Wanted: A Goddess

Check out the link! There are too many straight lines to count, so I'll leave hilarity to the comments section.

Father's Day

Madi is wishing her grandfather a happy Father's Day. He's been gone just a few months, and this is the first time she's seen his headstone at Arlington Cemetery; it was installed weeks early, and was a surprise for the family.

I'm thinking that Sam is up there in heaven, feeling the love.

And I'm also thinking that there are two heros in this photo, and one behind the camera with a broken heart.

Next year will be slightly easier. I promise.

Dear Lori:

Did So.

a
xoxox


Now, as a quick update, I reached 52nd St. this morning as I climbed HOME ROAD. It wasn't much of an improvement, but it was a few yards further than my previous benchmark. Now that I have a super fabulous Cannondale Quick Fem 4 (apparently I am SHORT. The bike is a custom woman's frame, and mine is Petite). I'll be going to Bow Cycle tomorrow between soccer games to pick up my new bike (complete with a bell, a water bottle holder, and rack).

Now, I have been doing some non bike related stuff. I've been knitting a no-purl version of the Monkey Sock in STR for the Guild sock exchange in July. One down, one to go. Also I've been having some fun spinning on a new Jenkins Spalted Tamarind Turkish Delight. It's an amazing little thing that spins and spins and spins.

I have to say, that if you are considering a Jenkins spindle, get ready for a lovely experience. I had randomly written many months ago, merely wondering about a spalted spindle. Wanda Jenkins had kept my request on file until one came up, and then wrote to me giving me first dibs on it. When the spindle arrived it was wrapped in tissue, a silk hankie, more tissue and some combed romney. There was a beautiful hand-written note in the package. The whole package was in a bubble wrap bag, and then in a padded envelope. I think the Jenkins' care about every aspect of their business, and customer service is job one. I've been spinning some pink and some blue silk hankies, and having a real ball doing so.

If one could spin and bike ride at once, the world would be a happy place.

PS: I'm registered for Stampede. A shawl and some handspun; pictures to follow.

Full of fail

Today I bought a Schwinn No-Stress bike seat, and a rat trap kind of thing that is suspended off the seat post. Both products were a complete and utter fail. After one hours' trial, both are back in the shopping bag, ready for a refund.

The good news is that the test ride took me to Kensington where I met all kinds of my favorite knitters, including Mrs. Tiano. We had fun, and were probably much quieter than the restaurant had any right to expect. We pretended it was Sandra's birthday, and they gave her deep fried ice cream.

Life is good.

Swatching

Tonight I am feeling still within myself, in response to a very stressful and long day. I fell onto the couch when I came home, and slept. Today is over; I've dreaded it for days and days, and finally it's done.

Just now I wound a skein of Cormo into a ball, and I'm swatching it on the red 4.5mm Stiletto Signature Needle Arts needles. I thought that the Cormo might turn into a Dianna shawl, but maybe it'll be Hey Teach? We'll see how the swatch turns out.

I want to tell you about Friday. It was time to ride home, and I was watching the sky close in and become black. I could hear thunder... and suddenly there were huge splashing raindrops. The option was to leave my bike at work and take the train home, then pick up the bike again when I next drove the truck. Instead, I strapped on the helmet and hit the road. It was the best decision I've made in ages.

Instead of bugs and lunging black dogs and all the other normal hazards of a ride home, it was cool, peaceful and beautiful. Yes, I was pretty wet, but I don't think I've ever felt better. The pathway smelled of leaves and rain and fresh cut grass. I'm not sure when you last felt like this, but honestly, it's priceless.

A link to Boogie and some bike talk

She's posted about her Pat Green Triple Picker, and a near piercing experience. I'm sharing the link so that we can alllll be properly terrorized.


So I've been hearing that some are not completely bored with hearing about my bicycle riding, so it's they that you ought to blame for the following ramble.

The other day Aunty Tink asked me if I was going to ride to work.. and tho I hadn't exactly planned to (because the weatherman was calling for rain), I had to admit that I probably wouldn't die if I got wet, so I put on the helmet and hit the road. It was 'leave your clothing all over' day. I saw jackets, shirts, leather gloves, an attache, a towel.. must have been some strange night, that's for sure.

Not 30 seconds after I arrived at work the skies opened up. I laughed my butt off. Phew.. such a close call.

Somehow, while putting the bike the back room, I got a peddle caught in a chair; very nearly didn't get the two separated, and in the end I had to lay both on their sides to extricate the bike. Didn't seem like a big deal until I was going down HOME ROAD (which deserves capitals) and the brakes didn't seem right. I wasn't willing to do any physics experiments, so I stopped the bike and walked it down... rode to the end of HOME ROAD, and just got on the bike path when the back wheel of the bike completely and absolutely locked up. Tight.

So there I was, at the side of the path with a wrench (don't ask), and no other tools, and absolutely no knowledge of how bike parts work. In a previous life if I had bike problems I had only to utter 'Dad' (ok.. some ancient history), and the problem was resolved. BFML was at BGA's game. Mug was at a friend's house. I didn't have a cell phone... and I couldn't think of any option but to figure it out somehow.

I messed around with the brakes for a while, and I'm sure I have them completely cocked up at this point, but it didn't release the wheel. In the end I lifted up the back wheel, changed the gears, and rotated the pedal by hand. The wheel released.

Phew.. I was able to ride the rest of the way home without incident, but I was too scared to change gears again. I had trouble with gears the year before last, but BFML got things sorted out. All I can think of is that I could have done a really pretty crash if I hadn't walked that bike down the hill..

Who says prayer doesn't work? I know it does.

This could be the very best thing you see all day

and this..



and this...



I loves me a dancing flash mob.

I saved the best for last. But before you click on this link, KNOW (absolutely KNOW) that the rest of your day will promptly vanish.

You're welcome.

Two

On Thursday, Nini turned two, so Mug, Banana and I drove to Airdrie with a dotley cake (chocolate, as says Nini) and a little book for her. It was all very lovely, and we ate cake until near explosion. Nini had some for an appetizer, and for desert. She ate every bit as much as anybody else did, I think.

Today was the big, fat Greek birthday party, which I did not attend. Mug did tho; she slept over last night.

The plan for today was to do the Motorcycle Ride for Dad with BFML (which started out with a police escorted parade, and proceeded to a long Poker ride, a lunch, and other fun things). Well, at 6am I looked outside and noticed it was snowing. At 8 the snow had gone, but it was really raining. So I backed out. BFML went, and later told me that the Poker ride had been canceled. Damn.. wish I had known that. I could have frozen for a little while, but not for the whole day.

I knitted.. finished a cashmere shawl I was knitting on. I kinda like it. It'll make a nice Stampede Western Showcase entry, and my Aunt will love it when it makes its way to her, I think.

This evening I went to pick up Mug, and my Nini was about coming out of her skin because she was so excited about her new tricycle. She told me about everything that came to mind, and we had cake #2... I found out from her that: Hippos stink. Her shoes had cake on them. She likes to be pushed on the tricycle. Bella went home. Nino is cute. She still can sing herself happy birthday. She 'laloo's me. I should open the doll butt-cream. I could also sing her: one hokey hokey (ok, you don't need help with that one). one chima chima (skinamerinkie dinkie dink). and one happy dirday. Do this 8,000 times please.

She has a lot to say. I'm starting to speak the language, and it's alllll good. But I cannot eat any more dotley cake for a year. Blech.

I am deeply sad

Tho I'm not really sure why. Ever feel that way?

At 1am on a Friday morning, when you need to wake up in a few hours and do and do and do and do, and then do it all over again?

I feel like that.

Maybe it won't really rain or snow, and I can ride my bike. Oxygenating the brain seems to help all kinds of stuff.

So, IK?

How about some formal instructions for our sit-up regiment?

We're going to climb a wall together, you see, and we need to develop core strength. Imagine that.

Lots of dyers and spinners and fiber-crazed bloggers have been talking about 'hooping' (IK, I can hear you from here). I am thinking that there's possibly a hula-hoop in my basement, and I might give it a try. Don't know what it'll do for my core, but it could develop my sense of humour.

Alright.. off to work.

The high point of my day, and the funniest thing you'll read all week

Ok, the bike thing. I made it an extra 1/2 block up Home Road before I had to get off. So I'm officially riding to 21st Ave. When I got off I stood around looking ultra casual and took drinks from my water bottle. In reality I was waiting for my heart to stop acting like a Disney animation, and for the calves to unknot. But inside, I was celebrating! The next block is a lot longer, so I think my progress won't be as good as it has been so far. I am thinking of borrowing BFML's mountain bike to see how I do with more gears.

And I saw something horrific tonight. (I have big black dog syndrome... I'm not proud of it, but it's true).. It was like a slow motion dream sequence really... A young man and woman seemed to have crashed one or more of their bikes, and they were standing over two downed bikes which took up more than one lane of the bike path. She has a big black dog on a leash, but she's engaged in the bikes, not the dog. I was coming up to them, and a jogger was just coming around them (because they were taking up his entire lane). As he passed, the dog lunged at the jogger. As I passed him, I saw him lift his arm, which had been bitten and was bleeding. If it wasn't for him, it would have been me. Phew.. jogger, thank you for taking one for me.

Now, the funny.

I caught a whiff of smoke... the tiniest smell, and I asked BGA to check to see if anything was in the oven? Nope he says, nothing. Nothing but the mouse.

Excuse me, what?

We have two teenage girls and a 10 y/o boy in this house, and the pandemonium that ensued was very, very, very funny. There is some concern about mouse fumes on Sunday night's roasted chicken, or last night's home made mac and cheese. Poor little beast. I don't think it had a particularly nice ending. Question is, how did it get in there?

I admit it, I'm a stalker

I've been crazy in love with Cormo for more than a year, and had myself the sweetest little hogget fleece (#750 to be exact) that I was sllllllowly (and I cannot stress that enough) flicking and spinning. I'd scoured it imperfectly, so the locks weren't intact, but it was still coming along well. Recently VikingMaid made me some combs, so man.. did the pace pick up. I combed the rest of the fleece, and it is now spun, plied and wet finished. It's dry even.. just hanging on my baker's rack in the kitchen. I have 5 matching skeins, and I have a couple of ideas, but right now all I want to do is squeeze it now and again.

(There will be no discussions relating to unmatched skeins, and I would appreciate that mathematically ept readers do not try to estimate the weight of discarded fiber. fyi: I have just invented 'ept', but there should be such a word to counter 'inept', don't you agree?)

Never in my life have I felt yarn so soft and bouncy. It defies description; honest.

The stalking thing started so innocently. I decided that I truly have too much fleece at the moment, and I need to deal with what I have on hand. That seems logical. Then I got the combs (speeding things up), and I got a Pat Green triple picker (hmmm.. so many ideas!), and, OK I admit it, my Visa card kindly bought me a Strauch Finest drumcarder (it's so thoughtful that way. I went into some kind of trance in the store, and before I knew it, the drumcarder was in the trunk. That would be the drumcarder that I cannot afford in any conceivable way, the drumcarder that I am actually quiet embarrassed about. THAT ONE)... phew.... where was I?

Yes,.. Eventually I thought.. gosh, wouldn't it be a nice thing to go look at the 2009 Cormo fleeces and see what all the lucky people are going to buy? And since I'm a 2008 customer, I'll have first dibs. Even tho.. you know.. I'm not going to buy one.

Strangely, no 2009's on the website. Not even one. I knew that everybody was shorn (you know these things when you read every word of someone's website 10 times, and have memorized the 'news' page), so maybe I just need to try another browser? Or.. you know, refresh 20 times a day? Just to look, you understand.

Seems natural that a person would just email Sue and see how things are, and you know, pass along all best wishes. While I'm writing, might as well ask about those fleeces, right?

Even though I'm not going to buy one. No way am I going to. For sure.