Stress Reaction

In the spirit of the Trekking KAL, my first trekking expedition was out to the back property line behind my house. Those of you have who have been to my house, don't laugh. In 100+ degree heat, that's just about all anyone can ask of me.

The socks and I were going to check out some nature shots, get a little sun, then probably make a beeline for the hammock.

First we checked out some flora. Bindweed to be exact. Which is just that. A weed*. But a flower as well, of the morning glory family, and worthy of closer inspection due to it being a flower, and don't we just love all things floral? I think so. We won't go into the obvious unflattering comparisons between my flower shots and some others. Let's just not go there.

Closer inspection of the bindweed spooked the recent inhabitant of the dead willow.

And after she left, the socks and I got real up close and personal with some fauna. Avian fauna, to be sure, but fauna none-the-less.

After all this excitement, the socks and I were beat, so we took a rest on a log, and then beat feet back to the air conditioning. There will be additional treks to the willow in the future however. I can't wait to see the dove babies as they grow up.

*We don't stress about weeds at the back of the property, because the house borders on a creek and the weed population back there makes it a lost cause from the get go.

...kids. My kids specifically. The reason I work, plan, laugh, cry, live and breathe.

It's nothing kinky. My mom used to say that she would beat us kids with a wet noodle if we were doing something we shouldn't. Or didn't do something we should.

Anyway, I deserve to be beat with a wet noodle. I was late sending out my Tea Swap package. But Lisa has it, and she loves it, so it's all good. I'm also late in posting about the wonderful package I received from Ailsa. Wonderful Cleckheaton Country Silk to try my hand at Fair Isle. A heavenly assortment of teas, some delectable cheese roughs, and yummy Almond Roca! If you look closely at the mailer, you'll see that my package came all the way from Australia, which was a trill for me all by itself. Very cool Ailsa! You so rock!!

With the lull in the blog-o-sphere, I'm inspired by this meme posted by Cara (and believe me, I need all the inspiration I can get in these languid days of summer).

Please leave a one-word comment that you think best describes me — it can only be one word long. Then copy and paste this into your blog so that I may leave a word about you.

Let's start a wave.

And a strange week.

I worked a lot of hours this week. Meetings, extra shifts, and computer training on top of the usual nine to five. Then Friday things got really crazy.

My daughter's dachshund has some kind of strange illness. His legs and neck get stiff, and he can't walk. He stayed Friday night with the Vet, came home Saturday because he seemed to be doing better, then relapsed Saturday night. The Vet seems to think it is some kind of toxic poisoning (as opposed to the nontoxic variety?), but the waxing and waning symptoms don't really fit with that diagnosis, so we're still in the dark.

I did manage to sew up some of the sock bags I had already cut out (you can also find the link in the sidebar). They are the perfect size for yarn for a pair of socks, two circs or double points, a folded photocopy of your pattern, and some knitting notions. I'll be adding some different fabrics over the coming weeks.

I also spun a bit. The roving is Wild Thing from Crown Mountain Farms. This is the same SuperwashMerino Hand Dyed Roving that Teyani uses for the Sock Hop yarn. Very cool stuff. Super soft and spins like a dream. I can't wait to get it plied up.

The only trekking the sock and I saw was back and forth to work and meetings. I'm ready to start the forethought heel from Sensational Knitted Socks. Since this is the first time I've knit this heel, it's going to take some concentration. No autopilot knitting for me tonight.

...Liam. The oldest son of my oldest son. He's two now and a total bundle of energy. I love him lots, but he makes me glad my kids are older!

And for...

...The Lion King. Just because it was fabulous, and so totally worth mentioning. If you get a chance to see it, take it. My kids and I sat mesmerized for the entire show. Just wonderful!

I love this idea. Spicing up the Saturday slump and the summer slowdown. Bringing something beautiful into the world one sunset (daybreak, rainy afternoon, whatever) at a time! Great idea Sandy!

So many that my head is spinning. Too many to go into detail right now. Changes in jobs, changes in patterns, changes in projects. Details will follow, when the dust settles, but in the mean time I thought I would leave you with this. It's a graphical representation of my blog stressreaction.com. Bandwagon or no, I find it extremely entertaining. I also find it fascinating that someone is so much geekier than I am to write the code to produce the graphic. Just too cool!!

I can so see this on a pillow, a t-shirt, a cross stitch on the wall above my computer. Hee, I could even print it on fabric and make it into a sock bag! Send me your blog graphic if you are interested in this last. I'm so going to do it!