Cold enough for you? Well, it’s cold enough for reader Tracy R. and her cat Hamster:
Here’s Hamster making a point that it’s rather chilly (he’s lying in the spot where the heat comes out of the vent). Just so everyone knows that I’m not torturing the cat by turning down the heat: I hate cold as much as Hamster, and the thermostat is set at eighty degrees. Yes, eighty. And me and Hamster are still a bit chilly!
I absolutely support Hamster’s choice of spots! When I was little, I planted myself in front of the register in the hall every winter morning!
My week took an unexpected and long overdue turn. My teaching position has become increasingly stressful, and I’ve hit my breaking point. I am now on sick leave until January… The doctor was so kind, and my school so understanding. I hope to make use of the next four weeks to (re)discover direction in my life.
Oh, N. Fritz, I know of what you speak. I’m so glad your school is understanding. Here in the U.S. this has been happening for a decade, seriously. Unfortunately, school systems are generally unsympathetic, and there aren’t enough substitutes to cover even for short periods, and kids suffer. Please take care of yourself!💙🙏🏻
Thank you, 6Rabbits. I am very lucky to have the support of my school and, more importantly, the health care system in Austria. I just never thought I’d have to admit that I am not, contrary to popular belief, Wonder Woman. 🦸🏻♀️
N. Fritz, I’m so sorry to hear about the teaching. I hope your time off is helpful and healing.
I am going to make every effort to get back on my feet. Thank you, Tara 🙏
We’re sending virtual hugs and healing purrs. I’m really glad you’ve got a supportive employer, and that you are being good to yourself. When we’re at the breaking point but try to muscle through, bad things can happen.
Thank you. Yes, I am at an age when I begin thinking about stress and chronic conditions… not a good combination!
So sorry Fritz. Must’ve been really bone deep for you.
Hope that this is a good time for reflection and rejuvenation for whatever your next step turns out to be.
Thank you, Kar! I don’t know what the next step will be, but I’m definitely going to look into options!
I feel for you, Hamster. It’s been fairly mild here so far, but we’re currently enduring howling winds and heavy rain as a major storm moves further north.
Friends, to give you some idea of how quiet life at the Shortcakery usually is, last Monday an event of thrilling, world-shattering importance took place. THERE WAS A ROBIN IN THE BACK YARD! For eight years I’ve tried to entice small birds into the garden instead of the usual pigeons, seagulls, and magpies, but so far I’ve had no luck. The robin sighting encouraged me to set up a feeding station complete with seeds and mealworms, but so far I’ve only had one customer – a blackbird. Perhaps there’ll be more interest when the storm dies away.
Also, today marks the second anniversary of my dad’s death. It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed.
Hugs to you. Losing a family member around the holidays, particularly a parent, must be one of life’s most stressful events.
Yay for the Robin! Maybe they were scouting for a new “home” and you’ll have a little family somewhere there in the spring – we can hope.
Also sending supportive thoughts for you on the anniversary of your father’s death. ❤️
Hurrah for the robin!
And hugs to you on this sad anniversary. It’s just over 3 years for my dad and I think about him a lot more around the holidays. Most of my best childhood memories revolve around him.
Bright Teller he has the right idea, stay where it’s warm, not like us yesterday!
We had the birth idea to go join friends for diner downtown yesterday the temperature was -8C/17F but with the windchill it felt like -16C/3F 🥶
Yeeks!
Is there room for one more?
Saw the PA yesterday about my gallbladder and she basically said it’s up to me if I want to do it…so I have to think about it..
I couldn’t decide which dog to comment on, so…
I very much relate to Mia.
Snoop’s silent awoo broke my heart. Thank goodness he has people to fill in.
Koby’s little smile when the human asks “are you okay?” Oh, yeah, mom, I’m goooood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oafelwufPq0!
The beagle who couldn’t awoooooo cos his vocal cords were messed with got me in the feels😢. Awooooing is so important to this breed.💙
I know! He looks so sad (but also pretty comfy….)
PS, if you can’t hear the little Golden-puppy-in-the-snow’s chomps, turn up the volume.
I don’t know where that exclamation point at the end of the url came from…
They just deliver every week. Smiles, belly laughs, awwwws, and “we don’t deserve dogs.” I love hearing about the dogs the 15/10 Foundation helps.
Here’s the full video of Trooper’s adoption story:
Allein, I’m glad you went to the PA and got an opinion. Information is better than no information.
Alice Shortcake, I understand all too well what you feel about time passing. I’m sure we all do. My husband has been basically bed bound for over a year and a half. It’s why I don’t post much except to send some amusing bits to Mike. I rarely even see emails. Or comb my hair. Yesterday I apparently wore two different shoes and didn’t discover it until this morning!😜I get dressed in the dark, you see.🙄 So, hello to you all, good luck, Fritz, May your down time be uplifting. And happiness is a warm kitty. Keep your spirits up, and I hope your holidays are joyfully meaningful. And, Mike, thanks for all you do and for the snowflakes.
So nice to hear from you Murray C.! Hugs to you and thanks for the words of encouragement.
Hugs to you Murray C.! We dealt with my Dad with this for 6 years after he had a debilitating stroke. 🙏🏻
We are always here for you🩷
Sending you lots of hugs Murray C. I’m always happy to see your name when you send things to Mike. Sending lots of supportive hugs.
Sending hugs and purrs to you and your husband. I hope you’ve got some support as you care for him.
murray,
this sounds like a very tiring but intimate care-giving situation.
i hope that you have respite when you need it,
I would DIE at your house, Tracy R!😳
Even tho I can tolerate heat better since I’ve gone thru menopause, there is NO WAY I can deal with 80s! In winter, my heat is set at 55 at nite and the most during the day is 60.
In the summer my air is on 77 daytime, and 69 nite, tho; used to be the most I could stand was 73. This last summer there were days it got to 80 in my house before I turned on the air.
Hamster is such a character! When I use a radiator, Jacques gets as close as he can without actually touching it.
I don’t mind the cold so much anymore either since passing that 50 year mark. Currently my bedroom is 59F. But I have three quilts and three cats to keep me warm, so I’m pretty comfy.
After work yesterday I got my COVID and flu shots. Normally those wipe me out the next day so I’ve cleared my schedule. But I’m feeling pretty chipper right now. Still, to be on the safe side, I’m going to stay in bed, finish knitting one of my Dad’s Christmas socks, and maybe do a few other computery things which don’t require a lot of physical energy.
And I know others have already mentioned it, but I’m going to chime in to say how lovely it is that the snow is back.
I too love the virtual snow–way better than the real thing! I’m glad you recovered all right from your shots.
Greetings, fellow Cutetropolitans.
It’s wet and windy here, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s a stay-in-jammies day.
Speaking of jammies, Duckie has taken a particular liking to my new flannel pj top. She likes to sit on my sleeve and chew on the fabric, even when I’m wearing it. Not destructive chewing, more like thoughtful gumming, if a bird could gum.
Things are crazy here due to hubby’s work schedule. Too many people thinking only of themselves, and he has to either take up the slack, or take the blame. Once Christmas is over, we’re going to take a day for ourselves and discuss possible partial retirement.
Off to fight with the vacuum and mop, and then I’m going to veg and dream. Have a great weekend, everyone.
Lavender likes to suck on my hair when I’m on the floor for yoga. It sounds like lil Duckie gumming your jammies.
Yes to partial retirement! Wish I could do that but I’m not old enough or rich enough.
Happy Caturday, everyone! Hamster is me as a child, sitting with my book near the heat vent, just waiting to get a little warmed up when the furnace clicked on. My dearly departed Ursula kitty used to lie on top of the vent of the house in Kansas, blissed out from the warm air. She would give these lazy meows if you talked to her in this situation.
I hope to finish a big weaving project and a small knitting project this weekend. “Finish” to me means it comes off the loom or the needles. Since both projects need my eyeballs, I’ll probably finish my Little Women audiobook and start on Little Men, which is new to me. I pretty much memorized LW as a kid, reading an abridged version over and over, but this is my first listen. The reader makes the characters come alive–it’s just magical. I will look for more books that Susie Berneis reads, for sure.
I’m already starting to plan the next weaving, which is fun. And I’ve got to put together the first spreadsheet for our subgroup of a local Indivisible chapter. We had our first organizing meeting on Thursday and though I’m the only person who is NOT retired in our subgroup of 9, I agreed to run communications. Spreadsheets are easy, thank goodness.
Hugs to you all. Enjoy the weekend, and stay warm/cool/comfortable!
Carry on, we must…
’cause of society.
Mood.
Enzo is my soul brother.
Enzo’s mood is my mood. And I definitely don’t need to be sitting near a heating vent. If anyone is cold, come to SoCal. We have the Santa Ana winds blowing through for the next 2 weeks so its dry and warm. Right now it’s 77F, feels like 80. Hugs to everyone going through a rough time today. I get what you mean about time passing quickly Alice. Can’t believe it’s been 8 years since my dad passed and 7 for my mom. Plus this coming March would have been Dad’s 100th birthday. It just boggles my mind.
Had yesterday off from work since I had my use it or lose it personal holiday to take. Got a haircut, and my Covid shot, plus some shopping. Talk about time passing, can you believe 4 years ago, we were all in lockdown and wondering what was going to happen?? Today I had big plans for thrift store shopping but the shot knocked me on my butt. I managed to run to the mall but then I waved the white flag. Rest of the day will be spent in my comfy chair relaxing. I had the flu shot last week and did fine but with the Covid shot, I’m all achy and just blah. Happy weekend all.
Hope you can rest to get over the shot. And the heat.
If anyone’s interested, I made a video while I finished up the runner. It’s nearly 10 minutes long so speed it up.
https://youtu.be/4OJf8c-vahE
I just watched the whole thing cos I was fascinated!! ☺️
That is a truly beautiful piece you are working on. I like how you did the little loops on the selvage sides. How long does it take to get everything ready to start weaving?
It’s past my bedtime so I saved it to my watch later list. It’s pretty, though. 🙂
Beautiful pattern! I love that pop of blue in the center. I’d love to see the other side after it’s all finished.
Thanks for explaining the process and the repeats.
At least you’re getting a good work out having to push all the shafts down all the time. 🙂
ooooh! wow! Thank you for posting this, DebG. The pattern is gorgeous and I love the colors working together. The warps are especially mesmerizing as they move.
Thanks, everybody, for your kind comments on my runner. It’s been a long haul! My friend and I chose colors mostly virtually, though I did make a yarn wrap that I mailed to her. We were working off photos, and my phone’s camera really brightens up the reds which honestly did not need that kind of help.
6Rabbits, warping the loom is actually the slowest part for me. I make warp chains that have to account for the length of the weaving plus loom waste, using a warping board. This project has 518 ends, for a warp length of 4.5 yards, wound 2 colors at a time. So that takes a few hours. Then each of the 518 ends has to go through the reed in the loom’s beater and through a heddle on the correct shaft, all without getting tangled. We didn’t like the colors on the bright side after I got it all done and started weaving, so I took out 6 of the warp bands and changed them for better colors. I spent most of a day warping the loom the first time, then another few hours changing out the colors.
Once I got weaving on Thanksgiving weekend, everything went faster. Each repeat took maybe 2 or 2.5 hours, and I finished 3 of them early this week. I didn’t make a long enough warp for 4 repeats.
Now that it’s off the loom, I can see all the mistakes. My friend also will probably want a longer version, so I can cut my warping time significantly: I’ll wind new warp chains but tie them on to the warp that is still on the loom. That’s maybe 4 hours instead of a full day. I’ll keep this version and either live with the mistakes or use the good parts to sew a bag.