The Simple Woman's Daybook 05/04/2009

For today: May 4, 2009

Outside my window: the day is overcast, gray and probably going to be drizzly. I am so over the gray days... even though I realize the desperate need for rain. I just wish we wouldn't get it all at once... sigh

I am thinking: that if I don't get the ginger in the ground soon I will have to buy some more...so the plan is to do that first thing this morning.

From the learning room: comes the realization that even tho I have done a couple of things using card weaving, I sure have a lot to learn.

I am thankful for: the time period I grew up in. I realize that I have no clue what it is like for todays youngsters... Even tho we were very poor as I grew up, there was never the need to be fearful when walking home from school or to the movie on Saturday afternoon. The worst thing that kids did then was drink beer at the lake and pull Halloween pranks. Families were close. Even dysfunctional families...

From the kitchen: will soon come the smell of sausage. We found store made sausage at the Piggly Wiggly store near us and bought a lot of it. It's a good thing... Both Piggly Wiggly stores are closing this week...

I am wearing...a rather horrible loose fitting dress that I bought a couple of years ago at Dillard's. And the thing is.... they (I messed up and bought 2 while they were on sale) will never wear out...sigh

I am reading... Angels and Demons by Dan Brown for the second time. It really is time to go to the book store...sigh

I am hoping... that nothing else breaks around here. It seems to have been something every month since December... and the bright side of that coin is that once it is all done it will be another five years before it all comes up again...lol

I am creating... a list in my mind of what kind of Block of the Month I can do for my Fabric Follies Two site. This has been circling my mind for a few months now and I am finally ready to do it...

I am hearing... the whir of my computer fan... I really need to update my pc, but have to wait a bit...

Around the house... I need to pay more attention to my house plants. For some reason every now and then I go through a period where they are the very last thing on my mind... then when they are almost dead I seem to realize that I really do care about them and have to bring them all back to life... What's up with that?

One of my favorite things... is music. I don't listen to it very much any more because it bothers DH a bit. But every now and then something comes along like the You Tube treasures of Engelbert Humperdinck that I found last night that just make the old skin tingle the way it did back in the day...lol (I tripped on over to some old Tom Jones thinking it would do the same... somehow the gyrations that go along with "She's a Lady" just didn't do it for me anymore!)...lol

A few plans for the rest of the week: include the weekly trip to McKinney to the allergist. I am really getting a bit tired of those shots... the irritation and itchiness last for days... almost up to the time of the next shot... Anyway... also planning to do a bit card weaving, maybe some bookmarks...

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you:

"The way things are when a person is born is considered the norm for his life. There is no concept of things being any other way....." Anonymous

This is my great-grandfather's muzzle loader being held by my Uncle Bobby. What treasures we have from the past...

He Still Gives Me Cold Chills... What A Voice!

If You Want to Hear the Gods Laugh....

Just tell them your plans... This is the hot water heater closet. Empty... It is in the process of being changed as we speak. When DH started to wash his hands this morning, guess who had no hot water. When he checked it water was dripping straight down into the drip pan....thank goodness. A few more hours and we would be replacing the living room and/or bedroom carpet. We knew we would have to replace this, but we did not plan on doing it until after we came back from vacation. However... we did talk about vacation a lot... and now the gods are laughing...

This project has been in the works for a couple of weeks. This is DH's shop...as we try to stop it from sliding down the hill...lol (or maybe not lol... ) It is (as is par for the course with this house) taking a lot longer than we expected to finish. The heavy rains of the last few days are not helping any with this project...but we sure needed the rain.

If you notice the empty areas of insulation in the flooring... that is where the squirrels got in and decided to set up housekeeping.. ;o) Anyway... with the footing now poured quite thick and wide, I think that problem will be eliminated. We can always hope... and squirrels will usually find a way...lol

Soup's On!

It's been raining all day. We had planned a trip to my aunt and uncle's for tomorrow...but... the car is still in the shop and the rain looks like it will be thunderstorming all week... I will give it a few more hours before I call and change our plans... When it rains and gets cold, I always put on a big pot of soup. Yummmm... I love that smell. It will be long before supper, but I never mind smelling it slow cook through the afternoon.

I finished the blue cotton runner. I had thought that I would make placemats that would fit our trays that we eat on, but I kinda like the long runner.

The Japanese Irises are blooming and they are really lovely this year...

The irises in the meadow have begun to really bloom out. It's hard to see in the background to the left, but the purple ones are out too. What a pretty view from back porch....

Foyle's War and Alpaca

We have fallen head over heels for English television. It started with Midsommer Murders, moved to Rosemary and Thyme, on to Lovejoy, and now definitely my favorite Foyle's War.

It seems to me that Michael Kitchen can say more with the expressions on his face than most people can say with a thousand words.. :o) Efforts are made to make sure that each episode is authentic and historically accurate...as far as they can make them. I had no idea that one of the foremost burn doctors at the time burned all the patient's uniforms so they would not have to try to button all those buttons with burned fingers...or no fingers... and because he felt like the uniforms made them feel like prisoners. (He also kept kegs of beer in each common room! )

We rent these series from Netflix and the only problem is that they are over way too soon....

Someone was commenting on a talk show about the difference between English and American television the other day. The comment went something like... English television was not "sanitized" like American television. This is very true... I love the fact that the people are real...not beautiful, or all trim, tiny figures on the women. Their teeth are normal aging teeth and everyone has wrinkles...not surgically repaired faces... I find it very difficult to go back to watching all the fake fab of American television.... along with all the fake "reality" shows... yuk

Yesterday I finally finished spinning the alpaca that I have had in my stash for over a year. So last night I spun up some Corriedale that was bought at the same time as the alpaca and then plied them together. This morning I put the yarn on the Niddy Noddy and came up with 134 yards...that's cool. Enough for a scarf. I will be dyeing the yarn, but have not decided what color. I would like to do green and that would turn the brown alpaca into a lovely heather color...but not sure what the heather and kool aid green would look like together...

Nice Weekend

We had a lovely visit from daughter Bev and her husband Kent this weekend. We didn't do much...just out to eat Saturday night and lots of time visiting. Love that. Just not often enough...lol

Hannah's Quilt and EZ Shawl Update

Hannah's quilt is finished. It is now folded and ready for the trip to Arizona. I am finding that I am enjoying quilting more and more. It was never one of those things that I found relaxing or fun to do. I guess it's like spinach...it grows on you...lol

The Elizabeth Zimmermann shawl is growing. There are now 50 stitches between each marker and the shawl measures 16 inches radius. I've got to buy another needle with at least a 24 inch cable. EZ says 24" is as long as anyone really needs, but really... I have to wonder about that.

My Space

On several of the sites that I visit regularly some of my online friends are occasionally showing pictures of their space or of various corners of their homes. Here is "My Space". This is where I sit in the evening..or any other time I want to spin, weave or hand sew. The spinning wheel was in use at the time this photo was taken...spinning the last of the Chocolate Merino Lamb pencil roving...sigh (Love that stuff!) Back in the corner at the center of the picture is my Kromski Harp Loom...still warped and ready for me to finish the placemats and runner that I started before we left for Arkansas. It's a toss-up to see which will be finished first... the flax roving that is waiting for me patiently in my stash or the weaving...lol

My DH sits in his recliner right next to me on right of the picture. He says that he really likes my many hobbies since I can work on them all I want and he can still hear the TV..lol

Home At Last

We left last Thursday for a few days in Bull Shoals, AR. It was a short vacation mixed in with a trip to the dentist...not that that really makes sense..lol Anyway, it was wonderful to visit with friends and see the changes that have come about in the 5 years we have been away. There are a lot of things about Bull Shoals that we miss... the people, for the first and foremost thing. The quiet beauty of the lake and the country. The Ozark Mountains are absolutely breathtaking in their spring beauty. .. But of course, 5 years cannot pass without some changes...and the loss of those dear to you.

The first day we were there, DH came down with a "cold"... or maybe allergies. But by Day 2 I also had it. That was Saturday. By Sunday my nose was dripping like a faucet and I felt like I had been kicked by an Arkansas mule. Monday was the trip to the dentist.... teeth cleaning and a couple of fillings replaced. Then immediately on the road home....

Boy...was I ever glad to get home. Still sick yesterday and most of today. Feel better right now than at any time since we left. There is something inherently wrong with that.

The Joy of Trivia

I finally decided to look through a book that's been on the bookshelf for at least a year.. It's called The Joy of Trivia by Bernie Smith. It was written in 1976, but looks a lot older. The pages have browned and there's a tiny bit of wear on the ends of the back binding... but I find that I can't put it down! He has such a sense of humor!

(Excerpt:...)

"The world's first successful income tax was tried in England in 1799. William Pitt was the man who fathered the idea, to finance the war with France.

There will now be two minutes of silence while we think ill of Mr. Pitt."