Woolly Mutts

A heavy burden to carry.

Before my son became a fire fighter I never gave them much thought.  Certainly, I was grateful for their service, especially after 9/11 brought their sacrifice into the light, but the actual act of what fighting a fire entailed rarely crossed my mind.  There is the big, shiny truck and the hose and fire fighters.  But the burden; literally, the burden of what they carry into a fire...wow.

Last night Karl had his gear in the car so he brought it in and showed us the process of preparing to go to a fire call.

 
First up is the pants (don't you love the glowing strips?  There will be an even cooler pic of them later.)  The pants stay over the boots so all he has to do is step into the boots and pull the pants up.  They have a velcro fly and rings to quickly tighten the suspenders.

Next comes the jacket (which is incredibly heavy).  This jacket is like a fire fighters purse (no disrespect intended).  There are pockets and hooks all over it.  You can see the flashlight up on his right shoulder.  In the pockets are knives, other flashlights, his hood (important to keep your ears from burning in a very hot fire.) webbing to help pull people out of harms way, and other necessities.  There is also a little port that plugs into a device so that his captain can keep track of how hot he's getting.  I thought that was just amazing.

At this point I would not have been able to walk, much less run into a burning building, but next up is the helmet.

Shiny!!  This time with his robotic wonder dog. :-)  In the red bag is his face mask which would hook to his oxygen tank.  He also has a vest in one of the pockets that goes over his jacket should he have to direct traffic at an accident scene.  His name is on his back, near the bottom of his jacket and his helmet has a symbol indicating that he is also an EMT.  All this heavy gear so that he and his team can safely enter a burning building.  As his mother, it's all a little scary, but also fascinating. 

It didn't take too long before he was roasting in all the gear and that was in the house with the a/c running.  I can't imagine how hot they must get in an actual fire.  Safe, though, or at least as safe as they can be.

This time of the year is a good time to consider what our fire fighters and police officers do for us and the sacrifices they make to help us.  The responsibility of their jobs is overwhelming.  They are there for us during the worst possible times in our lives helping and protecting us.  Thank you hardly seems like enough.

And there is so much precious in our lives that needs protecting.

The hot dog or the bun?

Let us for a moment consider claustrophobia.  Dictionary.com defines it as "the fear of being closed in or being confined in a small space".  If you had asked me a week ago (and someone did) if I was claustrophobic I would have said absolutely not.  When I was 7 or 8 I played hide and seek with neighbor kids and hid in a closed cardboard box for so long that I fell asleep and no one told me the game was over.  (darn kids)  I'll admit to having a strong dislike for the dark, but I can handle small spaces.  The only reason I gave Mr. C any consideration at all was my appointment with an MRI.

I've had some sort of...well, not sort of...some really crazy bad pain in my right shoulder area.   You may recall from a past post that I went into the doctors office thinking it was shoulder related and came out with him thinking it was disc related.  Oh the joys of getting older.  After his treatment of pain meds and muscle relaxers are not helping and in fact the pain is getting worse and spreading up my neck to the back of my head and across my chest it was time for the next step....the MRI.

I called for the appointment, answered countless questions to assure them that no, I have no metal in my body.  Makes one wonder how many bad experiences regarding body metal and a giant magnet have occurred.  Icky.  Anyway, when I have been proved metal free (though they asked again before they put me in the tube) it was on to the "c" question.  Do I have problems with small enclosed places?  Nope.  We are good for lift off.

I arrived at the appointed time, which was near the end of the day and I think everyone was a little loopy with the thought of near freedom, or it is possible that there was a staff b-day party that served that wacky punch.  They were all sort of a funny bunch.  I assured them again, this time with a signature, in pen, that I was metal free and was ushered to a room where I was to remove everything but the undies and put on the assigned scrubs.  Now, I am not a  thin woman.  I'm not Godzilla either, but I imagine that it can be difficult to judge sizes and by the end of the day the supply may have some limits.  I pulled on the pants, pulled them up to right under the boobage and tied them as tightly as possible.  My feet had now disappeared so I rolled the bottoms.  The top wasn't as bad and as I looked at myself in the mirror a male tech came to get me and exclaimed,"Oh my, aren't you just adorable."  This is perhaps technician slang for "Lord have mercy" but either way we had a nice chat (where I was asked twice if I had to pee.  Clearly, needing to pee while inside the MRI machine is almost as big a problem as body metal and Mr. C) as we walked down a hall and entered a room where the temperature dropped about 15 degrees, which for the hot flash challenged, isn't a bad thing at all.

If you have never had the MRI experience (sounds like a theme park ride...he he) it looks like this.

I was ushered to the table and my head was placed where you see that little cage thing.  I was given ear plugs and then fluffly little muffs were put on either side of my head to help with the noise.  That little cage was then closed over my face. A pad was put under my legs for comfort.  They asked if I wanted a blanket and at first said yes, but the woman tech informed me that it got warm in there and sure as I had that blanket over me I'd have a hot flash and not be able to move to get the blanket off.  I declined.  I asked if they were sure I was going to fit in that tube and they laughed and said everyone asks that.  I was told that all I had to do was lie very, very, very still.  So far so good.  A bulb like object was placed in my hand and I asked if it was the emergency eject.  Ha ha....yes, if I need help or freak out (I swear, they said "freak out") squeeze the bulb.  At this point I was getting a little nervous.

They made the thumbs up signal, I gave it back and off I went.  The table moved up a bit and then slowly back into the machine.  I was told via the magic interior intercom that I could open or close my eyes; whatever I was most comfortable with, so I opened them.  It was at this moment that Mr. Claustrophobia and I met for the first time. 

Holy sh*t.  I'm sorry, but that is the only response I could think of.  That ceiling is right, and I mean RIGHT in front of your eyes.  I was smooshed inside that thing like a hot dog in a bun.  Holy @#$%.  My eyes slammed shut and I struggled to get my breathing under control as the voice in the magic intercom suggested that I do. Then the machine began doing a fairly commendable impersonation of the smoke monster from LOST.

I can meditate.  I can meditate while the dogs bark and run back and forth down the hall outside my door.  I can meditate while AH has phone conferences  with the phone on speaker. And, as it turns out, I can meditate inside an MRI machine.  It took some time and control, but I managed to calm down and zen out.  Every 10 minutes or so the voice would tell me what a good job I was doing, and I was.  Take that Mr. C!  Sort of.  I never did open my eyes and as they pulled me out of the machine I made darn sure I was all the way out before I opened them again. 

The cage was opened, ear plugs removed and the kind male tech helped me up to sitting and had me sit still for a few seconds to get my bearings, which was sort of a great idea.  Then I was free to get dressed again, was handed the a disk of my MRI and shown the door.  There were many images on the disk and not being trained I'm not sure what they mean.  I see the doctor on Thursday, but even my untrained eyes can see the little trouble maker.

Isn't that cool?   I now have documented proof that I have a brain!  See the dark horizontal lines?  See the one that looks like it's bulging out?  I'm pretty sure that's our culprit.  Time will tell.

So, I've learned never to say never and that even when faced with fear it can be overcome.  Also, I think I'd rather be the bun than the hot dog.  Just saying.

Look out world, Grandma has a flip camera.

I take terrible pictures.  Ok, that might be a little too general; I take terrible pictures of things that move.  I am completely lacking in anything that resembles patience.  AH is the resident photo artist.  A couple of weeks ago I got this bee in my bonnet about flip cameras and how reportedly easy they were to operate with great results.  So.....I bought one.  If you order it online you can design it yourself with one othe their nifty options or a design of your own.  I went with one that sends $10 of your purchase price to the earthquake victims in Japan.  I just love when the money you spend goes not only your item, but some good as well.   Here it is:

A purple Buddha.  Such coolness!  The little port thingy pops out of the side so you can just plug it into your computer to upload.  It's super easy, just point and press the red button.  It will zoom in and out and that's it.  Nothing fancy, just fun.  It came in the mail yesterday afternoon right before family dinner so you know who I had to take the first video of, right?

 

It's a shame we don't get that kid some real toys. :-)  She loves playing with the rocks and candles.  Go figure.  I apologize for all the background noise.   There was a great deal of conversation going on about Sundays storm and where the safest place to go is.   Barring all that, could you find a cuter littler person?   I swear I could watch her all day. 

Stay tuned for more exciting video evidence of life in Muttville.  (I apologize in advance. )

The Sundance Experience

Yesterday the weather was anything but conducive for yard work (of which there is a great deal) so we decided to drive up to Madison to see Jane Eyre.  The movie itself was just so lovely and perfect I nearly cried.  The casting could not have been better and I felt it did justice to the book very kindly.  There were changes, but none that made me dislike it, which I am prone to do  when a beloved book is done wrong.  The scenery was breathtaking and the costumes wonderful.  Oh, how I love a costume drama.  Jane Eyre was one of those movies were the dialogue is sparse but the communication between the characters huge and emotional and beautiful.  I adored it.  5 stars.

I am so glad that we did not wait for it to come to our area.  We drive fairly often to Madison to see a film, but we had never been to the Sundance.  Wow.  Have we been missing out.  It's located in the Hilldale Mall, which is in itself pretty fantastic.  There is a Target with it's own parking garage.   Some cities have a vibe; some good and some bad.  Madison has the best possible vibe I've known.  It's earthy and green, but trendy and academic.  In all ways cool. 

This is part of the interior.  To the right is a concessions area that has much more than your average movie offering and some of the best popcorn I have ever eaten.

Concessions area and let me tell you that it looked like this when we got there and when we left.  Lesson learned, leave LOTS of extra time for goodies.  There are seating areas with tables and also a large seating area with leather sofas and chairs to hang out in.  During the warmer months there is a rooftop bistro.  Cool factor at 10+. 

We thought we had left plenty of time, but there was a substantial line at the ticket counter where not only do you buy the ticket, but you choose the seat you want from a touch screen.  We got good seats and made our  way to the theater.  There is, btw, an amenities fee tacked on the the ticket.  I think it was $1.50.  I'm not entirely clear on exactly what this covers, but the tickets themselves weren't crazy overpriced so it seemed worth it. This is the hallway into the theater area:

The whole hallway is lined with up-lit birch trees. 

The seating is stadium and comfortable.  I saw a couple come in with a big plastic tray with food and drinks and it had a piece on the bottom that fit into the cup holder creating a sort of tray table.  More cool.

After the film we went into the mall to a store located directly across the hall called Playthings.  Greatest kids store ever.  Got Cambria some fun Easter basket goodies.  Looking forward to bringing her there some day.  Then we left the mall, crossed the street and grabbed a cupcake at Gigis Cupcakes.   It was such a good time.

On the way out I grabbed a Sundance catalog and was a teensy bit shocked by how crazy overpriced it was AND by the fact that I wanted pretty much every thing in it.  I did get some good jewelry ideas that I can recreate myself.  If you can't buy it, make it.

We came home and crashed.  The wind around here has been gale force of late and driving up and back fighting it and an early Spring shower of fat, white rain (after April 10 I refuse to acknowledge snow) AH was beat and so was I.   Today has arrived sunny and cool so he is out there working away.  I went to the grocery store and am doing indoor chores.  All in all it's been a very fine weekend.  Hope yours has been the same.

All the little pieces of happy.

The other day I was walking through the kitchen and caught sight of Amazing Husband's glasses on the counter along with some screws and washers.   I stopped and looked at them thinking how pleased it makes me to find little bits and pieces of him around the house.  Even after all these years the simple fact of his actually living here with me sets off a small emotional chain reaction of love. I also enjoy how when we travel he empties his pockets onto a chest or mantle.  The small act that is uniquely him warms me.  How lovely are the simple things.

As I stood there gazing at his glasses it occurred to me that I was happy.  Really, truly happy.  There is a line in one of the meditations I do that says ,"may you be truly happy and free" and I am.  Truly happy and free.  I am 53 and this is a first for me.  This is not to say that I have lived a tragic and horrible life, though there have been periods where that description would be accurate.  It is more that I don't think I was evolved enough to recognize and choose happiness until now.  Perhaps I didn't feel I was entitled to it. Old childhood rubbish that I have learned to leave behind in the emotional dust.  (Thank you, Marie.)  Whatever the process, I'm grateful.  There are still difficult days.  Right now, as the days to my mother's death anniversary count down I find myself frequently anxious and out of sorts.  This year, though, I am able to acknowledge it for what it is and accept it rather than fight it.  There is no shame in grief.  It's alright; I'm alright.

I have a fantastic life.  My children, who I get to see on a regular basis, are grown and finding their way by themselves.  I have been blessed with the most adorable and hilarious granddaughter alive.  (I know.  Your grand children are also fantastic.  It is inherent in the nature of the beast.)  I love my job (most of the time) and it fills my need to help people. I'm also much more comfortable with myself. I've come to rather like being small and squishy.  It suits me. :-)   I could not, given all the words at my disposal, describe the overwhelming love I have for my husband.   There is nothing that could have prepared me for the wonder that is unconditional love.  Who knew?    All these things are like ingredients in the recipe for happy, but you have to be hungry for it before you recognize how good it tastes.  You have to become open and accepting and willing.  But how?

 I truly believe that my time on the yoga mat and in meditation have helped me profoundly, but aside from that I don't have the secret.  For me, my realization of happy came when I began to see all the small, simple things in my life as the enormous gifts they are.  The forehead kisses, good books, candle flames, unexpected phone calls.....the list is literally endless.   Our lives are full of small moments of beautiful happy.  The trick is to see past all the cloudy minutia and into the light. 

Sending you love and light.  Nameste.

"No, I am not a Muslim, but would it matter if I was?"

Above is the answer I have given an alarming number of times since I have told people that I am taking a class about the nation of Islam.  "Are you a Muslim?", is the most typical response, followed closely by "why?".  Really?  Why not?

I am, indeed, taking a six week class on Islam.  It is held here in Rockford at our Muslim Community Center and Mosque....pictured below.

The new section is still under construction and we hope to be able to tour it at the end of the class session.  The class is offered through our local community college's Center for Learning in Retirement.  Though I am not retired, I am over 50, so I qualify and am pleased for the opportunity.

Last Wednesday I joined ten or eleven other "older" folks in the center's school library to begin our studies into the mystical world of Islam.  Not that Islam is any more mystical than any other religion, but in the times we live it holds a strange status as being on the other side of the fence, so to speak. I'm attending with my friend Nancy (Hi Nancy!) who brought the class to my attention in the first place.  Being our first time we entered tentatively and were immediately greeted by smiling men who pointed us toward our room.

Our teacher is the Imam Shpendim Nadzaku.  I can't even begin to pronounce it, though he is kind about our western attempts at the Arabic.  Even so, I wouldn't even try.  He is a tall, thin man with a kind disposition.  He is pictured below in front of the mosque.

The Imam was born in Albania, immigrated to New Jersey, and then did his Arabic studies in Saudi Arabia.  His English is impeccable, with the exception of a few Jersey "yous" thrown in from time to time.  His manner is patient and his desire transparent.  From the beginning he offered that no question should go unasked or unanswered.  He promised to take no personal offense and did not when one of the first questions was about his beard.  No, all Muslim married men do not have beards.  It is simply a choice to emulate Mohammad.  Makes sense to me.

It was, for me, an experience that I have never had before, one of being the minority in a environment.  My woman's uncovered red head and large earrings were in stark contrast to the white covered heads of the young women that passed the door.  I found all of them, man, woman, boy and girl to be incredibly beautiful.  As the class bells rang and children hurried past,  our class  agreed that school children are all the same regardless of religion or culture.  That, I think, was a good first step.

I am also a minority in the class itself as being the only one that was not classified as "christian".  As stated before, I believe in a creator/god, but in lifestyle I lean toward Buddhism.  Rose, seated to my left was  Catholic and several others were members of the same Methodist church.  You have to give those Methodists credit; they do their best to keep their minds open.  I can't say exactly why all the others were in attendance.  I, myself, am there to learn.  Knowledge is the best weapon against fear.

After one class, it sounds an awful lot like old testament christianity.  Names like Adam, Eve, and Noah came up, as did Jesus.  Islam is monotheistic...one god and only one.  No holy trinity, no salvation through blood.  Just you and god.  I especially enjoyed when the Imam talked of God's beautiful names.   Fascinating stuff. 

Am I a Muslim?  No, nor do I intend to be.  My goal is to be able to see them with the same eyes I see christians and jews and hindus, etc; with respect and understanding.  Just another way to look at god however he/she/it is perceived by others.  It is a privelege to live in a country where that opportunity is available to me. 

If you have thoughts you would like to share, they are welcome here.

A new year, a new toy. My Kindle review

Hello again!  Welcome to a new year, a new decade, a new face on Woolly Mutts.  It was way overdue and is a bit of a work in progress, but a good place to start, none the less.  I avoid resolutions in general.  I can find other ways to disappoint myself, but I do intend to become more faithful to this blog.  Wenders, a long time friend and blog reader (as well as writer) asked me for a review of my new Kindle and now is as good a time as any.  You might want to get comfy and grab a beverage, cause there is much to say about Kindle, both positive and negative.

Before I get into specifics, let me remind that I am, at heart, a book girl.  There is nothing I don't love about a book.  The smell, the weight of it in my hands, the adventure that book and I take together.  I worked in a library for nearly 10 years and never, ever met a book I didn't like.  Love, even.  However, I am also a lover of the gadget.  It it has a power source and buttons I am probably interested.  Kindle is the meeting of both worlds.

And there he/she is.  Apparently, many Kindle owners choose to give it a name.  Not sure about that, yet.  You can see it has the screen, a full keyboard, page turn buttons, menu, home, and a teeny, tiny joy stick thingy.  (I am so technical.) 

 

To give you some idea of the size, here it is a top of an average sized hard cover book.  It is small and very light.

 

I was lucky enough to get a case for mine (thanks Sonya!), so here it is, in the case, same book.

A quick overview; Kindle holds up to 1500 books, uploads them in less than a minute (my experience has been more like 20 seconds) from the Amazon store, either from your computer or straight from the Kindle itself.  It also will display newspapers, magazines, text files, and blogs for your reading pleasure.

The good:

*Small and light with a non glare screen.  The display looks almost exactly like a page in a book.

*It keeps your place without even asking it to, and does so for every document that you are reading. If, like me, you read while having a meal, there is no struggling to keep it open or need to prop up to get the right view.

*You can highlight, annotate, clip sections for later use.  The little controller moves a cursor any where on the page.  Place it in front of any word and the definition of that word appears (like magic) at the bottom of the page.  Fabulous!

*When it goes to sleep a new picture appears on the screen.  Some times it's the picture of an author, or a field of butterflies, or a tree of birds.  I get a kick out of seeing what picture will appear next. 

*As earlier reported, books appear in the Kindle less than a minute after you request them.  Amazon also offers LOTS of free books in lots of genres AND (this is so cool) you can order the first chapter of any book for free so you can sample the book before you buy. There a number of places that offer free books for the Kindle and I have heard, though not experienced yet, that some libraries have a Kindle download program.  (LOVE libraries!)

*Newspapers from 15 countries can be delivered daily to your Kindle.  You also get a free 14 day trial of each newspaper before you commit.  I am currently enjoying a trial of The Independent, a UK newspaper.  There are also magazines and blogs.  There is a cost for all, including blogs.  I haven't experimented too much with the built in browser, but have read that it supports Google Reader, so you could read your blogs using the Kindle.

*Lovely long battery life.  I just plugged it in today and I've been reading it, on and off, since the 27th.  I've read one complete book and almost half of another along with daily newspaper reading.

*PDF files.  Oh knitters, this one is tres cool.  When you register your Kindle you get an exclusive email address where you are able to email documents and images.  A large number of my knitting patterns are in PDF form so I can email them to the Kindle to have available instead of the paper copy.  I adore this feature.  Same is true for Word docs. 

*You can search any publication using word or phrase. Great tool if you're studying a particular subject.

*Text size is customizable and it has the ability to size up to extremely large print.  You can also change how many words appear on a line and the screen rotation.

*It will read to you and it's a pretty good voice.  I was expecting the sort of computer voice that isn't appealing to listen to, but you can choose a male or female voice and the rate that it speaks.  If you're engrossed in a story and have to leave for work, you can just have it read as you drive and then pick up reading again where the voice leaves off.  Fantastic feature!

The not so good:

*No color.  I understand the necessity of black and white, but I am hoping that someday they will be able to over come this hurdle and offer a color version. 

*The screen can not be brightened.  The screen is calibrated to be seen at any angle and in most lights with no glare, but it still feels a bit dim to me.  Having said that, after I begin reading I hardly notice it and I can and have read in sunlight or with a lamp and had no trouble.

*You can't format a pdf file.  Having the knitting patterns in the Kindle is fantastic, but it would be even more so if I could make the text larger.  Again, color would be better in this instance as well.

*You are only viewing one page at a time so you must hit the "turn page" button more often than you would turn a page.  This sort of annoyed me at first, but after using it for awhile I don't notice it as much.

*It's not a book.  Some times it just has to be a book.

Overall, taking the good and the not so much into consideration, I adore my Kindle.  LOVE it.  5 stars, two thumbs up, standing ovation. This dedicated book lover is just crazy about her Kindle!

If you are a Kindle owner and have tips or comments to share, please do so!!!

Ten years. A decade of rightness.

Today marks ten years of being married to my dream man.  Ten years of the contented blending of two lives into one unit.  In all honesty, I wasn't sure it could be what it is today.  I wasn't sure I had the skills to be the other half of a complete whole.  It's good to be surprised sometimes.

If someone where to ask me what makes the kind of happiness I need, I would have to say that it is all about the little things.  There have certainly been grand and glorious events in the past ten years, but it the small, sweet things that are the glue. For example:

*We still hold hands, even if it is just from the car to the grocery store and he squeezes my hand a bit before we let go. 

*He never, ever gives me a card for any occasion without writing something beautiful inside.  Always something from his heart and always exactly perfect. 

*If he gets up in the morning before I do he carefully slips out of bed and then arranges the covers up against my back, just the way I like it.

*He tries really hard not to snore. :-)

*We always say "I love you" before ending a phone conversation, going to sleep at night, or leaving for work or errands.

*He thinks I'm beautiful.  I think he is perfect.

*He always, always, always makes me feel welcome and safe.  I never enter his presence wondering what I will find.  Even if he is frustrated by work or life in general, to me he is always the same open, loving person.  Now that I think of it, that isn't a little thing.  That is HUGE.

After ten years I love him more than the day we married and it is an evolving, generous love.  Laying in bed last night we talked about how it feels like we have known each other forever and that knowing is deep and honest.  There are no material gifts on this planet that could ever be as precious to me as my life with my Amazing Husband.

Serendipity

During our quick trip through the Stitches market several weeks ago I made a local discovery: Carol Sunday. Seeing that she was located in Roscoe, I stopped in, said hello, and instantly fell in love with her pattern for holly mittens.

(I have borrowed these images from Carol's website and please go there and view all of her beautiful designs.)

Having a name like Holly makes one pay attention to holly items, and perhaps also makes one VERY picky about said holly items.  These mittens are just divine and presented themselves at exactly the perfect time since I am just about ready to jump into the wonderful world of color work.

So, back to our story, I purchase the kit for the mittens and she tells me that, regrettably, she does not have the kits for my chosen colorway, but can send them to me.  I reply that I would be pleased to drive up and pick it up when ready to save her the shipping fees.  We agree that she will phone me when it is ready.  Last week the kit was ready, driving directions were given, and on Friday morning I headed the short distance north to pick up my kit.

Carol and her husband Robert live down an idyllic, tree lined road in a 160 year old stone house that I fell in love with the minute I saw it.  As soon as I pulled in the driveway and had a chance to take in the wonderfulness that is the Sunday home I wanted to wrap my arms around it and give it a hug.  For me, who is admittedly quirky, it was perfection. 

Carol was kind and welcoming and allowed me into her studio (again with the perfection) where I picked up my kit.  She was even kind enough to give me a tour of the inside of her home.  After this lovely meeting I bid her farewell, went back to my car and discovered...

.....that my keys and cellphone were locked inside.  Grrrr.  I hate when I'm stupid.  Luckily Amazing Husband was working from home and Carol kindly allowed me to use her phone to call for my rescue.  While I waited Carol offered me tea, but I was feeling terrible taking up more of her day since she was preparing for a show that she was leaving for in a couple of hours (if I could get my stupid, locked car out of her way), so I asked if I might walk around her property.  "As you wish" was her reply, which made me adore her even more. 

The next 20 or so minutes were so beautifully spent that I almost believe that powers beyond me were at work to make them happen.  I walked up and down the dirt road as leaves fell around me.  I saw geese fly overhead, absorbed the cool breeze, and made the acquaintance of several of the resident kitties.  Carol came back outside and we visited a few more minutes before AH arrived to unlock my car and send me on my way.

I do believe that occasionally, if we are lucky and open to the possibility, serendipity happens and we make discoveries that feed the soul.  I do hope you'll visit  Carol's website and see her beautiful designs and fiber.  She is a talented artist and a genuinely nice person.  I'll keep you posted on how the mittens turn out.  I also purchased a kit to make the Sunday Scarf which makes very creative use of short rows.  Carol also has a designer page on Ravelry.

The Amaryllis that refused to die. (And I gave it my best effort.)

Behold the hearty Amaryllis, purchased in November at Target for glorious holiday season blooming.  Except it would not bloom....or die.  We purchased another one for my mother and it did exactly as advertised, though we did take in to account that my mother kept her apartment at a temperature somewhere between a hot house and a sauna.  Our amaryllis came up out of its loam, looked all green and lovely and then that was it.  All kinds of green and no glorious red.  Amazing Husband put it in a sunny window, lay a heating pad beneath (which the cats thought was solely for their benefit) and checked on it frequently.  All winter and spring it kept up the green, continued to refuse to die, and still did not give us the blooms.  Summer came and AH decided to put it outside with the rest of the outdoor plants, in partial sun on the deck.  Yesterday we awoke to the above picture.  Two big, glorious blooms.  A little lower on the plant than we were accustomed to, but no one here is complaining.  We are going to have to do some research as to what we do with it now, since it seems determined to be a regular part of our plantage.  Guess it just goes to show that you should never give up on anything.

 

Sweet Pea sweater is completed and blocking.  I am a new, HUGE fan of the mattress stitch for seaming.  The seams on this thing are perfection.  I am not, however, thrilled with the way the collar lays, which is why I decided to block it.  For one thing I twisted one of the garter stitches right at the front collar edge, so it's right out there in front really easy to see (for me).  I'm going to wait until it dries and then maybe knit another collar.  Or not.  I'm also not happy with the way the whole collar lays around the neck, but it does look exactly like the one in the picture so I'm probably just being picky.  I'll keep you posted.  Now on to the hat!