Dirty Dirty fur

Dirty Fur
So much has happened recently. It will take a few posts to cover everything. And I am sure that more oddness with occur.

I started this blog because I thought my life was just too silly not to share. Four or maybe five years later – nothing has changed.

I am branching out into a new fiber hobby. Spinning my own yarn. Dude gave me two trash bags of first and second cut alpaca fur. His cousins have pet alpacas.

It is filthy. These animals are not being raised for their fur but as pets. So no care was taken to ensure that the fur is maintained, relatively clean, etc. i was assured that the alpacas were white but the contents of the bag of dirt, burs, sticks and straw was tan in color.

I pulled out a huge arm full of filthy fur last Spring.

I washed it in my tub with some cheap citrus scented dish soap. That was a interesting. There was so much dirt , vegetable matter (VM), and grit that I feared for the pipes of my 87 year old house. But I had started and I could not stop. I filled the tub seven times before the water took on a beige color. I cleaned the hair trap 20 or so times to permit the water to flow out of the tub. I was so tired, I did not think I would finish but I knew that it would be long time before I pulled another armful of fur out of one of those trash bags. I will never use the tub again. Since my municipality has converted to automatic trash pick up, i will use one of the old cans to clean the fur using lingerie bags.

I dried the fur on the balcony. Of course, while it dried and I was at work Mother Nature felt it funny to send a scattered rain shower into my neighborhood. Even funnier, is that she sent pretty strong gusts to blow the sun umbrella out of its clamp. Nice…. The neighbors watched the umbrella fly around the backyard. I know this because the teenager met me at my car to share the funny story with me when i arrived home that day.

Latter, I bought sunflower seeds and filled the birdfeeder. No more storms or gusty winds after that. Mother Nature looks out for her own.

I picked the fur while on the balcony to allow the fur and straw to fly around for the birds to gather for their nests. See, I learned. I gave back to the animals

Dude asks about my progress with the Alpaca yarn at least twice a month. He claims that his cousin wants to see what I have made with it. He admits to me that he promised them that I would make them a blanket. I suggested that he not pimp my talents ever again.

During our trip to GA to visit my sister, he offered to help me prepare the fur. Good thing he got sick. There was no way, I was going to fool with that fur on vacation.

A few weeks back, I took the washed and picked yarn to a spinning group meeting. The gals demonstrated carding to me.

They also asked me if I cleaned the yarn before carding it. Several commented that perhaps this yarn was not worth all the prep work. Some suggested that I was only committed to preparing the fiber because I wanted to impress Dude. Many asked if Dude was worth all of this trouble. This went on for HOURS. They had turned my efforts to expand my fiber artistry into a lame attempt at gaining favor with my boyfriend and his family.

I persisted and look what I madeabout a dozen or so rolags.

I started spinning it last week. I promptly broke my spindle by trying to force the shaft into the whorl as it appeared in the picture. I am guessing that the shaft was poorly made and it was clearly too big. I am going to wait until the next spinning meetup and have the gals help me.

Driving in my Sleep

I have been having a new reoccurring dream theme. In these dreams, I am driving a car. It is a stick shift. the gears are shaped like this

Gear one and three are at the top. Gear two is on the bottom on the left. Gears four and five are on the right. In these dreams, I have a hell of a time trying to drive. And for some reason, I am always the one who is driving to an appointment and we are late. I have not been able to google an analysis of this theme. It is disturbing me.

Not to mention that I had a variation of the dream during yesterday’s Sleep Study. It was my third sleep study. This time there were tubes coming out of my nose (2) going down my pant leg, stuck to my stomach, on my neck and on my jaw. Those tubes were new to me. I guess they were checking for snoring, teeth grinding, leg movement, breathing, and sleeping position. This time, unlike the previous studies, I spoke in my sleep. This time, unlike the previous studies, I was video taped. Ugh.

I am waiting on the results. I have learned that I move my legs in my sleep due to low ferritin levels that I have probably had since my last study in 2008. I wonder if my leg movements during the study coincide with my nocturnal five-speed driving adventures.

Crafty Update

A hat and scarf set has been completed for one of the nieces.

Takes a bow It was fun working with this yarn. I had to model this myself.

And one for the nephew I talked Dude into modeling it for me.

and the other nephew There is a hat and a scarf there.

and a scarf for me This one was knitted. I am working on the hat and gloves.

Frizzy Reader - Greywalker

I have been reading quite a bit lately. I added the Weread application last year. It has been fun watching my reading progress as fast as my crocheting. Or as slow.....

I will from time to time write a review of the books that I have read.

My mini review of Greywalker
I was first introduced to Harper Blaine in the book Mean Streets. The novella was called The Third Death Of The Little Clay Dog. I found Harper to be a serious detective. I was curious about her but I took my time to read the first novel of her series.

I had been beginning to think that most female paranormal or fantasy heroines were oversexed. Harper Blaine’s tale was refreshingly tangle free of romance threads. She seemed older mature and focused on her occupation. I liked being led around just as Harper through the Seattle as she got to the bottom of her mystery.

The writing style was a bit confusing for me. According to the book jacket it was published in 2006 but the setting was clearly earlier than that. Unless, it was set in an alternative universe….The pacing was awkward and the transitions not clear. The author uses dialogue to move the story making the characters seem flat and uninteresting.
The novella in Mean Streets is a much better written story. I will continue to read the Greywalker series knowing that the writing gets better and the characters more interesting.

Not Dead Yet

That is how I feel right now.
I am tired, I am bored, I have too many decisions to make and I just want hide under my covers and sleep.

I am patiently waiting for confirmation that my position will be renewed.
My boss ignores me.
My sorority is asking big things of me.
My housemates are getting testy over juice and water pitchers maintenance.
This city recycling initiative thing is creating a competitive environment at home.
I have not vacuumed in 30 days.
I have not dusted in 30 days.
My BMs are not what they used to be.
I have to cut my workouts short because I don't want to shower at the gym.
My cat wants tasty treats every day instead of only on Fridays. the angry mewing is hard to ignore.
But more than that.....
I need my house plants to be healthy.
This winter, I have lost two houseplants.

and poor little Jimmy is dying.



I can't control my weight.
I can't control my job.
I can't control my cat.
I can't control my roomies.
I can't convince my BF to stop shaving his head.
But Hell.... I thought I could keep a plant alive.

Poor Jimmie. I bought it in December during the sorority fund-raiser just for my office. It is a fir tree. I thought that it would do well at the office.
It did great until I went on vacation. Now, when one brushes past it. The top branches are dry and break off the larger branches. The staff like to suggest that I throw it away or take it home.
One horrible staff member has threatened to assassinate Jimmie.
He has put it in writing. Yup. Sent me two email.

Jimmie is not dead.


My week didn't begin with the threats to my office plant.
I scheduled my annual physical and women's wellness appointment on Monday. I had to psyche myself up for the appointment. I remember the days when I used to reschedule it at least two times just because....... Now that I am older, I just take the day off after the appointment to rebound from the indignities.

I met with the nurse, who actually asked me new questions this year. She asked about my dental and eye health. I am still 3/4 of an inch shorter than I was 10 years ago. I am growing to accept this. I don't like it. But I accept the truth.
She leaves after talking to me about the bruise on my arm to undress.

As I lie on the examination table bare a$$ed to the world wearing nothing but an open hospital gown and an overgrown napkin the doctor enters with "I have good news and bad news."

Not the scenario in which I imagined EVER hearing that phrase. She tells me that due to my insurance policy we cannot have the appointment. She talks to me for about 4 minutes explaining that I can only have this appointment every 366 days and I am 14 days too early.

I am still basically naked as she is speaking.
I just want her to shut up and allow me to gather my clothes and run from her office. -- only to return in 2 weeks.

Thank goodness, there was no co-pay for their screw up. I asked the assistant to check my records before scheduling the appointment. So much for that!

I left the office and ordered sushi from the take-out place. Tarunam is amazing.
Then I went to the dealership to permit them to complete a recall repair.
That took two hours.
I just wanted to go home and hide under the covers and get some sleep.
Maybe next time