Wow. Can hardly believe it's been almost a year since I put in my two cents' worth here. The blank space invites a summary of the past twelve months, but the hour is late and tomorrow is another work day, so this will have to wait - I hope not another entire year.

free verse

hi how's your day going? mine was okay,

not any more frustrating than has been typical lately

until one of my people came in my office

to tell me something she thought I was doing wrong

with the work I took off her hands because she couldn't keep up

because I'm not doing it the same way she has always done it

I tried to blow it off and say okay that's fine

and she kept at me until I asked her what difference it made

and she said that's the way I taught her to do it

she doesn't remember all the changes from where it began

and I tried to explain that I will do it my way

and that it's okay too to do it her way

she did what she does and talked over me so she couldn't hear me

telling me why we are supposed to do it her way

then I asked her if she had ever heard the expression "teach your grandmother to suck eggs" and she went away mad

and now I'm trying to calm myself down

sometimes I wish I were a smoker

or a drinker

or had a rewind button

I'm a blatantly Selfish Knitter

I found a nifty little contest at http://lostcityknits.blogspot.com/ - an insanely lovely person wants to give away yarn and goodies! I hope to win by posting this link here!

Old times and old biddies

Alice and I threw a birthday party for Juanita this morning. I'm not saying how old she is, but she was born 76 years ago. She doesn't get out any more for physical reasons, so in this little social circle, we always get together at her house.

Alice went by our mutually favorite restaurant and picked up an omelette for Juanita. It was prepared just the way she likes it, by Amy, who calls her Grandma. Amy wrote a Happy Birthday message on the top of the styrofoam box.

Alice also brought her an assortment of greeting cards for Juanita to send out - birthday, get well, sympathy, etc. Also gave her a mildly risque birthday card which she enjoyed immensely!

I made a chocolate sheet cake from my favorite recipe, and brought her a little bag containing some stationery items from Target's office supply aisle, plus a package of balloons with a hand pump. I picked out a birthday card suitable for a child - it had punchouts of beach toys and a little bag to keep them in. 

Juanita sent me into her kitchen to make us a pot of coffee - which I had never done in her house, but I eventually found the coffee and the filters and got the job done. Then I served coffee and cake to Alice and myself - Juanita didn't want any until she finished her omelette. Then I refilled the coffee mugs and served Juanita's cake. I told them not to expect that kind of service every time.

It was interesting to see what she liked and what she didn't - Juanita's not one to hold back her opinions, which can be refreshing! She had no use for the balloons and pump, and said she wouldn't open that, so I told her to feel free to give it to her grandkids. I'm not even sure she liked the card I gave her, but my opinion is that we're never too old to have some silly fun once in a while. She said she would use the pens, and what was she supposed to do with the spiral notebook, and why in the world did she need a glue stick, and what was this white-out thing anyway? We told her it was to cover up any mistakes she made with the pens, and - deadpan - she said she never makes mistakes.

She was very happy with the omelette - it was a favorite she had not been able to enjoy for a long while - and I believe she sincerely enjoyed the cake. She liked the cards Alice had given her, but she gave them back! Apparently on a previous birthday or Christmas, one of us (possibly Alice) had given her exactly the same selection of cards, and she had not yet used them up. We told her she was supposed to send them to people - and for a few years recently, I have given her postage stamps as birthday gifts - but she said she didn't have enough occasions to send that many cards.

She said her son Bill asked what she wanted for her birthday, and she told him she wanted a tube of toothpaste! That led to an extended story about what kind, where it could be found, who shops at which stores and won't go to others, and what she had been using since she ran out of her favorite kind. Turns out she's now working on a tube that had been her husband's. He died sixteen years ago. I think Alice is going to return the cards and seek out the favored toothpaste, if Bill doesn't remember it. If she doesn't, I will!

Our conversation from there meandered around from watching the fireworks display last night - since it was rained out on the Fourth - and Juanita said something about us "old biddies" (Alice and me) going out at night in all that traffic - to memories of life on a farm and cardboard inserts in worn-out shoes.

And that was all in the space of two hours this morning. Can't wait to see what the rest of the day holds for me!

Thought I'd drop in on some blogs tonight and see what's new. Seems like since everyone I know is either on Ravelry or Facebook, nobody blogs any more. Including myself.

One blogger that I read pretty often is apparently having the same problem. She decided to try to post Five on Friday - once a week, post five things that have happened, or that she has accomplished, in the previous week. I'm wondering if I have enough self-discipline to follow a schedule like that. Maybe I could do a One on Wednesday?

I started one post last month that I saved as a draft and never finished. Maybe I should start there, then post at least a rough outline of what's up in my life. Then maybe I would eventually go back and add pictures and details.

Someone is setting off explosives very near to my house. Gunfire is rare in this neighborhood, so the first one startled me. But it is the Fourth of July, so I'm not getting too upset about it. Just wish I had had the nerve to pick up some fireworks while I was out of state earlier this week and bring the contraband home with me.

This is my belated post from end of May 2009

May 29 - Dallas, TX. 7:30 pm, Legacy Books, 7300 Dallas Parkway, Suite A120. Plano, TX 75024:

I went to see the Yarn Harlot again!

I know, I know. You're thinking, why would you want to go when you've seen her before? What more could she have to say about knitting?

First of all, I'm really glad I went. It was a fun and relaxing getaway. Four of us - the Tuesday Night Knitters core group - were originally planning to go. Anita and Polly couldn't make it, so it was only Judy and I who ultimately made the trip.

We each packed up plenty of knitting and a change of clothes, I transferred my GPS locator from my car to hers, and we took off. 

The weather was decent and the drive was mostly uneventful, except for when we made a pit stop in Marietta and when we returned to the car it was deader than the proverbial doornail. Judy looked under the hood while I perused the owner's manual looking for some kind of safety switch override. Then we decided to wiggle the battery cables and one came off in my hand! We had no tools, so we fell back on acting helpless and charming. Two nice young construction workers with a small pair of pliers and a huge Crescent wrench were able to tighten up the cable terminal for us, and we were off again.

Our favorite Harlot was, as usual, both hilarious and educational. I was intrigued with the Theta brain wave theory that she explained to us. Let us go nowhere without our Emergency Knitting!

Birdbrain!

True story: My son and I went to lunch at Burger King a few days ago. We returned to the car and were getting ready to drive away when we both just stopped, mid-conversation, to watch a bird. It had in its beak what looked like a chunk of bread. The bird swooped down to land just under the shade of a car parked across the way in front of us. It was a hot day and there was a little puddle of water there, probably condensation that had run down and back from the car's air conditioner. The bird cocked its head one way and another, dipping the bread into the water. I have to believe it took the softened bread back to its nest for babies, or for a nesting momma bird. 

What a birdbrain!