Spring

I have no real topic today.
Just some Homeowner stuff
Things are pretty normal.

I am keeping a careful eye on my peonies. This year, I expect them to be grand. I moved them from the backyard in 2005 after I discovered them. Whomever had been caring for the lawn before I purchased the house, had been mowing them down.
Of course, I have never been concerned with a well maintained lawn and I discovered them after a long break from cuttings. And people think there is nothing to be gained from ignoring your lawn.
They have been doing well in the front yard except for the two that are cursed with shade from the neighbor’s hideous tree. I send eye daggers at that tree every day. One day it will die for me.

I have to figure out how to lay the grub killer down without killing the ants that I need to force the peonies to open. I panicked last year. I didn’t realize that the grub killer pellets murdered ants, grasshoppers and beetles, too. There was no insect life at all for weeks.

I was devastated for days until they finally showed up
This is what they look like.

Last fall, I transplanted my grandfather’s peony bush to my front yard. Despite my grandmother’s doubt, the peony is pushing up through the ground. She should have more faith in me. Grandpa has dementia. He seems to think that he mows the lawn and trims back his bushes regularly. But he really sits in his lazy-boy all day watching Westerns on their 19 inch. I couldn’t bear to let his beautiful bushes die from neglect or from some overzealous lawncare company. Unfortunately, when I went to their house to check on the original, I could not find it. I hope that I did not accidentally kill his 30 year old bush in my desire to have a little of him at my house.

If it were not for spring flowers and birds I would hate spring. I would hate the constant rain. I would hate the cold nights and dreary days. I do not look forward to taking my allergy eye drops, loratadine or Benadryl more frequently.
The purple crocuses are first followed by blue scillia and yellow daffodils. As they die off, the tulips are readying themselves for their presentation and the peonies and irises are stretching their stems towards the spring sun. I love the spring for this reason.

I love checking on the flowers before heading off to work. I love that my campus has gardens everywhere for me to enjoy.

I just hate the sneezing. I hate being cold. I am sick of having to flat iron my hair from rain. My shoes get dirty from stepping in mud and I still need to apply the crab grass killer on dry soil.

Spring. Whatever

Crafty Updates
I am almost complete with my geisha wrap. It refuses to remain on my shoulders when I wear it. Apparently, I did not check the width properly or it was designed for a defensive lineman.

I have tried edging it was a smaller sized hook but I am still working it out. I will probably have to ask my crafting friends to help me fix it. Or give it to my best friend with broader shoulders. She gets more gifts from me that way.

This year my goal is to complete all 2008 FO’s. The geisha wrap will be the first. Then I will complete the red and white granny square. Joy and more work for me.

On the Other People's Kids report
Tonight I got a call from Tinky, Lilt and Trey's mom.
She began by saying, "We do not have any hot water."
I had no idea what to expect after that opening. I paused. Why was she calling me? I am not a plumber and I don't have any coupons for water heaters.
She went on to say. After an exhaustive explanation of the ordering and installation process for a new water heater she says, "How do you feel about a visitor?"
Then it hit me.

This was the Lamest Excuse for a babysitting request that I had ever heard. I told her that I should disconnect the call on principle.
Hell no, I didn't believe that she had a busted water heater until she told me that they had the installation scheduled for Friday. Which meant that they currently have hot water but not on Friday and she needed me to watch Trey on Friday.
I laughed at her.


see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Then I said yes.

I am a sucker at heart.

Clumsy Meditation

I don’t like downward facing dog

I know, it seems absurd

Everyone likes Adho Mukha Svanasana

It’s a really great stretch and my butt is in the air where I can fart in peace

There is a lot of farting in yoga

My body does not move easily into all the poses. Especially the easy ones. This week the instructor guided us to rock on our bottoms into a head stand. I failed miserably. At 37 and over 150 pounds, easy stuff isn’t so easy. Child’s pose hurts my arms. Downward facing dog makes my nose run. Right now I have too much head congestion to practice mountain pose without falling.

I bought a book with yoga poses for weight loss. The bulk of the routine is Sun Salutation completed ten times. By the time I complete the routine I am drenched in sweat and a little bruised from tipping over so many times attempting the lunge prayer side twist pose.

Can you believe I joined yoga to gain better balance?

I really enjoy yoga and it gives me a good work-out. It is really relaxing during this time of year when my allergies are at their worst.

I hired a student to cover my manager’s office sits at her chair to answer the phone. Whenever I pass the office door, I smell my childhood. I get a whiff of bouncy freshness, but just a whiff because my allergies will not permit me to enjoy the smell of fabric softener for long. When the scent reaches my nose my head recalls memories of laundry day at my mother’s house. I was feeling so nostalgic one I went out and bought a laundry detergent with one of those strong scents. I had been getting weekly allergy shots for the past four years. By now I should be able wear perfume and wash with those fancy detergents. I continued to think this as I tucked and pulled at my newly laundered sheets. A few hours later, I wondered why my 300 thread count sheets felt rough and scraped against my skin causing it to crack and itch. I wondered and scratched until the morning when I cursed the nurse that administers my shots. It was worse than trying sleep with a mosquito in the room.

Imagine standing still while a wasp targets your fleshy upper-arm. Don’t watch it. Just wait for the sting because the prick of the stinger is nothing compared to the burning and irritation of the venom entering your bloodstream. Or the swollen warm sting site on your arm. Or the nagging itchy reminder for the next 12 hours at the shot site. My arm used to swell so large that I referred to it as my hamburger bum arm.

Yes, it is just like that .

I should probably mention that sometimes I think I am allergic to my yarn. I have some woolblend yarn from Turkey that makes me sneeze when I sniff it. I stopped sniffing it. I am using an Italian woolblend yarn and it works up lovely.

I have a question for you readers. I am making a baby jumper using this yarn

Don't you love the animal print bedspread. I have matching curtains.

Anywhoo, it is a self-stripping yarn that is white, pink, lt blue, blue and then white. I say that the jumper will be unisexual. My friends are insisting that even a splash of pink makes it a girl's outfit. What do you think?

Well next time I will tell you about my Kung Fu Panda adventures.

Nature

Yellow Birds and Yellow Flowers

A yellow finch has been hanging around in my backyard. It is looking for sunflower seeds. I have a bird feeder back there but it is empty. I haven’t filled it in about a month. It is on my garage. I placed it there so that the birds would poop on Stray Cat neighbor’s car. She deserved it. When she got rid of the stray cat’s living in her garage I stopped filling the feeder and planted the seeds along the patch of dirt near the fence that separated our back yards. The sunflowers have bloomed but no seeds as yet. Despite this, every day I see that yellow finch inspecting the sunflowers. This morning I finally filled the feeder for it. I want it to keep coming around. It is a lovely sight to see such a pretty bird in my yard. This blog has some lovely pictures of finches and sunflowers Basset Knitter. I guess that I am not the only one who has yellow finches and sunflowers.

During those times of quiet contemplation looking at the wonders of nature, I find myself reflecting on the silliness of our modern lives.

I was thinking today about the last time I visited my allergist office. The doctor really unnerved me that day. The room is like any other patient room with the bed thingy, a sink, cabinets, computer, desk and chair. He sits at the chair and types almost everything that I say. In between keystrokes he pauses to pump the antibacterial gel into his hand. He does this several times in the span of ten minutes. Keep in mind, he is my allergist. He doesn’t really touch me.

I meet with the nurse first who inputs general updated information into the computer. After he examines me, he washes his hands and sits at the desk. At the desk he only touches the computer keys. Even so, he methodically pumps the bottle and massages his hands with the gel while talking to me.

Finally, I asked him if his hands were finally free from bacteria. He laughed and then pumped another dollop into his palm. The doctor rubbed his hands together and said, “I do this all of the time.” I asked him to stop doing it in front of me. I mentioned that I do not like the smell of most of those antibacterial gels and I find them to be misleading. He seemed shocked and moved his praying hands towards me like some yoga gesture. I backed up as if HE had cooties.
It is just not natural to sanitize one's hands that often.

Next time I visit him, I will suggest that he keep alcohol pads near the keyboard and just clean it before he uses it and I will stay clear of his nurses. I wonder if he uses the gel after he types in his PIN at that ATM or the grocery store? Those keys must be full of people germs. I will ask him next visit.

Going Against My Nature

A friend is having another birthday. Last year, I convinced myself that I would knit for her a wrap that she could wear on fancy evenings. Too bad that I could not convince the WIP that it was a wrap. I am really a hooker and sometimes these knitted projects hurt my feelings when they go wrong.

I remember finishing it up while visiting friends. I held it up and the 11 year old daughter asks, “ What is it?” I said a wrap. Then she said, “What kind of wrap.” I turned the garment around to figure out what had her so confused. The wrap was not rectangular in shape as would be expected. It was more…. Trapezoid.

I frogged it to the point where I had lost its shape and started again. The finished product resembled a warped rectangle. I completely frogged it and made it too wide. While it maintained its shape, I could not imagine it functioning as anything other than a blanket.

I ripped it again and began a mobius shawl. I am crossing my fingers that it works. At least with the mobius I can’t tell if it isn’t a rectangle. And it has been an entire year, actually longer that this project has been a work in progress. I jsut want it completed and out of my house her birthday or not.

Because of this adventure, I have found that sometimes it is better to just change a knitted project into a crochet project.