It's been hot... you have probably heard that from other Californians. Our politicians have been bickering and supposedly finally cut a budget deal that will save our state.... hmm, at whose expense? Once again, no new news there.
While those two items of news have been flashing around, I have been quietly working way too hard... at least from my perspective. Had to return to my job this morning to get a rest!
Friday and Saturday were LYS work days for me... I learned to use the flatbed knitter that has been the creator of dozens and dozens of sock blanks heading to Sock Summit with Allison in a week or so. Friday, I managed to crank one out, with Allison's help, get it bound off and she reviewed a second time how to start a new piece. The day wound to a close before we got that second blank very far. Saturday, I spent a lot of time figuring out how to repair the common mistakes made while machine-knitting! I also managed to get that second blank completed and start another on my own. I did decide to stop at that point, within a half hour of closing, so that I didn't make any more errors!
I felt a bit daunted by the machinery... Monica has managed to master the machine, and Allison can whip up a sock blank in about 7 minutes... me, I still need more practice! I did begin to fantasize about truly becoming mistress of my circular sock-knitting machine.
Allison goes on to hand-paint each and every one as an original work of art... displayed here on one of the shop walls.
Below the sock blanks are hand-painted yarns, which will also be available.. if you are going to Sock Summit, look for the Fibers booth and say hello! I won't be there but tell her you are a friend of mine.
Sunday was a hot day of donkey wrangling in the AM and helping youngest son move in the PM. My friends, Erika and Keith, come regularly to trim and we got Abe all "mani-pedi'd" easily while Keith was hooking up my trailer to their truck. However, not all of the morning was so nice... there was a yellow jacket nest for me to deal with when hosing down the trailer before they arrived, then unexpected old carpeting a tenant had thrown in there to store, and THEN ants under the carpet.... which we un-Zenly hosed out so they wouldn't bite the two donkeys heading down for a spa vacation to Auntie Erika's Board and Hoof Trim.
Our EARs club is holding a hoof-trimming clinic at their place next Sunday and this was the only time we could fit in to move them! Rose put up minimal resistance to getting in the trailer, and quickly admitted that she was really all about eating the oats on the 'treat shelf', as I think of it. Assteroid, on the other hand, had to express lots of suspicion and distrust over the metal box before agreeing to ride in it. The three adults were all hot and sweaty by the time the doors were closed and the trip begun!
Both donkeys arrived safe and sound and immediately made friends with Erika's crew... the story is that Assteroid is trying to romance her mustang mare, Belladonna, while Rosie pals around with Colby, the more out-going of her two burros (most of you already know that burro is just another word for donkey, right?). I promise lots of pictures will be taken at Sunday's event to post later.
After quickly showering off donkey dust, I headed out to pick up DD and she and I met youngest son on one of his many loads to the new house... I didn't take any photos there because it looks like the entire landscaping has died. The place has been empty since last September, but was left in far, far better condition than many of the short sales he or his sis have looked at while both young couples search for homes. Missing doorknobs, holes punched in sheetrock, all appliances gone, such has been the norm in these parts as angry homeowners are forced into foreclosure.
Jesse and Dawn and several friends had already spent a 14-hour day there Saturday, painting rooms, replacing broken fixtures, getting rid of ants in the garage, and re-installing door jambs and trim. "Short Sale" has got to be the misnomer of the decade, but underneath it all is a house that is approximately ten years old with many good bones. They really have minimal repairs to make and got a payment that was less than their rent; the first people I know personally to have benefitted from the Recovery Act. Their tax credit will help with repair costs and the year of back water fees they had to pay to buy it!
Nikki and I followed Jesse and his furniture-lifting best buddy from childhood, Trevor, to their rental and loaded up my truck with as much as we could while Dawn and her mom packed and cleaned out the old place. I can remember being seven and a half months pregnant with eldest son and moving, so really empathized with Dawn and her poor, swollen feet, but baby Odessa has done just fine, in fact is now close to five pounds!
I really could tell it was over 100 degrees as we carried boxes out and later unloaded them! My poor truck was running hot, and so no air for Nikki and I.... in fact, after climbing a long hill heading home, with the defrost running, the first thing I did was jump into our watertank to cool off.... we really ARE country people!
Monday is DH's 'Saturday', and I have been taking it off all summer as well, so one could think I would finally get a day of rest... not so. We have been trying to cajole a few last legs of life out of our refrigerator, but with no luck. Over the weekend, I also came to the realization that I getting very limited shelf life out of many of the foods in there, and DH spent Sunday evening doing his Energy Star and Consumer Reports homework so that we could shop for a new one. Doing our part for economic recovery and all that. We had coffee and set out early, in hopes of making a shopping decision and getting back home before the temps reached triple digits for the day yesterday. We did get a good deal, and also picked up a new theromstat for the truck, but delivery won't be until August 11th. 21 days. What is wrong with these people that want us to buy stuff so that the US returns to prosperity and then can't offer better service to a rural county than that?!
We had a back-up plan, but it took all day yesterday to execute it. We have an antique, a 1950s Philco refrigerator that still works like a charm... just very tiny. Monday afternoon was spent in moving food into it, or into our older stand-up freezer... lots of loads and lots of washing and even needing to take the doors off the broken one and the kitchen screen door off to get it out of the house... Glenn has diagnosed its problem as being within the defrosting unit, which never kicks out of fan mode and allows ice to build up in the freezer and block the cold air going up into the refrig. He even used compressed air to clean it all out underneath, as youngest son hauled it down to his new place to use for a week or so... about as long as it will work this next round! Jesse and Dawn got here about dusk last evening to load the fridg and a washer and drier to trade to his friend who had been storing (and using) his appliances... and left with a shade pop-up to put on their back patio along with the freestanding pool we had gotten (still in original packaging) at our local dump a few months back. I collapsed into bed, and have been dragging all day!
Knitting update to come soon... my hands have told me to give my Fiesta Friendship Shawl a rest and finish up the Circle Vest.
