Thursday, December 30, 2010

Crochet Fever!

When I arrived here in Florence on Monday night I was relieved to see that Mom was cheerful and alert, although her legs aren't doing what she tells them to do.  Even better, at the foot of her bed, sweetly folded, was a crochet afghan, donated by the ladies auxiliary for hospital patients.

half double crochet, stash bin blanket

Sherman Alexie fans might remember Sherman's story about visiting his Dad in a Washington hospital and his description of trying to find a sufficient blanket to warm the old man. I first read the story in the New Yorker, then again in War Dances. Every time I encounter hospitals I think about that story.  Why don't these places provide warmer blankets for their patients?  What good is a bed without comfy covering?  If you are really industrious, you might ask Peter about our bed covering story from about a week ago, but that content is beyond bloggable, unfortunately.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Thank Goddess, Once Again

Driving around in the horrendous rain on the Oregon Coast. Wondering what in the world I can do to help my parents through the next passage in life.  Feeling helpless, feeling overwhelmed, feeling alone, missing my family and friends. And then, there it is again, the magnificent KRVM playing Van Morrison, Celtic New Year.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Clean Coal is Like Dry Water

 Time to clean the tea cabinet.  After years of having "plenty" of tea on hand, I've finally crossed over into the land of no return.  It would seem that I have more tea than is needed in  one household.  In fact, I counted 30 distinct containers of tea. Of teas labeled: women's hormonal, kava anti-anxiety,  sleepytime, immune suppression, joint flexor,  cough-off, relaxed mind, yerba mate of all style, and of course, anti-oxidant.
Naturally, once I've got all the containers stashed away in three distinct areas  of the kitchen, I count
30 boxes of tea.










Speaking of 30, Peter dropped me off at the Alehouse for our group viewing of Ironman 2010 and here it is,

Remember who you wanted to be; God bless the freaks; pro-faith, pro-family, pro-choice; fight terror, ride a bike; the arts are not a luxury; 1984 Bush Cheney, War is Peace, Real families value gay relatives, and so on....

another bumper stickered car.  This time I wasn't going to let the driver get away, so I followed her into the green home products store.  I exclaimed that I loved her sticker collection and wondered where she lived (I had already noted the Oakland Saturn license plate frame) but obviously she has moved to our region.  She lives in Elgin (nowhere near Oak Park) and she told me that she once encountered a woman in Berkeley who had counted bumper stickers.  She has 30!  I realized that I have not taken time or consideration to count ours, most likely in the 30 area, but there's a difference with the smallish-stickers vs. standard bumper sticker size.


This one was everywhere years ago. Now I never see it.  In fact, I mentioned this sticker to a cycling buddy of mine a few years back and he insisted that he had never seen it.  hmmm....



This car even has contact with coalminers and Kentucky! Here in IL a stunning amount of our low-cost electricity comes from coal burning power plants.  We, unlike Midwestern states such as Indiana and Wisconsin  haven't bothered to insist on upgrades to the aged factories and now we're stuck with abysmal smog producing plants....

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Not the Easiest Day

Well, it hasn't been the easiest day. So as we were stumbling around the kitchen this morning i started singing some Linda Ronstadt for the kids. Suddenly, life was better. A few hours later, a bunch of chitchats with friends, coffee, scones and two pumpkin pies created, I have time to practice my new embedding techniques.








Rough around the edges, perhaps, but I'm still learning and it's not like I'm a full time blogger or anything.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Multitasking Installment #1

While out for a run this fall,  Kris suggested
Kris
that it would be great to be able to knit while running.  After all, the lesson of the fifth decade is that there is not nearly enough time to finish all of the projects that we would like to start and finish.  So this multitasking inspiration stuck (in fact, it reminded me of Mark's daughter, who is reputed to have knit while rock climbing).
Yesterday, given the bitter cold, I set my trainer up on the front porch, while Pete and the kids were snuggled up watching football in the basement.  Grabbed my computer for tunes, crochet scarf project and I'm there! Crochet plus cycling plus happy family.  The circle is complete!


This is possible!
I'm even on my aero bars!
darkness descends, and the insanity continues....
Did I select the easiest project? Not necessarily.  I admit, however, that this is the bulkiest yarn (#5) that I've ever worked with, and the fattest hook (P), but who cares?  I'm in the game!  This is winnable!!!!








So, all things considered, another GREAT day!  I've decided that crochet is the needle art of choice for the trainer.  If I knit, I need more elbow movement and a recumbent ride would be much more appropriate.  I've always said that crochet is more portable than knit.








Next installment: blogging while cycling....

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Thank Goddess!

Long day at work, light snow, bitter cold.  Came home today looking forward to checking email, drinking tea, making something.  Mail is here, including this week's New Yorker.  I sit down and start skimming the table of contents and there it is, a Personal History entitled: A Widow's Story, written by herself, Joyce Carol Oates.  No wonder I was singing aloud in the car. It is a good day, indeed. In fact, it just doesn't get any better. I haven't even read the whole thing, but here's the first bit:

Returning to my car, which I haphazardly parked on a narrow side street near the Princeton Medical center, I see, thrust beneath a windshield wiper, what appears to be a sheet of stiff paper. At once my heart clenches in dismay--a ticket? A parking ticket? At such a time? Earlier this afternoon, I parked here--hurried, harried, a jangle of admonitions running through my head like shrieking cicadas--on my way to visit my husband in Telemetry Unit of the medical center in the early evening--anxious, dry-mouthed, and head-aching, yet in a state that might be called hopeful, for  since his admission into the medical center Ray has been steadily improving.

 And on it goes....life is good! JCO can't help herself.  She is, she writes, she delivers!!!!!!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Letters to Eva, Part II (Mushroomitis)

More from my Grandmother to her cousin, Eva, written on Tuesday, November 7, 1939:

Dear Eva and Ruth-
Is this the letter you said I would have to write, a bread and butter note? If so, I'll have to watch and keep it a note. This isn't note paper to begin with so that is a bad start.
We had a very nice trip home, wet pavement only to Otis and no fog, rain, ice or sleet anywhere. Before we got to Otis, i remarked that I thought we were traveling too fast for wet pavement. Art slowed down and kept so until I wished he would speed up but decided we might as well travel along comfortably. Eva, you should have been along. We must have gotten here about 9:30, forgot to look until it was 9:45 and I had done quite a bit already by that time. We were going to check the mileage but as we usually do, forgot to look at it when we got home.
It had been a nice day here all day, Sunday. We have not had any rain since returning except for about 5 minutes of drops, enough to make me run out and grab my clothes yesterday (Mon.) when they were about dry (4PM). Why don't you decide to bring your laundry here and do it and incidentally stay a few days. I'll guarantee that no one will interrupt you and ask you to walk down the road with them.
Yesterday my plans were interrupted. I had hoped to work outside, make some ice box cookies and other odd jobs. Before I had the noon dishes done, the girl who lives in the house up at the hop yard came. She rode down with her husband who is helping in the potato field--her only way of getting here. I do not really enjoy her company but i feel sorry for her. She is the one I told you about--here from North Dakota. She expects her baby in about a month so she gets rather lonesome now and I had told her to come down sometime. I am giving her some of the remaining things I have of Carolyn's.
Today, before taking Carolyn to her music lesson, I took some chrysanthemums  to a lady in Hubbard who has been sick, went to another place and left an old coat of Carolyn's for a neighbor child and then took Mrs. Hatcher to Woodburn with us. Both afternoons have been interrupted--am hoping for a day at home tomorrow.
I still have a dress and shirt to iron tonight. Would rather do it now than to hold it over till morning. Just got thru baking the ice box cookies while I was washing the dishes. Made them this morning. They are called "Cream Snaps", good to have on hand and for Carolyn's lunches.
I surely did enjoy our visit with you and you certainly spoiled me by trying to do everything as I wanted to do it. Of course the decisions were hard on my shoulders but I hope I can let mine rest sometime and see how strong yours are. Them meals, wasn't them grand! Of course the last meal was the hoop=la one but if I could have only one repeated, give me crab and garlic bread!
I am wondering what you will do with all those mushrooms. I'm sure they won't keep indefinitely and you can hardly eat them 3 times a day.
The meat you sent home seemed especially good. Wondered if it were due to sea air or just the way you had cooked it. Art and I had ours at noon and left Carolyn her share to have at night.
How is your jelly or haven't you had time to make it? Wish you had the 2 or 3 extra quinces I have here to use with them. Might not taste so good but would at least help them to jell.
Ruth, Mrs. brown hasn't your stamps yet and isn't sure she can get them. The one time she tried, the wrong man was there (where, Salem?) The assistant was there and she wanted the real one or vice versa. She says she will try again, there are some she wants too. Guess she isn't telling you anything you don't already know when she says to tell you the dollar stamps are worth a dollar and a half now.
According to Art, we left a towel  of some description at your place. He asked if I got the towel he took. Not knowing he even took one, I didn't know enough to even look for it. I might be better off never to see it again.
Wednesday 10 AM
Did you have a storm last night? It blew so hard around here in the night that I expected to hear some of these fir trees crash on the house. It rained too but oh, the wind. All this morning, it has been beautifully clear, sun shining and a beautiful blue sky. Nothing to indicate there had been a storm except my asters and zinnias are on their last legs.
You should be here to see the potatoes hauled in--they go by here across the lane. Hope someone besides you or rather there are people who have more time than you to cook all of them. I'm having macaroni and cheese this noon--a good old substantial dish when one can't think of anything else. Of course I'll have to find about 6 other things for Art to eat or else he won't think he has had a meal.
We had a few mushrooms Monday night with a beef roast we had. Good. Hope you don't suffer from mushroomitis.
We all thank you again for a grand time and I wouldn't mind coming again. Please feel free to come here anytime you feel the urge--a couple hours drive isn't anything. You wouldn't need to let us know except to be sure someone was home. A telegram can always be phoned--Art sent one to me from Toledo not long ago. Remember our phone number is Aurora 903. All this is in case you decided to up and come instead of agating.
With Love, 


Grace

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Tough Girls!

ready in the alley
That's all I can say about this morning.  While I have a gaggle of male cycling buddies that were so proud to be out there today on their mountain bikes on the DPRT or whatever, I'm fully engulfed in the world of parenting and bringing kids to the places that they need to be, rain or shine.  Today, for example, Peter had the car and brought Addie to the swim meet in Berwyn.  I, meantime, had no car and chose to BIKE with sweet Ashby all the way to martial arts for belt promotion test.  This is no simple exam.  It  is  a four hour experience in self control and respect.  What a fabulous way to get the day started, we bundle up while snow is still falling in the very first fall of the year and bike all the way to the Dohjong.  Bad Ass Girls, Indeed!  We are proud, strong, and seriously committed to our own form of singular insanity.  By the way, girl displayed terrific tenacity, focus and strength come testing time.  Check out the video below.
careful first pedal stroke--is it too slushy?

No problem!
 When we were almost at the Dohjong, up drives Peter in the car.  I wonder, what's wrong?  He suggested that perhaps I would like my camera to take pictures of Ashby.  But of course!  First, take a picture of our snow-covered selves!  In case you are wondering, you're now looking at an almost full-fledged blue belt!  Way to go, Ashby!
Almost there!

mama loshen

It's that time of year again... Chanukah at The Buzz!  Michael's leadership was splendid as ever, and what's better on a cold night in December than a sing along Yiddish celebration  served up with latkes, sour cream and apple sauce!  This year our own friend, Mark, has joined the group and we were proud to see him up there on stage.

Speaking of proud....Michael!
Photo by Addie!
In case more than a post or two has passed between comments on BadAss women, well, leave it to Addie to take a photo of the giant movie poster on the wall of the Buzz Cafe.

Monday, November 29, 2010

What can I say?





Show us what you've got!

Lookin' good pickup truck.
 No sooner had we entered the state of Louisiana than I was lining up at a gas station mini mart to buy a Saints bumper sticker.  Peter insisted: NO bumper stickers on the side of the van.  I pleaded..."but the side of the van is for the regional bumper stickers."  He wasn't having it....and thus I was defeated in one of many arguments about decorations for the mini-van.  I realized quickly, however, that I had purchased the wrong sticker.  Locals seem to prefer the simple fleur de lis, with no sort of other football insignia.  Sort of like the big giant C that we see on cars, vans, shirts, and whatnot around here. 
Hello Kitty Car!
And as for car adornment, I can say that this ever so brief and limited view of the South did not disappoint.  Yes, right there in Plaquemine, I saw a young woman driving a Hello Kitty car.  I was simply delighted.  Bad light for mediocre photo, but I can't help but exclaim that I LOVE this car.
It's a sunny day, we're at the end of the country, at the end of the river, at the end of the world, in a little town that time forgot, and we're not going down without a little bling.  Yes!
So on a trip that began with us being not a little nervous about our own bumper stickers, I had more fun looking at everybody else's flavor.

But wait...there's more!

Can you buy this at Best Buy?
 One of our friends from Vermont was explaining this weekend that she doesn't mind eating meat if it is locally grown and produced.  In fact, she's such a stud-ette that she went out and killed a chicken herself.  Now that's the spirit!!!!  Again, you might take a moment to check out my blog posts on the concept of being "chicked".  I think a significant portion of any blog that calls itself unencumbered woman should frequently detail the exploits of rock hard women.  But I digress.

Peter turned to me, "this is beautiful."


After all, we were in Louisiana,  and what better way to complete the Thanksgiving weekend than to go for a swamp tour!  The closest thing to wildlife (other than fowl) that we spotted was strapped to an ATV on a truck bed.  This says as much about the inhabitants of the automobile as our bumper stickers do!  I must say I was less freaked out by this scene than the tea party bumper sticker: Enough is Enough. I sort of thought that was one of my slogans, but I guess not anymore.
The 'gators hibernate in November.
Second longest bridge in US--18 miles long

 I can't do justice to the the tour guide who took us on a 40 seat boat and talked for about ninety minutes.  This gentleman's family has inhabited this swampland area, along with 35 other families, for many many years.  In most places I've lived, we call swamps wetlands, but I don't know about this region.  So, we'll stick to what I heard on the road. Call it a swamp.  We saw egrets, cormorants, water, trees, floating plants and folks out fishing.   And of course, lots of sun for our daylight starved Northern selves.  Ahhh....
...it is SO incredibly beautiful.

drive thru daquiris

Plaquemine, LA
forever young
 Somewhere between Chicago and Louisiana I heard that Americans are supposed to go out and shop the day after Thanksgiving.  We certainly spent money, primarily on gas to fuel the  van all the way to Plaquemine to celebrate Mark and Ginger's 15th! 
 
The best host, ever, has contracted illness upon illness, so we all got to cook for him,  and insist he sit on the sofa and nap.  When the 20th rolls around, let's hope he's slowed down enough to add at least 5 pounds to his slight, but ever athletic frame.  What a hero.
 Ginger is proudly wearing the first of my watchcap series.  It's a sixties pattern that I've been carrying around for a very long time.  I'm pleased with the pink, and will make quite a few more, I think.
Pixie Twist

But if you must buy something on Black Friday, it might as well be something that a local proprietor is supplying.
   Lovely Louisiana, with one of the most relaxed alcohol container laws in the country, serves a daquiri that spells "home" to this gal from New Orleans. We learned from the caterer that there IS actually an open container law in LA, and that trick is that the container isn't considered open until the straw is inserted into the styrofoam cup.

witness the straw, witness the drink...
my small contribution to house full o' mad cooks

Monday, November 22, 2010

Remember Naramata?

I was just surfing around on my desktop, listening to Hank Williams Junior, and there he is....Peter looking over Lake Okanaga.  Where did it go?  We hope Kathy is doing well...
evening stroll, better than anywhere.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Remember Florence?

Back Off
 Out for a walk in Greentrees with Dad the other day.  This lot looks a bit like Old Oregon.  Lush, a little bit of sun creeping through the evergreens and shrub masses.  Old model pick-up truck, home made carport, moss in the gravel driveway.  Now that I'm back in Illinois...










fighting onset of winter with flowers and boots
I almost can't remember the intense green and clean air.  It's a gorgeous sunny day here, but I've basically frozen myself for two consecutive teaching days.  Maybe I just attempt to put myself out there in the elements here in Illinois too much.  Give it up and stay inside like the rest of us.  Crank the heat, eat terrible food, drink, sleep.
the mobile home behind Dad is a twin of the first one we bought for GT






And here's Dad.  He's lost quite a lot of weight lately so he doesn't look as much like his fit retiree self anymore.  Check out the walking stick! His friend David made it for him, out of a piece of driftwood.  Decorated with 1949, Beavers (OSU) colors.  I've got a few middle aged friends here in IL who insist that there's something wimpy about walking with a stick (or sticks, as the case may be).  I beg to differ...witness!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Letters to Eva, Part I

 Letters from my grandmother to her cousin.  Grandma and her husband were running the farm that her parents had owned for years south of Portland (now the grass seed capitol of the world).  Her cousin, Eva, was living on the coast of Oregon with her daughter Ruth, who grew up to be a distinguished Oregon artist/painter.  My mother's small family had relocated to the country from Portland about a year before this letter was written.  My mom stayed in the small community of Hubbard from age of 10 through high school.

 Excerpt:
Sunday Oct. 22, 1939
Dearest Eva-
       Maybe if I get a letter started, I might finish it. I have tried for days to get caught up and do a few little extra things but so far I haven't caught my breath yet. The combination of playing around in Portland for two weekends and extra things to break in my time during the past week, have shown that I need a week of at least 9 days. Suppose you are laughing and wonder what I find to do. Monday is too far back to remember but I know I had a huge ironing from Monday's washing and I didn't even start it until afternoon. For one thing, I had to go to Monitor for Art and that broke the morning nicely. The afternoon was broken by having to take Carolyn to Woodburn at 3:30 for her music lesson. Wednesday morning, it was real wet (too wet for Art to plow) so he wanted to know if I wanted to look for mushrooms. Alright, I rigged out and we went where he, Ruth and Carolyn had gotten the others. In an hour's picking time, we had filled 2 buckets and a shopping bag and wished we had something else to fill. I had the idea then that I would call Jeannette and proposition her to use her pressure cooker. That afternoon I had to go to Woman's Club so good-bye to that day. In the evening I called Jeannette and she was glad to know we had mushrooms. She works Mon. Wed. and Fridays in Meier and Franks and is home other days.
Then comes Thursday and I leave about 9A.M. with mushrooms, jars, knife and such and takes myself to Jeannette's. Only having 8 empty pints, that was all I could fill. She filled the same amount, we and her husband had them for lunch and they again had some for dinner. The remaining ones, she took to the 2 Cramer cousins in Portland. If we had had jars for all, we could have canned at least 25 pints.  I left there in time to pick Carolyn up after school. On the way home, I had the inspiration to stop and get some grapes for juice. I picked a bucket full for 25 cents. Jeannette had given me some fall pears and quinces so I came home well supplied. Getting the grapes had delayed me so Carolyn was halfway home before I overtook her. When I did arrive, I fixed 4 quarts of juice the easy way before dinner. I cooked the rest after dinner and let them drip there in a sack all night. Then I bottled the juice in the A.M. I probably should have gotten more.
come..............................................
 Art has been plowing with the tractor all week except Wed. A.M. when we got the mushrooms. He decided last night he would work today (Sun) because it is such grand weather and he is afraid it will rain soon. We planned to pick up walnuts first. While we were there picking them up, here drives Bessie, Harold and Lillian Gilbert. They hadn't been here for yeaers and they had passed our house, not knowing it and were turning around in front of the barn yard gate to go up the rode towards Woodburn to look for our place. even Harold didn't recognize or notice the old farmhouse or barn or anything to know where he was. Isn't that goofy? If we hadn't been out there, they were going on to Broadacres to look for us. They were on their way to Eugene to see Paul.  Lillian took some black walnuts and chick weed. They were here about an hour, Harold, Art and I went over in our woods so Harold could see where he had played as a boy. He picked some mushrooms, mostly specimens to study. Even tasted some raw! After they went their way, we resumed our walnuts. after that it was nearing noon and hardly worthwhile for Art to start the tractor and come in so soon so we ate a hand out sandwich and anything else in reach.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Score one for the throwbacks!

 
I can't keep up with the number of vans I spot in Oregon, and here I am in the outpost of Florence, not even Eugene or Portland.

Is there no end to the wonder of Oregon?
Speaking of Eugene, the Register Guard ran an article today about bike lanes cluttered with leaves bound for city leaf pick up program.  Living in Oak Park, where there are No Bike lanes, it's sort of a moot point, we take our lives into our own hands whether or not there are piles of leaves in the street.
and more the next day!


weeekly anti-war protest at 101 & 126
 Saturday I was out driving with Mom and there it is, the war protest that has been staged at the main intersection since 2003! 

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Birkenstock!


yes, it's the toe sock, so i can wear year 'round!
I LOVE my new Birkenstocks.  If you are like me and haven't worn a pair in a few years, give them a try. You will remember why Birkenstock has the best foot bed, ever.  I wear these all the time, around the house, outside--they feel great after my monster Florence Runs.  In fact, I'm so happy to be running here on the Oregon Coast that I've exceeded my usual mileage and was forced to take a rest day today.  Yes, forced!
Must be away from home, this never happens in Ol' Oak Park.  I'm going to walk to my appointment today with my friend the social worker...


Ashby loves the jewels

Happy Feet
My feet have been giving me plenty of grief, lately, so we're hoping that this is the break I need.  Yes, these feet have carried me through a hearty week of training: Monday: steady 6.1 miles; Tuesday: easy 4.4 w/Kris followed w/easy 6.1 (oops, that was 10.5, too much for Tuesday); Wednesday: long run 12 all through Florence with stops at Fred Meyer and town parks; Thursday: rest day and knitting first pair of socks, ever!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Again?

So Mom, Dad and I were at the dinner table and we were discussing our swimming travails. I reminded Dad of how fun it was in 1997 when we each swam a leg of the Manatee 2X1 relay. "Yes", Dad replied, "but I was the last person to finish, the lifeguards escorted me in."  I insisted, "but we placed in the father daughter division!"  Then he said, "I was even passed by an old woman!"

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Getting Chicked, part II

  Nothing like a trip to another place to shake up one's orientation.  Here I am in Florence, Oregon on a sunny Sunday in November.  A trip to Safeway isn't without event, much as my trip through SFO yesterday and my arrival in my hometown and land of the quacker backers (didja know the Ducks are first in college football?).  It seems that although we of the left were so terribly spanked on Tuesday the world just hurls forward on it's own relentless path.  Signs abound, but signs of what, you wonder?  I wonder about sitting on a plane bound for San Francisco literally teeming with mature women performing handiwork (me, knitting, another across the aisle crocheting a doily, and another ahead with needlepoint).  I sat next to a delightful eight year old who lives in Romeoville and was on her first ever plane trip ("this is the first time we're going on a vacation to a place without a water park"). Then I ate lunch at SFO with a ninth grader from New York who described herself as Japanese and Vietnamese.  She goes to a boarding school in Victoria and was explaining some of the travails of her school life ("I only wear a little mascara and lip gloss, not like some of the other girls..."). My van driver from Eugene to Florence launched into a sort of "Eugene's economy is so terrible", I was just waiting for the Tea Party punchline but somehow I got him off the subject so we could discuss more middle of the road issues like his life in Anchorage, mountain biking, surfing in Seaside, and the wonders of sending kids to play outside in the muck before they tend to homework, etcetera.  We agreed that Chicago and LA are the kinds of places so devoid of open space that it would be natural for anybody to go insane.  Then he observed that it's actually Lane County that seems to house a high preponderance of substance abuse, depression, domestic violence and the like. And so it goes...

Hippie Chicks DO Rule
 When I woke up at four AM (back to standard time) I sat around for a few hours plotting my next three years of crochet/knit adventures. Then it was outside for my first run of the week.  Damp, grey, fifty-ish, clean air, not a car in sight.  Ahh. Yes...running as it was meant to be.  I went as fast as my new Asics could carry me across the bridge and back and then through Old Town, expecting to grab Kris and Cathy somewhere on the way back from their Sunday morning run.  I didn't spot them until I was all the way back on Rhody and then it became an all out sprint.  These "older" women were cooking! It took almost a mile to catch these chicks and I mean the word chick in the highest complimentary fashion possible.  Chasing Kris is already a theme in this blog, and the wonders of my nearly seventy year old friend never cease to amaze me.  A few hours later we were at the Elks for Sunday pancake breakfast and the goofy guy who always serves coffee sat down beside us for a chat (I mean goofy in the highest of terms). He starts in on his legendary crabbing and fishing adventures from when he lived in Seattle.  I suggested that he go clamming in Florence but he ignored me as usual and launched into a story about surf fishing here in Florence.  He's had bad luck along with the guys he hangs out with.  Lo and behold there's a "tall woman who works for the fish and game dept." she's somewhat legendary and came down the beach to where he was, carrying a big ol' bucket of jumbo size perch.  He pleaded: "next time can I go fishing with you?"  Yeah, chicked INDEED!!!! And then on to Safeway to buy some provisions and get the detergent for Mom's new washing machine.  After I left the store out runs the cashier..."Ms. Steward (Mrs. Steward?) you left your Safeway card!"  Oh, God.  I Must be in Oregon.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Even I can look on the bright side

The months of October, November and December serve us up a whole lot of material around here in Chicagoland.  I have already made a commitment to avoid letting this blog become a referendum on life here in suburbia.  I'm also somewhat dedicated to not getting involved in any sort of electoral political blogging, and, finally, although not as ardently, I'm avoiding this blog becoming a food or craft blog.  Nonetheless, things happen.  Holidays come and go, elections pass, things are prepared and created, and such is life.  I must say that I woke up this morning a little groggy after about two hours tossing around in the middle of the night, worried about the abandonment of the earth in our precious democracy.
fingerless gloves, adorned w/sequins.
Then again, there is always the life of a hobbyist. As long as I can needlework, train and cook, lucky me.  When I was in the pool this morning, another silver lining crept into my mind.  Finally, I can move back to California. There is a Democrat in the governor's seat, and it's Jerry Brown, no less! Go figure, I was absent for the whole Schwarzenegger era.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Thus Diagnosed!

i must be sick with something
In years past, I've been accused of being hyper-vigilant when it comes to matters of health and wellness.  I'm often concerned that some sort of symptom that I experience is a sign of a greater disease, disorder, or eventual death.  Usually, a trip to the doctor proves that I'm healthy as can be and as long as I back off a bit from whatever it is I'm doing, I'll be fine.  So this morning I just received a call from my MD.  Turns out I actually have something!  She did a bit of blood work last week and my B12 numbers are low!  My multivitamin fortifies me with daily value of B12, but the doc says to mega-dose for a few months and we'll check again if my extremities are numb and if my numbers look any better.  What an adventure! Meanwhile, I'll continue to rely on my acupuncturist to lure my inner heat out to my extremities, she is working on my yin energy which is a bit off.  This is much more fun than taking a horse pill, but it's also a lot more expensive.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

The Long Haul

Today was the first time here in Oak Park that I went for a run and Ashby biked along side me.  We had a great time!  It was a six mile course.  We were provisioned for the long haul.

time for a snack break
we should do this every day!

 After a few stops for snacks and water, Ashby was getting cold at about mile four.  I suggested that it's harder to keep warm on a bike than when running, so we decided to switch sports. 

After a few blocks,  I wasn't very pleased with the fit of Ashby's ride, so we switched back, finishing with Ashby on the bike and myself on foot.