on to the heels and I'll be done.

I'm thinking of picking this back up again, since it went to the UFO pile ages ago.

This weekend the NCAA is back at it; I am rooting for Kentucky all the way. I'm not from KY but Alabama isn't in the playoffs so the Wildcats will have to do.

I'm originally from the Gulf Coast of Alabama and I had a neighbor growing up who was a really nice man, a doctor in our area who I went to occasionally. He also had two grown sons that I used to babysit for, and sometimes they'd all go out together and I'd baby sit at Dr. Phillips 'big house'. Dr. Phillips had a hobby of selling antiques, or as he joked, archaeology. One of his sons became an antique dealer and the other who taught me 6th grade history, was in furniture restoration.

This spring a special mini-series is on HBO, called The Pacific. It features Dr. Phillips and his buddy, "Sledge".

They fought in the war at Guadalcanal and were heroes once upon a time. I never knew this. Dr. Phillips was just a kind older gentleman, with a bunch of grandchildren I used to babysit. Who knew? I even got to feeling bad about the fact that as a little girl, I never really realized all this. Then it occurred to me yesterday that this is exactly why our troops fight and sacrifice their lives. So that little 10 year old girls can play with their dolls safely and happily, without fear. Thank you, Dr. Phillips, for your sacrifice!

You are here

When ever there's a change up at the local mall, you can usually find a sign somewhere that will tell you where the store is that you're looking for, relative to where you are standing. At our local mall, I've noticed that one dept. store has no, 'you are here' dots on their signs. I even mentioned it to a manger one time and he said he knew it, and it frustrated him to no end that they wouldn't allow him to change it. Now that makes no sense! How are you supposed to find someplace else, if you don't know where you are now?

(ha, you knew it was coming...) Well knitting is the same way; if you lose your place in a pattern, it really makes no sense to keep looking at the directions or even to keep on knitting, until you find out where you are.
I'm at row 69, having just completed a cable row. I will knit to row 76 and cable again, then commence plain knitting (no more rib) and get ready to place my afterthought heel thread.
Now you can see where I am!
I recently made some life changing decisions that are beginning to take shape. I am blessed to have a Savior who guides me every step of the way; some people don't have that advantage. It's really handy when you don't know what to do next, to be able to ask the guy with the map. He's pretty much always been right, as far as I can tell.
Just knowing where I'm at has given me peace. Even this morning during prayer, I sensed more direction - very specific in fact. And all day long I kept thinking of my 'little moment' of direction and finding comfort there.
It's no fun being lost, just ask any kid who's gotten separated from his parents at the mall! And what a joy to find your way again.

Moving right along

It's so nice and warm outside today - I can hardly resist buying a whole flat of flowers and putting them out. But I know better. The word around here is that anything 'warm weatherish' should be planted after tax day. So I will resist. But there's enough budding and blooming to satisfy my urges already. I have a few trees planted in the back yard that have begun to flourish and show signs of growth.
The forsythia bush has bloomed.


My snowball tree has budded, as well as the apple tree behind it.

And even my river birch is showing signs of new growth.
The little tree next to it is a deciduous pine that I planted too close to the birch. I'm sure it needs a lot more water than it gets, and it is hanging in there, with big brother looking over his shoulder. (It's almost not fair.)

And of course I have to show the True Leaves of my greens! I'm so thankful that they've made it.
The little leaves are the ones that surround the 'seed' but the larger ones are the true spinach leaves. I also have some mesculin lettuce.
You can just start to see the red leaf of the lettuce starting to come out.

I got up this morning with no other desire than to spin, and spin I did. This is the last of the Alice fleece that didn't get spun with the rest. It was just right to spin while watching you tube videos of the Knit Picks mitten KAL.
My dear son and his girlfriend came over. Things are moving right along for them and we're having lots of 'talks' lately. Good stuff!
Last night before they arrived, we had a dinner guest who was just leaving. He is a friend from our church who will be helping us update some websites. Very fun time learning about his family history (grandma was in Japan when the bomb went off - she's got cancer now). He shared his ideas and even told some fun and interesting music stories. I felt great about our time together and he and my husband are cut from the same cloth. It was like two little boys playing trucks together in the sandbox. (Meanwhile I watched a little bit of the Syracuse game on TV.)Like I said, things are moving right along!!

The Madness of March

Yes, I've gone and done it. Filled out my bracket and stepped into the office pool for the NCAA championships. I do like college basketball and there seems to be a fresh wind in the game this year. Of all the attorneys I work with, the one I'm in most contact with is Larry who lives in Lexington, KY. Hometown of the University of Kentucky. He moved there to be near to his grandchildren last year and he says things are nuts around there; I can imagine why!

And as today is St. Patricks Day, I am feeling fresh myself. I had a fun coffee-talk with my friend Julie today which totally lifted my spirits. Work has been crazy lately, as we approach tax season. Actually it is tax season, and like deer season, people are ready to pull the trigger at anything that moves. Our phones are ringing off the hook and I know this madness will continue until after March and into April. Yuk!

My purple sweater is a buh-reeze to knit, and I should know by now to beware. Nothing that easy can look good when it's finished. But, I say, who cares? I'm having fun and reducing my stress!

I'll get finished with my brown socks sometime after the temps reach 90 degrees. Here's my measly progress.

You can see my mistake in the second shot. Oh well.

Easter is just around the corner, and I'm a fair skinned semi-Irish looking lass. So I have to use that tan cream from the drug store, since we aren't allowed to wear panty hose with our dresses anymore. I had a new dress to wear to work yesterday and my legs were all 'tanned' and I asked my hubby what he thought before I left. "try another belt" he said, then "how about some different shoes" . I wasn't born yesterday. It was the dress. Or my fair skin. So off with the stylish shirt dress and on with my brown pants and beige sweater. At least I had on some cute high heels!