So where are the strong and who are the trusted?

This past weekend was the Western PA Mensa RG. It was mostly fun but a lot of it wasn't.

It was not fun having people see me this way. It was not fun having people say "why don't you try THIS, or why don't you do THAT, or you should do THIS, or you need to do THAT" like I don't know how to manage my own physical challenges and like I never consulted a doctor or physical therapist. People mean well, I know they do. They say these things out of love, but they don't think. It gets exhausting.

Not to mention, I am generally the life of the party, running all over the place, lifting heavy objects and people, breaking into song and dance at the slightest provocation, running people and things to and fro, and I was pretty much unable to do that. It sucked monkey balls, let me tell you.

That and having freaking McCain staying in our hotel, which was not only a major PITA but led to everyone talking politics the whole time. GAH. Just what I did not need.

On the upside, I had fun talking with some people I dearly love and haven't seen or talked to in way too long. I also got time in the hotel's pool and hot tub which was glorious, absolutely glorious.

So.

This week has been kind of a blur. The impending weather has made the titanium barometer that is mounted in my knee act up constantly. I've also been tired. And all of a sudden, it's Saturday and there's a pile of laundry staring me in the face.

If you're not scared off yet, here's a picture of Bob at the hotel. Heh.



He's so cute. That bed was SO comfortable, too. I wish we had room for a king-sized bed. I slept like a log for the most part.

In crafting, I've been making good progress on the second pair of entrelac socks.



I had to rip out almost the whole entrelac part of the second sock because I missed one rectangle in the first row, and the nature of the beast is that you CAN miss it if you don't count each row carefully before you turn and start building rectangles the other way, so COUNT THEM. It's moving along nicely now, though.

Started a shawl out of the "octarine" yarn. It's actually a stole, which I think will be much more my speed. I'm not much of a shawl person.

The pattern's very simple for lace. The hardest part is remembering to turn the row counter so you remember where you are.

Also working on the Koi socks, almost done with one, and worried about the second.

Why worried, you ask? Because it's snug on my good foot so far. I might make the second one on a size larger needles to make sure it'll fit my puffyfoot.

I love these socks in this yarn though. It's the Silk Garden Sock from Noro and is so wonderfully soft.


Haven't been spinning lately though I did get some silk top to spin. I'm a little nervous about it for no good reason. I'd really like to blend it with the Wensleydale I have to make a nice glossy sock yarn, but carding isn't a good option for silk and I don't have combs or a hackle. Yet. I need to figure out what my next tool will be.
Really, I want a new wheel. I would like to invest in a Fricke wheel, not terribly expensive but from all accounts very good equipment for a decent price and a step up from the Babe. Now that I'm getting paid again (YAY) I can start putting some money away for things like that. The Fricke single treadle (no sense getting DT with my bad foot) is less than $300 right now. So I think that's going to happen around the first of the year barring disaster.

Poor Bob is having such trouble with his allergies this year. He's a regular Mr. McSneezy. He says the weeds are worse than usual. I noticed the apples are certainly worse than usual. We have hundreds of them all over the yard.

They are wormy off the tree, no good to eat, except for dogs

and deer. I wish I could salvage some of them, but they are full of holes even on the tree, and I know nothing about care and feeding of apple trees and have no time/energy/cash to put into it.


I must be off. Deep thoughts are not happening in a cohesive enough form to capture in type just now, though maybe later. I have thoughts but no motivation to record them. Good thoughts, I think, but no desire to waste them casting them upon the winds. So for now I'll keep them to myself. I'm sick of politics anyway.