Not much shakin'

I usually don't "do" much on Sundays, just take it easy.  That is the case today.  This is post # 325, a rather big number for such a puny little blog.  I hope to recharge my knitting mojo today, and maybe get a half-dozen more rows done on the Allotrope Cowl.  I tried working on it yesterday, but I fell asleep with it in my hands.  Hard to maintain any excitement about it, since I've seen about 3 other cowls I want to knit in the last week!  I think it would not be "cheating" on the Allotrope, if I just go stash-diving for an appropriate yarn for the Irish Mesh Cowl.  Not casting on, mind you!  Just picking out a yarn, maybe printing out the pattern...no swatching yet.
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I hate seeing the hallway junk piled up behind me in the Outfits photos I've been taking.  I really want to have a small piece of furniture there, something with storage room and a flat top.  So I've been looking at furniture online, here and there.  Then it hit me: we have a small chest of drawers, very cheaply made, which has basically failed to function.  The drawers were all hung up, and would not open but about 4".  So the Plaidman took it all apart to try to put new runners in, and it's been sitting in the craft room like that ever since.  I suggested that shelves would work just fine, if we got some nice looking bins; in fact, it only needs one shelf.  Everything going into it would have to fit inside a bin, to keep it neat, but I think that could work.  It might be a bit wide and/or deep for that space, but we'll try it there and if anyone keeps bumping into it we'll just move it back to the craft room.
I do love to plan; it would be nice if I could get more done on some plans!

Follow thru

Our Costco order arrived Wednesday night, probably while we ate supper.  We don't know when the two boxes were placed on the porch, because the delivery folk did not even ring the doorbell.  Plaidman discovered them when he went out to the market.  I'd ordered two heated mattress pads: one queen size fancy-schmancy one, and one twin size plainer one.  But we got two of the fancy queen size ones!  So I guess we'll carry one back to the store & see about getting the right size for the twin bed.
ETA: We went to Costco yesterday, with a printout of my order & the extra queen size pad.  I'd ordered online, without a membership ID.  Well, the gal at the returns counter couldn't pull up my order #, and without a member ID she had no other way to look for it.  Le Sigh!  We brought it home again, and I called their 800 number, and explained the sitch.  Veronica in Customer Service was happy to make it right; we'll get shipping labels sent, a pick up arranged, and the twin pad shipped within 2-3 business days.  Now the Plaid Patrol captains are discussing whether we need a membership; would we use it?  I'm in favor, because I want some small furnishings for the house such as a console or accent table for the hallway.  Note the cardboard box full of junk which is currently in use as the place I park my purse:

Captain Plaidman seems to think we could buy something cheap from WalMart to put there.  I don't mind saving money, but this is something that everyone coming in the front door will see so I do want it to be "nice".   I also want to hang a picture over it.  I'm sure I have enough artwork around to hang up something, just need to figure out the furniture part first.  Costco online has a few cute tables, I could see getting one there.  Walmart has cube storage, like for a dorm room -- probably not going to meet my standards for "nice".  I would start putting the purse in the hall closet, but will still need an elevated surface to hold it as I don't want to bend over every time I want my purse. (Note the cane in the photo bottom left, and the cat in the top left!)

WIP Wednesday link up!

Ok, all I can say is that is counted the rows done & the total rows on my Allotrope Cowl last night.  And I've reached the half-way mark!  Yippee!  It's all downhill from here.  I'll get you a picture:

There are a couple of flaws, but I figure I can just duplicate stitch over those & make it lovely.  I am so so glad that I've past the halfway mark on this.  Now it's so warm today, I'm sitting at the computer just 4' from the open door to the deck.  TomTom kitty has been running out there and back inside; he loves it!  He did get a little freaked by a large crow flying close by and cawing; he came running in very low to the floor with his ears laid back.  Not exactly the mighty hunter.  But what I meant to say is, I will not be wearing this item because it is A) too warm for the coming weather and B) going into the Long Range Planning box.  Someone will get this for Christmas this year!  

He loves me

Just so.  So often, we make plans to do so-and-such around the house, gather supplies & tools, and then nothing happens.  Not this week!  The Plaidman has really been busy.  He hung a full-length mirror in the hall, laid another step off the front porch, and installed another hand rail in the master bath!  I'm so tickled with all three!  I can start taking my pictures for the Outfits Challenge in the morning, before I get all wrinkled and tired-looking, by using the mirror (which is also likely to be cleaner than the one over the bathroom vanity!).  The extra step in front of the porch is half the height of the step up onto the porch, which has become difficult for me.  So this makes it safer and easier for me!  And as gravy on top, the Plaidman likes it very well too (his ankle has been bothering him lately).  And wow does that extra hand rail help in the bath.  I think it takes me half as much time to get in & out of the tub, and I feel safer to boot.  Look, here's me in the mirror & the new rail:

Now I just have to clean up the other side of the hall (behind me in the pic), maybe hang a nice picture?  And would you look: he didn't even crack the tile when he installed the bar.
Well, today we took a trip out to Costco to buy some things that weren't in stock -- no, that's not right, we hoped they were in stock but were disappointed.  However, I can still order them online, so I will do that.  I hope there's not much of a shipping charge!  Let you know when I do.

Throw me a line

I have been AWOL from the blog for a bit, still recovering from a sinus infection and just generally not wanting to spend any more time on the computer after working on one all day.  But the past few days have been short due to the weather, so I'm not quite wiped out this evening.  I updated one week of the Challenge, if you're interested or even if you're not -- how the heck would I know?  But I can say I'm already celebrating a more meaningful Valentine's Day this year.  My sweetheart, The Plaidman, has installed an extra step in front on the entrance to the front porch, so I don't have to struggle to get up on the porch every night.  He's also gathered the materials & tools he needs to install another bar in the master bath, to make it easier for me to get in & out of the tub.  I expect that task will be undertaken this weekend, and I'm really looking forward to having that extra support in there.
My doctor's office tried to get me enrolled in a patient advocate program, that would pay part of my treatment, but alas I make too much money.  So, I'm facing some large medical bills.  But I will file with the other policy, which pays me the $, and use that for the bills I have.  If there's any leftover, I'll put it in the special savings acct set up for medical co-pays & deductibles, that I've got from my employer.  Then maybe I won't have this issue next year.  That's the plan, anyway; but you know and I know that plans have a way of unraveling.
I am still slowly working on the Allotrope Cowl, which will certainly not be done before winter ends.  That's ok, I'm fine with putting it into the long range planning box (aka Christmas knitting!).  I'd still like to finish my capelet, but I will be good and stick with the cowl.  The other knitterly stuff I want to do is finishing:  I have two Color Affection shawls that need to be blocked.

The world turned

And we wound up in spring-like weather.  Go figure.  I haven't been able to enjoy it much, as I've had sinus devastation for the last week, barking coughing all day & night for a week.  I haven't slept more than a couple hours a night all week,  It got so bad my supervisor sent me home yesterday.  I went to a walk-in clinic, but they couldn't work me in yesterday so I went back this a.m.  I have 3 new prescriptions, including an inhaler.  Got home just about lunch time, ate a bowl of deliciously spicy white chili, and crawled back into bed and actually napped!  Folks who know me would know that's a sign of how ill I am.
I am still plugging away on my Allotrope Cowl, wanna see?  Of course you do!

I still have part of the first two skeins to work through; the plan
is to use six skeins total.  This is really fun to do, and I love the yarn, but goodness it's slow going!  I won't be wearing it this winter, that's for sure.  And now I'm really leaning toward making this lovely thing the first item in the 2016 Long Range Planning (aka holiday gifts) box.
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Disco has fallen deeply madly in love with her phone, and can hardly be separated from it.  She's neglected any chores other than cooking supper.  So, I assigned her a chore and collected her phone.  She's hard at work at the moment.  I came across a free cute app called Neko Atsume, not really a game as such but just a silly cuteness.  Disco & I both have it, and look at it often.  ****
The Outfits Challenge will have a small update, probably tomorrow, and it's small because I took sick days.  But hey! At least all three outfits are modeled!

This just in: Nashville closes for a weekend

Well, I must say I am heartily grateful to the management of Box O'Docs for allowing us coders to go back to working only 45 hours/week.  I love having my Saturdays back!  So I have been going in very early each day, in order to be able to leave before the worst of the traffic.  This works really well, most of the time -- early enough to beat most of the traffic both ways!  But Mother Nature interfered with the plan on Friday.  I left the house about a half hour earlier than usual, because the forecast was for sleet followed by snow.  I was keeping the speed way down, doing about 20 mph until I got out onto Bell Rd, which was in a bit better shape.  Then the sleet started mixing with these huge flakes of snow, which got heavier & heavier, so I slowed down again.  But not slow enough!  There's a stoplight at the bottom of a hill, and I really tried to stop the car (my new car!  my gorgeous new car!), without causing it to skid, but ... I slid right through the red light!  Thank goodness the cross traffic ( all of two cars at that hour) stayed put!  But that was it, once my heart slowed down some I decided I'd get off the street at the next light.  The roads were totally slushy, the snow was coming down thicker, and I was da**ed if I was going to risk my precious car or myself just for a nine-hour workday.  I pulled into a shopping plaza at Nippers Corner, called off work, then ever so slowly pulled back out, turned towards home at the light, and crept home at about 10 mph (which went down to 5 when I was approaching lights), white-knuckled all the way.  This has cost me a vacation day, well worth it!
My left eye had been bothering me for a couple of days, so Thursday I left work to see the eye doctor.  I have a history of eye problems, and just needed to get this nipped in the bud.  Well, I had somehow scratched my eye!  The doctor did something I'd never heard of before, but which makes sense.  She put a minimally corrective soft contact lens on that eye, saying it would be protective the way a bandage is on a cut.  I got prescription drops too.  Since I'd been out of the office for a couple of hours, I did go back and stayed quite late.  The weather forecast was looming all week.  When I got home Thursday evening, I had to run right back out & down to the dealership to get another drive-out tag for the car.  While the Plaidman & I were in the area, we stopped at a cafeteria for supper.  I got stuffed full of good stuff: pasta salad, broccoli, Lima beans, chopped steak (children's portion), and peach cobbler!  Just about put myself into "food coma", what with the long day and starting to feel a little under the weather.  Nothing I could put my finger on, just not quite right.  Well, in the middle of the night between Friday and Saturday, I woke up coughing & coughing.  Felt rung out all day Saturday, but never ran a fever, and today I feel better.  Still coughing, just not as much.  I'll see how I feel about going to work tomorrow. For now, the knitting calls!