Just like old times

I can roll through the kitchen & dining rooms from either doorway. I'm going to try restraining the damaged cabinet drawer fronts and doors, if we ever have a few days without storms. Pretty sure I can handle it. ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ I've been a bit puny lately, having chills most afternoons. Maybe the anemia? Just to gather data, I thought I should take my temp the next time the chills set in. As usual, there was a small problem: the battery in the thermometer had died. Thank goodness I have a thoughtful caregiver; she got another thermometer from her closet. And yes indeed, I was feverish. So..call primary care physician? Or one of the specialists I see? Or just go to a clinic, maybe get a Covid test. The last thing I'd do would be a visit to the ER, welcome to Covidland. For those of us Stephen King fans. there's a scary echo of Captain Trips in our daily lives. ☆☆☆☆▪︎▪︎ Despite puniness, I did knit a few rows on the chair cover. Not that it is fantastic. being 100% garter stitch in scrap yarns. I feel better having made about 6 rows & changed color.

Huzzah!!

Back in January, the Plaidman accidently destroyed our built-in oven. It was a mess, and had to be replaced. Measurements were taken, but failed to account for overhanging lips of the countertop. We spent almost 1K on a very nifty oven. that can even connect with our WiFi. but which could not be pushed back against the wall. This elephant sat in the middle of the kitchen. cutting off my access from the living room to the kitchen, until today! We had a handyman come in, cut the countertop as needed, move one small stack of drawers. and Voila! push the oven into the enlarged space between the counters. I'm thrilled. A side bonus was that Disco & Plaidman worked to get everything off the counters & run through the dishwasher--no dirty dishes in sight. Plaidman & I first swept, then mopped the kitchen & dining room tile floors. Next mission: get the fridge cleaned. ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆£☆☆ Last week I had an issue (AGAIN!) with getting my med refilled, but managed to get an actual person on the phone & got it sorted. That came today; so did a book from Thriftbooks; and a yarn order from Darn Good Yarn. It feels like Christmas in August.

GET GOING

The last time Disco had her eyes examined, she bought the ugliest frames in the shop.  They were the cheapest, made of horrible black plastic, and they never fit!  How in the world did the optician let her leave the store in kid-sized frames?  I don't donate my frames or throw the away, figuring I can have prescription sunglass lenses in them.  I went through some storage, and found a half metal frame from several years ago, in good shape and with a medium red-brown color applied.  Perfect for our favorite ginger!  And they fit her well!  So, she can apply her insurance $ to the lenses (Mom & Dad will pay the rest), and let the eye care store put 'em into the recycled frames.  And today is the day for her exam.

*** *** ***

I'm at the second of three row 11 of the second of three 12 row repeats for the body of the Clingman's Watch Cap. 14 rows more, then start the decreases of the crown.  What to knit next?  I have the lighter yarn for the Deeds shawl, not wound into a cake yet, but the pattern is ready.   I have the solid color ribbon yarn plus two variegated spun yarns for another shawl, which may or not be based on Fated (in Ravelry).  I've got some lovely HW City Tweed that needs to be a new hat for the Plaidman.   And some weeks back, I could not resist an untwisted acrylic/cotton mix that is a puzzlement. If the sun would ever come out again, I could get some pictures.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆▪

Ok, turns out using my old frames was actually going to be more expensive than getting new frames.  I know you're going, "Wha-a-at??".  I'll explain.  Disco's insurance has no vision coverage, as in nothing towards the frame or lenses.  Which would not be a problem, except that each part of what she wanted would be charged at a la care prices, unless she bought a bundle of services.  Bundled exam was a lot less than unbundled, they had bargain frames available for the bundled service, and bundled lenses were also discounted.  The difference would come to about $200.00.  BUT she chose lighter & prettier frames that actually fit her head (not kid sized), and are a lot more likely to stay on her face when she moves her head.  This is kinda important when driving, or even just walking. The exam she had was for prescription correction, but they did note some increased eye pressure, and some thinning of her cornea.  She'll need a follow up exam, tentatively scheduled for December.  I think a physical exam may be in order, too.  Eye issues could be thyroid related.

total(ly glacial) recall

One of Disco's birthday gifts was to be driving lessons, from a professional instructor.  When we contacted him in May, he was still booked up with classes in the local high schools.  We are to contact him this month for her private lessons.  She will need better glasses, as the ones she got fall off her face constantly.  I gave her a pair of my old half-framed glasses, so we only need to cover the exam & lenses.  We're getting a little bit back from the IRS, nowhere near what we'll need for lessons & lenses, but it will be applied.

○●○●○●○●

Disco has an appointment with the eye doctor.  Today I'll ask her to locate the glasses I gave her.  Next order of business: setting up her driving lessons.  I asked the Plaidman to reach the driving school; after 4 attempts today he decided to try again tomorrow.  

■□■□■□■□

I've knit through the 12th row of the hat body, now to do that twice more.  Hurrah.

I'm educated

I was a bit disappointed in the very loose stitches resulting from the P1B instruction in the Clingman's Watch Cap.  So I frogged it back to the brim, an operation that evoked dread, but worked well. Since then I've worked 10 rows of the stitch pattern, and guess what!?  That looseness is necessary to create the diagonals in the design.  The lesson here:   Follow the recipe!  Today's plan is to work the recipe without overthinking.

 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

I called the patient assist for my medicine, but they're not accepting the prescription # on what I thought was the first shipment of this year.  But that # did not meet their specs.  I have tossed the areas where I keep records, thinking I had received at least one shipment.  No luck finding a label.  I got in touch with the Dr R, and he's going to issue a new prescription.  That should take care of this issue.

 

B

That worked.

Usually when I try to put a lifeline in place prior to frogging just part of a project, I can't put the line into the same row the whole length of the row.  I tried with the Clingman's Dome Watch cap, as the first four pattern rows had some very loose stitches.  But the stitches on the line were in different rows, as usual.  Nothing for it but to start pulling out the life line & continue frogging....then it occurred to me that the ribbing was unraveling in nice rows.  I grabbed a tapestry needle & contrast yarn, and very carefully began popping those stitches on the life line.  I got all of  'em!   Then I put 1/3 onto a size 3 DPN, and started working the ribbing pattern off that needlr onto ythe size 6 called for in the design.  Did that twice more, putting in stitch markers, and had all on the size 6 needle.  And I have only two more rows of the ribbed brim  before starting the pattern stitches.  Piece of cake!  And I am knitting, instead of just thinking of knitting.  MOJO return acheived.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

So, I've been looking at shawl patterns that use a couple different types of yarn, generally as stripes.  I'm kinda taken with Fated, which is in Ravelry.  I want to use some/most of the Berroco Glace 2591 with other man made fibers.  Once I get the hat done, I will move on with either the Deeds shawl or Fated.

a little sloppy

I got 4 rows into the texture stitches of the CLINGMAN'S DOME HAT, &  saw some really loose stitches.  I'm  done frogging those rows & will pick them up again, as soon as I feel up to the frustration of not getting all the stitches on the lifeline.

receipt

I need to get a receipt here so I can use it elsewhere.

Riverine dreams

I don't know what triggered it, but I've been carrying an ear worm for the past 3 days.  It is Billy Joel 's River of Dreams.  So I pulled it up in You Tube, and I listen to it several times daily.  I can't decide if I want it as part of my memorial service.  So far, I've picked I'll Fly Away and Will the Circle Be Unbroken as musical selections for that day.  I'm not  super keen on church music.  

mail call

5-9-21 ETA:  The ribbed brim of the Clingman's Dome Cap is now 3.25", needing only .75" before I start the texture pattern.

* * * *

5/2/21

Got a phone call from someone with a strong Indian or Pakistani accent, saying he was calling from UPS.  He asked (I think) if I had received a box of cards (?).  I just could not figure out what he said; we have a lot of scam calls from people who sound like this fella.  Sometimes they try to ship unordered back or knee braces to us, so I got rude with this guy and hung up. Half an hour later the door bell sounds, Plaidman goes out to find a big box on the porch.  No return address.  Looks suspicious.  Plaidman opens it, lots of brown wrapping paper, and one very special item:

A copy of the 3rd Army WWII campaign map.  One of the troops in Big Tom's unit made several for the unit, this one was Tom's.  Good ol' Brother Mike must have found it while cleaning house.  We are jist thrilled to have it!  Now to see about conserving it & finding a framer, which I'd like to have done by the Plaidman's birthday.

^*^*^*^*

In knitting news, the Mountain Hiker hat was finished 4/30, and it fits every head in the house except the cat's.  Also on Friday, I restarted the Clingman's Dome hat; I hope I've read the pattern and the instruction to purl below  will not throw a spanner in the works.  This one is two solid colors, so the stitch definition  should be better.  

can you spell relief

I went to a periodontist weeks ago, for relief of jaw problems associated with cancer treatment.  The doctor found some necrosis around the back molar, which has been a long-standing issue.  He proposed treating it with laser ablation, so I saw him today for that.  Of course, I had to take 3 numbing injections into a very sore area!  I squealed like a stuck pig; oral injections are not high on my list of fun things to do.  When my jaw was numb enough (just!), some probing with a sharp pick located a loose piece of necrotic bone.  Dr. West pulled it out (OUCH) and used the laser to tidy up the back of the molar (more OUCH).  I'll return in about a week to make sure it heals well.  Let's hope this works, at least for awhile.  The doctor said this condition could recur, and will be managed rather than cured.  Terrific, add it to the cancer, the degenerated discs, the arthritis, etc.  

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

I'm working the crown decreases of the Hiker hat.  I'll try to get a photo tomorrow.

Estates

The state where Brother & his late wife resided is not a community property state.  Even if it were, the wife owned that house before she married Brother, so it wasn't aquired during their marriage.  Her kids are not fond of Brother, and they have been anxious to acquire their Mama's estate.  And I don't know why I'm so concerned for Bro's future; he's a smart guy & has likely made arrangements himself.

•••• ○○○○○ ••••••

The charity hat measures 7" from the cast on.  Plaidman tried it on and says there's no way it could fall or be blown off.  The next one will have K2, P2 ribbing, for a softer stretch.  And maybe a solid color, too!

RIP

Plaidman's sister just called, to let us know Plaidman's SIL passed away last night.  SIL was not super close to P-man's family, but Brother D loved her very much.  Her kids from 1st marriage will inherit most of her estate, possibly including the house.  Brother is a bit old to be house hunting & moving, so I hope her kids will give him plenty of time to move, or maybe just let him rent the place for a while.  The neighborhood is not the best, it would likely be in their interest to have someone in the house.  Whatever they choose, poor Brother is already abused, because the state limits funeral attendance to 10.  Her family numbers well over 10, so Brother will be all alone at his wife's funeral, no one from his family at all.

just goofin'

Two days ago I felt like two or three days of work would finish this hat.  So I failed to work on it at all for the past two days.  In my defense, we all hied away to the IHOP yesterday, ate like there would be no tomorrow, then went home & napped until the dinner hour.  Can't get much done when food coma strikes. That was not my only problem.  I'll be seeing the periodontist (not nearly soon enough) late this month, for the sequela  of the parotiditis of 2019.  My jaws hurt, I get a big headache, and the only thing that gives any relief is a heating pad applied to the jaws & temple, left side.  I found a way to secure it there without having to keep my hand on it, so got some rest.

^^^^^^^^^

I measured, and have knit 6" from the cast on of the charity hat.  After making the brim 4" deep, I figure it needs 3 or 3.5" more knit in pattern before the crown decreases.  Gotta work on it more.  But not tonite!

Out, out!

I started watching Life Below Zero last night, but only got a couple minutes into it before realizing I'd seen two days ago.

Back to the channel guide, I see Epix has its own. So I found my current fave, Brittania, and watched two more episodes.  Now, I had tried to get the show on Monday, but kept getting a message about the HD definition on our cable box, which I couldn't resolve.  Now I know the trick is to get to the Epix channel, and find the show from there.  

÷÷÷÷÷=====

I didn't get much knitting done, as the show requires some concentration to follow the dialog with English accents and the doggamned whispering that composes half the dialog.  Why, oh why must the whispers compete with the dramatic music?!?  

working on it

Four inches of ribbing seems excessive, unless one plans to wear it folded.  For the Mountain Hiker hat, the pattern calls for 1.5" of ribbing on the adult medium size.  I guess that would be OK for a beanie, but I want it slouchy and more like a watch cap.  The 4" of ribbing are done, and I'm working on the texture pattern; there are about 12 rows done.  More tomorrow,  too tired to type anyway.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

Getting ready to pick up the hat again, just need something on the TV that doesn't require following a plot line, like Secrets of the Zoo or Life Below Zero.  Turned on the tube, it's already tuned to Zero, so that'll do.

Plumber here..sort of

He took a look at the disposal, and left to fetch a new one.  I am watching Plaidman prepare some Ramen noodles for my lunch.  Not sure if I'll nap or knit after lunch.

¤¤¤¤¤¤

After lunch, I read the paper.  Sis makes fun of me reading the  newspapers, so does SIL.  However, SIL has said she wishes they had a newspaper so she could get coupons.  Apparently the household lacks Internet access too.  Kind of a shame, she probably gets all her news from FOX.

The pit yawns

Last night Disco called my attention to the wet floor of the undersink cabinet in the kitchen.  The Plaidman had already retired for the night, so I left him a note about it - he's always the first up & in the kitchen.  So, it's lunch time, and his quick check seems to pin the trouble to a leaking disposal.  For once, he's gone ahead & called a plumber without waiting for me to ask him 5 times to do so.  We can expect to see the plumber in two days.  Which is hella better than the wait for the handyman that was supposed to help us fit our new oven & range into it's place.  Said oven is still sitting in the door to the kitchen, not a problem for my housemates, but my chair won't fit thru.  I haven't been able to go through that doorway since January 30th.  I just reminded Plaidman of that, and of the fact that we have stimulus money on hand.  Perhaps he'll contact someone who can get that job done.  Not holding my breath.

***********

Disco went on expedition into the craft storage room, and came out with the Bare Gloss yarn I got a couple of years ago.  I could not recall if it was fingering or lace weight.   It is lace weight; it could be double stranded for the Deeds shawl, but I'm not sure I'd have enough left for the Aeolian shawl that my heart really wants.  Right now the Deeds shawl will hibernate.  Another project that calls to me, the Willow China Cowl, will have to wait.  We have the home repairs to pay for, plus some periodontal work that will set us back a bit, before I can justify spending more money on yarn.  S'okay, I have lots of yarn & can surely find patterns that will suit.  I have a charity hat project that got frogged & restarted in a different pattern, I can carry on with that.  Just now, I'll see if I can get lunch served before Plaidman runs to the store!

Not fishing

It's called fishing, not catching.  I have been fishing through the On Demand on our service, for a show we started watching last fall.  I am delighted to say I found it!  We here at Chez Plaid are completely underwhelmed by sitcoms and the mostly - scripted "reality" shows.  We do watch police drama series, even the ones in syndication.  But it's really nice to see something new (at least to us) that isn't directed at the lowest common denominator, with a canned laugh track.  So now we have several series available: 30 Coins, Banshee (how did we miss the first 3 seasons?), Debris, and  Britannia.  If Animal Planet or Nat Geo or SCI channels don't interest us, we can dial up a drama.  Whew, that's a relief.

~~~~~~~~~

So how's the shawl coming along?  Well enough, considering I work on it every other day, and only for a couple hours at a time.

I'm using the Cranberry  (1st photo), Winter Night (3rd pic), and Plume (4th pic).  The 2nd pic is of River Rock, looks darker here than IRL, so did not quite suit.  I have a good quantity of the Gloss fingering, and have an idea to use the River Rock in another pattern, but will need some white as well.  It's cool, I have Knit Picks on speed dial.

Done deal

The Plaid Patrol is officially fully vaccinated against the SARS-COVID virus.  We celebrated by having dinner at the China Pan!  We hadn't been there in almost a year, so it was a happy visit.  

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

I started the MKAL (at last), and was doing ok, until I tried knitting on it while "resting" between the clinic visit & the supper at the Pan.  After supper, I had to tink out four rows where I had repeated a wrong side row many times....Sigh.  But I am back on track now, and may finish a section this evening.  Disco has gotten the craft bug; she got herself a pile of variegated yarn while we were at WalMart.  I got a ball of Shawl in a Ball, her choice of color, to make a shawl fade for her.  I'll look at the pattern & see if I can throw in some lace along the bottom.

Almost Ancient

When we added TomTom Tiger to our household, he was about 3 months old.  Our "senior " kitty, Miss Hinky Boo, was 15 months.  We did the math, and found they had both been born in March, one year apart.  Since then we've had the Cat Birthday on the Ides of March.  There seems to be some debate as to whether the Ginger Bomber is going to be 19 or 20 years old this month.  He's just hella old for a cat.

☆☆☆▪▪▪☆☆☆☆

I have a new lot of yarn from my favorite enablers, KnitPicks.  It's mostly  their Gloss Fingering, soft & shiny.  I got Cranberry, Plume (they could have left off the "e"), and River Rock.  I was hoping River Rock was just a shade darker, but it'll have to do.  Also present: two balls of their City Tweed HW in color Harbor Seal, for the Plaidman's new hat.  Later I'll have to take pictures & record these goodies in my Ravelry stash.  Any day spent playing with yarn is a good day.

**  **  **  **

March 13

Shoot, I keep forgetting to hit "publish" on here, before closing the WIFI on the phone.  Today is cloudy outside, so quite dim inside and unsuited to pictures of yarn.  I did knit a bit last night, putting in the "sore thumb" for one fingerless mitt.  Today I'll attempt to do better on the other one (I dropped a stitch last night).  The third clue is about to be dropped for the KAL, but I haven't even started clue 1 yet.  I feel like Plaidman's hat can wait, since it's so warm here.  But I am so close to being D-O-N-E with these mitts, which were started when our heating was only firing on one cylinder, that I must just suck it up & get 'er done.  

>>>>>>>>>

Erm...that was 4 hours ago.  I remembered I had an email about a tax document, so I looked that up.  While I was in the email, I found an important message from my sister that had to be handled.  Amazon had sent me some suggestions for my Kindle, and I looked at those.  Next, I got onto Amazon ' s site, hoping to see some books I'd actually be interested in reading.  That led me to Crafts,  and a happy half hour of looking at yarn.  No orders were placed.

You probably saw this coming

Last week we paid a handyman to pull the old oven/range out from between the cabinets.  He also laid down a piece of plywood to bring that space up to the floor level.  Big box store showed up with our new oven, which is about .75" too wide, but just at the counter top and cabinet facing.  I'm about ready to scream.  Mr. Handyman has been called, but not yet scheduled.   Our one problem is "welping", dropping other related problems.  Let's hope we haven't opened a money pit.

^^^^****^^^^

Today I made reservations for all of the Plaid Patrol to get the first COVID vaccine shots.  Yippee!  There wasn't any option to schedule the second shots.  I'll just have to keep checking back on the website. 

♤♡♤♡♤♡♤♡

In knitting news, the second mitt is up to row 25.

~~~~~~~\

March 5, 2021

Edited to add that the Plaid Patrol has had the first round of Covid vaccines.  Disco had to get up at the ungodly (to her) hour of 9 a.m.  It is now 5:18 p.m., and she's retired for a nap.  She'll likely surface about 11 p.m., to raid the fridge & feed the cat.

Happy Weekend!

long da÷m week

This past Friday was the first day with above freezing temps in a week.  Our heating is based on heat exchage, which pretty much fails when the heat exchange is covered in frost.  We have one small ceramic heater that's placed in the living room;  Disco closed the vents in 3 rooms where we don't linger.  But Friday & Saturday have worked to defrost the exchage, and the temp inside is holding at 71°F.

We have an even warmer day ahead,  but I'm still debating whether to put on street clothes, or go back to bed.  Ah the exciting life of retirement.  While waiting for the HVAC to resume normal function, we're still waiting to have an oven installed.  Imagine how much warmer we could have been, if we could have been baking cookies, or roasting many heads of garlic for the freezer.  I would have voted for casseroles for dinner, too.  Make 'em big enough to freeze half & eat half.

The oven would be key.

^^^^^^^^     ^^^^^^^^

I've made some progress on the fingerless mitts.   Four more rows are needed before the "sore thumb"  can be knit.  No thumb gusset,  not sure I'll like the fit but it will knit up quicker.  Or it would, if I could get to my "knitting spot" on the sofa.  We got a whole week of newspapers delivered this morning, and the Plaidman has settled in to work all the crosswords.  Except he just went outside to smoke!  HAHA, you move you lose!!

in memorium

I watch Alaskan Bush People, followed them for quite a while.  I am so sad that Bill Brown has passed.  The Wolf Pack has lost their elder alpha.  Billy always seemed such a sweet guy, in spite of all the hazards and mishaps of his chosen lifestyle.  That may support my theory that hardship tends to beat the meaness out some folks.  Yes, a "lucky" few of us actually do go from swords to ploughshares.  I don't know how comforting that thought may be, to his family, but I do wish them peace.

^^^^^^^    ^^^^^

The Oven Saga continues.  We had an appliance repairman out, hopeful that the door could simply be replaced.  No such luck, it's an antique for which extra parts are unobtainable.  Then the big box store called, they wanted to set up delivery.  We said either Saturday or Sunday, but they called just now.  They just left, without installing our oven.  Grrrr!  The problem is the "kick plate" on the base of the unit, which the repairman couldn't handle, and neither can the big box installer.  Basically, it's a baseboard across the front of the oven.  The installer's insurance won't allow him to dismantle it; he suggested getting a carpenter, or just pulling it off ourselves.  Plaidman is working on it.  The installer will check back with us on Sunday.  To be continued....

*****     *****

Sis' wrap will not be continued in its current form.  I've decided to make afghan squares instead, which should be more interesting.   Much of it has already been frogged.  I'm watching the impeachment trial while frogging; seems a good mix.

further developments

Our new oven was supposed to be installed yesterday.  The handyman sent by the big box home goods store discovered that he could not slide out the old oven, because it has a kickplate, which will require a professional installer's work.  I got to thinking that maybe all we need (for the oven) is a new door.  I've looked at a couple repair sites, and don't think it would be beyond the capability of the Plaid Patrol to lift off the old one & hang a new door.  So, I do some shopping for an oven door.  After about two very frustrating hours it becomes clear that an oven door can't be bought online.  One may buy all the parts of a door, but who wants to put it together like a jigsaw puzzle?  I found a repair service that specifically lists oven door replacement in their services, and expect to work out a suitable time for them/him to come help us.  Then we'll call the big box store, cancel our order & get our money back.  Piece of cake.

^^^^^^^^^   ^^^^^^^^

Disco suggested that the Plaidman requires supervision when operating the oven.  I have to agree.  He likes to bake breakfast rolls a couple mornings each week; Disco & I will have to look for the tins in the fridge, and get him to do his baking  in the evening, since he rises a lot earlier than we do.

*****   *****

Every time I pick up Sis' wrap, I want to change it.  I just can't get happy with it.  Maybe sampler blocks would be more interesting?  I've a tonne of patterns for such.  I'll think about it.

exhibits b & c

Not yesterday, but the Sunday before, Plaidman made dinner.  He made something that each of us has cooked up many times, with minor variations based on pantry contents.  We were to have a beef meatloaf, which we usually "finish" with some sort of tomato product drizzled over it.  We've used tomato paste or sauce, or commercial bottled spaghetti sauce, mixing a bit into the loaf before it's shaped & put in a baking dish.  Then we spread the tomato product over the top for nice color & flavor.  Sunday evening, he made up his beef, egg, & oats mixture and went to the pantry for some tomato goodness.  He could see none at all, not a bit of tomato sauce or paste.  We live less than a half mile from the grocery, but instead of putting the loaf fixings in the fridge & making a quick trip to the store, he decides to just do without the flavor & savor of the sauce.  Our meatloaf was dry and not tasty, for which he apologized and explained the lack of tomato.  Now, I'd had occasion to get into the pantry recently, and remembered seeing some spaghetti sauce there.  I asked if he'd noticed it.  He had, but didn't want to open a full jar for a half a cup of sauce, and didn't want to throw out the rest.  What?  Why not use the half cup, put the lid back on, and put the jar in the fridge?  He shrugged.  The idea had not occurred to him, even after literally years of doing just that whenever meatloaf was on the menu.  This piece of info had fallen out of his memory.

******  *******

Yesterday I asked for Raisin Bran, heated up in the microwave.  He seems to enjoy making my breakfast.  I had an egg scramble as well, which came to the table before my hot cereal.  I'd nearly finished my egg, when the bowl of cereal wss placed on the placemat.  I gave it a stir : yes there were raisins, no it was not Raisin Bran.  It was cream of wheat.  Good thing I like cream of wheat with raisins.  This is one example of breakfast confusion, but it's happened at least once a week for a while now.  I'm going along on his next visit to his doctor.

*****   *****

I frogged & rent three rows of Sis' wrap.  That' all I've managed in two days.

Scary

Wow, where to begin...The Plaidman is not a youngster.  He's seen eight decades, if you count a few months of 1949.  We've been a team for a long time.  The last couple of years he has been showing signs of impaired cognition, in spite of working crossword & sudoku  puzzles daily.  He did improve when he got hearing aids.  Then last night he had some kind of panic attack/senior moment.  He made a boxed mix of bar cookies, waited for the oven to heat & put the baking dish inside, setting the timer.  A few minutes later, the oven beeps --- much too soon.  He goes back to the oven, to find the door locked & his baking on fire.  Now, this model oven has an auto lock function that engages when the cleaning  function is used, or if something inside catches fire.  This lock keeps fire inside, behind the door.  It is super important to leave that door closed so the fire will go out when the oxygen is consumed.  When the oven gets down to normal temp, the lock will disengage.  But Plaidman won't wait, and tries to get the door open.  He pulls the handle off, the door starts breaking, I'm trying to tell him that there's no rush to get the cookies as they're burnt anyway, and that the door needs to stay closed!  Glass starts breaking, I told him to at least have the fire extinguisher at hand; his hands were shaking as he reached for it.  Apparently his frantic pulling at the door, stopping three times to sweep up fallen glass, & getting the extinguisher, allowed time for the fire to go out & oven to cool.  He broke several layers of glass and was just frantic to get the door open.   Well, he did.  And the cookies were burnt to a crisp.  But at least the rest of the kitchen didn't BURN UP.  Guess who gets to go buy us a new oven tomorrow.   I'm glad no one got hurt, & the kitchen didn't burn up.  But his behaviora was bizarre.

He attacked that oven door like our lives were in danger.  I am very concerned.

********

That was Saturday.  He was odd again Sunday, but my phone is acting up so I'll have to make that another post.

probably not antique

When my eldest sister passed, I went to her home with Mom to sort through her things.  She did not have much, but I found a little tin full of buttons.  I've given the buttons to Disco, but wondered about the origin of this tin.  

MSA, Mine Safety Appliances, is very much in business, still based in Pittsburgh.  I've sent them this picture and another, to see if they could date it's manufacture or distribution.   This is just for my curiousity.  

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No knitting today.  I'm liking the aqua wtth the light purple,  and even more so with the darker purple.  

slow Tuesday

All quiet on the southern front, here in Antioch.  I read an article from the Tennessean about the history of our local mall.  Hickory Hollow mall was one of the largest in the area, and very popular the first few years after opening.  The newspaper pins the decline to "rising crime rates" in Antioch, but I think that may be politi-speak for "too many POC in the mall".  White Nashville did not want to frequent a shopping center that had a predominantly black clientele.  Antioch, at the time, was one of the mostly black areas of town, with a lot fewer large apartment complexes and those that were here were older & considered low rent.  Now there are many that have opened in the past few years, with more springing up every few months.  All advertise the latest amenities, so I don't imagine they're inexpensive.  We've got a town house in a mixed

neighborhood, much more urban than where we lived before here.

I sure hope someone figures out how to revitalize our mall.

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I knit a bit on the Sis' wrap last night, as we watched 30 Coins.  Such a wild & weird show!  Disco doesn't want to watch, so she missed the scariest part of the mirror business.  I don't think I could get her into a fun house hall of mirrors.  Heck, I wouldn't go in one either!

sorry, my bad

Yesterday, in my goofy enthusiam, I said we have a sane, decent, and ADULT man in the Oval Office.  I apologize; after the last four years a person defined by the first three descriptors would be welcome, regardless of gender.  Although President Biden is a man, it was not my intent to highlight a particular gender as a needed attribute for the job.  However, I am partial to my fellow KEYSTONER.  I wonder whether he favors Philly ' s team, or the Steelers.

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With the arthritis & bone mets, I have to work at getting into bed. I got up at 6 am yesterday, and decided to get another 2 hours of sleep.  But I just could not pull my right leg up onto the bed.  So aggravating!  My wheelchair is close, I moved it so the footrest was only an inch from the bed.  Yep, that footrest made a good stepping stone!  So last night I got a small step stool out of the closet, and used it.  Much better!  I hated to wake Plaidman for assistance; hopefully that will stop now.

what do we have

What do we have today, that we didn't have yesterday?  A sane, decent, ADULT man in the Oval Office.  Thank You, Lord, for letting me live to see this day.  If the arthritis weren't such a drag today, I'd do the Happy Dance.  Close your eyes & imagine it.  Then do it for me!

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Did any news outlet cover the exit of the T-rump?  I've had CNN on almost all day, not a peep from them.  Plaidman says it was briefly covered very early this morning.  So...before I got up & greeted our new day.  I don't think I missed anything, except a chance to make raspberries at the TV.

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Speaking of the TV, it works a heck of a lot better since we got off the dish network.  We've found one really fun thing to see, The Watch, based on Sir Terry Pratchett's Discworld books.  And one super scary series, 30 Coins, which is about hellacious (literally) interest in the 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas for his betrayal of Jesus.  We've encountered a similar group of stories in the Harry Dresden books, where each coin has a fallen angel within.  The difference in the books is that anyone touching a coin falls under the influence of its demonic angel; so far, that isn't happening in 30 Coins.  But I've only seen two episodes, so it could happen.  

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I have found it hard to knit through either of these shows.  I don't speak Spanish, so I have to watch the subtitles in 30 Coins.  And the accents of the Watch are difficult to follow without visual clues.   But what fun, seeing some of Sir Terry's work realized on the telly!  Ooo, the oven's come to temp; perhaps dinner will arriving soon.  

ONE DAY MORE

I want to tell him not to let the door hit him in the ass on his way out.  You know, he's pretty much quit doing the job he was elected to perform.  The only part he likes is issuing pardons and commutations, so he's doing those & trying to get some A list celebs to commit to his military send off at the Andrews base.  But his time to win friends & influence people is in the past.  The Republican party has to get back to basics, like issues rather than the cult of (toxic) personality.  The Trumpists should form their own wacka doodle party.

I'm pretty tired of having such a horrible person as president.  Heck. I don't even want to rant about how awful he is.

I've done a little work on Sis' textures, mostly more seed stitch.  When there are 15 rows I'll switch colors.   Three rows later, I'll start another stitch pattern, maybe basket stitch.  One day soon I will take pictures.

abandon ship

The rats are scurrying below decks, looking for some way to disassociate from the Captain's wild ass flailings.   Mitch has found himself keelhauled, instead of celebrated as the BFF.

And how about coach Bill Belichick refusing the Medal of Freedom, after Trump's giving it to Nunes & Rush Limbaugh?!?  I wouldn't want to be lumped in with those ackjasses either.

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I fell hard for a paid pattern on Ravelry, Stitchnerd's Brain Frieze.

Scroll down through the many photos on the pattern page, you will understand.  And! It's done with slip stitch patterns, only one color per row.  Amazing that something so simple could produce such loveliness.  I'm pretty sure I have something in stash that will work.  I'm wound up for it, but last night I frogged my Winging It wrap, 120 stitches wide by about 9" deep, because I really hated the rolled edge.  I cast on 72 stitches, and worked 5 rows in 3 X 3 ribbing.  I can do stuff like that, because it's just knitting.  

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Boohoo!

Gosh, I'm sorry I stayed up to watch my Steelers lose to Cleveland.  What a disappointment.  I don't "do" highlights; you want the details they're online somewhere.

Disco has/had a tablet given to her by the school she enrolled in.  The tablet has been linked to the school's network, which she can't access because she had to cancel her classes.  She put the tablet away and now can't find it.  I told her we'd take it to a shop & get it off the school network, if she'll find it.  I'm thinking maybe it's as simple as putting in a new SIM card?  We shall see.

Can you believe this twit?

On the phone, being recorded while soliciting the very "voter" fraud he's been claiming of the other party. You know him, you love him (maybe not so much), of course it's Donny the Lying Sack O'Shit Trump. Let's give him a big round of applause! ************* Two days later, and this foolishness may be the nail in the coffin for the Cheeto In Chief. It appears Rev. Warnock and Jon Ossoff have won Georgia's two Senate runoff races. I am absolutely thrilled. The T-rump has managed to lose a GOP presidency, a GOP House, and a GOP Senate in 4 years. The GOP used to be the conservative party, holding the government purse strings. Now they are simply involved in keeping themselves in office and courting the big donors.

Procrastinating

I have two projects OTN, both should be in work right now but having wound up 7 cakes for one I need a break. A spot of lunch, a cruise through Ravelry, & I may be "feeling it". My baby Sis sent me a purchased wrap for Christmas. She knows how, but hasn't got time to knit. I, on the other hand, have nothing but time, plus a craft room full of yarn. So my response to the store bought wrap will be a hand made one. Many sighs of relief at seeing the last of 2020. Just one more piece of business: which way will Georgia move? I'm so hopeful, that we'll see Senate control for the Democrats established.