When Did I Grow Up?

I hardly know where to begin tonight, so much has flitted through my mind lately. This is flu season, and I've done my share, thank you. I've already had it. At first, we thought it was a chest cold, but in mere hours, I felt worse. I started feeling bad at supper one night, but by bedtime I felt horrible. Shandon had already had this, so I knew what was coming, I thought. I got it worse. Yay, me. Anyway, I ended up taking two days off work, sleeping and feverish. It took two weeks to get over the bug and get my energy back. This was only one reminder that I am no longer young.
Lately, I've also noticed quite a few more grey hairs upstairs. No more the scattered few over my ears, now I have a prolific bunch on top as well. And as much as I know I could dye them, I really don't want to. I feel as though they are a badge almost. Not of honor, but a sign that I'm an adult now, you know? I don't suppose you'll understand unless you're over the age of 40 yourself.
This has been a cool, wet fall that fairly raced into winter-like weather, complete with hail yesterday and snow for my parents! My knees object to it, they don't like winter, they don't like cold. I have very opinionated knees.
Yet another sign I am no longer young.
The most alarming sign yet though was a very long conversation with my mother the other night.
We got to exchanging news. She told me the favorite house I lived in up there (on my own) burned to the ground. She told me most of the town is working again, and she brought me up to date on the new store and her knitting projects. And then she off-handedly mentioned she was two years aways from retirement.
"Wait, back that up?" I said, hardly believing what my brain had told me it heard.
"Kid, I'm 63 now, remember? I have white hair. You're 40. You didn't expect me to stay 36 forever, did you?"
I was speechless.
For years, when people asked how old my mother was, I told them she was 36. Not out of stupidity or a desire to keep her young, just for me, she stopped aging at 36. One day, I assumed she must be close to 45, so that became her magic number. Then 50.
And now I am forced to admit that my mother is 63.

This opened a whole new can of kickass.
Now I am forced to admit that time is screaming ahead, never mind crawling. I am forced to admit that my parents are aging, and I am more ill-prepared to help them financially then ever before. I always thought I was going to send them a little something every pay, but now I can barely make ends meet here in my own little world.Thoughts of my parents mortality flit through my mind before I can chase them away, and I can't help but wonder how they are really doing when they aren't on the phone for an hour with me.
And I wonder when this all happened.
When did I grow up and get old?

Knit two, purl four, carry the one, divide by pi, square root…

So much to do, too damn much work.

Work truly gets in the way of enjoying myself. I stayed up and on Second Life till after 2 am last night talking with my sister/friend Chate, about the book we're collaborating on. We're both very excited about it. It's a fantasy/futuristic tale that holds a lot of promise, we think, to be an epic. So, we were hashing out details while floating in a pond in Second Life. Very soothing...waterfalls, the loon, the company of a friend....ahhhhhhhhh. That's George the therapy bunny and I hanging out, enjoying the fall colours at a friend's place.

So I started another pair of socks yesterday on the bus ride into work. You should have seen the looks I was getting as people realized I had more than two needles! This is the easy part, the leg. When I get down to the heel, I will have to leave this sock at home until I get past the complicated stuff, and into the foot. Once I get to the foot, I can take it back on the bus again and do the mindless knitting. This sock is in Bernat Cashmere, in a cancelled colourway, "Ocean". I'm thinking these will go to Braydon. I'm noticing more and more demand for warm socks. Debra wants some, the boys need some, Betty and I always need more, and now a co-worker who runs a shop wants some for her store! If I could just make at least $9.00 an hour off of them, I could quit my job!

So the yellow baby blanket is nearly done. I am working on the last seed stitched edge, then I have to wash it and block it in the hopes it will lay somewhat flat. I'll be glad when I can finally pass it on. I have been working on it so long, I'm nearly sick of that shade of yellow. And then I think I'll be knitting nothing but scarves for the homeless and socks! I may need some more size 3 and 4 four-set-needles.

Wonder if I could talk Betty into picking me up a set of 3's the next time she's in Walmart?

Second Life

My real life has never been boring. Ever.

Why then, did I get hooked on an online universe called Second Life? I'm not sure how it happened, other than, it was fun.

It is not a game, in the traditional sense. it is similar to Sims, but with more interaction and better graphics. it is user created, with more options than I'm sure you want to hear about.

Anyway, my point is that I've made some interesting associations in Second Life (also known as SL)

I have made acquaintances, and friends, and we even have a home in SL now. We have had a couple, actually. Right now we are living in a region owned by a friend. We have a large skybox that resembles a castle. It has more room than we know how to use at the moment! Below that, about 600 meters below, we have a park-like area, with a library. Next to that piece of land, we went in on another piece of land with some friends. That's a picture of it off to the left there. Well, a part of it. Off to the right of the waterfalls is a tipi and stone ring we use for seating around a fire. It has become quite the social gathering area. In the pond you see, there is a loon that swims, floats and dives, as well as sing his loon song. Below the water is a Mermaid gazebo and garden, and a few fish. It is all very peaceful and pretty.

Very relaxing.

Later on, I'll tell you a bit more about our Second Life.

Peace, Love and Yellow-ness

Remember last entry I went on about my new Mac computer? That wasn't enough geekiness for this family. We had to go out and buy an iPod.

I got to pick the colour, a small thing, but I was impressed. (It's deep purple, just so you know) So now I'm an avid listener of podcasts.

I have a few faves so far. On the knitting front, I have developed a strong affinity for Cast On, and the voice of Brenda Dayne. She has a soothing, melodic quality to her voice; instantly soothing and welcoming. (Actually, I think I mentioned this before) She has inspired me to pick up knitting that sometimes sits ignored. The yellow baby blanket, actually. It's difficult to ignore a project, even though it is destined to be a huge mass of yellow-ness totaling hundreds of stitches, when listening to a woman who has knit many, many sweaters!

The baby blanket I've gone on about, from time to time has changed intended recipients, because in part I knit so slowly and because the universe just kind of slants me one way or the other, and I believe that the universe has "tilted" me away from the blanket's first intended recipient.

Sound obscure?

Bear with me for a moment.

The other night, as I was putting my boys to bed, one of my sons asked me about fate. The context of his question seemed ridiculous in the moment, but it got me wondering about what goes on in his head. Why would a 13 year old be asking about fate? 

I answered his question, and he realized that I believe in a combination of fate and free will. 

I was raised on traditional Ojibway teachings, and a lot of that is still with me, but I also believe in a few other teachings that are very organic. I do believe that our souls go to another place when our bodies pass. In this place, I think each of our souls determines what it wants to learn next, through experiences and significant associations our bodies are going to make with other people. I also believe that we choose the families we will be born into, as a way of learning through experience. While each of us learns something different from our friendships, arguments and conflicts with significant people in our lives, we contribute something to them as well.

And so I believe that certain people come into our lives for a reason.

By extension, I think the yellow baby blanket was intended for someone other than who I thought.

A convoluted way of getting to my point, I know, but I hope it was a little clearer than mud.

This blanket has always been intended to bring warmth, and caring, and good wishes for the baby, no matter which baby that is. Kind of like a prayer shawl. Are you familiar with these? While knitting or crocheting a shawl, a prayer is said or good wishes whispered. There is no hard and fast rule about how one puts these prayers (or wishes if one is not "religious"), the point is to create with love and harmony in your heart. Some folks put on soft music, or inspirational tunes, light incense... whatever brings them to a place that allows them to create in the right frame of mind. A lot of knitting groups are creating these shawls for folks that are suffering from disease or suffering through the loss of a loved one. They are beautiful in their intent.

It was this kind of project that I had in mind when I started the baby blanket. Something peaceful and beautiful that would love some of me behind.

Like I Needed Another Obsession?

I'm going to take a break from knitting  a cute little hat in green and white, for a friend of a friend, to  blather on about the newest thing in my life. Tax season is easy  at our house, and for almost a whole year we plan how best to spend it. This year, Betty talked me into spending part of the return on a new computer for this desk. My desk, but since everyone uses the 'pooter it doesn't really feel like mine alone.

Anyway, I've been lusting after a Mac for a few years now. A friend of ours has a couple out west, and I've always heard such good things about them that I am naturally drawn to play with one whenever we go to Best Buy. This year, at last, I had the opportunity to buy one.

So I did. An iMac that just barely fit within the overhang of my desk. I won't bore you  with technical, geeky details, but allow me just a moment or two to effuse about how sleek and modern it looks. 

It is beauty within a square. It has some killer curves and it's.... slim!

And the things it does....omg. I have never seen my photos this clear! 

I have a new obsession.

Podcasts.

I thought the Yarn Harlot had a podcast, so I went looking last night. No luck, but I did find Cast On, and instantly fell  for Brenda Dayne's voice. Listening to her is like sitting down with an old friend and visiting while you knit. I listened to four of her podcast installments, and the only reason I stopped was the fact that I was tired!

You should really check it out. Seriously.

I haven't gotten a whole lot of knitting done lately. It's all been about work. 10-12 hours a day. There's a lot of pressure to get the store and my books up to snuff, and this is the only way I know how to do it... for now. Oh, I want to knit. I have the baby blanket I'm still working on, and the little hat I mentioned before is for a friend of Tammy's. I'd be tickled if I could knit at work, but I can't see that happening. someone would piss me off and I'd run them through with a knitting needle.

I wonder if that would constitute  a charge of assault with a deadly weapon?

Reflective Socks

It seems I'm smitten with socks these days.
The one you see to the left is Shandon's sock, knitted with Bernat Satin, in the "surf" colorway. It's super soft, and I figured since Mom had gifted me with so many balls, I'd do something useful with them.
So the question is, will I finish the pair before he outgrows them?
It was quite a shock to realize he fit my socks, so I made it easier on myself and knit to fit me.

His 13th birthday is in just five days, and I was sitting here this morning wondering where those 13 years went. I remember well the storm that hit Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. the night he was born. I remember craving pizza, and my friend who braved the storm to get me one; only to prove the nurses right and throw it all up a short while later.
What a waste! I remember not being able to breastfeed and yet, wanting to very badly. I remember how he never quite took to a soother and the pine green bunting bag that my mother made him.
I also remember how small he seemed in it.
And here we are, 13 years later, trying to find a way for a 13 year old to make his way in an ever-changing world; with me wanting to keep him close, and him wanting to hurry up and be a teenager.

Where did the time go?

Throw Another Log On The Fire!!

Baby, it's cold out there!
I worry about the homeless and wild animals at this time of year. (Can't you just see deer eating with wheat coloured scarves wrapped around their necks?)
Sorry, what was I saying? Oh yes, the cold.
I just saw a report on a polar bear summit where someone had decided 2008 was one of the warmest in ten years. Well, 2009 seems to be trying to make up for it's predecessor's failings!
I was so cold yesterday while walking to the bank that I had to take my glasses off because the cold beating off them was making my eyeballs hurt! (My eyes were the only exposed part of my body)
So I only go outside to catch the bus to work, or home, and to go to the bank for work. Normally, it doesn't feel too bad. I've been wearing microfiber long underwear every day this season, I have a long, very warm coat that many laugh at, until it gets cold and I am warmer than they are, and I have great mitts. I look dorky, but I won't get frostbite!
Except for my eyeballs.

So I've been doing a lot of knitting this winter.
I've picked up the yellow baby's blanket again.










I've been knitting two different socks at once, a pair for Shandon and another for Betty, with Bernat's new sock yarn in "Hot Tamale", which doesn't fit the yarn at all.
(Pictures to follow)
And I finished Braydon's mitts. Just in time to realize he needs a new cap because his head is outgrowing the red one I made for him.

I need to quit my job. It's interferring with my knitting.

It's mitten weather here in Ontario!
Damn, it's cold out there!
Kids being kids, mine are growing like weeds, so of course, they both need new mitts/gloves. S has decided it's not cool at middle school to wear mitts, so he's going to stick with store-bought gloves, but B was wanting a new pair of mitts. So like a good Mom, I whipped out my knitting needles. The mitt you see at left is the the first of the pair. All that's left is to close the thumb off, weave in ends and B has a new pair of mitts. At the rate he's going though, I think I should start casting on a bigger pair now!

Our friend Debra is getting another pair of socks this year. Dark blue leg, rainbow coloured cuffs and toes. So far so good, I've just gotten to the heel flap for the first one. This pair is taking me longer than I'd like.
Every year I say I'm going to knit all the important people in my life socks, and then the year gets away from me, and it's November and there's no way all those people are going to get handmade socks!
I see a new year's resolution in the making.

Work has changed yet again.
I have been promoted to manager of a 24 hr. store.
Those of you who read here on a semi-regular basis will remember when I stepped down as assistant manager of that first store.
Now I'm managing my second store! Yikes!
(I'll post pictures next time)

There have been issues, and there will continue to be, I'm sure. I think I see how to fix what needs fixing on the floor. I know I need to become more paperwork oriented, even though that's not my thing. I would rather spend the day on the floor straightening, cleaning and rebuilding.
But it's mind blowing at times how many different elements there are to managing a store.
I think someone is trying to sabotage my new position. There are rumors, wrong and incorrect ones at that, someone has already called head office trying to paint me as incompetent and lazy; and I am grateful that there are cameras all over the place!
But I'm stubborn and pig-headed and whoever it is will not drive me away.
I am a Sagittarius. We are honorable, honest to a fault, trustworthy, reliable, generous and sincere.
But above all else, I am stubborn!
I have already taken a store in need of focus and TLC and made it more successful.

I will do it again.

No Buddy Left Behind

One of the blogs I follow alerted me this morning to a situation that had me in tears.
The picture to the left is Ratchet and Sgt. Gwen Beberg. She and another soldier rescued Ratchet when he was just a puppy, flea-bitten, starving and huddled under a blanket. Sgt. Beberg wants to return home with Ratchet, but apparently regulations strictly forbid soldiers befriending dogs while on duty. Operation Baghdad Pups is doing what it can to try and get Ratchet home, following a number of other pups back to the States, but as recently as October 15 - Ratchet did not make today's SPCA International (www.spca.com) flight out of Iraq. Just 30 minutes before SPCA International's rescue expert, Terri Crisp, was to lift off from the Baghdad tarmac, the military finally gave Ratchet clearance to be released from his location at COP Meade. The military's slow response has put him at risk because they did not release him in time for today's flight out of Iraq. 6 other U.S. soldiers' dogs are on their way to safety escorted by Terri Crisp, Operation Baghdad Pups program manager.
October 17 - SPCA International's Operation Baghdad Pups program manager, Terri Crisp, boarded a plane bound for the Middle East today for the third time this month. This time Crisp leaves with assurance from the military that Ratchet has the clearance needed to meet her at Baghdad Airport.

So while I'm writing this on October 18th, I'm wondering....where is Ratchet? Who is caring for him?

Now, I don't own a cat, but I kept thinking, cats live in war zones too, what about them? Baghdad Pups is trying to help them too. Here's some of the criteria for an animal to be accepted into the program:

• Animals must be living in either Iraq or Afganistan under the care of a United States military person or a military contract worker.
• Cats or dogs must have been under the age of three months when found, with exceptions being made for older animals.
• Animals must have never bitten a person
• Animals must already have a permenant home to go to in the United States, they cannot go to a shelter in the hopes that they will be adopted.
• Feral animals will not be considered for the program
• Animals cannot show any signs of agression
• Animals that have been regularly tormented, especially by children, require special consideration before being accepted into the program.

This is just a partial list, for more info, please visit the Baghdad Pups website.

If you, like me, think it's time to change the regulations holding Ratchet in Iraq, please, say so. Leave me your thoughts, visit the Baghdad Pups website, write to every Senator, even if you aren't American.
You need only be human to understand why these regulations need to be changed. Visit the Clemency for Ratchet website.
Write.
Object.
Demand change.

Here, Watch My Blog Wouldya?

Halloween is right around the corner. 20 days in fact. I still have to get costumes for the boys. Shandon wants to be the character for Scream. Braydon wants to be Sonic the Hedgehog, but I'm not sure how do-able that's going to be. Ever try and convince an eight year old he needs a second choice?

Even though Thanksgiving is only two days away, we're already starting to decorate the store for Halloween. We have blood bowls, goblets, ghosts, "blood" filled squishy handprints, scary halloween music...the whole thing. Now all we have to do is move the stereo and actually DO the decorating! We're thinking about creating a murder scene in a corner of the store, hence the "bloody" handprints and footprints. We have the required spiderwebs, skeletons and so forth. I found a talking headstone at Zellers that I had to get; that's going to be a lot of fun. Last year, Tammy and I, with the help of a couple others, created a crime scene at the store. We had gathered rocks and leaves and sticks for the "ground", had one of our staff lie like a victim so we could outline their body, dripped blood on a rock and surrounded the whole thing with police tape! We loved it! Unfortunately, we had to take it all down because someone in a position of power felt it was inappropriate for our neighbourhood. I don't even have the photos anymore....damn. So this year, I thought I would drink from a bloodfilled goblet with floating eyeballs. Which then gave me the idea to knit eyeballs. Here, watch my drink for me, wouldya? Yeah, I love halloween... Now I have to decide how I'm going to dress up this year!

Pardon Me, I Didn't Knit That For You.

Ravelry has been a cool thing since it's inception. I'm more convinced of this now than ever before. Ravellers have huge hearts. Last week I put out a call for donations of hand-made mitts, scarves, hats or socks for Cambridge's homeless shelter. Not surprisingly,a few people responded, and yesterday I got a parcel at work containing some hats! Many, many thanks go out to AnnieBee; a lovely young lady with a big heart.

While scooting around Ravelry, I came across the video below; a tongue-in-cheek poke at the "girl singers" in the fifties. It won't have you spitting your coffee in hilarity, but I'll bet you my stitch holder you won't be able to get the song outta your head!

More tomorrow, watch the video!

Trees and Stones Will Teach You What You Cannot Learn From Masters.

There's a lot to discuss today, but I'll start by sharing a glimpse of my afternoon.
<---- That is part of my trip to work. Up until winter, I rather enjoy it. Today I was joined by a toad (whose photo is alas, only on my cell) and an angry black squirrel. It was a very nice stroll, despite the 20 pounds of library books on my back. Except for the fact that I had to turn around and go back through the ravine because I'd forgotten my money at home! Ah well, entirely my own fault...

I did some knitting before going into work to do the bank deposit. I worked for a couple of hours on Tammy's Dad's socks. I'm nearly done one, except I'm not especially happy with it. But his birthday is November, so the push is on. Then I've got a pair of kid's mitts on order from a former co-worker. My supervisor wants a pair of socks for another supervisor, and I'd really like to make Tammy a pair of socks.
Wait! There's more!
Debra has moved up to Gravenhurst, land of the mosquitoes and pine trees, and she'd like as many knitted socks as possible. Betty wants a couple of pairs made from the new sockyarn from Bernat, the boys need socks this winter, and ours are getting holes faster than I can knit!
You know, work really gets in the way of knitting....
When my fingers need a break, I've been checking out Knitting Up A Storm. The path from knitted blob to felted clog has been an interesting one to follow. Then I went over to The Velvet Cerebellum to follow the adventures of Chester and Maddie. Then I picked up the needles again.

Did anyone else besides Betty and I catch the Saturday Night Live sketch of Katie Couric and Sarah Palin? It's was funny, but frightening at the same time. Tina Fey is channeling Palin so well, it's eerie. We watched both the original interview, and the sketch, and the only difference is that Tina Fey's voice is just a bit higher and she was a bit perkier. The fact that she had on the same outfit and spoke Palin's own words was bordering on creepy! What's even more disturbing though is that if McCain gets elected, Palin is one skipped heartbeat away from leading the biggest free country on the planet. One airbubble to the brain away from dragging the entire United States further into hell. I read a lot of Betty's favourite blogs over her elbow (her desk and mine are only a foot away from each other), and I was reading a theory this morning that's really taken hold.
What if Palin is not supposed to finish out the campaign? What if she is only window dressing with a shelf-life, who will bow out of the campaign when she becomes too embarassing? Who then will get the tap for V.P? Rudy G ? Hmm.

Even though I am Canadian, I fear the reprocussions will be felt all the way up here. After all, U.S hurricanes make their mark at our gas pumps. The state of the U.S Stock market affects our dollar too.

I fear for not only the U.S if McCain and Palin get elected.

I fear for us all.

Crapdom...It's a Word.

I'm listening to "Gypsy" from Lord of the Dance....what do you listen to when you're feeling reflective?

I'm feeling reflective this week, partly because it's been a hectic week and partly because it may very well be the week that changes my life to a degree.
Remember my once-upon-a-time-boss-now-friend, Tammy? Well, it seems she may leave the company. This sucks because the company won't be the same without her. My job as a manager won't be the same without her and that store won't be the same without her. She made me the manager I am today. She taught me how to be strong, how to be flexible, how to bring a store back from the brink of crapdom. Yes, crapdom. It's a word now. Speaking of crap....I had the opportunity to go and see another store this week. Oh My God. The coolers looked like crap; they were mostly empty and bug-ridden. There was only two kinds in the damn thing, instead of all the flavours there should have been. The cans down the grocery aisle were dust-covered. There was a huge butcher knife in the fridge behind the limes....wait...I had to move my shovel last winter in case someone grabbed it and brained me with it, and this manager gets to keep a big-assed knife in their cooler????

Damn.

To be fair though, I would like to say that I came away from that store more focused and with a zest for bleach.

Dear________

Thank you.
Because of the crappy, filthy, shudder-worthiness of your store, I went back to mine and cleaned.
Yet again.
I washed the back door; front and back. I washed the walls. I washed the windows. Again.
I washed the coolers and the floor. Then I took all the product off the breakfast food aisle, washed every item, and the shelves, and then put it all back together.
And we aren't done. When I left, a staffmember was washing the magazine rack with hot soapy water. And when I get back to work tomorrow, I'm sure I'll find something else to clean.
Thanks for proving to me that I am doing a good job at my own store.
I just wish I could challenge your number two position.

I was saddened to learn this morning of Paul Newman's passing. He was a good 'un.

HUH???

Sarah Palin needs a tele-prompter to tell her when to pause in a speech?
Wha????
She needs someone/thing to phonetically sound out nuclear????

This is a woman who was Mayor of a town of more than 15 people, who then went on to become Governor of a STATE, who has been tapped for next-in-line-to-the-Oval Office and second most important person of the second largest free country on the ENTIRE PLANET, and she needs someone to tell her how to sound out the word "nuclear"??????????


Are you kidding me????

Wait, I think I can become a politician after all.

My platforms are easy to understand. I stand for what is right, freedom to choose for all, decency, commonsense and opportunity. Mess with my country, or it's people, or my family and I'm gonna come down like a ton of bricks on your ass.
And here's the best part...

I don't need someone to tell me how to sound out a word my eight year old knows!

Convenience or A Big Hassle?

We all take convenience, or variety, stores for granted. We all do. Just get stuck needing something, and not have one around.
I would never have thought I would ever work at one, let alone manage one! But I do. After four-ish years behind the counter, I've learned a few things I'd like to share with you to make your experience a little more pleasant.

• Do not, and I cannot repeat this enough, do not come into a convenience store if you are in a hurry. We cannot promise you will be served quickly. We cannot promise there will be no lineup ahead of you and we cannot allow you to jump line because you did not leave home early enough to get where you have to be.
• Please, do not snarl at the person behind the counter and expect them to be sweetness and light when they answer you. You get out of this brief encounter what you put into it. You want polite service? Be a polite customer.
• Please think about your question before you ask it. Just because you no longer see cigarettes for sale behind the counter does not mean we no longer sell them. In Ontario, we have been "blacked out" since May. This means the government tells us how we can sell cigarettes and to whom.
• Speaking of cigarettes, we must now ask you for identification if you look younger than 30 years old. Please, find a different response other than "Are you kidding me?" Also on the list of responses we're tired of, "Seriously?" and "But I'm 32!" If I had a quarter for every time I've heard any of those responses, I could retire tomorrow. I remind you, the government and our head office decide who we ask for I.D; not us. We can lose our job if we are caught selling to an undercover enforcement agent, and your bad habit is not worth losing my job over. Do you want to explain to my children why they can't have new shoes?
• Please don't assume that because you don't see the item you're looking for we don't have it. Ask us. It may be in a spot you don't expect. That person behind the register is there to provide a service to you, the customer. If they look bored, perhaps they're hoping for something to do.
• If you like the look of our store, tell us. If you think it's really clean, or you really like the way something is displayed, tell us! We like getting kudos even more than complaints.
• Put yourself in the shoes of the person behind the register. Yes, your total probably is the amount on the screen. No, they cannot haggle with you. You can try and negotiate the cost all you want, but they are not authorized to change the price of the items you want. If that person says your order is $7.69, then that's what it is. This is not a flea market, it's a store.

So now that I've gone over some basics for you, I hope this will help make your next visit to a convenience store more enjoyable; no matter where it is.

A Rainbow Filled Summer

Summer is a busy time for a lot of folks. Same thing here.
We had a couple of big things planned...like a handfasting.
I hear a few of you out there, "A what?"
A handfasting is a very old form of marriage. The first marriage, I suppose. Traditionally, a handfasting joined a couple for a year and a day, to see if they were compatible and could live happily together. These days, it has become an interesting option for same sex and Pagan couples to wed when a church wedding is out of the question, for one reason or another. For us, a church wedding was not an option. So we made arrangements with the local parks people to have our wedding there. A friend of ours performed officiant duties and two of our closest friends were persons of honor. Their jobs were to help us pull everything together and keep us sane.












This is Tammy (behind us). She had to bring me back to earth a few times.

Lorraine was Betty's person of honor, but for some reason I can't find her picture today. I'll share it with you another day. (Sorry, Lorraine)

We were surrounded by friends and family, greenery and kids. The rain held off after torturing me with just enough rain that we had to break out the umbrellas. (Thanks go out to Laura for bringing those). Afterwards we went back to a local watering hole, celebrated with beer (juice and pop for the kids), a bloody good picnic potluck and music. I didn't want it to end, and even though we were there for a couple hours, it didn't seem long enough to hang out with my friends.

For our honeymoon, we stayed in Toronto for Pride Weekend, watched both the Dyke Parade and the BIG Pride Parade. I took tons of shots, but this is one of the best. We stayed at a B&B on the edge of Cabbagetown, which I will gush about later. We had a great time, realized that three days is not long enough to do and see everything we wanted, and we're goin' back...eventually.




What else ... I worked my behind off at the store, and I think I'll be inventing 10 Rules For Shopping At A Convenience Store. More on that later. Complete with pictures of the store. (I have to close the store tonight, so I may have more to blog about when I get home) Oh, our store was the brief resting place for a pair of twin baby bats! They never came inside, so we left them alone and didn't tell too many people. They were good tenants, so we welcomed them back. We haven't seen them in a week, so we think their Mom may have grounded them.

I'm still knitting, and tearing things back, and re-knitting. We were lucky enough to go to a tent sale, at one of the original yarn mills here in Ontario. Spent lots of money we shouldn't have, made my Mom happy and generally had a good time.


What did you do this summer?

Quoting Thumper...

Remember that scene in Bambi, where Bambi and Thumper go to wake up Flower, and he says..."Is it spring yet?" That's how I feel.

Every time I would talk about getting a bike, it would snow like the devil! We finally got our bikes and rode them home, so I expected it to snow the next day. It hasn't yet, but it was a little nippy to be riding to work this afternoon. So I walked. Most of the way, anyway. Along the way I saw a male cardinal and crocus sprouts, so I guess spring truly IS on it's way.

Betty and I are knitting a Pride Blanket, in panels. To hurry spring along, I started with yellow. (I guess I needed cheering up. Expecially after I heard my store inventory is in 7 weeks! OMG!) We plan on making it a sofa-quilt. Larg enough to cover us on the sofa, but not for the bed, since the dog's claws get caught in anything on the bed. I had started another hat for a kid, this one was supposed to be for charity...but somehow it's gone missing. Seriously...missing...MIA...gone!

What I really want is another sweater. An absolute-must-have-every-evening-because-it's-my-favourite-sweater. In red. With a sturdy cable. Also in red. You see, my current favourite sweater is wearing out. I love this thing to death. It's big, it's warm, it's soft. It's everything you want your weekend sweater to be. Except holey. Every time I think I could do it, I look myself in the eye (No,in the mirror, you think I'm popping out an eyeball?!) and say to myself, "Remember the one-day-sweater that took you nine months? Naaaaaah. Ask Mom."

And then I ask Mom, find out she's incredibly busy and give up on the idea until the next time I realistically face my sweater's mortality.

I wonder if she and I could work on it together, through the mail....

It Never Ends...

Dress socks...of a sort. These are being made from yarn that I can't decide if it's sock weight or fingering. The first one has proven a pain to knit. Dark blue yarn, similar to knitting with spider silk...oh yeah...laugh a minute. Did I mention I've had to frog and restart twice? I really hope these fit me when they're all done.

I wish I could knit at work. I'd be a happier boss. One of my employees quit today. Over the phone. One day notice.

I had called her to let her know there was paperwork I needed done for head office before tomorrow afternoon, and she said she wanted to talk about her employment with the company. Never a good sign. It seems a beauty supply store had made her an offer. She's taken it, which I understand, because it's more within the field she's pursuing. I get it. But they made this offer yesterday, and she took it yesterday. But she didn't see fit to call me and do the decent thing and at least give me a week to find a replacement. I called her! She didn't even CALL ME! This afternoon, I was angry; now I'm just hurt. I probably shouldn't be, I know the convenience store industry is a liquid and transient one. I expected better of her. Her reference check was a glowing one, her former boss waxed poetic...you get the idea. So now I have to not only open the store yet again this weekend (this after I had to open last sunday for this same individual because she slept in), but I'm working a 12 hr shift! See, in order to do one of my staff a favour and give him a day off when he asked for it, I scheduled myself to work his shift from 12 to 6. Now I have to open at seven....and work till 6. The very next day, I have to open again and then run a staff meeting till two thirty! Hell, I'm tired just writing about it. Like I said, it would be okay if I could knit at work. Then again, I might get frustrated with all the interruptions and threaten to run someone through with a knitting needle. Probably not good for my career.

Next time, the hat from the neverendingwinter.

Sock Knitters and Female Impersonators...oh My!

<----- This is the much wept-over-often-frogged-and-restarted "Dad Sock" This is its fourth incarnation. Sad. But it looks pretty damn sharp, if I do say so myself. I think the needles must be a size too small, because I sometimes think I am knitting with steel. These socks will keep out drafts, believe me. The toes will match the cuff, which is a mottled sandy-oatmeal kind of tweed. Not sure if the heel flap will have the oatmeal tweed yet. I knit like I write. Sporadic. Speaking of writing, I was fortunate to attend a local gathering of lesbian (and lesbian-friendly) writers, performers and musicians last night. It was an interesting collection of personalities. Especially Miss Drew. All I heard last night was..."You should have seen him dance!" He was rather tall in those heels, let me tell you! Hope he didn't twist his ankle on the way to Club Ren, it looked ready to snap off. I missed him because while the first set went on, I stayed out in the lobby and guarded Anne Azel's books. Anne is an author friend of ours, one of the most talented writers I have ever ready, and a damn fine, intelligent and entertaining person besides. I would have taken my knitting, but I already felt a bit conspicuous, being the only one knitting would be even more obvious. Maybe next year, I'll have more of The Anari Effect to read...maybe I'll knit while I read, just to stir things up.

On the reading list beside Anne's wonderful books is "Fire Your Doctor!" I am reading now about vitamins, more specifically the range of ailments and diseases that can be treated with megadoses of specific vitamins. It's fascinating stuff, really. Makes a very good case for paying more attention to one's body. One of the premises the author makes is that we should take more Vit C than we do. Smaller doses, taken more frequently throughout the day. He says, "Vitamin C has shown to be helpful for over thirty major diseases, including pneumonia, herpes zoster, pancreatitis, hepatitus, arthritus, some forms of cancer, leukemia, diabetes, ...etc." While Mr. Saul does acknowledge that "individual needs for vitamin C vary greatly, he suggests increasing one's daily intake slowly. Linus Pauling was a big advocate of Vitamin C too. He's considered a pioneer in the field of orthomolecular medicine. Some also consider his views on Vitamin C to be, how shall I put this...doubtful at best. Whether one buys into Dr. Pauling's views, or those of Andrew Saul, Ph.D., one can hardly argue that, on the whole, most of us don't take care of ourselves well enough. So I'm ready with a cautious mind, but a hopeful heart while I knit some more on Tammy's Dad's socks.

Next time, I'll show you the dress socks.

So many possible projects, so few hours...

Remember the socks I told you about last time? The one's for Tammy's father? I've re-started them four times! This last time, I got 4 inches done before I realized I hadn't ended the ribbing! So I had this really nice looking oatmeal-tweedy cuff, and a deep blue leg...that was still 1X1 ribbing! If I were a lesser person I might have cried. I didn't. I put the sock in time out and went back to work on that scarf for the homeless box. According to the hordes I fight every day on the bus, scarves that look homemade and have no distinct pattern are all the rage. They look like stash busters, stripes of varying width and colour, and made on larger needles. They look so homemade that it took me a while before I could figure out they weren't. (Remember that I'm trying to figure this out across a crowded bus without staring). They're even a hot topic on the Ravelry forums. So knowing how bored I was of deep purple, I decided to mix it up a bit. I have little balls here and there of ends that either we've hung on to, or that my mother has sent down to enable Shandon's knitting habit, and now I have a purpose for little odds and ends. I mix them up a little, and then go back to purple, resulting a multi-colour stripe on purple. It really looks kind of interesting.

I frogged the dad-sock back to the cuff, picked up the stitches and took a deep breath...again. Now I'm back to a 3" piece. It looks nice, but I can't wait for the next pair now. See the picture up there? That's Apple Pie, in the sunset colourway. It's quite a looker. By all accounts (thank you my fellow Ravelers!), it's a nice yarn to knit with; 65% Superwash Merino, 20% Kid Mohair, 10% Nylon, 5% Silk. It comes in something like 30 different shades, some solid, some self-patterning. I could easily knit projects with this stuff all year and never get bored. So I think that's just what I'm going to do.Tammy's family is going to get a variety of socks and mitts, and maybe matching scarves for her girls, mine will get socks and scarves and hats (and I think I'll finally learn how to knit teddy bears and other creatures for my boys), and...with so many colours, how could I run out of things to knit? With the store nearly ready for inventory, I could easily find myself with a bit more knitting time, which is never a bad thing. So I guess instead of making new years resolutions, I armed myself with a knitting to-do list instead.

Tomorrow, I'll trot out the camera and show you the much-maligned dad-sock.