A few years ago , someone gave me a bunch of balls of a ribbon yarn . I put it away in a really good place . Once in a while , I would see it in it 's bag , while moving it to get to something else . This past week , while not crafting , I 've had the urge to find this ribbon yarn and knit it up with big needles . Just so I can say I 'm making something . So far , I have been so far unsuccessful in my quest . But after Hubs goes back to work on Tuesday , I will have time once again to actually look . I find that I 'm getting a bit excited about this possible project . I will take a photo or two once I find it and get going . Today it rained , after being hot and very humid . Thank the Goddess that it cooled off . During a lull in the down pouring , I went to the supermarket to pick up a few things . While I was in there , it started raining really hard again . I could hear it on the roof of the store . After I checked out , I joined the crowd of people who didn 't want to run to their cars in the really heavy rain . After a while it let up , so I made my way to the Jeep . Just as I was a step or two away from the passenger door , it started raining really hard again ! So I got wet . Oh well , it had to happen . I don 't mind me getting wet , I just didn 't want my groceries to get wet . In fact , earlier in the day , I was swimming in the rain . Of course there was no thunder at that time . It was just plain rain . We 've had so much rain today that the extra water has filled up our pool to the top of the skimmer . My friend Bonny 's pool was threatening to overflow , and they had to pump off quite a bit of water . Maybe tomorrow I 'll tell you all about the pool trauma we had this year . Posted by Since I have confessed that I haven 't been crafting , I must state that I haven 't just been sitting around watching TV like a zombie . I 've been reading . Now , it 's been my habit for many , many years to keep a book in the bathroom . When I will be in there for an extended period of time , I pass the time by reading . For the past few years , the bathroom has been the home for my nook . It 's like having an entire library in there . I read all the Game of Thrones books , and discovered a new series , The Iron Druid , by Kevin Hearne . While waiting impatiently for the latest Iron Druid book to come out , I decided to reread one of my favorite books . The Witching Hour by Anne Rice . She used to be my very favorite author , but then she went and got all religious on me . But even though I liked her vampire books , I have always thought that the books about the Mayfair Witches were better . And The Witching Hour , I consider her master work . One day before the anxiously awaited new book came out , I finished The Witching Hour . Unfortunately I didn 't know that . So I decided to reread the second Mayfair Witches book , Lasher . I was hoping I would like it better the second time around , since many years have passed since I first read it . So now I 'm trying to rush through Lasher , so I can read the newest Iron Druid book . But I 'm savoring the waiting too . It 's like with my all time favorite series , Anita Blake , Vampire Hunter by my very favorite author , Laurell K . Hamilton . I have all of the series in hardcover as well as on my nook . The twenty second book is due out soon . I can 't wait ! So she 's getting twice the money from me . In fact , when I first got my nook , my goal was to buy all the Anita Blake ebooks . And I did , a few at a time , and reread them all . It took all of that summer , but I got them all . Ms . Hamilton writes another series about Merry Gentry , a fairy princess . I have read most of them also , but the Anita Blake ones remain my favorite . I recommend these books to anyone who will listen . As to why I 've been reading and not knitting oBicraftualMe That 's right , I 'm hanging my head in shame . I just don 't feel like it . Although I was on Ravelry this morning , looking at crocheted sweater patterns . My good friend Kim is crocheting a granny square shawl , and she 's kind of inspired me to crochet something with sock or lace weight yarn , and not a too small hook . Anyone who knows me knows I prefer the bigger hooks . The bigger the better , really . I detest using any hook smaller than maybe a G or H . And these days , I 'm wanting to crochet a sweater . Or maybe a shawl . Who knows ? But either way , I 'll keep you updated ! Posted by This morning , as we were driving to New Jersey , my Hubs happened to mention that he noticed that I have a cicada stuck to the bumper of my Jeep . After we got home this afternoon , I went and looked , and darn if he wasn 't right ! And just like he said , it looks like his head is stuck in a hole in my bumper , and the rest of him is just hanging there . Of course , I took a few photos . Looks like this cicada had a really bad day . And yes , we made it back from New Jersey in one piece . Posted by There are a few things I won 't be doing today . Knitting or crocheting are just the first two . I also won 't be going outside . At all , if I can help it . You see , a few days ago , I went to my friend 's house and went swimming . That 's all fine and good , until I got home and saw how red I was . This wasn 't a problem , since in my entire life I have gotten burned maybe 4 or 5 times . And it has never been painful . I smear on some Noxzema , and voila , the next day I 'm brown . Well . This time it 's two days later , and I 'm still red . In fact , my scalp is painful . I have been without hair for at least four summers now , and I have never gotten burned on my head . Of course , I usually have my SPF 4 or 8 Dark Tanning Oil . This time I forgot it . Even with my house hat on , when I went outside to help Hubs start up the vacuum for the pool , my head hurt . Just from standing in the sun , even with the hat on . I am also starting to not feel well . A bit queasy . I had to go out this morning and get more half and half for our coffee , so I picked up some Aloe Vera stuff for my head . When I put it on , it burned . After a little while , it felt better , but still . Burning ? And it has no alcohol in it , according to the label . This morning , I ended up getting up because the pillowcase rubbing on my head , hurt . How much does that suck ? At least if you get burned on your back or stomach you can turn over to the unburned side . What can you do when your racking head is burned ? ? So I am a little cranky today . I want to go lay down , but it will hurt . Maybe I 'll just stay here in my recliner . Put my feet up , and lay back . I could sleep like that . . . . . Something happened in my family . I 'm fuming , and I 've been trying for days to figure out how to say what needs saying without offending anyone in my family . I don 't think it can be done . I tried already , and it got nasty . Let me just say to everyone that there are two sides to every story , and when you hear negative stories about people in your family , please don 't judge . Investigate on your own . Ask questions of the people involved . I 'm sure they will be happy to talk to you . Just don 't wait too long . Older people aren 't going to be around forever , much as we can 't imagine them not always being there . Piece of advice # 2 . What happened in the past is over . Holding a grudge is like poison in your system . No good can come of holding on to negativity . Piece of advice # 3 . Your parents are human . They make mistakes . Your grandparents too . Everyone makes mistakes . We are not always proud of what we have done , but it 's in the past . Let 's be nice to each other , before it 's too late . See # 2 . I think I have made my point . Don 't go verbally attacking your elderly relatives . ASK them questions , nicely . There is no need to be abusive . Posted by I feel that I need to further explain myself about the whole pool thing . I grew up on a little lake in Putnam County , NY . The apartment ( bottom half of a house , really ) my parents rented was literally on the water . We walked down through the yard , and there were the wide steps that went down to a private dock . It even had a tiny private beach . We moved away the summer I turned thirteen . I had never been away from the water . Shortly after moving into our first house , my parents bought an above ground pool . They missed the lake as much as my brother and I did . So a pool was important to me , and Hubs was willing to do all the work . And really , once you get it up and running at the beginning of the season , it doesn 't take that much work . I get in every morning , and skim from the inside . I straddle a couple of noodles , and with the skimmer head in my hand , I go back and forth , working my way out to the deep end , skimming . I also test the water every morning , and empty the skimmer basket when needed . Hubs has to vacuum . It 's too hard for me . He finds it relaxing , it 's a nice quiet evening activity . That only needs to be done maybe once a week or so . I have a wicker chair I keep in one corner to sit in . It 's the corner that the shade gets to first . I call it my Queen Chair , since I 'm the Queen of the pool . Some of you may recognize it as the same chair that Morticia Adams had in The Adams Family . . . Do you have any idea how hard it is to find these chairs around here ? The first one I had came from the neighbors across the street , years ago when they were having a yard sale . This one I found at the Goodwill store in Kingston . We had a Hell of a time getting it home in my Jeep ! But I had to buy it . I had had friends scouting yard and garage sales for me for about two years with no luck before I randomly came across this one . We also have a table and two chairs that we put out at the far end of the pool . Hubs and I sit there , and have our coffee some mornings . And that 's where we play backgammon . The table is tall , with theBicraftualMe The other day , I was searching through a closet looking for a shawl I had made . It was in there , but I also found a bag of my favorite baby blanket yarn . And inside the bag ? A nearly complete Pastel Rainbow Baby Blanket . I 've been making this blanket for years . So many years that I don 't need the pattern for reference any more . I 've changed it a little bit over the years , usually in the last round . Originally , the last round had the holes that are in the rest of the rounds . So the one I found , almost complete , was one I remember starting . I wondered where it was ! It was different that all the others . I did the color sequence in reverse . Usually it starts with white , and ends with green . I made this one starting with the green and ending with white . Yesterday , I finished it . There were only three rounds left to go . Well , four including the one that was partway done . It took me all day , as my shoulder would start hurting from the crochet position . But I eventually got it done . Today I took some photos of the both of them , so you can see the difference . I will present them both to Sara and let her choose which one she prefers . I 'd like to know what you all think . Here are the photos of close ups of each of them . It 's funny , I looked at the blankets in person , but it wasn 't until I saw the photos that I decided I like the original one better . Looking forward to some input ! Posted by When Hubs and I first looked at this house , we weren 't that impressed . To me , it 's laid out similarly to our old apartment , but it has three bedrooms instead of two . The deciding factor for us was the pool . It is enormous ! 20 ' x 40 ' , in ground , shallow end is 3 . 5 ' with a straight slope down to 8 ' . It even had a diving board . It was in deplorable shape , but we brought it back . We even kept the old liner for many years . We just kept patching it up . Over the years , we 've replaced the filter , from those god - awful fingers , to a very powerful earth filter . We put the return line back underground where it belongs . We 've even replaced the underground lines . In the beginning , the electricity to the pool was literally strung from the house to the pump house through the tree branches . Totally illegal . We had that fixed . We had to have the entire pool grounded too . More recently we replaced the old liner , and the extremely old and very loud pump . Now that liner needs to be replaced . It wasn 't quite the right size , and none of the top corners stayed in . Now the sides are coming out too . Hubs started pouring a new surround to the pool . We have three sections done . He hasn 't had the time to do the whole thing . He 's been doing it himself because to pay someone to come with a truck and pour it all at once would be extremely expensive , and they 'd have to take down some of the chain link fence . Not to mention the damage to the back yard . Over the years , the pool has gotten lots of use . When Jesse was small , all his friends would come to swim . Hubs and his fellow mechanics would come on their lunch break to swim on hot days . All our friends knew they were always welcome at any time to come and swim . They didn 't even have to ask , just come and enjoy . I can 't even count the days that I would go down there and find Shannon Fitzgerald already lounging on a raft , or napping on the couch on the patio under our bedroom . He was lots of fun . Jesse loved him . These past few years , Hubs and I have discussed filling in the pool . He knows it 's getting harder and harder for me to help him take care of it , and this year is the first year I 've actually considered it . At this time , I 'm the only one who 's using it . It 's really almost a waste of time . Now Hubs tells me he 's concerned I won 't be able to get in and out of it , using the ladder . So we either close it and fill in the yard , or he can get a new liner , finish the surround , and if he does so , he wants to get one of those fancy covers that an elephant can stand on . I am getting close to telling him it 's too much work for him . But then he says that maybe the grandkids would come to swim . So we 'll keep it open this year , and then decide . It ' BicraftualMe They are so adorable . They are crocheted in the > shudder < Crocodile stitch . Up until these booties , I have not liked a single thing I have ever seen done in this stitch . In general , I think most of the items are hideous . This pattern is for sale on Ravelry , and I am going to purchase it . Right now , I 'm biding my time , looking for the right yarn . In other news , today I attended a 5th grade moving up ceremony . The last one I attended was my youngest child 's , about 13 years ago . Cherub looked adorable in her pink dress . Luckily we were able to get out of there before the buses left , as poor Kim was so tired that she was ready to pass out . After I got home , I took care of the pool as best I could . I turned on the filter , and backwashed it . I emptied the skimmer basket . And I added some earth to the filter through the skimmer . The water level looked a little low , so I put the hose in . Then I came upstairs and harvested my crops in Farmville . You gotta have priorities . Finally , I was ready to wash some of those dishes that have been piling up in the kitchen . Even now that it 's just Hubs and me , there are still so many dishes . I am getting tired . It takes a lot out of me to go up and down those stairs to take care of the pool every few hours . Hubs will be home late tonight , so I 'll probably be sleeping when he gets in . I 've had my new phone for two days now , and he was the first to call me since I got it . I 've been texting everyone , but he was the first call . Speaking of my phone , I mentioned I got my ringtones back from a free website I have used before . I went back in and got a few more . I now have the theme song from The Big Bang Theory as my ringtone . Happy dance ! I also downloaded another bit from the show , where Sheldon does the knock knock knock " Penny " , and before he can do it again , Penny knocks three times and says " Sheldon " . It goes back and forth a few times , more insistent each time . That one is now my text message tone . I 'm loving it ! On my old phone I had a special ringtone for my Hubs , he now has the Stone Cold Steve Austin Theme from the WWE . I used to love Stone Cold Steve Austin . Posted by The Saga of the Cell Phone Yesterday Hubs and I were sitting together after completing the pool cover removal . As we sat there , my cell phone lit up , as it does when an incoming message is received . Well , no message came . Instead , it started freaking out . Dialing the numbers 852 0852 852 0852 over and over . I kept ending it , but it still kept dialing the numbers . The phone even attempted to call that number . More than once . I tried to send a text message , but it kept instantly flicking back to the home screen . It did other things too , but it 's too complicated to try and explain it all . I turned the phone off , and then back on . Still acting funky . I took the battery out . after I put it back in , it was still freaking out . After about an hour , I decided I had better go visit our local cell carrier store . I have had this phone a long time , and I like it ! The original phone like this was in my bosom when I jumped into a pool in Texas , so the one that freaked out was the replacement that they sent to me . ( Rice didn 't work to dry it out ) I wanted Hubs to go with me , as he 's the main person on the account . And if I needed to get a new phone , I wanted him to be there to approve . After all , he 's the one paying for it . I have already given up on ever getting a smart phone . Not gonna happen . But I like my phone , it slides and has the QWERTY keyboard . I text a lot . And it was red . So they couldn 't fix it . I kind of knew that . There was one new phone on display that I really liked , but they didn 't have any in stock . So I got the newest version of the phone I had . The last one was the original version , the new one is version III . I doesn 't come in any other color but this steel grey . At this point I would like to add that through this whole process , Hubs was unpleasant . He wasn 't happy that I needed a new phone . He was pissed that we had to use my mom 's upgrade for me to get a new phone . He wanted to get rid of my mom 's line . She never uses her phone . At one point , he actually got up and left the store . I thought he might leaveThis man is so considerate that he won 't leave me in the dark in our bedroom . He waits until I leave before turning off the light . He knows I 'm really afraid of the dark . He 's allowed a tantrum once in a while . So the new phone cost about $ 55 , and she gave us a form to get a $ 50 rebate . That made Hubs a little happier . I have since then gotten all my ringtones back from a free website , and now have it set up just like the old one was . The new phone is even slimmer than the old one . The screen is a little bigger too , as they scrunched the number buttons to the bottom a little . I guess I will have to live with the grey . I can 't wait for the day that you can get a cell phone that you can program the outer skin to be any color or texture you want . Posted by Today , Hubs decided it 's time to take the cover off of the pool . I volunteered to help , even though I can 't do much to be really helpful . I am there primarily for moral support . I skimmed yucky stuff off the cover , which took a lot out of me . I had to stop and catch my breath quite a bit . But every little bit helps . Once we got the cover off the pool , Hubs asked me to take the broom and sweep the leaves and pine needles away from the edge of the pool . He only needed them 6 - 12 inches away . Again , it took me a while , but he was in no hurry . After I was done and resting , he went into the garage and got out a lawn mower looking thing . Seriously , this thing vacuumed up the leaves and pine needles from the walkway around the pool . I watched him perform this task with my mouth hanging open . And when he was all done , I said to him " So that thing is a vacuum cleaner for men , and looks like a lawn mower so they don 't feel girly ! " He wasn 't happy , but he agreed with me . I just chuckled . He 's gone off to price the chemicals we need for the pool , and I 'm back upstairs in my chair . I 'm exhausted . I think I will need a nap later , especially since I didn 't sleep well last night . I haven 't been crafting much lately , I really want to wait until we are absolutely sure of the sex of the baby . Right now , it seems it 's a boy , but it 's not 100 % certain . Posted by Well , actually it 's strawberry hillside . It turns out that there are wild strawberries growing on the entire hillside next to our driveway . Hubs called this to my attention after taking his truck down there to vacuum it out and wash the windows . I went out to take a look for myself , and there they were ! All peeking out from in between all the green leaves . I went back inside and grabbed a bowl , and we started picking . Here are the ones we picked , all rinsed off and shiny . If I could stay bending over for a longer period , I would have picked more . But I can go out again later , or tomorrow . Posted by Weeks and weeks ago , my eldest child and only daughter Sara sent me picture message . It was pretty early in the morning , and I was still in bed . The photo was of a pregnancy test stick , showing a positive result . The text read " Holy crap ! " She and her husband Mike have been very happily married for almost three years now . They have an awesome house , with a gorgeous front porch , complete with the proverbial white picket fence around the little front yard . This is my favorite photo of them together : And now they are finally going to have a baby . I do have two grandchildren already , from my elder son , but there is just something special about your only daughter having a baby . She and I have such a connection . She has been through a lot with me . My first disastrous marriage , and the years of her living with my parents . She was so happy when I finally found my soul mate and current Hubs . As you can imagine , I was itching to start crocheting and knitting baby things . I am very proud of the fact that I held out for eight hours until I started the first crocheted blanket . Here is a photo of what it looks like . This one 's not a secret . The colors don 't show up on this photo , but it 's a pastel rainbow 12 pointed star . All her friends have gotten them , and that was the one that she requested . Well , all except for the one friend that , for some reason , I decided to do hers round with no points . I must have had a flash of the future , because that baby got a round bassinet ! To end today 's tirade , just know that I have been working on baby things , but they are secret projects , as I 'm saving them for the baby shower . And she reads this blog . I don 't want to give anything away ! Excuse me while I do the Happy Dance again ! ! That was one of my favorite quotes from Monty Python . So this post will be about something different . Let 's talk about crocheting first . I have finished the 2nd cat bed , after adding another row to the walls . My Hubs thought it was too short . I added the row , and he was right . Again . I am currently working on the 3rd and last of the cat beds . It will be just like the 2nd one , but a different color , and bigger . See , the last one I intend for the smallest of Sara 's cats , Nermal . The biggest bed , the felted one , I see The Dude claiming . So that makes the newest one for Lemmy . He 's bigger than Nermal , and smaller than The Dude . But really , they can sleep in whichever one they want to . Yesterday , I didn 't post because I was not feeling very well at all . I just couldn 't put any words together that I thought you might want to read . I spent most of the day on bed , with a worried Hubs hovering over me . I feel much better today , thankfully . This morning , I went to Stich n Bitch , then I went to the karate school to keep my good friend company while her Cherub tests for her 2nd degree black belt . During the actual testing a few months ago , she couldn 't participate due to a broken bone in her wrist , and she was wearing a cast . She did take the written test which she passed . This weekend has been set aside for her to complete the physical portion of the test , along with the 3rd degree candidates . So in actuality , it 's probably more intense than the original testing . I 'm sure she will do very well . So I went to keep my friend company for a while , then went and ran some errands , then went back to keeping company again . Now I 'm home , because I have my own chores to take care of . But if I have time later , I will go back again . Poor Kim is all alone , sitting on those hard bleachers , by herself . I do have something else to talk about , but I 'm going to hold off for now . It 's very exciting , and I 'm thrilled to death about it . You will just have to wait ! Posted by I like to think that I have an open mind about most things . I realize that I do not know everything in the universe , and I am willing to learn about most things . Sometimes I watch a show on TV called Ancient Aliens . It 's about these people who believe that the Earth was visited in ancient times by aliens , and that the aliens influenced , and aided our ancient ancestors . They have all done research , some have written books about the subject . Most of the time , what these self professed " ancient alien theorists " have to say is interesting . But recently one of these characters crossed the line , as far as I 'm concerned . His name is Giorgio Tsoukalos , I 'm not sure if I spelled his name correctly . He is the publisher of some fancy alien theorist magazine . All this time , I 've been listening to this man and his cohorts spout all these crazy explanations for things . In one episode , he was talking about this particular ancient civilization , I don 't remember exactly which one it was , but he stated that these people believed in " magic water " . He looked at the camera with a straight face , and actually said these words - " Now , we all know that there 's no such thing as magic water ! " In an episode more recently , he was talking about a man who walked into a cave and didn 't come out for two years . TWO YEARS . His opinion on this ? Well , to him it was perfectly obvious that the man walked into the cave and directly into a time vortex , where he got transported to another world or time , for the two years that he was gone . He actually used the words " PERFECTLY OBVIOUS " . But yet , we all know that there 's no such thing as magic water . . . . Seriously ? ? Since I saw that particular episode , I can 't take him seriously . I always wondered who styled his hair , which sticks out in all directions , in a halo around his head . I wondered if he knew he looked ridiculous . And now , every time he speaks about anything , I always say , " We all know there 's no such thing as magic water ! " It just blows me away that the concept of " magic water " is too much for him to believe in , but a man can walk into a cave and directly into a time vortex . This guy has lost what little credibility he had with me . He just pushed me too far . The other " theorists " who appear on the program I have no problem with . I wish the shows producers would get rid of that one guy . But I don 't even know if that show is still in production , making new shows . And my mind is still open , really it is . Thanks for letting me vent , this has been on my mind for weeks . It feels good to get it out of my system . Posted by First , I am making progress on the second of the three cat beds for Sara 's cats . It 's been very different for me . It took me a while to figure out how to make the sides stand up without crocheting wire into it . So far , it 's working . The second thought has to do with the weather . It rained all day yesterday , and all night last night . It was still raining a little bit this morning . As of right now , we 've only had about 4 hours of the sun shining . Not long enough to dry the wetness of the grass . Which beings me to the point . I was sitting here , having my coffee when I heard a lawnmower running . I sat here , thinking about all the rain we had . I wasn 't surprised to hear the mower keep cutting out , restarting , then cutting out again . It 's very clear to me that this man and his family aren 't from around here , they are city folks . Hopefully he figured out that it 's counterproductive to try to mow wet grass . It reminds me of the time when a couple from New York City moved in next door to my ex in - laws . After the husband mowed the back yard , he took the cut grass an spread it all over the front yard . He thought it would sprout roots and grow there . And another couple who moved into the neighborhood that put their garbage out , and wondered why it didn 't get picked up . They didn 't know that outside of NYC , you have to pay for that service . When my family moved into our house in Wappingers Falls , in 1969 , there was a thing called the Welcome Wagon . A person came to your house to welcome you to the town or neighborhood . They had all kinds of information you needed , such as the garbage thing , and coupons for local stores , They gave us all kinds of neat stuff . Doesn 't this organization exist any more ? These days , it 's needed more than ever , in my opinion . Posted by And talk like Yoda , I do . That 's right , Ozzy won 't go near his custom made felted cat bed . So I 'm going to take it to daughter Sara 's and let one of her cats claim it as their own . In the meantime , I 'm crocheting two more , so no kitteh will feel left out . The new ones aren 't to be felted , I 'm making them out of Lion Brand 's Homespun , which I know her cats like to sleep on . She has an afghan I made for her from that yarn , and they love it . This morning , I was actually busy . I did some laundry , and went to the store . That was necessary , since we were nearly out of half and half , which is an intolerable state to be in . After I got home and unpacked and put away , I went over to visit my good bud Bonny . We hung out for a while , then decided to go to Michaels . I bought some more Homespun for the aforementioned cat beds . After that , we decided to look around in our local consignment shop . They have some awesome stuff in there ! But the cast iron cauldron I had my eye on was gone . I guess it was a good thing , because I can 't afford it anyway . I 'd better get back to it , or the cat beds will never get done ! Posted by Friday : That 's right , the cat bed is finally done ! This time I remembered to measure it before felting . It was 20 " across the round base , and the walls were 6 . 5 " tall . Here is a before photo : Now , in the photo , the walls curled in , and when I take the after felting photo , they should stand up . As I write this , the cat bed is in the washer , felting . After it comes out of the dryer , I will take the after photos , and add them to this post . I will also take the after measurements . After felting , the sides wouldn 't stand up , so I took a needle and more yarn and kind of puckered it , and now they stand up . Of course , the stupid cat wants nothing to do with it , even though I told him not to get in it , it 's not for him . If you have cats , you know that they don 't do what you want , preferring to do what you don 't want them to do . So I told him NOT to get in the bed , it 's NOT for him , it 's another basket for my yarn . I even put some yarn in it . Of course , he still won 't go in it . But I have hope for the future . The after felting measurements are : 13 " across , and the walls are 3 . 5 " tall . Saturday : So far , Ozzy has shown little interest in the bed . He has stepped with front paws into it , but not all the way . Yet . I just put some yarn in it , and told him to stay out of it . That might work . Last month was my Hubs ' birthday . I am friends with some of his friends from childhood on facebook . One of them contacted me , and said she had birthday gift for him , and to keep it a surprise . We arranged to meet . Thankfully it was on a day that Hubs was working ; I might have had trouble explaining exactly why I needed to go to Stewarts at a certain time that day . It was very exciting for me to finally meet someone who knew Hubs when he was a child . His mom wouldn 't talk about it . She had no stories for me of any cute things he did , or trouble he got into . I 'm afraid I was a little over excited when I met up with her that day . Sometimes I tend to do that . I might have come off as a little hyper . But I was so excited . I realized shortly afterwards that that was how I had appeared . And I feel bad that I made a non - favorable first impression . I would like to become friends with this woman , and possibly meet other people from Hubs ' past . She was very nice , after all . And if she 's reading this , I hope she sends me another personal message and gives me another chance . Posted by I got my watch back , and it works ! I 'm so happy . The jeweler said that it had gotten super magnetized somehow . So the spring inside stayed wound when I wound it . That 's what was wrong with it . And there was no charge . The jeweler told my Hubs that it needs to be kept away from electronic devices . Hmmm . That might be harder than it sounds . We have cell phones , laptops , and tablets . Heck , even the cable boxes and DVD players have magnets in them these days . So it may be rather difficult to do . I guess I can only wear it occasionally . I must say , it makes my heart sing to hear it ticking . And to think it was on the wrist of my Great Grandmother when she came to help my mom after I was born . Mom is pleased too , that it 's working again . She told Sara and me that she was going to throw it away ! It makes me wonder what else she has stashed away in that old jewelry box of hers . . . . . Well , it never did storm . We had some rain overnight , but no thunderboomers . I took a two day rest from the blog , I just didn 't have anything to say . It was too fracking hot to knit , so I haven 't finished up the cat bed for Ozzy yet . This morning it was too fracking cold to have to get up and move , but I went and hung out with the Cherub . It was even more awesome that she was still asleep when I got there . I woke her up at the prescribed time , to get ready for school . In the entire year and a half that I 've been keeping her company , this is the first morning that she 's been asleep when I got there . It was actually wonderful , I got to sit and read in the peace and quiet for a while . I had brought my kindle fire with me , since I had gotten a couple of new games that I thought she might like . Maybe next week she 'll be awake . Remember when I told you all about my great grandmother 's watch ? That I had taken it to be fixed and cleaned up ? I don 't remember if I told you about the aftermath . It was cleaned up , but it still didn 't work . So Hubs and I took it back to the guy in Fishkill . This was about three weeks ago , maybe more . Well , he just called me a little while ago , and said it was ready . I immediately called Hubs , since he 's in Fishkill . I thought maybe he would have enough time left on his lunch break to go and get it . He said he would try , but if not today , he would make a special trip just to get it . Now , we have already paid this guy a chunk of change to do the work he already did . And the watch still didn 't work . That 's why I want him to get it , I wouldn 't have the guts to call the guy on it . My Hubs is like his mom that way . She never took any bullshit from anyone . The Sears home repair crew all cringed at the mention of her name . I believe she put the fear of God into each and every one of them at one time or another . I look forward to reporting to you on the condition of my 100 + year old watch . I also am looking forward to wearing it ! Posted by All day , I 've been waiting for these " severe " storms to hit our area . I love me a good thunderstorm . The energy is absolutely invigorating . When I went out earlier , I saw dark clouds to the north , I figured Staatsburg and Rhinebeck were getting stormed on . So I came home and waited some more . There was a nice breeze blowing , so I pulled the curtains back from our front windows . It actually got kind of dark for a while , and I heard one rather loud , ominous thunder boom . But that was all we got . It 's now just after 6 pm , and although it did thunder again , it still hasn 't let loose on my quaint little town . Every once on a while my Weather Channel app on my laptop lets out a thunder boom , just to let me know that it 's possible for a storm to hit us . You will forgive me if I don 't hold my breath . Today was my son 's Karate school tournament . I believe it was the 2013 New York State Championships . I got a phone call the other night , requesting my help at the front table . Just like last year , I got to take care of the spectators . You know , " You want to watch your kid compete ? It 'll cost you a modest sum . " Don 't get me wrong , it 's fun . I get to meet all these people , and very few give me a hard time . Julie took care of the people who had pre - registered , and Jen Jackson handled the walk ins . That is one job I would not want to do . But they all come in knowing how much it 's gonna cost . I got to watch my son compete . I enjoy that very much . Truly , the only time I see him smiling at these events is when he 's in the ring , ready to spar . Anyway , here are a few photos I took today . My son has had that " Karate face " since he was 10 . The final results for forms , Jess got 1st in that one : In this last one , that 's my Hubs on the left , behind him is son - in - law Mike , daughter Sara , and Miss Julie is sitting on the floor . Believe me , it was cooler down there ! Posted by