Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I'm about one frog from going garter

Or postal. Whichever works.

I started over The Wedding Stole, v. 3.2, again last night. Again, after the second row, I had two too few stitches. That means that I must have missed a couple of yarn-overs, but frogging back to find them is much too difficult with so many s2kpssos in the stupid row. I end up with a tangled mess. I'm too lazy to run a lifeline after each row. I'm guessing that I'll go to a garter stitch shawl and just add beads wherever I want. So right now, Elaine is the frontrunner for the prize.

This getting up before the asscrack of dawn is wearing me out. Even if I'm tired, I can't go to sleep until 10 or after. I'm up at 6, but not voluntarily. I'm fortunate enough to have a wonderful husband who turns off the alarm clock and lets me sleep (desperately clinging to the bed) another few minutes. He then gently tells me it's time to get up (and even calls me sweetheart), fixed a travel mug of tea, gathers my lunch and snacks, and hands it to me with a kiss as I stumble out the door, telling me to drive carefully. That's so sweet of him.

I like getting out of work at 3. It makes the evening feel a little longer. Now that it's definitely getting dark earlier, I'm always asking Tom what time it is and I'm suprised that it's only 8.

We're watching a lot of HGTV and DIY home-improvement shows, trying to get ideas for selling this house and gutting and rebuilding renovating the cat house. There have been a couple that have featured adding outdoor showers, which we'd like to have off the back of the master bedroom. It just seems to be the height of luxury to be able to shower (privately) (we will have neighbors, and I don't want to scare them) under the sun, moon, and/or stars. I might change my mind when it's really muggy, but I imagine that it'll still feel good to shower off after floating in the pool. We were in the Keys during their hottest and muggiest time of the year, and if there weren't mosquitos breeding in the concrete pond then, Monroe County must have a pretty damn good mosquito control program. A real estate agent told us to call the county if we notice mosquitos and they'll come out and spray for them quickly. I don't like the idea of being in all that poison all the time, but it's that or be eaten alive. After all, I did live in the Hopewell area for the first 6 years of my life and visited Miami every summer, so I was exposed to a lot of spraying in both places. We always had to go inside when the spray truck came around. We really wanted to stay outside and play in the nice, cool fog..... I wonder if that's what caused me to have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Betty has an immune system disorder too. I think that we can thank Hopewell's chemical plants and irresponsible storage/disposal of their products for our health problems. Joan was born in Hopewell, too, although she only lived there for her first two months until she returned in her 20s; she has migraines, skeletal/muscular problems, and she and I suffer from depression and anxiety. Maybe that should be that we have problems with depression and anxiety but our families do the suffering. Whatever.

We still love Hopewell, though, and have many fond memories of the times we spent there. I can remember going to Nana's house and getting a glass of water and watching the particulate matter swirl in the vaguely brownish water. Good times, people.

11 comments:

Claudia said...

When I worked in CT, I got out at 3 and I loved it, too. During the summer, I would drive to a little area about 30 minutes from work where there was a small beach and a cafe and on the other side was a petting zoo. It was my other home most of the week. I would grab a book or some cross stitch and go to that beach to unwind after work and then have a hot dog or hamburger and then go spend some time with the animals. Those were such happy days. :)

I wish there were other ways to get rid of pets besides spraying pesticides. After my cancer diagnosis, I've become more and more aware of the pesticides around me. I always used them myself in my own gardens. No more.

rita said...

That sounds like a perfect way to spend some unwinding time! I'd have stayed there till dark and never gotten anything done at home.

We use Frontline on Zip and the cats, but I hate it. We have Orkin come in once a month to spray inside. I hate that, too. In Florida it's going to be even worse. I think that large amounts of pesticide caused my illness that lasted 5 years. My daughter REALLY wanted to get rid of the fleas, so she used 5 bombs where, at most, two should have been used. Twice. I got sick just a few weeks later and blood work showed a pesticide in my blood. Could have come from my childhood in Hopewell, too. I don't know how long that stuff hangs around the body.

We have an herbal flea shampoo that my groomer niece suggested. It seems to help, but the fleas are back in a day or two. We just keep fighting them.

I used to have a rose garden, but they didn't do too well. I wouldn't use pesticides on them. I wish, too, that there was a healthier, better way to take care of pests.

Debbie T said...

Hey Rita, have you seen the shawl called Damson by Ysolda Teague? Looks to be very easy, very fast, and there is a sort of loopy edging that you could add beads to. I'm currently working on the Aestlight and am loving it!!! Very easy to follow, well written and charted, two sizes, and beads could be easily added wherever you want!

Courtney said...

I am not a morning person either, I wish I got off at work at 3pm, but nope I am stuck there until 5pm :-(

Anonymous said...

Betty said....

I hate using pesticides, too, but I hate fleas even more, so I do use Frontline Plus on the cats. I don't imagine that it's good for them or for us, but it's the only thing I've found that keeps the fleas away. I refuse to use flea bombs, since they coat everything in the house with that stuff. We don't spray our apple trees or tomato plants...I'd rather deal with the bugs than chance ingesting any pesticides.

As for the shawl, it's very nice of you to want to do that for Joan, but I think I'd just find a pretty one in store somewhere and not deal with all that aggravation!
Joan would understand...

rita said...

I'll look up the shawl, Deedee. I don't think that I'll be able to do anything more taxing than all garter stitch, though; remember last year when I was knitting and bitching about the never-ending shawl?

I. Hate. Morning.

Sorry, Betty, I appreciate the sentiment. But I have to do this. It's out of my control (many things are).

Elaine said...

Oh that Elaine is so wise and I vote for her suggestion and think you should send her a fabulous yarny prize!

Oh yeah, that's me. :-)

rita said...

Elaine definitely is wise and has taken into account that I'm stupid this time of year.

I didn't knit any last night. I spent a couple of hours online checking house/land prices in WV to get an idea what things are selling for. Hmmm, I forgot to look at those that actually sold; I need to do that.

kathy b said...

Im a 3-11 pm shift worker. Ugh those day shifts. BUT they taught me how to drink a good stiff cup of coffee.

Hey I have been looking for someone who maybe considers going to universal studios once in a while

do you?

rita said...

I've never been to Universal. Mainly because I'd have to pay to get in!

Elaine said...

Well I'm not sure about wisdom here (that was a joke folks) but I do know that you've got enough stress going on to not need any additional things to make you nuts. Do what's easy - it will look great (plus I want to win a yarny prize)