A Weekend at the Highland Lakes

Favorite Double Wide
Originally uploaded by sunasak

It has been a really nice weekend so far full of fun with old friends and new, and adventures in driving down dirt roads, too. I wish I could share more photos from the weekend, so if you want to see more, visit my Flickr pages!

First, I didn't have to work on Friday, so I took advantage of the last free day for a while by getting my hair cut and colored. I'd been tired of dealing with the length, so I went ahead and got it a bit shorter, and probably about the same shape. I was also tired of how my lovely red hair kept fading to a reddish brown. I had this vision of burgundy hair, but my hairdresser and his hilarious hairdresser pal both said, oh no, that was not good for my coloring. I ended up with pretty much my natural hair color, maybe a shade lighter, with some reddish accents. While not an "exciting" color, it looks more like "me" and I am happy to have a cut that doesn't take much maintenance and a color that won't grow out quite so obviously. I MIGHT get highlights in the front, since I was liking how my gray in the front was lightening up my face. So, the great experiment with blondish and reddish hair has ended. If I had a bit more gray, I'd leave it natural, but right now it's not at the "pretty" gray amount.

Then, on Saturday I did a lot of fun things! My ex was coming to town, and we invited him to stay here with the kids so we could go do couple stuff (it is hard for me and Lee to go anywhere, due to the dog care needs--no way to afford to board 4 dogs, two grumpy and elderly). So, first we drove to scenic (not really) Liberty Hill, where he dropped me off at knitting friend Jen's beautiful new home (really) where a bunch of the ladies from the yarn shop got together to dye yarn with Kool-Aid. I'll have pictures and descriptions on the knitting blog, but here I can say how much I enjoyed being in a group of women with toddlers/preschoolers running around in the mix--reminded me of my old life at the Dysfunctional Nonprofit Organization. Since a bunch of my friends from there are at a retreat this weekend, where the mothers and kids are doing lots of fun things, I was glad to get a little female bonding in, myself (though there was a very nice husband around, too). Besides, from what I can tell, that retreat probably would have been incredibly stressful for me. So, yay, I had a fun weekend doing something else!

While I was yarning, eating and gabbing, Lee explored Bertram, the next town down the road. He found a lovely nursery (to which we returned this morning to buy hanging miniature roses) and a little cafe where he apparently had the most delicious pie ever, chocolate oatmeal.

He came and got me with my finished, yet damp, yarn, and we headed out to Burnet and the Highland Lakes area. You may remember we went out here not too long ago and looked for houses for sale, then we went to Lake Limestone and looked. This time, we spent a while exploring Burnet (sadly, discovering the yarn shop had gone out of business). I was proud that I didn't buy any pansy items in any antique store, though I really would have liked to get a photo of a black vulture that was taken by the owner of a knife shop we went in--this guy does incredible bird photos. Bird lover, knife lover, surgeon, apparently.


After checking into a nice hotel on a beautiful creek, we bit the bullet and visited a realtor in Buchanan Dam, a lovely woman named Jeanette. After laughing at Lee's original budget, she did show us the more inexpensive options in lakefront property. Mostly it was undeveloped property, but there were also two mobile homes on the lake. Apparently all the mobile homes there are quite old, because all the neighborhood associations say if you replace one, you have to do a stick-built house.

We had quite a good time driving all over the lake looking at some nasty land on spits of mud, land with beautiful lake views but is almost perpendicular, lots of deer, lots of winding roads, and the mobile home neighborhood. It wasn't bad at all, and the place you see pictured at the top of the post is actually quite nice, especially if you love undiluted 70s decor. It's very well kept, has fruit trees, a porch swing with lake view, a very un-fancy dock (but one where you can catch large striped bass), a fence for the dogs, and tons of storage space. It is what I always envisioned in a lake house--not a palace, but a kinda run-down place to relax.


I've included a photo or two of the view of the lake, which is on a cove (actually where a creek joins the lake), not the main lake. This cuts down on screaming speed boats and "personal watercraft." This property is also not far from the nesting spots of a lot of bald eagles. I sure hope we can get this or something like it, once Lee's land is sold. Of course, it is sort of funny that selling 80 acres of farm land would only give a down payment on a trailer by a lake, but that's what that "location, location, location" thing boils down to!

It feels weird to even be considering a second house, but I know Lee doesn't want to pay the huge taxes that would happen if he didn't reinvest the bucks from selling his land. I think our idea would be to enjoy this place and fix it up a bit, then when the time comes to sell my house, we'd have plenty of money to put a nice new house (maybe with two stories, for more lake views) instead of the double-wide, which would be over 40 years old by then anyway. It's fun to dream, anyway, since just a few weeks ago I didn't know if I'd be able to pay the bills on THIS house. And even minor cosmetic fixes to the interior (it's all paneled in dark wood, with avocado AND harvest gold appliances) of the double-wide would bring its selling price up, if we did have to sell it at some point.

Let's move on...after all the house and land looking, we were hungry, so we decided to go to a restaurant called the Maxican, in Burnet. It's in an old house, and serves Mexican, barbecue, and steaks. Quite the mix. Well, it was a total hoot. When we walked in, an elderly lady greeted us with "would you like a back rub?" I was sure I'd misunderstood! But no, our second Jeanette of the day assured us that she gives everyone who comes in a back rub, because we are all special and all deserve one. Turns out she is the mother of the owners, and grandmother to most of the rest of the staff, or at least called grandmother by them. And none of these people appeared remotely Mexican, either. We had lots of fun with our waiter, a young college student home for summer break, and everyone there either knew each other or was just feeling friendly. Plus, the food was incredibly delicious. Even the Spanish rice, which usually I am not fond of, was yummy. The salsa was wonderful, the beans delicious, the pico de gallo not too heavy on the cilantro, and the chicken in our dishes so tender. There was a sauce on both of our dishes that was divine. And the staff was SO proud of the food. They kept saying, "It's really good, isn't it?" And I have to say that it's not every day that when you leave you hug the greeter and promise to come back and see her soon. We really want to show it to Beccano!

Today we ate breakfast, went and looked at more property, and viewed the double-wide again. Then we drove home, stopping first at one of those stores that sells concrete statues, because we wanted a new birdbath. They had the one that was in the real estate office's yard--shaped like a branch with a squirrel going up it. Lee even got me a little squirrel to put IN the birdbath. The prices were much lower than home depot, and we got to look at many amusing concrete "things," and to meet the sweet old couple working the store. They both looked like they'd had long hard lives, and didn't have many teeth between them, but they were very kind and helpful. The old lady even sent Lee back to the car after he paid with two bottles of water "on the house" because, "you two look hot."

I have no idea when I have spent a weekend meeting such a variety of nice people in unexpected places. Plus I got to hang out with nice friends, too!

I hope you enjoyed my lengthy travelogue! I am looking forward to teaching MS Word 2003 tomorrow (now THAT is some software I know) and starting at ALE either Tuesday or Wednesday. Of course they don't tell you when and where to report until the last moment. LOLZ, as the kids would say.

Thank Goodness for Goofy Friends

A, P and S
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Here are some of my lovely yarn shop friends making faces. One is happy her arm isn't being held together by giant steel rods any more. The next is showing her love for knitting magazines and probably laughing really loud. The other, who is only ONE day younger than me, is batting her eyelashes trying to get me to knit her a sweater like my recent red one. She brought me all the yarn for it.

In the other photo (if you do not see it in your feed, go to the actual blog; it will be there) there is my friend who brought me a cheer up card, the one who suggested I add a blue bead to the wedding shawl for something blue (standing), the friend who is happy with her new house and can knit two socks at the same time, and last, our German friend who actually tries to concentrate on knitting at our gatherings. I missed a couple of folks who were also there or came later, but wanted to share all these nice women, a wide variety of ages, stages, and beliefs, who cheer me up every Wednesday. I sure am glad we have our weekly knitting nights!

What else cheers me up? Well, interviews help. I had one yesterday for a place where I'd teach Microsoft Office applications in a classroom setting, 3-4 days a week, at a fairly good rate of pay. I could probably make it on that IF they really came through with that much work. In a little while I have a phone interview for another contract at ALE. And yes, I'd take that. It's 9 months of good pay so I could rest up and keep looking for the ideal thing. Of course, I keep hoping the place I interviewed at week before last will call back, but one thing I have noticed is that if I really like a place and the people, they don't like me. It's fairly consistent so far. Sigh. I really wish I had a job in a small place, with people I know and like, where I could feel like a real contributor and know my work is valued.

But, things are moving on. Tuba Boy's car is fixed, so he will be happy about that. He and his brother have been buying and playing video games, hanging with friends, and in general enjoying summer. Tuba Boy is working a lot, but also getting some down time, which he needs. Tomorrow he gets his senior portraits taken. I am not sure why I thought it was on the day of my last post. I must have meant to say "this week."

Lee still has another week at his job, which is a relief. They tried to cut him off this week, but his boss got him the time. Every penny helps. I know it will all work out, but it sure feels like we are cutting things close. Glad I have my nice, friendly faces at the yarn shop to bring some cheer and remind me everyone's got troubles and triumphs.

Snail and Bag Cutness

I read a blog that's mostly about weird biological discoveries or strange animals. (This week there was a feature on the raccoon dog, which in Japanese folklore is a VERY strange animal.) But today it had knitting content, which I figure I should not share on the knitting blog, but could here. Lookee at these cute little knitted snails!

And in more cuteness, I am incredibly pleased to now own a genuine Lexie Barnes bag. I got Jinx, the hobo shaped one, which looks like a big purse. It is in the purple and black Diablo colorway. But it will hold my knitting, my wallet, lunch and all the stuff I need to take back and forth to work. It will sling across my shoulders, which I hope will help my aching shoulder issue. These are very popular bags, and I see why. It looks like it won't stain, and is very sturdy (and reversible!). The knitting bags REALLY cost a lot, so I am glad I just got this. It is a perfect size for my needs!

On lunch break now. It's been a rough day (messed up a bunch of things) so I got a nice Greek salad for lunch and am now snacking on challah bread with chocolate in it, which I bought from people who claim to use the proceeds to help the poor in Darfur. Well, I hope they do.

My Poor Kids

A highlight of today is that I just about have my new laptop set up to where I can use it for most purposes. Lee was so sweet to get it for me. It is amazing what you can get nowadays for not too much money. This new computer is faster and has more features than the one I got for work a couple of years ago, but is less than half the price. And it's RED! Now I can type in the media room, though Poor Lee has done a lot of work to try to get the wireless connection better up here. We have a plan to get it all back up and pretty, though. Whoop!

Here's what I really wanted to talk about. Yesterday was a challenge to my poor boys. I know they are getting older and more competent at stuff, but they had to face a lot of things that would be no fun for a grownup. Sigh, I hate having to send them on planes to visit their dad, even though of course I want them to spend time together. Yesterday was a perfect example of why I worry so much about them traveling. They had lunch at an A&W place, then showed up at the airport in Raleigh-Durham with their dad. Tuba Boy then began to be violently ill--they think he got bad meat at the restaurant. Next, it turned out that their plane had a bird fly into its engine and needed a total engine rebuild. Yummy thing for the airline on a busy holiday travel day! So, their plane was delayed. Thankfully their dad was still there and could help them rebook on a new flight. I wonder how in the world they would have done it alone. I don't think Beccano really has the skills for it. They'd be at the mercy of airline personnel (most of whom are real nice, though).

So, they got significantly delayed and had to sit a long time, with Tuba Boy being so sick. And they had to go through O'Hare, which made for a lot more time on planes, too. Apparently Tuba Boy vomited his way across the USA. Poor boy, and poor Beccano trying to take care of him.

Tuba Boy looked just AWFUL when he got off the plane. He got home, barfed some more, and went to bed. He's still there. We decided to stay home with him and not go to church. I want to be here if he needs me.

My own day yesterday had many frustrations--trying to teach a difficult knitting task to someone with very little English, using my very little Spanish (I sound WAY better than I actually am). And I dread next week--I am going to try to get her started on the afghan she really wants to make. She's Peruvian and has only been here a year, taught herself to knit, quite painfully. But, it sure takes a lot of energy to help. At least I get to be helpful. I miss that aspect of my old job.

I also helped another lady figure out how to re-create an Aran poncho she had made many years ago. I figured out the whole thing! Go me! Now I keep thinking of how I could make a nicer version. It was in bulky yarn, and I do wish that I had enough of the very interesting bulky wool I recently bought to make a little poncho pattern up. It feels good to have some creative energy, since I have practically no other energy. Yow, this job thing has sapped my strength and confidence. I keep sort of breaking down at little things, like how unorganized the house is. I am glad Lee is patient. This is not my best time.

Send healing vibes Tuba Boy's way!!

Hard Work Pays Off

UIL: Sousaphone Action
Originally uploaded by sunasak

And I mean hard work for both the kids AND the parents. Saturday was the big UIL contest (I forget what UIL stands for, but it is the entity that judges high school students in the arts at various contests). Our young ones practiced like crazy and did their best performance yet of their show. They got a rating of "1", which is the highest you can get. All the bands of our size in our District got 1s, which is nice--getting a 2 is sad for all concerned (and we got a 2 a couple of years ago). Here you see all ten sousaphones marching in tight formation (there is one hiding). We had a very fun day, and it was nice to have Lee chaperoning. He took some good pictures, too.

We sat in the hidden seats way at the front of the Palace, which are near ground level. I had not seen or heard the show from that level before--and the sound was GREAT. You could see the kids' faces, too. Or you could see them when you weren't all teared up with pride, which I was much of the time. Seeing that concentration on all their young faces was so touching. What I did not know at the time was that the kids could see us. At least three of the marchers told me later that they had seen me as they marched, and two actually said it gave them confidence. That felt SO good.

It's amazing the kids did as well as they did, since it was a very confusing day--the band director FORGOT to order buses, so the buses that brought Westwood over had to floor it over to our school, get us, drop us off, take Westwood back to their school, comb back, and get us! We thanked the drivers profusely for volunteering to do that.

Friday, of course, was another band fun day. Yet another football game, the one where we are visitors in our own stadium (we played Westwood, the ones whose buses we borrowed, and where we knew lots of kids). It was a battle of two not-so-great teams, so sort of fun in a "who can be less competent" way. At one point our QB had a 1-1 completion to interception ratio. But, we got better, and our star Aaron "AJ" did some spectacular stuff, so our team won. It was nice to win again. We tuba moms were danding and being goofy.

Knitting on Saturday went OK, though NONE of the students showed up. That is not horrible, because it gave me a chance to help out some others, including a really nice lady who had forgotten what she was doing on her first scarf, so I got her back on track. That felt good, and we think she may return for Chicks with Sticks, too. I truly enjoy helping people with knitting--it makes up for a lot of stuff that makes me feel less than competent and unpopular lately.

Sunday was a challenge, but I enjoyed singing a couple of songs with Trey Bone, my quartet, for a pledge drive event. We really got a lof of applause, and I think I did a good job on the singing. Lee's bass adds so much to the songs, too. And both the other guys did GREAT on their parts--not as nerved out as they sometimes get. So, I was proud of us all. And the sopranos did OK on the Faure Requiem piece, which I think is my swan song as a sop. Back to the low notes.

Tina and Jared came by the church, sorta unannounced, but luckily there was someone there who could book them wedding space. Trying to find an officiant may be harder, but that is being worked on. They seem pretty inseparable. Wedding is 12/29 for them. They have really made a lot of plans. I feel like such a wedding slacker.

It was a long afternoon/evening of doing what Tuba Boy wanted, but I think he is happy to be making homecoming mum thingies for the two girls in his life. He and his best friend really worked hard on it. (I don't get a mum, not enough mum money for a Mom mum).

I was happy to finish a sweater and block it and the previous sweater yesterday--so nice to finish things. But when I went to start the next project, UGH! The yarn was badly skeined! I spent at least three hours trying to wind it into a ball, and got what I hope is more than halfway through. It sure tore up my leg and back muscles. The yarn is lovely silk/wool/alpaca stuff for a scarf for Flo. Yep, back to holiday gifts. Lee was very patient with me while I got in a pity party mood and was frustrated by the yarn. He and Beccano never fail to cheer me up.

It's cool today, so the Festival of the Bands may be sorta brisk. But at least that is our LAST band thing other than the remaining games! And tomorrow maybe I can wear a new knitted item!

Band, Band...Band..grateful

Capital City Marching Competition
Originally uploaded by sunasak

For another few weeks, this is what much of my life will look like. Me trying to figure out if a marching band is doing well or sucking. I sure can't tell. Unless the color guard drops stuff or someone falls down, they all look pretty darned good to me. Here we have the Capital City Marching Competition at the Berger Center in far South Austin. Tuba boy is second sousaphone from the left, and Beccano is the one at bottom left standing straightest and most soldier-like. Excellent for a lad with poor posture.

Our lads and lassies came in second overall in our class, and Beccano's percussion ensemble also came in second. This was VERY good, considering the competition. It is a good thing that the LBJ High School band was a host, so not in the competition, because their set was so cool. They all take off their hats and wander around marching a while, then magically come back to their hats, which are shiny and purple.

I didn't think we'd all make it to this one, because Beccano got rather overheated during practice at the school. His head hurt and he was nauseated. So, they asked me to drive him in the cool car and let him keep his uniform off until the last minute. That helped, and he did fine. I considered keeping him at home, but his part really sticks out and would be noticed if it wasn't there. Good thing I took him, because he was so incredibly psyched by the experience. Said it was "the most awesome thing ever." I think doing well really made him happy. So, I am glad I took him.

My friend's daughter's band did well, too, so we celebrated as if we had something to do with it other than giving birth to band members on Sunday.

The rest of my weekend was OK, though Lee was so sick with ragweed that he didn't get to enjoy much. I was as helpful as I could be at the yarn shop, and enjoyed talking to new people and seeing my lovely friends, as well. I like it when there are people to talk to there--helps me feel like part of a community, whereas sometimes I feel sorta peripheral.

And Sunday's fun was singing with members of the excellent Tapestry Singers women's chorus. We didn't do too badly for people who really didn't know the parts (and my music was wrong, too). I keep getting compliments on my soprano-ing. Hmm. I have gone from no high notes at all only a couple of months ago to hitting all sorts of notes in a not-too-screechy manner. Still a bit screechy.

Sunday afternoon I rested as much as I could and knitted like crazy. Lee is starting to feel better, so maybe we will have more fun this coming week before he starts the new job. I also talked to my dad, and that was a relief--hadn't spoken to him in a while. They aren't as bad off as I was afraid.

This is just a bit of stream-of-consciousness "letters to the world" and not very deep. I'll do better next week.

What am I grateful for? New blogs to read and old friends.

PS: progress on my lovely sweater is pictured on my knitting blog if you want to see it. Feel free to visit there.

Knitters' Long-Term Effects

(I meant to post this in the knitting blog, but it works well here, too, so I am going to cross post, just this once.)

Mr. Greenjeans in Red Progress
Originally uploaded by sunasak

As you can see, I am moving along on Mr. Greenjeans in Red. What appears to be a big blob there is actually the top of the cardigan, heading to the armholes. It's got a very wide top, and that's because a) it has a wider neck than a lot of cardigans and b) there is a pretty wide band of ribbing that goes along the front edge--12 rows.

I just love this Cascade 220 handpaint yarn. It's normal Cascade 220, so it's nice worsted weight wool, but the colors are so pretty. They are more subtle in person than in the photo, I think. It will go so well with much of what I wear!

The title to this post is "Knitters' Long-Term Effects," and I came to that last night while sitting on the couch with Lee, knitting calmly and watching Monday Night Football after my community chorus rehearsal, winding the day down. I was thinking, "This is what I always looked forward to doing when I grew up." Then I remembered how that vision of the future came to be!

It's the influence of someone I don't think about often, but who really had an impact on me as a "slightly troubled teen." Lila Brunell was the lady across the street from us when I was young and lived in Gainesville, Florida. She was a nurse and her husband was the head dietitian at the local VA hospital. They had met in the Navy and had a pretty interesting life--my favorite part was when the lived in Iceland--I loved those stories (which included yarn!). They settled down in Gainesville with their incredibly hyper Basenji dogs at the end of their working careers.

They were really nice to me, and I spent a lot of time over at their house the last couple of years I lived in Gainesville. She was a knitter and helped me with knitting, though mostly at that time I crocheted endless granny squares and embroidering on my jeans (I mean, I was 11-13, OK?). We moved away to horrible (to me) south Florida when I started 8th grade. I was totally miserable. My parents took pity on me and let me go back "home" for two weeks the next summer. They were especially kind to let me visit the Brunells and NOT my grandmother (one mean ole woman). So, I stayed at their house, visited old friends, rode a borrowed bike through all my old haunts, and reveled in being "home" for a while. During the days they were at work, and I read their books (including the Joy of Sex--how convenient it was that they left that out in plain sight). In the evenings, we'd eat, then sit around while Lila knitted and Ralph watched TV. I crocheted along. I remember asking if she ever finished a sweater--she was about at the point I am now with Mr. Greenjeans, and going back and forth on very long rows. She laughed and said she would, but the idea was more to enjoy the making of the sweater.

They were so happy together. Comfortable with who they were and what they were doing. It seemed so warm and pleasant to sit and knit and have nice conversation about current events (with no pesky little brother to bother me). That is when I put it into my mind that when I was grown up, I wanted a nice, warm room where I could sit and knit with someone I loved, feeling relaxed, safe and comfortable--and enjoying the process of my craft.

And now I get to do that! No matter what is happening, I have my warm cozy room, my wonderful yarn and my supportive man at my side. I have arrived at last.

Ralph died when I was a senior in high school. My dad and I drove up to Gainesville for the funeral. It was important to me to be there. I wanted to show Lila that I was going to turn out well, and to thank her for being there for me. She moved away before I went to college, so I didn't get to see her when I returned. That's too bad--she'd have loved all the things I was knitting by then! And I hope her spirit is somewhere appreciating that she had a positive effect on a young girl.

Snoozy Sunday

Gwynnie and Rosie Tug Away
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Sunday of this weekend was pretty calm for me other than whacking a small child on the head opening the bathroom door at church. It opens out, right by the entrance, and you know how small kids cling to the edges of passageways. I felt bad about that. But, i managed to sing soprano, and very much enjoyed our choir director's son playing complex jazz piano improvisations before and after the service. Dang, that child is talented (guess having two pro musician parents helped). He plays oboe, guitar and piano that I know of, all rather overly well. Glad he's a music major.

The photo today is of Sunday morning fun for Gwynnie and Rosie. It just warms my heart to see the old blind dog with someone to play with. Her favorite game has always been tug-of-war with one of these chew toys, and Rose is so sweet about it, bringing her the toy and helping her find it when it drops. I am also pleased at Rose's chewing on this item for the last couple of weeks. If you look closely at the furniture in the photo, you can see what she was chewing on before. I hope we can fix up my nice chairs, sigh.

My Sunday was mostly spent knitting and watching football (which is good--I needed to recharge, very much), while Lee and the boys went to get more stuff from Lee's old house. I think I hadn't quite realized I was going to have to figure out some way to incorporate so much additional stuff into the house. I must have conveniently blocked that fact from my mind. But, I will keep moving things and getting rid of some of my stuff so we will have space. I think there's just one giant china cabinet left. I think I can rearrange things so it will fit. I know there's room in the cabinets for the china, anyway.

Learning Styles Insight

Me Knitting
Originally uploaded by sunasak

My post yesterday on how much I like to sing, then Stephanie's comment got me thinking about why I pick the hobbies I pick. I love to sing and knit (and type, i.e., blog).

It dawned on me that both singing and knitting are things I use my kinesthetic learning style on. Both I learn by how it feels to do an action I may have mentioned before that the reason I don't often forget a harmony part is that my throat remembers the feelings of each note in a song--I don't remember the note values; I remember the pitches relative to each other.

And I remember how to knit various patterns by how they feel when I do them. The fact that I learn patterns better from a chart than from written-out knitting instructions also has to do with learning physically--I can see the direction the decreases or increases go in on a chart, so I don' t have to thinking "K2tog" or "SKP" -- I just do the "thing that leans left" or the "thing that leans right," physically, as depicted in the chart without having to translate into the words for what I am doing, which is an extra step in my mind.

Certainly, one reason I like doing these things, and also why I like typing, is that I enjoy the fact that I can get my body to be so precise and do exactly what is needed to create something of high quality--a song in tune, a sock, a quickly typed email with few errors. It feels good to be physically adept at something.

Anyway, just a short insight into how I do things and why I like them.

---

OK, we all know we have a mix of learning styles in us, and that there's more than one way that people define learning styles. Robin (see comments) suggested that some of my liking for knitting and singing might be due to being a visual-spatial style learner. Are you? If you want to know, here's a set of questions and here's an interesting comparison. I found it interesting to look at, because I do share many (probably most) characteristics of someone with that style, but with a few marked exceptions: I am an excellent speller and I like to speak in public. However, sure enough, I visualize words to spell them, like the comparison mentions.

Enough about me--what truly struck me was how the descriptions fit Beccano, and the comparison, which I think is intended to show why folks with this learning style might not fit in well in a traditional academic setting--fit my boy Beccano. To a "t" even. Makes a lot of sense. Really makes it clear how he can be so "gifted" and have such a high IQ but not be a great traditional student.

So, thanks, Robin, you educator, you!

Grateful Monday, Dude

It's Monday, so I must be grateful for something--how about my hands and my eyes? The hands let me knit so I get to touch lovely wool and needles as often as possible, and they let me type fast as lightning. And equally erratic. My eyes let me see beautiful colors, patterns and shapes. I am so glad I am not going blind, at least yet. I love colors and patterns so much. No wonder I knit so much.

Dude

My children, especially the older one, have taken to calling me "Dude Mom." As in, "Dude Mom, are we out of Hot Pockets?" They call all their friends just plain "dude." I find Dude Mom to be pretty funny. None of the teen friends have called me Dude SAK, Dude Suna or Dude Sue Ann yet.

Are teens all over using "dude" all the time, or just in Texas? It's definitely a thing all around my vicinity, anyway. Dude isn't a new word. Heck, we used it in the Ancient Times (70s). But suddenly it's the new "homey" (thank goodness). But it sure seems to be peaking in usage. It's nice and gender-neutral, which is another good thing. No problem being a Lady Dude nowadays.

Weekend

It was a good, pretty restful weekend with both sunshine and the usual Texas Summer Rain (usual for THIS summer only). I did a lot of singing in Sunday's church service, so there was also rehearsing on Saturday. Lee did an amazing job on bass this time. He played a lot of lead lines to accompany Bill's rhythm guitar, and it was really cool. So, even though it was mostly Grateful Dead, I had a good time. At least I didn't have to figure out what the melody was, since I just did backup/harmony. And we had a teen drummer. He did not call me Dude. (I added the photo later)

I also enjoyed teaching two sisters to knit. Their mom had vowed not to learn, because she loves reading so much, but we sucked her in and will be teaching her next time. BWA HA HA, I will turn everyone on earth into a knitter. I really enjoyed the girls and their conversation. They reminded me of girl versions of my kids (same ages, approximately, and they are opinionated UU kids like mine).

All Together Now

UNT Dorm
Originally uploaded by sunasak.

Woo hoo, Tuba Boy is home and our little family-like unit is reunited at last. The photo is of the dorm he stayed at, in Denton at the University of North Texas. Most of its buildings are this yellow brick stuff. It was a pretty nice looking campus, and bigger than I expected (I learned recently that is is NOT a small school, from my friend whose son is president of the junior class).

Apparently he had a great time, even when they had to go to all their classes in that horrible rain Texas had a few weeks ago. He made some friends and apparently is now the world's expert on Jacques Derrida and Michel Foucoult (will look up that spelling). He sounds like my high school boyfriend, and will lecture on schools of philosophy at the drop of a hat. Well, this makes me a happy human. It is wonderful to see him so excited about something that is not a video game. And something I also like!

Probably the most touching thing that happened when we went to get him on Saturday was that, the second we got in the car, he said, "OK, we have to go to this cool store, now!" And he led us in a meandering fashion (walking somwhere looks different from driving, he realized) to the head shop on the edge of campus. Mmm, incense. Apparently he and his friends had wonderful times going through those hilarious liberal bumper stickers and buttons they have in those places, and looking at all the statues of Indian deities, etc. It was just so sweet that he HAD to show us this place, because he KNEW we'd love it. We had a nice talk with the guy there, who said he knew these were debate kids the way they flocked to the slogans. And he said, "Your son was very well behaved," which was sweet. We got ourselves a few souveniers, which will be a nice way to remember the debate camp experience.

After all the fun in Denton, we took advantage of being in far north Texas to visit Lee's niece, the one whose wedding we went to on New Year's Eve. They live in a mobile home family compound outside of Ponder. And she has a lot of lovely peacocks wandering around. She said they just showed up, and now they stay there. The picture is of one of the daddy peacocks. We had a good visit, and the cigarette smell didn't kill us or anything. She has no kids of her own, but has four at her house this summer, two attached to her husband and two I think that are actually her cousin's children (Lee's family is hard to keep track of) whose parents are unable to care for them. We really enjoyed a couple of the boys, very cute. It was nice to watch Lee play with them. He reminded me of my dad, how he just thoroughly enjoyed playing with little kids. I was never good at "playing" (I talk to kids, but don't goof off much), so I enjoyed watching Lee.

My boys went outside with the oldest kid (very nice, articulate little fellow who's had a hard life but seems to have a good personality all in all) and picked up a bunch of peacock feathers. I know what I would like to do with them, but am worried the dogs will get into them, so alternative ideas are percolating up. They didn't get attacked by snakes or anything, so all was well.

I know Lee appreciated the chance to see his favorite relative, and since she is not feeling well, I know she enjoyed a chance to see him. It's good to get to know the family members, too.

The rest of the trip I knitted and knitted. I have really enjoyed all the car trips, because it's the only time I really get to knit a long time. I finished one pair of socks, and by the end of last night, was over halfway with another one!

Yesterday I just faded away. We made it to church, where there was a cool labyrinth laid out temporarily as part of a worldwide observance. Then I went home and spent the rest of the day napping or knitting and watching QVC (didn't buy anything, even though there was a lot of jewelry to chose from!). The men-folk went to the Harry Potter movie, but I stayed home. I needed a "me" day, and some recharging time. It was great.

I am just plain glad to have the boys both home and no pressing issues. That feels good. A real respite from issue after issue.

Fun at Home and Elsewhere

Pilar Re-Knitting
Originally uploaded by sunasak.

I've had a nice weekend so far, with my wonderful Tuba Boy home, and the usual wonderful Lee. I also had a nice time at the yarn shop today. I told Pilar, who is in this picture, that I would blog it, because she had me laughing so much at one point. I decided to post here rather than to the public knitting blog, because the story is a little racy.

Pat was teaching a new person to knit, and I was "helping" (didn't feel like earning the money, so I helped her pick yarn, cool new Cascade hand dyed yarn, and was giving additional advice and help when Pat was busy. Pilar was "working," though we didn't have many customers. So mostly she was reknitting the arms of her sweater, again (they were NOT pretty as bell sleeves.) She is a good reknitter.

The new knitter, who was a really friendly person, had finished her first row of knitting, and Pat was giving her the standard little speech about being careful with the first stitch of a row, not to pull the yarn over the needle, or it will look like two stitches. She demonstrated what that looked like. Pilar got a shocked look on her face, and demo-ing with her needles said, "Oh no, you'd NEVER lift her up like that! That would reveal her private parts! You never want to show your stitch's Hoo-Ha!" Well, at "Hoo-Ha" we all cracked up. Especially when we realized it did sorta look like a "Hoo-Ha," Pilar quickly explained it was like lifting up her skirt--you just don't do that to a lady. The new student, between gasps of laughter, declared she would never, ever, forget this important knitting advice. I am glad she had such a good sense of humor.

Jody showed up later, and I don't know if she thought it was as funny as the rest of us did.

I finally went home after a nice time chatting, and packed and cleaned in preparation for leaving for a work trip and vacation, so my next post will be from North Carolina. The intrepid Tina will be guarding the fort and dogs at home. THANK YOU, Tina. And Jared.

Jody came by later and I showed her all the new rooms. We do that a lot. And when Tuba Boy's friend came over, he proudly showed him the new rooms. I was touched--realized he DID care and was proud of what we had done.

And I finished my new short-sleeved sweater in time to wear it in the chilly airport and plane! Photo on knitting blog!

Just Saying Howdy

Not much exciting to report, other than home improvements, so I thought I'd say howdy to you readers. I guess it is nice to have nothing hugely major to report every once in a while!

Lee spent a lot of time over the weekend working on the media room, and it is now completely painted, has curtains, and even matching pillows we found at IKEA. Poor Lee, I forgot how badly he does in disorganized crowds, and IKEA on a Saturday is probably the worst example of such a thing. I share his issue to an extent, and get around it by focusing very hard what I came for. He was a bit traumatized, but soldiered on, knowing I needed to get certain items so we could work on the kids' rooms next.

And I did get items! A nice new daybed for Beccano, plus sheets that look somewhat like bubbles, so should match his "rain" theme room. His room will look really sharp once we put up shelves for his action figures, hang the picture, and put up the really nice curtains we also got for him. I hope it will inspire more neatness.

We also got nice new covers for the double bed in the guestroom, which will be for Tuba Boy. His room is on the agenda after I finish the office/family room. I feel good--we have made nice progress.

The only other excitement is I did a knitting workshop on Sunday, with Louisa Harding, a designer whose work hasn't thrilled me much in the past, but whose yarns I like a lot. We worked on a little bag using a lot of her yarns (it was like a feeding frenzy with women picking out which yarns they wanted!). The only negative was someone making off with my purple knitting scissors with the crystal ends. Or they got VERY misplaced (I still hold out hope: the red pen I lost came back). It was interesting hearing this woman talk about her career choices, and how having a family affected them. It was a nice break, and it was good to see so many fellow knitters in one room. But I missed Lee and hustled on home to bond with the media room (and Lee's new surround sound system)!

I've been feeling a bit moody--just worried about Jeff being so alone, my dad feeling down in the dumps, and mostly my kids being gone SO long with no contact. I have never gone so long without even a word from them. Luckily, that should end very soon. Whew. Sometimes I slip into defensive mode, too, like everything I do would bug Lee (remnants from trying so hard to please XH or Jeff but still not quite making the grade), but then I see Lee doing it, and realize that is the thing I am trying to not do, and then we tell each other to relax. Old habits are hard for both of us to break. I guess it's good to know we are all works in progress, and none of us even remotely approaching perfection!

I did an interview for another contract at ALE (my previous contract employer, if you are new) today. Mostly I did it because things were so dismal where I am now, but things have improved here, and they certainly have NOT at ALE. So, we'll see. In fact, today THREE new trainers started in the fun e-business division that sits across from me. At least I am not the only trainer in the building any more.

Any day now I will have a new camera and be able to post media room pix!!

We have new stuff

We have new stuff
Originally uploaded by sunasak.

It's been a happy day, so here's a happy photo of me and my very tall teen enjoying our new purchases. Last night we took the kids shopping and he got new shoes a black dress shirt (size extra thin, not shown) and his brother got a green newsboy-style cap. Well, the cap has not come off THIS kid's head, backwards, of course. He looks pretty good for someone with a miserable cold or sinus condition.

I am looking happy because I love both my new-ish sheep-made-out-of-balls-of-yarn shirt, and I really love the shawl that Jody made for me for my birthday. It is SUCH a lovely pattern (for details, see my knitting blog) and it feels SO luxurious on!

I hung out with Jody today, longer than I'd intended, but since we hadn't hung out in a while, it was worth it. Trip to Hill Country Weavers, where yarn was bought, then a lovely lunch at Guero's, followed by a bit of shopping and then a lesson in spinning with a drop spindle. I hope to get better at it, that's all I can say. But it is fun.

While I was gone, Lee and Beccano had WAY too much fun looking at motorcycles and getting B a helmet (it fits me too, eek). B also got to drive the riding lawn mower at Lee's old house and apparently was quite good at maneuvering it. To top it all off, he got to whack things with a machete. Manly fun, I tell you. Boys continuing to be boys.

And Older Boy has been more perky, other than the sinus issue.

Such a Big Boy

Such a Big Boy
Originally uploaded by sunasak.

My, how Beccano has grown. And he's not stopping. I have a hard time dealing with my baby being so...big. We were goofing around last night while I was taking pictures of my finished Fiesta Sweater, so we captured him in Jeff's leather hat and his own festive Threadless t-shirt (we loves them Threadless shirts).

We are spending a lot of time together, since this precious boy was not doing his math work and didn't go after school like he was supposed to last week...so he has no privileges other than the History Channel and discussing math with me and Lee. He's taking it well, but I am totally baffled as to how he can "forget" to turn in work or go to an after-school program. His brain is still really "different" and I just don't understand it. He's so sweet, funny and talented, yet has strong tendencies to see how much he can avoid doing things he does not want to do. I don't get that boy. But, we have so much fun together!

And yes, as you can see the Fiesta Sweater is finished. There will be a longer post about it on the knitting blog. I think it came out much cuter than I thought it would, and it looks nice! Like I will wear it! I like how the sleeves came out--bell sleeves in 3/4 length (because long bell sleeves get smeared in food). And the leaf insertion looks interesting, as does my unique neckline.

Mainly I am proud to have finished something. I have too many things in progress! Still going strong is a Myrtle Leaf Shawl from Victorian Lace Today in Bamboo, and a shiny green top from Rebecca mag.

One more little note: it was all rainy and stormy last night, so few folks were at Chicks with Sticks, but Cheri was there, and I was so glad to get to just sit and knit with her like in the old days. She's just such a comfortable person to be with, and I miss just chit chatting with her and talking about our lives. I am glad she's happy where she is now, but miss her, too.

New Knitting Blog!

When I first started this blog I had intended to mostly talk about knitting in it, but instead I ended up dwelling on all the stuff that was going on in my life. I kept thinking things would settle down and I'd get back to knitting topics more, but I really haven't.

So, I went and started a knitting blog, which I will even make public, so knitting friends can find me. I will only say nice things about people, yarn, and yarn shops, uh, or I will try.

I'll still mention knitting stuff here, but if you want to see more technical knitting content (yeah, like I am capable of THAT) or more words on knitting, head on over there! Soon I'll have a picture of the finished Fiesta Sweater that just came off ye olde needles.

Greenhouse Effect

Ooh, it was a cold weekend. We had sleet much of the day Saturday, and there was white stuff on the roofs of the houses when we woke up. Either snow or sleet accumulation.

We brought in most of the delicate plants and covered the ones we could not bring in. Most (I think all) survived, though yesterday the peppers looked puny. Today they are perky again. Perky Peppers!

In honor of the cold snap, here's a photo I took that I call "Greenhouse Effect." (It's photoshopped, so that's why it looks stylized.) These plants made it through the cold snap just fine...the frame is the old door that we took off when we installed the new one with doggie door ("we" being Lee). He just leaned the old door against the house under the kitchen window until we figured out what to do with it. Well, the bad ole weed plants that keep coming up between the house and the patio of course emerged behind the door. They ended up growing rather prettily and look like plants in a lovely greenhouse, not weeds and a discarded door. (In there is Virginia Creeper, Wandering Jew and a lantana seedling from the plants in the front of the house thanks I guess to the wonders of bird poop).

Obviously all this door and weedage has to go, but I am glad we got some photos of it before it went!

Other than coldness, it was an OK weekend. The Flower Communion at Ye Olde Spiritual Community went fine, and I got a flower that perfectly matched my purplish shrug. There was a children's choir and they did GREAT (especially compared to previous attempts at getting kids to sing at this church). We were all late, but managed to sing our song OK. It was the one with weird UU lyrics and including the word "architrave" of some such unfamiliar word.

At home, Lee, Beccano and I cooked a lot. The boy and I made pear cobbler from scratch (and it was delicious, with three types of pear). I made deviled eggs with tartar sauce because the mayo we bought has disappeared. It was interesting, but people ate it. I baked bread with ricotta cheese in it, and that was way yummy and moist (we had extra because we got a large container of it for the lasagna). And Lee and I made lasagna. He did it, mostly and it was GREAT. MMMM. We have great leftovers right now, including split pea soup I made on Saturday.

My sister showed up for her final holiday meal before moving, and we ended up also having the Girl with us at dinner, since her family was late picking her up after visiting Older Boy much of the day. Poor Older Boy has lots of ups and downs now that the Girl is in the picture. But he is mostly happy, and she's quite nice. It was good to have here there. We had a pretty fun meal and used the big table in the dining room, which I had decorated in yellow and purple and green with fertility symbols all over it (glass eggs, birds, and butterfly paperweights).

My only unsuccessful event of the weekend was a knitting mess up. I bought some GORGEOUS yarn, GGH Mystik in color 94, a VERY green and shiny color that looks like an emerald. I decided to make a lacey round yoked top in the new Rebecca pattern collection out of it, because it will really show yarn overs well. So, I spend all Saturday night cursing and swearing as I tried to cable cast on with size 1 metal needles and this slippery yarn. Then began tedious twisted ribbing. Then said, hmm, this appears rather wide. I looked at the instructions. Where I mentally heard 140 stitches, the actual number was 114. You can see how my auditory/kinesthetic learning style did NOT help in that case! So, I have to cast on again. I didn't knit on that yesterday. I kept plugging away on my lovely bamboo shawl. Still have to finish the top-down sweater from the class, too. I know what I am doing with it, now. A horizontal leaf border, then feather and fan to the end. It will be "different."

Lovely Craft Quote

I put a quote of the day gadget on my Google home page (which has a cute Japanese fox on it, going about its day, too). Today there was this lovely quote:

Anyone who can handle a needle convincingly can make us see a thread which
is not there.
- EH Gombrich

I think all quilters, knitters, crocheters and such should take this to heart! We are artists and poets!

Finished Object, part 1

This is a close-up view of my first placemat. The center is at the top. It's in lovely Peaches-n-Cream yarn, which Jody and I could not find more of over the weekend (eek). Must next try Wal-Mart.

This one was made according to the instructions, with the center starting out as a circle, which had to be sewn closed. It does not particularly look nice in the center, so I am trying other methods.

The rest of it looks pretty good, though, and it is placemat-sized. Lee ate off of it yesterday and didn't even spill sauce.

I started the second one yesterday, using the magic cast on for toe-up socks. The cast on looks gorgeous (will post a picture), but, after I was well into the mat, I realized the ends looked funny--they curve. Then it dawned on me that you actually start each "round" on a corner, not the middle, so the cast-on did not remain parallel. I have been thinking and thinking of how to get it all balanced, and think it will involve casting on one stitch at each end (the base stitch to the short sides of the placemat rectangle, then knitting until I get to where the round really should start. I should draw a picture. So, I figure that placemat #3 will actually be the first "good" one.

Sick-Lee

OK, last night it was funny that I called Lee "sick Lee" and then realized it came out "sickly."

But today I am also feeling sick. I think is it mainly sinus stuff, from sitting in a really dusty stadium watching older boy play lacrosse. He did well, too, and actually ran a while with the ball and looked like a lacrosse player. But wow, my head began to feel like it was about to explode, which had started in the knitting store, in any case.

It was interesting at knitting--there were some new people there, leading to a new dynamic. I like meeting new people in an atmosphere like that. I also learned a lot about the holocaust from one of the ladies there who is a teacher and had gone to an interesting workshop on it. I wish I had been there--she got some really neat materials. Since I have so many emotional issues with it, I'd like to learn ways to teach it sensitively without overwhelming people. We had a couple of interesting snippets of conversation with others, including a couple of Jewish people, one from eastern Europe. Makes my day to have such talks.

Work was good yesterday. Even the frustrating parts were interestingly so. It is continuing to be good today, as we evaluate the weird assessments we have been writing. They have ended up better than I thought. I surprise myself. And Lee surprises himself, too. We are good little assessors and facilitators.

Lunch over, back to work in a weird classroom where I cannot check my email. Which is frustrating because I can SEE it, but not check it.