Endings and Beginnings

baby things
I know I've been quiet for a while.

Losing Polly was very hard. I brought her home today--which was also hard. The Beloved said to me, I don't know if we'll ever find another cat like her. And he's right--we may never find another cat like Polly. It will be a while before I'm even ready to look for another. It will likely be close to a year. The other three cats need some time to adjust because there are some big changes coming down the pike.

A while ago I mentioned that I had figured out why I was so tired all the time. And today I got to hear the heartbeat of our baby (the Tadpole) who is due to arrive in January. It was strong and steady and sounded really, really great.

There's a lot to do between now and January, and hopefully my energy level will start to return. PFC Sibling asked today how many baby items I've knit--she said she keeps reading about Suri Cruise's multi-million dollar wardrobe, and will my baby be in People Magazine for the largest collection of handknits in the U.S.? I'm ashamed to admit that I've been working on a burp cloth and a baby hat for the past month. I've been so tired and I just haven't wanted to knit. Plus, it's been hotter 'n hell around here, lately. God willing, the knitting mojo will return.

I'm hopeful--my appetite is beginning to return. So maybe it's just a matter of time.

Polly

Polly
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Polly is very sick. She has severe aenemia. We don't know why. The vet thinks it's a bone marrow issue. And incurable. He sent us home with some antibiotics and steroids and an appointment for Friday, but told us that if she goes comatose before then to call the office or the EVC for euthanasia. I have a sinking suspicion that even if she makes it to the vet's office on Friday, she may not make it home.

Of socks, sweaters, and cats

Beloved
Hey, remember this?

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This pair of socks is the bane of my existence. The Roman Catholic church may have done away with Purgatory, but I tell you these socks make me wonder if we don't, in fact, have it here on earth.

So, when last I spoke of these blasted socks, I was unhappy with the striping pattern and wondering if I shouldn't rip them out and try again on larger needles. Instead, I started the second sock on larger needles to see how it looked. And, frankly, I liked the sock on 0s better. The stitches are so tidy and small. And the sock fits really nice. And maybe the pooling isn't that bad and the striping isn't horribly obnoxious:

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But, look where I am on the sock:

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As you can see, there's still a fair amount of foot and toe left before sock #1 is finished. And I don't know if I have enough freakin' yarn. Yeah.

Now. I may have plenty of yarn because apparently I was on crack when I wound the skein into balls and one ball is larger than the other. And I started with the smaller ball. So, I'm wondering if I shouldn't put this sock aside and knit the second one and then finish up when I know I have leftover yarn?

To tell you the truth, though, this sock is no longer making me happy. In fact, the sock has seemed to work against me every step of the way. I've a mind to stick the sock and the other ball of yarn in a bag and shove the bag to the back of my stash until my mental state has improved somewhat.

It's a shame, though, because the yarn has been wonderful to work with (striping aside)--it's really soft and I bet finished socks would be a divine wearing experience.

Sigh.

On a happier note (hopefully), I finished the body of the Beloved's Cobblestone Sweater yesterday and will start the sleeves today. No pictures, though. Honestly, it looks just like the other pictures--only longer.

This has been part of my problem in regularly maintaining what seems to be mostly a knitting blog...I'm slow and so there's not much to report. Still knitting the sock. Still knitting the sweater. Doesn't look much different. Meh.

Add that to my general to severe sense of malaise of late and...well...bad blogger.

On the malaise front--I thank everyone who commented and/or e-mailed regarding my last couple of posts. I truly appreciate the warm thoughts. Things here are...maybe not better, but not quite so grim. The Beloved and I had a...discussion...about how things are, how I feel, and how I can't have this be my problem. I mean, I treat it like my problem. I very much see it as my problem and feel like it's my problem--largely because I don't get a sense from him that he sees any sort of problem at all. Which mostly leaves me feeling....like I'm not enough. Or like there's something wrong with me that makes me as bothered and upset as I've been. Part of me thinks it may be time to dig my therapist's business card out of my wallet. And then another part thinks, well, what the hell is he going to do about it? He can't fix anything or make it better. I don't know. It all just seems to require more effort or energy than I can muster right now.

Polly knows how I feel. Well, on the energy front.

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It's hard work being that cute. Seriously.

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What happened to fall?

Polly
So, it's supposed to be close to 90 degrees today. September 25. Never mind the fact that I don't like it when the temperature tops 80 in the summer. It's fall now. I want the leaves to change and I want to wear sweaters. I do not want to be sweating like a water buffalo during my interview this afternoon.

Yes, apparently EBSCO works fast. I'll be interviewing with them at 3:00 this afternoon. According to the Humanities Abstracting manager, I'll fill out paperwork when I get there (application, references, background check--all very standard). Then I'll meet with her and whoever else is on the interviewing team. Then, after the interview, I'll have an abstracting test and a proofing test. Needless to say, sleep was elusive last night. I feel like I'm going to a final exam for which I failed to study. Not that the process doesn't make perfect sense--I'm applying to be an Abstractor. They need to know if I can do it or not. It's just created the greatest opportunity for my social anxiety and my inner grade pig to become fast friends. The Beloved will be glad when this is over. And, quite frankly, so will I.

Whining out of the way, I hope this goes well. I mean, I can always stay where I am, but I'm tired of working two low-paying jobs without benefits 45-60 minutes away from my house. And I'm tired of waiting for the college to step up and "do the right thing" by either paying me a decent hourly wage or by giving me enough hours so that I qualify for benefits. It's like they think librarianship is a form of masochism. Which maybe it is. It all just makes me so very tired. Which makes me feel whiny. So I'll stop. Really.

Thank you for your comments about Polly and getting a second opinion. It makes me feel a little less mental. We saw yet another vet yesterday (the third we've seen at this practice), and no mention of Kitty Diet Food was made. They wanted to do an ultrasound, but she's not currently holding enough in her bladder to make that possible, so we're back to an extended round of antibiotics (2 weeks instead of 10 days). I may let them do the ultrasound after this round of drugs, just to make sure they haven't missed anything. The other option is for her to get a referral to Internal Medicine, which doesn't thrill me at all. However, none of us really want to go through this for a third time if we can help it. In the meantime, I'm trying to see if there's anyone in the area who specializes in large breed cats so that I've got someone in place for a second opinion if necessary.

If I'm this bad about my cat, does it mean I'll be absolutely psychotic if we ever have kids?

FO--Angel's Rest Socks

finished objects
Holy crap--a complete pair of socks! Yes, you are in the right place.

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Angel's Rest Socks
Yarn: Yarn Pirate Merino Sock Yarn in Rum Runner from the Yarn Pirate Booty Club
Needles: Susan Bates US size 1/2.25 mm (5 7-inch DPNs)

I finished these babies up on Friday and am wearing them today because I really needed a pick-me-up.

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Pretty, aren't they? If I was a little more diligent, knit faster, and had more money to spend on stash, I'd look at having only hand-knit socks in my drawer. Alas, that'll take a while...


Sorry for the craptastic quality of the pictures. Now that The Beloved and I are actually blogging about wine, I'm working on getting a better camera and a light tent. I may end up making my own light tent, but the camera just isn't doing what I need it to, hence the desire for an upgrade.

In other news, this week will be busy. On Friday I got two calls for job interviews--one for a Young Adult/Reference position at a public library a couple of towns over from mine (20 minute commute--yay!); the other with *gasp* EBSCO, home of the uber library database. The EBSCO job is in the editorial department as a Humanities Abstractor. Two very different opportunities, but both are full-time, which the current job(s) is(are) not. Imagine--health insurance and retirement plans again....it seems almost too good to be true.

And it might be, after all, these are only interviews. But it is nice to dream. And to make the first cut. So far, one appointment is scheduled for next Thursday and I'm still waiting to hear on the other. I'm hoping they can see me on Tuesday afternoon--otherwise, it looks like I'll probably have to wait 'till next week because this week is overflowing with crazy-insanity.

Which, naturally, means it's time for more fun with cats. (Warning: discussion of cat urinary health to follow.)

Polly had been doing so well. We've changed their food to a urinary tract health formula (one you can buy in the grocery store--not prescription), and the little demons seem to love it. The bowl has been empty within a half-hour of feeding time. So, when she started whining more, I assumed it was EBS (Empty Bowl Syndrome) and didn't pay it much mind. Until yesterday when I went into the bathroom and it looked like we were performing ritual sacrifices in our bathtub. Seriously--if CSI comes over and luminols the bathroom, we'll have some explaining to do.

Since it appears the infection has recurred, I called the vet this morning and will have to leave work early to get her to the one afternoon appointment they had. Le sigh. This means I will have to forgo new shoes for my interview. Oh well. I'm wondering if any of you have ever brought an animal to a different vet for a second opinion or if that officially makes me a crazy cat lady?

Here's my problem: Our vet is convinced that we need to put Polly on Prescription Weight Loss cat food. And I won't argue that she's overweight. However, I've been reading more postings from people who own large breed cats (I joined the Maine Coon Cat Lovers group on Ravelry--we were told Polly was a Norwegian Forest/Maine Coon cross at the shelter, though she really looks more the Forest Cat, she's got behavioral traits peculiar to both breeds), and it seems to me that while Polly could lose her "udder" (flabby lower abdomen), she's really not all that far outside of the norm for her breed(s). Her last weigh-in was 17.5 lbs, which reflects half a pound lost since February. I'm just not convinced she needs to be a 14 pound cat.

Anyway--I'll put her on Prescription Urinary Health cat food if that's what her body requires. It will be expensive, but it will beat hell out of taking her to the vet every two weeks and having to hogtie and drug her three times a day. I need a little more convincing about the Kitty Weight Watchers stuff, though. (The Beloved is a bit of a conspiracy theorist, and the fact that we can only buy this special diet food from the vet makes him very, very wary.) And if that's all I get from the vet today, I'm seriously considering taking her for a second opinion--preferably with a vet who specializes, or at least has decent experience with large breed cats, if such a thing exists. Am I nuts?

And the vet says....

Polly
She's good! But still too fat. And two more days of antibiotic.

But still exceptionally cute, dontcha think?

The vet thinks so, too.

Polly -- an update

Polly
Thank you all for your kind thoughts about my Polly-cat. They seem to be helping--well, the kind thoughts along with the antibiotic. Polly prefers the kind thoughts. As do I--do you know how much fun it is to try and give a 17.5 pound polydactyl cat a 3.5 ML dose of strawberry-flavored suspension three times a day? Kind thoughts are much nicer...

She's eating and drinking normally, her litterbox skills have improved dramatically (as has the state of my house), and she's even playing. Polly is a very sophisticated cat and she has never been much for playing. It can be so undignified. But this week, she's gotten into my kitchen cotton more than once (she now has her very own ball), and I caught her playing with a catnip-infused fish yesterday.

We go to the vet this afternoon for a follow-up, so fingers are crossed that everything is better and the vet can return to harping about the cat's weight.

Smorgasboard

books
It's been my cooking philosophy this week as I desperately try to use up leftover party food before it spoils, so why not reflect the same principle in my blogging style? OK--I've been too scattered lately to put together a coherent...well...anything... so here's a little sampling of everything instead.

Cooking

I did a lot of it last weekend. The good part? I haven't had to cook all week. We've been reheating leftovers like it's going out of style. It's been great, because, honestly--it's been the week from hell.

I made a lasagna on Sunday that was to die for. My Italian Mother-in-Law has granted me honorary Italian status. I'd post the recipe--which is my own--if I bothered to remember to take measurements. Whoops. I've been making my own pasta sauce for years now, and so I make it by taste. It's a handful of this and some of that and then you taste it and see what it needs. If anyone is interested, I'll take notes the next time I make one, which will likely be soon since I've got an extra tub of ricotta in my refrigerator that needs using.

On Monday, we ate Mediterranean-style stuff. I made Souvlaki, Tzatziki, and a Greek Caponata. I can give you recipes for those...

Souvlaki
You'll need:
  • 1 lb. lamb shoulder meat
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (preferably Greek olive oil)2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic or garlic puree
What you'll do:
  • Cut the lamb into cubes approx. 1 inch in size.
  • Combine other ingredients to form a marinade.
  • Put lamb and marinade into a ziploc bag and shake well.
  • Put bag in refrigerator and let marinate for approximately 4 hours. You don't really want to let this marinate all day, because the lamb is already pretty tender and you don't want the marinade to overpower the flavor of the meat.
  • Start up the grill. While grill is heating up, thread lamb onto skewers.
  • When grill is nice and toasty, pop skewers on and grill away! Mine cooked for about 8-10 minutes/side or 16-20 minutes total. You don't want to over cook them.
  • Serve hot with Tzatziki Sauce.
Tzatziki Sauce
You'll need:
  • 3 cups Greek Yogurt
  • Juice of one lemon (about 3 T)
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced (or 1 large European cucumber with very few seeds)
  • About 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
  • 1 T finely chopped fresh dill
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
What you'll do:
  • Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.)
  • Dice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water.
  • Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.
  • In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir this mixture into the yogurt.
  • Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. (I didn't need any more salt)
  • Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)
The Greek Caponata was something I saw Giada De Laurentiis make on the Food Network a few weeks ago and sparked idea for the Mediterranean theme. You can find the recipe for that right here, and I highly recommend it, particularly if you find yourself in possession of massive amounts of summer squash, zucchini and tomatoes. It's very easy and very tasty. It also reheats nicely if you're like me and make way too much of it.

Reading

Yeah. I've started doing this again. You know, it's kind of fun! I'm currently reading Fluke by Christopher Moore, which is funny and good reading, but is not grabbing me the way You Suck or The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove did. It still has interesting chapter titles (Heinous Fuckery Most Foul is my favorite thus far) and phrases (I don't think I've ever read another book that mentions "poop chute technology"). Perhaps I'll have to order it for work. Christopher Moore was on the cover of Writer's Digest or something like that earlier this year....

I'm also reading 1215: The Year of Magna Carta by Danny Danziger and John Gillingham. It's interesting, but very different from the Christopher Moore book.

Cats

(Warning: This is a TMI sort of post. If you don't want to read about cat urinary health, move along to the next heading. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

Polly has been sick of late. She seems to have some urinary tract unhealthiness going on. The poor baby was a little under the weather at the end of last week and into the weekend. By Monday, she was miserable. Unfortunately, it was a) Labor Day and b) The Beloved's surprise party. So, we kept an eye on her, cleaned up the puddles that appeared around the house, and hoped for the best. When everyone left, I called the vet's office thinking she had kitty diarrhea again--the puddles were watery, oily, and brown...what was I supposed to think? Anyway. They couldn't see her that night, but made an appointment for the next morning at 8:00. So, we kept an eye on her and then found some obviously bloody puddles on the floor. I called the Emergency Vet Clinic, they suggested I bring her in, and an X-Ray and $200 later, they determined she probably had a bladder infection. So they sent us home with some antibiotics and the X-Rays and told us to check in with our regular vet. Which we did the next morning at 8:00.

The regular vet was grouchy because they couldn't get an accurate urine sample since I had started her on an antibiotic. But then they couldn't find her heartbeat because Polly decided to start purring and wouldn't stop. Not for running water. Not when the vet tech held a piece of gauze saturated in alcohol under her nose. So, they took her back and took some blood and tried for some urine. They apparently couldn't find her bladder, either. Even with an ultrasound. The vet did, however, express concern about a lump on Polly's shoulder. Now, I asked about the lump six months ago when we last came to the vet (same clinic, btw), and the vet we saw then--the director of the clinic--told us not to worry about it. Apparently, I should have been worrying. They took samples and have sent them out to be analyzed. Then, they decided to put her on a different antibiotic than the one prescribed at the EVC. So, $400 later, we went home.

I'm happy to report there were fewer bloody puddles around the house this morning and that Polly is at least trying to use her litterbox. Unfortunately, she still isn't really eliminating properly. I called the vet this morning to reschedule a follow-up appointment and asked when I should start to worry. The vet says, "Do you want to bring her in?" Uh...not really...we're already going to be eating Kraft dinner for the next month since I spent all my money on the previous bill.... So, we're keeping our fingers crossed that she's doing even better (ie: peeing) by the time I get home from work today. I'm hopeful. She was eating and drinking last night and this morning and seemed a bit perkier than yesterday morning. And, if she's not doing better I'll suck it up and take her to the vet. I wonder if The Beloved will notice if I pawn my engagement ring.

And she needed a haircut.

PollyBall.JPG


Poor baby.

Hair

About a month ago I decided to try the no-shampoo lifestyle. This does not mean I've stopped bathing and/or grown dreads. What happened was this: I read Wendy's post about her "poo-free" lifestyle and was intrigued. Unfortunately, the WEN products are a little too rich for my blood. I'd probably have to give up knitting in order to wash my hair with the cleansing conditioner, and that would be absolutely unacceptable. But, like I said, I was intrigued by the idea of shampoo free. So, I put my librarian skills to work and did some research to see if there was an acceptable (less expensive) alternative. And I discovered sites about people washing their hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar. After I got over the, ew, yuck, that's weird factor, I decided to give it a go. And I am pleased to report that my hair looks and feels great. I wash it every three days now (as opposed to every day with traditional shampoo) with a solution of 1 T baking soda to 8 oz. water. And I use a rinse of 2 T lemon juice mixed with 8 oz. water. My hair is shiny and soft, it has a bit of curl (who knew?!), my scalp feels great (no more dandruff or icky waxy nastiness) and I'm putting fewer chemicals on my body and into the environment. The only things I miss about traditional shampoo are the bubbles and the detangling agent--my hair is on the long side, and combing it out after a wash can be a bit trying.

Even in this crappy picture, my hair still looks fabulous!

If the Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar route is pressing your buttons, check out this site. It was very helpful for me starting out.

Knitting

Yes, I still knit. I even knit socks. But the Angel's Rest socks still aren't finished. Sigh. I'm working on the foot. But I got distracted. I need more dishcloths for a housewarming party later this month and I was possessed by the overwhelming desire to knit this:

This is Luigi. The Beloved has named him. I actually made him for a friend (well, for the small child of a friend), but since The Beloved has named the damned thing, I don't know that I can give it up. Well, that, and it's a really pathetic excuse for a stuffed toy. I'm not good at seaming and I'll need to practice sewing arms and legs on to make it better next time. Because I'm sure there will be a next time. I used the Knitted Cuddlies pattern that's available free if you're registered with Knitting Daily. It was really easy to do, and though I'll probably make a few modifications next time--including finding a better way to sew the limbs onto the body--the end product is cute enough that I think I'll probably be making several of these. Best of all? I don't have to worry about lead paint from China when I give these to small children or to their parents!

That about sums it up for now. This weekend will be busy--that saying about no rest for the wicked is really starting to ring true. I'm going to Belmont for Godly Play reaccreditation training. I know you're all jealous. It should be fine, and possibly even fun, but I am just so darned tired that the prospect of a day-and-a-half-long storytelling workshop really isn't working for me. Maybe if they had beer...or at least naptime to break up the storytelling...

FO: Christening Shawl

baby things
I know. I said I was giving up on it. But here's what happened....

A week ago Sunday, I saw Baby K and her mom after church. Someone asked about the upcoming baptism, and Mom responded that, well, her family couldn't find the...whatever...that babies generally use at family christenings. And since the baby has been sick a lot over the past several months, no one really thought to ask other family members if they'd seen it. And, in fact, they weren't expecting a large family turn-out, anyway. Did I mention that Baby K is our priest's daughter? Where, in some families, this may be a rite of passage with little actual religious significance (no one ever goes to church, but dammit, we're baptizing this baby and having a party), Baby K's baptism should have been an event. So I told her Mom, "I think I have something she can use."

Then I went home and knit like an absolute fool for the next week. I didn't do laundry. I didn't spin. I wasn't ready for the start of Summer of Socks 2007. All I did was knit the Christening Shawl.

I couldn't knit it as long as I originally planned. In spite of my best efforts, I still had to go to work and occasionally sleep or eat. But, this is what I managed:

Christening Shawl in English Mesh Lace
Yarn: 50% Merino/50% Tussah Silk laceweight from The Elegant Ewe
Needles: Susan Bates US size 5/3.75 mm.
Dimensions: 14"x36" blocked

Here's a close-up view of the pattern. Can you see the butterflies?

In spite of my concerns regarding the size, it worked quite nicely for the baby. She was absolutely gorgeous. It was a very nice baptism.

Now, on to socks.


Alas, this is not a Summer of Socks sock. It's the Conwy I showed you a couple of weeks ago. But it's almost finished. In fact, I may finish it this evening, in which case, I'll put sock #2 on hold while I begin my first SOS sock--a Jaywalker in Lorna's Laces "Funky Stripe," which is a long overdue birthday gift for my friend, ESB. The Beloved actually went to the LYS with me yesterday to pick up a pair of wooden DPNs. I'm not crazy about knitting on wooden DPNs, but I'm hoping they will be less cause for worry on behalf of the TSA and my fellow passengers when we fly out to Chicago next week.

The needles were actually an anniversary gift--The Beloved and I celebrated five years of wedded bliss on Friday, and, since the traditional gift for year five is wood--DPNs for me! I was hoping for a yarn swift, but was reminded that I got plane tickets to Chicago instead. The Beloved had to hold his arms out last night while I wound the Lorna's Laces for the impending pair of socks, so I'm hoping the yarn swift will soon come into my life. He hates holding yarn while I wind....but I suppose it's a sign that we're in for the long haul that he continues to do it for me, regardless. Which is a good thing--it's part of what makes it all worthwhile.

Oh, and since she reminded me that you haven't seen her in a while, here's Polly doing her thing...

Eat your heart out, boys.

You wouldn't think it would be this difficult....

Magic 28
In December, I finished work on my MLIS. It was a long and arduous process spanning several years and three states. There were times I didn't think I would finish, didn't care if I finished, didn't necessarily want to finish. But, with The Beloved's support and quite a few threats, the journey came to an end.

Well, mostly. Today I got an invitation in the mail for the Graduate Commencement Ceremony at the University of Rhode Island. I hadn't planned on attending. It's two-and-a-half hours away. I did much of my coursework through distance courses online or in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. I don't have much connection with the campus--in fact, I can only find a select few buildings on campus.

But...

Part of me really wants to don the cap and gown and hood (Lemon for the MLIS). To march. To shake some complete stranger's hand and receive an empty diploma cover. (The Diploma is at home. It came in the mail several weeks ago.) I love ceremony. I love the goofy things we do to mark milestones. And while desperately wish I didn't want to go to URI in three weeks, I'm starting to get a little twinge. It's almost like pre-guilt or pre-regret. If you don't do this.... what? What will happen if I don't go? Logistically, I have no idea how it will work out. What happens if the bookstore is all out of regalia by the time I get there at the last possible second? (I really don't see how I'm going to get there earlier to buy my stuff.) What happens if we get stuck in horrible traffic and I miss it anyway? What if, what if, what if?

This shouldn't be a hard decision. Yet....I don't know. Should I stay or should I go? The Beloved is no help. He doesn't want to go, but feels this should be my decision. Naturally, I'm paralyzed and finding myself incapable of making one. I will vacillate until it's too late and the decision is made for me. Or, maybe I'll find a spine or conviction or something to push me into action.

In the meantime, I'll knit some more socks. Finished the Magic 28 mate yesterday--aren't they cute? They're the same size and everything!

Polly helped. I think she's happy with them as well. Next time, maybe I'll be brave and try stripes or a pattern stitch!

Finished!

baby things
Well, almost. Last night I finished putting together the baby cardi/kimono. Check it out!


I'm very happy with it, and it would have gone to its new home today but for the fact that my iron decided to act up when I was steam blocking the foolish thing. In steaming the foolish thing, it blew out some dirty water that left nasty brown spots on the front of my off-white sweater. Grrr! So, it will need to go back into the wash, which will happen as soon as I have another load to run...perhaps tomorrow. God willing, the spots will come out. If they don't the sweater didn't take that long to make and I suppose I could knit another front, but...Grrr....

In other news, I've cast on another baby sweater! Woo-hoo. This time, I'm working Haiku. The pattern isn't difficult, but I've done a fair amount of ripping due to my present inability to execute box stitch in an appropriate fashion. Sigh. Perhaps the yarn looks familiar. In an earlier incarnation, it was the Moss Stitch Baby Blanket. I'm happier with it in the sweater. I've got tons of this yarn. I believe it's Red Heart Soft Baby. I made a baby blanket out of this stuff several years ago. Then, Resident Sibling "destashed" a ridiculous amount of the stuff and added it to my collection. I knit a fair amount of baby stuff for charity and I've reached the age where every female I know seems to be procreating, so I figured it would go eventually. But I've still got, like, five or six large skeins of the stuff. So, sweater. Baby blanket. Horse blanket. I've got miles of yarn yet....and very few ideas on what to do with it.

I've also been working off and on with the Dream Swatch. I love it. I love my Koigu. It's going slowly because I like to gaze upon my yarn and stroke it and think about its utter loveliness. Why am I not working on it constantly? Because it's just the right size and complexity to work as my "traveling" project--the one that comes with me to work so I have something to do on my coffee break or if I'm stuck somewhere boring for too long. The sweater, on the other hand, involves measuring and two kinds of stitches.

Otherwise, it's been a quiet weekend. Even the cats have been quiet.


Polly made the most of it.

Spanish Rice

baby things
It's Monday and I was the first one home from work, which means dinner duty. Because the OCD was in high gear today, I knew I was going to be home first and so called The Beloved at work to ask what he wanted to eat. Shrimp and chorizo and yellow rice. Since I had never actually made this dish before, I got to make it up as I went along. It was actually quite tasty, extremely easy, involved very little cleanup and has left us with plenty of leftovers, so I won't have to cook tomorrow night, either--unless Resident Sibling clears us out before then.

Here's what you need:
  • Chorizo (I used one package containing two sausage)
  • 1 onion
  • 1 bell pepper (I used red, only because the green ones looked icky at the supermarket today)
  • 2 packages Vigo Yellow Rice (really, if there are only two of you, one package would probably be sufficient, but The Beloved has always made Spanish rice dishes with the "family sized" package, or 2 regular-sized packages)
  • 2 servings of shrimp--cleaned, deveined, etc. (I used 10 large ready-to-use frozen shrimp)
  • Decorative peas
Here's what you'll do:

Chop up the chorizo, onion and bell pepper. Saute in a frying pan until the onions are soft and mostly translucent.

In the same pan, prepare the rice according to instructions on package. I boiled the water in a kettle while I was sauteing the other ingredients so that I didn't have to boil my vegetables along with the water. After adding the boiling water to the stuff in the pan, I added the 2 packages of rice, allowed everything to boil for a minute or two, covered the mixture and turned the heat down to "simmer." I allowed it to simmer for about 10 minutes and then threw the shrimp in. The mixture simmered for another 15 minutes or so, until the rice was ready and the shrimp was no longer frozen.

Serve up and use decorative peas as necessary.

This is nice with a tossed salad and some red wine--however, in my opinion most meals are enhanced by a nice bottle of red.

I love dishes like this because they use only one pan. Clean-up is a snap, which leaves more time for knitting.

Unfortunately, I had to spend a lot of time picking up before I could sit down and knit. The baby cardigan is still languishing:

But I'm now ready to add another ball of yarn, which makes me feel moderately accomplished. I hope to finish knitting and blocking the mystery project tonight and do the finishing work on it tomorrow. We'll see.... I went to buy notions for it today and it was like the search for the Holy Grail. I could not find matching ribbon to save my life--in complementary or contrasting colors. Nothing looked good. I'm pretty sure the ribbon I ended up with will work OK, but, man--I was ready to try and make my own out of fabric scraps!

And yarn porn as promised:

Isn't it great? Are you drooling? This is the yarn for my cardigan--50% Alpaca and 50% Silk equals 100% Yummy. The color is "Ginger," but it may actually be closer to a "Lemongrass;" it's a darker gold with some greeny undertones. It's a sportweight yarn and so the sweater will be knit on US 4 needles--I should be finished with it sometime before I die. But I'm not going to let myself finish it until the Baby Cardigan and the Mystery Project are finished. The Beloved's afghan will be worked on sporadically until it's done and the afghan for my friend is, well, I'm afraid it's a Cursed Project. Again--I will finish it someday, but I'm really not happy with it. I need to solicit second and third opinions on what I'm doing wrong to see if there's any hope or if I should just throw in the towel and start over...

To leave you all on a happier note, ask yourself if life gets any better than this:

Doesn't she look cozy? I want to come back as a cat owned by people like The Beloved and me. Now, somebody please take my camera away before I hurt someone...

Progress!

blankets
On Friday we got hit with an obscene amount of snow. Well, obscene since I'm ready for it to be spring. And since the snowblower we inherited finally decided to give up the ghost. Saturday was largely taken up with shoveling out so I could get to the craft store to purchase supplies for Sunday's Church School lesson. Yes, folks--this is life in the fast lane. After hours of shoveling, The Beloved in one of his moments of brilliance, suggested Chinese Takeout. It may have been the high point of the weekend.

I didn't get to knit or spin at all on Saturday due to hours of manual labor followed by the creation of two parable boxes for Sunday School. Sunday, however....

I completed the following: Watermelon Hat 2.0;


Airy Scarf;


Dishcloth KAL (well, we're not done yet--but I got current on the day-to-day allotted rows); gauge swatch for baby sweater. Nothing has been washed or blocked yet, and I still need to weave in the ends on Airy Scarf, but woot! I'm happy to be able to cross a couple of UFOs off my list. Yippee! Now, it's on to the Blue Lagoon Blankie. You know, the project isn't bad...sometimes row after row of garter stitch can be quite therapeutic. But....because of the striping, it doesn't travel well. Too many balls of yarn. And all those ends....maybe I should train one of the cats to weave them in....But I can work on that in between the now nearly finished dishcloth, a project that is yet-to-be-determined for my mother's birthday (unless I decide she gets the Airy Scarf), and the baby sweater for which I dutifully completed a gauge swatch.

On the kitty-cat front, Polly went to the groomer today. They gave her a modified lion cut. It's a little more dignified than the last lion cut she received--they shaved her entire tail instead of leaving a big, poofy ball at the end. However, long-haired cats with short haircuts look ridiculous no matter how you style them. The important thing is that she is clean and matt-free and that someone else cut all of her claws. The groomer commented on what a great cat she is--and Polly is a great cat--but this always comes as a surprise to me because when I try to brush, bathe or trim this cat, she tries to kill me. Seriously--I've got the scars to prove it. Apparently, for the groomer, she is all purrs and smiles and stands still while they do their thing. Sheesh.

Now that she's home, she's a bit grouchy. But how can you not love that sweet little face? No matter how grouchy she gets, she's still my baby.

Fun With Cats

Kitties
...Not. Today they brought me a little too much excitement. I came into my bedroom to find that one of the little darlings apparently got confused and thought my bed would work as a substitute for the litter box. This is my prime suspect:

Yes, this is Polly. Polly of the expensive emergency trip to the vet two weeks ago. I tell you, it's a good thing she's cute because she was very nearly dead. But, instead of killing the cat, I decided to take the high road. In fact, I took the high road straight to Marshalls for some emergency shopping.

Her accident (I'm assuming that's what it was, and not an act of utter maliciousness) has effectively rendered my down comforter useless. I could take it to the dry cleaners, but since several layers of bedding were, um, wet when I found them, I do not have positive feelings. The comforter led a good life and is now going to be unceremoniously retired. Spring is coming, so I don't feel as though I need a new one immediately; however, it's not warm enough for us to entirely relinquish the heavier blanket. Fortunately, we had a backup in the closet. Unfortunately, it's white. Hence, the emergency trip to Marshalls where I found this for $25.

It's taupe. I don't know how much more boring I could have gotten--but there weren't all that many choices (chocolate and red were the also-rans) and I really didn't feel like hitting every shop in town at 8:00 PM. While I do enjoy shopping for home decor, it can be quite trying. The Beloved and I do not have similar tastes. I can be 90% sure that anything I choose, he'll hate--and vice-versa. Praise Jesus, he doesn't mind the taupe. In fact, he's happy because it matches the current decor of the room. Perhaps he only likes it because I bought it solely out of need and not because I find it attractive in the slightest.

And because I felt deserving of some extra-special treatment, I got myself a present--isn't it cute? The Beloved says it should have "Get It Here" embroidered across the front instead of the flowers. What a charmer!

With all the excitement, there hasn't been much time for knitting. Which is OK. I feel less guilty about leaving the Blue Lagoon Blanket wadded up in a ball on the corner of the couch. I did do some work tonight--on a gauge swatch for a baby sweater. The blanket called me names and questioned my fidelity. I promised it I would knit on it during "movie night" this week. Hopefully that will placate it for the time being....

In the meantime, there is only one way to end a day such as this. Yes, you guessed it. An evening with my favorite patriot:

My Karma ran over my Dogma

blankets
Or something like that. So, yesterday topped off my already interesting week--which is scary because it was only Wednesday.

To recap:

On Monday, I called Virgin Mobile about my phone and went through menu/holding hell whilst trying to discover why my phone refuses to transfer pictures. After following the directions given to me by the oh-so-not-helpful guy in the returns department, my phone still will not do what I want it to. I have since e-mailed the returns department to discover that, though you can send them e-mail, they do not handle returns in that fashion. Oh, and if I didn't buy my phone through them directly (I didn't), I can't return it through them. Great. Which means I now get to transfer my frustration to Best Buy. Naturally, they no longer carry the phone in question. This should be fun.

Monday night I returned home to find a sick cat. The Beloved and I went to the vet where we dropped a pretty penny on the visit, burn cream, and amoxicillin. Each morning and evening, the two of us give Polly her treatment. This involves The Beloved putting her into a sleeper hold while I clean the affected area (yuck), apply burn cream, and then move to the other end of the cat in order to force a dose of liquid amoxicillin down her throat. It's the same stuff kids take for ear infections and the like--pink, bubblegum-scented, sticky goodness--and the cat is as fond of it as most kids are. Perhaps someone should look at creating special cat flavors. I'm sure she'd like it more if it smelled like duck liver or chicken.

Since my experience is that this sort of garbage manifests in threes, I assumed that my third misery-causing experience is the continued absence of a reimbursement check for which I've waited two weeks (turnaround time for these reimbursements has generally been under five days). I'd gotten down to the "dangerously low" level of funds in my checking account where the bank sends me balance notifications every 12 hours or so, possibly in hopes that I will rectify the situation. Unfortunately, as I found out yesterday, absence of funds--while distressing--does not qualify as catastrophic enough to knock one's karmic balance out of decline.

The Beloved and I have our phone service through Vonage. One of the great perks of this is that I get an e-mail every time someone leaves us a voicemail message. Yesterday I find a 3 minute message from "Anonymous." Hmmm--unusual. "Anonymous" generally signifies someone trying to sell us something we don't want. They never leave messages that long. So I listen to the message at work. This turned out to be a gigantic mistake, as the message is from my Library School Adviser.

The gist of the message is: They have lost paperwork I sent in at the start of fall semester. My program of study form does not match my transcript. Because these two pieces of paper don't match, I haven't actually graduated. I may have to pay a continuing registration fee for this semester. Oh, and what was your internship about again, because I can't find any of that information either.

This sends me into a panic on, oh, any of a number of levels--from the fact that I'm all done giving the Library School money, to the horrifying realization that if the places I've applied to work call to confirm my completion of the program in December 2006, I have no idea what the registrar's office will tell them. This is not good. Because I am sane and rational and together, I shut my office door before bursting into tears and e-mailing something absolutely incoherent and rife with swearwords to The Beloved. Because The Beloved is an amazing man who can occasionally reply with just the right thing, he tells me that this is not my fault and we will not have to pay for it, because if the Library School screws me over with either another bill or by creating problems for a potential employer, well, that's why God created lawyers. (The Beloved used to be an attorney, so I have confidence in his assessment of what is and is not a potentially litigious situation.)

The hyperventilating ends long enough for me to e-mail Adviser (complete with concerns), fill out required form (again), get to second job, and fax the document. Adviser admits that this is their fault and not mine, that my records will state a graduation date of December 2006 since I did complete all the requirements, and that I shouldn't be charged any extra fees. Adviser also says that if potential employers have any questions, I should have them contact him. Theoretically, crisis has been averted, but man-oh-man--I just want to be done with Library School!

Needless to say, I finished off the ballband dishcloth last night. It's stunning. Well, for a dishcloth. I didn't even try to kill anyone with my knitting needles. Impressive, eh? Tonight I start the March dishcloth KAL and this weekend I'm going to attempt to make some progress on my unfinished projects. Last weekend, I actually wove in all of the ends on the Blue Lagoon Baby Blanket, which means I have no excuse for not picking it up and working on it while watching TV. Except for the watermelon hat I really want to make for a friend's baby....

Kitty update

Kitties
Last night I mentioned a bit of an emergency with one of our babies and a late evening jaunt to the vet. A brand new vet, mind you. Fortunately, the new vet is right up the street (location couldn't be better) and seems to be very nice. Plus, he could see my poor traumatized baby at 7:40 last night instead of making us wait till the morning.

Note: Kitty diarrhea is not fun.

She's doing much better this morning. The vet shaved her backside (the indignity!), gave her a shot, gave The Beloved and I a $25 salve to rub on her sore backside twice a day and a weeks' worth of amoxicillin. We get to go back in a week for a checkup and another shot. But, man--what an evening. And what a way to start the morning! This kitty is a big girl. According to the scale last night, she is 18 pounds of cat. She insists she's just big-boned.

The Beloved and I have four cats. Naturally, the sick one is my favorite. Now, I know you're not supposed to have favorites, and I would beg you to keep my dirty little secret, but she already knows. Polly came to live with us a couple of years ago with the hope that she would befriend our other female cat, Piper, who was being constantly tortured by our two male cats. I went to the shelter looking for a smallish, female, short-haired kitten. I came home with a three-year-old long-haired Norwegian Forest/Maine Coon cross. I couldn't help it! She was gorgeous--with her long hair (Well, sort of--she was in really rough shape when she came to the shelter so they shaved her. Half of her. Then the clippers burned out.), and her big, green eyes, and her double paws! How could anyone say no to that?

Her paperwork from the shelter said that she was ambivalent as far as humans were concerned and that she got along with other cats. This was all well and good because we had plenty of cat companionship, and her job was to be a friend to our scaredy-cat. However, when I got her home the first night, she performed some preliminary explorations, jumped up onto the couch behind The Beloved, and wrapped her front paws around him in a big kitty hug. Ambivalent, eh? She has slept on our bed every night since. And she has adopted The Beloved as her kitten--she grooms him frequently because obviously he is not grooming himself adequately.

She came to us with the name "Tiger Lilly," which was too unwieldy for us, so one of our first tasks was to find a new name for her. The shelter seemed to believe she knew her name (we didn't get much response to Tiger Lilly and felt that perhaps a new name would give her a fresh start out of kitty jail), so we agreed to give her a name ending with an "ee" sound. Unfortunately, that meant no Norwegian deity names. After an evening of discussion we ended up with Polly--which I think is short for Polydactyl and The Beloved thinks is short for "Miss Polly Prissy-Pants." It works. She is most definitely a Polly.

More importantly, she is my Polly, and I hope that she is on the mend and enjoying her day of rest in my closet, which is where I left her this morning when I had to take off my nursemaid hat and go to work.

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