Posted on 05/29/2008 by Barb
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Memes
Let’s see. Andrea and I were tagged by PrincessPea for the “Peeps I Want to Know More About” meme.
The rules: Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.
1) What was I doing ten years ago?
This is a downer, so sorry. Ten years ago I was dealing with the loss of one of my sisters to complications of systemic lupus. She died six weeks before her 50th birthday. A major reason for my recent trip to South Dakota this Memorial Day was out of respect for her (and some other people I dearly miss). And to spend some time with the living as well!
2) What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for today?
• Doctor’s visit this morning for routine skin check. When you’re my age, fair-skinned, blue-eyed and freckly, you do that.
• Change cat litter (and I also need to buy cat food).
• Work some more on baby blanket.
• Stop and buy coffee (decaf and regular) on my way home from work.
• Call plumber (slow-draining bathroom sink … ughhh!).
3) Snacks I enjoy
• I pick salty before sweet, and am more likely to seriously pig out on something disgusting like circus peanuts or candy corn than on chocolate, though I absolutely love chocolate.
• Anything cheese (not good for the cholesterol, but probably worth it).
• I’m crazy about fresh, raw vegetables.
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire
• I’d quit my job. Yes, I think I would quit my job. And do fun things like travel, take some classes to learn things I know nothing about or do things I suck at.
• Hopefully I’d do something to improve the world like support work to find cures for some of the really devastating diseases out there –autoimmune diseases like lupus, cancer, heart disease, diabetes. Or maybe spend my money and energy beating the “come on, people, could we work on feeding the starving masses, and on education and health care, instead of war?” drum.
• I’d pay off my mortgage and all other debts, and those of my kids as well. I’d set up trust funds for some people: my kids of course, but also for some of my family who need really a lot of help and haven’t exactly managed their own lives and finances so well.
5) Places I have lived:
These are in alphabetical order by state, then city/town.
• Illinois: Chicago, Libertyville, Waukegan
• Minnesota: Appleton, Canby, Milan, Minneapolis, Montevideo, Olivia, St. Paul
• South Dakota: Gary, Pierre, Presho
Most of this moving around was done when I was a kid. I’ve lived in Minneapolis since 1972.
6) Jobs I have had:
• Working in my parents’ retail store when I a kid.
• Waiting tables. (I was not good at that!)
• Detassling corn (redefines “sunburn”).
• Various clerical jobs, mostly in medical research settings, while in college.
• Office manager and consultant for human resources consulting company.
• Self-employed while raising kids (mostly computer input and coding for electronic typesetting).
• Currently managing small IT Department.
• The best, most important, challenging, rewarding job ever: Mom.
7) Peeps I want to know more about:
Shyness apparently runs in the family. I’ll do my best, though. Let’s see, a couple of these are from blogs already listed on our site; some are people/blogs that I know little about but that look interesting, most found on Ravelry:
Rose
Annie
Laurie
Sara
Posted on 05/29/2008 by Barb
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Knitting
Oh, what am I working on? A baby blanket ... all garter stitch but with a pulled-up stitch that gives it a nice pattern.
I’ve knitted this particular blanket before (for a baby girl) and the mom really liked it. She says she uses it all the time, so why mess with success? It’s from a pattern booklet I bought at JoAnn Fabric a year or so ago. The booklet contains four easy baby sets, all of them really cute.
I’m doing only the blanket (not the whole set) from the “Little Boy Blue” pattern. (I think that’s the name of it.) The last time I knitted from this pattern, I used a yummy-soft washable chenille yarn in a light shade of teal and cream. I wish I had a picture of it, it was a nice combination. This time I'm using an equally soft but more satiny acrylic yarn in blue and white, so it should look pretty much like the photo. Ya, I know, acrylic. But sometimes easy care is the most important criterion. And this is machine wash, machine dry so hopefully mom will feel like she can use it and use it.
I actually have several projects stacking up … some knitting, some spinning, and some things that have nothing to do with either (like gardening).
We’re getting a late start on Spring here (chilly, rainy weather). If I'm going to plant anything this year, I'm going to have to get seriously crackin' on it! I was just visiting Princess Pea’s blog and am so envious of her garden! Lovely, lovely!
Posted on 05/15/2008 by Barb
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Knitting, Spinning
For Mother’s Day, Andrea gave me some fantastic wool fiber from Aisha Celia Designs . It's quite an interesting mix: just a little gold metallic thread mixed in with the a wide range of reds, rose-pinks, browns to tans.
I spun up a little of it.
And surprise, surprise! When plyed, it’s a great match to my favorite sneakers ...
... and that newly repaired beaded bag.
Just looking at the fiber, I actually expected a result that was more toward pink than rose-red. But that’s one of the really fun and interesting things about spinning: you just don’t know for certain how it will look until it’s spun and plyed.
Anyway, I just love the way it's turning out.
Thank you, Andrea.
Posted on 05/08/2008 by Barb
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Random Thoughts
I’m taking my long-term cat-care-provider responsibilities v-e-r-y seriously. Very seriously indeed. I’m wanting to be the best long-term cat-care-provider in the whole world! (It really eats into the knitting time, so not much to report on that front.)
So on the recommendation of Alex and Andrea, I decided to stop free-feeding (they’re a bit portly), and serve them Science Diet rather than the “grocery store” cat food delivered with them last week.
Everyone I talked to agreed: Transitioning them over the course of several days to a week is the way to do it, very important.
So after work yesterday I bought me some Science Diet … not too much, though, just in case they don’t like it or it doesn’t agree with the little darlings. And I put together a well-thought-out transition plan.
I divided out the remaining old food.
I combined it with an appropriate ratio of the new food.
I put each day’s allotment in a baggie.
I labeled them: Thurs 1:5 (new:old); Fri 2:4; Sat 3:3, Sun 4:2, Mon 5:1.
Tuesday they’d get all Science Diet.
(You know where this is going, don't you?)
I put all the little baggies in a little brown Starbucks bag.
I closed up the bag of Science Diet.
I set the Starbuck’s bag beside the Science Diet.
I neatened up the counter.
I went and watched American Idol.
Eventually I went to bed.
This morning:
Bo, you’re so busted!
So … I think I have my answer to the question of whether the cats will like Science Diet! But, is it fact or myth that normal, healthy cats will get sick if not carefully transitioned to new food? (If it’s fact, I’ll spare you the photos!)
