On the Road Again

MOST of the Bug seems to have gone somewhere else. I'll say MOST because I still lose my voice & the damned cough comes back when I've been talking most of the day!! This is not good when you're on the phone doing Customer Service!! But, since everyone has it, had it, knows someone who has it, or had it or is now getting it, well, I can make do!

The Motorcycle School is open again. I seem to have become the Main Office Person again this year - I refuse to be Manager even though I am, I guess - and I'll be back at it FULL TIME by the second week in February when the first Students of the year arrive! This time of year is actually quite interesting & I'm so busy when I get there that the time really flies. Things are changing in the Motorcycle world. The Provincial government wants to make Training mandatory. In the meantime, it wants to extend the Learning time to a minimum of 6 months with restrictions on speed, size of motorcycle & night riding for two years. This means  EVERYONE who applies for a Motorcycle Learner's will soon be on the Graduated Licensing Program. Right now, you can get your Learner's & take your Road Test 30 days later with or without Training. They've been telling the Industry change is coming but we don't quite know when.

My Crafting time has really shrunk. Suddenly everyone who didn't file things last year is dumping old stuff on my desk! Here we go again!! But, last night, I finally started the toes of my lovely pale Phildar socks. I thought about adding pink toes in the same tone but I had tons of yarn left to do toes! I even made the legs extra long - the yardage in that 100gm ball is incredible!!! Getting in & out of the car sometimes sends a draft up the old stems so the longer leg works a charm! Will slip in a picture when the toes are cast off.

Haven't touched the Poncho Pullover in a couple of weeks. Since I got this cough, knitting with ANY rustic yarn makes me cough even more. I love the yarn I'm using & how it softens up with handling & wears forever. After coughing up a lung - I have scar tissue in my right one which aches & gives me pain from coughing - I've had to set it aside for a while or work on it outside. Too damned cold to knit outside these days!!

Time to work on something else. So, I found the bag my Ribbons top-down cardigan lives in & will work on it instead. I know I stopped working on it to make the heavy sweater for winter - actually, I wanted to participate in a KAL on Ravelry is what really happened!!! The yarn is so soft in my Ribbons cardigan, I know it won't shed as I work on it. I just don't understand why I even thought about stopping this project! It's handspun. It's soft. It smells so good! It feels so good!! I must've been nuts. Found TWO cakes of lighter grey handspun in my stash after I thought I had to find the fleece & spin more - this fleece ranged from very light grey to almost black in patches. And I spun up the very dark parts into a couple of balls to use as the cuffs & button bands. This is the sweater I should work on right now - by the time I get it finished, it'll be time to wear it.

I'm such a lazy dawg

Actually, 4 eight hour days in a row at work, two weeks in a row just about killed me. So did the overflowing toilet, the icy stairs & all the other little things that got to me as I went back to work after 6 weeks off! I enjoyed my time off although I'm not sure if I really DID anything! Best holiday I guess .  .  . 

I have little to report in the Craft situation. The nasty bug carries on - the cough is apparently gone - I won't say that too loud just yet - AND a nasty stomach ache arrived. WILL this virus never end??? I am going to do the fruit & veggie purge thing for the next couple of weeks to try to kick it out. I've had enough!! 

In the meantime, my fingers have been too sore to do much knitting so I'm working on the same two pairs of socks, three sweaters & one tuque. I do a row or two here & there on the socks & hope something will be finished by the end of the month. I want to finish both pairs & the tuque by the middle of February at the latest since Tax Season is almost here & I won't have a lot of time when it arrives. The Poncho Pullover will get finished in it's own sweet time I guess. I'm not feeling terribly motivated at the moment & just seem to want to sleep all the time! Yes Virginia, I started taking D, C & Fish Oil again since this may just be Seasonal Affective Disorder due to the lack of sunshine. I'll let you all know if I get my Mojo back.

How Time Flies

Just don't know where the last couple of weeks have gone!! It's got to be an AGE thing. I've been cussing everyone at all the BLOGS I follow for not updating often enough & here I am .  .  .  my only excuse is that the damn days go so fast that by the time I notice it's the day AFTER tomorrow!!  It didn't happen like that when I was 40 or 50 but now that I'm about to be 62, well, it's not fair!  I mean it takes longer just to get moving in the morning - especially if you couldn't sleep the night before - and I often have to take a nap in the afternoon or I fall asleep when I sit down to watch the 6:00 news, I need time to S-L-O-W down a bit  .   .   .  But it doesn't! And now that I'm falling down the slippery, age-related slope, I guess I'll have to find some sticky soled shoes.

So?? What have I been doing for the last couple of weeks?? Oh, knitting a little, throwing out some junque & sleeping a whole lot. Some ugly virus bit me a while back & I've been hacking ever since. I never really got SICK - I developed a sleeping sickness!! Some mornings I get up & sneeze for 10 minutes & then spend the next two hours blowing my nose & coughing up a lung. Other mornings, I'm just fine. But I get tired. The Motorcycle School called me back to work two weeks early!!! Ouch! Was not expecting that but the old bank account is excited!! I still have to pay for my On-Line excesses so back to work I went.

On the needles - well - I have two pairs of socks on the go. One is for me in lovely light, stripey Phildar yarn that ranges from palest blue to palest lavender - not my usual thing but I thought it was interesting & had to have it. I found some pink in the same light shade & may put pink toes on just for fun!! The other pair is intended to be Frankensocks - there's a couple of half balls in a dark blue with light blue here & there - looks like I'll be able to turn the heels & perhaps do part of the instep. I may just find some light blue yarn & stripe the feet. I have a couple of birthdays coming up & both people LOVE wild socks. Maybe I should just find a bright GREEN & stripe the feet.
Oho - I just traded my Hairdresser two pairs of socks for a Perm. She doesn't care what I knit since she wears them at home in the evenings when she takes off her work shoes!!! She just wants cushy, snuggly & warm socks. Another convert!!!


Still working on my Poncho Pullover from Cabin Fever! It's down to the top of my butt & needs a couple more inches before I decide whether to put fringe on it or not. I like the look of fringe but may just add the length in knitting instead because it'll be faster! and then on to the sleeves! I should be able to wear it about the time I don't need it anymore .  .  .  .

          


             2013

                     

The End

It's almost the End of the Year. It happened so fast that I have barely a memory of this time last year! I was probably doing this.  Unlike the Harlot, I have no Traditions in this house. There's no family to feed, no pets to trip over & nowhere to go tonight. There is laundry to do, dishes to wash, floors to sweep, junque to toss & bills to pay but I need at least another few days to get it all done on time, so I don't think I'll let it all worry me. I've managed to get by without Traditions this long .  .  .  

But, I think I'll put my new Cranberry flannel sheets on the bed, put the old feather pillows into their new Cranberry covers & spend the day planning something tasty for dinner. I intend to KNIT IN the New Year with Inspector Foyle.  I've added a little more than 6 inches to the body of my Poncho Pullover during the holidays & almost completed anther winter sock on the side. Neither project will get finished tonight but I'll work on finishing as much as possible.

It's snowing outside again. This is unusual for our part of the world!! Snow likes to show up in February & spoil everyone's Valentine's Day plans or cause a 2 hour commute to turn into 7 hours from Hell. Trust me, I've been there .  .  .  I intend to be cozy, warm, well fed & sipping a tall, fruity drink in my own home tonight while the Galactic Clock takes another tick forward in time. See you all next year!

All Over but the Returns        

I know today is Official Sale Day. I know people have been waiting in line to spend more money on things they don't need but I will not be one of them. I'm psyching myself up to stand in line with returns. I ordered a bunch of warm shirts for the Ex this year because he never buys himself anything new. Of course I got the wrong size. Sigh. I think the thing I dread most besides going into Malls in December is the Returns in January.

I stayed home for Christmas - I intended to watch Inspector Foyle while I worked on the Poncho Pullover. I worked on the Pullover alright - it's just about time to try it on again!!! But I ended up on UTube watching an English series called Landscape Mysteries & listening to Detective Nan Vining murders instead. Apparently, I bought the Nan Vining series by Diane Emley ages ago as a package & forgot about them. Somehow I found them again on Christmas Day.

I'm also reading Monica Ferris' series of Needlework mysteries on my Kobo - I started with 'Crewel World' & am now reading 'Framed in Lace'! They're delightful, light without being silly. The stories revolve around a small, lakeshore community in Minnesota and a group of needlework lovers in a little shop called 'Crewel World'. The shop is run by the sister of the recently deceased owner, who came to visit & has been talked into staying.  I just wish I had them in Audio Book form so I could knit while I read!!

 
No Turkey here. I'm making Cowboy Chili in the crock pot for dinner tonite. If I get ambitious, I'll also make the Apple Pudding recipe for dessert. Just a totally non-traditional time at my house this year - maybe I'll make Turkey for the New Year.

The End Came & Went

Never, for a moment's notice, did I expect the world to come to an end about 3 this morning. It would've served all the Credit Card companies right, had it done so though. I'm sure a few people caught in the Ice Bombing on our new bridge thought it had come early. And the commuters caught in the massive traffic jam behind jack-knifed trucks & iced bridges the next morning were hoping it would end soon.
I kind of giggled at some of the End of the World parties that were mentioned on the late news though. One of the groups went to a Spa & then ordered IN to their spiffy hotel suite while they watched Pay-Per-View in their jammies. Sigh. Now why didn't I think of that?

I stayed home & knit. I'm trying to get my Poncho Pullover finished. This thing better fit when it's done too!! I actually hope it's a little big - I think it will be - so I can 'full' it slightly & still be able to be comfortable with a shirt under it. The body is getting quite long & I intend to end this before it gets too long. Since the front dips down quite a bit, I'm thinking of stopping when the sides are at hip length. That should place the front & rear points just below my butt. We'll see how it looks. Gawd make it look good!!!

Safeway got my last pennies tonite when I made the run for yams, raspberries, blueberries, a loaf of bread, raisins, dish soap & milk. Yeah - I got a few more goodies but not too many. I found a recipe for Crock Pot Bread Pudding & I intend to make it in the Crock as a special treat for myself. My Foyle's War DVDs also came in today so I'm really excited to spend my time Christmas day watching them while I eat my festive bread pud.

A Decision Made

The Poncho Pullover won. I was a couple of inches past the sleeve openings & I had no choice! It's sort of like arguing over who's gonna clean out that closet full of junk & having it all fall on you the next time you open the door a crack to sneak in another thing. Decision made. 

I've been knitting like crazy because I need to wear this thing NOW. Yesterday snow flurries were in the Forecast & I was out in my Recycled pop-bottle Hoodie. Here on the Wet Coast, the weather doesn't really get cold enough to invest in a big coat unless you take Transit to work. And then usually a warm jacket & umbrella will do. Periodically, Northern Canada remembers us & sends a blast of deep freeze our way, but mostly we're wet. If you drive your own car, who needs a coat??? I have a big fleece jacket & a wool blanket in the emergency kit just in case but normally, a heavy sweater will do the trick. A heavy WOOL sweater that is. Recycled pop-bottles do not keep you warm when you're sitting or standing outside in the damp for very long. You need wool. Wool socks, wool mitts & a nice wool sweater. And I'm working on it. Hold the socks!!

Tuesday Afternoon

Boss socks are done!  Regia sock yarn in one of the Jet Set colorways. I used two US#1 or 2.25mm circs & cast-on 72 stitches. They were worked top down. Secretly, I thought they'd never end. I think it was that frogging of the second sock when I got to the heel shaping & discovered I'd cast-on 82 stitches instead of 72. But they eventually got finished.

It's been cool enough outside that I really, really have to get a thicker sweater finished for me sometime in the near future. I'm still dickering between the two top-down sweaters from Cabin Fever, the Poncho Pullover & the new Top-Down sweater, the Lace Frock. I suppose the best way to go is to pick the one the furthest along & just finish the damned thing. Makes sense doesn't it??? But my heart isn't in it.

Got this lovely stuff in the mail yesterday from Sunset Fibres. The owner paints her own fibres  & has produced many really nice combos. This one is called Blue Jeans. There's even a little bit of smokey grey & khaki in the mix. I'll be curious to see how it modifies the blues. There's enough for socks but this fibre felts so I have a couple of ideas for it once it's spun up - hopefully, over Christmas with the other two braids I couldn't resist.

Free at Last, Free at Last

Yesterday was my final day at the Motorcycle School, well, officially that is. I still have a few things to do but I can do them on MY TIME & bank the hours. Yesterday was an eventful day besides being the final day on the job. We graduated our very first December DaySchool class. All of them are now legally able to ride on Public Roads during daylight hours!! We'll see most of them in the late spring for their Road Tests & one fellow will take his back home in Northern BC. Normally we close by the end of November but the calls kept on coming in .  .  .


Just because I'm officially free from the School it doesn't mean I'm free free .  .  .  I already have two boxes, one giant envelope with two year ends & two plastic bins - oh shit, there's that damned briefcase sitting there too. So my days will not be filled with bacchanalia just yet. But, I'm looking forward to locking my doors, pulling down the blinds, turning off the phone, slipping the new flannel Penguin sheet set on the bed with the new Penguin quilt cover, opening that bottle of Blood Orange Merlot, lighting the Vanilla Cookie scented candle & spending a week with Detective Inspector Foyle between Christmas & New Years! I'll finally use that nice little portable DVD player that I got a couple of years ago to play my 'Walking with Leslie' CDs. It will be ensconced in the bedroom where I can snuggle under Penguins with the Inspector.

I love Mail Call

I did manage to get myself out & about yesterday - I had two small packages to mail & my mailbox to clean out. I've been doing a lot of shopping on line lately at Amazon, the Kobo site & Public Television so I've got some goodies coming by mail. My Ex is getting a couple of seasons of his favorite TV show which he missed while on Satelite TV. While shopping for him, I got Cast On, Bind Off - 54 step by step methods for myself which came yesterday!!! I love the little book already.

 
I love the way it lays flat as you use it. And the techniques are nicely illustrated & demonstrated. I found them easy to follow & taught myself one already. After skimming the pages, I discovered a Picot Cast On which I thought would look wonderful on wrist warmers! Had to drop the socks & get out the needles for a small try. It turned out so well that I may even use it on a sweater neckline or sleeve edge since there's even a Picot Bind Off included elsewhere in the book. Judy's Magic Cast On is there as is her Extra Stretchy Bind Off! A terrific book as far as I'm concerned. Small, easy to read, lays flat & fits in any knitting bag.

My first attempt at the Picot Cast On from the book. Isn't it pretty??? I'm going to make some wrist warmers to wear under my fleece jackets. The sleeves are quite wide & the drafts go in when I run outside to scrape my car windows in the mornings. I'm not a glove person but wrist warmers seem to do a good enough job at keeping me warm.

Down to the Wire

Third day off in a row - this is almost an oddity since getting TWO off in a row only happens when there's a Monday holiday & no class scheduled. But, a third day off in a row & I've got nothing much done. Oh, I had plans to haul my sorry ass out early with the bags of recycling but it's been raining & blowing. Yeah, I know we're used to rain around here but my computer's flashing the RED STORM WARNING & the garbage & recycling bins are at the front of the house. I don't think I'm the only one around here that saves everything in the house until the last minute either, the bin's always empty until the day it goes out to the street!! But, at least I don't have to put them out!! That's why we have teen aged boys in this world, isn't it??

Have been knitting like crazy - good TV on the Knowledge Network on Weekends!! - and was going to turn the heel on sock #2 for the Motorcycle Boss only to discover a problem. Could NOT believe it but I actually cast 82 stitches on for the second sock! Now, these are plain-jane, pattern-in-my-head socks. They are carved so deeply into my little Grey Cells that I can knit them in my sleep. Or so I thought. And I cast on 82 stitches instead of 72. So, last night I had to frog a quarter of a sock & get that same quarter re-knit ASAP. They go to their new owner on Friday! Hopefully this is just a minor glitch in normal bodily operations & not a prediction of things to come .  .  .  .

Like the Wind


Tomorrow my latest project will be dropped into the mail to fly off to the Other Side of the Mountains, to it's new owner. I had to find something GREEN. No fool I, who doesn't like to shop - you wouldn't know it mind you, by all the books I picked up this week on Sale!! And Six seasons of Foyle's War too. But, this package will be away & off my damned desk. I'm a terrible one for not mailing things .  .  .  What did I find that was GREEN? Well, my old standby - socks.

When in doubt, send hand knit socks. They make the feet feel warm & pampered. So many people don't know how to make them - I love socks.
In 5 days, I will be unemployed until the end of January. YES!! Well, not that I don't have projects to do in my home office mind you BUT, I will no longer have to commute or get dressed in the morning if I don't want to. I can get up early or stay up late & work if I want & take an afternoon nap - if I want. The Boss at the Motorcycle School is pretty good to me so it's time HE got a pair of socks too.

First sock down & the second is already on the needles. The yarn is Regia - one of my favorites - in one of the Jet Set colorways. this rich blue with lighter blue dappling is perfect for the man who wants "manly" colors but is not a totally boring, totally flat, one dimensional color that takes forever to knit. I know he'll like it.

Bruised Saturday

I figure it's only fitting to comment on all the Seasonal Stupidity going on around me right now. Tis the Season to fall down the Debt Hole. Have you noticed that the price increases exponentially year by year?? I say, Stop the Madness NOW. Refuse to take an extra day off to sit in mile long line-ups at the Border. Refuse to spend your morning/afternoon circling the parking lots for an empty space! Refuse to pay Duty & Tax at the Border! Refuse to let your money support another country! If you must shop, do it at home. Buy Locally. Keep Business Alive on THIS side of the Border. That's our Education, Health & Employment dollars going south in your pockets, my friends.

Now, I'm not totally averse to spending a buck or two across the Border if I can't get what I really want in Canada. But, I'm trying my best to Green up my life. I look Locally first, Provincially second, Canadian next & only then, do I look across the Border. Many of those same products in the Big Box malls just a little south are also here, in our area already. No line-ups, no gas wasted, no time wasted & our folks keep their jobs. Do you really NEED to go South or are you just caught up in the Black Friday Hysteria??? This is an Advertising Event folks - you're being manipulated by the same people who give you those 35 minutes of commercials in every 60 minutes of TV!!

Now that I've had my Rant, it's time to get back to Knitting!  I have three projects started for myself that always seem to get pushed onto the back burner.

I dug out the Poncho Pullover & resumed knitting. The more I work on it, the less I like it. My color choices are off. I started with a nice solid blue & decided to use the variegated blue for the main body. Originally, I bought a whole bunch of 'marked down' skeins of Briggs & Little in a store! I thought I'd knit myself an Adult Surprise sweater. I bought light blue, dark blue, teal, navy, sky & ONE skein of Red, just for fun. I did have a bunch of the Anniversary skeins from another project too.
Lost my heart to the Poncho Pullover from Cabin Fever & thought the same skeins would make a nice colorful poncho instead. I started the collar & yoke with a navy blue, threw in a red stripe & then hated it when I added a lighter blue stripe. Friends said I should start with the light blue & work my way down. So I did.  I have light blue at the top, red stripe & variegated below. BAD.  Maybe it wouldn't be so bad with stripes of solid blue instead. I sure hate to frog it again but maybe I have to. Maybe it was the original colors that turned me on!!! Maybe I could rescue it with a navy bottom??? Sigh. I ended up knitting on the Cabin Fever Lace Frock that I started before I had to knit hats. Maybe I just have too many projects on the go & that's why I can't get anything finished??? Maybe I should just stick to socks!

In Search of Something GREEN


Shopping is not one of my favorite things to do. I'd rather clean, do dishes or even haul stinky garbage to the curb than go shopping. At this time of year, when the malls fill up with people who have nothing better to do than spend money they haven't yet earned, I won't even park within a block of a mall. And, Gawd help me, I've got to shop for someone who loves GREEN.

I know Safeway & Sears sends red & green plants by wire. I could send smoked Salmon & Marmalade too but they're not green. The Drug Store will have something in Green but would it be something my Someone would want? Do I send something fibery?? Does my Someone spin?? Crochet? Knit? I dunno. A book? Do I know what my Someone reads?? nope All I know is GREEN. And it has to go in the mail - SOON. There's nothing else to do I guess - I had this lovely ball of mostly GREEN.

Just an end or two to tuck in & it's into the box to be mailed. I understand I still have enough time to get it anywhere in the world before Christmas. Which is a good thing.

Bitchy Bitchy Bitchy


My friend Gail says I sound bitchy in my blog lately. Yeah, well, maybe that's true. This damned sciatica or femorica - Karen says its the femoral nerve not the sciatic nerve that's giving me trouble - is painful, confining & physically limiting. I just don't like it a bit. It IS getting better with drugs & rest but it's still painful & I still can't get my shoes & socks on easily!! I know it sounds awful, but sometimes, I leave those socks on for a couple of days because I just can't face the struggle of putting new ones on every morning. But, it's getting better. I can get in & out of the car more often in a day now. Lifting my right leg to get in is the killer. Stairs are easier too. But, I've been pretty immobile for several months. Add the rain & running the Ex back & forth .  .  .  .

All that being said, I decided I needed something fun & pretty in my life. We Canadians don't get half the goodies that Americans take for granted. The marketplace is bigger Down There but a lot of things just don't make it north of the old 49. I saw something I wanted & took the chance. It cost a fortune but, not as much as a useless diamond or a plain old car. I just had to have it!!  Ta Da 

A traveling Denise!! I really love my Denise needles. I love how I can just snap on another cable to expand when I'm knitting top down!! I love the warm, smooth needles. I wish they made sock needles. Oh, I love my little US 0, 1 & 2 Harmony circs but the cables are fixed. I use my Denise's for everything else!!

Six of the most popular needles, a crochet hook, three of the most popular cables, two buttons & one connector. All in a nice little case so it will tuck into a knitting bag without taking up any room!!  I love the colored needles & cables. Now all I want is a kit with 8 end buttons & 6 connectors I think I use them the most out of any other part of the kit but the needles.

Apparently my little kit is going to be a staple, available year round at Jimmy Beans. Other kits will be limited editions for Back to School, Hallowe'en, etc. Most kits have the plain needles with colored cords like the Cancer RED kit but the fabric case always changes like the spooky one for Hallowe'en. I liked the pretty needles & cords so I went with the Rose Kit. Yes, Gail, I am a sucker for Pretty sometimes .  .  .

A Starter not a Finisher

I was sitting outside at Starbucks last night freezing my ass off. Why?? I live in a world of wool & wool blends. My livingroom is full of bins, bags, wooly skeins & projects on-the-go but I was outside at 9:00PM without gloves, hat or warm sweater. I did have wool sox but was otherwise dressed in polyester yoga pants, a summer Tee & a light fleece jacket - with tea in a china cup. Not that it was even below Zero but it was 3C out there with a heavy mist. Dwalli was being celebrated by a good portion of the Asian community so it was like a noisy Hallowe'en with the dark & the mist & the fireworks going off. We were sitting outside freezing in the first place because Students had taken over our favorite spot - it's the WIFI. But the whole point here is that I have no winter gear. I've been so busy knitting touques for Christmas baskets that I've knit nothing for myself. I'm not blaming the touque project because I have at least 4 sweaters started & nothing completed yet.

The Ribbons sweater rides in the car as car knitting. It doesn't get worked on all that often now that its down past the armhole bind-off so I guess I should put a small project into the car that's easier to pull out when I'm waiting.

The Poncho Pullover sits in a bag by my chair where I abandoned it for the Cabin Fever KAL - I really, really wanted to be in that one from the beginning for the techniques & problems as they occurred. It only seemed logical at the time. I can't remember how far the Poncho has been knit but I know it's past the armholes. The new KAL is only to the top of the shoulder when I left it to knit the touques which are time sensitive. Oh yeah, and there's my Purple Kyler's Kardigan which even has an arm attached - also sitting in a bag!!  I wonder why???

So, here I sit, broken hearted. Need a sweater, got four, barely started. Kyler's too light, KAL's barely begun, Ribbons is so snuggly but Poncho's the warmest one. Guess I better get tuit!

Just too Nasty to Go Out


This may be the last week I have  TV - everything is going digital & I just don't think it's worth investing any more money to get all that garbage TV. If I had to take the Basic & just add the channels I want above Basic, I might think about it.  But North America only seems to be heavily invested in Reality & Competition TV. Is it because it's cheap to produce & you have to fill the hours with something??Anything?? Is this the equivalent of salt,fat & sugar fillers when the food has no nutrients????  I don't mind some Reality but setting people up in a house full of cameras so we can peep at their private moments?Oh, I forgot, there are no private moments in a mixed house! Parading little girls in skimpy costumes & makeup with suggestive dance routines?? Can you say Pedophile? The stupid Housewives who battle over bling & status each week?? And all the dysfunctional families celebrated on TV. I don't care about Duck Dynasty & Swamp People! Is there a Psychiatrist in the house??? Where are all the Dramas & Adventures??
Funny thing - I watched an old Mission Impossible rerun the other day - the one with Martin & Barbara & Greg etc in black & white fer gosh sake!! It was terrific. It was exciting & realistic. And it wasn't taken over by commercials.

I think I will miss only three channels, Home & Garden, History & Food Channel - I love Diners, Drive Ins & Dives!! And the Kitchen Cousins who have so much fun creating new kitchens & Leave it to Bryan who takes a lot of abuse on HGTV. But, you know, more & more I end up watching Knowledge Network & PBS. Great shows from dramas to mysteries to documentaries & music. And NO commercials. And, I support both of them every month to make sure they stay!!!  I do watch CBC Newsworld too because I love the Documentaries but rarely do I watch anything from Arts & Entertainment - it turned into Reality TV. TLC - what happened to The Learning Channel??? & Discovery Channel, which still has some interesting content but is being slowly sucked into the Reality dimension. History is still pretty good but Reality is seeping in, even though I do love the Pawn Stars! SciFi channel has been taken over by Vampires, I'm tired of old movies on Turner Classics but it is restful without commercials. So, I'm down to News & a weather channel, HGTV, 2 Public TV stations, History, Discovery sometimes, Food channel - that's 8 scattered across 56 that I actually watch & only 5 that I watch regularly.

I know too much TV is bad for you but I think the commercials are  worse. I've turned off many a good show because I just couldn't stand another commercial. And I've taken such a dislike to some commercials that I never buy their products! So, I started watching shows on UTube. I like TV in the winter when you can't do things outside. I like to curl up with my knitting & watch what's going on in the world. But I like to learn something if I can. I know we North Americans spend too much time in front of the tube but when it's wet, cold or snowy outside, what're you going to do?? When I come home from work I just want to haul out my knitting, climb into my jammies, get a hot drink & find out what's happened in the world. But maybe it isn't worth knowing about.

Ta Da





One sock down & one to go. Just have to knit the toe which will get finished today as I wait again in the car, on the street, in the sun, outside the Heart Specialist's office, across from the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster where there is no street parking! Why don't I park in the hospital's underground lot??? And miss the sunshine?? Are you kidding??? And the lot's usually full at noon anyway .  .  .  I can move when the bus shows up or the meterman comes around the corner - I'll be mid block & can skedaddle out of there just like that!

Stocking up for the Winter

I have a practical friend who has very practical parents. They always buy practical presents for their kids. Over the years, my friend has  received a lot of items of practicality, including a portable smoker. Now, since we were buying salmon for $10 a fish right off the boat last year, he fired up the smoker to experiment a little. And I was able to buy smoked sockeye in sealed vacuum packs really cheap - I'm a bud - when he was done!! Oh yeah!!!
His fish was a little softer than I like & came in full fillets but sockeye is hard to ruin unless you overcook it!! And I enjoyed it's full flavor. We had a group discussion one day at our local Starbucks about how to improve the product. We even elicited comments from most of the coffee-soaked habituees in attendance that day as well. He went away mumbling to himself & I didn't hear another thing for ages.

Last night he arrived on my doorstep with the latest offering. Vacuum sealed, cut in strips & smoked hard as a rock in Apple & Maple smoke. Coated in some of our suggestions - sweet mustard, maple syrup, brown sugar & vanilla honey. It tasted so wonderful that I bought 12 pounds of it. I ate some with cole slaw for dinner & intend to eat a lot more of it before I'm done!! I'm trying to talk him into coating Dog Salmon with marmalade or plum jam before smoking. I think they'd both work out well on a fish that doesn't have a lot of it's own flavor!!!