I'm feeling sick today.

But not because I'm truly sick. Crazy, but I'm feeling empathy for my very very sick kitty. He had surgery on his mouth yesterday. Tim is 14 so the vet put him under with gas and when I retrieved him last night he was still stumbling around like a drunk man. I meant to carry him downstairs to use the litter box, but he started moving and did this crazy side-stepping weave all the way down the stairs with me scrambling to catch up in case he fell. Not sure how he made it without tumbling, but I think it's because he just kept his feet moving. Poor kitty.....
For a while he lay splayed out in the living room, the tip of his chin barely touching the floor, eyes glazed and half closed, looking absolutely miserable. I kept checking to see if he was breathing.

Later, he tried to jump up on the couch with me - he didn't make it. He got his front paws up, but sort of rolled sideways and fell on the floor. Geez! I felt like the meanest pet companion ever. I picked him up and snuggled him next to me. He slept for a couple hours and I didn't dare move - I didn't want to wake him.
Anyway, I suppose I'm thinking how I would feel if I were him and now I feel sick. Serves me right! Mean ole pet companion.......
He's better this morning, but he's got a few days before he starts to feel chipper again.

What is it?

I can't say yet other than it's for F.M.S. - for his birthday. I've finished it, but now have to wait 6 weeks before I go to Taiwan and can give it to him. It was so much fun I've bought more wool to make one for myself.

Now can I say I'm a knitter? Yeah, and I'm welcoming myself to the club. What a great club to belong to.

Now, about that welding I've been wanting to learn. I found a place in Kalamazoo that teaches classes.

The Mystery of Rotational Symmetry and the Missing Tire Pump

The following is an email I received from my son in Taiwan. He's currently a teacher and some of the stories he relates are just hilarious! Let me say that I found his latest story especially funny considering a couple conversations I had with said son a few years back. On one occassion he had walked into the living room to find me lounging on the couch with a book. He asked what I was reading and I replied, "a long fatal love chase" to which he responded, "No, mom. What's the name of the book?" I turned the book to look at the cover, held it up to him and said with a grin, "A Long Fatal Love Chase." lol That was the name of the book. On another occasion I walked into the living room to find him watching TV. I asked what he was watching and his reply was, "all that" as he flipped his hand nonchalantly toward the TV. I asked again, "what are you watching?" to which he said with a smile, "All That". Aha! It was the name of the show. So, yes, I found the following simply hilarious.

I am almost certain that you, the reader, will not find nearly as much humor in this event since you are not familiar with the phonics books that I use everyday. I will do my best.

For each class I teach there is a phonics book that we work on. It is split up into lessons and we do one or two of the lessons each class. At the top of the page is the focus of the lesson and then there is an activity below.

In today's class, we did lessons that distinguished the short and long sounds of the five vowels. After going through each of the sounds "short 'A' - a a a. long 'A' - ay ay ay..." we moved on to the activity portion. There were 10 boxes each containing a word with some missing letters and a picture that matched up in some way with the word.

They were as follows:
1) _a_e with a picture of a gate.
2) _o_ with a picture of a box.
3) _i_e with a picture of a boy hiding.
4) _u_e with a picture of a tube.
5) _e_t with a picture of a compass rose.
6) _ee_ with a picture showing depths.
7) _o_e with a picture of a rope.
8) _a__ with a picture of sand.
9) _u__ with a picture of a boy blowing up a tire.
10) _i_ with a picture of a big six.

So I begin to go through these words with them using an exaggerated voice so they can easily guess the right letters. [Skip ahead]

Me: "Number eight. s-aNNNND."

[Everyone finishes]

Me: "Good, number ten. SSS-i-X. Six."
Class in unison: "NINE! NINE!"
Me: "It's a six you guys."
CIU: "NINE! NINE!"
(I think, "Has my whole class gone insane?")
Me: "Have you all gone insane? It's a six. Look!"

I draw a two-foot tall six on the board and contrast it with a two-foot tall nine on the board. They are screaming "NINENINENINENINE!" and I am saying siiiiiiiiiiiiiiixxx and niiiiiiiiinnnnnneeee as I trace my gargantuan letters as slowly as I can.

"Teacher you no number nine!"

[I look down to see that, sure enough, I forgot pump.]

Hilarious. I think it's the funniest thing to happen to me at _______.

Just for a moment

I spent the evening knitting, time moving slowly forward as I found the rhythm in yarn passing over my needles, one stitch followed by another, engrossed, learning. Hours passed before a strange light caused me to lift my head and gaze around at a room immersed in a magnificent orange glow. I ran for my camera, but was only able to capture this one poor image before the light was gone. You should have been there - it was very nearly breathtaking.

Knitter's Heaven

I'm not a knitter by any stretch of the truth. I knit poorly at best. I know it's lack of experience and a matter of being self taught, but being unable to find the rhythm, I've been so ridiculously clumsy at it! But I want to be a knitter for the peace I'm sure it could add to my life. How could I not be peaceful when I'm creating something that takes over my soul?
I found out that Cat Bordhi was going to be at City Knitting last night for a talk and book signing and I thought, "why not?" and why would I miss a chance to learn something from one of the best? Look what I bought!

Cat is wonderful and she uses stories to help you understand the steps. Needless to say I bought more needles and Manos yarn and sat next to Cat for about 45 minutes while she talked me (and others) through casting on and making my first few rows. It was wonderful and I'm pretty sure I melded into her aura. It was so.....peaceful. I knew it, I just knew it would be. I went home and continued knitting while snuggled in bed all relaxed and cozy. (Except for the part where my cat thought I brought these items home as toys for him.) And just to be sure I really knew what I was doing I took it all apart and did it again.

I'm in knitter's heaven.

They make me look bad....

but at least I'm taking away some good ideas for when I rip out my front yard. This trip to the Meijer Gardens was to see the Monet Gardens and the Degas Sculpture exhibit. I wasn't allowed to take pictures of the Degas, but suffice to say it was brilliant. The complete 73 works in bronze, lucky me.
But this post is really about the gardens and how they made me aware of contrasts both in design and how I thought I felt about certain plants. I need to play in the dirt more.



Now here's a contrast of textures and colors that I wouldn't have mixed.

The composition of this picture is deliberate and I knew exactly what I was trying to accomplish. I did it! The light from behind simply glows.

I laughed out loud when I saw this and wondered about someone's sense of humor. It's in the children's garden, for heaven sake! And why is this red flower 'flipping me off'?

Did I really say I didn't want a waterfall in my garden? Perhaps because I've always thought you look at the waterfall, but now I would certainly have a waterfall if I could look through it.

I don't know what this is but I will have one. I will!

Now, I've also never been a fan of grasses, but I sure like this combination of browns and yellows.

I loved this for the color contrast and the softness of the bloom compared to how spikey it looks.

So cute, but he is my nemesis after paddling the Pigeon River this summer.

How do I make my kitchen reflect this color combination of blues, reds and greens? Tell me, I really want to know.....

I did not know that bamboo peeled like this.

Light and airy vs. coarse and prickley.

On turning 5

When you're the perfect grandmother (which I am, of course!) you have to listen to the babes to come up with the perfect gift. This is especially true when you prefer handmade over store bought toys.

My grandson currently wants to be a policeman when he grows up and what 5 y/o doesn't?

I found the material for the pillow in the clearance bin for $1/yard and you know I couldn't pass it up.

This was tough to make. I had to create the hat myself after scouring the internet and not being able to find a pattern. I 'borrowed' Sir S's toy emblem 2 weeks ago. The visor material was left over scraps from having made chaps for F.Y.S. when he was 12 and very into WWF. I used my new bias tape maker for the trim on the visor. I didn't even know this clever gadget existed until reading Amanda's blog and I've been sewing for 35 years. The hat wasn't easy, but it turned out great. He loves it!

Oh, and this is me being all smug over my creation.

I so copied this card from here. How could I not when it was so perfect? The inside says, "This is your first warning to 'police' have a great day." Corny, I know, but he's 5 and doesn't care.

This picture cracks me up. My grandson has his hat pulled down so far his ears stick out and yet his cousin, behind him, has his ears tucked inside his hat. hehe I guess they figure it out themselves. Happy birthday, Sir S. I love you.