Book Memories

This is the first "real" book I remember owning.  It was given to me by my first grade teacher, Miss Hooper, a rather corpulent lady who I loved dearly.  I don't remember much about first grade, but I remember that I thought Miss Hooper was the greatest person in the world, in part because she would let me read during nap time instead of actually trying to sleep, but mainly because she did her best to keep me entertained while the rest of the class learned to read.

I have no memory of learning to read.  Not of learning the alphabet or sounding out words like "dog" and "cat". I'm told that I was reading on my own by age three or so.  And reading has been a huge part of my life since that time.

My parents have been working on cleaning out years of saved items from mine and my siblings' childhood and my niece found this in a box of old books.  I'm sure that I owned other books before this, and I know I've owned thousands since, but this is the first one I remember loving.  I was so proud that Miss Hooper had given me such a wonderful gift, and I read it over and over again.

Periodically I try to go through my books and make some hard decisions about what to keep and what to pass on.  It's gut wrenching every time, because I would keep them all if space allowed.  But this is one that has earned a permanent place on my shelves.

Turning Leaves

I walked out my front door Thursday morning and overnight fall had arrived.  Well, the leaves had changed colors at least, the cooler temperatures are still up North somewhere I suppose.  Still, it looked like fall, even if it didn't quite feel like it.

Fall is probably my favorite time of year.  I love "football weather" when it's cold enough to wear a turtleneck and a sweater, but not really need a coat.  Maybe it's because I was born in October.  Maybe it's because I've always associated fall with football.  Maybe it's just because after a NC summer it's nice not to drip sweat the instant you walk outside.

Fall also gets me thinking about knitting something other than lace shawls.  Hat, glove, and even sweater patterns call my name and suddenly I'm convinced that I can knit them all in time to wear them before it gets warm again.

But this year, I know just what to do.  I bought the perfect skein of fall yarn last weekend and it's telling me it's time to wind it up and let it become a cowl.

Dragonfly Fibers Djinni Sock in Turning Leaves

NaBlo Blah, Blah, Blah




I've been seriously debating whether or not to do NaNoWriMo this year.  However, I'm finally making some progress on the novel I've been working on for the past couple of years, so I'm hesitant to stop that momentum and start something new.  I know some people fudge and just write 50,000 words on their current project for Nano, but that just takes some of the fun out of it for me.

So I've decided instead to sign up for NaBloPoMo for November.  Even though they do NaBloPoMo every month, November is sort of the "original" month.  Besides, coming up with something to write here everyday will keep me from obsessively reading the Nanowrimo forums and wishing I was participating.

I've also signed on to participate through Yeah Write and might be using some of their weekly challenge prompts and hopefully learning more about their community.

So if anyone is reading this...Beuller?...Beuller?...you'll have something from me every day this month.  How interesting or exciting it might be...well, that remains to be seen.

Fun with Friends and Fiber

I spent a long weekend in the mountains with my friends Michiele and Roxie at the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) where we engaged in our idea of fun... yarn, fiber, and classes on knitting and spinning.

Roxie picked me up Thursday morning and I was so excited I had all my stuff piled in the driveway waiting. 

Note the essentials: Cherry Coke Zero and wine

 We stopped a couple of hours up the road to add Michiele to the journey.  After a stop in Black Mountain for lunch and a little wander through a couple of shops, we made it to the place we were staying in Hendersonville about 4:00.  Roxie had reserved us a nice room in some one's house through Airbnb, a site I had never used before, but will definitely check out the next time Rob & I are looking for a place to stay.

Friday the fiber fun began!  We were at the Ag Center at 9:00 when the doors opened.  I wandered around all morning looking at all the great stuff for sale in vendors' booths and buying lots of goodies.  As a new spinner I wanted to get a variety of different fibers to try out, but I also couldn't resist some yarn as well. 

My total haul from both Friday & Saturday

Friday afternoon I had a class on working with antique and vintage knitting patterns with Franklin Habit.  He is not only a great teacher, but is hilarious and absolutely adorable!  I highly recommend any of his classes, but being a bit of a history geek myself, I love his passion for the history of knitting.

Franklin modeling a traveling cap

The "real" Franklin

After class I wandered around and saw some of the animals.  There were alpacas, llamas, sheep and goats, and I could have sworn I took some pictures, but apparently not.  I met back up with my friends and we finally left a little after 6:00 to head to dinner. But first we made a pit stop at a local yarn shop that Roxie and I had never been to.  What?  You think we should have had enough yarn by that point?  Never.

Saturday morning all three of us took a class on designing a triangular shawl with Vithard Villumsen a designer from Denmark.  Another great class, and instructor.  Vithard is so cute, we all wanted to take him home with us.  He was wearing one of his new designs, the1sleeved, and we all fell in love with it.  He let us all try it on and I'm not kidding when I say it fit and looked great on everyone.  He was such a good sport too, because we dragged him after class to the Miss Babs booth to help us all pick out colors to make one!  Unfortunately, none of us remembered to take a picture of Vithard, because we were too busy acting like 12 year old fan girls, but if you follow the link for the1sleeved pattern, you will see him modeling the design.

My yarn for the1sleeved

After another hour or so of wandering and shopping, we were all starving, so we headed in to Hendersonville for a late lunch/early dinner, a quick visit to another local yarn store, and then headed back to the room early.  Of course we had to show and tell, and wind our yarn to start Vithard's pattern before bed, but it was another great day.

Sunday morning Michiele had a class, so she got up and left, and Roxie and I sat around for a while before finally getting on the road mid-morning.  I got home Sunday afternoon, tired and glad to be home, but it was a fabulous weekend and I can't wait for next year!

Pleasingly Imperfect

 Look what I made!

After years of knitting and accumulating yarn, I've finally taken up spinning. Because you know, you can really never have enough yarn.  Right?

This yarn is imperfect.  There are thick places and thin places.  There is too much twist in the singles and probably not quite enough twist in the plied yarn.  But it makes me happy because it's the first yarn I've made on my new Ashford Joy spinning wheel.

So now I just have to figure out how to rearrange the yarn closet to make room for all the fiber!

Me Weird?

Mystery/crime writers have to be somewhat weird I suppose in order to want to come up with creative ways to kill, maim and torture and hide it all from the police.  After this weekend I'm a little bit weirder, but a lot wiser.  The Writers' Police Academy will do that to you.

This was my second year attending, and once again Lee Lofland (buy his book) and crew put together an informative and exciting weekend.  Also, thanks to the sponsorship of Sisters in Crime, this is a very low cost event for members of that organization.

After spending a jam packed weekend learning about SWAT teams and  criminal drug interdiction, watching live demonstrations of bombs being detonated, EMS responding to a mass bombing scenario, and a felony vehicle stop, and even investigating an alleged sexual assault incident, it's a bit of an adrenaline crash when it's all over.

This was the "weapon" used in our sexual assault investigation

Add to that a couple of famous authors such as Lisa Gardner and Kathy Reichs, not to mention being surrounded by about two hundred other writers, and my brain is still trying to absorb it all.

Great book by the way, I just finished it last night.

So it's not surprising that when I heard a loud boom while at work this afternoon, I had to go investigate.

Truck on the right ran a red light and T-boned the white car

I believe my coworkers now think I'm a little weirder too, as I delightedly provided answers to their musings about why there were so many fire trucks there (thanks Tim Fitts) and who was doing what.  And when they broke out one of these....

It was hard to restrain myself from informing everyone that it was called a Hurst tool by those who use it, not "jaws of life".  In fact, I may not have been able to completely restrain myself from telling at least a couple of people.   Fortunately, its presence was an unnecessary precaution, and the driver was ultimately able to leave the vehicle through the passenger door.

We all went back to our normal routines, but already I was wondering.....where could the guy in the green truck have been going in such a hurry when he ran that red light?

Crawling Back Into the Light

Darcy demonstrates my recent desire to curl up and hide from the world

The General Assembly finally adjourned in late July.  Since then, it's been a mixture of trying to figure out exactly what the hell happened the last few weeks of the session and recover my mental and physical equilibrium.  Throw in a few health issues with my father, and it's been an up and down few weeks.

Things finally seem to be settling down a bit and I've been thinking once again about working on goals and doing some things I want to do outside of work. That includes writing here again at least more often than every 7 months.

I've been working on a couple of writing projects off and on, including the book I've been trying to write for well over a year now.  I attended the 2013 Writers' Police Academy last weekend, but that amazing event deserves its own separate post, so look for that sometime around this weekend.

I haven't had as much time for knitting or reading the past few months, but I have done some of both.  My 2013 books read list is up to date if you care to see what I've read lately.  I'm woefully behind on my goal to knit 13 pairs of socks in 2013, and I doubt I'll meet that goal, but I have finished a few pair.  I also just bought a spinning wheel, so I may have some things to say about that as I get to know my wheel better.

So if any or all of that interests you (and assuming there is anyone who still checks to see if I've posted anything) please check back in soon!

Carolina In My Mind

In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine
Can't you just feel the moonshine
Ain't it just like a friend of mine
To hit me from behind
Yes I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind

 

As a native North Carolinian and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, otherwise known as "Carolina", James Taylor's best known song has always had multiple meanings for me.  Last weekend the title of the song, "Carolina in my Mind" took on a whole new meaning.

 

I haven't been on the UNC campus much in the past 15 years or so, and when I have it's been primarily for football games.   So while I knew there had been changes and additional buildings built, etc., what I had seen was mostly confined to south campus, around the hospital and stadium. 

 

While I know that change is inevitable, I realized Saturday that the changes are so great, MY Carolina is now only in my mind.  The dining hall where I ate most of my meals my freshman year... gone.  The woods I walked through to class... gone.  The parking lot where we slid down the hill and onto the ice on anything we could find to sit on... gone.

 

This campus is not one I know.  It has been over 20 years since I left Chapel Hill, and it makes me feel old.  To my young, 25 year old, coworker, who just graduated a couple of years ago, everything looks normal.  To me, at least in a physical sense, it's an unfamiliar place.

 

But emotionally, part of me will always be there.  I can only imagine what it looked like when my father was there in the late 50's and early 60's, and I remember going to football games as a child and playing in the woods next to the bleachers while my parents watched the game in a stadium that held probably a quarter of the people it now holds.  I was born, raised, and bred Carolina, and no matter how much it changes, it will always be an important part of me.

 

So even though the Carolina I remember is now only in my mind, no matter what changes have occurred and are yet to come, Carolina will always be in my heart.


Resting Up and Gearing Up

Wow! I can't believe it's been three weeks. This has been a month of resting up and gearing up for the fun that begins tomorrow, otherwise known as legislative session.

On the resting up front, we spent a weekend with friends down in SC and have otherwise been enjoying some down time. This past weekend was spent laying around the house partially due to the ice outside and the rest a combination of Rob being sick and me being lazy.

On the gearing up front, work has been steadily increasing and I've just been trying to leave at a decent hour every day because I know that soon that won't always be an option.  I've also been trying to work on some personal goals for 2013.

I've decided that 2013 is "The Year of Knitting Socks", so one of my knitting goals is to knit 13 pairs of socks in 2013.

Aren't they lovely?

My other personal goals all relate to my recurring two goals to lose weight and write more.  At least I   keep trying right?  I'm trying a new tactic this year.  I have a "goal notebook" and once a week I set specific goals for each day of that week.  I also have "to do" for each day for things that just need to get done, but aren't really goals.  I give myself a star, yes a real gold star sticker, for every goal I meet each day and a smiley face, yes a sticker, for each "to do" I get crossed off the list.  At the end of the week I total up my stars and smiley faces.  Sounds silly in a way, but it really is fun to see a bunch of stars in one day!  So far, I'm only getting about 50% success per week, but once again....keep trying right?

I had something else in my head to write about today, but once again, trying to post a picture here from my ipad has ruined my mood, and now that I've finally come to the laptop to post the picture and finish this post, I can't remember what I had in mind to say.

Best Intentions

The clouds were very dramatic as I left work this evening, and since I'm trying to be more aware of moments like these, I took a picture.

Then I spent 30 minutes tonight trying to figure out how to get it from my phone to here via my ipad.  I've decided that the Blogger app is practically worthless.  Any post uploaded through the app is written in stone and completely incapable of being edited in any manner for eternity, so heaven forbid you're not perfect in typing on your phone or ipad.  I was trying to use the regular website (that I'm using right now from my laptop), but on my ipad.  Generally, that works well, except for the picture issue I encountered tonight.  I had no trouble getting the picture from my phone to my ipad through Dropbox, but why is it that on my laptop I have an option to upload a picture directly, but that same option does not exist on the browser on my ipad?  Makes no sense to me.  So I uploaded the picture from my ipad to Flickr and tried to link to the url, but blogger kept telling me there was no picture at that url, which was a total LIE.

Finally, I gave up and came to the laptop.  The picture is not really that great, or even necessary to what I originally intended this post to be about, but it was the principle of the matter by that point.  I've always found Blogger to be relatively simple when I was using only my laptop to post, but now that I've become more technologically tethered, it might be time to investigate other options.  I've viewed my smartphone and now my ipad as ways to possibly post more often since I can do it places other than at home, but that idea is backfiring because of the frustrations of trying to do things that seem so logical to me, but apparently are not to the programmers of Blogger.  Then again, I'm not sure I've ever known a computer programmer who thought like an average person.

So now that I've essentially written a blog post on my difficulties with making a blog post, I guess I'll save what I had intended to write about for tomorrow.  In the meantime, if anyone is reading this & has any suggestions for another method of setting up a blog that has an easy method of blogging from both smartphone (Android OS) and ipad, please let me know.

2013 Reading List

Books I've Read in 2013 - Total 69

I also have a Goodreads page where I sometimes provide more

 commentary on what I thought of the book.

January (8)

Big Sky River by Linda Lael Miller
In for a Penny by Maggie Toussaint
On the Nickel by Maggie Toussaint
A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
The Abduction of Mary Rose by Joan Hall Hovey
Dare Me by Megan Abbott
Home Front by Kristin Hannah
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

February (9)
Careless in Red by Elizabeth George
Defending Jacob by William Landay
And Then You Dye by Monica Ferris
Cover of  Snow by Jenny Milchman
The Long Way Home by Mariah Stewart
The Wedding Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
Sonoma Rose by Jennifer Chiaverini
Until Proven: A Mystery in 2 Parts by Nora Gaskin
Return to Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs

March (5)
A Demon in My View by Ruth Rendell
Cold Feet by Karen Pullen
Regulated for Murder by Suzanne Adair
A Place in Life by Robert Hartstein
Two Graves by Preston & Child

April (5)
Reflection Point by Emily March
The Wanderer by Robyn Carr
The Sound of Broken Glass by Deborah Crombie
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Sand Castle Bay by Sherryl Woods

May (9)
Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman
Wind Chime Point by Sherryl Woods
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
No Bells by F.M. Meredith
Huntress Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff
Death Will Get You Sober by Elizabeth Zelvin
Snipe Hunt by Sarah R. Shaber
Big Sky Summer by Linda Lael Miller
Soft Target by Rachel A. Brune

June (7)
A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read
This Body of Death by Elizabeth George
Deadly Stakes by J.A. Jance
Six Years by Harlan Coben
The Time Between by Karen White
Sea Glass Island by Sherryl Woods
The Newcomer by Robyn Carr

July (6)
The Mystery Box
Joyland by Stephen King
Simon Said by Sarah R. Shaber
The Grave Gourmet by Alexander Campion
A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller
Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman

August (6)
The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner
Deeply Odd by Dean Koontz
Death Will Help You Leave Him by Elizabeth Zelvin
Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews
And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

September (4)
Time of Death by Nora Gaskin
Touch & Go by Lisa Gardner
Bones of the Lost by Kathy Reichs
The Wrong Girl by Hank Phillipi Ryan

October (3)
The Prophet by Michael Koryta
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
It Happens in the Dark by Carol O'Connell

November (4)
A Hostage to Heritage by Suzanne Adair
The Bones of Paris by Laurie R. King
Cut to the Bone by Jefferson Bass
King's Mountain by Sharyn McCrumb

December (3)
Death Will Extend Your Vacation by Elizabeth Zelvin
Second Watch by J.A. Jance
The All-girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
 

Another New Year

We had a nice New Year's Eve last night, with just one other couple, sitting around a fire in the backyard.  Today was a lazy day of watching TV and knitting.

And so another new year begins.

I've been thinking about my goals for the new year, and trying to make them specific, without making them so specific I fail immediately.  A lot of them are the same general goals I made last year, which I was spectacularly unsuccessful at achieving, but at least I guess I should get points for the fact that I keep trying right?

I'm going into this year optimistic that, despite all the dire warnings in the media, it will be a good one.  I'm definitely a glass half full type person, so I am hoping for the best in all aspects of my life, and the lives of those that I love, as well as the rest of the world.

Hoping you all have a wonderful 2013 as well.

The Year in Knitting

2012 is almost over, and other than the birth of our first granddaughter, it was a relatively uneventful year. 

So in lieu of a sentimental journey through the year, I thought I'd share some of my favorite completed knitting projects from the year.

I had fun making this blanket for Carey for her birthday in March.  Despite the fact that it was stockinette stitch, which is usually boring, the multiple color changes kept it interesting because I was always excited to see what the next color was going to look like with what I had done so far.

My oldest niece Madelyn had her first communion this year, and I made her veil.  This was my first real attempt at some sort of design, although in this case "design" meant pulling pieces from other patterns and stitch books and working out the stitch count.  Still, I was pleased with the result, and more importantly, so was my sister-in-law.

I've made sweaters before, but never for someone else.  This year I made a sweater for my college roommate, based on measurements that I took when I saw her in the spring.  She came to visit a month or so ago and I finally gave it to her, and it fit!

I made a bunch of shawls this year.  I blogged about one of my favorites earlier this year here.  I won't go into details on all of them, but here they are in all their glory.

 With a new granddaughter, of course a couple of baby items had to be knit!  Newborns grow out of clothes so fast I decided to wait until she's a little older to make sweaters, etc. so I made a couple of blankets for her.

I had a little fun with my yarn this year as well.  Dr. Who fans may recognize these next two.  I crocheted an Ood mask for a coworker of Rob's for Halloween, and knit a Dalek for Rob for Christmas.

So that's a summary of 2012 in knitting.  I'm declaring 2013 the Year of Knitting Socks, so stay tuned!

The Holidays Begin

It's the 21st of December and so far the world hasn't ended yet.

We've made it to our daughter's house and tomorrow morning, way too early, we fly out to Texas to visit our son and meet our granddaughter for the first time.

Probably no more posts until after the holidays. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Centered

When people ask where Sanford is, I always say I live in the middle of the state.  Apparently, that's a completely accurate statement.  The exact center of NC is located in Lee County.  Who knew?

We spent some time Saturday at the Alston House, also known as The House in the Horseshoe, for their Christmas open house event.  It wasn't a large event, but we enjoy visiting historical sites and this one is close to home.  You hear so much about Civil War sites in North Carolina, I often forget that there were Revolutionary War battles fought here as well.  

We wandered around for a while and talked to some of the re-enacters and demonstrators.  Met Webb the Weaver, who is extremely passionate about weaving, and boy what a talker!  He did however give me the name of a man who makes looms should I decide I want to purchase one.  (Yes, I'm considering learning yet another fiber craft, as if I don't already have enough yarn.)

It was a gorgeous day to be outside in December.  There wasn't an actual battle re-enactment this weekend, but they did have a 1 pound cannon.  We spent some time talking to the man who owns it, well, Rob spent some time talking to him, I just took pictures and listened.  As you can see, it apparently takes quite a few people to shoot off a cannon.

On the way home, we stopped at the site of an abandoned building by the river that I've always wondered about.  There's a picnic area there, so we knew it was o.k. to stop, we just never had.  It's the former site of the Carbonton Dam and the location of the exact geographic center of NC mentioned above.  It also was an operational hydroelectric power plant until 2004.  It's hard to imagine that this building that looks like it has been abandoned forever was still producing power just 8  years ago.  

Other than our historical outing on Saturday, the rest of the weekend was a combination of relaxing and getting things done in preparation for Christmas.  I've done enough of my Christmas knitting that I'm confident I can finish the couple of small things left to do.  All the gifts have been bought except for picking up a couple of gift certificates.  I just need to pack up what needs to go to TX and get it shipped this week so it will get there on time.

Not doing a lot of the usual things for Christmas since we'll be traveling, but I did make some cheese biscuits today.  No live tree this year, but I bought a small fake one, and while it's a little pitiful looking sitting on the floor and only 4 feet tall, it makes me happy, and that's what it's all about.

Nosin' Around

I've recently joined a local chapter of Sisters in Crime (SinC).  The Triangle Chapter (TriSinC) is relatively new, but I'm enjoying it so far.  We meet once a month in North Raleigh, and usually have a program of some kind.

Today Sheila Boneham introduced us to her dog Lily and gave us a demonstration of dog tracking.

As you can see, Lily is an adorable yellow lab.  She was so excited to track the scent that one of our members had laid down earlier.  She was even more excited when she found the same member in his hiding spot, as that meant she was then able to get all the love and attention that the entire group was waiting to give her.

After the demonstration, Sheila talked to us about how tracking dogs are trained and some of the differences in training between law enforcement tracking dogs and Lily, who is trained primarily for tracking competitions.  It was interesting to find out that any dog can be trained to track, as it's an innate ability that all dogs use.  It's just a matter of training them to follow the one scent you want them to find.

Another bit of trivia I didn't know (not that I know anything about dogs and tracking to begin with) is that dogs cannot pant while they're tracking.  Panting is how dogs cool themselves off, so it's more risky to the dog to track in hotter weather.  This also makes it riskier for dogs that have the more compressed nasal passages, such as pugs, to do tracking.

All in all an educational way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and I got my doggie fix as well!

Friends Are Friends Forever

 

I consider myself a social person, and indeed, every time I've taken the Myers Briggs or some similar type personality evaluator, my "extrovert" is almost off the scale.  But despite my extroverted and social nature, I've always been one to have a lot of acquaintances and just a few people I really consider friends.

I started thinking about this a couple of Saturdays ago when my college roommate and another friend from college came to hang out for the day.  Although we only live a couple of hours apart, our busy lives mean we rarely see each other, so it was nice to have a day to get together, just hang out, and pretend for a bit we're young again.  These are friendships that are over 20 years old and will always be there.  We may go months without talking to each other, or even e-mailing, but I know that if I needed either of them they'd be there, and when we do get together it doesn't matter how long it's been, it's still comfortable.

We spent this past Saturday night over a few drinks and munchies with another couple that moved away a few years ago, but were here visiting family for the Thanksgiving holiday.  He and Rob were friends first, and when he was single he was at our house a lot, although that may have been more for the food than the friendship!  When he started dating his wife, she fit right in, and fortunately she & I also got along well.  So it's a couples friendship, where we mostly do things as two couples, but it's also a good enough friendship that the guys do things and the girls do things separately, although not so much anymore since they live 9 hours away.

I joined a knitting group a couple of years ago, and two of the women in that group are becoming more friends than acquaintances.  So far, most of our interactions are centered around knitting activities, but that's what we all like to do, and it's nice to have someone to do it with.  Still, I feel like they're definitely women that would be there if I needed them, and that I want to spend time with outside of the knitting group activities.

The older I get, the harder it seems to be to form new real friendships.  We all have so many things going on in our lives that although I meet new people regularly, and may even see them frequently when participating in whatever type of activity I met them through, they are really just all acquaintances.  To me, a friend is someone you know you can count on, even when it's not convenient for them, and for whom you would go out of your own way to help when needed.  I think those people are few and far between in each of our lives, and that much more important when found.

 My husband is my best friend, and for that I'm grateful.  And I'm thankful for the friends I've found, and continue to find, in my life.  This is one of those things where I think quality definitely trumps quantity.

The Dog Rescuer

I admit it, I'm a sucker for dogs, especially big dogs. Which is why I spent most of my morning with this guy. (sorry, pic is at the bottom, I forgot the Blogger app puts them all down there.)

I had to swing by the Sheriff's office this morning to pick up the paperwork to renew my concealed carry permit, so I headed out of town a different way that took me up a rural road. As I passed the brick plant, I saw him sitting beside the road, with his head on his paws and his rear sticking out in the road.

I don't normally stop for EVERY dog I see sitting by the side of the road, but the way his rear was out in the road made me think he might have been hit by a car and unable to get completely to the side. As soon as I slowed, his head popped up and watched my car as I turned around and drove back past him to pull into the gravel area on the side of the road.

I got out of the car and he hopped up and came loping over to me, slobber already flying from his mouth. It was obvious at this point he hadn't been hit, but he was so friendly I had to love on him a bit.

I couldn't leave it at that though. He had a chain around his neck, but he was a little thin for a mastiff and he had a spot on one of his rear legs that looked pretty raw. And so the fun part began.

I checked with the office of the brick plant to see if they knew who he belonged to, but no luck. I noticed a house just down the intersecting road that had a dog in the yard, so I drove over there to ask if they knew anything about him. My new buddy followed my car as I drove, and when we got there the dog in yard was jumping all over him wanting to play, but he just stood there and looked at him.

The woman at the house didn't know him, but told me there were several houses down the road that had dogs. She gave me a couple of dog treats for him, and I managed to get him in my car. The front seat of a Mustang was not made for the likes of this dog. He eventually got mostly settled with his rear in the seat and his front paws in the floorboard, and off we went.

I spent the next hour or so stopping at houses up and down the road trying to find an owner, but with no luck. By this time, the passenger side of my car and the gear shifter were covered in drool. I finally decided his best bet was to take him to the animal shelter, where hopefully someone would look for him. My plan also was to start calling vets to let them know he was there, and to locate a mastiff rescue group that would come get him if his owner couldn't be found. He was too sweet to let him be put down, but I had nowhere to put him at home. Even as thin as he was, he still weighed at least 140.

Fortunately, that turned out to be the best decision. They scanned him at the shelter and he had a microchip, so they took my info anyway, but said they would call the owners. I called back late this afternoon and they said the owners were coming to get hi. Yeah! He didn't appear to be abused, so I can only hope that his thinness is due to having been lost for a while. The shelter can't tell me who the owners are, so I can only hope for the best.

I finally made it to work after lunch. After all that, I had to go home and change into clothes that hadn't been slobbered all over, and my car really needs a bath!

Holidays Approacheth

This week it has suddenly dawned on me that next week is Thanksgiving, and that means that Christmas is not far behind!

I have to be done with Christmas presents early this year since we're going to TX to spend it with our son and his family.  I want to ship most of the presents out there ahead of time rather than trying to pack them all in our luggage for the flight.

The trip will also be our first time meeting Cadence, our new granddaughter.  Isn't she adorable?!?!

So this week I've been trying to figure out what to get and/or knit for everyone on the Christmas list.  The knitting is the main thing I've got to figure out, as I've got to get started, but I don't want to plan more than I can actually do.  I think I've got the few knitted items figured out, including making the  yarn selections, and hope to get started this weekend.  I also need to finish up the baby blanket I've been working on FOREVER (well it seems that way) which is a really cute blanket but extremely slow and boring to knit, so I haven't worked on it as much as I should.

The only presents I'm having difficulty figuring out really are Rob's parents.  We won't actually see them on Christmas this year, but we're flying in and out of Charlotte, where they live, so we'll probably see them for a few hours the day after we get back, before we drive home.  They're always the hardest to buy something for, because I never know what to get them, and Rob is no help!

I'm sad that for the 3rd year in a row we will not have a Christmas tree at our house.  Last year I swore we would have one this year because I really love the decorating part of Christmas, but it's another year of it being just not practical to put one up since we will be gone.  I don't think I'll even put up my outside lights this year, although I might change my mind about that after Thanksgiving.

Decorations or not, Christmas is always one of my favorite times of year, and I'm sure this year will be no different.  How can it be bad when I get to spend it with this cutie pie?

In a Nutshell

I keep meaning to take the time to post here, but every time I think about it, I get overwhelmed by the number of things that I have not yet blogged about and I don't know where to begin.

So here is the past 2 months or so in a nutshell, and mostly chronological order.....

• Had a great visit to the John C. Campbell Folk School, where I learned to tat.
• Became a grandmother on September 19 to Cadence Annette Sitze.
• Had a knock down doors and shoot up bad guys good time at the Writer's Police Academy.
• Turned 44 years old and got an iPad from Rob, which I'm still learning how to best use. (I'm typing this post on it now.)
• Went to the land of cheese (i.e. Wisconsin) for a work related conference.
• Went to a corn maze with Rob, my brother, his wife and my 3 nieces.  
• Went to SAFF with my knitting group. My first visit, but definitely not my last!
• Spent this past weekend hanging out with my daughter and her boyfriend.
• Spent a couple of nice Saturdays hanging out with Rob and going to a fall festival, an antique tractor show & a local historic site.
• Did a lot of knitting.
• Have had the "crud", a cold, and now a chronic cough.

Overall, a good couple of months, other than the cold & cough bit.  So now that I've caught you all up, maybe I can get back to writing here on a regular basis.  And some of these events may show up again in more detail.