Knit and Run

Keep On Keeping On . . .

2012-01-31T05:49:00.000-06:00

Why did I buy all those leaves last summer/fall?

Really - what was I thinking?!

The Guest Room stand:

A close up of that top shelf:

Two shelves of the Sun Room stand (which is currently in the kitchen because the CHRISTMAS TREE is still not put away . . . ). There's plenty of room here - at least for a few days, because . . .

. . . here's the basement stand. Top shelf, second tray from the right - I still have all those to pot up. And that domed tray? Leaves that weren't quite ready to be in the real world yet and a couple of crowns I had to restart. And to tell the truth, on that second shelf, a few of those pots have multiple plantlets - I want them to get a little bit bigger before I split them up.

On that second shelf, far right - plants in that tray will be going to Windy City, and the tray second from the left has plantlets for a friend of mine.

So, I'm making progress, but please, will someone smack me the next time I mention "more leaves" or "going to an African violet show?" The violets came before the yarn - I mean, I've been knitting since I was little, but I didn't acquire the huge yarn stash I have until the past four or five years. This collecting tendency is giving me pause this morning.

I know, those of you who are not rolling your eyes and saying I have a screw loose, are probably looking at the upstairs stands and thinking, "What's the big deal? It looks like there's plenty of space on those shelves." Well, yeah, for now - all those babies are going to GROW. At least that's the plan. And the majority of them are standards. On a 2x2 foot stand (those upstairs are that size), I can get probably four normal standards on a shelf - five if they are on the smallish side. They like their own space and are not happy for long touching each other. Can you visualize the chaos in a few months yet?

====:-O

A Quick 2012 Goal Update

You might recall that one of my goals for 2012 was to have my office sofa cleared back off by February 1st . . .

This is looking like a fail. I don't see this getting cleared off tonight when I have a tray of living things dow in the basement that must be dealt with sooner rather than later. So - I am updating this goal. I'm giving myself until March 1st. Cross your fingers. :-)

Will They Shape Up for Show, Part III

2012-01-29T08:47:00.000-06:00

When last we saw our Shape Up for Show candidates, it was July (!)

OK, I'm a little pokey . . .

I went a little crazy last summer and fall, buying a huge number of leaves and plantlets to increase my collection, and I think I bit off more than I can safely chew . . . normally I roll with about 50 varieties - right now, I have 147. (Yes, really). I did spend yesterday and part of Friday night working with the plants, and I'll spend more time today - and probably next weekend, too. A lot of work . . .

I separated a lot of clumps of baby plantlets yesterday and will be doing a lot more of that today. I am getting ready for a speaking engagement at the end of February for the Windy City Indoor Gardeners. They meet at the Oak Park Conservatory, which is just an awesome place. I've spoken to them about African violets a couple of times already. Really nice group! If you're in the Oak Park, Illinois area, come on by on February 26th at 1:30 p.m. It's always good to see something green as we get toward the end of winter :-)

When I say I'm getting ready for this, I mean that I like to take plant material with me for their giveaway/raffle table. That's why I'm working on potting up babies so much right now - they need a few weeks to get established and grow a little :-)

OK - back to Rainbow's Limelight ("RL) and Decelle's Triomphe (DT).

Let's take a look at progress thus far. Here is RL:

L to R: May 2011, July 2011, January 2012

I repotted again yesterday and here is RL now:

I probably should have taken that bottom right leaf, but it's going to go shortly. RL is definitely looking better - you can really SEE the benefits of repotting when you look at the trio photo. It seems to be shaping up into a much better rosette shape. I was a little concerned about it back in July, but it's definitely looking better now. I think there's hope for National :-)

What about DT?

Again, L to R: May 2011, July 2011, January 2012

And after repotting yesterday:

Again - looking better than when we last checked in. I really took it down to the center crown. The rosette is looking good to me, and I'm hoping this one will shape up, too :-)

I have moved both of these plants onto my guest room light cart. It seems to be the best place in the house for show plants. I'll be checking in again with these before June :-)

The African Violet Society of America's annual convention will be held in Detroit, Michigan, from June 3-10, 2012. Convention info is available on the new AVSA website! 2012 is the year you want to attend, because it's going to be a joint show with the African Violet Society of Canada!

Detroit is an easy drive for me, and I'm planning to attend and (obviously) hope to take plants to show :-) If you're close to that area, the showroom will be open to the public on Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I believe there is a small charge to enter the showroom, but it's nominal, and will definitely be worth it. To my knowledge there has never been a joint show before - it's going to be awesome!

Here We Go!

2012-01-28T10:07:00.000-06:00

Some of last night's work - mostly species. It's very easy to tell which two plants are hybrids. Care to make a guess: :-)

Here's my messy potting bench, waiting for me to get back downstairs! One great thing that my ex did: make this potting bench for me, and make it left-handed. I did all the finish work (painting and sanding), but he built it. It continues to serve me well..

The result of inconsistent care . . . crowns that have to be restarted and leaves that haven't actually propagated yet.

More later - I've learned now that I can't stand on hard concrete (just standing - it's brutal) for more than a couple of hours at a time, even with the new mat. So, it was time to take a break :-) And now, it's time to change my shoes for the next round (another precaution - I really baby the tootsies) and get back downstairs :-D

My Feet Hurt

2012-01-27T23:04:00.003-06:00

No - not the plantar fasciitis again! I've been working on plants for a couple of hours . . . OMG I should have had my head examined when I bought all those leaves last year! My feet are tried from standing and working on the plants.

I did order an anti-fatigue mat from Amazon yesterday (and some pool shoes, and some tape for my label maker). It was supposed to come on Saturday because I have that Amazon Prime dealy. I'm so totally sold - everything came TODAY. That's overnight - not two days. I was thrilled!! Put the mat right down and I think it's going to be a great addition to the potting area in the basement.

Of course my trainer did make me do 80 (yes, really) sit/stands this morning . . . my quads are already complaining. :-D

:-D

2012-01-26T05:50:00.000-06:00

When I came home from my most recent trip, my porch (now shrub) goose had some new headgear.

(and I'm back to Flickr photos . . . more lines when I upload directly to Blogger. What is up with that? :-( )

This isn't going to be funny to you unless you are of a certain age and you grew up in the Chicagoland area. but if you grew up here in the 60's, let me take you down memory lane for minute. Enjoy :-)

My cousin ME's husband, R, was the culprit - apparently he's been wanting to do this for some time. He said, "now if we could only find a cement rabbit, you could knit it a hat." A reference to Romberg Rabbit, one of the characters on the show.

I grew up watching Frazier Thomas - the host of not only Garfield Goose and Friends, but also of Family Classics. Anyone else long to hear that theme again? :-) I'd post it, but Blogger seems to be quite crabby this morning . . .

Anyway, I had picked up a copy of this book for R. If you watched television in Chicagoland growing up, you might enjoy it. I got my copy at the Art Institute, but they are also available directly from the Museum of Broadcast Communications (I got a Garfield t-shirt there one year for me and for another cousin!)

And on a completely unrelated topic, here's what my weekend is shaping up to look like . . . plantlets to pot up and plants to pot on. Yikes!

ugh . . .

2012-01-25T22:27:00.002-06:00

Remember when I said my body makes large leaps up and down?

Yeah - well, I'm up 8.2 pounds this week. If I didn't know that this is a normal reaction for my body, I would be freaking out. I had a rough week, but I know I didn't eat that much, and some of it's water. So glad my food week starts again on Thursday!

It's just a number :-)

Struggling . . .

2012-01-24T07:00:00.002-06:00

What is going on with me?!

After a really great week on vacation with food and exercise, it's like I fell off a cliff. The news on the scale tomorrow - I'm afraid it will be up instead of down. I suppose this makes me human. One can only hope ;-) I'm not walking again today - and yesterday was a nightmare of unhealthy food choices, including a huge amount of sugar. The sugar started on vacation (after I weighed in), with a visit to the Centerville Pie Shop - apparently made famous by Oprah. Tori really wanted to go, and although I'm not a pie aficianado (my tastes are common: give me cake with frosting from the Jewel any day), they had some really good (and huge) cookies, called Hermits. It was the beginning of the end . . . I've been seeking sugar ever since.

My friend, Michelle at Boulderneigh, shared an article about sugar with me - and I have been wondering a lot about sugar all on my own, as well. Thus far, I do my best to stay away from high fructose corn syrup. Although "they" say sugar is sugar is sugar, somehow I don't quite agree. I try to use real sugar instead of fake sugar or sugars that have been chemically altered. White sugar in my tea, brown sugar on my oatmeal.

But the older I get, the more detrimental sugar consumption seems to be to my body. I ate cupcakes from the Jewel yesterday, and two cookies during the day from Corner Bakery (I also ate leftover pizza from a meeting at lunch because it was free (I don't really even like pizza all that much) and some fried chicken for dinner. I miss chicken and can only eat it once in awhile - fried was obviously not the best choice. It was not a good day . . . ). Every joint in my body is hurting this morning - which is why I chose not to walk. Perhaps a walk would have alleviated some of this pain congestion, in which case I will know by the time I get to work because I have a good walk every day to get there.

So. Now what? Yesterday was a nightmare of processed crap, none of which had much nutritional value of any sort, but I think the biggest culprit for how I'm feeling today would have to be the sugar. It would appear that sugar is something that I would do much better without - but one of the things I strive for is eating in a balanced way. That means that I know I'm not giving it up. In terms of balance, however, I'm way off the mark this past week - high (seriously high) levels of sugar and fat, and almost no vegetables at all . . . last night I went to the Jewel to shop - and thought I'd be doing a mega-shop. No - I bought almost all vegetables. Yay me! So now, there are choices in the house, which is a very good thing.

But back to sugar. When I met my friend, R, for lunch a few weeks ago, she gave me a Christmas present. She is much more imaginative than I am - she got me a gift certificate to a local yarn store and a bag full of interesting stuff that she's found or been using (I gave her a gift card to Amazon because she loves to read. Yes, I know. . . but I figured she'd use it :-) ). In the bag was a box of some Stevia in the Raw. She says she loves it. It appears to not have anything added to it, i.e., it has not been chemically altered in some way. I put it in the cupboard and didn't really think any more about it until this morning's aching joints.

I'm going to try it - I've got to figure out a way to get a handle on this sugar mania and learn how to manage it better. That's a key learning for me: Manage it. It's not realistic to say I'm never going to eat sugar again. One of the best things about Weight Watchers, for me, is that you really can eat whatever you want. There are no restrictions, so if you want to eat fewer carbs on some days, you can; or if you want to go vegetarian some days, you can. You learn to manage things - and I have to say that after a week with very few vegetables, I can see (and feel) how unbalanced I am.

So - the good news (you know that with me there is pretty much always some good news :-) ) is that I have been more balanced these past few weeks, because I can truly feel the difference after a week of imbalance. Yay Me!!! So, I'm learning. This is good.

Stevia . . . I'll let you know how it goes. (I really hope it goes well :-) ).

Jumping Back In . . .

2012-01-23T07:09:00.002-06:00

Rough day yesterday - food wise. I didn't go to the store - in fact, never got out of my jams. All the laundry got done (and put away!) though. I'm glad I built in the recovery day - but I wish I would have used it more efficiently. Somehow, I needed to pretty much just sit around.

I did finish weaving my very first scarf, however, and that makes me pretty happy :-)

I'm not quite sure what to do next - I mean, I think I'm supposed to wash and block this just like I would a knitted item . . . maybe it will help my selvedge (did I spell that correctly?!) on the right :-D The warp is Wollmeise 100% in Barista WD, and the weft is Wollmeise 100% Flaschenpost. As far as the next weaving project - well I have two more sets of Wollmeise picked out for two more of these scarves. Scarves seem to be a good thing for me to continue with to get more and more comfortable with my loom. The warp is beamed for the second but not lashed on in front yet. I'll be able to do that sometime this week - or next weekend, hopefully.

I'm not walking this morning. No excuse - just made the choice to not walk . . . I ate a lot of sugar yesterday - and I'm beginning to see the correlation there. I never want to do much the next day. I'm having a very strong cup of tea . . . since I'm usually pretty much caffeine-free, I'm sure I'll be pretty zippy this morning.

Still, kinda wishing I was here . . .

Or here . . .

But I'm home, thinking about the memories :-) And wondering how much work is waiting for me at the office . . .

Home Again . . .

2012-01-22T07:11:00.003-06:00

I've been traveling :-) I spent a week on Cape Cod with my Iona Sister, Tori, in retreat and relaxation. It was a very good trip.

I feel strongly that I had been standing at the portal to the next phase/cycle in my life, and this week away helped me step through it - to continue to move forward.

The Cape in winter is very beautiful, and we were at a friend's cottage, so it was like home away from home.

My friend, Tori, and I are working through Brené Brown's book, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. I may have mentioned this already. If you are looking for something to expand your knowledge of yourself along this path, I highly recommend it.

I went to WW to weigh in on Wednesday (yes, really :-D), and I'm happy to report that I was down .6. I'm thrilled, because I was weighing at night, and copious amounts of alcohol were consumed last week, along with a substantial amount of shellfish. I did get walking in most days, and I did the travel work out my trainer gave me 1.5 times. I would have done it 2 times, but I didn't have quite enough padding for my knees to do both planks and pushups the second time.

I've just finished writing to Southwest about my experience with Sam and being able to get on my flight the next day thanks to his help, and the laundry is going. It's 7 a.m. On this trip - the first of the new year, I did something I have been trying to do consistently for some time: I built in a recovery day. So, although it would have been awesome to stay another day with my Iona sister, Tori, I came home yesterday.

I came home to a driveway that had to be snow blown. Before I left last week I had to snow blow the driveway TWICE, and came home and had to do it all over again. Twice. Why twice? Because there was so much snow that I had to do a cleanup run to get it all :-D

So it goes. It was a long travel day - We headed for the Hartford airport around 11:30, in the midst of another snowstorm. Snow has been following me! We were slightly delayed, but I got to Midway and then took the Orange line downtown and caught the 5:38 train home. My cousins picked me up from the train and drove me home, which was nice because R hauled my suitcase through the snow into the house. They suggested I wait and do the driveway this morning - but I was dressed for it, and I could tell that the snow was still light and fluffy. This is critical, because I don't have a two-stage snow blower, and if the snow is heavy and wet, it clogs up alot. But the snow was light, so even having to do the cleanup run, I was done by 7:40.

One of the best parts of traveling, is coming home again. Yes, even when you have to clear your driveway before you can do anything else. :-)

p.s. I read FOUR books on vacation!! I went to the local yarn store and I didn't buy any yarn. In fact, I hardly knit at all on this trip. Interesting . . .

WTH?!

2012-01-12T18:47:00.001-06:00

I mean, really. It wasn't even that much snow. This is Chicago. It's winter. It SNOWS here.

I got right up to the desk to drop off my suitcase this morning and they cancelled my flight. Something about no visibility . . .

Well, I do have to admit that there is no margin for error at Midway. When you take off from there, the plane goes as fast as mechanically possible, and once it's airborne, it pretty much just goes straight up. Yes, really. And when you land there, you plunge out of the sky, bounce once on the runway and they jam the brakes on so hard you'd think you were on re-entry from space. And you know, if they don't jam on the brakes, here's what happens. The really big planes can't land there, the runways aren't long enough.

I think the phrase "coming in hot" was invented for Midway. The airport can't expand any further - it's within the city limits and there are homes on every side. So when you're dropping out of the sky, it's not like O'Hare, where there is a lot of space (because at O'Hare, they just use eminent domain and take what they want . . . ) around the runways. No, you are flying right over peoples' homes and businesses.

I always warn people when they come to visit if they haven't flown in or out of Midway before, because it can be really startling. Even to me. Once, I was coming home on a late flight from Arizona. Since I got the "sleep anywhere, anytime" gene from my mother, I got on the plane in AZ and promptly fell asleep, not waking up until we were at the very end of our descent. I had a window seat - always my seat of choice - and as I came awake, I, of course, looked out the window. And nearly screamed bloody murder. For a split second, I thought we were coming in to O'Hare and that something had gone terribly wrong for me to be practically seeing in the windows of peoples' houses, which meant, of course, that we must be crashing, because there are no houses surrounding O'Hare. Wide awake I was, then. Har de har har.

A, is there a point to this rambling?

Oh. Why yes, yes there is. I should be in in Massachusetts by now, eating seafood and getting ready for a week long retreat with my Iona sister, Tori. But I'm home, in my jams, my clothes having been removed and tossed into the laundry because they smell like exhaust because I had to snow blow the driveway because it snowed today and my stupid flight was cancelled right when I got up to the effing baggage drop off desk.

To make the first part of a long story short, the woman at that baggage drop off desk assured me that I had the last seat on the same flight I had that leaves tomorrow.

So, I turn around, and go to work for a half day. And I go online to check in for my flight tomorrow, and the website won't let me. Because, apparently, the woman at the baggage drop desk didn't actually grab me that seat like she assured me she had . . .

I'm now going to make the second part of this long story short. I had to spend at least 40 minutes on the phone with Southwest, and go through two people who swore up and down that they couldn't do anything and I would have to wait to get to Hartford (gateway to Massachusetts, and where my Iona sister, Tori, is picking me up) until the middle of the night tomorrow, to get to someone who could actually assist me. His name is Sam. He rocks hard. At least, I'm reasonably sure he does. I'm going to be sending along a compliment to the powers that be about Sam - tomorrow after I get to Hartford.

In the meantime - I'm home. In my jams. Eating hummus and carrots. And some toast. Toast sounds good, doesn't it? There's no food here. I was supposed to be on Cape Cod . . .

Oh, BTW, I was down 1.4 pounds when I weighed in on Wednesday. Yay Me!

I am . . .

2012-01-09T21:14:00.003-06:00

Been thinking about this concept of honoring my body now, again.

For all the times I looked in the mirror and told my reflection how disgusting I looked . . . or all the times that I just avoided the mirror altogether . . . or only looked in the makeup mirror . . .

As I have said here before, I believe that what we dwelll upon is what we bring to bear in our lives. Thus, when I was constantly telling myself how fat I was and how disgusting, and how much I needed to lose weight, I was setting myself up for constant and continual failure.

What?   A, what are you talking about?!

Well, let me relanguage (I LOVE that concept :-) ). Our minds are far more powerful than we give them credit for. When you operate from a place of negativity, that's what you draw to you. It's the law of attraction, the Secret, or as my mom called it: the Power of Positive Thought. Call it what you will - what you dwell on in your mind is what you create in your reality.

So, if you spend your hours saying things like: "I have to lose weight."

Or if you see a morbidly obese person on the street, and you focus all your attention on them, saying, "I don't want to look like that."

You've just told your mind what you want. The mind doesn't get the "not." It only operates in the positive - and in the now.    When I would tell myself that I wanted to lose weight, my subconscious mind made sure that I always had to lose weight - because that's what I told it wanted to do.   When I would see someone on the street that I didn't want to look like - same thing. The mind doesn't seem to get the "not."

It's why I believe it's so important to operate from a place of love and hope. To live in the present (as opposed to the future), and to come from a place of positive focus. It's all about what I want - not what I don't want.   And once I figure that out, I bring it out of the future tense and into the present. And I affirm it 'til the cows come home.

"I want to be thin and healthy," becomes: "I am healthy and strong and lean."

Sometimes I leave little notes around the house with the affirmations that are the most important to me.

"I am willing to risk, even when I feel afraid."

"Do or do not - there is no try." (Thank you, Yoda :-) )

There are plenty more. Find the ones you need for yourself - craft them carefully, in the present tense, and then repeat them. Over and over. Dwell on them. Bring those things to bear in your life. It's like what Wayne Dyer says: "When you change the things you think about, the things you think about change." How awesome is that?! :-)

It's 4 O'Clock!

2012-01-08T16:08:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, you just need a day to catch up.

I've been working on getting Christmas back into boxes and down to the basement. I've got most of it done, but my feet are tired and it was time to take a break :-)

Yesterday I had my semi-annual lunch with my high school friend, R. High school was not a great time for me - it's safe to say that I did not peak there . . . R. is the only friend I keep in touch with from those years. We are a week apart in age - and I the elder. She delights in reminding me that I'm older than she is ;-D

We always go to Gibson's in Rosemont (don't get the New York Strip - it's not as good as their other steak choices) and spend a leisurely 3 hours or so (it's never seriously crowded there for lunch on a Saturday, and we always tip the waiter really well), getting caught up on each other's life. We go every year around our birthdays, and then again around Christmas.

Usually, we have Pear Blossom martinis and dessert, but since both of us are focused on shrinkage, we ate relatively healthily. Well, R did - I could have done better :-D

I gotta tell ya - R and I look way better than a lot of our classmates . . . I don't know if it was good genes, or that we just took better care of ourselves over the years, but we congratulate ourselves about this every year.

Here's to us. Who's like us? Damn few! :-)

And then, my cousin, ME, invited me over for dinner. Some of her long-time friends (I know them, too :-) ), were coming for a girls' night, and I was very happy to go because they are flung to the four winds and having everyone in one place is a rare occurrence.

We had so much fun together!

I was supposed to have a dulcimer lesson this afternoon, but there was a plan change, so I've got a load of laundry in, and I'm about to roast some Brussels Sprouts (if they haven't gone over in the crisper) for dinner. It's warm in Chicagoland - in the 40's again. In January. Not normal.

A Sleepy Girl . . .

2012-01-07T21:42:00.003-06:00

Just an awesome day!

I'll tell you about it tomorrow, though, because I am one sleepy girl :-)

It's the Weekend . . .

2012-01-06T05:46:00.002-06:00

. . . do what you wanna do!

Yesterday I was reminded that trying to hurry all the time is probably not best for me. I managed to get my walk in (yes, I did get my ass down to the basement :-) ), and then I decided I wanted a flat omelette for breakfast . . .

One egg, one egg white. Check.
Red pepper and scallion. Check
A piece of sharp cheddar. Check

I went to pick up the bowl to whip up the eggs - and tipped it over.

Crap.

Another egg, another egg white. Check.
(thankfully I didn't have to cut up more veg)

All is going well . . .

. . . until I take the omelette from the pan, and it falls off the spatula, breaks in two, and ricochets off the counter and slides down the pantry cabinet door to the floor, leaving a trail of melted cheddar behind it.

Really? Really????

5 Second Rule.

God knows what I ingested along with protein, but there wasn't time to both clean up and make another. Better time management. I'm working on it.

In other news of the day, I'm WEAVING!!!! Hot Dog!!

That means I'm busting some stash!!! The warp is Wollmeise 100% in Barista WD, and the weft is Wollmeise 100% in Flaschenpost.

Move Your Ass . . .

2012-01-05T05:59:00.003-06:00

Man, it's hard to get going this morning. I just had a stern talk with my self: "Get your ass downstairs It's nearly 6 and you're not downstairs yet! Do you want to be like that comic? The one with the two dogs - and the one dog turns to the other and says: "What are New Year's resolutions?" and the other dog says: "A to-do list for the first week of January." Is that what you want? To be a failed to-do list?"

Harsh much? Obviously, I still need to work on yesterday's topic . . .

In the meantime, I'm getting my ass downstairs.

Another Season Three episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation awaits . . .

Checking In

2012-01-04T20:04:00.002-06:00

The first weigh in after a good first week is usually heartening. This one was no different. I was down 6.6 on the scale today. Yay Me! I've decided to only weigh at my weekly WW meeting. Weighing mid-week here on the scale at home never does me any favors.

I've been thinking about something my friend Amy, the Writing Weaver said in one of her comments, about taking an overall view of her body and then attempting to come to terms with it being just a number and learning to be happy with the body she has this year.

How awesome is that? :-)

I have come to believe that in order for me to be successful on this path to myself, that I must embrace myself right where I am, right now. Not 20 pounds from now. Right now. The self-hate and shame surrounding size and numbers that I have carried for so long is not best for me. Baggage. Baggage that no longer serves me. How do I let it go? It's followed me home more times than I can count. I think that to truly let these painful things go, I have to embrace them, and thank them, and release them.

There's that word again. Release . . . Webster's defines it: "to set free from restraint, confinement or servitude." Well. Self-hate. Shame. Restraint. Confinement. Servitude.

Alrighty then.

So, here we go . . .

Body 'o mine, thank you for getting me this far. You have done just a completely awesome job of taking care of me, and keeping me safe. You are strong, and really quite healthy. Thank you for that. Thank you for sticking with me, and not giving out on me. Thanks for all the pleasure you have afforded me. Thank you for have all working parts. Thank you for getting me to the train and to work every day. Thank you for sleeping so well. Thank you for dancing so well. Thank you for doing such an awesome job.

I'm sorry for all the times I hated your appearance. Felt disgusted by your size and shape. Or made fun of you first before anyone else could. I am so sorry. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are beautiful, just as you are. Thank you. I love you.

Body, you get to rest now, and let me take care of you. I'm listening to what you're telling me, and I hear you. You don't have to take care of me any longer by yourself, because I'm awake now, and I'm making the decisions. You've done so well for so long all on your own. I'm honored to step up. Think what an awesome team we are! You have nothing to be ashamed of. You are beautiful, just as you are. Thank you. I love you.

All that stuff we've been carrying around - I'm just going to set it down here. Body, we don't need it any longer and we'll move faster without it. You can trust me - I'm listening to you. I hear you. But that suitcase - it's just an old suitcases full of crap we don't need anymore. A suitcase full of shame, restraint, negative self-talk, confinement, anger, and yes, servitude. I don't think we're going to miss any of that stuff at all, Body. :-)

I'm currently reading Brené Brown's book, I Thought it was Just Me (but it isn't): Telling the Truth About Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power. I high recommend this book. I would like to share with you her presentation at the TEDx conference in Houston in 2010. It takes about 20 minutes to watch.

It's worth it.

Dog on the Loom

2012-01-03T05:56:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I had a weaving lesson from PatsyZ.

I took a class from someone in Michigan this summer, but there's nothing like working with a teacher who understands how I learn and whose style is similar to my own. Patsy's been my spinning teacher for a number of years, and she was a weaver before she was a spinner - seemed like a no-brainer that she would be the person to really teach me how to weave.

We cut off the warp that I had wound in Michigan - Dog on the Loom is a technical term (really :-D), that's what they call it when you cut warp off. I didn't want to make mug rugs anyway, besides which the yarns were icky together.

We worked from 2 until 7. Yes, really. She has de-mystified the math that is part and parcel of using a loom. Yay!! I wound my first Wollmeise warp for a scarf, and am in the process of warping the loom. She's coming back soon for another lesson, and I'm going to be really weaving in no time at all :-) I prefer the look of plain weave so far . . . the look of overshot gives me vertigo.

Can't tell you how much better I feel about the entire process. Of course, the sunroom is looking more and more like a studio instead of an actual room in my home. At least this half of it does :-D Might be time for some focused straightening up in there. But for now, I'd better focus and get downstairs and walk.

Chilly here today - could be time for the Industrial Strength Hat.

It's Just a Number . . .

2012-01-02T11:20:00.001-06:00

I am a Lark in the Morning.

I really am. And I'm nearly caffeine-free. This means that once I hit the tired wall, I have to go to bed. I go to bed at 9 p.m. so I can get up at 5 a.m. and walk on the treadmill. Today, because it's a federal holiday, I have a day off (Yay!), so I met with my awesome trainer at the club this morning instead of in the evening. O.M.G. it is so amazing to work out in the morning!

I shared my 2012 goals and intentions with him and we strategized while he was pounding my ass. Well, actually he was making me do 60 push ups and then do planks :-D

Here is something I know: When you set the intention for something, things fall right into place in the most amazing and serendipitous ways . . . Both of our schedules are very fluid and we've been trying different evenings lately, trying to find the best times. In the past he hasn't been available for an early morning workout, but now, in the new year, guess what? :-)

So, Wednesday will see me at 5:45 a.m., at the club, ready to work out. I am so excited about this! When I get home from work, I am usually wiped out - so freeing up two evenings a week is just huge for me. Yay!! We talked about how I would really need to attack this issue with all the focus and energy I have.

One of the other things we discussed was my plan to do a video once a week. He suggested one of my yoga tapes (see how this stuff all falls into place?!). We also discussed my shrinkage goal. 30 pounds by April 23rd seemed achievable until he said it was 16 weeks - and then, all of a sudden, I got a little scared. Women's bodies change as we age - I don't know yet if 2 pounds a week is realistic - I hope it is, and if I'm doing what I need to do to take care of myself, it should be. My trainer thinks it is, but he also knows me pretty well and he wants me to succeed as much as I want me to succeed. He was the one who suggested a range of 25-30, and so that goal has been adjusted to reflect that. I'm all about the achievable :-)

I'm also all about demystifying this stuff. I think that many women feel that our worth is measured by what size we are. There is constant judgment and shame surrounding size, and every year that passes brings with it more changes. This constant shaming is unfortunate - have you watched telly lately? Or picked up a magazine? I know I don't look like the women (girls, actually) that I see in the media, and I'm tired of freaking out about it.

Truth be told, I'm in pretty good shape. The fact that I weight 241.8 pounds does not make me a bad person. It merely makes me an obese person. In another culture, I would be a goddess :-D  Why yes, yes I did just tell you how much I weigh. It's just a number. It's a number, not a measure of my worth as a human. It's just a number - it's not a measure of who I am (no matter what they say on the telly). It's just one measure of my size at one fixed point in time - I mean, really! If I drank an 8 oz. glass of water and got back on the scale, I would be half a pound heavier.

I am tired of being bound by arbitrary crap. That Angel of Freedom is on my shoulder - it's time to release the shame surrounding this stuff. And so, I'm choosing to embrace the numbers because they are giving me something concrete to start with. How else am I going to be able to have achievable, measurable goals? :-) So - what about it? Here are the rest of my numbers - I'll check in with them again from time to time throughout the next few months.

I'm 5' 7 3/4" tall ( I usually just say I'm 5' 8" - always wished I was as tall as my childhood friend, Priscilla (who just found this blog - how serendipitous is that?! :-) ). My Weight Watchers Lifetime Member Goal Weight is 134 pounds. As mentioned before, I'm not sure that's realistic any longer, but I don't have to worry about it right now. Right now, I just need to focus on the present and on my intention to be aligned with perfect health and wellness :-)

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, my BMI is 37. Anything over 30 equals obese.

On Friday, I had my blood pressure taken by a friend who is a nurse:   120/76   (Yay, Me!!!)

This morning, I found the damn tape measure, right where it should have been ;-D  Arm/leg measurements are taken on my left because I'm left-handed I think they are larger than on my right.

Neck: 14"
Upper Arm: 14"
Wrist: 6"   (See, I think I was supposed to be a tall, thin dancer ;-D)
The Girls: 48"
Under the Girls: 40"
Waist: 45" (Thank you peri-menopause for this apple shape I never had before :-S)
Hips (more commonly known around here as Ass): 53"
Thigh: 29 3/4"
Calf: 16 1/2"
Ankle: 9"

And on a completely different topic, I would just like it known that I did, indeed, put the laundry away yesterday once it was done :-)   AND, I emptied the dishwasher :-D

It's a Tradition . . .

2012-01-01T17:06:00.002-06:00

The annual New Year's Day sale at The Fold has become a kind of tradition. This year, I met my friends Linda the Chicken Lady, and Joan out at Woodfield, and we drove the rest of the way in my car together.

We had the BEST TIME!!!

And guess what I got!

Wait for it . . . .

A Schacht Winding Stand!!! Already put together!!!! On Sale!!!!!! Wheeeeee!!!!! Oh, and some Addi Turbo's size 4's, and two bars of Olive Leaf soap and a little terry bag to use as a soap mitt.

Nope, no yarn.

Oh - I also got some books from the garage sale part of the sale - which was great. I won't be keeping them - they will go to good use in the YOSS group throughout the year.

No, I told you already, I didn't get any yarn.

It was the chilliest day of winter so far, I think - I only wore a fleecy vest, so my arms were cold on my trips back forth to the auto.

Linda attempted to give me some weaving yarn! I would very much like to have it because it's all cotton and I could make some dish towels with it - but I asked her to hold on to it for me a little while longer. I just got my stash all put together and didn't want to add another huge amount so early in the Slash & Smash Your Stash challenge.

Once we were done shopping, we drove back to Woodfield and went to the Gaylord for the Indian buffet. Yum!!!

Happy girls :-) We had just a super day!

And no, seriously - I'm not kidding - I didn't buy any yarn :-D

Looking Within . . .

2012-01-01T07:25:00.004-06:00

New year, new look, new hair, new photo. Same content :-)

And isn't that true about pretty much everything? I can change it up 16 ways from Sunday, and I'm still who I am on the inside. I still have this same spirit and this same attitude. And yet, it's good to change it up sometimes :-)

Been thinking and thinking about goals and the words "reasonable" and "achievable." And I've documented a few of mine for 2012 on a page (you can see the header up above (Blogger has this new behind the scenes interface that is similar to Wordpress now).

Foremost, I think, is the size of my ass. Need I say anything more about that right now? I think not. I know what to do - and I'm doing it. I wanted to do some measurements today (you know, measurable goals :-) ), and would you believe that I cannot find the tape measure?! It's here in this office somewhere . . . and I just can't find it at the present moment.

One of the things I usually do on New Years Eve, is read the runes. They are an oracle of the self (not a fortune-telling device) similar to the I Ching. I have a couple other oracles that I use as well - All are introspective - after all, it's what inside - what we already know - that is often the most important guidance. God sends his angels in all forms :-)

And so, for me this reading was all about letting go of the past - how fitting, huh? :-) About cycles and rhythms, energy levels, compassion for myself along the path, about being, rather than doing, and about nourishing my soul, mind and heart with whatever brings me inspiration.

Wow - it could not have been a more fitting confirmation that this path to my self that I have been on is, indeed, the correct path for me. Yay, Me!

Have you heard me talk about letting the past go before? Probably. How come? How come we're talking about this again? Didn't you get it right the first time, A? Aren't you perfect, A? Those words are hard to write . . . and I'm going to talk about perfectionism another day. For now - what I know so far in my life, is that apparently, stuff you think you've worked through and dealt with, often comes back up at a new stage in your life so you can work it through and deal with it again. Things change as we go through life . . . so here I am, letting go again.

And the angel to travel with me at this time of release (what an awesome word :-) ) is the Angel of Freedom. I love that - letting go, releasing that which no longer serves me and freeing myself to become myself. Shedding and renewal - I'm so ready.

The picture on the Angel Card is of an angel on the beach, with the sun shining, her angelic robes folded neatly on the sand and her wings open, halo in place - as she prepares to skinny dip! :-D She's obviously comfortable with her body - a good omen of things to come for me, I think.

Happy New Year, one and all. My intention for you is all good things in 2012. Find what makes your heart sing, and then dance like no one is watching . . . :-)

365:365 And in the End . . .

2011-12-31T19:43:00.004-06:00

. . . the love you take, is equal to the love . . . you make.

:-)

Countdown . . .

2011-12-31T10:13:00.004-06:00

Could I blog every day? Maybe. We'll see. :-)

In the mean time, here's the final catchup of my 365 project. Click to biggify and see the entire shot.

364:365 City in the Mist

I lied - this one is the last view of the city. I got off the train two stops early this morning because I wanted to take photos of one last piece of public art, called Agora, that is installed at the very south end of Grant Park - and I did.

But this was the photo of the day. So much about this photo is what I love about Chicago - the architecture, the trees in the park, the train, Michigan Avenue (from the South Loop looking North), and yes, even the weather. There's something about a rainy day . . . a rainy day in Chicago . . .

363:365 Almost a Mackerel Sky

A sky like this is rare - particularly in Chicagoland in the dead of winter. But it's been warmer than usual, and mostly rainy. As I walked out the front door this morning, this gift awaited. Those trees were the ones so on fire only a few months ago. Their beauty now, is in their starkness.

So lucky to have a winter sky like this . . .

362:365 Bright Lights, Big City

One last view of this city I love so much.

It's hard for me to believe that my project is nearly finished. I won't continue for another year in the same way, and not every day - but I'll still be around :-)

361:365 Oh, Say, Can You See?

It wasn't dawn, it was on my way home from the train. The wind was fierce.

360:365 My Tree

Lights, Belleek bells, an angel, and the Polar Bear Family, along with BunBun and Winky, I like it :-)

359:365 Happy Christmas

This is my cousin, Kathryn (Mary Ellen's sister :-)), laughing - something she does alot. Her daughter must have said something very funny :-D

358:365 Christmas Eve

My cousin, Mary Ellen, outside the Garfield Park Conservatory, where we spent our afternoon.

357:365 In for a Landing

This goose landed in the retention pond that I can see every day from the train. Another gloomy kind of day in Chicagoland as I headed down to work.

356:365 The Reliance Building

Another Burnham & Root building - on the U.S. Nattional Register of Historic Places since 1970, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, and a Chicago Landmark in 1995 (we have an unfortunately deserved reputation of being late to the party here in Chicagoland . . . ). Steel and white terra cotta - built in the Chicago style, using the "Chicago construction method" of a steel frame superstructure atop concrete caissons. The first two floors of the Reliance Building were designed by John Root in 1890, and the rest in 1895 by Charles Atwood - the restaurant on the ground floor is the Atwood Cafe.

It fell into disrepair in the 1940's and was saved from the wrecking ball in the late 90's when it was restored. It now houses a luxury hotel (The Burnham).

I like how the more modern buildings frame this one. This is ground zero of Chicago's numbering system: 0 hundred. The corner of State and Washington. People here often give addresses by hundreds - for example, Division Street is 1200 North. That's how far north it is from this corner of Randolph and State.

355:365 Lightspace

They have music that plays out of speakers and the colors on the wands change, seemingly at random. Better at night :-) Lightscape is on State Street - it's something the city is doing to have more green Christmas lighting, and I think it will be year round.

354:365 Oh Boy . . .

Someone, somewhere is in a mighty panic right about now. At least some kind soul picked them up off the pavement.

353:365 Berries in the Snow

This is the tree in my office building again - it's actually hollow. I like how only the purple balls seem to be in focus.

Yoga . . .

2011-12-30T15:33:00.006-06:00

I said I would talk about Yoga today.

Yoga.

I like it.

I have had an interest in it since forever in the wayback. You know, when the Beatles did their TM thing with the Maharishi in India. That wayback.

Yoga, and meditation.

However . . .

I never actually learned to do either one very well - and now, when I really would like to be doing some yoga - the majority of the postures require major trunk twisting, and it's not best for me. Well, not yet.

I have two discs in my lower spine that the orthopedic surgeon in SoCal told me are ruptured. One gooshes out one way, and one gooshes out the other. What this means (other than months of PT and drugs I'm allergic to when it goes out, which it hasn't for about 12 years :::::knocking wood::::::) is that all those poses with all the twisting - yeah, no. Not so much.

I do, though, have a couple of Yoga DVDs that I really like. The best one is Peggy Cappy's Yoga for the Rest of Us. It's awesome! She's awesome. I saw her on PBS! I should do it more often! The other one, I couldn't find, which just goes to show that it's been an awfully long time since I did it :-D It is called Healing Yoga for Aches & Pains.

Perhaps that will be one of my goals: more Yoga. Everyone who does it, seems to adore it.

I continue to ponder goals for myself. I believe that I would like some achievable, realistic goals.

And So, I Begin . . . Again . . .

2011-12-29T07:11:00.003-06:00

I think it's about never giving up, always moving forward in some fashion. I could wait until the New Year . . . but there's no time like the present, and my food week starts on Thursdays. I weighed yesterday and was up 7.4 pounds from the week before (when I had lost 6.6). I do know from past experience that my body makes huge leaps up and down. It's a little bothersome that what would cause someone else to maybe go up a pound or two, causes me to leap up 6 or 7. Oh well - that's how my body operates. I'd say I'm used to it, but it always does seem to come as a surprise somehow :-)

I learned a lot this past week - like not to double your walking time . . . You'd think I'd know that one for sure, but instead of 45 - 50 minutes on the treadmill on Christmas day, I did 90. It should have come as no surprise to me that it took me four days to recover. My body - although strong and reasonably healthy - is not 20 any longer. That means I need to treat it with a little more respect and TLC.

I had a good workout last night at the club with my trainer, and I did 40 minutes on the treadmill this morning with good stretching after.

I'm thinking about reasonable, achievable goals today. I should have some shortly.

Looking Forward

2011-12-28T12:46:00.005-06:00

Here we are - it's the end of the calendar year, and I find myself looking forward to 2012.

I've spent most of 2011 here on the blog chronicling my life in photographs as part of the 365Project. I've loved it - and I gave serious thought to continuing it for another year. But, it's time to move on.

Those who know me in person know it's no secret that I have struggled with the size of my ass for most of my life. I even started an anonymous blog earlier this year to see about working through some of my issues there. Let it suffice to say that the struggle continues, but that I'm figuring out how to move forward.

Some back story - two, geez, maybe three years ago, I managed to lose close to 60 pounds. About half of what I wanted and thought would be best for me to lose. Things were going along quite well, and then, I got injured. I developed plantar fasciitis in both heels. So, I switched to my recumbent bike for cardio - and rode it so much that I hurt my tailbone (I still have to sit on pillow with a hole in it at work and on the bike). That left me with pretty much no cardio . . .

I can hear you now - why didn't you try something else? What about swimming? Well, I did try other stuff, but I never really enjoyed any of it as much as I enjoyed walking. I did start weight training (which is awesome, BTW), but I made poor food choices along the way . . . Let me clarify: I used food to try to numb the constant pain. I dealt with constant pain every single day until sometime in March of this year. Yes - that's daily pain with every step for more than two years. Truthfully, I think I did really well not to jump off a cliff or kill someone during those years.

When every step you take feels like someone is shoving knives up through your heels (graphic, I know - but absolutely true), it's a test of strength and will to just get out of bed (the pain was always worst first thing in the morning). So, yeah, I picked back up about 30 pounds. and I've been going up and down the same 10 for this entire year.

And I can't blame it on injuries anymore - now, it is my own choices that are tripping me up.

I have weeks where I get both the food and the exercise in sync, but it doesn't last very long, and I have to say that Christmas this year was tough - I ate stuff I never eat, much to my detriment.

Throughout all of this, I kept going to Weight Watchers at least once a month. I'm a lifetime member (not at goal), so I don't get charged for missed meetings, etc., but I do pay for a monthly pass (the way to go, folks!) so I can go anytime, pretty much anywhere.

I believe that 2012 is a make or break year for me. I either get healthy, or go home and just be fat for the rest of my natural (and likely shortened) life. I'm going to be talking alot about the size of my ass in 2012, so if hearing a 50-something woman bitch and moan, and struggle and win and lose, and most of all learn about herself in a fight for her health is not your cup of tea, I'll understand.

If you read this blog at all, you already know I rarely pull a punch, so some of it could be painful. But also as a 50-something woman, I'm virtually invisible to more than half the world's population - so there should be no serious repercussions ;-) And for the other half - well, girl, pull up a chair. Issues that affect us as women in the world are always on my mind, and I will welcome your comments, thoughts, cheers, and the occasional screams of pain.

Of course I'll be talking about other stuff too - there's always going to be knitting content, and spinning content, and in 2012 there's going to be weaving content because I'm insistent that I'm actually going to learn to USE the loom I acquired nearly a year ago. There will also be dulcimer content and whatever else appeals to me, and you'll hear plenty about my year with my yarn.

I hear often, lately, that blogs are passé. Well, not to me. I like reading - and I like writing, and I'm about to use this blog to chronicle another year of my life - in words this time.

Let the party begin . . . ;-)

Time for another Catch up

2011-12-18T20:05:00.003-06:00

Here we go! i'm going with the medium size again - so be sure to click to biggify and see the whole photos.

352:365 Comfort and Joy

Kind of mundane I suppose, but it makes me happy to see it here. This is my living room. I spend most of my time in my sunroom, but this room is filled with comfort and joy somehow, and I like to read here and curl up on the sofa with a fire in the fireplace.

351:365 It's Sticking!

Well, kinda :-) This is the first snow that has stayed on the ground for more than an hour. In my front yard - a yew, a piece of up-ended flagstone, a naked viburnum and a sprinkling of leaves..

350:365 That's My Bag

Somehow the only shot taken this day! A quick look down into the messenger bag I carry every day, full of the necessities of my life, I guess - an apple, my glasses' case, the edge of a bag of mini carrots, and my raggedy red wallet. The black case is the camera case, and the Black Watch one is my makeup bag. The blue zippered bag is my "electronics bag" where my hot spot and iTouch live so I can find them in this bottomless pit :-D Ah, the life of a train commuter!

349:365 In the Deep Midwinter . . .

. . .there are things blooming on my plant stands :-) These are the buds I shared almost two weeks ago. This is the most I've seen on this columnea. They are not quite open yet, but will be in the next few days or so. The name of this cultivar is "Light Prince."

348:365 At Work

This is from the tree in the lobby of the building where I work. I had to be quick - they don't allow photography in the lobby ;-) I love seeing all the decorations everywhere.

347:365 The Tree!

This is the tree I showed you on November 8th and 21st - This time with its lights blazing :-) It's the city's tree, in Daley Plaza at the edge of the Christkindle Market. I like the halos on the litghts :-)

346:365 People I Love

I've discovered that this often happens to me right after trips: I never got a photo taken for today. This photo was taken yesterday before I returned home from an awesome mini-break. I don't often take photos of people because I don't think I'm very good at it - but I like this photo of an old friend of mine and one of his beautiful daughters.

345:365 Not Ready to Go . . .

This was taken at Accotink Bay, a wildlife refuge on-post at Fort Belvoir - a beautiful and serene place, it holds bittersweet memories for me.

344:365 End of the Day . . .

. . .as the shadows lengthen and the light begins to fade. At the Wharf along the Potomac on the grounds of the Mt. Vernon estate.

343:365 Old Alexandria

Taken on a wonderful walk through Old Alexandria.

342:365 Holidays at O'Hare

On my way to a holiday weekend in Virginia. These are in the pedway at O'Hare airport.

341:365 All Together

Here in Chicagoland, there's not much separation of church and state - at least not at this time of year :-) This is in the lobby of the Thompson Center (a state building). I have not been able to find information on the blue sculpture.

340:365 Oh Dear . . .

How can it be that this was one of two photos taken today and this is the better?

339:365 Visions of Sugar Plums

On the doors of the front all closet :-)

338:365 Shades of Christmas Past

Awesome jewelry artist, Carrie Notari, is doing these beautiful ornaments for Christmas. She was at the One of a Kind show this weekend. I love her stuff!

A Year With My Yarn

2011-12-06T06:11:00.007-06:00

This end of the calendar year, aka The Holiday Season, is exhausting this year. I'm trying to get an awful lot done in a very short period of time. For example, I'm writing instead of walking this morning.

Over on Ravelry, I'm one of the "Friendly Mods" of the Year of Stash Socks Group. As the group moves into 2012, two of my friends - they are the other Friendly Mods - and I are taking a serious look at our respective stashes.

The amount of yarn that I have is sobering.

We've created a year-long challenge - the first part of which is happening now: we are cataloging and getting all our yarn into our Ravelry stashes so we'll have a starting number of yards by December 31st. We've opened up the challenge to the entire group, of course, and we've had a surprising number of takers! If you're interested, it's the Slash & Smash Your Stash 2012 thread.

All the yarn. That means the weaving yarn (it's horrifying the thousands of yards that are on those cones . . . ) and the felting yarn (Lamb's Pride . . . ) and the dish rag cotton (there's always some of that on hand) and the yarn I've been stockpiling to make Kaffe Fassett's Long Leaf Coat.

I've attempted to stop buying yarn before, to various success. Knitterary and The Writing Weaver and I had a pact a couple of years ago, and we did reasonably well. Except for the standard travel dispensation, and the summer Wollmeise dispensation . . .

Right . . .

I don't do so well with deprivation, and so I'm looking at it all in new light - one that's more in keeping with how I like to live my life: in the positive. And I like to have goals. I do better when I have goals that are achievable. And lately, I've had a couple of friends who are fighting cancer. One got the news back in August that treatment was not fully successful, and another just received a diagnosis on Monday.

Yarn and cancer. What does one have to do with the other? I'm not really sure, but somehow my commitment to what started out as stash busting is tied up in my head somehow with serious goals - something simple that I should be able to do when others I care for are being forced into dealing with life altering circumstances. Do I think that my curbing some excess in my life will change theirs? No, not consciously - but this stark reminder that life is short is causing me to look at my own life and how I want to live it. And so, although I have no control over someone else's life, perhaps my own life will be changed - because I will change it. I am the only one who can. It's obviously about more than yarn.

And so, ever in the path of hope and positivity, 2012 is going to be, for me, "A Year With My Yarn." You heard it here, first.

(That's just the sunroom . . .)

More Photos!

2011-12-04T18:31:00.003-06:00

It's almost the end of the year - I can't believe I've been doing this 365 Project for a year. It sure has been fun :-) Here's the latest catchup:

337:365 Ready to Pop

I was walking by one of the plant stands today, and was surprised to see this columnea absolutely covered with buds. You can't force or disbud these like you dan African violets, so I let them bloom at will. A happy Christmas surprise :-)

336:365 My Exciting Friday Night

That's my yarn armoire, (the yarnoire ;-) ). In preparation for a year long challenge of using up more of my yarn, I had to do a complete inventory of all the yarn in the house.This is all the yarn in the sunroom - there is so much more all over the house :-D The top two shelves are fiber (not yarn), but those three big drawers? All yarn. This giant cleanup is giving me a great opportunity to get yarn organized and shifted around to where I can find it all :-D

335:365 It's the Holiday Season

The decorations on the sconces outside the United Airlines Building. The light portion gives a similar effect to The Bean. I walked up to be nearly underneath it to avoid appearing in the reflection.

334:365 Catalog-O-Rama

I must be on every mailing list in the country - and a couple in the UK, too :-D This is just one day's haul.

333:365 New Ornament

At Christmas time, I like to hang ornaments on the two hanging sconces on either side of the French doors in my sunroom. I've had out of town company over the holiday, so searching for house photos :-)

332:365 First Flurries

They are not the very first, but the first I've seen. They didn't stick. this is the empty gazebo in my back yard.

331:365 The Dining Room

I was in that play many year ago :-DBut this is my dining room - something festive, some art on the walls (Fairchild - one of my favorites), some wine, my mom's old sideboard. I like it in this room :-)

330:365 :-)

I love Christmas! The tree is up but not decorated. Yet :-)This was the only photo I took today! Been having a Harry Potter movie marathon :-D

329:365 Defiant II

You've seen him before in my photos, August 4th and 5th - but here he is decked out in his Christmas finery. The scaffold is away, but the ladder is still visible. It takes three guys, a scaffold and a ladder to wreath him.

328:365 Happy Thanksgiving

Here in the US., it's Thanksgiving Day. The traditional dinner is turkey with all the trimmings, but since I like to keep breathing, no turkey for me! This is my very first Beef Wellington, and it was really, really good, if I do say so myself :-DNext time - fewer mushrooms - it didn't need a whole pound, even pureed and cooked down it was too much. Also, next time will request a cut that is more the same size - this one was smaller at one end so didn't cook as evenly - and will brown the tenderloin a little bit more. It was medium rare everywhere except the very center.Not a particularly artistic photo, but I was really quite pleased with myself :-D

327:365 Ooooo, Shiny!

The first of - I'm sure - many photos of the Christkindle Market. It opened today. This market is one if not the largest Christkindle Market outside of Germany. I had lunch there today - I'm sure I will go again . . . and again . . . and again :-)

326:365 The Old and the New

The beautiful clock, and the garish decorations of the store formerly known as Marshall Field's. I (along with many Chicagoans) was so aggravated by the ruination of this magnificent retail institution, that I won't shop there, and I stubbornly refuse to utter the name of the new store.I should probably get over it . . . but I probably won't

325:365 Dressed in Holiday Style

The lights on the City's Christmas Tree. In the background is the County Building side of the City and County Building :-)

324:365 Beets!

It was a lot of work (and doesn't it look like I murdered something?) for one jar of refrigerator pickled beets. Next time, i'm slicing them by hand and skipping the mandoline.This was my first time making them - I adore pickled beets, and a friend of mine made them and shared not only the beets, but her recipe :-) I think I will pay her to make them for me in the future :-D

323:365 The Remains of the Day

One of only two photos I today . . . it was another day of constant errands - when you work, you have to get everything in on Saturdays. This was at the library in Park Forest - the last of the Black-Eyed Susans, I think, amidst the leaves.

322:365 Mini Murmuration

This photo was taken on November 9th. I'm sharing it here today because in the midst of my attempting to get everything accomplished six ways from Sunday, I fell asleep in the chair this night without having taken a photo all day . . .This group of pigeons was circling and circling and circling together. Swooping and dipping and circling across Randolph Street and Daley Plaza. I was on my way to work. The white building is the old Brunswick Building, and the gray one is the Chicago Temple Building. The birds were just amazing - I've never seen pigeons do that before.

321:365 As We Dream . . .

My house is nearly ready for Christmas, and I finally got these photos from my trip to Egypt hung. I lived with them leaning against the couch for a few months as I pondered where they should go.Over the fireplace. Why didn't I realize it sooner?

320:365 The Last Rose of Summer

Managed to set the camera on "small" instead of "large" yesterday - a hazard of tossing it in my bag, I guess - so I think this shot is a little different. Downtown - on my way to get some lunch.

319:365 Viburnum

This is my favorite Viburnum that lives in my front yard. It grows in the perfect snowball shape, never gets mildew and is stunningly beautiful at this time of year. Taken in the early morning light, on my way to the train.I have no idea which variety of viburnum it is - there seem to hundreds.

318:365 Bun-Bun and her Sister, Winky

I have no earthly idea why I gave these these names :-D They are just waking up from their off-season hibernation, along with the Polar Bear family that will soon be living underneath my Christmas tree.Years ago, I made these rabbits with the intent to sell them at craft fairs . . . ;-) I made a couple more that have since been gifted. Bun-Bun, is the red one - she was the prototype. Winky is the oatmeal one. They are not as large as they look in this photo. Bun-Bun's got her own little chair that she sits in every year, and Winky sits next to her on the floor.It wouldn't be Christmas without them :-)

317:365 Summer's Over

Every time I tried to relax in this hammock this summer, it rained. Seriously - I think I only got maybe two hours the whole summer long!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T00:15:00.005-06:00

It's the middle of the night. A mug of some wonderful Swedish tea gave me a serious second wind around 7 p.m., and now it's after midnight. It's officially Thanksgiving Day.

My Iona Sister, Tori, is here for a visit. Yay! She helped me clean out one more kitchen cupboard . . . and we found the oldest thing yet. This expired in 2003 . . . OMG. that means it was my mom's, and she's been gone 7 1/2 years . . . Well, it's all out now - flour, baking soda, baking powder, old spices - all of it out. A quick trip to the store, and I have all new baking stuff :-)

And so, with my caffeine burst, I decided to make the cookie dough for Cherry Icebox Cookies that has to be refrigerated tonight instead of in the early a.m.

It would have been fine, except that I didn't get the butter warm enough to cream easily. Normally my old mixer will power on through . . . but not this time.

I got this as a bridal shower gift the first time I got married, low these many years ago :-D I just looks ancient, doesn't it? It lasted a good long time, but I burned the motor out tonight trying to cream chilly butter. Oh well - this could finally be the excuse I need to get the KitchenAid mixer I've been coveting for decades. We'll see!

I made a great dinner tonight that included roasted Brussels Sprouts, cookie dough is done, kitchen it cleaned up in preparation for the next round of cooking tomorrow. The dishwasher is running, and now - I had best get some sleep!

Happy Thanksgiving :-)

I am so very grateful for all the blessings of my life. I have so much to be thankful for. I hope, on this day of all days, that you will look around you and give thanks.

When I'm Worried . . .

2011-11-13T09:05:00.006-06:00

. . . and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep - and I fall asleep, counting my blessings.

Throughout this month on Facebook, I have been counting my blessings - My friend, Candy found the idea, and I thought it was a good one, so, of course, I swiped it :-D I have so much in my life that I am thankful for. And today, I am very thankful for all the wonderful friends in my life - I was with this group of them last night for a farewell dinner for one who is moving on to a new job and new phase in her life.

And since the season is upon us . . . I'll leave you with this, from my all-time favorite Christmas movie. Not the greatest capture, but the only one I could find. The song starts at about 1:28.

Photo Catch up :-)

2011-11-13T08:52:00.003-06:00

Going with the smaller ones again . . . click to biggify!

316:365 Guess What?

Chicken Butt! Well, no - Chicken Front. My friend, Linda, keeps chickens in the City of Chicago! It's virtually impossible to take any photos of them because they are pretty much constantly in motion.

This one doesn't have a name yet, but I call all of them, "Chicky Lou." :-D

315:365 First Frost

I'm reasonably sure we had a hard frost last night. This is one of the yews outside my front door.

314:365 Holding On . . .

This is the same tree I showed you for November 4th. These are the last of the leaves - such a big change in only six days.

313:365 Seasons Change

Another view of the beginnings of transformation of Daley Plaza. The fountain has been drained, and the wooden stalls are in progress. And the City Sparrows keep watch over it all :-)

312:365 Oh! Tannenbaum!

Another rainy day in Chicagoland :-) This is the City's Christmas tree, and the beginnings of the transformation of the Daley Center into the Annual Christkindle Market - one of, if not the largest one outside of Germany. Having lived in Germany for a number of years, this is a highlight of my holiday season! I can hardly wait for it to open in a few weeks :-)

311:365 Christmas is Coming

See that man? See that ladder? See that truck - the one with a cherry picker on top? See the bundles of Italian lights hanging on that tree? Soon most - if not all - the trees downtown and on North Michigan Avenue will be festooned with Italian lights. One of the first photos I took, on January 3rd, shows how things will be looking very soon :-)

This is how the Holiday season starts here in Chicagoland. What you can't see in this photo is that the City's Christmas tree is up in place at Daley Plaza and the construction of the stalls for the annual Christkindle Market has started. Soon there will be a Nativity scene and a very large Menorah there, too.

Here's the Deal

2011-11-10T12:59:00.003-06:00

A lunchtime blog post - look at me, maximizing my time! :-D

Thanks to everyone who commented and gave me feedback. It was really quite helpful as I looked at what's been going on here.

How I wish I could retire now, or work part-time - I contemplated it a few years ago when my first really severe menopausal symptoms hit. I even discussed it with my financial advisor. Just not happening right now. Just not possible. Unless I win the Lotto this weekend. I have tickets. I truly wish for the ability to occasionally telecommute - my friend, Linda the Chicken Lady is so very lucky in that regard.

I think I was not clear on my bedtime . . . I try to get to bed by 9 . . . lately, I'm not even close. 10 or 10:30 is more like it many days lately, and I still wake up around 5, so that means I've been getting by on too little sleep.

The 30-Day Shred was a recent addition to my morning routine. And it's just not working for me. It's not helping that I really don't like the workout.

So - here's the deal. For now :-)

The Shred is going to take a back seat. If I can fit it in from time to time, I will do it, but I'm not going to focus on it. I want to keep my walk at 40 - 45, and likely soon start inching that back up to an hour. That means that I will be limiting my time on the computer in the a.m. to 15 minutes. I'm getting out a timer and using it. If I haven't read it or looked at it within that amount of time, it's going to have to wait. That should still give me plenty of time to get my lunch ready and still get to work without too much craziness.

I'm looking into menu planning - and another friend has mentioned green smoothies to me, so I'm going to check into those. Most importantly, I'm going to see about actually cooking some stuff on Saturdays and Sundays that I can freeze in portion sizes for lunches during the week. I wish I knew more about freezing stuff - if anyone has any good books or websites to recommend, that would rock. I mean, I know that potatoes don't freeze well - and neither do fat-free tortillas (at least they don't when they are wrapped around my awesome spinach burritos), but I'm sure there must be a good book out there that talks about this. Joy of Cooking is amazingly deficient in this area!

I will be skimping on choir rehearsals. I read music well enough that I should be able to get over my dislike of singing without rehearsal. Since I'm going to be out of town and won't get to sing in the cantata this year, I don't feel like I need to be there every Thursday, but I can get there for the Sunday morning fast rehearsal before we actually sing during the service. That frees up the occasional evening for when I'm feeling completely overwhelmed (like I am today).

Knitting's been a little sparse lately, and spinning is pretty much non-existent, but my creativity has always gone in cycles so I'm not concerned there (although I do have some projects I'd like to finish :-)). And since I'm so enamored of the dulcimer (even the loaner I currently have), practicing doesn't seem to be much of a hardship. I'd like to do more in the mornings with it - that would mean no computer time at all in the a.m. . . . not sure I'm ready for that ;-D

I feel like I have the beginnings of a workable plan. That makes me feel better already :-)

So - thanks again, everyone - and here's my lunch!!!

Red lettuce, pickled beets, feta cheese and walnuts :-) Yay Me!!!!

This is my cool Bento lunch box. Beets were in the red one, raspberries in the green one, and cheese in the dark blue one and walnuts in the light blue. (The lettuce was in a larger one that is the size of the two larger ones put together.

Here is it closed - the box part goes in that bottom space and I have a flat icy thing from some other lunch system that I got years ago that fits in there underneath it and keeps everything cool, and then on the top, I have a thermos for soups that fits in there, but today I put the large box full of lettuce in there on another flat icy thing along with some carrots and a cut up apple.

It's a kind of a big lunch bag, but I'm working with it. I'll take more pictures of it later.

I'm trying the smaller photos today - you can still click to biggify - let me know if you like the larger ones better :-)

Now What?

2011-11-08T05:09:00.005-06:00

I keep trying to catch up . . . and somehow, this fall, I am just not having great success :-S

This is a clear signal - one I have been ignoring. It's particularly apropos because I just cautioned a friend about listening to the signals her body was sending. So - I've realized that I had better take my own advice and listen to what my body is telling me.

Here are the symptoms:

I am not eating well - in fact, I have been eating fast food occasionally in the past month, and if you happen to know me, you would likely know that I pretty much just don't do fast food.

I eat out at lunch every day during the week because there is no time to cook so that I might have healthier (and less expensive) lunches.

I'm only sleeping about 6 or 7 hours a night. I've always been an 8-hour girl.

I'm dancing as fast as I can, but I never feel like I can catch up - and when I have an evening free, I pretty much just collapse rather than do the things in the house that truly need my attention.

So. Now what? What does this mean? And perhaps more importantly, what does this mean for me?

First - I believe some of my inability to keep up could be hormonal. Don't run away!! If you're a woman, menopause is going to happen in your body at some point - and if you're a man, it's going to happen in the body of a woman you care for. It's important that we educate ourselves about how it affects us.

As my body travels through menopause, what has worked best for me is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Or as I often like to call it, Better Living Through Chemistry. I'm not on the HRT that caused the furor a number of years ago. I take bio-identical hormones. Two of them at low doses, every day. The different they have made in my life is so remarkable that it's amazing - I'm one of the minority of women whose menopausal symptoms were truly wreaking havoc in my life. The HRT choice was one I wasn't sure of - but sleeping through the night again was really, really appealing (when you only sleep for about 4 hours at a time, you are never really rested - and not sleeping exacerbates everything else).

So - there's one thing - and yes, I have an appointment for my annual next week - the doc and I will be having a conversation about how my original symptoms seem to be back - not sleeping too well, inability to concentrate, anger swings, intolerance, and inability to keep it all together all the time.

Hormones aside, though, there's more going on here. I think these symptoms mean that I have fallen into a pattern of convenience - and by choice, I have stayed there. I think it means that I need to examine what's really going on with me. Over the years many friends have told me "you're doing too much" or "how can you do all these things?" I do have more energy than the average bear - always have - and I have already given up a lot of stuff I used to do. Giving up more feels very painful . . . and yet . . .

And in that spirit, I'm going to give you a typical week for me - and I'm soliciting your comments on it. I think my average week is pretty normal, but maybe I'm wrong. I have only my own perspective on it. I understand that we are individuals, and that what's normal for me might not be for you - still. What do you think? And what would you give up if you had to?

Here's my typical week.

Monday - up around 5, check email, etc. Walk for 40-45 minutes on the treadmill. Do the 30-Day Shred (I hate this workout and have only gotten two or three of them in so far). Catch the 7:57 a.m. train into the city. If I miss my train, I take the second train at 8:03 - I've missed that one twice in the last two weeks (that never happens . . . ). I look for photos to take on my way to work for my 365 Project. Work all day. At lunch, I usually go downstairs to the deli and get something to eat. Sometimes I go out and get take out, and look for photos to take during that time. Then, I almost always eat at my desk, and then take the 5:17 train home. Get home about 6:05 p.m. (yes, I'm gone for 10 hours every day). I try to eat right away so I'm not eating dinner really late. Twice a month I have Church Lady Knitting from 7 to 8:30. I (try to) go to bed at 9 so I can get up at 5.

Tuesday - like Monday except this is one night I almost always have free lately.

Wednesday - Like Monday except no 30-Day Shred. I usually walk down to Weight Watchers at lunch unless I don't want to face the scale . . . I work out with my Trainer from 7 to 8 at the club. Maybe watch a show I've DVR'd, and go to bed.

Thursday - Like Monday. Choir is from 7:30 to 9:00, but I leave at 8:30 so I can hopefully get to bed by 9.

Friday - Like Monday and Wednesday - I work out with my Trainer from 7 to 8. I often stay up a little later on Friday.

Saturday - I hopefully sleep until I wake up . . . but I usually wake up around 5 anyway - even if I went to bed late. Lately my Saturdays are my own and I'm very grateful. I try to go to the store, get things done around the house and get some dulcimer practice in. I also catch up on telly and usually knit. If there is African violet work to be done, it usually happens on a Saturday (or on a Tuesday night).

Sunday - At this time of year I sing in the choir, which means I get to church around 10:30 and am done by around 12:30. Once a month I drive 2 1/2 hours to Indiana for a dulcimer lesson.

Somewhere in there I do my best to carve out 15 to 20 minutes most days to practice my dulcimer. I also have a large number of houseplants and African violets - it takes about 15 minutes to water them all and I have to do that a couple three times a week.Grocery shopping, and laundry usually happen on Sunday afternoon. I try to read a little before falling asleep most nights - twice in the last week I fell asleep with the book in my hand and woke up at 2 a.m. with the light on . . .

What do you think? I'm interested to hear your thoughts because this seems pretty normal to me and I think I should easily be able to keep up. And yet . . .

In the meantime - here's some photo catch up :-) I have been really feeling the stress of taking photos every day - not stress, really, but I need to vary my routes and see some other stuff :-D As always, please click to biggify so you see the entire photo.

310:365 Startitis

I have a bad case . . .four sweaters, four pairs of socks, a pair of wrist warmers and a to be felted lunch box. And there are two more pairs of mitts that need just their thumbs done that I somehow missed getting into the photo :-D

309:365 What a Find!

All day - at the mall. Can't remember the last time I did that. Got there around 10 and didn't leave until around 3:30. It was exhausting - so many people, so much noise, and Christmas everywhere . . . already. Home to the quiet and comfort of my living room - this awesome tree was at Pottery Barn. Last one - PERFECT for this section of my house - although probably not going to stay in the middle of the floor ;-D

308:365 Molten Gold

I was late for the train . . . but the light was just perfect. This is one of the trees in my front yard. I have never thought it was beautiful - until today. I had to run all the way to the train. I made it. Just. :-)

307:365 Hurtling Through Time and Space

A grey day in Chicagoland - out the back window of the train headed for the City to go to work. That's the Harvey station we just blasted past.

306:365 Childhood Memories

\
. . . on a carry bag :-D

305:365 "Urbs in Horto" II

Once again - City in a Garden :-) Today they were plantings the bulbs that will be magnificent in the spring. For a taste of what the beds will look like next year - see my photo from May 13th :-)

304:365 Halloween

A view that you don't always see. I was on South Michigan Avenue, looking Northeast across Millenium Park. The Prudential Building - now called One Prudential Plaza - used to be one of the tallest buildings on this view! And "Prudential" used to be red when I was a kid. The tower behind it is Two Prudential Plaza :-) The white square is the Aon Center - formerly the Standard Oil Building. When it was built in 1973, it was the tallest building in Chicago.

Next is the Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower (BCBS is an insurance company, as is Aon and Prudential). The shorter buildings are all condos, and at the very end - the black building is Lake Point Tower - it is the only skyscraper east of Lake Shore Drive. It's also condos - building in 1965 it is still a very tony address :-)

303:365 Milang Skies

. . . is the name of this plant. I've let it come into bloom because it's just so darn pretty. It will be disbudded soon and repotted to get ready for show next year. End of the day - had some photos, but most of yarn I was adding to my database - A violet is preferable to another skein of yarn :-D

302:365 Happy Diwali

Today I went with a friend to see a Bollywood film, Ra.One. Before we went to the movies, we had lunch at a great Indian restaurant. This is a Rangoli drawing - I think they are sometimes also called Kolam drawings - in celebration of Diwali. Colored sand, glitter, and already some little hands have been in to it :-) I took a shot that didn't have these stark shadows - but this was the more interesting of the two photos.

The Home Stretch

2011-10-29T06:11:00.003-05:00

So - one of you told me what's new :-) that's better than no one ;-D

Last weekend, I spent the entire weekend in my jams. I was completely, and utterly exhausted, and even though it was beautiful outside, I stuck with my plan. It was wonderful!

I'm on the home stretch of my 365 Project. It was about this time last year that I inadvertently discovered the 365 Project on a blog I happened to stumble upon. This last month has been particularly challenging. I forgot to take photos on, I think about three days. Sometimes you get to the end of the day and you've not had the camera out at all . . . I would think of it fleetingly - "oh, I need to take a photo today - let me go do that . . . " and then that thought would be gone and I would be in bed . . .

Someone asked me if I would continue. No, I won't. I'll always take photos, but I won't be actively taking them every day. Still - I have documented 2011, and I'm pretty excited about that! I'm going to make a photo book in January :-)

In the mean time, here is the latest round of catch up - Please click to see the entire shots - I don't know why they get cut off:

301:365 Last Hurrah

My neighbor's tree again. I didn't think it could get any more red. I was wrong.

300:365 The Bean!

Its official name is "Cloud Gate." It was created by Anish Kapoor, and it lives at Millenium Park. It was built from 2004 - 2006, and although it looks seamless, it is not. It is made up of 168 stainless steel plates that were welded together and polished so much that it appears to be just a big drop of mercury.

No one calls it anything but "the Bean," much to the chagrin of the artist, I believe :-D When you walk underneath it, it's like being in a fun house - it's concave underneath!

299:365 A Tree Grows on LaSalle Street

A very gnarled trunk on what is actually a very young tree.

298:365 Mag Mile

North Michigan Avenue is often called "The Magnificent Mile." It begins once you cross the river. You see the tender houses at the Michigan Avenue Bridge - this where the old Fort Dearborn was located - the true beginnings of this amazing city. Then, The Wrigley Building (the white one) is at the beginning, and it's one fabulous building and one famous retailer after another, all the way up to Oak Street. From 400 North to 1000 North.

I like this photo because you can see more than you realize - it's just a glimpse of the Avenue, but you can see the John Hancock Building. It's the black one on the right with the two antennas. It's at 875 North, and it's massively taller than the Wrigley Building, which give you an idea of the perspective of this shot. Also visible, is the Allerton Hotel. It's the short, dark building toward the center of the photo, it's at 701 North.

297:365 Early Morning Light

I'm using this photo for today - it was actually taken on the 25th. I've really had a hard time this month with missing days. All my travels and burning the candle at both ends caught up with me big time - and there have been multiple nights just this week where I was so tired that I just fell asleep without having taken even one shot.

This is at the end of my block, in the early morning light.

296:365 Fiber Artist at Work . . .

A huge mess in the sunroom . . . knitting all over, needles everywhere, and a cookbook or two thrown in for good measure. Welcome to my world :-D

295:365 Curly Kale

I managed to fall asleep today without having taken a photo. Again. :-S This photo was taken on October 18th - and I really liked it. It's one of the planter boxes in front of the Thompson Center, newly planted for fall. Gardeners seem to always use ornamental kale at this time of year - I see it everywhere!

294:365 Blue as Can Be . . .

And after yesterday's harbinger of winter days to come, today's brilliant, cloudless autumn sky :-) the top of the Randolph Tower is just there for contrast ;-)

The Randolph Tower was formerly known at the Steuben Club Building (through WWII). In 1948 it changed to the Randolph Tower. It was built in 1929 in the Gothic Revival style and was designed by Karl Vitzhum. It's been closed and under renovation for years. Everything stopped a few years ago - but the renovation appears to be continuing now. It was originally retail stores, professional offices and recreational and social club space on the upper floors. It's slated for the latest craze here, "mixed-use residential development."

293:365 Winter is Coming . . .

I think Chicago is beautiful, even on a gray, blustery, chilly day. The Lake reflects that grey sky in its waters. On a day like today, everything is muted. There's Ceres again, on the top of the Chicago Board of Trade. The smaller, tan, triangular building is the Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center. Often referred to as the Federal Prison, it's an administrative building where prisoners/offenders of all security levels are held when they have to appear before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

That two-tone building over to the left is the back of the Conrad Hilton. Now it's just called Hilton Chicago. It's on South Michigan Avenue.

This view is looking Southeast from the AT&T Building.

You can see the steel mills across the Lake - in Indiana. Although grey, it was clear :-)

292:365 Fleecy Pumpkin

This little pumpkin is my fall decoration at work. It sits on my ledge. A lady was selling them last year to raise money for a charity - I can't remember which one. Her sister made them. It's orange fleece, some ribbon and some fake ivy leaves. And I love it :-D

291:365 I'm Ready to Go Home

This is the giant that transports me daily to and from the city. Down in the main station - Millenium Station (AKA Randolph Street Station) - underground, waiting for the doors to open.

290:365 The Loaner

My own hammer dulcimer is on its way to me. This is the loaner that is currently sitting in my sunroom :-)

What's New?

2011-10-17T06:33:00.006-05:00

How many times has someone asked you that, and you said, "nothing." If you find yourself saying that, then it might be time to change your point of view :-) To paraphrase Dr. Wayne Dyer, "When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change." How cool is that?! :-) Way - and very, very true.

The season is now changing pretty dramatically all around me here in Chicagoland. It's in the high 40's this morning. I've worn a light jacket most mornings for the past week, but the high went up into the 70's. Not so much any longer. And so the world around me appears changed . . . new :-) And I'm thinking about the new winter coat I got this summer (on sale!). It will be time to put it on pretty shortly I think.

It's been my experience that the warm weather holds until about this time every year. No hard frost yet, but I imagine one is on the way. I will be happy for it to arrive because I have asthma, and the past two weeks have been a little challenging on the breathing front. Once there is a freeze, stuff usually calms down in that respect.

What's new?

Well, there is a hammer dulcimer in my sunroom. It's not mine - it's a loaner until mine arrives. I'm learning to play a new instrument, and I can hardly tell you how excited I am!!!!

!!!!

There is a Dusty Strings dulcimer that will be on it's way for me shortly. It's likely that it will be built especially for me (again, how cool is that?!) because I preferred that the soundboard be stained black - easier for . . . um . . . mature eyes to see all the strings that way ;-D

And, as has happened many times before for me, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. This time, it's Ted Yoder. That dulcimer he's holding? Mine will look like that, but black :-) Do you want to hear some dulcimer like you've never heard before? Click on the bottom of that page and click the forward arrow until you see All Creatures of Our God and King. Click Play and prepare to be amazed. I would lay money that it's unlike anything you have ever heard before. Go on, CLICK. Trust me :-)

Yes - my heart is racing. Creating with my hands is such a huge part of who I am (Hey! No butt jokes, thank you!). Fiber art or music - a wheel, knitting needles, or an instrument - all are extensions of my hands, and I cannot wait until I'm able to string even a simple melody together. No idea if I will ever be even half as good as my teacher, but I can visual myself playing, and that's often the hardest part (of anything).

It is my hope that this will be like the guitar was for me when I was younger - an automatic fit. The kind of fit where your fingers just know what to play and when. Where you can play and sing at the same time - or not, as you choose :-) Of all the instruments I have played over the years of my life, the guitar was probably my best, and I haven't played it seriously for decades . . .

The sunroom really looks like a studio now - as usual, there is yarn all over the place, and baskets full of fiber, the Baby Wolf, and a loaner dulcimer.

So, I challenge you this week to look at the world around you with new eyes. Change your point of view. There is something new - there is always something new!

289:365 After the Rain, After the Wind

The pile of wet leaves on my driveway. This was taken on October 14th - today was a day that was mostly all driving all the time (to Indiana to meet Ted Yoder and his lovely family!), and by the time I got home, I managed to crawl into bed without having taken a photo.

288:365 Mac's Elegant Emerald

It's not one of my plants (although I am currently growing it). I was judging an African violet show (my third in as many weeks!). It's a semi-miniature with a ton of blossoms!

287:365 The Sign Guy

This guy stands on various street corners in the city. He's been doing this for years. His signs have changed over the years, and usually he's only been on a hunger strike for a day (he changes the date on his signs regularly). I see him on the Northwest corner of Randolph and Clark, at the Thompson Center. This is the most casual I have ever seen him look. If you want to read about him - this, from Wiki.

286:365 Lawyers in the Rain

One of the last warm days . . . on the way to work, corner of Dearborn and Randolph.

285:365 Floors 2 - 20, Going Up!

Managed to snap this before security shooed me away and advised, "No Photos in the Lobby!!" This is in the lobby of the Unitrin Building, formerly known as the Kemper Building and before that, the United Insurance Building, at the corner of State and Wacker. It was built in the 1960-1962. Kinda reminds me of Mad Men. Don't forget to get your coffee and bagel on the way!

284:365 State Street . . .

. . .that Great Street. It's not so great as it used to be, with Marshall Field's now renamed and junked up, and Carson's gone, there is no real reason to come downtown to shop anymore. This was on the way to work, corner of Randolph and State, looking south.

Thanks, everyone, for your wonderful comments on my last post :-)

Go now - look at things with new eyes this week - and come back and tell me what's new :-)

I am an Adventurer . . .

2011-10-13T05:14:00.007-05:00

Last night, I had just come home from the club and was watching some telly, and the phone rang. It was one of the Church Ladies, and we proceeded to have one of the most amazing phone calls I have had in a very long time.

In early September, the Church Ladies had asked me to be their speaker for their fall luncheon. The wanted to hear some about my travels, and all the stuff I do. My "list." I didn't really think I had anything interesting to talk about, but I knew they were interested in my trips to Iona and most recently, to Egypt, so I agreed.

I put together a Powerpoint (!) and called it: "A's List: Dance Like No One Is Watching." And I talked about my life and my list of "things I've always wanted to do" (I don't call it a bucket list). I've written here about this before, and I used some of those writings in my presentation.

I talked about my life, about my late mom (many of them knew her), and about how she shaped who I became as an adult. And I talked about my travels and shared some photos. I talked about learning at a young age that life is short. I talked about finding the writings of author, Joan Anderson, and how my trips to Iona with her had changed my life. I talked about Julia Cameron's books and about Dr. Wayne Dyer's books. I talked about my list of things I'd always wanted to do, and how it changed as I moved on to the path back to myself. It began to have questions on it and began to be more about who I am than what I wanted - and how the things I wanted began to be informed by the "me" I was discovering on this path.

I talked about how I am an adventurer.

If you are on this path to yourself, or might like to be, the posts in this blog that are tagged with "The Path to Myself" are about my feelings and journey. I have surrounded myself with people who "get it." Those of us on the same path - it's about the spirit and about life and about living our lives. And for me, it's always about Dancing Like No One Is Watching.

The presentation seemed to go pretty well and many of the ladies told me they enjoyed it very much. And the lunch was great - church ladies know how to cook! :-D I had been really nervous about it and when it was over, I was really glad I had done it.

So - the call. I got this call last night from one of the church ladies who had attended the luncheon and heard my presentation - someone who has never called me before. She called last night to tell me that she had recently been in Florida, and that she had always just gone to the beach in her capris - never actually getting in the water. But this time . . . she said she remembered my talk about, as she put it "living like no one is watching."

She looked around her and realized that there were plenty of people who were older, fatter, (insert whatever it is that usually holds you back here) - and she didn't want to just get her feet wet on the shore, she wanted to go swimming. So, she decided to go to the store. There was a bathing suit in her size and it fit (of course it did - whether or not she knew it, she had already set the intention of what she wanted to do and everything just fell into place :-)). She bought it, put it on, and headed to the beach and the pool.

She told me that she got into the water - all the way into the water - and that she spent a lot of time in the pool, floating around with a water noodle and just generally having a the time of her life. I could see her there - and I could hear in her voice the joy she had been missing on so many previous trips where she kept herself from enjoying herself to the fullest because she was afraid of what others might think. Best. Trip. Ever.

Wow . . .

I was so thrilled that she had called to share this with me. My own spirit leaped for joy at her joy. I imagine all her trips are going to be a lot more fun from now, on - I imagine her LIFE will be even more filled with joy as she heads down the path to herself.

It doesn't matter what you look like. It doesn't matter how old you are. It is NEVER TOO LATE to start doing all the things you have always wanted to do. My mom got her Bachelor's Degree in her late 40's. She started taking piano lessons again when she was 80 years old. I learned to play the bagpipes when I was 40 and I started lifting weights when I was 53 and I think I'm about to learn a new musical instrument . . . (more on that in another post :-) ).

What's stopping you? Probably only yourself . . . "I don't have time . . . I'm too old . . . I'm too young . . . I'm too fat . . . I'm too tired . . . I can't afford it . . ."

Oh my friends, Excuses Begone! Life is short - every day we wake up is a gift.

283:365 Eczema?! Geez . . .

2011-10-11T05:35:00.003-05:00

Apparently related to asthma. Who knew. I went to get it checked out because the patch grew to 5 or 6 times its original size. It's non-contagious and I have goo for it, which is making it look a lot better already. It doesn't itch (I guess that's rare). At least it has a kinda cute heart shape . . .

Flying . . .

2011-10-10T06:34:00.000-05:00

That's how it feels lately. Once again, I over-booked myself in September and October. I seem to do this every fall. Next year I want to pay better attention, because I am completely off any schedule I might have had in place. It's been weeks since I walked in the a.m., and that's mainly because I'm just too pooped to pop. Witness me sitting here, writing when I should be walking . . . I was up until 11 last night (I usually go to bed at 9) and I didn't get enough sleep.

I'm wishing I was headed to Iona this week with Joan Anderson. But I'm not.

I'm wishing I was 40 pounds thinner. But I'm not.

I'm wishing - and you know what they say: "If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride."

The older I get, the more I find that I need to build in recovery time for myself when I travel, and the two back-to-back trips involving airports really did me in, and I've been running ever since. I didn't have the luxury of a day off after each trip so it's been a month of catch-up.

I finally made it to the Jewel yesterday. I've been needing to go since the last week in September . . . that means I've been eating a lot of take out and snacky sorts of food, which is never a good thing for me.

I've judged two African violet shows in two weekends and will judge another on Saturday. It's crazy! But I added some very nice plants to my collection. Speaking of which, I spent prettty much an entire day yesterday putting leaves down and potting up babies.

When the plantlets are ready to be separated, that's when the work really starts. Over the weekend I bought a bale of Promix BX. This yielded about 18 2.5 gallon bags of potting mix. That's like a 29-year supply (I've offered to split it with another violet friend). I currently am hovering around 147 varieties. Most of those are in the propagation stage, but will be hitting the potting up stage in the coming months.

I'm going to be talking to the Windy City Indoor Gardeners again in February 2012 and am looking forward to it!

And now, here are the catchup photos - I've switched over to using the HTML code from Flickr rather than uploading from my computer - hopefully that will alleviate the line issues. You should still be able to click to biggify, although it now takes you Flickr.

I recommend you do click, because one of the drawbacks of this way is that the photos get cropped somehow . . . so click for the full view. These are also in the wrong order, but I'm out of time now and changing text and photos around in Blogger is never very much fun . . .

I've been fascinated by the fall colors - because we had a lot of rain this year, they have been spectacular spectacular!

270:365 To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn . . .

I live in the woods and these trees are outside my front door.

272:365 Last Light

These are the trees behind my house, in the last lgith of the day. they don't turn red - only yellow gold.

273:365 Promise

I was at Midway airport - this was taken through the glass. I know it's not a great photo but I can never resist the promise of a rainbow.

274:365 All Aboard!

The train was on it's way. Taken at the Lauritzen Botanical Garden in Omaha. I was there to speak at the Missouri Valley African Violet Council's fall convention and show. I was also a show judge. There is a wonderful, extensive model railroad in one area of the park.

275:365 Times Past . . .

On the garden wall of the Victorian Garden at the Lauritzen Botanical Garden in Omaha. Isn't she beautiful? :-)

276:365 Another Season

This is part of the other side of the Chagall mosaic in Chase Tower Plaza. The first photo I took was on 28 July. This photo is of a portion of the East side. I was over on that side of the Loop today and I can never resist a stop at the Chagall if I have a little bit of time :-)

277:365 On Fire

The tree in front of my neighbor's house. Half of it is still green - this is the other half!

278:365 I Never Tire of This . . .

The fall foliage on my own block is more spectacular this year than in years past. I just never get tired of seeing it, and taking photos of it. :-)

279:365 Gum!

The beautiful Wrigley Building - this is a much more traditional view than the one I took in July.

280:365 Coming in for a Landing

One of the gardens on South Michigan Avenue. I love the colors and, of course, I love birds :-)

281:365 Black & White

Thought I would try one - manipulated in Photoshop because this was a color shot. I didn't like how the berries looked in color, but I like them here. I also like the play between light and dark, and how if you kind of squint/unfocus your eyes it looks so abstract.

282:365 Pumpkin-O-Rama

A whole cartload at the local nursery - I stopped there this morning to get some perlite.

More Soon

2011-10-03T21:24:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful weekend I had in Omaha! Went there for the Missouri Valley African Violet Council's fall convention and show!! Got to see my friends Joyce and Kent, and met a lot of wonderful new friends!! I was the speaker and had a great group of people in my presentation - many of whom were not MVAVC members - I think some of them will be soon, though :-)

I'll let a few photos do the talking.

Koi

The model train in the Lauritzen Gardens

Some beautiful plants

And some truly innovative designs.

I'm trying something different with a couple of the photos - hopefully it will alleviate the lining problem.

Stay tuned for the next episode of "With They Shape Up for Show!!"

247-269:365 Another Catch Up :-)

2011-09-28T06:24:00.005-05:00

This is a very busy time of year for me, and although I am shooting photos nearly every day (there is the occasional day where I manage to fall asleep without having taken anything :-S), lately I'm not getting them uploaded in a timely manner.

If you want to track my progress on the 365 Project page, here is the direct link to my photos.

In the mean time, here is another photo montage to catch it up - I recommend you click to biggify. Even so, the mosaic maker chops them off a bit. And for reasons unknown to me, nearly all my JPG photos now have little locks on them in my folders - and lines are appearing . . . I have no idea what's going on with that - So again, if you want to see the photos without the stupid lines in them, head over to the 365 Project.

If anyone happens to know why my photos all have little locks on them and the photos show up with little lines, please share - it just started happening two days . . .

A Goes to the Ozarks: What the Hell?!

2011-09-26T06:23:00.005-05:00

I just got back from a weekend in Neosho, Missouri. A lot of you are saying: "Where?!" Well, I went to Fiber Daze to teach a knitting class.

I'm a member of the Fiber Folks of Southwest Missouri guild. I know that seems counter-intuitive, because I never get to go to meetings. But I met all these folks a number of years ago when I crashed a spinning workshop that they sponsored that was led by Anne Field. I crashed, and they adopted me. We've kept in touch ever since, and I attend the Missouri Fiber Retreat as often as I can just so we can see each other :-)

The guild was instrumental in putting together a new fiber event called Fiber Daze, that took place at Crowder College this past weekend. I taught a knitting class there and I had WONDERFUL students!! If you guys are reading, you were/are the best!!! :-)

It was awesome! Great teachers, an exceptional vendor room, and just an all-around good time - mark your calendars NOW for next year!! If all goes well, it will be the fourth weekend in September!

I didn't buy any yarn. Well, no, I did. I got an HPKY Giant skein in the Tosca colorway, but Diana didn't have the right amount for the size I wanted, so she's having it drop-shipped to me :-D Probably a good thing, because I had NO room in my suitcase because I had to put all my spinning tools in my suitcase - I didn't think the hand cards, flick carder and bag of spinning wheel tools would make it through security as a carry on :-D

I also got some pencil roving and a braid of blended top - photos to come! I also ate a Sonic burger. It was pretty good!

I also got to catch up with my friend Tammy, of the Proverbial Knitter podcast. She lives down in Springfield, Missouri, and also is a member of the guild and taught at Fiber Daze. On our way back to Springfield on Saturday evening, we took the scenic route through the Ozarks - it was a really beautiful drive, but I kept seeing things that were completely out of the ordinary for me, and exclaming "What the hell?!" Hence the title of this particular post :-D And then, Tammy and I met up with blogless Christa (the three of us are the moderators for the Ravelry Group: Year of Stash Socks) and had brunch in a restaurant called Hemingway's.

Unbeknownst to me, Hemingway's was in a place called Bass Pro Shops. I was like, "what the hell?! Why are we going to the Cabela's of Missouri?!" Well, who knew it was the mothership of the Land of Bass? It's really quite amazing inside, and I bought a duck. A wooden duck :-D (Hey - I like water fowl!) Plus, I got to shoot stuff, (did you know that I'm actually not a bad shot? :-D I don't know why there are lines in the photo :-S ), and we had a wonderful brunch together :-)

I am reminded again how lucky I am to have such great opportunities and such wonderful friends. I enjoyed Tammy and her husband Robert's hospitality, and I fell in love with their dog, Jed :-D He's very, very cute!! Brunch was Sunday morning, and I headed back to Chicagoland in the afternoon. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed for about an hour, but the Springfield airport is very nice (small!).

Not much blogging lately, but I promise there will be more. Soon :-)

237-246:365 And We're There!

2011-09-04T07:31:00.003-05:00

And now we're caught up to yesterday :-)

It's rainy here in Chicagoland, and I kind of like it. Probably because I'm inside, finishing a bunch of formerly unfinished knitting projects :-) Photos to follow.

Happy Labor Day everyone :-)

221-236:365 Catching Up

2011-09-04T07:21:00.006-05:00

Just trying to catch up here!

Here are the next 16 of my 365 photos. I thought it would be better than posting them separately.

You can click to biggify.

I think that the Mosaic maker sort of crops on its own to fit the squares, so if you are interested in seeing each photo individually, here is a link to my project on the 365 site. Once there, you can click through individually :-)

Michigan!

2011-08-20T15:59:00.010-05:00

Thanks to the two of you who said you missed my regular posts - at least there are two of you left reading what goes on here ;-D Well, you're in luck - here's another post with both photos and words :-)

I think I say this every year: If you are anywhere close to Allegan, Michigan, in August, and you have any interest in any of the fiber arts, you owe it to yourself to take in the Michigan Fiber Festival. I think 2012 will be the year I finally get to Maryland Sheep and Wool, and Rhinebeck, but although those festivals are bigger, I don't know if they can beat Michigan for charm and just all-around wonderfulness. :-) If I had to choose between Michigan and Stitches, Michigan would win, hands down.

It really is my favorite. It's the perfect size, and this year there were more vendors than ever before - a welcome change from smaller shows and local yarn stores closing down. And before you ask - yes, I did my part in stimulating the economy of Western Michigan :-D

The only thing you don't see in the photo is the large easel I bought from Hill Creek Fibers - it's for their large continuous strand looms, but I got it to hold my warping board - I haven't been able to figure out any other way to get the board in a position where I can actually warp on it easily, and warping with it flat down on a table was bothersome in many way.

Please cut me some slack - the entire left side of the photo is weaving yarns. I got a funny t-shirt, some more Addi Turbo needles for putting my teaching samples on, and plenty of Socks That Rock, which I'm finding I like more and more. Picked up a few books and one pattern, and an assortment of sock yarns with a couple of worsted and sport weight thrown in for good measure. And . . . um . . . that bag? It's another fleece.

I think I might have lost my marbles, but I want to try spinning in the grease - and so I got another wonderful fleece from Liz Voelker of Moons Shadow Farm. I have gotten a number of fleeces from her - they are all awesome. That's a big bag of buttery, beautiful Corriedale fleece.

I drove up to Holland, Michigan on Wednesday afternoon and stayed in a hotel there. I did the majority of my undergrad at Hope College, there in Holland. Let me just say that there were no large hotels when I went there - and the main street used to be about two blocks long. Now it's about 4 or 5 blocks long, and reminds me of Boulder, Colorado . . . I don't know how to tell you what a huge change that is from what it used to be. And, when I went there, it cost less than $3,000 a year . . . (it's now more than $35 grand a year). However, some things never change - the local tavern, Skiles, is still there, open, on the same corner. :-D

My Beginning Weaving class, taught by Ann Niemi, was really good. I was by turns elated, frustrated, ready to curse, exhausted and happy - and I feel like I can now successfully warp a loom front-to-back. There is a mountain of info for me to learn, but at least I have a start and some good reference books. And a lot of practice yarns (did you biggify that photo above?!) :-)

That's the beginnings of my first warp. It looks like a hot mess, but I actually managed it with only a few crossed threads that I was able to correct before starting to weave.

I love my Baby Wolf loom, but I can already tell that weaving is going to be as individual as knitting or spinning. The Writing Weaver is my loom's previous owner. Texsolv heddles did it for her, but they are not doing it for me, so they are likely going to go, and I'll purchase some additional inserted eye heddles to match the metal ones already on the loom. I'm left-handed, and will have to change up the direction on all the heddles. That should be interesting - I'm ambidextrous, but not that ambidextrous - they must be shifted - I might be able to just flip the shafts over - we will see. Again, so much for me to learn - it's an entirely new language.

I got to hang with Toni and Nan from The Fold (Toni helped me decide on that fleece). You would never know by looking at them that it was sweaty humid up there today :-S I, of course, looked like a tomato-face, and my hair was pretty much plastered down with sweat. The party fan got a LOT of use today.

One of the great things about Michigan, is that there are actually sheep there. I always attempt to take some sheep photos for my friend, Michelle from Boulderneigh. So, Michelle, here is the obligatory sheep collage - only the first one is a Shetland, and the bottom left is Icelandic - I don't know about any of the rest but I did the best I could :-)

It was interesting staying in the hotel for a few nights (and spendy :-S). Whoever invented infomercials is probably raking it in. They are truly enticing . . . I nearly rang to get Metamorphosis by Tracey Anderson, a Geniebra, and I think a PX90, which isn't PX90 at all, it's P90X :-D Seriously, I was alone in my hotel room, curled up in bed (this is why televisions do NOT belong in the bedroom . . . ), watching telly and thinking, "hmmmm, maybe this stuff really works!" Unreal.

:-D

I headed back to the fair this morning to catch the rest of the vendors who are only there on Saturday/Sunday, and then headed home around noon. I did have to stop to buy a Michigan map (only to have my sense of direction completely validated - Yay! (Michigan roads need better signage!)) because I didn't mapquest myself home from Allegan. I managed to get on to 94 before the rain really started pounding down . . . it doesn't look so bad in this photo, but it was seriously blinding off and on for at least an hour on the road. I was very, very tired by the time I got home, but I got the car unloaded and am thinking about a lie-down on the sofa in the sunroom . . . :-)

Next weekend the hoards descend on me and we're headed up to Stitches . . . ===:-O

I'm Running and I Can't Catch Up

2011-08-11T06:27:00.004-05:00

Every year this happens to me in some form - This year, it's that there is so much fun to cram into the end of Summer that I booked myself solid until Labor Day.

I'm silly. Very silly. And yet, I want to do all these things, and since I only have a few things on the calendar for September and October, I decided that I would go ahead and go for it. I mean, I know that just because I want to do something it doesn't mean that I should book myself into oblivion, but I figure I can make it through the next few weeks and collapse over Labor Day.

I have started doing Morning Pages again most mornings. They are a creativity tool espoused by Julia Cameron. I learned about them in The Artist's Way and have used them off and on ever since.

And I'm very happy to tell you that my heels seem to have healed themselves. Oh Happy Day!!!!!! Well, I suppose they didn't heal themselves - I think the months (OK, almost two years) of stretching, anti-inflammatories, physical therapy, doctor visits, orthotics and plenty of prayers had something to do with it. :-) I'm still very very cautious with them, and I still have to take an anti-inflammatory most days, but I'm back up to 45 minutes on the treadmill most mornings, with good stretching as soon as I finish. This, of course, means that I am watching the scale head in the downward direction again, which really does make me all happy. :-)

This is how I usually start my mornings - pages and a walk.

But, this morning, I didn't do any of my normal stuff. I sat down and caught up on Ravelry. I'm a moderator of a group there called Year of Stash Socks, and there are so many brilliantly talented knitters who are a part of the group that I just love it! We're all over the world, knitting the same patterns together each month - it's so much fun!

And then, I decided I had better try to get caught up here, too before I lose all my readers :-) I know that the blog has been woefully thin on content this year, other than my 365 Project photos. So, there's been a lot about what I'm seeing through the lens, but not a lot of how I'm feeling and what I'm thinking. I kinda miss that . . . do you?

220:365 ANOTHER Project

2011-08-11T06:26:00.001-05:00

All those monument tickets from Egypt . . . I bought a tray and some supplies - I'm going to attempt to decoupage them onto this bamboo tray I picked up for a song at Tuesday Morning. Cross your fingers . . . :-D

I just tossed them into the tray in a preliminary order - nothing set in stone yet - decisions to be made . . . do I shape to the circle or leave the edges jagged? (I'm leaning toward jagged.) Do I Mod Podge or use Envirotex Lite? (Probably the Envirotex.). Will I ever find the time to actually accomplish this? (Probably in November :-D).

219:365 Hiding in the Shadow

2011-08-11T06:25:00.002-05:00

In my cousin's yard before we left for the Cirque du Soleil.

218:365 New Plants

2011-08-11T06:24:00.002-05:00

I bought these from a friend of mine, a commercial grower. They are some of the nicest violet starter plants I have ever purchased. I usually get leaves because it's safer than introducing a plant into an existing collection, but these will stay isolated for quite a few months away from the majority of the other plants.

217:365 Defiant

2011-08-11T06:23:00.000-05:00

He does look defiant, doesn't he?

216:365 En Garde!

2011-08-11T06:20:00.003-05:00

I forgot to take a photo today. Bother! I even reminded myself twice . . . but I managed to fall asleep without taking one :-S So, I took this on the 5th, but since I adore these lions and find them to be truly majestic, I'm sharing them both days.

They guard the front of the Art Institute, which is one of my favorite places.

They are beloved by all who live here - it's a tradition for many at Christmas to come downtown to see them wreathed for the holidays - and you can see their tails have been touched and touched, rendering the bronze visible instead of the verdigris.

They were made for the Institute's opening at its current location in 1893 and were a gift from Mrs. Henry Field (a famous name in Chicago). They were sculpted by Edward Kenneys, who gave them unofficial names having to do with their demeanor.

This one, to the south of the entrance is "stands in an attitude of defiance." The one you cannot see well, on the north side of the entrance is "on the prowl."

I have small replicas that are bookends.

215:365 The Picasso

2011-08-11T06:18:00.003-05:00

That's what everyone here calls it. It's an untitled sculpture gifted to the city by Picasso in 1967, a little earlier than Marc Chagall gave us the Four Seasons mosaic. This was really the first huge public sculpture (that wasn't a statue) in a city that is now known for its public art.

I was a kid, but I remember a lot of people hated it originally - thought it was hideous and said it looked like an afghan hound dog.

Now - it's just called The Picasso - and everyone knows what and where it is. I photographed it early this year from the rear - I thought it was time to see it from the front :-)

214:365 On Fire

2011-08-11T06:17:00.002-05:00

Well, not so much anymore, but July was just brutally hot and this day lily looks like it's on fire to me :-)

213:365 Cake!

2011-08-11T06:16:00.002-05:00

It was my cousin's birthday today :-)

212:365 Another Project

2011-08-11T06:14:00.001-05:00

Once again, I have fallen behind . . .

There is always a project or two around my house, waiting for me to have time to accomplish it. These beads are for a shawl that I'm planning to make - a group of friends are all knitting it at the same time. A knit-along :-) I'll put the beads in a bead spinner and they will be randomly strung and placed throughout the shawl.

I'm hoping it will turn out well :-)

211:365 I've Got My Eye on You . . .

2011-07-31T13:57:00.003-05:00

I went to the eye doctor yesterday, hence the gigantic pupil and yellow gunk stuck in my eyelashes (remainders of those nasty freezy drops they use so they can check your eyeball pressure).

It's amazing to me that I could still see, I just had to wear sunglasses all day because my pupils were dilated. That's my left eye. The doc says there is a cataract forming. I had asked specifically about them because pretty much everyone on the Irish side of my family has had them. The doc said, however , that cataracts happen to everyone. He also said it was nothing to worry about and that it would likely be decades before I had to have surgery on it. You can't just see it, although I was kind of hoping I could (that's one of the reasons I think I took this shot, in case I could actually see it. That, and how weird my eye looked all dilated.)

I got behind in photos again - sorry. I took them each day, it was just a very busy week all the way around.

One very relaxing part of my weekend was getting to spend a little time yesterday with my friend, Linda the Chicken Lady. My eye doctor is up in her neck of the woods, so we had a wonderful lunch together and knit for a few hours.

Linda does a lot of canning, etc., and she's started making refrigerator pickles. She experimenting with beets . . . yes. pickled beets. One of my very favorite things!!! We had them for lunch. I could eat them every day I think and never tire of them. Hers are exceptionally good :-) Yum!! :-)

210:365 A Slice of Sky

2011-07-31T13:56:00.000-05:00

I had to work late on Friday and night was falling as I was walking to the train. That's the Thompson Center on the left with its sculpture, the United Airlines in back and a parking structure and the Chicago Title and Trust Building on the right.

209:365 Chillin' at the Chagall

2011-07-31T13:55:00.000-05:00

It's called The Four Seasons. It's so very beautiful . . . A mosaic in the shape of a rectangular box. It's 70 feet long, 14 feet high and 10 feet wide. It's in the Chase Tower Plaza (formerly the First National Plaza). Chagall donated it to the City. I remember when it was unveiled - it was the mid 70's. It was renovated in the 1994 and the protective glass canopy was installed.

208:365 A Million Stories in the Windy City

2011-07-31T13:51:00.005-05:00

The title is a nod to the 60's show about New York, but that's how I feel about Chicago. Behind every one of those lights in the night is a story . . .

From a friend's roof deck on a hot, hazy night. (I recommend that you definitely click to biggify this one :-).)

207:365 Free Form

2011-07-31T13:49:00.001-05:00

That is the name of this sculpture by Richard Hunt. It adorns the front of the old State of Illinois Building. It's two stories high and weighs about three tons. Its name came from Richard Hunt's thoughts on abstract art - that it is freely formed. This shot is at a difficult angle, I couldn't quite capture it as I wanted.

206:365 Fruits of the Wheel

2011-07-31T13:48:00.000-05:00

The Tour de France is over - and so is the Tour de Fleece :-D These are the yarns I spun - I accomplished a few of my goals of wanting to finish up some yarns that had been lingering on the wheel. It's a good feeling.

Clockwise from the top - the black/multi is 2-ply 100% Merino from All Spun Up; the reddish/tan is 2-ply 100% Blue-Faced Leicester from Briar Rose Fibers; the two skeins of blue/green are 2-ply 100% Blue-Faced Leicester in the Forest Afternoon colorway from Miss Babs; and the nondescript grayish/brown is 3-ply, a blend of Corriedale and CVM (not a great choice of fibers to have blended I've decided).

205:365 In the Yard . . .

2011-07-31T13:46:00.001-05:00

So very hot for weeks, and then, the deluge . . .

204:365 No Name . . .

2011-07-31T13:45:00.002-05:00

I found it at the Home Depot. Thought there might be a chance of identifying it because it's from Canada and it's so unique, but no luck. I'm surprised I'm going to give it shelf space since I can't show it, but sometimes you have have to go for beauty over function. :-)

203:365 The Way Out

2011-07-31T13:43:00.002-05:00

Snapped on my way back to the office after lunch with a former co-worker. This guy was pounding down the steps of the L station at Clark and Lake.

202:365 Hot Town, Summer in the City . . .

2011-07-21T20:39:00.002-05:00

It continues to be hotter than blazes here. Walking even a block outside leaves one drenched in perspiration. The Farmers Market was very sparse this morning - but these all-yellow sunflowers caught my eye.

I've been in a bit of a slump lately and it's been awhile since I've taken a photo that I like as much as I like this one. Summer in the City, indeed. :-)

Here's some music to go with the 101 degrees it was in my village today (with a heat index of about 109. Yikes!)

201:365 Ever Old, Ever New

2011-07-21T20:38:00.000-05:00

The old Tender House and the new glass and steel skyscraper across the River just seemed to fit together - that's sort of Chicago in a nutshell: Ever Old, Ever New . . . with a pigeon thrown in for good measure ;-)

200:365 Paper Cuts

2011-07-21T20:20:00.002-05:00

I think there is probably a name for this - but I don't know what it is. This is a paper sculpture that is both inside and outside of a "bistro and sake bar" (an interesting combination . . . ) that is in the Pedway underneath what used to be Block 37 (which used to be a huge vacant city block literally in the middle of the Loop).

If you look, over to the right of the photo you can see where the glass is and where the sculpture continues inside the bistro.

199:365 Tree of Life

2011-07-18T20:53:00.001-05:00

It's hot here. Really, really hot - dangerously hot - so I wasn't out much more than to walk to the train and back. I walked underground to the office, and I didnt go outside at lunch because extremes of temperature have been known to cause me asthma issues. Thus, photos from inside the house again. This time, it's a little tiny hooked piece that is on a small basket. I like it. I didn't make it :-)

198:365 A Totem

2011-07-17T20:50:00.001-05:00

This beaded turtle is on a beautiful, velvet medicine bag that one of my best friends gave me for my birthday. I adore it.

197:365 Destined for the Frog Pond

2011-07-17T20:38:00.008-05:00

Pretty enough . . . The famous "Monkey Socks." Thousands of people have knit this pattern, so it must fit a whole lot of people . . . I tried everything, but they do not fit, so they are destined to be frogged (ripped out).

I only made the one, but I could not modify it to fit properly - this doesn't happen very often (thankfully).

Here's me attempting to haul it over my heel and instep - it's stretched as far as it can stretch . . .

And here it is on my foot - tight as can be on the calf, and bunched up and loose in the foot. Completely unwearable. Oh well. The yarn is Socks That Rock medium weight in the Mist colorway - a gift to me from Linda the Chicken Lady. I'm going to make some other socks with it. The color is truest in the first photo.

196:365 Pasta, Pesto and Puccini

2011-07-17T20:37:00.002-05:00

Happens once a year at my house when the fresh basil comes in to the farmers' market. Really good wine (seriously), my world-class pesto (made fresh - and no, I'm not modest about it ;-D), Puccini through the studio speakers, and an evening with my cousins. What a wonderful way to spend a summer night :-)

195:365 The End of the Day

2011-07-17T20:36:00.002-05:00

Been awhile since I'd seen a sunset this beautiful . . .

194:365 The Work of my Hands

2011-07-17T20:35:00.002-05:00

This is 3-ply yarn. It's wool - a blend of Corriedale and CVM (two breeds of sheep). I would not blend the two fleeces again - it wasn't a great choice. The roving, although pin-drafted and pretty much ready to spin, "sticks" to itself, making it difficult to draft easily. It has a slightly warmer, tan cast to it than this photo would have you believe.

I have 7 pounds of it, however, so I'm going to be spinning it for quite some time :-D

193:365 Tools of the Trade

2011-07-17T20:33:00.001-05:00

I keep my wooden knitting needles (and a couple of strays and a drop spindle) in this vase on an old table in the corner of my sunroom/studio. It was made by an awesome potter and wonderful friend of mine.

192:365 Glazed Terra Cotta

2011-07-17T20:32:00.002-05:00

This tile is on the side of the building at 205 W. Madison. Not a particularly important building architecturally speaking - at least I didn't find anything about it in my search. But there is an alleyway between it and the next building on Madison, which is the AT&T Building. At the corner of the building, at the edge of the alleyway, facing the alley (not the street), is this beautiful glazed tile - remains of the decorative structure. You would never notice it unless you were looking for it. I saw it one day -months ago when I was over there, and have been wanting to go back and capture it ever since.

191:365 Look Into My Eyes . . .

2011-07-11T06:36:00.000-05:00

Once again, it was 10 p.m. and I realized I hadn't had the camera in hand all day . . . but it is kind of hypnotic, isn't it? :-) It's detail from a beautiful tile that a friend gave me for Christmas. The spiral has great significance for me. I've tried to get a photo of it before - today's, even under pressure, is the best I managed.

190:365 Summer - Lake Geneva

2011-07-11T06:34:00.001-05:00

On the main street, buy a ticket from the Lions' Club to win a Harley. Millions of tourists, 90 degrees, summer day - I hope they sold a bundle of tickets!

189:365 WTH?!?!?!?!

2011-07-11T06:31:00.001-05:00

Did you ever have one of those days? I drove to work (almost never do that) because I was going away for the weekend - then, I never left the office for more than a second, and then I was walking to my car around 6 and realized I hadn't taken any photos . . .

So. This goofy photo is my car - yes, I have a real station wagon - parked in the wayback of the garage under my building. I did think it looked kind of cool in an urban industrial sort of way as I was clicking the shot, but . . . um . . . now that I really see it - not so much.

Oh well :-S

188:365 A Different Point of View

2011-07-07T22:55:00.002-05:00

You usually see the Wrigley building in night photos, bathed in the bright white lights that illuminate it. It's actually two buildings, joined by that little walkway you see about halfway up. No one ever shoots it from the side . . . except me :-) It really is very beautiful - it was a grey day here today, and so it's white terra cotta seems to reflect the sky. It always looks brighter when the sun is shining.

The buildings are uniquely shaped. Here's a history from the Wrigley website if you are interested.

187:365 Woven Memories

2011-07-07T22:41:00.001-05:00

Not a lot of photos today . . . it was between this and my new bento box lunchbox :-D

This is some detail from a woven pillow cover that I got in Morocco. I think it might be overstitched, but I'm not really just. I just know that I find it really quite beautiful.

186:365 Vertigo

2011-07-07T22:33:00.002-05:00

It kind of gives me vertigo if I look at it long enough (click on it to biggify). The flowers by the train, on my way home.

This day, 5th of July, is also the name of a really great play by the late Lanford Wilson. One of my favorites.

185:365 Tour de Fleece

2011-07-04T17:56:00.002-05:00

Every year there is a group of people who spin during the Tour de France - I think I've mentioned this before :-D

This is my first skein of yarn for TdeF this year. It's Miss Babs' 100% Blue-Faced Leicester in the Forest Afternoon colorway. It's still drying out on the hammock on the deck so I don't know the yardage - but this is a pretty good-sized skein. It's worsted weight, 2-ply.

It was one of my goals for Tour de Fleece to finish a bunch of spinning that I had started and not completed. I have one more 4 oz. bump of fiber to do of this colorway. And I have one skein that I already spun, hence needing to finish it all up :-) Not sure what I'll make with it - probably a hat/scarf/mitts combo of some sort.

Spun on my first wheel - it remains my favorite :-) - my folding Lendrum.

Happy 4th of July!! :-)

184:365 Hannah!

2011-07-03T20:35:00.001-05:00

This is Hannah, she came with her owner (my friend, Linda the Chicken Lady) to visit me today :-) She is exceptionally well behaved, but she wiggled a lot so this was the clearest shot I got :-D

It was nice to have a dog in the house - wish I had one of my own.

183:365 A Very Sad Violet

2011-07-02T20:29:00.010-05:00

I can't believe that with this photo, I'm halfway through my 365 Project. Wow!!

This plant, called Rainbow's Limelight, is very sad. You'll recall that it's part of a project that I'm working on with two plants that have been sorely neglected, to see if I can get them to shape up for show.

Let's take a closer look: Halo-ing on the leaves (that's where it's lighter on the edges), leaves hanging down over the pot (usually a temperature issue), old spent leaves (a sign of neglect), and slightly stunted, but healthy center growth - this plant needs desperately to be repotted.

I put it down in the basement, but the cooler temps down there just were not for it. I thought it might perk up down there, but no-go.

Pretty much the same story with Decelle's Triomphe, with the addition of a lot of immature leaves in the mix. I thought it might like the cooler temps of the basement because it is a variegated plant. Um . . . not so much.

Last we saw these two, it was near the end of May. I left them to their own devices down in the basement. There was good news and bad news. The good news was that once I disbudded, the foliage on both plants layed back down in a much more normal formation. The bad news was that neither of them were happy in the steady, cooler temps. Truthfully, I was surprised by this - but the evidence is clear - the leaves of both plants were now hanging down and hugging the pot - a pretty reliable indicator that they are too cold.

So, today, I disbudded again and repotted them both, and moved them back upstairs where it's warmer. I've photo'd and documented repotting before - it's not for the faint of heart . . .so I will spare you all the leaf pulling, rootball cutting and neck scraping and just show you the finished result.

Both plants had been in 3" pots. I moved them both up to 4" pots.

Here's RL. What a difference - I know that some of those leaves are still halo'd, but they already look better than they did - and did you notice that the twisty upside down leaf settled itself back down? It had been forced out of alignment by my failure to tease the bloomstalks up above the foliage. Once I disbudded initially, I was able to gently train it back down into its proper position.

And here's DT. I know, you're probably thinking, "WTH?! Where are all the leaves???" Well, all those leaves needed to come off. Yes, this plant is looking a little lopsided, but that's only because I took off a leaf that was between the bottom center and the bottom right.

African violet leaves grow in triangles -each row with three leaves - and each row ideally overlaps the one before it. Be removing the lower rows of leaves, I'm giving the newer ones a better chance to grow out to their full potential.

These plants will not go to show with me this fall, but It's my hope to take them to the AVSA National Convention next June, in Detroit. I'll be able to drive, so I'll be able to take some plants. I don't know that these two will ever be big winners, but it's my hope to get them to blue-ribbon shape by then :-)

182:365 A Stormy Morning

2011-07-02T20:21:00.002-05:00

I was on the corner of LaSalle and Wacker (I'm there alot), and looked back to the east. The storm was moving out over the Lake.

181:365 The Water Tower

2011-07-02T20:13:00.001-05:00

This is the famous Chicago Water Tower. It, and the pumping station next to it (you can't see it in this photo) were built in 1869. The tower was the only public structure within the burn zone to survive the Great Fire of 1871.

The tower is 154 feet tall, and contains a 138 foot standpipe used to help with water flow and pressure for the pumping station. Both the tower and the pumping station are still in use today.

I think it's beautiful - this castle tower in the midst of what is now a city of steel and glass.

180:365 One of the Dogs . . .

2011-07-02T19:59:00.000-05:00

Forever ago, in another life, I did some voiceover work. The graphic artist who did my J-card (yes, that long ago) used these wonderful dogs on the card. And he made me this pin, that I still have all these years later. Mostly it lives here in my shadowbox now. It never fails to make me smile :-)

Cairo Time . . . Life on the Nile

2011-06-30T09:44:00.003-05:00

My photos from my trip to Egypt :-) I'm not sure how this will work - Shutterfly just had this option so I'm trying it. Probably best to click to view it larger anyway :-)

Click here to view this photo book larger

179:365 April in June

2011-06-28T19:27:00.001-05:00

A fabulous belated birthday gift from a friend of mine and his girls - all thoughtful gifts, all stuff I love, and all wrapped up in a fabulous heavy rattan/woven box to hold some of my knitting.

How fun to have another piece of my April birthday in June :-) Such a welcome treat since I spent another day at home - it's back to work for me tomorrow for sure! This being sick is really boring.

In case you're wondering the pink note paper says, "All I want is World Peace and a Pedicure." :-D

178:365 Bits and Pieces

2011-06-27T21:06:00.001-05:00

Another day spent pretty much horizontal - this virus is just pounding me . . . some bits and pieces from my ledge - a bowl from Fes in Morocco, a stone from Columba's Bay on the Isle of Iona, a decorated domino with some Klimt (a favorite), some baby skeins of sock club yarns, and a braid of fibers that holds great personal meaning.

Shipwreck

2011-06-26T20:53:00.006-05:00

So - my friends Tammy, Christa and Karen are coming in August for Stitches, and Tammy is bring her friend Ginger. Everyone is staying at my house. I'm really looking forward to it :-)

I was reminded a few days ago that we had decided we all wanted to make the Shipwreck Shawl, a free pattern on Knitty.com, out of Wollmeise lace. I have to get 5,000 beads :-D And I have to decide which of my laces I'm going to use.

I got the blue lace (a "we're different" skein of My Old Blue Jeans) with the intent of the Shipwreck, but I pulled them all out in the sun today - the color representations are pretty good - and they all have their own allure. L to R, My Old Blue Jeans (WD), Granatapfel, Vamp (WD), Fliederbusch, and Spice Market. That photo will biggify substantially if you click on it. I think I might not wear the Vamp - but I would wear all the other colors. I'm trying to figure out which I would wear the most. Surprisingly I don't have any green lace - which of course I would probably wear.

Had I not pulled them all out today, I wouldn't be having this problem :-D I think it's between the My Old Blue Jeans and the Granatapfel. I've got to decide soon - I need to buy the beads, and since all the bead places near me have shut down, I'm going to go with eBay. I've had good luck there before for beads . . . blue or red? Should I try to trade for a green? What to do?!

177:365 In the Sunroom

2011-06-26T20:47:00.000-05:00

Still pretty much down for the count from this virus, so not very many photos taken today. These things are in the corner of my sunroom. I really like them all - I put the stars there for Christmas, and I liked them so well that I left them :-D If I could find some blue ones, I would switch them off because the rest of the room is blue.

The lantern hangs there - I've never lit the candle and I always think I'm going to change it all around seasonally as well . . . so far, I just leave it the way I purchased it.

A Virus . . .

2011-06-26T08:36:00.002-05:00

That's what they told me at Urgent Care on Friday night . . . I went because my fever spiked close to 102. Never a good thing.

This is truly the No-Fun Plan :-(

I can't remember when I've been so ill. I'm better now, but I'm still on mostly clear liquids with the occasional dispensation for saltines. And I'm not very hungry, so I KNOW I'm sick. At least the fever is gone, and that's a relief - and I managed to take a shower this morning (another good thing ;-D), but man, I am wiped out. There is question about my being able to go to work tomorrow - guess I'll see how I feel in the a.m.

176:365 Tour de Fleece

2011-06-25T20:36:00.001-05:00

I'm getting ready to participate in something called the "Tour de Fleece." It's where spinners form teams and spin every day of the Tour de France. Sounds silly, but it's a lot of fun. I'm a member of an online knitting and fiber arts community called Ravelry, and that's where I heard about it.

This fiber is Blue Faced Leister. It's top (I think - it might be roving) and it's really, really beautiful, and wonderful to spin. It's from Miss Babs, and I think the colorway is Deep Forest Green. I've got a pound of it and have spun up a quarter. I hope to spin the rest during the Tour.

175:365 The Don King Viburnum

2011-06-25T20:34:00.004-05:00

I have no recollection ot taking this photo yesterday. It was the only photo I took. I think I took it in the a.m. on my way to the train, stopping at the end of the driveway to take it. By the end of the day I was laid low with a virus of epic proportions.

I call it the Don King Viburnum because it grows like Don King's hair.

And yes, my neighbors really did paint their house "swimming pool blue." :-S

174:365 Another Storm

2011-06-25T20:32:00.001-05:00

We've had our share in Chicagoland this spring - and now summer. I always find it interesting that the leaves turn over when it's about to storm. I'm sure there's a good scientific explanation . . .

I took this from the train platform on my way home from work.

173:365 Dinner!

2011-06-25T20:28:00.004-05:00

I bought a half share in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). That means that one of my friends and I split a delivery every week of organic produce, fresh from a farm in Wisconsin. They deliver the boxes to our OFFICE! How cool is that?!

I made a wish because I've never eaten Swiss Chard before. I cooked it like spinach. Onions, some garlic scapes (never had them before either), a little bit of olive oil. This photo was taken before I added a little bit of seasoned bread crumbs, some grated fresh parmesan and the juice of half a fresh lemon. (I think my friend, Michelle at Boulderneigh might like this one - it's vegetarian :-))

I have a goal to eat more vegetables . . . wish me luck! If all my concoctions taste as good as this one did, I should have no trouble at all :-D

172:365 City Flowers

2011-06-25T20:27:00.000-05:00

One of the things our former mayor did really well, was to beautify the city streets. These planters, complete with seats, are found up and down Wacker Drive. This one is outside my office building. A fitting image for the first day of Summer :-)

171:365 It's Gold

2011-06-21T06:08:00.001-05:00

This is the tower of the beautiful Carbide & Carbon Building, now home to the Hard Rock Hotel.

Built in in 1929, and designed by the sons of Daniel Burnham, urban legend has it that it was designed to look like a champagne bottle - the lower facade is polished black granite, with green terra cotta and 24-karat gold leaf on the tower. It's a Chicago landmark - there is nothing else like it in the City.

It became the Hard Rock Hotel in 2004.

170:365 The Sundial

2011-06-19T11:55:00.002-05:00

For reasons known only to her, the woman who lived in my house before I did, put a sundial in the totally wrong spot in the backyard.

It was in the first photo I took, back in January, but now that summer is nearly here, it is buried in the buckthorn and underbrush. Probably means that I need to do some major trimming in the yard, but even so, it should have been pointing to celestial North, and it's pointing East . . .

I'm thinking about moving it. :-)

169:365 Oh, Dear . . .

2011-06-19T11:11:00.002-05:00

These exceptionally unflattering photos of myself have got to stop! However, I managed to get the Webcam set up yesterday, and this is the photo I took of myself with it.

Unfortunately, it's the only photo I took all day :-S So, also unfortunately it has to be my photo for this day.

That's me - no makeup, my ruddy Irish skin in all its glory, and apparently I slept on my left side last night.

Oh well, perhaps this will teach me to make SURE that I upload my photos daily instead of in a bunch like I just did. Had I done that last night, I would not be stuck with this crappy, low-res photo of me looking distinctly otherworldly . . . at least I'm smiling :-)