tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52165044945890824672024-03-15T21:10:19.235-04:00Four Paws And Some StringAbout the cats, crafts and music I loveDebra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.comBlogger205125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-38530317572944864092023-09-02T00:31:00.000-04:002023-09-02T00:31:41.908-04:00Landing on My Feet<p> I can't believe I haven't blogged in so long. It seems like so much has happened. </p><p>One of the biggest was the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn't that long after I moved the pandemic hit New York State hard. We had to quarantine at home and wear masks when outside. Many businesses had to close. Aisles in grocery stores were one-way. We had to stay six feet away from everyone. My habit of shopping in the evening turned out to be a good safe guard.</p><p>Pandemic quarantine and PTSD was not a good combination. I found out my primary care physician dropped me with no notice. It was very difficult finding a new physician when practices were not accepting new patients. Doctor's visits by video and phone became vital and I took advantage of that until I could find a physician. I got counseling over the phone. I developed pandemic-related insomnia. </p><p>YouTube became very interesting during the pandemic. <i>Bondi Vet</i> from Australia posted a new, long episode every week highlighting cases their vets handled. It introduced handsome vet Chris Brown and the reptile park. The Prehistory Guys began their series on Britain before the Romans invaded. I found Morgan Gold's <i>Gold Shaw Farm</i>, about a man forsaking the business world to start a farm in Vermont. I discovered Britain's gardening series <i>Ground Force</i> and <i>Love Your Garden</i>. I bet you didn't know gardening shows could be funny. It almost matched the excitement of watching each <i>Time Team</i> episode for the first time.</p><p>Living in the 2020 apartment, I discovered that I was allergic to the chemical used to soften the water at the apartment complex. I had never lived with softened water. My one experience was that it didn't taste good. Living with it gave me terrible indigestion, poor digestion and made me feel like a balloon ready to burst. It made my eyes swell and gave me double vision. I had to buy six gallons of water a week to prepare food, drink, and give the cats water. It was just as well my lease wasn't renewed. </p><p>In one year, the rental scene had changed quite a lot. The monthly rent was at least 100 dollars more a month. Companies were still buying up buildings and raising rents. They wanted first and last months rent, security deposit and they wanted the rent only to be 30 percent of the tenant's salary. I don't think I even know people who had that kind of salary. The choices I had were abysmal. One was in a building a stone's throw from the railroad track, and it was a busy route. It was also along the river. As a believer in Global Warming, I didn't think that was a safe choice, let alone noisy. Two others were small basement apartments, one in downtown Albany, the other a few blocks away where later there were be some shootings. I do not like city life to begin with.</p><p>Fortunately I was working from home and could move anywhere in the country. Realistically I could only look within easy commute from where I was living. The closest areas were already hit with climbing rents so it still wasn't a sure thing. One evening I saw an apartment advertised on Facebook and knew I had to be the first one to see it. It was in Gloversville, about an hour's drive away. I had never been there but knew of the place. I drove up the main street. There were handsome brick and stone commercial buildings downtown. It was a small downtown that had definitely had seen better days and there were empty storefronts. It looked as though the city was trying and making some progress. There were a lot of Victorian houses. </p><p>I was looking for a Victorian house in an area that was just on the edge of a commercial area. Most of the commerce were service industries now. I was the first one to be shown the apartment. It was a first floor apartment with tall windows that made it light. It had a front and back porch on the side. The neighbor had a garden that I could see from the living room and knew my cats would love watching it. I could have my cats with no extra fees. The windows, the furnace, the heating system, the appliances and the bathroom were all new. It turned out later the walls had been insulated too. There was a living room, dining room, a full kitchen, two bedrooms, a large closet in the living room and one behind the kitchen. There was yard all around the house, especially in the back. There were two driveways and a garage in back. I could walk to the laundry mat and to the supermarket. It was also easy to walk to the pharmacy, post office, and businesses downtown. There was a daily bus system that went to the community college and to Amsterdam. I knew my car wasn't going to last much longer. There was no reason so say no, so I didn't. That was over two years ago now. The COVID-1 relief payments definitely helped pay for the move.</p><p>Gloversville is like the village I lived in, if it had gotten a little bigger. The majority of the houses are Victorian. I've never seen a place with so many porches. There's usually green space around the buildings, if not generous yards. Mine is just big enough. I feel comfortable here. The people are friendlier here, too. There is one odd thing. Usually, when I am walking anywhere and I'm at a corner waiting to cross, people will stop and motion for me to cross, no matter what color the light. I always wait on the sidewalk, never in the crosswalk. </p><p>I obtained all the COVID-19 vaccines. The first shot made me sore and fatigued. The second shot made me feel inebriated. I didn't have a reaction to the booster. I never developed COVID, but in the spring of 2022 I developed shingles on the left side of my head. I had to be different. I had a mild case, but the pain in my ear was incredible, as was the fatigue. The medicine worked. I had residual pain but didn't want to take any analgesic that made me tired. I researched and made up an immune-boosting, anti-inflammatory tea that not only eliminated the pain, but helped my allergies and my digestion was well. It tasted good, too. This year I discovered it's also leveling out my cholesterol levels. </p><p>I tried getting the shingles vaccine after the fact as a friend's doctor told her to do. I had an allergic reaction to it. The area got very red and swollen. I discovered the vaccine used the same chemical that was used to soften the water in Niskayuna. What were the chances? My tea is safer. </p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-30103137574285355092020-11-26T13:37:00.000-05:002020-11-26T13:37:50.864-05:00Favorite Authors<p>Most of my books are still packed up and in storage in another town. I need to down-size what I currently have in my apartment so I can bring them in, and to sort out and eliminate at least half (ow!). I can't afford to buy any books. The library's digital library is notorious for having only the first book of series. I'm not a reader who will willingly consider any mystery or romance novel. After recently losing my mother, mysteries have to offer me something besides preoccupation with murder and death. I still have so much to do that I feel guilty about reading for pleasure. A reader is what I am though and sometimes I crave a good book so much it drives me nuts and reading one is the only way to regain my sanity.</p><p>At one point to regain some equilibrium I thought about the authors I like and whose newer books I would like to read, and hopefully purchase. This is my list in alphabetical order.</p><p><b>Barbara Allan's Trash N Treasures mystery series:</b> (Hyperlinks aren't working so I'll have to add them later.) II found this book at a sale. I'm not sure why I like this series written by wife and husband team by Barbara Collins and Max Allan Collins. Maybe it's the unpredictability of life in a small southern town. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.maxallancollins.com/books/antiques-maul/antiques-maul-pb-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="http://www.maxallancollins.com/books/antiques-maul/antiques-maul-pb-300.jpg" width="121" /></a></div><p><b>Donna Andrews's Meg Langslow mystery series:</b> Once again I found this series by buying a book at a sale. I don't know if you could find a funnier mystery series. All the titles have a bird in them. The series' heroine is Meg Langslow in Virginia who seems to be in the eyes of storms involving her extended, eccentric family and murder, somehow finding a way to resolve everything. So far my favorite is <i>Owl's Well That Ends Well</i> about a murder at a sale-of-the-century yard sale. Who wouldn't enjoy reading about people dressed up as giant birds dancing a chorus line on a Victorian porch?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.donnaandrews.com/bookcovers/owls130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="130" src="http://www.donnaandrews.com/bookcovers/owls130.jpg" /></a></div><b>Annie's Attic mystery series: </b>Another book sale find. This series is a little unusual in that that authors change. The main character is Annie Dawson who moved to Maine after inherited her grandmother's house there and belongs to a weekly knitting group. Not all the mysteries involve death, which I find quite refreshing. One mystery is about the woman in an embroidered picture her grandmother made. Another was about the deed she found in the attic. I wish more authors would consider other types of mysteries that we know are in life.<br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.anniesfiction.com/media/1558/FI0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="235" height="200" src="https://www.anniesfiction.com/media/1558/FI0001.jpg" width="140" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <b>Lillian Beckwith's Hebrides series: </b> This time I found almost the entire series of novels at a church sale. The author had to relocate to Scotland's Hebrides Islands for her health and there beginning in the late 1950s started writing and publishing novels about her life there. It was a way of life only lightly touched by modernity. People worked hard as fishermen and crofters, partied just as hard, and attended church on Sundays. They still spoke Gaelic and were as likely to follow ancestors' teachings as they were a modern specialist's. I'm not sure if I have read them all yet because I thin they tend to be reprinted.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/3a/11/ae/3a11aee7c4e1c495afc0e41a60c4a4e4--book-jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/3a/11/ae/3a11aee7c4e1c495afc0e41a60c4a4e4--book-jacket.jpg" width="125" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy mystery series:</b> This series uniquely involves the main human character's pets Mrs. Murphy the tabby cat, Tee Tucker the corgi dog, and Pewter the gray cat. Throughout the books they interact with the animals and wildlife on Harry Harristeen's Virginia farm and alternately help and protect Harry as she is irresistibly drawn to solve a murder. I enjoy the animals' dialogue and observations on life. In her later books the author began writing about Revolutionary War characters whose lives and mysteries are intertwined with Harry's community.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fprodimage.images-bn.com%2Fpimages%2F9780553898613_p0_v3_s550x406.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="248" height="200" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fprodimage.images-bn.com%2Fpimages%2F9780553898613_p0_v3_s550x406.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" width="122" /></a><b> </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Laurie Cass' Bookmobile Cat mystery series: </b>I found this in my library's digital offerings. Minnie Hamilton is a young librarian in rural Michigan whose cat Eddie stowed away in the library's new bookmobile to become an instant local celebrity within the book-reading community. I've only just started reading the series. I can identify with the main character since I am also a short, cat-loving book lover and I enjoyed visiting rural Michigan. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/9781101630013_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="257" height="200" src="http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/9781101630013_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG" width="122" /></a></div><b>Bailey Cates' Magical Bakery mystery series:</b> I needed some interesting audio books to help me get things done and I found the first two novels in this series as audio books at the library near work. Young Katie Lightfoot joins her aunt's bakery in Savannah, Georgia, and in the course of events learns that her aunt is a witch. While I don't believe in witchcraft, I feel there are things that can't be explained and who wouldn't want a little help in making things come out right.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a97199a5ffd20cae7418eb1/1563140768652-7CPILAWG8J0ENBKTOMH7/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kGxKKR252ZcB2HSJ079Yl-N7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QHyNOqBUUEtDDsRWrJLTmzUsryC7riGV7bTeYhg5SepZi-1YMy-Vtidswsvs5mcdTN8qoowjcePSZBG-tgqVO/B%26B.jpg?format=500w" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="494" height="200" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a97199a5ffd20cae7418eb1/1563140768652-7CPILAWG8J0ENBKTOMH7/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kGxKKR252ZcB2HSJ079Yl-N7gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QHyNOqBUUEtDDsRWrJLTmzUsryC7riGV7bTeYhg5SepZi-1YMy-Vtidswsvs5mcdTN8qoowjcePSZBG-tgqVO/B%26B.jpg?format=500w" width="124" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>James Herriot's semi-autobiographical series</b> on vet life in rural Yorkshire, England. I began reading the American editions of Mr Herriot's books when I was still borrowing books from the Philmont library. I read about care and concern for animals in pre-WW II England when medical care was very limited and rural people were still living and speaking as their ancestors had for generations. The stories are livened by the Farnon brothers and some of the practice's unforgettable clients and animals. I collected all the books and still read them occasionally.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309822073l/7182750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309822073l/7182750.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><b>Sofie Kelly's Magical Cat series: </b>Kathleen Paulson is a transplant to rural Minnesota who finds and rescues two kittens who each grow up to have a magical ability. She is a librarian who was hired to renovate the Andrew Carnegie Library and after finding so many friends in her new community decided to stay. I wish I could relocate there myself since I like the friends in her books so much. I also wish the original artist would come back to design the book covers. I finally remembered to email the author/publisher to voice my opinion that the last four covers are boring.<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sofiekelly.com/images/curiosity-225-shadow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="250" height="200" src="https://sofiekelly.com/images/curiosity-225-shadow.png" width="129" /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Alexander McCall Smith's <i>No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency</i> series: </b>Yet another book sale find. After her father becomes late, traditionally built Mma Precious Ramotswe decides to open up a detective agency in Botswana, Africa. These are slower paced books taking care to explain the country of Botswana and its traditional ways in a loving and entertaining way. Mma Ramotswe's new life brings in new people such as her ambitious secretary Mma Grace Makutsi and her steady friend and mechanic Rra JLB Matekoni as well as the unreliable and colorful apprentice mechanics who offer to save the ladies from a cobra in the office but have no idea how to do so.</p><p>I watched the first episode of the BBC series on YouTube and I was very disappointed. Mma Ramotswe is not driving her dearly loved white van, but a white pick-up truck. Rra JLB Matekoni's business is given the name of the garage that he had to take to task for shoddy work, not Tloweng Motors. The acting wasn't very sincere but campy. It was disrespectful to the author and to the series' fans. Stay with the books.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9781400034772_p0_v5_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="260" height="200" src="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9781400034772_p0_v5_s260x420.JPG" width="129" /></a></div><p><b>Sofie Ryan's Second Chance Cat mysteries: </b>Sofie Ryan is the same person as Sofie Kelly so I thought I would try reading this series as well. I was not disappointed. Sarah Grayson owns a second-hand and repurpose store in Maine. She is assisted by handsome and enigmatic Mac, a talented teenager and her grandmother's retired friends. When one of their friends is accused of murder, the seniors band together as Charlotte's Angels to solve the murder and prove they are still useful and not to be underestimated. The cat in the series is Elvis, a black cat with a mysterious scar on his nose who charms customers and is addicted to Jeopardy! The author has created another world that I would like to be a part of.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sofiekelly.com/images/buy-a-whisker-225-shadow.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="250" height="200" src="https://sofiekelly.com/images/buy-a-whisker-225-shadow.png" width="128" /></a></div><b>Patrick Taylor's <i>Irish Country Doctor</i> series:</b> Retired doctor Patrick Taylor writes about medical practice in rural Northern Ireland in the 1960s. It is set in mythical Ballybucklebo that the Irish Troubles never reached. After writing a triology passed on the Irish Troubles, Taylor began the <i>Irish Country Doctor </i>series, admitting they were a balm for his soul. I think he must enjoy thinking up medical tales and mysteries and problems that the locals have to resolve. He's written 14 books in the series as well as a cookbook. He may have written <i>An Irish Country Girl </i>just to write a good Irish ghost story. Young Barry Laverty receives his medical degree and begins as assistant to family doctor Fingal Flaherty O'Reilly and to be taken care of by housekeeper Maureen "Kinky" Kincaid. He finds Fingal has his own way of taking care of his patients, his blustery temper a cover-up for a man who goes out of his way to help his patients with their problems and still holds dear a wife he lost while serving during WW II. At the back of each book is a glossary of Northern Ireland terminology and recipes. I discovered many of these terms have entered American language.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7e/36/3e/7e363ee4fd79185679501baa5be876d0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="330" height="200" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7e/36/3e/7e363ee4fd79185679501baa5be876d0.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-43791204240412185922020-11-10T12:13:00.001-05:002020-11-26T10:12:57.092-05:00Sucking the Life Out of Us<p>This is directed to anyone who has money invested, including pension plans. Do you realize that this method of making money is sucking the life out of Americans? We have inflation because of the Federal Reserve. I know we have inflation because my expenses have doubled since 2003. The Fed raises interest rates so there are more returns on investment. And where is that money coming from? Us working people.</p><p>The Capitalistic investment system is sucking the life out of me almost literally. My salary is the same as it was in 2003. My rent takes half my salary. It was very difficult to find a decent apartment in the fall of 2019. I can only afford the employee contribution of about $240 monthly for my health insurance, but I can't afford testing, procedures or even eye glasses. I can't afford the recommended treatment for my cat's arthritis. I can't afford to have my car repaired. I can't afford fun: books, streaming services on-line, any subscriptions, a take-out meal, craft supplies, concerts on-line or not. How would people WITH investments like to live like me?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_k6sOgzJycL6lgT2q2GAC99isZCvywBs6nh8G_Cg2yz5SL2Xb0SEq_NCI_gEdX55kae7xlKMEhyphenhyphenS3itKcTaJQSyeyhcypH9oLSWjdTugh0n_qZ0Sw6LTmC1DFGyXAkfki9k_SM_YbGI/s660/dT4oodxkc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_k6sOgzJycL6lgT2q2GAC99isZCvywBs6nh8G_Cg2yz5SL2Xb0SEq_NCI_gEdX55kae7xlKMEhyphenhyphenS3itKcTaJQSyeyhcypH9oLSWjdTugh0n_qZ0Sw6LTmC1DFGyXAkfki9k_SM_YbGI/s320/dT4oodxkc.png" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>In case you think I am a crank, I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from what used to be a highly regarded college. I am a published author. I've had the same employment position for almost seven years. However, I have been underemployed my entire adult life because this economy has been so focused on businesses involved in the capitalist cycle and I could never make enough money for any sort of cushion to get myself farther. <br /></p><p>The investment process takes more and more money away from people leaving with less and less. Now it's really hurting me. I am not giving up though.</p><p>I AM THE BEST ME THERE IS AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE THAT!</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-13072169182353315542020-11-07T20:30:00.002-05:002020-11-07T20:30:59.815-05:00Soft Purple Mystery Yarn<p> At September's yarn yard sale I bought two balls of mystery yarn that I'd like to identify.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJ0aElbK7W4-dU1fXJj1xRlmrrsYQQKMfSEeNBsfnaLcyik-566K1sR_4rVvzDXrw4ejAWCQbtUkWnS29lFWF-mHPr4QG8gZwORZ-d3WINpMfRGHVAaGecrU7V_uztBZTNGzdZJFst2Q/s2560/20201106_131422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJ0aElbK7W4-dU1fXJj1xRlmrrsYQQKMfSEeNBsfnaLcyik-566K1sR_4rVvzDXrw4ejAWCQbtUkWnS29lFWF-mHPr4QG8gZwORZ-d3WINpMfRGHVAaGecrU7V_uztBZTNGzdZJFst2Q/s2560/20201106_131422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHP8pk6XQ9Fg6L42MWMirCQOwe1D42_FUN_ojh17fvfrISUtasrN8cXscQLKtpwyg66-0gbbb0JLvjzM6OpPnl7la7yDNzkAhcx1pdysz0IapJ0_g8_0GknPedLbvSfAaLKFngLKz0wjM/s1695/20201106_131422%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1695" data-original-width="1402" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHP8pk6XQ9Fg6L42MWMirCQOwe1D42_FUN_ojh17fvfrISUtasrN8cXscQLKtpwyg66-0gbbb0JLvjzM6OpPnl7la7yDNzkAhcx1pdysz0IapJ0_g8_0GknPedLbvSfAaLKFngLKz0wjM/s320/20201106_131422%257E2.jpg" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The yarn is a fingering weight, fuzzy animal fiber plied with a synthetic strand with an aurora borealis quality. It doesn't have a lot of elasticity. I discovered that I like to wear a cowl that has a little sparkle to it and I thought this would be nice. I need to find out how many yards this has. I thought of using Ravelry to figure it out, but even using filters I'm given many thousands of choices. I remember seeing this for sale on Webs' web site at one time. I can't even remember the company. I'm hoping maybe someone might recognize this.<br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-81407405984519273812020-11-07T18:51:00.000-05:002020-11-07T18:51:30.944-05:00Cat Blankets a Success<p>I really liked the <a href="https://yarnbooksroses.com/2019/10/30/mackenzie-speaks-my-blankie-my-blankie-2/" target="_blank">cat blanket</a> that Midnight Knitter of <a href="https://yarnbooksroses.com/" target="_blank">Yarn, Books & Roses</a> made for her cat MacKenzie out of multiple plies of different animal fiber yarn. Emily loves premium animal fiber and I thought both cats would like the cushiony feel under their feet. As I related in a previous post, I found multiple balls of animal fiber yarn at a yarn yard sale at a price to good to refuse. </p><p>The two blankets were quick and fun to knit. The first blanket I used a strand of Great Adirondack merino and one of mohair both in hydrangea, a strand of what I suspect was purple merino and silk since it had a sheen, and red violet mohair. I used size 13 needles in a garter stitch, slipping the first stitch purl-wise to make a nice edge.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_na2JOz78ehCR7dEW4uOYuYWcsENRkTK8QPOhJ2zLmLchyvM6THSmEHWM2p2AtLjMkHjtSKO9_CSn9r9uBxkhNj-IDt5Ofc9bGk2cQKuMW8UJznzX7dxQCPBzxLt-S8ku2msXS0L85ks/s2560/20200921_074735_Burst15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_na2JOz78ehCR7dEW4uOYuYWcsENRkTK8QPOhJ2zLmLchyvM6THSmEHWM2p2AtLjMkHjtSKO9_CSn9r9uBxkhNj-IDt5Ofc9bGk2cQKuMW8UJznzX7dxQCPBzxLt-S8ku2msXS0L85ks/s320/20200921_074735_Burst15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>This is the first blanket. The weather was still warm when I finished it but Emily seemed to like it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzrBdruIQlp8X_J0GqPE_Jb3meNDo3CfuMAVGGKj3KX1SjyQxWH9WN0saMIEr2oCleyxbyTVSTF9N1VDYNrCIM1Hz0RM-S1LhoA_ZUJOmlgwVIyPpVsJ0KlJZcbuTqhFPxSIPYPtgydo/s2560/20200926_134257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzrBdruIQlp8X_J0GqPE_Jb3meNDo3CfuMAVGGKj3KX1SjyQxWH9WN0saMIEr2oCleyxbyTVSTF9N1VDYNrCIM1Hz0RM-S1LhoA_ZUJOmlgwVIyPpVsJ0KlJZcbuTqhFPxSIPYPtgydo/s320/20200926_134257.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>I spied both cats kneading the finished blanket and looking very blissful. I knew the blanket was a success when they fought over who would lie on it. They've both had their turns. (Please ignore the filthy chair. It's 14 years old and surface washing does nothing. I need to steam clean it. I'm waiting for the heat to be on consistently.)<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhgIO82CNi9uQLdcmVXmhyphenhyphenRZ7YV5R18sQHT2Itza8bxDDJ6SpPW3tQ-nmrC9mk2cohOj2FXzGHSMJIXwjmaKNrUOdla9SsJJ4ku9hwJhP6ovIF4FsgkXUeleX5rAa4jPf3Waex9hXKpw/s2560/20201020_155918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhgIO82CNi9uQLdcmVXmhyphenhyphenRZ7YV5R18sQHT2Itza8bxDDJ6SpPW3tQ-nmrC9mk2cohOj2FXzGHSMJIXwjmaKNrUOdla9SsJJ4ku9hwJhP6ovIF4FsgkXUeleX5rAa4jPf3Waex9hXKpw/s320/20201020_155918.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7O6LwbLosD6MIulwyTvnLJqQHD7vbi1RNEPqKtDeygnrWKtxKDhUQm0hzXQqX7UeOzz-g9HNKQ1u8MrpYYHniKCH9GfbJjIwAN4yQ13JtyvcmRnGwgx2WokKHH6GwBcVVi5kbP37drzA/s2560/20201022_095158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7O6LwbLosD6MIulwyTvnLJqQHD7vbi1RNEPqKtDeygnrWKtxKDhUQm0hzXQqX7UeOzz-g9HNKQ1u8MrpYYHniKCH9GfbJjIwAN4yQ13JtyvcmRnGwgx2WokKHH6GwBcVVi5kbP37drzA/s320/20201022_095158.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The bluer one seems to be the favorite. One day I tricked Molly into lying on the pinker one. Her sister suddenly decided to sleep in the box in the cat tree where Molly had been sleeping. I put the pinker blanket on the top of the lower level box to make her feel better.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54qnDH06B-z7bMRjEjcZnIMdYfS61tNi6jHmOjKKvXNetanoS0rylxSaAGNxFGoQwLdtYgB-zygCPQQ_-cKP3MgsjU6UUifnaYXoCdf_1SeDa6qW_xbWtU98CWEmyJb1vKFyUufoJatA/s2560/20201018_145940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54qnDH06B-z7bMRjEjcZnIMdYfS61tNi6jHmOjKKvXNetanoS0rylxSaAGNxFGoQwLdtYgB-zygCPQQ_-cKP3MgsjU6UUifnaYXoCdf_1SeDa6qW_xbWtU98CWEmyJb1vKFyUufoJatA/s320/20201018_145940.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Although the bluer blanket is still prized, Molly seems to like the pinker blanket too. For that I used the other ball of hydrangea merino, red violet mohair, purple and pink wool. It's not quite as fuzzy as the other one. I don't know if the bluer blanket's appeal is the color or the fuzziness.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdX0Ll0R6bk3tHT_m3Bi6lVklc53_VCT5tlgFUx3HQlIECjPUG4e1OD_o8yVNVyWZtptgMYifB3r8SA6Ma5emDeP8MzzO9ejY9CcQYEmcA1p14OorfzLWGfxCaLpvK58fZHtDk_N2_Sg/s1850/20201031_163429%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1358" data-original-width="1850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdX0Ll0R6bk3tHT_m3Bi6lVklc53_VCT5tlgFUx3HQlIECjPUG4e1OD_o8yVNVyWZtptgMYifB3r8SA6Ma5emDeP8MzzO9ejY9CcQYEmcA1p14OorfzLWGfxCaLpvK58fZHtDk_N2_Sg/s320/20201031_163429%257E2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>By the end of winter they will probably both be well used. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-28200640744769475182020-11-07T18:23:00.000-05:002020-11-07T18:23:06.623-05:00Well Timed Yarn Yard Sale<p>When I was particularly frustrated with life one September morning I realized I could go to a yarn yard sale. Even though one of my frustrations was money I went. Once there I discovered the yarns were remainders from the yarn shop Amazing Threads that closed. The weather was beautiful. It was just the therapy I needed.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlCUjQRgao5Nnrzdnh-_RTmodC1vIt6c8zF4Kt0tJsqcSL6FOxol-IzJmoYnF6orEqtNLzLxuC-qUtx02Rp7LwBMfHCPcA1sHc3QOvU2-Q2IP8pyELHwS1qq6H7nA5H72XCbshaCFuJ4/s2560/20200919_140205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlCUjQRgao5Nnrzdnh-_RTmodC1vIt6c8zF4Kt0tJsqcSL6FOxol-IzJmoYnF6orEqtNLzLxuC-qUtx02Rp7LwBMfHCPcA1sHc3QOvU2-Q2IP8pyELHwS1qq6H7nA5H72XCbshaCFuJ4/s320/20200919_140205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Here is a photo of most of my purchases. The most expensive yarns were the labelled yarn in multiple quantities. I found fuschia Aslan Trends Royal Alpaca worsted, dark red Needful Cara Mia aran weight, and blue-purple Aslan Trends Sante Fe sock yarn. I also found teal and fuschia Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima. </p><p>I owed a shawl to someone in exchange for story-telling lessons. She likes cool colors and I found fingering yarn for that project. The dark red yarn is for a garment I owe a friend. <br /></p><p>I also found many unlabelled yarns that I could use for cat blankets. I was inspired by a ball of two yarns that had already been combined. I suspect they were both Great Adirondack yarns in its hydrangea colorway, one merino and one mohair. There was another ball in merino and a red violet mohair. I found a couple different balls of purple and one pink. That was enough for two blankets. I liked McKenzie's blanket from Yarn, Books and Roses very much. My cat Emily likes premium animal fiber yarn and I thought they would like the cushiony texture of the multiple strands. This was the only way I could ever afford to do it. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YSiVYuNc02CLQo0BLdMQCzQktZTud8klCQ3pAfICmTgXopXxMf2n2C-_D6xuXOj9WaOEdFh5g_y9S70m4Yg7G2AYlH1A8suZvas2MC1fLarUWTNvFQClxIcGRx0Py3vwbBSECGx3pb4/s2560/20200919_140241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YSiVYuNc02CLQo0BLdMQCzQktZTud8klCQ3pAfICmTgXopXxMf2n2C-_D6xuXOj9WaOEdFh5g_y9S70m4Yg7G2AYlH1A8suZvas2MC1fLarUWTNvFQClxIcGRx0Py3vwbBSECGx3pb4/s320/20200919_140241.jpg" /></a></div> <p></p><p>There were knitting books but I didn't find anything I particularly liked. I did find some cookbooks I liked. I have developed an allergy to baking yeast. It is very inconvenient. I love bread. It is severe enough that I can't buy any prepared food with yeast as an additive. I can't drink alcohol or eat any food with alcohol in it. I can't eat food that's been fermented. Even baked goods without yeast in the ingredients I can't buy in stores because it's been cross-contaminated with yeast from other products. I really didn't want to have to spend time making my own baked goods too. I found what seemed to be some very good yeast-free recipes in the cookbooks I took home.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHb6hFUeVv9pigb1CxrYPFAOTaZw0frj3I75z4nMwGiUN2Stmi9QJLk0lZiyN2h-dj3jv7hMGbAlG69XH3qgmQj50FxThb2rPRqNhyphenhyphenC_qQiKLsAkl1ZIWaoO6jrtxBDaD-PDnAa6lUGQ/s2560/20200919_125144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHb6hFUeVv9pigb1CxrYPFAOTaZw0frj3I75z4nMwGiUN2Stmi9QJLk0lZiyN2h-dj3jv7hMGbAlG69XH3qgmQj50FxThb2rPRqNhyphenhyphenC_qQiKLsAkl1ZIWaoO6jrtxBDaD-PDnAa6lUGQ/s320/20200919_125144.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>I am also very pleased with the wire basket on casters too. It's about the size of a large laundry basket. The top rung needs to be welded back in place. It's already become distorted. I need to make a couple phone calls about getting it fixed. It will be a nice thing to have</p><p>I spent 55 dollars that day. The retail price for for the shawl alone would have been more than that. I can knit that garment now and the one for my friend. I really thought the cats would like the blankets, their first ones ever. I had wanted to knit a pretty cotton top for summer and I can do that with the teal cotton. I have a baby knitting stash at home again. (The main one is in storage in another town.) More allergy-avoidant recipes are good too. I figured out the total retail price of what I bought would have been about <b>$1,027</b>. I think this was one of my best choices ever.</p><p>For once I didn't go to the Adirondack Fiber Fest. It will be very hard to top this experience.<br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-31284077863552748922020-11-07T15:04:00.002-05:002020-11-07T15:04:51.176-05:00Cats Out of the Kitchen<p>The cats are out of the kitchen. They are now on top of bookcases in the living room. They used to reside on a set of shelves in the kitchen in the old place. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRyN-igjpAO7V8vjdJZgUwb6EfqPbzuQS0xlTuDT6VBnjSDCaHLUagDTVPiKTHnezCk9sOAtQaFYdrz7wNfQUhGkD5pWk8aSzbDNZ_6Y-_6eFu1BYWes5n5ka4TiI_YjzOoeb7gMeM2o/s2560/20201003_161655.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRyN-igjpAO7V8vjdJZgUwb6EfqPbzuQS0xlTuDT6VBnjSDCaHLUagDTVPiKTHnezCk9sOAtQaFYdrz7wNfQUhGkD5pWk8aSzbDNZ_6Y-_6eFu1BYWes5n5ka4TiI_YjzOoeb7gMeM2o/s320/20201003_161655.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p>The oldest piece is the tiger cat cookie jar on the far right. I can't even remember how long ago I found it in Mr. Tanner's shop in Hudson, NY. I could have bought it in the 1980s. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsVuzFWoldmOJtbFX3Ms5pce4QluGoCJmKYV6Y8qn_YOoWWFFN2Zso7eyeTQG-zhwU-eEv_Orl8H6J82AD_ZKfuRbhm1ZoRNc3qsPxVZDeFIhwiPn1V6mYFdShrZDmQqIwfxI_ZH8yCc/s2560/20201003_161808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghsVuzFWoldmOJtbFX3Ms5pce4QluGoCJmKYV6Y8qn_YOoWWFFN2Zso7eyeTQG-zhwU-eEv_Orl8H6J82AD_ZKfuRbhm1ZoRNc3qsPxVZDeFIhwiPn1V6mYFdShrZDmQqIwfxI_ZH8yCc/s320/20201003_161808.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>I bought the Boston Warehouse black and white cat canister cat in the middle two apartments ago. I didn't have much wall space there. In the last apartment I could put them on a set of shelves in the kitchen. Since I had the room I decided to track down the coordinating pieces. I found a few more black and white cats I really liked, like the cute cat on the far left playing with the yarn, a great find for a knitter.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLOGVHFC20jq79B6dodt-5p4q8c7xABQ3aAkDeaQuNxQVjX24S3j1R8puioKFsxxRMJe3ex5KUUpkRq2EproeEwruCz1TDgRKJsE_7kbBug3TkuHdPfntPdMB7IO08RV7QPhOT6w87Zk/s440/guiltycatjar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="409" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLOGVHFC20jq79B6dodt-5p4q8c7xABQ3aAkDeaQuNxQVjX24S3j1R8puioKFsxxRMJe3ex5KUUpkRq2EproeEwruCz1TDgRKJsE_7kbBug3TkuHdPfntPdMB7IO08RV7QPhOT6w87Zk/s320/guiltycatjar.jpg" /></a></div><br /> I miss seeing this cutie. It's packed away somewhere but I will find it. <p></p><p> I like having the cookie jars in the living room. I see them more. I've never wanted to spend a lot of time in my kitchen. In my current kitchen there isn't even room to sit! <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-91474866319550705642020-10-18T02:04:00.000-04:002020-10-18T02:04:02.465-04:00Little Things About Being Poor<p> <br />During the COVID-19 pandemic the media writes a little more often about poverty. Many people have unexpectedly found themselves losing jobs and homes due to the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Very fortunately, for once, I am not one of them. I am still poor, however. My salary is approximately the same it was in 2003. When I was packing this past year I found bills that showed the cost of living has <i>doubled </i>since 2003. I don't read that very often.</p><p>The media tends to ignore some aspects of being poor. It's never mentioned that the poor don't take stereotypical vacations often, if ever. The last time I did was in 2006, if you consider packing your own food to eat along the way stereotypical. Poor people can worry a lot about making purchases. Sometimes twenty dollars can be the different between eating and not eating for a week. In my case it can even mean doing without water. I am allergic to whatever is used to soften it by the apartment complex so I have to buy bottled water to drink and cook with.</p><p>Recently I spent a week agonizing over buying a 4-foot artificial Christmas tree. I doubt I will have room for my 6 foot tree, even though it's narrow, in my new apartment. I purchased the tree because I realized real ones weren't good for my allergies and the cost was getting very high. I don't really like the Christmas season. It's the unreal expectations we are forced to view every single year. I find I decorate for Christmas to make myself feel better about it. I also haven't been able to do so for the past few years, at least not since 2017 when my mother was hospitalized for the last and final time. The only decoration I did was Mom's nursing home room. Moving after 16 years and a summer of illegal harassment by my apartment complex was traumatic. I am still paying for my move and having trouble paying bills generally. This tree is the most life-like artificial tree I recall seeing and I don't know if I'll find another like it. This type of conversation constantly went on in my head. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnV8-1XGKvDyTpt3Gfnl2y-NupYW_FyUV6vIpr9SDOv4Rjiv9jQmoSh9F-Mc_tQBT2BAQr0sUByZ76dAaUlVdXQQ4E_wBuPg7JR9mSrBIC-6MPZWumxp61Q2CYr71Hj022mAeQbxbTDw/s424/mytree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="228" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnV8-1XGKvDyTpt3Gfnl2y-NupYW_FyUV6vIpr9SDOv4Rjiv9jQmoSh9F-Mc_tQBT2BAQr0sUByZ76dAaUlVdXQQ4E_wBuPg7JR9mSrBIC-6MPZWumxp61Q2CYr71Hj022mAeQbxbTDw/s320/mytree.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p>This is the tree I bought. This is what Christmas trees looked like when I was a kid. It wasn't a furry cone with dense tips. I guess the cone shape came about because of artificial trees and the desire for perfection. Then real trees started being trimmed to copy the artificial trees. How sad. </p><p>My mother also had an entire collection of Lenox carousel ornaments. I helped her hang them on an evergreen garland one year. That's the last time I saw them used. I found out that the lion had been damaged and replaced it for her. Packing up her apartment later I found three more had been damaged. I replaced them too because she would have liked that. For some reason I want to use them this year. I also know putting them on the tree on the crowded floor with two cats would not be a good idea. However a small tree on the table would work very well, and look very pretty.</p><p>Today I also bought this neat little set of metal shelves. They're meant for jewelry storage most likely. There are three round tiered shelves with filigree sides about an inch and half high. The middle tier swings out so you can use it. I found some of my earrings and had them all together in one box. It was time consuming to sort them out. With these little shelves I can do that. When I no longer need them for my earrings, I can use the shelves for office supplies or other crafting supplies. I can feel very guilty about spending money on something that isn't absolutely necessary, for weeks. I will be telling myself how pretty and useful these shelves are for a long time to legitimize buying them. Thirteen dollars may not be a lot of money to some, but obviously it is to me these days. </p><p>A month or two ago I came up short of money. I sat down and added up what money I spent on myself for things not necessary this year. At the end of September it was about $210. Even I don't think that sounds like going overboard. Tell that to my Budget. It feels like a living monster sometimes.</p><p>I wish person who demanded more return on their investments were told it meant that prices would increase for everyone else and more people have to do without. That includes doing without health, vision, and dental care. It means more children and more pets are treated less well. It means more people drive older cars in poorer, possibly more dangerous, condition. It means people are less likely to visit friends and family. It means more people work over-time because they have to in order to make ends meet. Yes, they would like to spend the evenings having fun, but sometimes fun is paying a bill when you can. It means nights of insomnia for sensitive people like me who didn't expect to live hand to mouth with the potential of retirement in a few years.</p><p>I am going to try working at least two more hours over-time this week to pay for the Christmas tree.It's not that easy for me because I have fairly serious allergies that make me tired all the time. Being poor means you work over-time when you don't feel good as well.</p><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-90081463909336178352020-07-12T14:34:00.001-04:002020-07-12T14:34:43.007-04:00Working from HomeOne reason why I like working for my company is that I can earn the right to work at home. I thought it would be better for my multiple allergies. I joined the disaster recovery term to learn how and worked one day a month from home.<div><br /></div><div>This is Molly helping me in the new apartment on my disaster recovery day. She was so excited to have me there all day. For a long time she walked back and forth, rubbing herself against my face. In the afternoon she wanted to play! So I worked the computer with my right hand and used a wand to to play with her with my left hand.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyTiVZG1XWt9AR_oW2jwPCEu6AfGIzql7wvet5U12zOk-jrW2HUgQOnI8lDW6UMqHp6-KChMV4utIhncmkt-s2_3ZXRiPdeBsnhjaUy7c1mIHn2q0oC77smW9o4-L4jyCXnSP_sID1cw/s4160/0131201012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHyTiVZG1XWt9AR_oW2jwPCEu6AfGIzql7wvet5U12zOk-jrW2HUgQOnI8lDW6UMqHp6-KChMV4utIhncmkt-s2_3ZXRiPdeBsnhjaUy7c1mIHn2q0oC77smW9o4-L4jyCXnSP_sID1cw/s320/0131201012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>I was sent to work from home on March 23 for the interim. It has helped my allergies greatly. Between moving away from the old apartment with forced air heat and getting away from all the artificial scent, my postnasal drip has stopped, my asthma is almost gone, and I'm not quite as tired. There was a change in company policy. I shouldn't be going back to the office for a long while, if ever.<div><br /></div><div>My cat Emily loves that I work from home. After a couple months we were told to come exchange our laptops for our office workstation. That meant I would be wearing headphones and using an Internet phone set-up. Emily was very upset! I didn't know she enjoyed listening to the phone calls over the speaker phone so much. She joined any conference call too. She has gotten over that. Every day she keeps me company sitting on a nearby chair. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_zUgby8sszt956m47YcF_G8U9RL4OgJQkzHqJSZLZLf89NzrYlzXSNPMoO_LJm2eCRhwuQ9zBP7Vx2CDzZ5VyYWVPgPl4haQ5mkph9tr4dEdUtNqI5Js7pkHRFmpspQeL9-c6PHM5r4/s4160/0331200847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_zUgby8sszt956m47YcF_G8U9RL4OgJQkzHqJSZLZLf89NzrYlzXSNPMoO_LJm2eCRhwuQ9zBP7Vx2CDzZ5VyYWVPgPl4haQ5mkph9tr4dEdUtNqI5Js7pkHRFmpspQeL9-c6PHM5r4/s320/0331200847.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't work for a couple days during the week. She kept trying to get me to go to the computer and start working. She was very happy when I started working the next day. </div><div><br /></div><div>One reason I chose this apartment is that it had a second bedroom to use as an office. It was about the only two bedroom apartment I could afford. I had no idea that a pandemic was coming. I started wearing a mask as soon as the CDC said we should and I've been staying at home. I've always washed my hands after coming home. So far so good. I don't understand why so many people in the United States thinks wearing a mask, social distancing, and staying at home is foolish. I wonder if they were ever taught about the Spanish Flu epidemic from 1918 through 1920. The Spanish flu in its second wave attacked the healthiest people. They could come down with the symptoms in the morning and be dead by nightfall. </div></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgpN1zpqlpR2UcCcKeisCjJzOzWOWNmrejMmDvGLfYQOJcrQ-x0-VvHnGJa_M0tjnQ1BHFE7Gg6ssLIsQG7oqoY3Rg0Bm-GcZw1oxCkhxEngbwQCT3hawAYESDsb56slRU1glqr0zIv6qK1d1kg5WP0ZbK1n51sdaA2MQ3mrSHJjJF0ZA6uZToxyqjxYEQ=s789" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="789" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgpN1zpqlpR2UcCcKeisCjJzOzWOWNmrejMmDvGLfYQOJcrQ-x0-VvHnGJa_M0tjnQ1BHFE7Gg6ssLIsQG7oqoY3Rg0Bm-GcZw1oxCkhxEngbwQCT3hawAYESDsb56slRU1glqr0zIv6qK1d1kg5WP0ZbK1n51sdaA2MQ3mrSHJjJF0ZA6uZToxyqjxYEQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Once on the radio someone who survived the Spanish flu epidemic was interviewed. He said that that he went to his best friend's house and asked if he could come out and play. His friend's mother told him that he couldn't come out to play and to ask his mother why. His friend had died of the flu. He was one of the 675,000 who died. How many deaths have we had in this country from COVID-19 so far?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgY37FLwTv-JNUbszjKC2w4hup3wlq82bAKu-ALsCLRk2wfJv2mn04BB1b28iQrtHiHzoTJMgqcBbEEGaw-7m_W7Q7SqSBW0fbXj2UvatLmcD0u-Acn4GVotoX0TxReqbIar4PQXnXoLmiOTOnrIJjBr_e0oyFtuctZZQa1luaxtXDqZx7q0oPWkimSrhIKiek0KWIaE90yjKxIbu3sWG0HYgsneG3aDjsdgA57jmknPHRnZm5gf3aFss7Yk938stbJVDgDUtDis3BkW5H5awsb_conRL8MyygjaqqlU34FlnSkFw4p4H3dCfZAU9R2ef_6uzRRrw=s850" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="827" data-original-width="850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgY37FLwTv-JNUbszjKC2w4hup3wlq82bAKu-ALsCLRk2wfJv2mn04BB1b28iQrtHiHzoTJMgqcBbEEGaw-7m_W7Q7SqSBW0fbXj2UvatLmcD0u-Acn4GVotoX0TxReqbIar4PQXnXoLmiOTOnrIJjBr_e0oyFtuctZZQa1luaxtXDqZx7q0oPWkimSrhIKiek0KWIaE90yjKxIbu3sWG0HYgsneG3aDjsdgA57jmknPHRnZm5gf3aFss7Yk938stbJVDgDUtDis3BkW5H5awsb_conRL8MyygjaqqlU34FlnSkFw4p4H3dCfZAU9R2ef_6uzRRrw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-46490719369428402072020-07-12T12:43:00.000-04:002020-07-12T12:43:05.760-04:00Being Creative AgainI'm finally able to be creative again after moving. The only thing I can do is knit. My beading stuff is packed away in different spots. I have to attack the study to make it livable before I even think sewing. I don't know exactly where my fabric is. I was able to find yarn for a vest and for cat foot chair protectors. <div><br /></div><div>I have hardwood floors in my apartment and I wanted to protect them. I liked the <a href="https://www.letsknit.co.uk/free-knitting-patterns/chair-paws">Chair Paws</a> by Nicola Valiji when I first saw them. This is my chance to play with them.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjYIdBXlTn7sY2v4pQdjIrpaf_Op7tBok8uonV1FjVgmr7_lR-qdtzgGg5T3x1ZYHT4IPxTNC13ptaB41AKZGTgXhWX0ZvpGi4QUALg5d-llatJr5lQPad-qhFb0vTugJ40COoyr6jQtp0kDJnlvK2Okb6su1O5dS-UAw7wB-GBzUJM3mFKMdpkztEfY4mm8rArs6aROvXBn0bpPwnaqV-v5fJy7jDE-4DkSKdwuxUlQYSb=s450" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjYIdBXlTn7sY2v4pQdjIrpaf_Op7tBok8uonV1FjVgmr7_lR-qdtzgGg5T3x1ZYHT4IPxTNC13ptaB41AKZGTgXhWX0ZvpGi4QUALg5d-llatJr5lQPad-qhFb0vTugJ40COoyr6jQtp0kDJnlvK2Okb6su1O5dS-UAw7wB-GBzUJM3mFKMdpkztEfY4mm8rArs6aROvXBn0bpPwnaqV-v5fJy7jDE-4DkSKdwuxUlQYSb=s320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My cats are both tortoiseshell so I decided to use that color theme, as well as gray striped. I bought DK acrylic yarn on sale. I took a chance on one color for the light color of the tortoiseshell but it didn't work. Since Webs sold out of the yarn I bought, I looked elsewhere and found <a href="https://us.deramores.com/?msclkid=954d83b5b4201b2b3801dcbe8d35e9fc&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Brand%20-%20Deramores%20(US)%20-%20Exact&utm_term=deramores&utm_content=Brand%20-%20Generic%20-%20Core%20-%20(US)%20-%20Exact">Deramores web site</a>. Today I managed to find what I hope is the right lighter colors for the tortoiseshell and the cat toes. I hope these are fun to knit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My other project is the <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/easy-knit-vest-2">Easy-Knit Vest</a> by Kathy North. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">'</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEghB_x8bInFEZm3rSFVnksWoW-UftJbmZ55gL03hrdLGZV5EZMCsfLlvV7rmQzHayNKPONKGb2ndSOfcweqcGTuPyvaNTXFqO7HpnoEMPhNJbWMdq4rwl-tztAvEFA1jKzyp2zT32jQCyuZeDuo-GhW1ZVcpmSWazSyE5S7C8NmQSMNHhPnI-tsXWIfjK2ngmFGOqNQ8jnSAg=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="486" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEghB_x8bInFEZm3rSFVnksWoW-UftJbmZ55gL03hrdLGZV5EZMCsfLlvV7rmQzHayNKPONKGb2ndSOfcweqcGTuPyvaNTXFqO7HpnoEMPhNJbWMdq4rwl-tztAvEFA1jKzyp2zT32jQCyuZeDuo-GhW1ZVcpmSWazSyE5S7C8NmQSMNHhPnI-tsXWIfjK2ngmFGOqNQ8jnSAg=s320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>The yarn is Fibranatura Inca Colors.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKM6JT8l29ANeouqEyrweGUMsfBNXvdtOTAKun-t_OnI1RX6Bjrgap6etu9fmeQUkUrDZsa2hslbmGkz6jK5P7NA6JFx85ejGj9Yi1d3soG2WwiSgRES3BJNlpfNWbBwnIcDgRXs8AnxM/s4160/0525201415a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKM6JT8l29ANeouqEyrweGUMsfBNXvdtOTAKun-t_OnI1RX6Bjrgap6etu9fmeQUkUrDZsa2hslbmGkz6jK5P7NA6JFx85ejGj9Yi1d3soG2WwiSgRES3BJNlpfNWbBwnIcDgRXs8AnxM/s320/0525201415a.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The colors in the photo are pretty much true to life. The blueish color the company calls navy, but it isn't. I found the buttons at In Sheep's Clothing in Torrington, CT. I couldn't find a better match if I tried. The yarn either stacks or makes an argyle pattern. I'm going with the argyle. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-27772851147048940772020-07-08T12:17:00.003-04:002020-07-08T12:17:51.718-04:00Identifying an Artist<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sL-fDMHlLPe-DMj-6wYPc6oqV2NgV6KbyA1cJW4l4LqPnaWIsQtbQI_zS6bvl6pM8wS9R2njEo76I1uXenzKVsG8BVLkLz7jYmMG_sSBH7aLXvavm0RGmoWLFBQNxoxv5VUfMS_r0WE/s4160/0415201337a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sL-fDMHlLPe-DMj-6wYPc6oqV2NgV6KbyA1cJW4l4LqPnaWIsQtbQI_zS6bvl6pM8wS9R2njEo76I1uXenzKVsG8BVLkLz7jYmMG_sSBH7aLXvavm0RGmoWLFBQNxoxv5VUfMS_r0WE/s320/0415201337a.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is one of my favorite prints, I've come to realize. The title is "The Notch from Rte 23C N. Lexington." I know this is in the Catskill Mountains in New York State</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyeJC05AykHjcSzsHbuFDnOYvl81iDF6FMI3YlK3_eOhwyqda6A-oJ-9ozm0hIn146xAPEh1g5WBlBfB6JTv7kOHlldrN_O1kZQdJ1hErT0A4PiZIgI1WSiHYZcYobpsxd8Fcerb0_SiQ/s4160/0415201337b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyeJC05AykHjcSzsHbuFDnOYvl81iDF6FMI3YlK3_eOhwyqda6A-oJ-9ozm0hIn146xAPEh1g5WBlBfB6JTv7kOHlldrN_O1kZQdJ1hErT0A4PiZIgI1WSiHYZcYobpsxd8Fcerb0_SiQ/s320/0415201337b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I looked at the artist's signature. It's not very legible but it looks like it could be the same last name as mine. How frustrating!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com1North Lexington, Lexington, NY 12468, USA42.2748078 -74.38598115.967613076065849 -109.542231 68.58200252393415 -39.229731tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-86825469587588330652020-07-07T20:08:00.001-04:002020-07-07T20:08:12.812-04:00Moving to a Smaller PlaceThis past year has been very stressful and it continues. The stresses just changed. The ultimate was moving from the largest apartment I ever had to one of smallest. There were smaller places I looked at. It was extremely difficult finding a decent place that I could afford. It was partly because it was the end of the year. It was also because looking for an apartment moved to the web. The owners get to pick and choose who to respond to. It wasn't like it was when I was younger, the first one to see it with the money and decent references gets the place. Many owners required that the rent only be one third of my monthly salary. My salary was never that large.<div><br /></div><div>I wasn't even able to look at many apartments. One apartment may have a washer set-up but there was no closet in the bedroom. The only closet was outside the back door in a mudroom. Another place was in a nearby downtown city. The living room was rather small. It had a gas heater and there was something wrong with it. The whole place reeked. The owner who rehabbed the place didn't even know there was something wrong with it. The view from the bedroom was the side of the house next door.</div><div>
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I had trouble figuring out how to move from a larger place to a smaller place. There's a lot of information about down-sizing, but I didn't find it that helpful. After pondering about what I should have done, I figured out the main idea should have been to move the most important things to the apartment, and store the rest until later. It might be obvious to some people, but I was so stressed and didn't have anyone to talk to. Everyone always has to vent to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I like where I am very much. The only problem is that I am allergic to the chemicals used to soften the water. I can't even drink a little of it now. I can buy a home water distiller but I haven't been able to save up the money. Moving was very expensive.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have discovered that good windows are important. I was upset when my old apartment complex replaced the windows. The wood frame ones I had were good. They had the screens and the storm windows and didn't leak. The new ones were the new combinations with double-glazed windows and screens. Man, were they leaky! I had to tape the cracks to keep the wind from blowing through. If they let in cold, they let in heat. My apartment was so much hotter in the summer. </div><div><br /></div><div>The windows here are good. It was never cold in here during the winter. My apartment is the coolest I've had during the summer since 1995. I also have great cross ventilation as well. There are two big trees in front. I get to hear the breeze blow through tree leaves again. </div><div><br /></div><div>The cats seem happy here. They'll be even happier when I've gone through and emptied all the boxes. The cats have three views. Since we are on the first floor now, they have a good view of the birds, squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks. We don't seem to have skunks and I"m very happy about that. In Latham almost every warm night ended up skunk scented.</div><div><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-9730781355621960672019-11-30T22:04:00.000-05:002019-11-30T22:04:29.169-05:00New ShoesToday I went to a favorite resell store, <a href="http://www.somethingoldenew.com/" target="_blank">Something Olde Something New</a>, with a friend. I hadn't been there in a long time, and I hadn't gone out anywhere since the end of September. I really didn't want to buy anything, but I found a pair of shoes. I needed shoes. The stitching was wearing off the top seams and the soles seriously wearing down on my old leather shoes, and the soles wore down on my favorite sneakers so badly they made my knee hurt. I found a pair of SAS ankle boots in my size. I like ankle boots. I don't like the way the cold can leak in through the throat of lace-up shoes. I saved about <b>$150 </b>on the boots and they have never been worn. The same friend had given me tie-dyed shoe strings that I still had in my handbag. They made the shoes.<br />
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I also finished my legwarmers tonight, using a variation of the <a href="http://knitallthethings.blogspot.com/2012/07/easy-peasy-legwarmers.html" target="_blank">Easy Peasy Legwarmers</a> from the <i>Knit All The Things! </i>blog. I needed more stretch to the body shoe I knit the entire piece in k3, p1 ribbing. It suited the Plymouth Galway Chunky Paint yarn better and they go easily over jeans now.<br />
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I got them done just in time for the first snowstorm of the year. I had better remember to mend my shearling boots tomorrow. Emily has a bad habit of attacking them and putting holes in them. She got both pairs when I forgot to put them away from her. I'll cut a patch of deerskin and glue it on the hole in one boot. The other is trickier. The leather pulled away from the seam. I have to use super glue to put the edges together. I should sew over it as well. It's a good thing my older cat has developed a sweet personality.<br />
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I'd like to find some kind of cabinet with a drawer on the top and doors on the bottom to store hats and gloves in the drawer and I can close my boots inside. I think I'll still make the doors cat-proof.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-91431729831931291992019-11-10T13:13:00.000-05:002019-11-10T13:13:24.154-05:00Save the Permafrost<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last night I started listening to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/07/05/534768716/woolly-breathes-new-life-into-a-scientific-saga" target="_blank">Woolly</a> by Ben Mezrich. Ostensibly it is about the implications of recreating the woolly mammoth using DNA, but the true message is much more important. I don't know why more people and the media aren't talking about it. <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 17px;">I</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px;">n creating <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleistocene_Park" target="_blank">Pleistocene Park</a>, a wildlife preserve in Siberia, father and son research team Sergey and Nikita Zimov discovered that <b>the carbon stored in the permafrost would holds twice as much carbon dioxide as is currently released into the atmosphere</b>.<b> The destruction of the permafrost would dramatically alter the earth's atmosphere. </b>The Zimovs also discovered that repopulating the tundra with animals closest to the ones who used to live there to bring back the grasslands and the permafrost captured by them would help stabilize the climate. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px;">The woolly mammoths were part of the fauna of the Pleistocene grasslands. It turns out the most recent mammoths died only 3,000 years ago making the recreation of DNA much more possible.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Ice_age_fauna_of_northern_Spain_-_Mauricio_Ant%C3%B3n.jpg/1280px-Ice_age_fauna_of_northern_Spain_-_Mauricio_Ant%C3%B3n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="800" height="193" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Ice_age_fauna_of_northern_Spain_-_Mauricio_Ant%C3%B3n.jpg/1280px-Ice_age_fauna_of_northern_Spain_-_Mauricio_Ant%C3%B3n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Mauricio Antón - from Caitlin Sedwick (1 April 2008). "What Killed the Woolly Mammoth?". PLoS Biology 6 (4): e99. DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060099., CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11781070</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px;">To be completed. This is too important not to be on the web.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-13483194977017404592019-10-13T22:07:00.000-04:002019-11-10T13:18:13.762-05:00DestashingI am destashing my yarn because I am moving. I hope I don't have to get rid of any more than I want to. I bought the yarn because I was unhappy with the knitted goods in stores and decided to make my own. Colors, fiber and quality were the issues.<br />
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Most of my yarns have intended projects. I just haven't gotten to them yet for various reasons, such as:<br />
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<li>When Emily was young, she loved attacking my yarn. She would swoop in, grab in her mouth and try to run off with it. She stopped after three tries, but then the yarn was wet. I had to wait until after she was three years old. She thinks knitting tools are cat toys and she loves circular needles. She also likes to knead yarn, the nicer the better.</li>
<li>When I attended a knitting group, I learned not to take anything very detailed, or else I would end up taking out most of it at home. Therefore I have several vests and sweaters started but not completed.</li>
<li>My friend Kay ten Kraft of Sliver Moon died tragically and then I didn't feel like knitting.</li>
<li>After I started my present job, I worked over-time all I could because I needed the money. </li>
<li>Once I had a shift to 11 am to 8 pm. It was difficult getting anything done.</li>
<li>My mother broke her hip in August 2014. I sprained my right shoulder pushing her in a wheelchair that September. It took over a year for it to heal since I'm on the computer all day at work.</li>
<li>March 2017 my mother broke her right leg in two places. She became ill from c. diff and an untreated bacterial skin infection with a few weeks of her stay. I was her only child and my schedule was sleep, work, and visit Mom until she passed away.</li>
<li>Now I have to move.</li>
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When I can't knit, I tend to read about knitting. I love the collection of knitting short stories in three volumes whose names I can't remember right now. One of my favorite stories is about the skating knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.<br />
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I haven't found very many mystery skeins. The biggest mystery is why I have 20 skeins of Peace Fleece Mir Atlantis Periwinkle Worsted. I know I wanted some for Christmas many years ago. I don't recall needing 20 skeins.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-81528048884226961282019-08-11T15:22:00.004-04:002019-08-11T15:22:58.504-04:00A Good BirthdayI actually had a good birthday this year. Not taking the day off from work was a good thing to do. My cubicle was decorated with balloons and crepe paper streamers, and I got a card signed from almost everyone on my team. Two different people sang the birthday song for me, a supervisor when she saw me on the floor and a co-worker as I was leaving for the day.<br />
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That evening, since I had hurt my hip a few days before, I decided not to do much of anything, except treat my hip, with inactivity and ice. One of my favorite bands is <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightnoise" target="_blank">Nightnoise</a>, an Irish band inspired by folk music but sometimes their songs were touched with a different genre. Below is their song "A Different Shore."<br />
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I was still missing four of their albums. I decided to look on ebay for them. There were a lot. Generally in the past the prices ranged from 7 to 12 dollars and more. Not this time. The highest I paid was 6 dollars and the other were between 3 and 4 dollars, and shipping and handling were all free. I could not pass up these prices.<br />
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Saturday night two friends and I went to a favorite local diner for supper. We had a great time together and the food was delicious.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-42986843540272218312019-08-06T19:07:00.000-04:002019-11-10T13:17:04.723-05:00Why Birthdays?I can't remember the last time I enjoyed my birthday. It seems like there's always a cloud hanging over it.<br />
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My birthday is August 8. When I was growing up, there were always media stories about the bombing of <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/05/hiroshima-before-and-after-the-atomic-bombing/482526/" target="_blank">Hiroshima</a> (August 6) and <a href="https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/bombings-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-1945" target="_blank">Nagasaki</a> (August 9). What a cloud to hang over an intelligent child's birthday: World War II and the world's biggest bombs so far.<br />
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I think my family, essentially my parents, stopped fussing over me when I started school, and I was an only child. Unfortunately I was an only child who was very intelligent and wore glasses starting in second grade. The bullying was firmly entrenched by junior high. I think what got me through those years was thinking that puberty would strike those kids in high school and they'd forget about me. Fortunately I was mostly right about that. I didn't really have close friends in school.<br />
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Adulthood has been a disappointment. Although I'm a very intelligent and talented person, I was never able to translate that into a well-paying job. America is still class conscious. Working in offices as an administrative assistant, I discovered that I didn't count socially. I didn't believe in church enough to go to one. I couldn't afford to go out to many venues at all, but I did things when I could. Cupid was always looking the other way.<br />
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I have some friends, but I don't know how many really know me. None know me like my mother did. As for social events, single women without significant others rank way down on everyone's priorities.<br />
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This is my second birthday without my mother. Now I don't get any birthday cards at all in the mail. I feel like people should be able to enjoy their birthdays and celebrate their lives. I guess I just don't feel like I have anything to celebrate.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-62307483143480908582019-06-23T15:10:00.002-04:002019-06-23T15:10:58.263-04:00Chroma VestI really like this <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/colour-block-tunic" target="_blank">Colour Block Tunic</a> from Fibre Co.<br />
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<a href="https://images4-e.ravelrycache.com/uploads/TheFibreCoTeam/504974804/Foundations_Cumbria_Fingering_Colour_Block_Tunic_low_res_Ravelry12_small2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="256" src="https://images4-e.ravelrycache.com/uploads/TheFibreCoTeam/504974804/Foundations_Cumbria_Fingering_Colour_Block_Tunic_low_res_Ravelry12_small2.jpg" /></a></div>
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Somehow I got it into my head that I'd like to alternate the blocks using KnitPick's <a href="https://www.knitpicks.com/yarns/Chroma_Fingering_Yarn__D5420203.html" target="_blank">Chroma</a> in Pegasus and a coordinating solid color.<br />
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So what do you think?<br />
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I finally figured out how much yarn I needed of the Chroma and the solid color. First I had to look up the yarn colors to figure out what the colors were! I'm afraid Helvellyn didn't mean split pea soup green to me. I should probably order the yarn before Knit Picks says good-bye to Pegasus.<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-38964202917559444572019-06-08T14:39:00.000-04:002019-06-23T15:02:52.905-04:00Latest BargainWhen I first went out on my own, I bought clothes and other things secondhand because that's what I could afford. I still do. I realized that more often than not I could obtain what I needed or wanted just as easily secondhand and save a lot of money. Jeans are a very good example.<br />
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I often have luck finding something I like much easier buying secondhand than retail. This silk skirt is a good example. I wanted a skirt like this to wear with my new tops. I had no idea how to find one. One day on a whim I went to the Salvation Army and there it was.<br />
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Eventually buying secondhand became something I did to keep items out of landfills and decrease retail demand and the use of non-renewal natural resources. I really wonder if it ever occurred to anyone that demand for oil also comes from all the synthetic fiber clothing that people wear.<br />
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I also try to shop locally. However, my allergy to artificial scent and the use of gas for the car limits my activity. If I need to buy new clothing, I'll look on-line first to limit my trips. This year was a good example. I wanted a white tank top for under a lacy summer shirt. This year is the year of spandex (also made out of oil) and I'm allergic to it. I could only find a natural fiber tank top without spandex on Macy's web site. I ordered it and will be picking it up tonight at its store.<br />
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I also buy secondhand on-line, too. That way I can indulge my preferences for vintage items not easily found. My last buy is a good example:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8AIoNfYMblO5R3zh7UFlruG_N8IyPNCwDnXv8JFPu8PwENN3QlxQ5GLBSHHVpJWBSlrn5QT0uRWSjzvtsguiaEHrFoRlyjNiExeqrPVVZiM1Dl-gyzrH67NY5XoROMw6hnVLrjpdPls/s1600/19259632893931aw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8AIoNfYMblO5R3zh7UFlruG_N8IyPNCwDnXv8JFPu8PwENN3QlxQ5GLBSHHVpJWBSlrn5QT0uRWSjzvtsguiaEHrFoRlyjNiExeqrPVVZiM1Dl-gyzrH67NY5XoROMw6hnVLrjpdPls/s320/19259632893931aw.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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As a cat lover, I like wearing cat earrings and I could not resist these. The cats are beautifully modeled. I bid more than I usually would on the auction because the rings are gold and the cats silver and was surprised when I won them. At least this time I can also claim they're an investment. Cat earrings are a harmless fetish and more stylish than cat t-shirts.</div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-52172448540108547982019-06-06T19:34:00.002-04:002019-06-08T14:15:56.819-04:00Now the Planting is DoneAfter contemplating my window box for a few days, I decided that it needed a little help. Eventually I decided to buy more of the same Sorbet Beaconsfield violas to add to the ends of the box. I'm glad I did. I realized later that there was no room for trailing plants. The ends of the box are jammed against the railing.<br />
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I bought the second box of violas from a local food co-op. They weren't in as good shape as the others. Some grew taller trying to reach light. I put them in back. Two Sorbet Beaconsfield violas went in back and I put three in front with a fourth slightly farther back on the inside. I pinched all the flowers off because somewhere I read that British gardening expert Monty Don recommended it for getting the roots to develop further. A couple violas are kind of stringy. I learned that I could pinch them back like the cat mint and did so. I think the planter looks better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3_lVZEwBeSn4ktGYHnDat7gYMuvrtWQoVFoho3i8VOzvo5C636caDkpcTvaqTmNc7-qrpYV0efoQftoUWLTlVxCdKf-hLLuQ_jJoth7dsCDwxNXL2QrCyd4f7BXNmxn2f9Bpv4wJrCk/s1600/IMG_20190606_182441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3_lVZEwBeSn4ktGYHnDat7gYMuvrtWQoVFoho3i8VOzvo5C636caDkpcTvaqTmNc7-qrpYV0efoQftoUWLTlVxCdKf-hLLuQ_jJoth7dsCDwxNXL2QrCyd4f7BXNmxn2f9Bpv4wJrCk/s400/IMG_20190606_182441.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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The cat mint is still small, but looks like it's happy. I pinched both plants back to make them branch more. It's in the back to the right of the purple verbena. There are a lot of little shoots and some flower buds. I love the colors in this photo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBXyjPssOcV72K31pvXtmuGTPgzb_OG0VIF0_QKzbLejsugCr-VRf8lgQfFVTv8YaNyDskw_owFDmxfO54ZmnmOYKpOaunX_v8s5pQBfpD2jis-c4yTuvRgaFepDx2PNgYzj_MvwGCxY/s1600/IMG_20190606_182423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBXyjPssOcV72K31pvXtmuGTPgzb_OG0VIF0_QKzbLejsugCr-VRf8lgQfFVTv8YaNyDskw_owFDmxfO54ZmnmOYKpOaunX_v8s5pQBfpD2jis-c4yTuvRgaFepDx2PNgYzj_MvwGCxY/s400/IMG_20190606_182423.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I bought two verbena I didn't need. One was an upright one so I paired that with the other in this pot. I added mostly blue lobelia with a little white. The medium blue lobelia was hard to find. Someone at a local garden center said it was more popular. </div>
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My flower pots make me inordinately happy so far. I don't know why. I hope I'm consistent in watering them and that they do better this year.</div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-29316354656449652019-05-27T21:23:00.000-04:002019-05-27T21:23:23.460-04:00Best Accomplishment This WeekendMy plants were put in the planter in record time this year. Only the verbena sat by itself during the week. Every spring I'm reminded I like to design and plant flowers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBlgzXB9C3aenPKc7T85Tmj0EfRdzvKQq9hMwUgYME0vz7NWBHHTYLi82g2pzjz6bg_QIhhpIOhUJA-R77NL59Gpv5FKI4ja6DgprSfaJWyxhCm0ECZv3S3BYNeiF0PzbW5tWpsCkP_0/s1600/0113100958-00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBlgzXB9C3aenPKc7T85Tmj0EfRdzvKQq9hMwUgYME0vz7NWBHHTYLi82g2pzjz6bg_QIhhpIOhUJA-R77NL59Gpv5FKI4ja6DgprSfaJWyxhCm0ECZv3S3BYNeiF0PzbW5tWpsCkP_0/s400/0113100958-00.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nvjgOkBygA_XFLvgdmSG4A4M28FE3IBTWSPWoSwWKg7OOOGm2RJIzzFgAXHUlQy2rAobLyq2L3VC4wfOCqwHnbDD6mHMlD7sI35A9Fo6PK133TWTABSvCwSRhH36dtiaIGYllgvLkcc/s1600/0113100958-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nvjgOkBygA_XFLvgdmSG4A4M28FE3IBTWSPWoSwWKg7OOOGm2RJIzzFgAXHUlQy2rAobLyq2L3VC4wfOCqwHnbDD6mHMlD7sI35A9Fo6PK133TWTABSvCwSRhH36dtiaIGYllgvLkcc/s400/0113100958-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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What I do differs every year. It depends not only on changing my mind, but also on what's available. I love annual phlox. It smells very nice. It's prone to mildew and our recent wet summers wouldn't be good for it, so I haven't grown it. The flowers I've planted have always been favorites, as well as the colors. I wonder if I could find a more color-coordinated watering container. </div>
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I hope my potted garden grows well this year. Last year I used different potting soil and it was not very good. The only plant that did well was alyssum. Even the fertilizer didn't seem that great. This year I went back to what I used before, except for a couple spots near the end to fill in because I ran out. It might affect the catmint. I'll have to buy a small bag of the good soil. What my family used when I was growing up was Swiss Farms, a local company in Philmont.</div>
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I had wanted to clean up my bedroom and hall this weekend. They have been sorely neglected while Mom was sick. It wasn't easy afterward, either. Easier said than done. It turned out to be a good example of how my allergies rule my life. I have too many and if they're combined, I run at half speed. I take many supplements that help, but the fatigue remains.</div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-32169985686782867722019-05-26T17:42:00.000-04:002019-05-26T17:42:21.034-04:00Over Planted AgainI decided I should plant some flowers this year in case the bumblebees make another nest nearby. One evening after work I found the verbena plant below.<br />
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I wanted to plant some violas with it. However, when I finally went to the garden center that's not open in the evenings, during the week, first I found the lovely Calibrachoa MiniFamous Neo Double Pink.<br />
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<a href="https://www.lucasgreenhouses.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA-1176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://www.lucasgreenhouses.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA-1176.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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I also bought my violas, Sorbet Beaconsfield Viola.<br />
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After I tried potting them at home, I realized I couldn't use the pot I had in mind and I had to go bigger. I went back to the garden center to buy another calibrachoa to flank the verbena set in the center. While pondering what to use to add a little height, I thought catnip! I had tried salvia last year and failed miserably. Partly it was because the plant was small and I wasn't going to pay the prices for large plants. It was also because the potting soil was poor. I had mixed success growing traditional catnip because the aphids liked it. A different garden shop had a hybrid I thought I'd try, Kitten Around Catmint (<i>Nepeta faassenii</i>). Maybe the aphids won't like it. I planted it behind the calibrachoa flaking the verbena. I nipped the tops off to make it branch. My cat Emily gave them her approval.</div>
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<a href="https://wgi-img.s3.amazonaws.com/VarietyImage/c629fdd8fa69b98abaacda3b29a9e62c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://wgi-img.s3.amazonaws.com/VarietyImage/c629fdd8fa69b98abaacda3b29a9e62c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I just had to buy two pots of the lovely Viola Rebecca. I planted the violas on either end of the window box, the Viola Rebecca behind the Sorbet Beaconsfield.</div>
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<a href="https://bluestoneperennials.global.ssl.fastly.net/img/VIRE/650/VIRE_0_Viola_Rebecca.1491336629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://bluestoneperennials.global.ssl.fastly.net/img/VIRE/650/VIRE_0_Viola_Rebecca.1491336629.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Then there are the two purple verbena I didn't need for filling the box. Plant or gift? I hope my window box amounts to something this year. </div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-7361691843929974352019-05-17T21:32:00.000-04:002019-05-17T21:32:22.048-04:00Good Bye Little OneOn my way home tonight I saw this billboard along I-787 north of Albany:<br />
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I thought it was thoughtful and kind of Lamar Advertising.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-41795216764080909282019-05-07T19:35:00.000-04:002019-05-07T19:35:10.397-04:00That May HolidayI find that May holiday that comes in mid-May is upsetting me. So many places advertise sales around it. I can't avoid seeing the phrase "Mother's Day." I don't have my mother anymore and each time I see or hear it it's a reminder. <br />
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Knitting helps me feel a little better. Normally I would knit tonight, but I'm sore near my right clavicle. I need to ice it and watch something funny instead.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-IH3iDogzYk/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-IH3iDogzYk?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Mom would have enjoyed this video. She loved Toothless. She also loved lilacs. The bushes outside work are starting to bloom.<br />
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I was very surprised to learn at work I was receiving a raise. I guess the company couldn't ignore 8 months of perfect scores.<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5216504494589082467.post-20361532402237332392019-01-15T21:29:00.001-05:002019-03-31T13:02:48.727-04:00For A Friend's BabyA special friend is having a baby and a shower on January 26. I had to wait until I was paid to buy the yarn and the pattern. I didn't just fall in love with any pattern. It had to be a set with a lovely figured pattern in Norwegian. That is not one of my languages.<br />
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<a href="https://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/knitsbywenche/548609691/webp/28377968_172573210042161_6620584085536374784_n_medium2.webp#jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://images4-b.ravelrycache.com/uploads/knitsbywenche/548609691/webp/28377968_172573210042161_6620584085536374784_n_medium2.webp#jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I know my friend would love it. I think I have a way figured out. The same stitches are featured in a dress designed by the same person and it's offered in English! I can compare the two. There's also Google Translate and translation offered by DROPS. If I hadn't knit anything like this before, I wouldn't bother. I had some success figuring out a Japanese pattern.<br />
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I ordered the yarn from Webs which is in a nearby state. I've gotten their yarn quickly before. I wonder if I can really pull it off. Sometimes I can be too ambitious. I keep telling myself these are pieces for a tiny, little baby. I had better start printing the patterns and translating them.<br />
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<b>UPDATE</b><br />
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I was close to figuring out the pattern, but I had a feeling there were construction details I wasn't picking up on. I decided on the <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/henrik-baby-set" target="_blank">Henrik Baby Set</a> by Tove Richter instead that was in English. Reading it, it seems to have come from a Norwegian designer with the same sort of construction detail so maybe I can figure out the other pattern for the future.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Be Kind! Spay & Neuter Your Pets!</div>Debra Winchellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01217880693035812274noreply@blogger.com0