Friday Morning

9:15 am

I am off on my day - heading to the fair grounds - after I get a coffee and the NY times for the old lady.

Moe nervous that yesterday. But still OK. I think we are going to have plenty of people for the gates and to park cars - so that worry is over.

Will check back in late to update myself :)

Slightly nervous but not too bad

Thursday
July 21st
9:21 am

3 days and 6 hours and 37 minutes to go.

Still feeling pretty OK. Slight knots in my stomach as I think ahead - so I am trying not to think ahead.

Have to to take the old lady up to the neurologists this afternoon so that will take my mind off things for a while. Her MRI last night was OK, although she looked so wiped out when she came out of there - She said they don't provide music up at Dartmouth like they do other places and that makes a big difference. She was really white as a sheet. But we sat a while and she recovered. The strange thing was she was walking really well! Don't know how this all works but it is strange.

I took her to dinner at Murphy's and that was good and we stopped at the bookstore and she got herself a book about Wendell Wilkie so that was good too! SO all in all it wasn't a bad evening. She needed to get out and see something different.

I am trying to see if we can get her up to the fair - maybe around the time to listen to the band. I think she will like them and it will amuse her to be up there. We'll have to play it by ear.

Fair Days

Don't get me wrong - I really do love the fair - on the day of. I love getting up at 4:30 (really) and heading up to the grounds by 5:30. Stopping for coffee and ice. Driving up Highland Road on the back way to the fair and looking out across Vermont - so beautiful in the dawn light. One year I saw a mother fox and her kits playing on someone's lawn both mornings.

Being the very first one there and hearing the turkey in the petting zoo gobbling incessantly. As I set up my stuff I can hear the lower field starting to life - antique tractors being fired up. Cow lowing for their morning feed. The turkey. Trucks starting up the road to the entrance. The turkey.

And all kinds of other stuff - running around and getting things done in my inimitable style! Just being happy to be there - doing a little extra for someone like the old woman last year who had trouble walking.

And I loved having Ken with me last year - he was such a help and a great emotional support. I had the best time I have ever had last year.

All that stuff I really like. Oh well I will make the most of this year and I will not let anyone bother me. And I will not get into any "interpersonal" type problems and it will all be beautiful.

Wednesday July 20th, 2005

4 days , 5 hours and 53 minutes to go! and the fair will be done.

Deb who sits across the aisle from me at work has promised that next week when I say "Well that wasn't so bad. I think I will do the fair again next year." that she will smack me as hard as she can in the head.

I have asked for it - because otherwise I will go through this whole gut churning anxiety again - like an idiot.


Oh and look in the time it took me to type this 4 more minutes have gone by! so it's only 4 days , 5 hours and 49 minutes to go!

No Time to Blog

Just checking in to say - not time to spend on the blog lately. - Sick mother, sick dog, Ag fair this weekend and not enough volunteers. Really wanted to post pictures from a variety of things that have gone on ( good thing). But it takes longer than you think it would.

Plus work is so very busy - and the summer sales meeting is coming up with all it's inherent running around.

Anyway just letting everyone know I am alive - and yes I know that everyone is mostly me :)

Knitting wise I did finish a felted bag for the old lady and it isn't exactly what I wanted but still I think it is good for a first try. AND I finished a sock last night - only took about 5 tries to get the Japanese Short-row technique looking good on it. The heel is kind of screwy still but the toe looks great! Now all I have to do is another one.

New babies ! and look at all the others that have pipped! 

Disgusting

Via DC Media Girl and Steve Gilliard the following reprehensible quote from a "College Republican":

Generation Chickenhawk from The Nation

At a table by the buffet was Justin Palmer, vice chairman of the Georgia Association of College Republicans, America's largest chapter of College Republicans. In 1984 the group gained prominence in conservative circles when its chairman, Ralph Reed, formed a political action committee credited with helping to re-elect Senator Jesse Helms. Palmer's future as a right-wing operative looked bright; he batted away my question about his decision to avoid fighting the war he supported with the closest thing I heard to a talking point all afternoon. "The country is like a body," Palmer explained, "and each part of the body has a different function. Certain people do certain things better than others." He said his "function" was planning a "Support Our Troops" day on campus this year in which students honored military recruiters from all four branches of the service.

This just tips me over the edge - I have been doing well not melting down about the war. However, the attitude of the college students in this article and their embodiment of the Republican disregard for anyone they think is beneath themselves is just beyond belief. Oh yes - I get the message here very well - Mr. Palmer thinks of himself as the "brain" of the country - and we don't want to get out brains shot out do we? No - let's send the hands and the feet to be destroyed. The idea that because of your class or your supposed "intelligence" you are better than another is so hateful. This young man thinks that he is better; more deserving of life and happiness and the chance to grow old at peace than all these people:

Erik Anders Halvorsen
Kyle C. Gilbert
Alan N. Bean Jr.
Mark Asher Evnin
William J. Normandy
Jeffery Scott Holmes
Jesse W. Strong
Solomon C. "Kelly" Bangayan
Kevin F. Sheehan
Jamie A. Gray
Pierre E. Piche

Who are they? The 11 Vermonter's killed in Iraq so far.

Just a bit about Kyle Gilbert:

When high school senior Kyle Gilbert couldn't get into the military because of occasional headaches, he turned to Vermont's Sen. James Jeffords.

"I was used to people asking me to help them get out of the military, not the other way around," Jeffords said.

Pvt. Gilbert, 20, was killed Aug. 6, 2003, when their unit was fired on from a passing vehicle in Baghdad.

If you are going to say you support this war then you have better stop hiding behind false rationalization about why you personally can't go and fight. You better stop deluding yourself that you are some how more important than other human beings. Just because you have money does not make you more important, more intelligent or more worthwhile than anyone else - and that is what this is all about - money and class and the idea that certain people are born into certain echelons which determine their "function" in the country. If you are willing to let someone else go and fight and die for YOUR cause as if they were your servants and that is their place - their function - their "fate", then I wonder how you view democracy?

The dehumanization of others is a clear sign of the lack of humanity of the dehumanizer.

EDIT-- and we're not even talking about the thousands of innocents killed in Iraq - the babies , the children, the ordinary grocery clerk, teacher, nurse, mother or father.

whew

Well that was an action packed weekend. Picked the sister up at Manchester airport and brought her home to surprise the Old Lady for the birthday. Worked out really well.

Worked half a day Friday. Went out to dinner at the Garden Cafe Friday night so Ken could come along. Pictures on Saturday morning( once we hooked up with the photographer). All the while it was too too hot.

Sunday - what did we do - can't even remember the day - but Ken made dinner and Liv made a WONDERFUL cake with strawberry jello and whipped cream etc. Gave the old lady her presents. Then went down and swam in the river - very lovely.

I worked yesterday and afterwards we flew up to the Killarney for a margarita (or two if you were someone with an obvious drinking problem). This morning I did everything I put off for the rest of the days - felted the bag for the Old Lady. Had Liv assist me in giving the chick his/her Marek's shot and opened up that damn chicken with the bulgie crop again. THEN drove Liv to the airport and came home.

I should be cleaning up and getting ready for work tomorrow but I just don't feel like it. I should reknit the bottom edge of the W top that I frogged as it was too damned big once I was it - but I am not.

Still haven't heard if Liv is home yet - she is going to be tired and cranky.

Before I started off to the Manchester airport to pick up Poopy Face (aka my sister) yesterday. I glanced out the back window and then just had to run out and take a few pictures.

The sun was tipping the tops of the grasses in the fields while the lower portion was still in shadow. Since the morning was so cool (42 degrees when I first got up) the river in the distance was throwing clouds of steam into the air. And this is why I live in Vermont.


Misty Morning 

5:50 a.m.

Getting ready to go you know where and pick up you know who!

Haven't slept since 4 a.m. - should just have gotten up then and knitted. Oh well, gotta jump in the shower.

Workin' Hard? Or Hardly Workin'?

Last night I worked till 7:15 - the whole last hour I struggled to figure out why year to date sales on a report were lower than when I ran the report Monday - Suddenly realized it was because someone had asked me to reimport ECommerce data and certain fields don't get updated till a process runs over night - so that was a wasted effort and made me all crazy to boot. Once I figured out the problem I got out of there. Of course I wanted to work late anyway so that I only have to work 4 hours on Friday.

Anyway - decide on the way home that the evening was too nice not to do something Vermonty - so I packed the old lady and the old dog up and drove them out on Cambridgeport Road that runs from Rockingham to the road between Grafton and Saxton's River. There is a little piece of state land out there - the Dorland State Forest - although you can't find it listed anywhere - and I got the two of them out of the car and we took a little walk up the dirt road. Wore the two of them out and then we continued on to Route 35 and then up through Grafton and home. Saw one doe cross the road in front of us and that was the most exciting thing that happened - but it was a lovely evening and nice to take a ride.

Now I am back at work and pluggin along through a bunch of stuff. Although the day started out a bit noisy they children have all quieted down. I don't think I have heard any of those secret whispered conversations today which drive me so INSANE! Of course now that I mention it we will probably have one.

OH! and the little chick was so cute last night - I took him (?) out and put him on a towel on my bed while I read before going to sleep and he snuggledd right up - I put a fold of the towel over him and he was as happy as can be. I felt bad having to put him back in his box after that. I need to get pictures of him as he changes hourly - the wing and tail feathers grow so fast you can almost see it.

Here we go again

Got 36 assorted eggs - probably all mutts from Frank Bruce through Karen. Just washed out the incubator and disinfected it. These will really all be for them if they hatch.

The bantams are for Frank Bruce and anybody else will be Karen's. I could keep a couple but I won't even really have a lot of room to brood these - so I warned her that if most of these hatch she is going to have to take them.



Lotsa eggs 



Nice dark agg and a couple of bantam eggs 

What is this? A Finished Object?

Yuppy - here it is the W top from the Spring Knitty.

It took me about 2 weeks to get the final edge around the bottom picked up and knit. I loved the pattern - it was easy and fun to knit as the short rows made things more interesting that simple back and forth knitting. I used the Japanese Short Row method which I really liked. You can learn about them and get great instructions at NonaKnits as well as learning about some of her other short row experiments.

Anyhow I knit the medium size of this which came out perfect (nice stretchy pattern which from my bust size I certainly needed). I used Plymouth Yarns Encore ColorSpun in Raspberry Twist (75% acrylic 25% wool). I had hoped that the vertical stripes created by the varigated yarn would help slim my bust down - but I don't think it worked. I do think I will make this top again - in a solid color and maybe a better yarn.

SO here are a couple of pictures - prewashing (yarn is machine washable which is nice) and pre blocking.



W top 


W top 2 

Gratuitous Sappiness

Warning - the following post may make you gag.

****************
Ken is away tonight in Mass and I miss his sweet little bum and I will be missing snuggling up to him tomorrow morning.

And lest youthink it's all about the physical I also miss talking to him and having him make me laugh.
****************

There - you may now continue reading if you like.

This is a CHICKEN house!

My poor long suffering grandmother when she came to live with us long long ago was wont to say "This is a DOG house!" whenever the dogs made a particular mess and no one else seemed to care.

So I can only imagine how she would feel about a chicken in the bedroom!

But here she is - I felt bad having her in the basement and I want her as far from possible Marek's disease contamination as possible - which leaves the upstairs. And that leaves the guest room as the place with the most room for it. Oh - and that is Lawrence Welk on the TV in the background - just to keep her company when I am not there.

Chicken in the bedroom 

In other events I got enough done on the hopefully soon to be felted bag for my mother's birthday. It is larger than I meant but I refuse to go back far enough to change it. It will say "The Old Lady" in a script font when I am done (hopefully you'll be able to read it).

The bag 

Hopefully when it felts it will shrink more than my test swatch which I think came out pretty well. I like how the colors are much more muted when felted.

The swatch 

Day two of life

The chick is doing well but I feel bad that he or she is all alone. Also since I want to keep her as far away from infection of Marek's as possible I have it set up in the basement. So there is just so much time I can spend with her down there. I think I will pick up a mirror today to make her feel a little less lonely. And maybe if I do an extra good cleaning I can move her up to the living room?

Checked the mail today and no damned vacinne came. I hate to speak badly of people with a small family business but I think that Tolbert's Supply is not someone I will ever use again. I am going to order from another company and hope that a vacinnation at 7 or 8 days old is going to help.

Anyhow - I have to get going - over slept and now have to run to get to Karen's to help with her yard sale.

The new baby 

Day 22 of incubation

7:00 a.m. The little one made it through the night OK. I have moved her/him into a brooder box and as soon as the feed store opens will run up and get some starter feed.

No signs at all on the other two eggs. I did a quick candling this morning when I took the chick out and I see no movement - but who knows I am going to let them go until tomorrow which will be day 23. Then should I open them? I will make the decision later - I know there are chicks in there but at what stage?

not much change

The one egg that has pipped has changed just a little in the past 11 hours - the crack now has a bit out out it and the cracks to the side are a bit longer. No signs of anything on the other two eggs.

I am getting the brooder (aka card board box) set up with the best of hopes for the outcome.

7:00 pm update - chick has made some progess - about another 1/2 inch or so has been chipped and I just heard it peep! No sign of anything on the other two eggs and I am resisting the terrible temptation to take them out and see if I can see anything with a closer look - or if I can feel any movement.

7:20 update - Heard wild peeping and she or he is born- I am a bit worried as it seems like the yol has not been completely absorbed - I read about people "pushing it into the abdomen - but I can't even see how I would be able to do that. I am just going to have to let it go and see how it does. I am leaving it in the incubator where the humidity is high to help out.

Pipping and other stuff

One of the eggs (only three left out of 24) is pipping this morning - Looked like just the first crack and I saw it at 7:30. I will have to go home at lunch to check on it. I am not ready at all for these babies - need to clean up the heat lamp and I am hoping that the Marek's vaccine arrives today or it will be useless.

Also I am almost done with the W top - just need to pick up and knit the bottom border. And I am working on a felted bag project for the old lady for her birthday which I have have finished the handles on and just barely started the bag part. I still have to finish the Clapotis although I have been leaving that to fill in when I have nothing else to do - HA!