Few and Far Between . . .

My posts here lately have been few and far between.  Work has been extremely stressful this summer, and it doesn't look like it will be easing up any time soon.  I am extremely grateful for my job, and I don't usually mention it here.  I do today because it's been all I can do lately.  Once I get home, I'm wiped out.

I'm a big believer in the chakras (the energy centers) of the body, and mine have been blocked for months now.  In fact, I've not felt this disconnected and stagnant since shortly after my mom passed away, 13 years ago.  I'm working on this and have found an energy practitioner - someone I think I'm going to like working with.  I already feel better after one session with him.

It's starting to truly dawn on me that the the changes I've had to make since The Kidney Stone Incident must be for a lifetime, and, at the moment, it's not sustainable.  I find myself rebelling and fighting what I know to be best for me.  I continue to work with my health coach, and I continue to look for ways for me to get more vegetables in.  This really is key - it's key to health, and it's key to my not being so hungry.  I need to look within to find some ways of embracing this task.  And for the past couple of weeks, my food choices have not been ideal.  Seriously - it feels like if I look at another container of yogurt, I'm going to hurl it against the closest wall.  Knowing that the cleanup of an action this unwise would take forever - I mean, seriously,  I'd be finding yogurt bits for years - I've managed to not throw anything through the air.

Still . . .

In other news of the day:   Some Knitting Content  :-D  :-D

We're have a "finish-it-up" challenge in the group I moderate on Ravelry.  These things are always so helpful to me.  I've managed to FINALLY get the finish work done on my Starting Point.  It's blocking now.

I am SO glad this is done.  I actually finished it in mid-July, I think, but I had to put it away for awhile before starting the finish work.  I love the finished product, but I will think carefully before doing another large shawl that ends up having eleventy million ends to weave in.  Oh. My. God. It took me forever.  In any case, it's done now and resting on the guestroom floor.  And it used up all the blocking mat tiles - I could have used another four or six!

I also finished Simple yet Effective, a pattern from tincanknits that I did as part of a summer knit-along in the group.  The yarn for this was from The Cyborg's Craftroom.  This was a local indie dyer here in Chicagoland.  I picked it up last year at YarnCon.  Unfortunately, the dyer passed away unexpectedly so there was never a chance to get any more of it.  It's hard to tell because it's still wet, but it's really gorgeous.

And - another "Finally" - my Find Your Fade is done.  It's not blocked because I have to wait for the Starting Point and the Simple but Effective to dry.  In the meantime, here is it, unblocked, resting on the sunroom floor.

This photo is a bit dark, but the center section is various shades of green, finally fading into a charcoal/black.

This is two very large shawls in a row.  I was going to try the "What The Fade" mystery KAL, but it starts with Brioche stitch, and I'm just not sure I want to mess with that at the moment.  I'd really rather get a sweater on the needles.

So, it's been a productive weekend thus far, and I still have another day!!

I was just listening to Steely Dan yesterday - Deacon Blues came on the radio - and today Walter Becker is gone . . .

Peg was always my favorite.  You can hear Michael McDonald's very distinctive voice on the harmonies if you listen.  Man, I knew every cut on this album and I played it over and over and over again.  And I don't even like jazz . . .