Tuesday is for Twits

We are done with the estate sales extortionist. He has failed to produce his buyer and their fictitious money and now he's out of our lives. Of course, he's still threatening to sue us because in his mind, we are in breach of contract. We've rearranged our lives for him for 3 weeks in a row and each week, he, the buyers and the money, have failed to materialize. I never agreed to open my life at all hours to be a furniture showroom.

He went down with a barrage of insulting emails that he mistakenly addressed to our resident hothead. Whilst you may be willing to believe you know who that is, let me assure you that it's not me. I relinquished the duties of dealing with this ass the moment he said I must be having a bad day. What a jerk.

Well now, that's the end of that bit of nasty business and I feel much better. It's time to get ready for winter's next appearance.

Traditions worth keeping

Today was full moon movie weekend and not wanting to break with tradition, the plans were squeezed in at the last minute for tonight. An Italian dinner at the little bistro down the street from the theatre, and then the movie. What to see? That was the question, for it seemed like nothing good was playing. After some deliberation, we decided on "The Lincoln Lawyer".

Fully prepared to see a completely sappy Matthew McConaughey movie, we were more than satisfied with our choice. It wasn't mawkish at all. It was a sophisticated story full twists and surprises like The Sting.

When we came out of the theatre, it was storming and raining cats and dogs. I'm not going to spoil my night by going downstairs to see how the basement fared. I'll look in the morning.

Saturday at last

With the full moon approaching perigree, work has been hellish this week. I'm glad to put this one behind me. Though studies show we healthcare providers imagine the link between madness and the full moon, I'm here to tell you there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to refute those naysayers. Well that's behind me now and I don't work tonight, so I can relax and enjoy the show mother nature intends for us tonight. The full moon will appear both bigger and brighter.

In other news, our little family has grown. In a race to see who would become a grandparent first, my brother, (FTM in the comments) was gifted with a shiny, brand spanking new grandson last night. Congratulations, Fudge.

Finally. A tiny knitwear recipient!

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the show. I'm off to find my copy of Moonstruck.

All Things Sheepy Thursday

It seems to me that a lot of bloggers have themes on certain days. I appreciate reading what people write on those days, but I never really jumped on those opportunities. While I can't promise that I'll stick to a sheepy theme, I'm going to give it a try.

I have three separate projects ongoing, not including the WIPs that are languishing up in the yarn room. Two of those projects are sort of top secret, so I can't show them here. That leaves the vest.


When last I talked about Cloud Chaser, I was saying a little prayer that what the designer wrote-- and, more importantly, how I was interpreting her words--would work out. I found myself thinking how annoying it was to be told to buy four skeins of Honor, when clearly, 3 would get the job done. I take that back because as I near the center point of the collar, I am also nearing the end of the third skein of yarn. It will take all four.


The pattern is multi-directional knitting at its finest. I've found my rhythm, and the collar, while time consuming, should be done, soon. After that, all that needs to be knitted is the border around the armholes, which is said to further connect the pieces, and it'll be completely done.


Seamlessly. Literally. I'm hoping to be wearing it by the end of the month.


The photo at the top is a close up of my new umbrella. I have a hard time hanging onto things like umbrellas, but this one stands a real chance of survival. In the first place, it's unlikely to be borrowed by the men in the house, and in the second...who would chance losing something as precious as this? I love the shamrock brand on the black sheep's behind. There will be no risk of losing it today as it's sunny with no chance of rain. Again.

Happy St. Patrick's Day, friends. Let the Guinness flow!

Barking for joy

Since I've done my share of whining about the winter weather, I thought I'd share a picture of what today looked like. According to my car, we reached a high of sixty. It was so glorious, I threw open the windows to let fresh air into the house.


Do you Mid-westerners need more proof that spring is upon us? Well then, the dog has lost his ever loving mind. He runs from each open window barking his fool head off. Though it's annoying to me, apparently he and his neighbors are loving the break, too.

At present time, I hear about 5 different dogs out there barking. Mine is the loudest.

When does a blog come in handy?

When you happen to make note of the inconsequential doings in your life, only to have them be of consequence somewhere down the road. I did indeed make note of that pain conference here, and it's within 2 years of my last license renewal. Praise be! I was getting tired of accumulating CEUs one at a time on that unlimited plan.

I'm there though, and so sometime later, I'll be sending in my renewal form, secure in the knowledge that I've achieved the minimum requirement.

Now back to what's really important: our regularly scheduled knitting, and oh, yes, spinning. I've been spending a bit of time at my wheel--and I went to circle on Saturday--lead there by an event the night before.

On Friday night, I presided at a patient's home death. The house was full of women who were seated in a semicircle around the room and speaking quietly amongst themselves. Though their grief was palpable, so was their inner strength. As I drove home late that night, I realized that I missed the routine of spinning on Saturday mornings, but more importantly, the company of strong and lovely women.

I bought this wool at the Ann Arbor fiber festival and can't recall the fiber content. Perhaps it's a generic type wool mixed with alpaca, for it certainly has a halo. No matter the fiber content, the yarn wants to be mittens. With pink cuffs. I love that my wool speaks to me!

It was like I'd never missed a single Saturday. I'm going to try hard not to miss any more. The issue has been my back, and my inability to carry all of my supplies. If I have to buy a wagon to make life easier, I'm going to do just that. I'd forgotten how meaningful that group is to me.

Australian merino in the Fable colorway from my friend, Sarah. I think it wants to be a shawl when it's done. I'm thinking it'll need a pattern that will show off the beauty of this yarn with a the contrast which is the same color, but silk. Maybe a simple triangle with a lace border.

And the spinning which I've ignored, too? Just like riding a bike...

For those wishing an update on my furniture, well, let's just say the buyers didn't come on Saturday. Since The Misogynist cares so little about this situation, or the value of my time, this is the only missive I received last Friday (the grammar and crimes against the dictionary (not to mention spell check) are all his and included the DINNING room set in the subject):

Dear Nurse Rudee:

Giving you advance notice so you don't wait around.

I talked with purchases from Ohio. They promised me check mailing on Sunday. The check arrived this morning and I deposited it accordingly.

As you may know out of state checks take a good number of days to clear. This one was from Metropolitian Insurance Company which I am not familar. This check should clear by next Wednesday and I will bring cash for next week.

Sorry but I cannot give cash advance until the check clears accordingly.

Thanks for your understanding in this matter.

Sincerely,

IMA Realjerk

Since he has not contacted me since Friday to set up a time to pick up this set, I've no clue when he plans on coming. It better not be Saturday morning, because I've got other plans.

Playing catch up...

...or who's sorry now?

My nursing license is up for renewal the end of this month and guess who's, oh, 14 or so hours short and can't find the proof of continuing education units (CEUs) for another 8 of those hours?

If you guessed it was me, you win.

You don't win anything special, except the ability to feel smug about being right, or, if you're a nurse and you're up to date on your continuing education, the knowledge that Nurse Knowitall obviously doesn't know it all (and I'm lazy). I hate my predisposition toward procrastination. When will I ever learn that my tendency to be this way always bites me in the behind? My license needs to be renewed by March 31st and I must be able to state the continuing education credits were acquired before I applied for renewal.

So this week, I'll be catching up. Today, I've already completed 9 hours of my education, and I have to say, instead of taking the easy way out, I'm selecting courses that I'm not familiar with, or ones in which I think I should be better educated. I chose an online service that for $39.99, provides unlimited CEUs for one year. This week, I'll squeak out every ounce of value that I can and then I'll get a jump on the next licensing period.

During one of my breaks, I'll be searching through some moving boxes for proof of my missing CEUs. I think they're worth a few moments of my time.

Here and there, I've turned on the news for updates in Japan. My heart goes out to the victims, their families, and the first responders. Though I can clearly see the pictures, I simply can't imagine what it must be like to be in the midst of such chaos and continuing danger. I hope the threat of nuclear disaster abates for them so that they can begin the healing process.