With all the rain we've had, it had to happen. Rainbows. Two of them. For a little while Thursday evening it was dark and cloudy out back of the house and blue sky/sunny in the front. It was like one of those weird sci-fi movies. Then the sky got all yellowish, (I kept thinking "oh my god, we're going to get a tornado!") but instead we got these beauties. I've seen double rainbows before but never so clear and bright and complete. It's too bad the electrical wires are in the way. Our development dates back to before they buried the wires. It was wonderous and we stood outside for a long time admiring the beauty. Kate took these photos.

That was a lovely way to end a crappy day. They are rennovating the offices on the second floor of my building and we have to move to other spaces to get out of the way. We spent the past two weeks packing up and cleaning out our stuff. After 14 years I have accumulated lots of stuff. Some of it is good resource material and some was just trash. On Tuesday I will go to this tiny little office that I will share with my current office mate until June 4th or so. It's a good thing he and I get along or we'd kill each other in this small space. That wasn't the crappy part . I taught a Crisis Mgmt class and it went well. I really couldn't take part fully because my incisions are still healing and a tad tender. I did most of the talking and made sure everyone got the holds and defenses down. Even that wasn't crappy. What was crappy was at the end of the day, my supervisor asked me to come in and sit down. She looked a little embarassed but told me that I was not allowed to knit during any functions in the building because "it is not professional". Apparently at a recent managers meeting, someone mentioned that they had witnessed me engaged in subversive activities (ie knitting) and it was very unprofessional. Now, I do not knit in meetings or with clients or in supervision. I just happened to be attending a VOLUNTARY presentation on diversity and took some knitting. I sat quietly and unobtrusively working on a pair of socks. Evidently, someone else who was there was offended and I have been told not to knit at work. It was just one more way they are trying to take the joy out of the work. When I started to work for this agency, the role model they espoused was that of the Good Samaritan (Take care of him and I will take care of thee) and they used to give out lapel pins with that on them in orientation. Since we were bought by a large health system, the motto is "what's the bottom line?" and "what's in it for us?". It's all about the money. It depresses me sometimes because I can see the difference. We are a community mental health agency and as such should have a heart and celebrate individuals, both staff and clients, in all their diverse glory. Sadly, we do not. So, from this day forward, I will knit on the train and if the weather is nice I will knit in the small park behind the building at lunch (if I can get away) but not during any other time. I won't be able to introduce colleagues who have asked to the joys of handknitted socks unless it is after working hours. It really bummed me out yesterday.






And today I got up early and went to the radiology place to have my tests. I found out I could only have one test, the CT scan because they both require barium ingestion and they both use different kinds of barium gunk. I was feeling stressed and said, fine. I tried to drink the white, chalky, orange flavored liquid and I even used a straw but it made me gag. I managed to get enough down to have the test. I am not scheduling the other tests in case this one shows enough and makes the others unnecessary. I am not drinking any more gunk than I have to. The doctor and I will talk on May 29th and discuss the test.




But today a miracle occured. On April 29th, Kate mailed the prize package that Amy Lane won in the blogiversary contest. I waited anxiously to hear that it had arrived but it seemed to be lost somewhere between here and California. I was preparing to put together an alternate package and send it out this weekend when the mailman told me he had a package for me that had "come back". I knew without seeing it what it was. It was the box I sent out three weeks ago. It had gone to California and back! I inadvertently put the wrong street name on it (I blame the post surgery drugs) and even though it had the correct town and name on it, the postal service couldn't figure out who it should go to. So, they sent it 3,000 miles back to me. It looked like it had been kicked by angry camels but the contents all seemed to be intact, except for one tiny bit that got broken but it's ok. I took everything to the UPS store and boxed it up and sent it right back out with the correct address. UPS said they would have it there in a week. (Well, June 2 but that's because it's a holiday weekend here). They also said they would have kept it in California and contacted me and asked about the address before sending it all the way back. That would seem to make more sense.



So now with the test out of the way and the grocery shopping completed, I have only to do the laundry and swap out the winter clothes for the summer ones. It still might be premature as the temp was only 48 degrees (8 C) last night. Not what we're used to at the end of May. We are going to take a picnic on Sunday if the weather holds and just have some lazy days.

Amy lane tagged me with a meme but I'll wait until next time as I have already rambled on enough for one night.


If Memorial Day is one of your holidays, I wish you a peaceful one. We should all spare a thought or two for the young (and they are so very young) men and women we have lost in this most impossible of all possible wars.

I have been working on the plain striped socks while on the train and they are coming along nicely. No charts to read or directions to follow. Nice, simple stockinette. But at home it was getting boring so I started The Lily of the Valley socks from Knitpicks. They suggest using their Bare yarn (wool/silk blend) but I am using Patons Kroy Sock (wool/nylon blend). The suggested needle size is 2.75. Now I know I have more than one set of this size but could I find them on Sunday when I wanted to start this pattern? No, of course not. I had to run out to the craft store and find some. They are Susan Bates and only come in sets of 4 so I had to buy 2 sets. Now I have 8. I will probably never lose one again. I tried this pattern about a year ago and got disgusted with it and put it in time out. For some reason, it felt right to pull it out and try again. I think a smaller size needle would be better but I'll keep on using these for now. They do give it a nice, lacey feel and look to them. They'll be light enough for air conditioned summer offices. I also chose not to do 5 stitch nupps but did the 3 stitch ones instead. I just didn't like the bumpiness.

And look! I think my spinning is getting a little better. There are still a few thin spots but overall, it's more even. And I am not overspinning it as much. This is Romney, hand carded and dyed by the lys near here. It's fuzzy. We have a long weekend coming up so after I get my tests on Friday, I've got some time to spend with Saraspunda. For my mother's day gift from PK, I am going to join a fiber of the month club instead of just buying a bunch of roving. That way I get gifts for a few months and I'll get to try bits of different materials to see which I like best.

It's raining here, again. We are coming up to our first "summer" weekend. It's always odd because summer doesn't begin for another month. The weather is supposed to clear up and be a little warmer. Memorial Day always meant swimming to me as a kid and thousands of people will make their way to the Jersey shore for the weekend that kicks off the summer. The water will be bone chilling cold and I'm not sure it will be warm enough to sit on the beach but it won't matter. People will be there on their blankets and with their beach chairs. I will probably spend the weekend cleaning, shopping and finally getting out the summer clothes. They are still in the attic because the temperatures have not been warm enough to make me want to take them out and wash them. I don't think we've ever gone this late. No complaints here, though. I know how hot it will get soon and I am in no hurry to get there. A little sun would be nice, though.

Monday morning is not a usual post time for me. I am usually trying to get my act together for two medication clinics and deal with any problems left on the voicemail over the weekend.

However, today's inspiration was one I thought was right on target for today. And by today, I mean right now in our history as we face another contentious (and seemingly endless) election season.

Change is not something that we should fear.Rather, it is something that we should welcome.For without change, nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom, and no one in this world would ever move forward to become the person they're meant to be.

Thought provoking? I thought so.

Have a good day all.

Pete, Kate and Donna Lee's Most Excellent Adventure! We have been blessed with an abundance of rain this spring. I say blessed because I know there are parts of the country/world who are not being so blessed at this time. In fact, they are downright dry. Our world is very green and overgrown at this point in time. A fact that PK is trying to rectify by mowing the front and then the back 40. I say trying because everytime he decides he has time to mow, it rains. And rains. And is windy and rains.

Today was a day of epic spring wonderfulness.With a sky as beautiful as this, who could stay inside? (This is a church in Woodbury that has gargoyles! Who knew the Methodists had a sense of humor?) It was cloud free most of the day (and when it did cloud over, they quickly dispersed) and comfortably warm. So, did we spend the day outside working on our verdant overgrown property? No, of course not. That would not be an Excellent Adventure!

Instead, we went to here. Can't read the sign? It says Cowtown. Yep, in the heart of Southern Jersey, we have a place called Cowtown. It's actually a rodeo, one of the oldest continuously running rodeos in the country. The rodeos run on weekends from May until the fall. But, they also have flea markets all year long on Tuesdays and Saturdays. So, we went to the flea market. We saw hats, lots of hats and knock-off handbags. If you wanted a faux Dolce & Gabana bag, this was your place to find it. Cowtown isn't my kind of flea market because they didn't have dolls without heads and worn out shoes and old chairs and other used stuff. This was all new items. We bought some fruit (asian pears and red grapes) and some sausage to make sandwiches for dinner. We also bought some bandanas because we use them a lot in the sweaty summer heat. New Jersey is the Garden State, yea, I know, go ahead and laugh. If you live in the north close to New York, it might be a little hard to believe but here in the south, there is still a lot of farm land and fruit orchards. We passed lots of stands that will be soon full with vegetables and fruit from local farms. Today we saw these. Probably not a thing there was local except maybe the asparagus. The tomatoes are too big this early to be local, we don't grow bananas or mangoes or lemons. Maybe the cherries, but I think it's still too early for those, too. No matter. It all looked good.

PK and I dropped Kate off at home and headed for the Berlin Farmer's Market for their flea market. This is an indoor market all year through with an often strange assortment of things and an outdoor market in the warmer months. It used to have an auction where animals(cows, horses,pigs) were auctioned. I remember hearing some of the auctions when I was a kid but I never ventured into the area. It seemed like a strange place, all dark and smokey. THIS flea market is a real one. They have all kinds of stuff both new and "gently used" and down right worn out. PK likes to go and find old tools that he can bring home and lovingly restore. Here he is looking for some old hand planes . The pile looked something like this, all metal and rusty and jumbled together. He picks and prods and finds a chisel without a handle which he can "fix up". He's in hog heaven doing this. We found a back pack for Kate so she can go backpacking with PK and they can do an overnight in some wildnerness campsite. It was in good condition and only cost 15 dollars. New ones like this are way over a hundred dollars so we got a bargain. Kate is thrilled because she loves backpacking/hiking. Me? You couldn't pay me enough money to strap a big pack on my back and walk for miles and miles and then sleep on the ground. No accounting for taste. I like camping but I want to drive up and unload my car at the campsite and set up a nice, tidy, little outside home.

I have resisted doing any cleaning or other chores today. Tomorrow we are due for more rain (surprise, surprise) so there will be plenty of time to do chores and laundry. I am going to go and cook sausage and peppers for our dinner with some left over potato salad. That is, if I can stop watching for the mailman. Elanor gave me a Borders gift card for Mother's Day and I ordered The Knitters Book of Yarn and I'm waiting for it to come. Impatiently waiting.

I hope you are all having a Most Excellent Adventure of your own this weekend.

It's a little demoralizing to have surgery to take away pain and have the pain still be there. But indeed it is true in my case.

Shortly after the surgery, I was having some pain and figured it was gas because they told me I would feel gas pain. But it's not gas and evidently it was not all my gall bladder because it is gone and the pain is still here. The surgeon mentioned pancreatitis. That is a possibility but it mostly affects alcoholic men. I am neither.

Today I went to see my doctor. He ordered another blood test (done) and a CT scan and an Upper GI series. Whooppee. I have had CT's before but the thought of drinking barium is nauseating. I have to wait for an insurance code to make the appointment but hopefully it will be soon. And I have to just live with the pain until we figure out what's causing it. Pain killers make me sleepy/sick so I'll just have to deal.

So, some non stressful socks. I gave up for now on the yarn Kate gave me because it makes a camouflage pattern with stripes and I am not a cammo kind of woman. (I think my nephew who is 2 might like socks made out of cammo and stripes. ) I instead started a plain pair of socks using Online cotton. The colors are muted because it looks like the colors are plyed with some white. It's self striping/patterning and after 3 inches it hasn't repeated. I am watching with fascination as the fabric unfolds.

Yesterday as I was walking to the train, there were two young girls in yellow cotton dresses in front of me. Something in the way the skirts caught the wind and the sun through the trees grabbed at a memory in my head but thatfast it was gone. I have been chasing it ever since because I think it was a good memory, maybe of a yellow dress that I had as a girl. I just can't seem to catch it. It made me smile anyway and that's not a bad way to end a work day.

I have the rest of the day off since I was at the doctor's this morning. I was going to sit outside since we are experiencing some truly spring-like weather. My allergies are raging but that wouldn't stop me. However, the men with the trucks and tree-cutting machines might. They are very noisy. I guess I'll wait until they're done.

Happy Hump Day!

I have decided I could easily be a woman of leisure. I have enough interests to keep me busy and I love bon-bons. But it doesn't look like that is going to happen anytime soon.

So, I went back to work today. It was pretty much as I expected, 2 weeks worth of email to pretend to read before I hit 'delete', 12 messages on the machine (12 people who didn't bother to listen to the message that said I wasn't there), and a mail box full of papers and memos and vouchers and stuff. It was all pretty normal and boring.

Except for two things. The first thing was a package from one of the student interns that I supervised this year. She sent me an exquisite box of chocolates as a thank you for sharing my "wisdom and caring and compassion" with her. I wish I could show you a photo of the box because they were beautiful. But I can't. They're gone. All gone. PK and El helped me finish that sucker off as soon as I got home.

Thing the second. In the mail box attached to my house was a package. From Australia. From Georgie. She sent me some of this. I know the photo is awful but if you could see the cold (and I mean cold) rainy day here, you'd understand. This is 100 grams of roving in a beautiful green/blue color. It's called Under the Sea (let's all sing it together!) and it's soft and silky feeling and just perfect. It turned a not so great day into a great one. It's from Ewe Give Me the Knits. It was such a lovely thing to do. And best of all it came with a kiss from Pirate Jim. Go ahead, be jealous. I would be. Not often I get kisses from young men who are not my spouse.

Kate gave me the book Folk Shawls for Mother's Day and some sock yarn. I started a new pair of make-it-up-as-I-go-along socks. I know I still have to finish the entrelac socks but I was feeling the need for a change in color. And this is definitely a change in color. It's Lana Grossa sock yarn and rather soft after working with the Noro. I wore the Noro socks today to work under a pair of light blue cordoroy pants. They looked great and I found every opportunity to show them off all day. No modesty here!

I hope you all are having better weather than we are. It was windy, pouring rain and 38 degrees (3 degrees celsius). It is May for crying out loud! I needed to replace the battery in my watch but didn't want to walk down the two blocks at work in the pouring rain to the jewelers. I kept looking at my wrist all day. Without a watch, my wrist does not tell time! Duh. So, I paid twice what it usually costs me when I go to the discount jewelers in Philadelphia. A very nice man replaced batteries in both my watches (yes, they both died at the same time, I'm thinking it was a suicide pact) even though technically his store had closed for the day. I guess I looked pitiful. Or maybe it was just karma. It doesn't matter. I will be able to tell time tomorrow at work. That is very important.

Have a good week. Monday is over and that's half the battle.

Happy Mothers' Day! I've always felt a little strange celebrating this day. As I said, my family is good to me and I don't feel unappreciated or in need of a day to be patted on the back for giving birth. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the day off. I like having someone else cook dinner and worry about other household chores. But, I get those things when I need them. I just have to say "I don't feel like (fill in least favorite household chore here)" and usually Peter Kevin will say, "I'll do it" or one of the girls will take care of it. Kate is especially good at cleaning the cats' boxes (ewww) a chore I despise but recognize the importance of! The only chore I usually can't get out of is laundry. I guess it's the control freak coming out but I like my laundry done MY way.

Do we need a day to tell loved ones they are important? Maybe. Maybe we should all take the time to tell them every day, or at least more frequently than once a year. Kate asked the bakery to write on a cake (white with white frosting and coconut, mmmmm a favorite) "We totally, like ,appreciate you". It made me laugh and is so perfect. We are an irreverent bunch around here but I think everyone knows that they are loved and appreciated for their uniqueness among mortal beings.

I'm not sure if my children realize that they carry large chunks of my heart out with them each day. As they grow and become more themselves, I see less and more of myself there. I see them make fun of my "miracle in every square inch of creation" philosophy but, I see them noticing the miracles. What they don't notice is that THEY are the miracles of my life. THEY are the best and most wonderful thing I have ever done.

No matter what else I do in my life, I have given the world three lovely, intelligent, smartass, beautiful Wood Women. Look out.

P.S. The photo is a shot of a local wildflower, Indian Paintbrush. I took it last Spring on a trip to the Wharton State Forest. No significance to the post, just a bright shot of color. Can you tell I found the text color button today?