Lookie What I found!

Ever since my mother came over and cleaned (after the breakup, she went on a spree - and it was very helpful!) I have not been able to find this one particular WIP...I started it about a year or so ago, maybe longer. This is the makings of a felted tote bag (obviously not yet felted). I had finished the body of the bag, and was working on the straps, which were tedious...just long strips, so I put it down and worked on a whole bunch of other stuff since. Well, I've been looking for it for the last 2 months, and finally found it today while searching for wool in my stash. (I want to crochet a Kitty Pi, and thought I'd have enough Brown Sheep Wool left over from my hat-making phase of a few years ago - turns out I have one ball and that's it - oh well, time to go shopping!)Anyway, I loved the colorful yarn in this bag - it's Manos Del Uruguay, but I don't know the name of the color, since the label is long gone. (Actually, from the sites I found with the google search, it doesn't look like they're making this color anymore.) The black is by the same company. And some Cha Cha thrown in at the top for fun.

Lemon Tree, Very Pretty...

I have this lemon tree that the ex bought for me for our 2nd or third month anniversary (I can't remember which one it was now). Anyway, the relationship didn't last, but amazingly enough (considering how awful I am with plants), the lemon tree is still growing.

But (and I don't know if you can tell by that first picture) some of the flowers are looking a bit shrivelly... And, sometimes after they bloom, the whole flower dries up and falls off instead of producing any fruit. Does anyone out there know anything about lemon trees? I'm trying to keep it watered, but don't know how much is enough...

Help! (Please!)

I'll leave you with a picture of Gracie inspecting the bottom of the pot (I know, I should probably transplant the thing, but I'm afraid of shocking it and causing further damage.)

Secret Pal Stuff

Today I got a cute card in the mail from my One Skein Secret Pal - cute huh? My stepgrandmother has one of these dogs. French bulldogs? I'm not sure.

Anyway, continuing in the spirit of the Secret Pal vein, I thought I'd give some answers to the sacred questions the IP people sent out...forgive me if my answers are lame or boring...I can be that way sometimes.

1. Which yarn is most like your personality (you can be specific or general with your answer- brand, type, color, fiber, whatever)? ----Hmm...tough questions...Probably a nice soft cotton, since I like to think of myself as pretty natural and low maintenance. Then again...I also think I'm slightly twisted, so that works with most yarns! (I'm pretty flexible.)

2. What is your favorite color yarn to knit/crochet with? ----I gravitate towards purples and deep reds for myself. But I seem to end up making a lot of things in blues for other people. Personally, I prefer a rich deep color palette, with some nice variegation for fun.

3. Have you ever used variegated, or magic, yarns? --- Yes, and I love 'em!

4. Do you tend to favor certain fibers when choosing yarns? ----I make a lot of baby gifts, so use a lot of the acrylics (no danger of allergic reactions and easy care for the baby stuff). Fiber notwithstanding, I go more for the individual feel of the yarn. The softer and cozier, the better.

5. Do you prefer to work with center-pull or traditionally wound balls of yarn? ---- Center pull, just so the ball of yarn doesn't bounce around the floor.

6. Have you ever worked with organic yarns or are you interested in trying them? ---- I've never worked with organic yarns, but would like to try them. (Harder to fit into my tiny little budget.)

7. How many and what projects have you made in the last year? ---- Hmm...now I have to think. I'm guessing 6 or so finished projects...I think. I've made a pair of socks, a capelet, a bolero sweater, a large afghan, a baby afghan, and a few scarves (not sure how many).

8. Will you be knitting any gifts this year? ---- Only if I can figure out the needles before the year is up...(I've made a couple of successful swatches, but not comfortable enough knitting yet to start any real projects.) I'll be crocheting lots of gifts this year though, I'm sure. I've done 2 already. :)

9. What is your favorite one skein project? ----I like cute little purses that work up fast.

10. How much yarn do you have in your stash and how do you store it? -----I have some in bags, some in plastic bins, some in dresser drawars and some in baskets. I do not have a good way to keep track of it (bad Tami!). I know that I have a lot of it...but it would take way too long to go through it and count! One day though....one day...

11. Do you have a yarn in your stash that you love so much you can never use it or part with it? ----Nope - but I have yarns in my stash that I'm not so fond of, and probably won't use. I'm not sure why I'm keeping them...

12. Do you knit less or differently in the summer? ----I'll go with this question as if they said crochet. I do fewer large afghans in the summer because it gets way too hot out here in Northern California to sit around with yards of yarn in my lap. I probably crochet less in summer as well, since there are more summertime gatherings to attend.

13. Do you belong to any knitting groups (online or offline)? ----Not yet, but I've thought about joining one or starting one. I just haven't gotten to it.

More Stuff

Well, I stayed home from work again today (weird gag reflex issue this morning, even though I didn't feel that bad...but still had to force myself to eat all day - I need to get back to eating like normal - and for me, that means struggling to keep on my diet! This is so bizarre for me. And, I'm hoping I'm back to "normal" tomorrow.)

The good news: I got my camera and my computer to cooperate, so here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

First, one of the world's ugliest couches, which is now in a thrift shop...(this is the loveseat...and believe it or not, used to be in my family's formal living room!!)


Here's Gracie - trying to help me out with my crocheted socks by standing sentinel over my pattern book - in my lap...

Here she is again, lounging on the new (less ugly, but more comfortable) couch. Isn't she cute?

And here she is on my computer chair, wondering why I'm not scratching her ears. And why aren't I?

Just for fun

I've still not been feeling well, and have been down lately - and wallowing, it would appear. I'm not sure how much is emotional stress and strain and how much is possibly a virus (my boss is sick today, and another co-worker is out sick with something else).

But I want to say again that I am really really lucky to have such awesome and supportive friends! (You know who you are!) I cried a couple of times at work today, briefly. And it wasn't all because of Fred either. (Though some was. It's been a tough week for me on that score, and yesterday I broke down and e-mailed him simply asking how he's been. I don't know why I bothered, he won't respond. It's been three months as of last Saturday, and tomorrow would have been our 1 year anniversary).

It also hit me today that in 4 years I will have lived half of my life without my sister in it. It's been 14 years today since her car accident (some guys coming home from a party, with "open containers" in the car. They survived. I am very anti-drinking-and-driving as a result. Imagine that).

Sorry for going on like that up there...I really had meant to just paste this fun little naming quiz in here, that my co-worker buddy sent me to cheer me up. Have fun with it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (middle name and current street name)
- Ann Southampton (gee…how I rock thee)

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandfather/grandmother on your dad's side, your favorite candy)
- Theresa Licorice (or Tret Licorice, to use her nickname)

3. YOUR "FLY GIRL/GUY" NAME: (first initial of first name, first two or three letters of your last name)
- T. Al or T. Alt (these both suck…can I pick something else? J. Lo I am not)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
- Scarlett Cat (or Violet Feline? Too hard to choose one color)

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
- Ann Oneida

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name)
- Altd'amgra

7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your mom's maiden name spelled backwards)
- Nna Ocima'd

8. PORN STAR NAME: (first pet, street you grew up on)
- Zeke Jerge (not very feminine sounding…I don't think I want to be in this movie)

9. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color, the automobile your parents drive)
- The Red Grand Cherokee or The Violet Focus… (different parents…different favorite colors?)

Melancholy

I didn't have a great weekend. I suppose it started Friday afternoon. Friday morning was fine, and I was in a great mood, and feeling productive. I went to lunch with some co-workers and had a good time - Mexican food in the spirit of Cinco de Mayo. All was fine and we shared lots of laughs and giggles.

Then later at work, that food was just sitting in my stomach like a load of bricks. And I haven't felt quite right all weekend. Weird. But I also think it has to do with some emotional stuff going on. High emotions, stress, etc...all manifest themselves in my gut and make me feel physically ill. (I have actually been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and am on meds for it. They have helped tremendously - I can't imagine how bad the break-up would have been without them.)

Yesterday was the 3 month anniversary of my break-up. I was really hoping I'd be over it by now (or back together with him). And I know I had a tough weekend last weekend too. But all week I was fine, and actually feeling pretty darn good mid-week, like I was free and the possibilities were endless. And I was seeing how the two of us probably never would have worked out anyway. But for some reason, it hit me again this weekend. Probably because of the timing. Plus, I'm always pretty melancholy around this time of year, as the anniversary of my sister's death is also looming. (She died 5/10/92 at the age of 18, in a car accident - it was Mother's Day.)

So, all of this together is difficult. And when I get this way, I am convinced that I will be alone forever. As if I lost my only chance for love. I need to stop letting myself think that way. I know that I deserve better, and that there has to be someone out there for me. But, dating is so nerve-wracking, and I am not good at it. I am just not the type who meets people, I guess. Men do not approach me. And so, I am afraid it will take me another 29 years to find someone else. (I am hoping that this is a ridiculous fear, but time will tell, right?)

Gracie is here now. I've never seen a cat get used to a new home so quickly. She didn't run off and hide or anything. She did explore quite a bit (not that there's much to explore.) She is very affectionate - but she drools more than any cat I've ever met. She likes to sit with me on the couch and follow me around the house (in advance...she tries to beat me to wherever she thinks I'm going). I would have pictures in this post, but the computer and my camera are not currently getting along. I'll keep trying. (Hopefully I can get them online tomorrow night.)

And I've also been paranoid that something is going to happen to the cat, and I'm not going to be able to handle it. (I think I've been reading a little too much Crazy Aunt Purl...) I had a very sick cat before - the vets couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, but she had constant diarrhea and couldn't keep any food down. And I know it had nothing to do with me, but I felt like I was a terrible mother to her.

So, um, anyway, my mother and stepfather did come up Saturday morning with the new, less hideous couch. And we hauled the old ones away to a thrift store in town. I wasn't sure they'd take the couches, seeing as how ugly and old they are. The place had told me on the phone that they'd need to see them before deciding whether or not they'd take them. Well, my stepfather was pulling the truck around so the guys could assess the couches, and my mom and I were wandering around the shop. Well, we wandered into the room where they had the furniture...I turned and looked at my mom and said, "I don't think we're going to have a problem." Wow, there were some awful pieces in there... Amazingly ugly...made mine look great in comparison!

But a few hours after they left, I started not feeling so great again. And I fell asleep in front of the TV, which is not something I do often.

This morning, I still wasn't feeling great, and ended up cancelling the plans I had to go hang out with some friends (even though it would have been good for my psyche - I just didn't feel up to it). So, I made a quick run to the library (not far from home) and store, but spent most of the day curled up with the cat and a book, with the TVLand Good Times marathon going in the background. And I started the 2nd Lorna's Laces Sock.

I hope this week is an improvement! (Though the 10th will still probably suck...)

TGIF!!

(Okay, so technically, it's not Friday until tomorrow. But, I'm assuming that my vast readership, all 5 of you, will not read this tonight...)

Weekend

I spoke to my mother last night, and she confirmed that she and my step-father are definitely coming up this Saturday with the couch and the kitty. Yay! Gracie's coming! (That's the cat.) And yay!! The ugliest couches ever made are leaving!! (Of course, I need to call the Salvation Army and make sure they'll accept them...)

And in preparation, tomorrow night will be spent in fervent bursts of random cleaning activities.


Recap of Today

So, they say you learn something new every day. I guess "they" are right. I was all worried about going in for the permanent crown today, because I was afraid I'd pass out again, even without the epinephrine. Um, but apparently, the procedure doesn't require any anesthetic, so I was all worried about nothing.

But, I didn't end up getting the permanent crown on anyway, since I've been having the aching in my gums. The dentist and endodontist thought I should wait 2 more weeks to see if the pain stopped or got worse. If it gets worse, I'll need a root canal. If it stays the same (and I think I can live with it), I don't need one. So, I'm back there on the 18th, and I've still got the funky plastic tooth in my mouth.

More than you wanted to know? I thought so...