Outdoor retreats

Most Friday evenings during the summer, we enjoy a dinner with Bob and Paulie at Sunnybrook Trout Farm. a private fly fishing venue for members with a penchant for catch and release trout fishing. Bob fishes here year round -  the creek never freezes - even if he does!

Last year, Ron and I gave Bob a great fishing shirt for his birthday. We had two shirts to choose from at Sam's Club. The first one said Made in VietNam. We passed that up remembering that Bob was an attack helicopter pilot in the VietNam War, and we decided the other shirt, made in China, was a better choice. The shirt had lots of cool pockets and tabs and clips and while we had no idea of the purpose of those things, we knew Bob would be pleased. He wore his new shirt to the grocery store a few days after his birthday. On the way to the market, he and Paulette kept hearing a rather loud beeping noise that seemed to be coming from the driver's side of their van. Turns out it was Bob, himself, that was beeping - his defibrillator was emitting an alarm! A quick call to the Cleveland Clinic was made and the device staff recommended that Bob head their way asap.  After 8 hours, and consulting with 11 doctors, including the head of that department, no one could find the reason for Bob's defibrillator alarm going off. After a frustrating last consult before deciding to replace a potentially defective device(surgically, of course), they discovered a tiny magnet on one of the pockets of Bob's fishing shirt. Yep, that was the culprit that tripped the alarm and the last time he wore that particular fishing gear.

Sunnybrook was originally a private residence. Later, and  for many years, it served as a retreat for Owing Illinois executives.  The house, in addition to having dining rooms and an enclosed porch, has 10 bedrooms with private baths for those wishing to stay and relax after a full day of fishing.

The sunsets often provide entertainment during our dinners and our evening usually takes the old fashioned form of the men retreating to smoke cigars and the women sitting in the parlour.   Paulie and I linger over drinks and knit a few rows on current projects while we discuss plans for the rest of the weekend -- this could include our strategy for an early morning estate sale, and/or logistics necessary for spending a few nights at GottaGetaway, our Bellevue camping retreat in our motor homes,  Nina and Annie.  This season, in addition to our two adjacent sites, we co-rented the site in front of ours in order to increase our private domain.

While we bought our rigs for long distance trips. so far this summer, the wheels haven't turned so much as one rotation! Even our truck batteries are dead from lack of use. Before further gear atrophies, we are determined to hit the road before the end of summer. Maybe we'll just drive to the other side of the campground and back to our spaces. Or, we could cruise down Rt 20 to Norwalk for a few miles and then return a few minutes later and call it good.

Meanwhile, I've also been enjoying another favorite outdoor retreat - our own back yard.  The Rose of Sharon just started blooming over the weekend and creates a wonderful panorama from the back porch.

Even thought the yard is only 25 feet wide, it provides plenty of seating areas for sun or shade.

The maple tree was a small sapling when I first moved here in 1977. Both the tree and I have grown thicker trunks over the years.

I've learned to work around the fact that the roots and shade of that tree make it impossible to plant anything near it. Rotating pots of flowers and refreshing the window boxes with new plants every few weeks keeps the area looking fine. I have resisted the temptation to put in plastic flowers. Yes, I really did consider it an option.  Instead, I purchased some metal ones in a variety of colors.

The back porch is a great place to enjoy morning coffee as long as it is before 9 a.m. After that, it is too sunny and hot.

Kate, Jack, and Marilyn love to hang out on the porch, then head back into the kitchen, then head back onto the porch. You get the idea. I don't get to sit still for very long! We can add convalescing to the list now. Ron's recent eye surgery requires several weeks of low key activity and no place is better than the back porch for idle musing and napping, of course.

Ron's retirement dinner last week was at Chez Francois in Vermilion. It was a fine night for outdoor dining on the deck overlooking the Vermilion River. 

The day before was Bastille Day and we were  serenaded with the French national anthem by a crew of enthusiastic boaters. 

My mom returned to her home in Southern California a few days ago after spending most of the month of July with us. Paulette joined us for most of our jaunts, including several shopping expeditions for Trollbeads, WHITE JEANS, estate sales, and more. 

 We had a great time exploring area museums, libraries, restaurants,  and still allowed plenty of time on the porch. Paulie loves to hear Mom's trip reports from her 13 trips to Paris (1975-2006) and is trying to talk Mom into traveling to Paris with her. To that end, they both renewed their passports!

In deference to full disclosure, I will tell you that high temperatures and humidity are not on my hit parade list. Today it is 90 degrees and my retreat is indoors with a/c at full blast instead of any of the outdoor retreats listed above. The dogs agree with my location and are happily snoring away on cushy dog beds. I'm hoping that Marilyn will move over a bit to make room for me, too!

Summer Bliss

Most of the summer sunsets I have enjoyed have been on Lake Erie. Our house in Erie had a large backyard that backed a cliff on the Lake,  and I loved watching the sun set over the water.  Since our RV site is surrounded by farms, I have recently enjoyed watching summer sunsets over ponds and farm fields.

This is our herb garden! We've already eaten all of the basil on one of the plants and need to restock that asap. We  have two tomato plants, a pot of parsley, and a pot of chives. The sage is being harvesting with the intent of using with campfires as the sage keeps mosquitos at bay. I dunno about that, but, I'm willing to try to natural deterrent. The fennel will be used for salads. Since our yard is very shady, this is about all we can squeeze into a small sunny area in the back yard.

Speaking of gardening, here is a  photo of our 100 year old Concord grape vine. I don't know why I feel I can take credit for this fabulous crop! I never trim or in any way attend to this vine.  This year, I think I will have to enough time to make grape jam and I know I can count on Paulette to make a grape pie. Yum.

Here are the some of the lilies from our garden. From these photos,  you could surmise that our garden is stunning. Actually, we have quite a bit of weeding to do. Ahem. We've had lots of rain, making weeding easier, and yet the weeds are winning and it could be said, by an honest person, that we have more weeds than flowers.

My garden boots are on the back porch and ready at all times. I clomp around in them and feel like a real gardener when I have them on-even if I'm just heading for the mailbox. Notice the hot pink rose gloves and trowel, too. I'm all about the gear.

 Emma is becoming a wonderful companion. We are so glad we brought her inside!  This week we started to encourage her to roam throughout house. AllieCat and Lucy haven't included her in any of their play sessions as of yet, but we haven't had many fights either. I'm currently reading a book called CatSpeak in order to better understand feline behavior. The author has trained both cats and dogs and explains that cats accept humans as companions and that dogs relate to humans as pack leaders. It's pretty fun to have 3 cats and 3 dogs running around-really, it is!

Our front porch was Emma's former stomping grounds. It was recently repainted, and now the trick is to sit still long enough to enjoy it. It is an acquired skill and I am determined to excel in the art of porch sitting this year! Every house on our block has a similar porch, but, I rarely ever see anyone actually sitting on their porch swings, etc. I am, however, sitting on the back porch as I write this blog, with all three dogs at my feet. They are very happy sleeping until a squirrel scrambles by. Marilyn, the sedate, former seeing eye dog, and the oldest of the crew, bounds down the porch stairs and madly chases the squirrels, barking and running at top speed. Honestly, we can't quite imagine her former owner, a blind 80+ year old,  hanging on for dear life as Marilyn spots a squirrel from two backyards away!

I've been reading quite a bit lately. In fact, I currently have 33 books checked out on my library card! There are books on decorating, vegan cooking, journaling, traveling, and housekeeping as well as several biographies.  I thought I would see if there were any tips for replacing my passion for librarianship with something else and so picked up the book shown above.  In the meantime, with Ron retiring in less than 3 weeks, I should probably find a few books on co-habitating happily 24/7 "until death do us part." Actually, I did find some tips from a book called, 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and Ture Advice from the Wisest Americans, by Karl Pillemer.

Memorial Day 2015

Ohio Veterans Home, Sandusky, Ohio

Memorial Day, originally Decoration Day, was started in 1865 to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers who died in battle. In 1888, the Ohio Veterans Home was opened in Sandusky to care for all Ohio Civil War veterans and has been in continuous operation since that date. Presently, there are 1,963 graves on the property and the photo above captures just a small area of the cemetery.  

Ron is often at the Veterans Home under auspices of Stein Hospice where he works as an RN assigned to the Honor Our Veterans program. He distributes to veterans in hospice,  a pin and a blanket from their branch of service, a certificate of appreciation and recognition of their service, and arranges an honor guard escort upon their death. He has heard many stories of war experiences never recorded or discussed before and of course, has promised to keep all such discussions in confidence if so requested by the veteran.  

Memorial Day is also the unofficial start of summer. Sometimes cool and rainy, this year it was warm and sunny and the perfect weather for outdoor picnics and other summertime pursuits. It is also the time when you can start wearing white linen pants, and white shoes-if you dare.

Rhubarb pie cooling in picnic basket in kitchen

Memorial Day weekend is also a time to have traditional picnic food, including homemade pies. Our neighbor brought over 7 stalks of freshly cut rhubarb from his garden. My mom used to make a rhubarb pie for my birthday (June 13) every year. I decided to give it a try myself-a few weeks early!

Most of you know I am a  cook/baker with very limited skills and even less interest in the entire subject matter. However, every once in a while I try to rise to the occasion and this was one of those rare times.

We have a fabulous Hoosier kitchen cabinet where all of the baking stuff is stored, so, it was fairly easy for me to locate my mom's recipe, get out the ingredients, bake ware, and utensils. I was just ready to start when I discovered we had no eggs. So, off to the local convenience store I went. You can't buy just one egg, which is all that I needed.  And the clerk absentmindedly rang up the sale for a six pack of beer, which is what she had been selling all day. She also seemed disappointed I didn't buy a lottery ticket or a pack of cigarettes!

Rhubarb, sugar, egg mixture

Front yard ready for Memorial Day

We spent most of the long weekend setting up the furniture on both front and back porches, finishing weeding and mulching, and planting window boxes, pots, and  arranging various garden "features." One night, I silently counted eleven areas that ached with arthritis pain and decided this might be my first and  last year for hands on gardening, so to speak.  Thank goodness we just have a small city lot and not an acreage!

Ron's at the grill, preparing hamburgers for him and a veggie hot dog for me. We having my  mom's potato salad for both of us and her rhubarb pie for dessert!  Yep, the gardens look great and the pie episode ended with success. We missed spending a weekend at the campground, but, loved our time in our little city oasis. 

New talents

Spring blossoms

In my continuing effort to become a retirement ninja, I have continued to add new skills. Frankly, this is because I  don't feel like I deserve to just sit around and enjoy myself. This past week, taking advantage of the fact that it was once again in the low 60's, I jumped into gardening mode. Once it hits 70 degrees or higher, I am  done for regarding any physical effort, and with tons of weeding and other garden chores stacking up, I knew I better do as much as possible.

On Tuesday, I pulled weeds and considered the purchase of an edger for our sidewalks. Consulting Consumer Reports, I was shocked to see that such items cost around $300. EEK, not in my budget. Instead of heading to Sears to purchase an edger, I  headed to the garden center to get potting soil to plant three large planters in the corner of our driveway. I huffed and puffed and dragged two large bags of soil and hoisted them into the trunk of my car. Heading into the center with a magazine photo of the exact plantings I had in mind, I purchased the necessary plants and sped home. Deciding to unload the soil near the planters, I misjudged our brick raised bed and slashed my back tire. PSSSSFT. That tire was flat within seconds. Sigh. AAA was summoned and within 30 minutes I was headed to the tire store. $200 dollars for outlay of new tire and I was back in the garden!!

I'm very leery, usually, of using any equipment with a sharp blade. Most equipment can be a hazard to any left-handed users since it almost always is designed for use by a right handed operator. However, I was determined to do what I could to make our yard look its best this summer sans Jim the Gardner. Still hell bent on edging our front sidewalks and back patios, I borrowed one from Bob and Paulie. I first stopped at a nearby local hardware store (the only one locally owned) to buy  a jumbo extension cord, broom, and various hand garden tools.

                       Bob's electric edger

My edging trial run

I turned out to be a quick study and LOVED the edger. I did notice that I often hit the sidewalk, sparks flying. It was really loud and quite exciting! AND, it often smelled like the dentist drilling my teeth. Huh? I have my eyes tightly shut when at the dentist, and now wonder if he strikes similar sparks. Maybe that is why the attendant is close at head with a water gismo! I don't know how many gardeners muse about the dentist while edging sidewalks. I could be the only one.

On Wednesday, I concentrated on the leaf blower. Oy. Again, take a look. The pull starter is on the RIGHT side of the blower. My technique is to put the unit on the ground. I stomp my foot on the long neck of the blower  and use my left hand to pull and pull and pull until the damn thing starts. OR NOT. I always end up called Ron (at work) and exclaim that I can't get the *&%$# blower started. He  pops over, starts the &^%$* blower and then I have a blast!

This is ironic because I hate the sound of anyone else using a leaf blower. I read that leaf blowers (and jet skis) are the major cause of global warming/ozone depletion. I feel guilty about not using a whisk broom to remove the grass clippings off of the sidewalk. Whatever. I'm not perfect.

On Thursday, I continued my household chores. At 9am, the Sears appliance dude arrived with a new microwave to install above the stove/oven. At the same time, the cleaning ladies (all seven of them) arrived. This completely freaked out the Sears guy and he took a break until they ladies left 30 minutes later. Having been at work when these ladies arrived in the past, I, too, was freaked out by the stampede of cleaning whirling dervishes. Meanwhile, I helped drag two huge Hoosier kitchen cabinets out of the way for the microwave install (we have a galley kitchen and there is not room to move, let alone remove and install a large appliance.) I unloaded what I could before trying to scoot said units across the kitchen floor without destroying the floor. Already late for a luncheon, (how retirement-ish is that) I cajoled Bob to stand in  while the Sears guy finished the install. BTW, have you looked at how HUGE microwaves are these days?????? OMG. What was I thinking.

On Friday, I awoke with the dreaded vertigo again. There is some speculation that it could be caused by arthritis in my neck, which, I am sure I aggravated by  earlier efforts (see above). Being dizzy, and nauseous, I spent the day on the couch, with a heating pad on my neck and watched a chick flick. Sniff, sniff. A Night in Rodanthe, with Diane Lane and Richard Gere, was just the ticket.  Later that afternoon, I finally called the vet to ask,  if we captured Emma, Lucy's mom and outdoor porch cat, could we have her spayed? Yep. Bring her ASAP.

Yikes, Not having thought out the logistics of adding a third stray cat into the household, we kicked into gear on Saturday, after picking up Emma. In the backseat of the car in a cat carrier, Ron and I drove around and tried to decide how to accommodate her without mixing her in too soon with the rest of the brood.

Not thinking clearly, we decided we should buy a 6 person tent and set it up in our basement to be used as her recuperation abode. Yeah. We did. We measured the space available, moved stuff around, and dashed to the sports store to find a suitable tent.

$100 tent

  Let me say, trying to install this tent, with vertigo, is not a good idea. I finally had to abandon the ship and headed back to the couch. There, I could more clearly discern that the whole tent thing was not going to work as it was much bigger than the space we measured for setting it up.  DUH. So, I suggested that we just turn over the bathroom to Emma for a few days respite for her and try to stuff the tent back in the itty bitty box it came in and return it.

Meanwhile, realizing that my blog's namesake, Kate, hasn't been featured as of late, let me say that Kate is a big fan of the kitties. She is just about their size and one and all seem to get along very well!
I think I need to take a bit slower pace over the next few days. Kate is very supportive of this resolve and plans to spend cuddle time with me. I don't think I have the retirement mojo down yet and hope Kate can help me set a more realistic pace! We'll see. Stay tuned on the Emma, Lucy, AllieCat situation.

Dear Martha (Stewart), You So do not know how to clean everything!

The April calendar page from my favorite artist, Susan Branch, has been modified by the artist, moi!

Working days have been replaced by cleaning daze at my house. I'm not complaining.  Really!  I'm very contented being home for the first spring time ever. Think about it. I was in school every April from 1959-1977 and worked until last fall! That is a lot of missed spring seasons.  Hence, my obsession, actually, with all things spring related, especially spring cleaning!

I thought it was high time to consult the guru of clean, Martha Stewart.  What? you say, she doesn't actually do the cleaning herself? I dunno about that. According to the April 2015 issue of Martha Stewart Living, she does.  Page 2 is entitled Martha's Month.  I purchased this particular issue because of an ad on the cover,  How do you clean that? 57 secrets for a healthier home.

 On her calendar for April 4, it says Plant new fruit trees.  Wow! Way to go, Martha! On Tuesday, April 7 she notes, Clean gutters. Later in the same week, mind you, she writes, Scrape and repaint chicken coop enclosure. I don't think I can keep up with this wonder woman and I don't have a chicken coop. On Saturday, April 18, she was outside with this assignment: Edge and sweep driveway, followed by a Horseback Ride.  I admire her stamina, flexibility, and sheer pluckiness. Today, Monday, April 20th, she plans to Sprinkle grass seeds on bare patches, top with salt hay to keep birds at bay,  and on Wednesday, she will  celebrate Earth Day by Gardening. This Friday, she is scheduled to  Clean baseboards with a feather duster. Next week, my cleaning marvel will be  Cleaning winter blankets and putting them in storage, making fresh ricotta, filling birdbaths with water, all the while doing cardio and core, pilates, and weight training every other day all month long.

Well, ok, Martha! I've been on my own crazy schedule this month, and I can see now, looking at Martha's schedule, I'm just a wimp. I've cleaned all of the kitchen cupboards, inside and out, cleaned three wood floors and baseboards (on my hands and knee pads), washed wool blankets, put away and put on summer quilts on three beds, washed curtains upstairs, and cleaned out 3 closets! So there.

I note that it is time  to clean out the garden beds of last year's leaves, old mulch, and weeds. I thought I had completed that task last week and I asked Paulette to come over to admire my work. Turns out, according to Paulie, I just made the first pass and need to take much more out of the beds before I can call the job done. Hmmm.

Jim Palinkas, GardenPort owner, retired in December and I decided to see if I could muster on without his crew this year. I cleared out 14 containers of debris one sunny day last week and  Ron helped with the next 14 containers yesterday. Next on the agenda is to  fertilize the roses, the lawn, and plan where to place a few more lavender plants. Oh, I have some bare patches to reseed, too, just like Martha!  Paulette suggested I get a weeding tool-with a small forked end. I notice that it has a serrated edge on the left side of the tool. I imagine this would come in handy if I were right-handed...

Meanwhile, it is also time to ready Nina for a new season of camping. Again, Martha is of no help whatsoever since I don't think that she owns an RV. Last fall, in late October, Nina became infested with thousands of Asian Ladybugs. These are orange bugs with many black spots and they bite. They eat tons of aphids particularly in soybean fields. When the fields are plowed, the insects seek out new warmer quarters - Nina was just the kind of abode they were looking for and she was conveniently  parked right beside a soybean field!  Last week, armed with a shop vac, I spent 2 hours sucking up the critters-dead and alive, after emptying every single thing from the RV first.  This is not the kind of spring cleaning that Martha Stewart advises about, so, I am on my own to decide what to use to clean every inch of the interior of the rig! Paulie suggests vinegar and water. The place will smell like a gigantic Easter egg party I fear.

All of this homework, so to speak, had me thinking about those who enjoy the opposite of home and hearth. People with......

Wanderlust: A strong urge or desire to explore or travel around the world. 

I have several friends that have wanderlust. I listen to where they have been and where they intend to go next. I muse about them, and, try very, very hard to imagine what motivates them to travel. I also read travel journals, essays, and memoirs about journeys to exotic places. I just completed, The Footloose American, Following the Hunter S. Thompson Trail Across South America. Author Brian Kevin, recently traveled in South America following the trail of Hunter S. Thompson's  trip in 1964. While I've done some traveling-( Sweden, Colombia, France, England, Germany, and Holland), I can say that wanderlust is not a part of my nature. On the other hand, I've found something that better describes me.

Homebody: One whose interest centers on the home.

Now, that is a concept that I can really understand. Martha Stewart seems like that kind of person, too. I have a friend that once showed me her Martha Voodoo doll,  kept in her kitchen. After a stressful attempt to make a gingerbread house following Martha's instructions, she paused to add a few pins to her Martha doll. I wonder if I can get one of these before the May issue of Martha Steward Living is published.

Viva Las Vegas, and all that

Elvis impersonators on the Strip (not the gal in the middle, the two dudes!)

I just got back from a trip west, which included a stop in Vegas-the site of a mini reunion of the Fairview High School Class of '72.  Weather was perfect and the entire area is one large amusement park! To end the suspense, I gambled $100 at the craps table and walked away with $175. The biggest attraction, however, was not the two Elvis impersonators in the photo above.

Dinner at Bouchon at the Venetian Hotel

It was the time spent with my best friends from high school, Anne (Smith) Hasson, left, and Amy Mellencamp (far right-in photo terms, only).  This is the second reunion I have attended with the duo. We met for the first time in almost 40 years, in 2012,  in Chicago. I missed the reunion in San Francisco and New York City, and wasn't about to miss this year's reunion in Las Vegas!

 Anne retired 5 years ago after teaching 4th grade for 30 years in Portland, Oregon.  Amy is currently a high school principal (Dr. Mellencamp, by the way) in Burlington, Vermont. Anne is a grandmother of two- her son is a firefighter in Portland.  Amy has two children. Her daughter is a successful fundraiser for the Democratic Party in D.C. and her son is in graduate school, having clerked for various member's of Emily's List in D.C.  Anne's husband is retired after a career with 3M, and Amy's husband is working on various business ventures in Vermont.

We had a great time catching up on happenings in Erie, Pa.  (Ann's mom still lives there) and sharing news about our families. We have all lost our fathers, and had many heartfelt discussions about eldercare.  If you haven't reconnected with your high school buddies, I highly recommend that you do so. There is a wonderful shorthand as part of the underlying conversation which is refreshing. These are  friends that know all about  the trouble you had with your sibling, what your parents were REALLY like, when you first fell in love, and, so on.

Each dancer charged us $5 for the photo above

Of course, on the downside, they know all about your D in Algebra and other dark secrets of youth. While  at the airport, we observed a group of college women that were gathering for a pre-wedding blitz with the bride. We stopped by to tell them that they might still be meeting each other almost 43 years hence and they seemed delighted to hear that!

We stayed at the MGM Grand. A wonderful selection made by Anne. The timing was perfect: the Grand was hosting the PAC 12 basketball playoffs and Anne's team from Oregon was there. Duck this and duck that everywhere! Not to mention it was spring break and the hotel pools were crowded with lovely co-eds and eye candy for us all.

More importantly, the Bellagio was the scene of a Doritos commercial and we just missed being in it!

After 3 nights, Anne headed back to Portland and Amy headed east to Burlington. I, on the other hand, extended my vacation by heading to California to visit family for a few more days.

View from our hotel across from Doheney State Park Campground, Dana Point, Ca.

Arriving in Temecula on Sunday, I spent the afternoon at the Mall with 13 year old niece, Kelsey. It was such fun to sponsor a shopping spree and see what would develop. H&M was a popular store for school attire.

Marine Drill Team in San Diego Depot

I didn't see nephew Kacey as he recently entered boot camp as a Marine recruit. At age 18, he was determined to enter on the ground floor of the military establishment and work his way up to officer from there. Graduation is the end of May and our family is anxious to see what assignment he draws next.

 On Monday, Mom and I headed for a short trip to Laguna Beach. My parents retired from Westport, Ct, in 1981,  and moved to LB to be closer to Aunt Alberta (see earlier blogs), Aunt Iola, and Grandmother Blanche (my mom's mom) for 18 years before they moved to be closer to  my brother and family in Temecula.

The ocean breeze hypnotized us and the next thing you know, we were both shopping for condos in nearby Laguna Hills where Alberta, Iola, and friend "Aunt Dottie" lived for many years.

Laguna Hills (formerly Leisure World) was developed in 1964 as the first gated community for 55+ residents. There are 14,000 units and currently 18.000 residents. Average age in 74.  With a 29 hole golf course, stables, 7 clubhouses with 5 swimming pools, over 200 clubs and more, it was intoxicating to consider living just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean in such lovely year round surroundings.

However, the condos are small, with the largest only 1,300 square feet!!!! I tried to imagine reducing living quarters from 3,000 square feet filled to the brim, with a full attic and basement (and I do mean full) plus a 2 1/2 garage with two extra single space garages, 2 Standard Poodles, 1 miniature schnauzer, 2 cats ( who don't like each other yet), one husband, and condensing it all into any one of the  condo's we toured. We felt like we were in  an episode of Househunters.  We loved the first house, tolerated the second, hated the third. My mom was very interested in  the first one, but, it was already sold within 12 hours-at full price! We toured four more options and decided to ponder it for a few more months.

Next on the agenda is to convince Ron, Bob, and Paulette, to spend a few days in the area and check it out with me to see if I'm California Dreaming or I have lost my mind within the first 6 months of retirement! Well, we already know the answer to that, but, to be kind, let's see if it is a temporary condition.

Stay tuned for further adventures.

Vertigo....And Not Hitchcock's Classic Film

I have vertigo, not unlike Jimmy Stewart's vertigo in Alfred Hitchcock's classic film of the same name. While my favorite film by the famous director is North by Northwest, or maybe, Rear Window, I now better understand the scenes from Vertigo. I am loathe to admit that this is an inner ear disturbance that is age-related. When I first heard about vertigo, it seemed like something that would be well suited to a Twilight Zone episode.  Imagine being dizzy and feeling woozy at unpredictable times not related to any over indulgence of alcohol. My first occurrence was on Christmas Eve, then repeated once in January, and now,  again today. If I were still working,  I'd have had to reluctantly call off for today. Being retired, I just told the dogs to chill out with me.

Marilyn was, of course, thrilled that I was staying in one place for once. She is happily snoozing beside me as I write.

Jack simply couldn't believe it! You can see he is amazed that I am actually going to stay home and hang out with him today.

Kate was so happy she was wiggling all over, hence the blurry photo.  However, she agreed to come inside and crash on the sofa in the upstairs library with me.  Lucy is at the vet today being spayed. We decided not to have her declawed and will have to apologize to AllieCat later about that change in plans. I hope there won't be shredded curtains to show for the change of heart.

One of the things I haven't gotten used to yet is being home in the daytime. The light coming through the windows is such a treat. Well, yes, you can see the dust, but, just look at colors in the Swedish glass bowl on the table! Having spent most of the past 30 plus years at work from daylight to dark, I wasn't able to appreciate some great features of daylight in the house.

Here is another example. Most of the time, the stained glass window on our front staircase landing looks dark brown. During the day, however, it shows many colors! By the way, the window is perfectly level, I'm just a bit tilted with the vertigo thing. Sorry about that, don't let it get to you.

Catching up on what I've been doing fiber-wise, here is a  sock I recently finished. Some of you know about  "second sock syndrome" in which the second sock is deemed too boring to do and so, instead, languishes of the needles for months.  I just noticed that this one is too big and I  need to rip out about 2 inches and reknit it.  This will delay the SSS for awhile longer. (Sorry, Mom, you'll still get both socks by Mother's Day).

Perhaps you can see how I am progressing with the needlepoint project I started in November.  The background is almost half finished. The red, green, and blue parts are completed. I haven't started Santa's beard or cuffs, or his face. I'm saving the white background until last-my goal is to get this completed by July. I'm taking it with me to Vegas next week. I can just imagine the looks I'll get in the airport as I tote around a Christmas project. Only other needlepoint folks will understand this seasonal disorder.

Speaking of Christmas projects, I am very excited about my next knitting project. I'm going to make a replica of my childhood stocking!!!!!! Just because I can.

My brother, David, and I, each have personalized stockings, given to us by our Aunt Marj. I don't think she knit these herself.  She was a seamstress of great talent, but, not a knitter. My great grandmother Lee wasn't a knitter, either. She did a lot of crochet and I have several of her shawls. She  was a seamstress by trade, coming over from Sweden at age 16. I digress. This Christmas stocking pattern was first introduced in the November 1945 issue of Woman's Home Companion.

I had intended to use my stocking as a guide and count out each stitch to recreate the pattern. First,  I checked on www.raverly.com. (This is a very cool site with 4 million member knitters and spinners. If you can't find what you want on Ravalry, it just isn't going to be found at all).  Discovering the info about the pattern,  I went to eBay and bid on the November 1945 issue and voila, it is now mine. True to form,  I didn't read carefully enough-it is only the ad that is in that issue, the pattern booklet needed to be ordered and, of course, it is no longer available. Well, it was still $20.00 well spent.
The pattern, now in public domain, was published and available for free download on Ravelry!

 I know very few of you are as excited about this I am.   I see that my stocking doesn't have the two kids, just the Santa and tree. I'll have to see if my brother's stocking has the kids. Note to self. If this looks familiar to you, maybe you have one of these stockings, too. It is large enough to hold the traditional orange, but pretty small overall. You can't get a doll in there, or, whatever else you might have asked Santa to bring to you.

Ok, enough about that. My next blogpost will come to you from Las Vegas. Next week I'm joining high school friends, Amy Mellencamp (currently living in Burlington, Vermont) and Anne Smith Hasson (currently living in Portland, Oregon) for a 3 night mini reunion of the Fairview High School Class of '72. It is so mini, in fact, that it is just the three of us!  According to the travel guide books, craps and poker are the only games where the gambler has at least a 4% chance of beating the house. All other games are less than 1% in your favor. I can just imagine the roulette wheel paired with my vertigo. I think I better stick to shopping-I know how to find a bargain and that is a better deal, no pun intended!

From there, my plans are to head to Temecula, Ca, to visit family. Mom and I are head down to Laguna Beach for a few days before I fly back home. Just for the record, I am not in any way tired of winter and hope there will still be some snowy days upon my return!