Happy Pre-Mother's Day

Since tomorrow will be devoted to MY Mom, I thought I'd give a little shout-out to the other moms in my life who have influenced me and helped make me what I am today (er...that's a good thing - trust me).

First of all, the wonderful Mrs. Huss.

I met her daughter, Jeanine, on the first day of 1st grade, and we basically lived at each other's houses until they moved when we were 13. Mrs. Huss made the best granola. They had cable TV and a volvo. Both of Jeanine's parents ran...for fun. We did chores. We played stickball in her yard. She helped us sew tooth-fairy pillows and really bad 80s shirts. Much like my own mom, Mrs. Huss wasn't a girly-girl. She had fun, got things done, and she's what I wanted to be when I grew up. Around the time I got married, she sent me her granola recipe. Whenever I want to find a warm happy place, I open my cookbook to that card and see her perfect teacher handwriting - I follow her instructions on the amount of wheat germ and how often to turn the crunchy goodness in the oven - and everything is warm and wonderful.

Then there were my formative years...

Since I wasn't in the practice of taking pictures of mothers when I was younger, here are the KIDS of those influential women - my best friends growing up and, really, today...mostly. From the top - Pam, Tim, Amy, John, Bill, and Jane. If Bill looks a little funny, it's because he wasn't actually on this trip, but a certain "ex" of John's was. Didn't want her in the picture, wanted Bill - and voila - really sloppy photo editing. Sorry your head's a little small, Bill... Anyhow, my teen years would not have been complete without Mrs. Moseley, Mrs. Russell, Mrs. Pomerance, Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Huber, and Mrs. Bricker. They had basements and let us have parties (we were good kids, so no worries there). We had movie-thons. You let us talk on the phone way too late because you trusted us. You gave us safe places to hang out. You taught me that moms can have pretty sick senses of humor. We had late-night calculus study sessions, and you fixed snacks. You cared about all of us, and you told us in both actions and words. I vented to, cried on, hugged, and needed - and you were there. Thank you.

My father's sister, Aunt Anne:

You grew up in a small Georgia farming community and moved away. That was so cool to me - away. My grandmother took me to see you when I was 10, and it seemed like such a great life. So different. You married a man from Canada who spoke French. You let me play dress-up in your nightgowns. I later visited again when I was in college, and I got to spend more time with my cousin, who is just the coolest kid. You introduced me to tabbouleh and babaganush, sweet orange marmalade on pumpernickel bread, strong exotic coffees, and Nutella. You represented a freedom that was so very magical to me.

And those kooky Georgia ladies Nancy and Joann (middle two, below):

When we met, Nancy was skating across a hardwood floor in her socks as the rest of y'all sat around drinking wine and laughing. Little did I know that the silliness would never stop. We've been to Italy with Nancy, St Louis with Joann, and the wine and fun kept flowing. And when you came up to see us one fall...you raked leaves and picked up sticks in our yard! You are bundles of energy and kindness, and we're very glad to know you.

Lastly, our New York mother - Barb.

Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have - I'm usually so distracted by kids doing daredevil things (or adults playing with large fires) that I don't have many good people shots from your parties. You and Coke have opened up your home to us, and from the very first moments, we truly felt welcome. You laugh as we consume too much "company product" and fix the BEST breakfasts the next day. You're one of the few folks who actually read my self-indulgent blog, and you have raised some pretty amazing kids and grandkids. If it's okay with you, Joe and I are adopting you and Coke as our folks-away-from-home. :)

To all of you wonderful mothers out there - I hope you have a fantastic weekend and know how much you mean to me.

Battle Scars...

Got back in the saddle with some bike riding - and it bit me on the ass...

Joe and I were riding the 6-mile-loop around the village - it's a nice after-work ride with a lot of minor elevation changes. Coming back, in the last 1/4 mile or so, I came to the place where I usually have to make a decision - it's a state road - busy, yet slow-mph - and lots of cars park on the sides of the street. Since I make a turn, I usually opt to hit the sidewalk at this point, so I'm not worried about traffic on my turn. It's just what I do.

But this time, I missed my window. The sidewalk was a bit more elevated from the street at that point, and then there was this rock...

Next thing I know, I'm plowing into a neighbor's bushes - the shrubs that grace her walkway where it meets the sidewalk...? Well, I straddled them. I rode THROUGH one bush, and INTO the other, braking ever-so-elegantly as I sat perched atop Bush #2. My right leg looks like something that might have graced Frankenstein's Monster. And a good 75-100 commuters got a good look at my goofiness. At least the bush didn't suffer much - only one twiggy thing broke.

But I didn't fall off the bike, right? I laughed, rode home, and covered my legs in iodine. Then we went and had a few beers.

I'm...I'm not that strong a cyclist...

Dar!

Spent Saturday up in Woodstock (no, not THAT Woodstock - that's Bethel, actually) window-shopping, then Bearsville where we at at The Bear Cafe then had The! Best! Seats! at a Dar Williams concert.

Every time you love just a little
Take one step closer
Solving the riddle
It echoes all over the world

We'd been to Bearsville's theater twice before. Once to see the Jayhawks (Ollabelle opened - kickass!) - standing room only, and once to see The Thorns (Los Lonely Boys opened - even more kickass!) - "reserved" seating that was more "come-late-and-you're screwed."

This time? Oh, my. We were assigned seats. And our seats? Front row center. I kid you not. Approximately 4 yards from Dar. Plus, they were filming a DVD of the concert, so my ugly mug will probably be in a few shots. Bwah!

What a great weekend. Spent Sunday working on housy stuff and doing some drinking on the porch. Not a thing wrong with that...

Every time you choose one more morning
Goodness or meanness
Life has one warning
It echoes all over the world

Heeeeeere's HOMER!

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen - Homer, our resident groundhog / woodchuck / marmot is back in full force and munching on weeds and maple saplings like there's no tomorrow.

And that can only mean...IT'S FINALLY SPRING!!!!!

Many warm, happy spring days to you folks (and for you FL friends - I hope your late spring/early summer stops being so damn hot and smoky).

Good People Surround Me

As most of you know, I moved here just about 6 years ago from a place I'd lived all my life. Some of my best friends have known me since we were in preschool together. It's very difficult - well, pretty much impossible - to get to *know* people in a new place. I mean, my friends from Athens have a HISTORY with me - stupid stories, embarrassing moments, estrangements, and all. I know this sounds really uppity and naive, but it's true - at least for me. The first party/cookout I attended in NY had only a handful of acquaintances. I promptly went into the bathroom and cried for the friends I missed so much - I wanted to be beyond small talk. I wanted to *not* be with people who were worried only about hair colors and manicures. I wanted to be able to TALK and have people KNOW me. To not just be that oddball girl from the South who doesn't know how to play bocce ball.

I still miss my girlfriends like there's no tomorrow. But the great thing is that I've finally started opening up and creating new relationships. With such wonderful online knitting friends. And with wonderful people from work, of all places.

Since I've learned to knit, I've also learned that a few ladies at my work knit. Now remember - I work at a production facility that's about 95% men. So the fact that women head into the Ladies' Locker Room during breaks to knit just floors me. Regina and Melanie, in particular, have been such inspirations. And on my recent birthday (sorry I didn't post earlier, Regina!), they filled my heart with their warmth.

Guess what wonderful goodies I got?

Yup - Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles - by Cat Bordhi, Socks-Socks-Socks - Edited by Elaine Rowley, and a kick-ass knitting bag that I sorely need! Now that beer socks and Clappy are out of the way, I've been jonesing to learn socks on circulars. And the Sock collection book - well, let's just say that both Regina and Melanie might be getting some pretty creative socks for the holidays. :)

Thanks to both of you sweeties - you make work tolerable, which as we all know can be difficult at times! I am happy every day when your crews are on, because you are so fun and lovely and kind.

Thank you!

Beered Out...

Not to steal any thunder, I'll only put up a couple of pictures from the weekend. **EDITED TO ADD: Joe's pictures are here.** While I did the Good Thing and was DD for 3 beer-loving men, plus paid bills, did laundry, etc while they were at a BEER FESTIVAL, the boys had a great time. And just to prove that I finished the beer socks on time...

What neither of us noticed is that he had 2 different shoes on. By then end of the day, instead of "that guy with the cool beer socks," he was known as "Two-Shoes." Sigh. Valiant effort on my part, though. I have to amend my earlier critique of the socks - I didn't redo the ribbing in a larger needle, and although they were TIGHT, they did fit over his foot. I don't know if this will relax with wear, but since they're major novelty socks (and not everyday), I'm not concerned. They're done. I'm on to better things. Like finally blocking Clappy.

So I pick up the guys from the bar where the bus drops them off, and I was blessed with the company of three bobbly-headed-babbling-grunting-man-boys. It was fun, though. When we got home, Joe went (stumbled) straight to bed. So I got to peruse the digital camera...

Let me say for the record...those aren't mine. Umm...far from it. Joe had some 'splainin' to do this morning...

Spring!

Over the weekend, the rain finally dried up, and it was actually sunny out! Hooray! Besides finishing Joe's Beer Socks, I did some work in the yard and dusted off my bike to begin training for my MS Ride. Considering I haven't ridden my bike more than a handful of times in the past few years, I thought 6 miles was a good start (with hills, no less!). Man, did my butt hurt. But I got on the treadmill the next day and worked some kinks out, and tonight I hit the road for another little 4 mile ride. For the first few weeks I've just got to get used to the darn thing again, and we'll be hitting the rail trails on the weekends for longer, flatter rides. Wahoo!

In the meantime, the first to bloom in the yard...our beloved magnolia.

Not sure what kind it is, but it smells heavenly. It's a tall yet scraggly tree that's seen better days. The lady who owned our home before it was "flipped" had legendary, beautiful gardens. Then Mr. Bonehead came through and just did what he needed to do, covering lots of the gardens with fill, compacting the soil, etc. So our first few years involved all kinds of "Wow - a tulip just popped up in the middle of the front yard" - "Oooh, look - peonies!" So no doubt this magnolia has had a rough life, but hopefully with some TLC it'll hang on.

The only trouble is that we're notorious for getting some pretty hefty spring storms, so usually the magnolia blooms last for about a day or two. Then they blow throughout the yard, causing Joe much aggravation.

But at least for today, they're pretty and smell nice. Unlike myself after a bike ride.

Shhh! Don't tell Joe!

...but I think his Beer Socks are done!


Please pardon my ashy white legs...

This was a wonderful pattern/kit from the Tsock Tsarina. Loved the pattern except for two things:
1) If you can find a better toe-up heel, then use it. I was sorely disappointed at my first short-row-heel attempts.
2) I would almost recommend the ribbing/foam in a slightly larger needle size. I got gauge the whole sock through, but the ribbing is pretty tight, since it's a twisted stitch pattern.

That's about it - knit on, and enjoy!

Tiny Moments...

Every morning, and every evening, the sun comes through certain windows and hits our chandelier, casting speckles of light all over the dining room. I've lived here 6 years now, and it still thrills me...

May your weekend be filled with tiny specks of wonderful.

Peace!

All By Myself...

...I kicked ass and took names this morning. Mission: Light The Water Heater Pilot - Accomplished! It may not seem monumental to some, but I'm damn proud of myself. Plus, I get the added benefit of TAKING A HOT SHOWER later this morning. Woohoo!!!

I turned on the furnace to see if it would cooperate with my awesome luck thus far, and the burners kicked on, but it just seemed to get hotter and smell burny and not really blow any air. Not knowing if this is supposed to happen or if this is the last thing people notice before their furnace blows up in their face, I turned it back off, cut the gas, and I'll just ignore it for a while. The next week or so should be in the 40s-to-60s, so there's no real loss there.

I should also note that during the winter, with our under-sized furnace and our poor duct work, our house never gets above 62. With no heat the last few days, it hasn't gotten below 55. Not that big of a difference. I can live with that. And I'm moving back to my cushy bed tonight - no more roughing it for this gal.

I have today and tomorrow off - before you folks think I've got vacation out the wazoo, well, this year I finally got an extra week, making 4 weeks total. The other folks on my team get 6 weeks (they've been there a while). Since certain people can't be off at the same time, we get together in early January and plot out the majority of the year's vacation. Yes, we really do. It sucks. And since I can't take days off at the beginning of any month (accounting close) or anytime late August through early October (budget season) or any of the six weeks our scheduler is out (I cover for him) or any of the weeks my boss is out (I'm her backup), my strategy for taking four weeks gets complicated, and I just pick random 3- or 4-day weekends here and there with some time around the holidays. And so here I am, on days when I thought I would be "spring cleaning" - yeah, like that'll ever happen - getting my jeans and shoes mucky and winning a battle with a stubborn pilot light.

It's 10am on a Thursday - is that too early for a glass of wine?

Whenever Joe's Out of Town...

That's my Murphy's Law. Crap happens when Joe's out of town.

It started in our first house in Atlanta, when the air conditioner compressor thingamajig decided to spurt water everywhere in the basemenet. That was the first frantic "whythefrickaren'tyouherewhereyoubelong" call was made.

You see, my dearest husband travels. A lot. And if it's going to snow 12+ inches? He'll be out of town. Funny how it works that way. Here's the last 48-or-so-hours in a quasi-nutshell:

- Sunday. Lots of rain. Boy, that foundation work we had done really does the trick. Bone dry basement.
- Sunday night. Still raining. Little bit of water in the basement. Not from the usual suspect (bad drainage - hence the foundation and drainage work of 2005), but from the dirt floor. Water table rising. Just a little water, though.
- Monday morning. Check basement. Looks a bit higher, but still well within our "flood range" that we'd experienced pre-2005.
- Monday afternoon. Joe left for Cleveland.
- Monday night. Large bags of crap, insulation, and pieces of wood (but no dead animals, Amy) floating in the Weismann Underground Lake. Heater making funky noise (since, heh, it's flooded). Turn off emergency switches and call Joe. Joe talks Beth down from mental ledge. Joe describes where sump pump is. Sump pump has no hoses. No nothing. How the heck to I put it together? Damn you for leaving this goddamn ladder on the stairwell. Putting on these way too big wading boots to go down into 6-7 inches of muckitymuck and scream about Joe not being around whenever crap like this happens. Forget it. I give up. Everything's under water. Nothing to do now. Going upstairs.
- Later Monday night. Joe calls and says friend/coworker Roy is coming by. Whatever. Roy doesn't make up for Joe not being here. Grrrrrr. Now have to actually put a bra back on.
- Roy comes by, poor thing - with a bad cold, carrying some hoses from his pool. He engineers some kind of system with duct tape and gets the sump pump purring. Water streaming out the window. Roy hangs out a bit, the water goes down about an inch, then Roy goes home after I hug him 3 or 4 times.
- I turn off sump pump when it starts sucking too much air - water gone down by about 4-5 inches now. Yay! Call Joe, who's worried sick about crazy wife.
- Sleep upstairs with kitties in rooms that have heat not attached to furnace. Thank goodness for this Hudson Valley version of the Winchester Mystery House.
- Had toasty night of restless sleep and quick-as-a-wink shower that ended up not being too cold.
- Tuesday afternoon. Came home, saw basement had drained some more - actually dry spots now. Called Joe to talk me through relighting water heater pilot. Tried many, many times with knees in muck, phone on ledge, flashlight propped up, and fingers crossed that there would be no kablooey. No kablooey. No pilot lighting, either. Will try tomorrow after cleaning crud from pilot light doohickey. If not successful, then calling the service folks.

Joe's out of town for another ten days. I will not jinx myself, but I don't want to think of what else can happen.

ON TO HAPPY THOUGHTS...

A big THANK YOU to the Pomerance Family, my big brother, and Miss Lorena for your generous donations to the MS ride! I'm actually over my goal now. This is *such* a motivator to not disappoint my sponsors!

And, before I bid you good night, I leave you with another happy thought...

BEER SOCKS!!!

Just about 10 more days before TAP-NY, and all I have left is the top ribbing. Woohoo! Don't pay attention to the crappy heals, though. Not crazy about that method. At all.

I have electricity, heating sources, TV, booze, cats, and knitting. It's all good...

Thanks for your support!

I Don't Wanna Talk About It...

I really, really don't.

I'm going to have some pizza, chill out with the cats in front of the stove, then sleep in the guest room (because the furnace is flooded and the guest room has electric heat), then take a cold shower in the morning (yup - flooded the water heater too) and just rejoice that little inconveniences are nothing in the big scheme of things.

Thank You to Friends Near and Far...

Man. Sometimes I think I must be doing something right. Not one, but TWO wonderful gifts today...

Coke & Barb - our wonderful friends from upstate (parties seen here and here - they're usually bustling around in the background making sure everyone else is taken care of) - not only do they take care of us for wonderful weekends with their friends and family, but they're my first MS Ride sponsors. Woohoo! Wow, it's bad enough that we drink your beer, eat your food, and use your tools for something than their intended purposes (well, actually, that was Todd). But THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for helping me reach my MS fundraising goal.

I was still glowing from the good feeling my friends had given me, when lo-and-behold...

This beautiful Lisa Souza sock yarn was waiting for me at home! A birthday present from dearest Lorena - the woman who first exposed me to the drug that is knitting. She is wonderful in so many ways. Thank you, sweetie - can't wait to see you in the fall!

Blessed, fortunate, and grateful - yes I am. Thank you!

And Now For Something Completely...

Check out the sidebar for my buddy E's homepage. Also look for my MS bike ride link. I had all these grand plans of buttons and such, but it basically came down to the fact that I'm lazy. Really freakin' lazy.

My goal is to train for 30 miles come July. Of course, if it keeps *SNOWING* like it did today, that'll be a big dent in my training time. Regardless, we're in it for the long haul. Thanks for your support!!!

A Damn Near Perfect Day

It's called Good Friday for a reason, folks - it's Good to have a Friday off.

I convinced Joe to take a day off with me, and oh, what a day...

Started off stopping by the Village Hall to get re-sworn-in for my new term on the Planning Board. When I was appointed, I was filling in for someone who left. Now I've been appointed for a full term. Kinda scary realizing I'll be 40 when that term is up.

Rolled down the street to the new Iron Cafe - this great guy Brian renovated a condemned house and turned it into a beautiful cafe with awesome coffee. And hands-down, this guy makes the BEST bacon-egg-n-cheese-on-a-roll sandwiches. Yum.

Across the river into Fishkill for a trip to N&S Supply, a huge local bath/kitchen design store. Had a good talk with some folks, picked up some brochures, and realized we need to talk with our plumbers before we make any major decisions.

Went north a bit on Route 9 to the mecca of beer snobs - Half Time. You have to love a beer store with full-sized shopping carts and a dozen taps for tasting and/or bringing home a growler or two. Loaded up the car with a goodly supply, then headed back over the river...to see...

GRINDHOUSE!!!!!!!!

Totally rocked. Kicked ass. Three hours of non-stop awe. You must see this in the theater.

After that wonderful guilty-pleasure flick, we walked around the corner to Johnny Rockets, a great burger joint when you're going for the all-out heart-attack meal. Which, of course, we were.

Walked a little further into the mall and picked up some things at Target - including the new albums that Pink and RR&TFB have out now.

Drove back home to find out - BONUS! - the books I'd ordered from Amazon came today - Sensational Knitted Socks and...wait for it...Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook. Because while I am clearly NOT a neat-freak, for some reason I want to be one. Kind of.

We get home, we open a few beers, and Pulp Fiction is on TV.

What a good, Good Friday.

Must Have...

At the risk of being "that crazy lady who knits critters..."

Yup. Here's the next one. Thanks to Mrs. Noodle for pointing it out to me. I should note that she has also pointed out lobsters, and Baby Noodle has some squiddy toys courtesy of Aunt Beth.

Scchwwwweeeet...

Friday Off!

Way back when we were first mapping out days off in our department, I picked this Friday due to the scheduled 2-week audit we were going to have in the weeks prior. Fortunately, the audit only lasted one week, but due to the craziness of Represent and Anniversary, I could use a three-day weekend, and my house once again is a mess. Mounds of laundry, unopened mail, and some old milk and a bottle of Triple Sec stand solitary in the fridge. Yup. I'm no Martha Stewart, but our house is starting to resemble Jake's house in Sixteen Candles when he finds Farmer Ted imprisoned in the coffee table and a pizza on the record player.

And so, after some extra wonderful hours of sleep with the cats this morning, I'm finally up and ready to do things at my own pace. Nice.

Have a great weekend!

Eleven Years as a Weismann...

Yup. Eleven years. And he ain't been murdered yet.

Joe and I spent a wonderful yet exhausting weekend in New York City celebrating our 11th year as husband and wife. Here's but a taste of what we did/saw. Will upload more later. Plus, for you yarny folks, I have my booty from the Represent night, as well as the yarn purchased from the weekend.

This was a wonderful Mexican place on the Upper East Side, Sabor a Mexico. I have read some negative reviews, but I have no idea where they might have been eating. This place rocked. Joe had soft tacos of chorizo and pork, and I had enchiladas of seasonal veggies and cheese. Great Mexican beers (no margaritas, claro que no!), great service, and wonderful place.

MUCH later that night, we went to see Pirates of Penzance at the City Opera. I've loved me some Pirates, ever since I first saw Rex Smith and Kevin Kline in cheezy movie-of-the-week costumes. But MAN this was a great show. View the photo gallery of comments on the Opera Nazi.

Sunday afternoon we saw Spamalot. Yes. Spamalot. I highly recommend it for any Python lovers. The marquis reads, "Cows, Coconuts, Killer Rabbits, Witches (too expensive), and French People." What's not to love?!? More theater nazis in the photo gallery notes.

I'm too sleepy (and still recovering from Represent and Anniversary Weekend) to upload all the pics, but needless to say it was a grand time.

For you yarn addicts (and you know who you are)...

I got this at The Yarn Connection on Represent Day...several balls for a groovy new hat, and others for some headbands/who knows what. I have a problem when I go into yarn stores and don't know what I want to do...I just grab what feels and looks good.

Here's what I got at shop on the Upper East Side. I loved the selection but detested the ladies. If I weren't on such a yarn high, I would have totally left the building. But it was the only shop in our general area. I will certainly name the shop in the photo gallery, but in all honesty they DID have a great selection. I just have oh-so-many stories about their snootiness. Photo taken in the chair of our hotel with guide book.

More later. Too tired now.

...And Now for the Money Shots...

FIT!!!
Holy Cow! It's Guido! And we're making "Fear Me And My Pointy Sticks" Fists! :)

Wonderful knitters were out full force. On the left was a lady from Rhinebeck, on the right was my dear friend for the evening, Meghan, and the lady sitting down was fixing something fair-aisled.
It's these random knitting shots I just L-O-V-E. Like when we all go to The Great Beyond? If we've been good? It'll look just like this...

Meghan's ultra-cool socks AND shoes. She has an open invitation to come visit, especially since she and her man want to fix up an older house in the country. Heh. We'll take care of that... ;)

Knitters, waiting in line. Mind you, this is OVER AN HOUR before the "show."

There was some pre-seating, but there was space for everyone.

The goodness in my lap. Okay, totally wrong way to say that...everyone got a bag that included yarn and needles for knitting a Warm Up America square.

Random over-the-head shot of knittas behind us. I love how they're all just gettin' busy. America, prepare to Warm Up!

This is a (very bad) picture of The Harlot with flash. I just love the audience member applauding with knitting-in-hand.

The Harlot without flash. Sorry I didn't get a brilliant picture of the Bohus. She's just too darned spunky and fun to stand still long enough for my crappy camera to deal with it. Actually, I think she's taking a picture of us and THE SOCK below.

The Harlot, speaking, keeping us knitting and laughing and crying and cheering.

Hey - who's this I see? Could it be...Jayme-the-wonder-publicist???

What I brought back with me - I wasn't done with my square yet. I'm a slow knitter...also got the book and...
Some kickass buttons.

I'm normally not much of a doer. I do my thing, attend the occasional music festival, but otherwise lay low. To all Knitters out there - if the Harlot is anywhere NEAR your area/state/region...You. Must. Go.

Thanks to everyone who made this evening SPECTACULARRRRRR.

Pre-Harlot Goodness...

...to segregate the ME photos from the REPRESENT pics...

This is how I began my journey - at the Beacon MTA station. Not a bad view, though...

Followed my anal-retentive directions to get to the nearest yarn shop (that was on the way to a pub)...


The Yarn Connection, while difficult to find, was quite a delight. The ladies were friendly, the selection was amazing, and I came away with some very yummy items. I just wish I knew what wireless coffee soda was...badump-BUMP.

Ah, yes. The Gingerman. The stuff of legend with Joe and his buddy Russ. Here, a pint of Captain Lawrence Imperial IPA makes nice with my beer sock-in-progress. I just wish I'd known it was 8% ABV before I drank another pint. But that's another story...

The famous Stout pub. Alas, I could not get in - the bar was packed (at 4pm on a Thursday???), and the dining room didn't open until 5. A good thing, though, since at that point I didn't realize how much I needed to NOT drink at that point. On to the YarnHarloty Goodness...

Let's Get This Outta The Way...

But first - one easy WIP that I finally finished - the Knitty Gritty Rasta Hat, as modeled by my dearest Joe...

...and now by me. Don't ask me why my chin is doing that thing. I really don't have a pointy chin. Really. The yarn was purchased at the Union Square Green Market about a year ago during a visit with my dear Snarky friend.

I tried it twice as a scarf, but it really wasn't meant to be anything but a hat. Obviously.

The following photo shows: (Foot of snow + Days of warm weather) x Tin Porch Roof = ice slideage.

Preppin' for Representin'...

Cell phone charged?
Check

iPod located, updated, and charged?
Check

Camera with 2 sets of backup batteries?
Check

Three socks-in-progress, notes, and knitting accessories carefully tucked away in bag?
Check

Cash, train schedule, maps, phone numbers?
Check

Handknitted socks on feet, with gloves, hat, and scarf ready to go?
Check

Counting down every slowass moment before I can hop into my car and zip over to the train station?
Check

I do believe I'm ready to represent.

Wheeeee!

Trying to get Back to Normal

A few updates:

The Thin Mint Cheesecake recipe is here. I highly recommend it. The cheesecake itself isn't minty (just the crust and YUM! Andes candies and Thin Mints in the batter), so it's not overwhelming. I added green food coloring to the batter (since it was for St. Patrick's Day), and it turned out really nice. I don't want to know how many WW points it was.

Speaking of St. Pat's day, we spent it with our Irish friends, the Connors. All the goodness - corned beef, cabbage, ham, potatoes...plus lots of beer, Irish whiskey, Bailey's, games, and staying up until 4:30am. Let's just say things were a bit rough on Sunday, but it wasn't anything a good nap and some greasy fast food didn't cure.

While we were out, the kitties caught mousie #03-2007. No pics due to the...er...graphic violence involved. I guess a couple of the kitties played tug-of-war. Ick. Just what you want to face when you're hungover.

If all goes well, I'm going to be here Thursday evening. I'm totally stoked. I just haven't heard from my boss whether or not I can have a few hours off. I hope I hope I hope!

On-and-Off-the-Needles updates to be added to the sidebar - just haven't been able to get that together yet. Also need to add some buttons that I lost in the big conversion of layouts a while back.

That's about it for now - better get back to work!

Finally Rolling Out of Bed...

...at 11am. After a week-long audit and a craptastic drive home in this -

I treated myself to a goodly bit of wine last night while I made a Thin Mint Cheesecake for St. Pat's dinner at our friends' house. Moving just a wee bit slow this morning. It's also helpful that the outdoors aren't presenting a very attractive pull for my attention...


...and so I rolled around in bed, catching up with old episodes of Supernatural. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki can wake me up any day. Mrrrrow.

I'll eventually have to be productive, shower, and shovel. But for now, it's just me and my coffee.

Rest In Peace, #02-2007

Ah, yes...complain about no pictures, then something nice and picture-worthy happens…

We live in an old house. Old houses have many, many issues – one of which is “settling.” Our main house was built in 1871, and as best we can guess the back addition was built about 50 years later, with our laundry room extension not too long after that. Different parts of the house have settled differently over time, leaving gaps where walls and floor meet in some places. Our foundation work halted the extreme settling, but we still have to work on cleaning up all of the inside issues - cracked drywall, baseboards, and such.

In addition, we have a completely dirt basement. The stone foundation (reinforced with concrete and rebar now, thank you very much) stops about shoulder height if you’re standing in the basement – everything else is dirt. You’re in a big dirt hole. The only things down there are shelves we don’t use, beer that we’re aging, the furnace, the water heater, and spiders. Lots of spiders. I’m still not convinced that no one is buried down there (it has the creepy one-lightbulb-in-the-middle-of-the-room-horror-movie-lighting), and if you can get past the insulation we’ve shoved in different places, you’ll get a peek at our groundhog’s den.

So it comes as no surprise that a house with gaps over a dirty hole in the earth should have critters once in a while.

My first experience was right after we moved – it was the summer of 2001, and I hadn’t yet found a job. I was enjoying my domestic lifestyle and was happily doing laundry, when I turned around to find a little gray mouse on top of the laundry door frame, pretty freaked out and just staring at me. I pride myself in not being girly, but I went EEEEK and ran out of the room, called my husband, then hung my head in shame as he laughed at me.

I pulled myself together, went back in the laundry room, and the little fellow was still there. Hmmm. How to get a mouse off the door. I know – I’ll just knock him off the ledge, into the bathroom trash can, then take him outside.

That’s when I learned the little boogers can jump.

Picture it – me, trying to keep a mouse no bigger than my thumb in a trash can by waving the can around, banging the mouse against the sides, throwing off his trajectory enough until I could get him outside. But I did it, the dizzy mouse scampered away, and I was a happy girl once again.

In later mouse episodes (and yes, there have been a few over the years), I have gone from covering them with tupperware bowls to grabbing them with my hands. Yes, I know, vermin-germs-filthy-nasty – whatevs. They’re little mice. You catch them. You wash your hands really well. Plus, I know they don’t live in the house. How do I know, you ask?

Because we have cats. Four large, scary cats – who, after the first couple of run-ins with mice, dusted off their natural instincts and became Protectors of the Home. They don’t eat them – they don’t even mean to kill them. They just want to PLAY. Once, Otis and Dobby were PLAYING with one and pushed it off the top step, onto the hardwood floor 10 feet below. They ran down, looked at it, pawed it, then looked at me as if to say, “Sorry Mom – I broke it.”

When a poor, unsuspecting mouse finds its way into the house, all of the cats hone in on the rustling and don’t leave their post until it ends badly for the critter. We get a few each year – mainly when some drastic weather changes are in the air (like yesterday was almost 70 degrees, and tomorrow we’re getting snow) and they go looking for warmth or food. Then they find that they’ve ended up in a special Mouse Hell from which there is no escape.

So this morning, I realized something was amiss when none of the cats were in bed with me. Chilly morning + no cats in bed = something has their attention. Then I heard the jingle of Otis’s collar as he and Dobby were playing outside the bedroom door.

Wait a sec. Otis hates Dobby. Goddammit.

Turn on light – see cats look up, and notice the little gray something in Otis’s mouth.

“Dammit, Otis – why’d you have to bring him up here???”

Otis (with muffled speech): “But Mom – aren’t you proud of me? I’m King of the Jungle!”

Dobby: “Hey – I helped, dude!”

And thus begins my morning. Waking up to the 2nd mouse of 2007 (the first one was in January).

I bet everyone wants to come visit now, eh?

EDITED TO ADD: That's a fist-full of Kleenex upon which the poor guy is finally resting. Not sheets, as it appears in my hastily-cropped pic...you sickos...

Bear with me...

Yes, I know, I know, I've been the totally rude Porch Mistress lately. But there are reasons, I swear! First of all, we're being audited this week (at work, I mean). So at the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is type or stare at a PC. And I've been so busy at work, I haven't even been able to do non-work things online during the day. Oh, the horror!

Secondly, I've been getting ready for tonight's meeting in the Village concerning our Comprehensive Plan. Yes, alas I cannot say no to our officials, and not only am I on the Planning Board but this CP Committee as well. I love our village. I love the people, the homes, the businesses...everything. And I inherited enough of Dad to get involved and make sure Montgomery can grow into something even more beautiful. We had our first public input meeting tonight, and it went very well. It warms my heart to know that others feel this way - whether they've lived here for generations or for just a few years, like myself. Sure, there are a lot of uncomfortable moments when politics and personal feuds get in the way. But having grown up 20 minutes from just about everything (although I really did love growing up that way, Mom!), it tickles me to death that I can walk to...5 delis, 2 coffee shops, 1 bakery, 1 pub, 1 martini bar, 5 top-notch restaurants, 4 pizza places, 1 liquor store, 1 grocery store, antique shops up the wazoo, the post office, the Village Hall, all of the schools...you get my drift. I love the Village of Montgomery. Please come up and visit sometime so I can show it off! :)

And because I've been pictureless lately, I leave you with something I totally scammed from my Angry Noodle friends...May you and yours have a happy, peaceful day - I promise more updates (esp knitting) very soon.

I Just Might Be Insane...

Because I think I'm going to do this...

Yup. Ride a bike. With other people. For 30 miles.

Most of the other folks at my company are going for the 60+ miles, and I'm not that loopy. But I'm thinking...just THINKING...that I might be able to train for 30 miles decently between now and July. Plus, it would certainly kickstart my WW motivation and progress.

Any thoughts?

Two Random Conversations Today...

Me: "Does my hair look funny after being in the hat?"
Joe: "No, but your lips look funny after being in the red wine."

Joe: "Beth! BETH!!!!"
Beth: "I'm in the bathroom! What is it?"
Joe: "I have head! I HAVE HEAD!!!"
(This after opening a bottle of the dreaded flat hazelnut porter - which is evidently flat no more.)

Just another fun day at the Weismann home. :)

Finally - SOMEbody Said It...

I'm a Georgia girl. I'm proud of that. I don't have an accent - I never did. Just a thing. But I'm proud of being from Georgia, because that shaped my life. It still does. We had snow. We had ice. We had tornadoes. We had a high crime rate. We didn't sit around in a bubble of nice people with a slow twang. That being said...

...for all the times my New Yorker coworkers felt sorry for "that southern girl" having to drive in the snow (uh, hello? it's not ME I doubt - it's you crazy soccer moms going 60mph over icy back roads with a cell phone to your ear - illegal in NY, I might add)...

...for all the times I didn't pay attention to the forecast and went to the grocery store on my normal night of the week, only to floor it past the packed parking lot...

...for all the times my school-teacher neighbors didn't have to go to work because there was a dusting on the ground...

...for all the times I had to suffer through the endless list of school closings on the radio and TV in the mornings...

The lovely Yarn Harlot has so eloquently said what I've been dying to say for years...

Here's a hint, you harsh New Yawkers. The term Steel Magnolia was coined for a reason. We kick ass when we want to. We're just more polite about it.

And I Wasn't Even Drinking!

Today marks Day Four of extreme WW back-on-track-ness. Gained 10 lbs over the holidays, and they're not too anxious to leave again - especially since my love of good food and good drink usually breaks down my flimsy willpower. So I haven't even had a beer or glass of wine in four days (gasp!). But since it's Birthday Weekend at the Weismanns, that will certainly change - mine is tomorrow, Joe's is Sunday, and we usually celebrate the day in-between (since that's the one full day we're the same age).

So earlier this week, when I was oh-so-proud of myself for being soooo very good, I did the typical Beth-is-a-clutz move to bring me back to earth. Hard. This move, carefully crafted over many years, is usually performed when slighly inebriated and going down stairs. I just miss the last one. Who knows why. Tuesday night, however, I missed two on our back stairway (not to code, steep, and winding) - my big, flat feet went right out from under me, and I smacked onto the cold, hard kitchen tile. I thought, "This is how people die. Joe's out of town, I'll hit my head and black out, and the next thing you know my coworkers will find me days later after my cats have eaten my face off." Yes, I'm just a bundle of sunshine in my own mind...

Very slight sprain on my sprained-so-many-times-I-just-roll-with-it right ankle, but otherwise I'm good to go. Just couldn't do much on the treadmill the last few days.

On to happier things - like knitting!

I'm starting on the Beer Socks for Joe to wear at the TAP-NY Beer Festival in April, but they're toe-up, and I get nervous about that. So I was going to start a trial pair with this lovely yarn my good buddy Sharon so lovingly sent to me. Then I realized Hell-to-tha-No, I'm saving that yarn for our special Snark-a-long later this year. This sock yarn is way too yummy. So I decided to go with this yarn - purchased on a binge in St. Louis - didn't really like how it was looking and not fond of the feel. Mom wants some colorful light-weight socks, and these will be perfect for her, I think. I'm also thinking about making myself this rasta hat. Just because.

That's about it for the random thoughts...I guess I'd best get back to work, since I'm...er...at work...

Betharoopie's Songs of Snarky Love

I recently participated in a CD exchange for Valentine's Day and totally forgot to print out the song list for the CDs. The one thing they all have in common is having something to do with the emotions surrounding love - even if it is just a song I associate with a memory of love. Here they are, in alphabetical song order:

All You Need Is Love--The Beatles
Always Be--Jeffrey Gaines
Amie--Damien Rice
Angie--Tori Amos
Annie's Song--John Denver
Another Night (Radio Mix)--Real McCoy
Beautiful Girl--Peter Droge & The Sinners
Beth--Kiss
Black Coffee In Bed--Squeeze
Blue--The Jayhawks
Breakfast at Tiffany's--Deep Blue Something
Bring Me Some Water--Melissa Etheridge
Caged Bird--Alicia Keys
Careful--Guster
Celebrate Me Home--Kenny Loggins
China--Tori Amos
Crush--Dave Matthews Band
Crystal Village--Pete Yorn
Dagger Through The Heart--Sinéad O'Connor
Diggin' On A Road--Sonia Dada
Dirty Work--Steely Dan
Do I Ever Cross Your Mind--Joan Osborne
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me--Oleta Adams
Don't Lie--Black Eyed Peas
Eleanor--Vigilantes Of Love
Evangeline--Matthew Sweet
Fall At Your Feet--Crowded House
Galileo--Indigo Girls
Girl All the Bad Guys Want--Bowling For Soup
Girlfriend--Matthew Sweet
Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy--Jason Mraz
Goodbye To Love--The Carpenters
Gravel--Ani DiFranco
Groove Me--King Floyd
Have A Little Faith In Me--John Hiatt
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You ?--Chieftains & Van Morrison
Head Over Heels--The Go-Go's
Here In My Heart--John Berry
Home--Michael Bublé
How Good It Can Get--The Wallflowers
I'll Cover You (Reprise)--Tracie Thoms / Jesse L. Martin / Cast Of Rent
I'll Have to Say I Love You In A Song--Jim Croce
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me--The Jayhawks
I've Got A Crush On You--Sarah Vaughan
I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)--Stevie Wonder
I Could Write A Book--Harry Connick, Jr.
I Want To Hold Your Hand--The Beatles
I Will Follow You Into The Dark--Death Cab For Cutie
In the Meantime--Spacehog
In The Mirror--Yanni
In Your Eyes--Jeffrey Gaines
It Had To Be You--Billie Holiday
Last Beautiful Girl--Matchbox Twenty
Let's Fall In Love--Louis Armstrong
Light Of A Clear Blue Morning--Allison Moorer
Long Sweet Summer Nights--The Thorns
Love Of My Life--Queen
Luckiest Man Alive--The Finn Brothers
Me And Bobby McGhee--Janis Joplin
Melissa--The Allman Brothers Band
Memorize--The Bacon Brothers
Misery--Pink Feat. Steven Tyler
More Than Love--Los Lonely Boys
My Kinda Lover--Billy Squier
My Sweet Lady--John Denver
Never Felt This Way (Interlude)--Alicia Keys
No Matter What--Badfinger
Now that I know--Shannon McNally
One Step Closer To You--Michael Franti & Spearhead
Piece Of My Heart--Janis Joplin
Reminiscing--Little River Band
Roses--Outkast
Second Hand News--Fleetwood Mac
She--Elvis Costello
She Talks to Angels--The Black Crowes
Shower The People--James Taylor
Solsbury Hill--Peter Gabriel
Somebody To Love--Queen
Something In The Way She Moves--James Taylor
Soulshine--Warren Haynes
Sweetest Thing--U2
The Blower's Daughter--Damien Rice
The Grass Is Blue--Norah Jones
The Heart Of The Matter--Don Henley
Time--Tori Amos
To Make You Feel My Love--Garth Brooks w/Trisha Yearwood
Too Much Love Will Kill You--Brian May
True To Myself--Ziggy Marley
Tupelo Honey--Van Morrison
Turn Me On--Norah Jones
Unsent--Alanis Morissette
When I Was A Boy--Dar Williams
Winter--Tori Amos
Wish You Were Here--Pink Floyd
Without You--Adam Pascal / Rosario Dawson
You'll Accomp'ny Me--Bob Seger
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away--Eddie Vedder
You Had Me--Joss Stone
You Oughta Know--Alanis Morissette
Your Body is a Wonderland--John Mayer