Spring forward
G'day all!
Move ahead! It's not too late! To whip it, whip it good... Sorry, just a little diversion there, an indication of how my mind works.
The US goes onto daylight savings tonight I believe. Oddly enough, my favourite corner of Ravelry has not erupted in a screaming hissy fit yet.
Meteorological Spring has sprung here, though the US does seasons by the equinoxes and solstices. I always think this is odd because winter certainly doesn't start on the 21st of December - around here it starts in November with the first of the winter storms (nb what this part of the world calls storms, my part calls cold fronts and intense low pressure systems). Spring is already getting underway - the cherry plums are blooming, the daffodils are flowering, the crocuses are nearly done, the forsythias are in full flourish and some of the local deciduous street trees are starting to leaf out (between Wednesday and Thursday, to be precise) - though in the US Spring starts on the 21st of March.
Normally I find this time of year intensely exciting - the sap starts running in my veins - but this year I'm a bit sad. There's crap going on in the world again, my country is being a complete dick and it blasted keeps raining on the weekend, which is really holding up progress on the garage cos we can't take the temporary roof off when we are getting an inch of rain each day on the weekends...
Honestly, in the last week, we've had over four inches of rain, a good three of which have fallen on the weekend. The place is soaked from stem to stern. Just when it starts to dry up and gives us a couple of lovely days, the rain clouds roll back in with another Pineapple Express straight from Hawai'i and bang, another inch or two of rain! I'd like to get out into the garden and dig another garden bed but it will just be mud, mud (glorious) mud and I am not a hippopotamus (though some people might think otherwise...). I want the blasted garage done (as does DH!)so we can get stuff out of the house and the lousy weather will not cooperate!
Anyway, umm, what has been happening?
Quite frankly not much, well not much that is my news and I don't report other peoples' news here because it isn't my news, if that makes sense. I've been knitting. I made the world's ugliest (well second ugliest) quilt top with some 30s fabric and then ripped it in two (cos either end of it looks fine, just not together). The quilt top is in time out.
I managed to finish a summertime top that had been in time out cos well it's been winter and who wants to wear short sleeves when it is 5-10C outside? (Well apart from crazy people on the east side of the Rockies who have been dreaming of above freezing temperatures.)
I've just gotten to the top of the sleeves of my 3-in-1
I got to sit in the sun on the deck on not just one but TWO days! Thursday was glorious, Friday wasn't too bad either and then Saturday (today)? It started raining at 10am and now, as I write, less than ten hours later, another inch of rain has fallen.
Oops! Enough about the weather.
No, not enough about the weather. What about the time when I walked to the supermarket (same day as I took the daffodil shot on the wet day) where the radar said it would only drizzle lightly, and halfway to the supermarket the heavens opened and stayed opened until I was most of the way back home after dashing around the supermarket. Silly me had worn my mesh runners. At least I had worn my raincoat...
Oh, here's some of my news.
I have been medically assessed and yes indeed I do have a tremor. Gosh almighty tell me something I don't know. (It is hard to not know when a) I can tell and b) even though I can tell, people point it out to me which just makes things so much better because then I get anxious about it. Guess what happens when I get stressed about it?) And oh, thanks, Mum for these rubbish genes too!) OK, the neurologist tells me it is an essential tremor. I'm still waiting to hear something I don't know - I had already diagnosed myself quite a number of years ago. It is good to have the medical profession confirm it though. Repercussions? Well given I've had this tremor for as long as I can remember and it doesn't seem to have gotten worse (though it gets worse when I am fatigued or ill or stressed = quite normal) then it probably won't get bad enough to need treatment for the next twenty years or more. Given I'll be blasted pleased to be alive in 20 years time (after all the cancer crap) I figure I will cope. By then we might have a better treatment or the world will have ended so I won't care anyway!
Am I not a little ray of sunshine tonight?
After I saw the neurologist, I went for a wander to Pike Place. Along the way I stopped to snap this shot of the ferris wheel (which appeared rather quickly after we arrived here - does every city have a ferris wheel on their waterfront now?). I am not very keen on the railing at the edge of the viewing platform - the drop is about five or six storeys and those gaps were making me feel queasy (hence the funny angle!). No I or anyone else can't fit through the gap but it still is off-putting and if you leant on the railing that isn't there, you would get quite a surprise!
One of my aunts used to come and stay with us way back when, before we had colour tvs (mid-70s in Oz). She seemed to like to shell peas and would shell a massive pile of them for us - when she was visiting I guess there were seven people to feed so we certainly needed lots of peas (except for me - I used to take the skins off the individual peas before eating them. I can remember sitting at the table half an hour after everyone else had left and I was still skinning my peas and eating them one by one. Now I just eat them like everyone else does). Sometimes me and my sister would help shell some peas.
It's a long time since that aunt died, and I hadn't shelled peas in years. Mum always said why bother, too much work, buy them frozen from the supermarket (with mint flavour on them - why? To hide their blandness is all I can think of).
Well, I bought some peas in the pod and shelled them a day or two later and my oh my! What a revelation! (Cooked) fresh peas are yummy! They taste like peas! They don't taste mealy or funny or bland, they taste like peas! Now I want to dig up some grass in the back yard (or the front yard) and plant rows and rows of peas! Some for pea vines (so yummy!) and some to grow pea pods on. Nom nom nom! (see rant about weather above)
Last weekend I had a lovely time wandering around Sew Expo with one of my roomies from the quilting retreat. I got to meet Tula Pink, who was very nice as anyone who works with their mum and brother probably would have to be. I was extra good and managed to only spend the contents of my wallet - about $60-70. I could've spent a LOT more!
By the time I left, my car was the only one left in his part of the car park... LOL The security guys had made me do a bit lap around the road in front of the car then along the one behind him, and my goodness there were some VERY big potholes on those roads. I was not impressed given I drove straight past where I ended up parking and didn't need to go around/through the potholes at all!
Hmm, any other news? No? Have I anything else to ramble about? No... I am sure to think of something as soon as I sign off though.
Have a good week, or two!
anon!
Move ahead! It's not too late! To whip it, whip it good... Sorry, just a little diversion there, an indication of how my mind works.
The US goes onto daylight savings tonight I believe. Oddly enough, my favourite corner of Ravelry has not erupted in a screaming hissy fit yet.
Meteorological Spring has sprung here, though the US does seasons by the equinoxes and solstices. I always think this is odd because winter certainly doesn't start on the 21st of December - around here it starts in November with the first of the winter storms (nb what this part of the world calls storms, my part calls cold fronts and intense low pressure systems). Spring is already getting underway - the cherry plums are blooming, the daffodils are flowering, the crocuses are nearly done, the forsythias are in full flourish and some of the local deciduous street trees are starting to leaf out (between Wednesday and Thursday, to be precise) - though in the US Spring starts on the 21st of March.
 |
| I like crocuses |
 |
| I really like crocuses |
 |
| I do indeed like crocuses |
Normally I find this time of year intensely exciting - the sap starts running in my veins - but this year I'm a bit sad. There's crap going on in the world again, my country is being a complete dick and it blasted keeps raining on the weekend, which is really holding up progress on the garage cos we can't take the temporary roof off when we are getting an inch of rain each day on the weekends...
 |
| Bad shot of cherry plums |
Honestly, in the last week, we've had over four inches of rain, a good three of which have fallen on the weekend. The place is soaked from stem to stern. Just when it starts to dry up and gives us a couple of lovely days, the rain clouds roll back in with another Pineapple Express straight from Hawai'i and bang, another inch or two of rain! I'd like to get out into the garden and dig another garden bed but it will just be mud, mud (glorious) mud and I am not a hippopotamus (though some people might think otherwise...). I want the blasted garage done (as does DH!)so we can get stuff out of the house and the lousy weather will not cooperate!
 |
| Cute bubby daffies, lousy weather... |
Anyway, umm, what has been happening?
Quite frankly not much, well not much that is my news and I don't report other peoples' news here because it isn't my news, if that makes sense. I've been knitting. I made the world's ugliest (well second ugliest) quilt top with some 30s fabric and then ripped it in two (cos either end of it looks fine, just not together). The quilt top is in time out.
I managed to finish a summertime top that had been in time out cos well it's been winter and who wants to wear short sleeves when it is 5-10C outside? (Well apart from crazy people on the east side of the Rockies who have been dreaming of above freezing temperatures.)
 |
| Please accept this lousy selfie as proof of completion of top |
 |
| I love knitting the separate parts of my 3-in-1 together |
 |
| Old pic - no my arms are not that short... the sleeves are much longer now |
I got to sit in the sun on the deck on not just one but TWO days! Thursday was glorious, Friday wasn't too bad either and then Saturday (today)? It started raining at 10am and now, as I write, less than ten hours later, another inch of rain has fallen.
Oops! Enough about the weather.
No, not enough about the weather. What about the time when I walked to the supermarket (same day as I took the daffodil shot on the wet day) where the radar said it would only drizzle lightly, and halfway to the supermarket the heavens opened and stayed opened until I was most of the way back home after dashing around the supermarket. Silly me had worn my mesh runners. At least I had worn my raincoat...
 |
| Another crane in Ballard. Plus a sea plane I think. |
Oh, here's some of my news.
I have been medically assessed and yes indeed I do have a tremor. Gosh almighty tell me something I don't know. (It is hard to not know when a) I can tell and b) even though I can tell, people point it out to me which just makes things so much better because then I get anxious about it. Guess what happens when I get stressed about it?) And oh, thanks, Mum for these rubbish genes too!) OK, the neurologist tells me it is an essential tremor. I'm still waiting to hear something I don't know - I had already diagnosed myself quite a number of years ago. It is good to have the medical profession confirm it though. Repercussions? Well given I've had this tremor for as long as I can remember and it doesn't seem to have gotten worse (though it gets worse when I am fatigued or ill or stressed = quite normal) then it probably won't get bad enough to need treatment for the next twenty years or more. Given I'll be blasted pleased to be alive in 20 years time (after all the cancer crap) I figure I will cope. By then we might have a better treatment or the world will have ended so I won't care anyway!
Am I not a little ray of sunshine tonight?
 |
| Queasy making gap. |
After I saw the neurologist, I went for a wander to Pike Place. Along the way I stopped to snap this shot of the ferris wheel (which appeared rather quickly after we arrived here - does every city have a ferris wheel on their waterfront now?). I am not very keen on the railing at the edge of the viewing platform - the drop is about five or six storeys and those gaps were making me feel queasy (hence the funny angle!). No I or anyone else can't fit through the gap but it still is off-putting and if you leant on the railing that isn't there, you would get quite a surprise!
 |
| I shelled some peas - more than that many |
One of my aunts used to come and stay with us way back when, before we had colour tvs (mid-70s in Oz). She seemed to like to shell peas and would shell a massive pile of them for us - when she was visiting I guess there were seven people to feed so we certainly needed lots of peas (except for me - I used to take the skins off the individual peas before eating them. I can remember sitting at the table half an hour after everyone else had left and I was still skinning my peas and eating them one by one. Now I just eat them like everyone else does). Sometimes me and my sister would help shell some peas.
It's a long time since that aunt died, and I hadn't shelled peas in years. Mum always said why bother, too much work, buy them frozen from the supermarket (with mint flavour on them - why? To hide their blandness is all I can think of).
Well, I bought some peas in the pod and shelled them a day or two later and my oh my! What a revelation! (Cooked) fresh peas are yummy! They taste like peas! They don't taste mealy or funny or bland, they taste like peas! Now I want to dig up some grass in the back yard (or the front yard) and plant rows and rows of peas! Some for pea vines (so yummy!) and some to grow pea pods on. Nom nom nom! (see rant about weather above)
 |
| I think the pea revelation deserves a bit of Tubaluba - these guys were playing outside our fave texmex place. |
Last weekend I had a lovely time wandering around Sew Expo with one of my roomies from the quilting retreat. I got to meet Tula Pink, who was very nice as anyone who works with their mum and brother probably would have to be. I was extra good and managed to only spend the contents of my wallet - about $60-70. I could've spent a LOT more!
 |
| Tula Pink is a rock star fabric designer. I'm just a fan boy. Girl. Whatever. |
By the time I left, my car was the only one left in his part of the car park... LOL The security guys had made me do a bit lap around the road in front of the car then along the one behind him, and my goodness there were some VERY big potholes on those roads. I was not impressed given I drove straight past where I ended up parking and didn't need to go around/through the potholes at all!
 |
| Small car, big car park |
Hmm, any other news? No? Have I anything else to ramble about? No... I am sure to think of something as soon as I sign off though.
Have a good week, or two!
anon!
I like crocus's too, so keep showing photos of them. I think it's cool that you get rain called Pineapple Express! I like the 3 in 1 sleeves on your knitted top. I remember shelling bowls of peas when I was a little girl. That is a great photo of you with Tula Pink!!
ReplyDeleteThey are very nice flowers, the crocuses. Sigh, our state is rubbish at voting and the whole country is going to hell in a handbasket. I love your new top, such a pretty colour. Fresh fruit and vegetables are delicious. I try to make an effort to go to the market. Fan boy/girl, whatever. I am not sure I could ever speak to the object of my fan-ness!! Well done.
ReplyDeleteSummer is still here. Still. We had the first rain for the year though. It has been a bit of a drought. I like weather, weather is interesting. Hope your tremor behaves!!!
Love the flowers. Love all your photos actually. Would you mind if I used one of your sunset photos to attempt a painting (it probably won't end up as nice as your photo though)?
ReplyDeleteHey Lyn! You can use my pics to make paintings of. Glad to provide some inspiration!
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