Yesterday was probably one of the worst days of my life, if not the worst. For the first time I had to make the tough decision to let one of my animals go. Algie was a sweet and funny greyhound. He always made me smile even as he was getting into trouble. He was only 6. I wasn’t expecting to lose him so soon. I just keep trying to remember the good times, it isn’t working. Everyone says it will take time, I believe them but it is really rough right now. I miss him and the other animals miss him. Hopefully now he can run with other greyhounds and lazy around and get all the attention he deserves. Rest in piece Algie, know that we all loved you and that we miss you.

Have you ever been doing something for a while and still feel isolated while doing that activity? It’s what I’m feeling right now. I’m not trying to be insulting to anyone else who does this with me but as I am one of the few females there sometimes I really feel isolated. All the men change in one location and get to talk during that time. Lots of times it is just me in the female changing room and I have no one to talk to. I love the activity but sometimes wish that I had someone else to talk to. I do sometimes but today it just hit me after class that how isolating it can be being one of the few females (and tonight and some other nights) the only female. While I don’t think the men mean to exclude me sometimes it happens and it just saddens me.  I wish there was a way that I could more easily make friends.

I guess I’ve been maudlin enough for now.  Sorry, just needed to get that off my chest.

Ok, I know I said there wasn’t excitement in my life a few days ago on the blog.  This didn’t mean that I wanted a lot of excitement.  It just so happens I was invited on a kayak trip with kermit- 2 hours, easy river.  Well I’ve kayaked on lakes before and said why not, if it is an easy river I should be ok, first mistake.  So we went up to the river, dropped my car at one end, took the kayaks to the other and took off around 12, cell phones and camera in a waterproof bag.  River seemed really shallow and slow moving, except for this one little random current that was fast and hard and totally unexpected.  My kayak ended up pulled into and under a 1/2 submersed tree, with me partially in the kayak.  Luckily the current caught kermit and her kayak bumped mine and popped me out so the kayak went under and I did not, start of the 2nd problem.  At this point in time, I’m wading in the river, trying to pull her kayak out prior to it going under the tree.  Well the current was a bit strong and her kayak started to go under so she got out.  Now we are both wet with two waterlogged kayaks on an easy river, halfway into our trip (or so we thought).  Ok, time to break for lunch we decided.  We dragged out both kayaks and discovered- the waterproof bag leaked- the end of two cell phones and the camera, also lost at this time was one pair of sunglasses.  To top it off water got into the collapsible insulated bag with lunch and my sandwiches got wet.  Whatever, I had other food and thought probably less than an hour left so no big deal I’d get something more when we got out.  After lunch we got back in and continued down the calm shallow river, and continued and continued.  We didn’t know what time it was because the cell phones had drowned.  Finally we saw a guy with his kids by the river and he said it was about 4.  Problem, it was supposed to be about 2 hours, minus about 1/2 hour to 1 hour for the swamping and lunch we should have been done by 3 at the latest.  So we figured ok we must be close.  We kept going, yet another random current but I got out – swamped the kayak again though- lost my sunglasses this time.  Got back in and kept on going, figuring the covered bridge where we parked my car would be around the next bend, or the next or the next, it wasn’t.  We saw some people on a sandy beach and asked them the time and how close we were.  Well we had just kayaked for about 45 minutes from the last time we asked and they told us we had another 3 hours of kayaking to get to my car.  Both of us are going WHAT?  Apparently the person who told the person I was kayaking with that it was 2 hours was vastly mistaken- she was only off by 6 hours.  At this point in time neither of us thought that we could last another 3 hours- plus it would be dark.  We asked how far to walk and they said maybe 15 minutes to 1/2 hour.  So we decided to beach the kayaks and walk to the car- of course we could call anyone, the cell phones were dead.  Luckily the campground owners (since the beach was at a campground) came down, saw our predicament and drove us and the kayaks to the car.

Lessons learned:

1.  Always confirm waterproof bag doesn’t leak prior to trusting it,

2.  Always ask multiple sources prior to going on a trip

3.  Use ziplock bags for sandwichs instead of saran wrap (her sandwich did not get wet in a ziplock bag)

4.  double bag cellphones in ziplock and waterproof bag

Total loss: 2 cellphones, 2 pairs of sunglasses, 1 camera

So kermit where are we kayaking this weekend?

I haven’t blogged in so long it is ridiculous. What have I been doing? Well I started a new project that isn’t bloggable (gift so it must remain secret), spun a bunch, and today did some quilting. However I somehow screwed up the tension on my sewing machine so I’ll have to see if I can get that fixed tomorrow. Yes the quilt shop around here is open on Sundays.

I went on vacation during my bloggless time. Went to Va and Pa. Nothing exciting, I just relaxed for a while. A little swimming a little kayaking, some knitting and a lot of visiting.

Found out recently that I can’t go to stitches east, I have to go to a wedding instead. As it is a family wedding I think I’d been in a wee bit of trouble if I didn’t show up.

In nonfiber related things, I broke my lawnmower, stove and dryer so have been trying to repair or replace them. I hired someone to cut my grass and he fixed the lawn mower and is going to fix the dryer, the stove I was told was beyond repair. Not surprising it was old when we bought the house.

I always contemplate blogging but never feel that I have done anything worth posting. I guess either my life has to get more exciting or I have to come to terms with the fact that I have to post not so exciting stuff.

I guess on the exciting stuff end of thing I attempted to rescue a parakeet. It was flying around the outside of my house. It landed on my stairs and was staring me and Algie in the eyes. Of course when I moved towards it, it took off. It then ended up in the road. I tried to get it there but missed again. I ended up calling animal control, surprising they came out for it. No luck there. They left a cage out to see if it would fly into the cage, it hasn’t. I’m hoping it is still alive and will find it’s way home soon.

Guess that’s all I can think of for now. Will try to post again soon

I knew it had been a long time since I bloged but I didn’t realize quite how long it was.  I have been keeping myself too busy.  I think probably too busy as I’m always tired.  I’m doing aikido 3-4 times a week, walking/jogging 2-3 times per week, doing zumba 1 per week and working around the house as well as a 40 hour work week.  I haven’t accomplished much knitting or spinning.  I did finish my penguin.  Ripped out a sock I started and plied up 4 bobbins worth of yarn.  Last night I started a new sock because I was not interested in working on any of my current projects so I thought maybe something new would help.  I have 1.25 inches so far of ribbing which is the most knitting I’ve done in about a month.  Right now I’m seriously contemplating bed and it is only 8:15.  I think doing zumba and aikido today was probably a little much, I should have probably only done one or the other, but will probably do the same thing again next week.

I went and saw the new Star Trek movie today.  I enjoyed it.  It is the first movie I have seen the movie theater in a long time.  My guess is about 5 years.  I can’t even remember what movie it was but I think it was one of the early (if not the first) Harry Potter.  As the sixth just came out you can tell it has been a while.  I went with my parents and my husband last time and my mom didn’t even remember going to the movies with us.  This time three other women from my knitting groups went with me.

Yesterday I too a Russian spindle class with Galina Khmeleva.  I felt like I was the only one really not getting it.  I really was having great difficulty with the whole process.  I guess that means more practice is necessary.  Of course I don’t know when I’ll be able to squeeze that it with everything else I’ve been doing.  It’s that whole 40 hours a week of working that gets in the way of me getting anything done.  Unfortunately I am not independently wealthy so I have to keep doing the work thing.

For the first time in a long time I got my sewing machine out.  I made a small project bag for a swap partner.  I hope she enjoys it.

I really am going to try and blog more.  But as I started this as mostly a knitting and spinning blog and I haven’t been doing that it’s hard to come up with things to write about.  Does anyone really care that I broke my lawn mower (wheel fell off because the metal rotted through), so I hired a lawn service and I had to move all the firewood this weekend so they could get their mower in?  I’ll have to see tomorrow night how they do.  I really hope that they don’t damage any of the gardens.  My concern is that I haven’t been keeping up with the weeding it might be hard for them to tell what is all garden.  It’s mainly the herb garden I’m concerned with.  However if they try to cut that they will have a problem as it has bricks between the herbs.

I’ll try to post a little sooner than a month next time.  I’m really going to try for weekly.  So get used to random blog posts if I manage to post weekly.

Now my post that I wrote up yesterday and lost is showing up as a draft. Who knows what goes on in the mind of computers.

I typed out my whole post and went to edit it and it disappeared.  Now what?  I guess since some people actually seem to read my ramblings I’ll start again.

Basic knitting news

Penguin- stuffed, not sew up

Scarf- complete, no pictures, given away right away to someone who loves it

Started- gauging for noro tank- can’t get gauge, might tempt fate and go for it anyway since I was told the pattern runs small

Picked up- two different pairs of socks to hopefully finish soonish

Aikido- still loving it, can’t believe that I let myself take 10 years off, I really missed this and didn’t realize what I was missing

Zumba- still feel like an idiot because I have no rhythm, but it is good exercise.

Otherwise just trying to find time to post at least once a week, more often if possible.

I haven’t posted in a few weeks, bad me.  Unfortunately I got sucked into facebook and that black hole of time.  Before that I did manage to finish a few other things, I finished my Dublin Bay socks, a purse and my felted penguin (mostly).  The penguin is only mostly done as I can’t felt him myself and a friend has it to throw through her washer.  I also mostly finished the ladder lace reversible scarf I’ve been working on, I have to weave in ends and block it.  I gauge swatched today for a tank top with noro silk garden lite.  I always start with one needle size smaller, however it looks like I’m going to have to go down at least 2 more sizes, yikes, I’ll be knitting this on threes then.

I started going to aikido again.  I really love it, I’m sorry that I’ve been away for so long (8 years at least).  It along with knitting helps to keep me sane.  Of course it cuts into my knitting and spinning time but I enjoy it so much that I don’t mind at all.  I just wish I had more free time.  Work gets in the way of the fun parts of life.

It’s only a week after I wanted it done but the February Lady sweater is complete. Pictures to come when I find my camera again.

I didn’t finish the sweater in time. I just started the one sleeve, today on the way back from NH sheep and wool. It would have helped if I had actually spent some time this week knitting. I think I knit about 4 rows this week. Not good for getting things done. Nh sheep and wool was fun. No pictures because I couldn’t find my camera this morning. I’m sure other people will blog with pictures.