It's not broken! But...

Since most of you already knew I've been laid up, thought I'd drop a note, as we just got back from the ER. Week before Sunday, Wanda and I were walking to Kennedy School and I fell on the ice about halfway there. I thought it was just a sprain, and I know how to take care of a sprain, so I didn't think much of it. By the time I realized that it wasn't 'just' a sprain, we were snowed in! Argh!. Finally got the truck out today and went to ER for xrays. Not broken- just a *really* bad sprain, tendon damage, etc. I have a half-cast sorta splint and crutches and I get to follow up with the orthopedist next week. Looking at 4-6 weeks recovery. :-P But I'll be at 12th Night! Just be a little less mobile than usual, that's all...

And that's pretty much it! We've been in the house, mostly curled up with books and kitties (though Wanda hogs the kitties) and trying to stay warm. I haven't cut out my 12th Night gown yet because I haven't been up to dragging myself up the stairs to the sewing room. Maybe later this weekend I can do that. Need to get some stuff done around here- James will be up sometime Sunday to spend the rest of winter break with me, since I couldn't come down. Hoping we can find some time to spend just goofing off... not that I don't goof off a lot already, but usually when he's here we get busy and then I get overtired and crash...

And hopefully I can get some cookies made, so that James can drop some cookies off with the kids on his way home!

Bah! Humbug!

It's cold (25 degrees), it's windy, and it's snowing. Again. I have errands to run but no one has ventured out on our street yet. So Wanda and I have voted to stay under the covers again, at least until a little later in the afternoon. Need baking ingredients (must have fudge! And pfeffernuisse!) and I'm not walking anywhere. Bah!

I got some more work done on the bound buttonholes on my coat- I'd forgotten what a pain they are. I still have to cut the openings on the inside lining and tack them into the buttonhole, and then hem the darn thing. And I have to get it done because I want to get my 12th Night gown cut out before I leave for Ashland. I think I figured out how to do the embellishment down the front- Wanda bought some of the same embroidered fabric in a latte color, some I'm doing the center strip and yoke with that. And bead the embroidery. :-) Haven't quite figured out the coat cut yet though.

I'm getting tired of this weather. Just sayin'.

LOOK OUT!

Yup, there's more snow supposedly arriving sometime tonight. Snow, freezing rain, and/or some combination thereof. I went out today and ran errands, figuring that I might not be able to get Zippy out for another few days. I managed to get her start without too much trouble, which was good. 26th here is still about 40% ice, so it's slow getting out, but Killingsworth is clear. The packing lot at Walgreens was pretty icky though. But I got the necessities- Susitna's meds, milk/bread/eggs, and a bottle of Bailey's to spike our cocoa. (Definitely a necessity!) Also went to the US Postal Highway Robbery and mailed Annie's box. (Cost almost twice what I'd estimated.)

So I got the errands done, and the last of the prezzies came in the mail today. But I've been on my feet way too much today, and my leg really hurts. I'm beginning to wonder if it's more than a sprain. On the other hand, it's only been since Sunday- I'll wait a few more days before I get really worried about it. Right now it's just annoying. And Painful.

I'm hoping that the weather clears out a bit for the weekend- Gemma and I really need to get some more done on her bliaut- I'm leaving a week from today and won't be home until about the 2nd. That's awfully close to 12th Night, and I really want her to be able to wear the bliaut at the event. And I haven't even cut mine out! Yikes! I'd better get moving!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

Yoinks! Our weather is pretty frightful- they closed I-5 mid-morning and declared a chain requirement here in town. _That_ I've never seen. Wanda thought we could still go to breakfast, but I pointed out that I don't have chains for Zippy (which will probably be remedied before I head south, I hope) so we walked to Kennedy School instead. About halfway there she allowed as that it probably was a good thing we weren't driving- heavy wind, snow/ice mix on the ground, ice blowing in our faces. I had ice-frosted eyebrows by the time we got there. I fell about halfway there- sprained an ankle and wrenched my knee. Wanda fell just inside the doors but she seems to be ok (she made some comment about Weebles...). We had french toast and cocoa and it was yummy. And spent most of the rest of the day in bed. Heater's running and all but the wind is so high it's only 54 in Wanda's room and 60 in here- it's slamming right into those back windows. And she's hogging the kitties. :-(

It's supposed to be even colder tomorrow- highs around 25, wind chill of 13. I don't think I'm going to the pool in the morning.

Nothing much this week...

and I haven't been especially inspired. Seems like I spent the week either sleeping, or in the bathroom being violently ill. (I so hate IBS...) Been trying to get the Christmas shopping done though, and I'm expecting some of it in the mail in the next few days.

The one neat thing this week- my nails are actually growing out. Several of them are doing that weird thing where they flatten and then curl down, which looks a little weird, but they aren't bitten off, and I can actually wear polish and look halfway decent. Hooray for small victories!

Ahh, Bach!

Ahh...

Three hours of Bach.

On period instruments.

In the Cathedral.

WOW.

James got tickets for tonight's concert but couldn't make it himself, so I took Claire. It was wonderful. Bach's Christmas Oratorio, with soloists, choir, and orchestra. The oboes were especially outstanding, and I was having a blast watching the organist- he was really 'into' the music. The soprano soloist looked alot like Annie, and oddly enough, is about the same age. The contralto was awesome. What a voice!

And then we came back here and made hot fudge sundaes, which seemed a fitting end to the evening. :-)

Not much else happening. The leftovers are gone. I'm slowly amassing Christmas presents. Got an especially good one for Wanda. James already know what I'm getting him, but I'm wrapping it anyway. :-) Shadow is still fluffy and dumb as a brick, and I still feel like crap most of the time. :-P Bleh.

I ran into (nearly literally) Paul the other day and had lunch with him to catch up. He's still planning to move to Thailand as soon as he can put together a job there. I has one on the line now but it needs a resolution to the latest coup, so he's still waiting on that. Apparently he and the girl over there are no longer an item, but he didn't say what happened. Was a nice enough lunch, but a little disconcerting. I saw brief flashes of the Paul I used to know, but not much. Mostly he's angry and bitter and almost hateful. He complains that he doesn't have friends here in Portland but the friends he's had he's shoved away. Last time I pointed that out he said I was mean and didn't speak to me for several months. I still haven't figured out what was mean about telling the truth. At any rate, it was odd to see what he's become and know that there's not a damn thing I can do for him. Someone that angry has got to be in a lot of pain, but rather like a wounded animal, he has a knack for biting someone who tries to help. Very, very sad.

Also made me very, very glad to have James. Goofball that he is, he is an amazing man. Basically happy with himself and the world, and it is truly amazing just how much that does to color your life.

Hot fudge helps too. :-)

Leftovers!

The potatoes are gone and the gravy is gone and the pumpkin pie is long gone, but there's still lots of turkey and heretical (cornbread) stuffing, and a little cranberry sauce and lots of the vegetable dishes. No reason to go hungry in this house!

We had 12 at dinner Thursday and 16 on Friday- house has been very busy place! I made the pies (which came out brilliantly!) and the cranberry sauce and completely slacked off on everything else, which meant that I didn't totally collapse (yay for me!) and I'm even vaguely human here on Saturday. James and I went for a walk this afternoon, stopped at a local resale shop (I spent a little moneys there) and then went to McMenamin's for drinks and just some time by ourselves. It was nice. Then we walked back home and had more turkey. :-)

David and Lydia are here, and Stephen got here yesterday afternoon- they've been playing games (though David has been working on some homework too) and in general behaving themselves. Dan and Ellen and her folks have been in and out- shopping etc. Most everyone goes home tomorrow- it will be very quiet when they're all gone!

And Monday is time to seriously cut back the eating- I have no clothes that fit anymore!

Food food food!

So _how_ many groceries can be brought home? Well, enough that the garage is being used as an auxilliary refrigerator!

We're well into prep for Thanksgiving weekend, been grocery shopping and cleaning the house. I finally finished playing tetris with my camp dishes and got the two boxes re-packed and back downstairs. I have two stacks of serving bowls to put away yet, and then my junk is out of the dining room. I still have to clean my room though, and re-make the bed and all. I did take an enormous stack of cardboard boxes out to the recycling bin, so that's something.

My sister Merrie is having drama in her life at the moment. Not much I can do from Oregon (she's in Las Vegas). But I did put out a couple of feelers to friends there, and if there's anything they can do, that might help. I do wish that she were closer though.

Stephen called last night, and he has to work Thursday but he will be up for the rest of the weekend. Yay! David and Lydia are coming up with James. Annie is hosting an 'Orphans Thanksgiving' there in Brooklyn, and she's really excited about it- she says she's going to make a BIG turkey this year, and there will be pumpkin pies and cranberries. :-) Guess I raised her right.

Well, off to fold laundry...

I haz frog in mai froat...

Actually, the voice is pretty much ok- it's just that the throat is scratchy and sore. And to make it worse, one of my bedtime pills got stuck and even though I managed to finally get it down, the throat is even scratchier now. Bother.

Saturday Victoria and Christene came over and we went fabric shopping. Yay! I love spending other peoples' money. :-) We went to Fabric Depot, looking for something for Victoria to make into a Byzantine gown for 12th Night. Well, we found a lovely taffeta, in a rich coffee brown, with embroidered gold quatrefoils. It was in the sale section for $9.99/yd, which was pretty good, and then we found the 50% off tag on it! That was such a great price I went and got some too, in a red/gold shot with the gold quatrefoils. It'll make a spiffy Frankish gown, and I won't have to embroider the bejeezus out of it.

I slept most of Sunday and Monday, and Tuesday Ilonka came over and we worked on her 12th Night gown, which was mostly me putting the pieces up and her pinning and sewing them. While she was working, I worked on my new coat. The sleeves are in and part of the lining is tacked in. I still have the front opening, the collar and the hems to do yet. But I'm closer than I was a few days ago. Maybe I'll have it done by the weekend. Happy Birthday to me...

Think I'll go get some herb tea for this throat.

YAAAWN!!!

No really, I'm just about that tired! I'd crawl back into bed, but there's a cat on it, and I hate to disturb him. Sleeping kids and kitties are so cute, they make you forget how rotten they are when they're awake...

Saturday I hosted a weekend workparty. At one point I counted 9 of us, and we really got a lot done. I cut stuff out for Aleyn and Helena, Claire worked some more on her blue gown, Regina and Matilda worked on drafting a new doublet for Regina, Honoria hung out while I cut out a Burgundian gown for Agnes, and Ursel dropped by later in the evening. I made pizzas for dinner and Aleyn brought two huge cream pies (Mmmm... pie!). We hung out chatting and eating until about midnight. Was fun!

Sunday Agnes and Matilda and Claire were back, and we got a LOT done on the Burgundian gown. But man, by the time everyone left I was barely moving. More than a little overdrawn at the energy bank!

I actually got some stuff done for myself- slowly but surely the nutmeg-colored wool is becoming a new coat. I'm lining and interlining it, so it should be warm. And the color is sooo nice and warm! Looks like pumpkin pie! I have the main body put together, and the sleeves are together. I have to finish the front opening and put a collar on it, then I can do the side seams and put the sleeves on, and then hem it. Maybe I'll finish it this weekend.

Regina is at the ATC this weekend, so I'm on kitty duty. Susitna needs extra meds and such, and she's not being especially cooperative about it. And she's so skittish about being near someone, much less touched or held, it's been a chore to get them down her. Silly cat.

I actually ordered myself some- *gasp!*- new clothes! Not much- just some new black leggings, as the last of mine died. I also ordered some music- one of my Sting tapes is dying from overuse, so I ordered a CD to replace it. And I ordered some of James' Christmas present. Heh heh heh. :-) Now I have to wait for more money to come in to get more shopping done.

Ehhhh... move over, cat. I need a nap.

About the echocardiogram-

Wednesday I had the echocardiogram, and it was a very interesting experience. It's basically an ultrasound, specifically one of the heart. The other ultrasounds I've had were obstetric, so it was interesting to not be watching a kid on the screen. It was also interesting to watch my heart beat on the screen, especially as they looked ast different parts.

Well, they didn't really see anything that would necessarily explain the atrial fibrillation episodes. They did say that my left atrium is slightly enlarged. And there's evidence to suggest that I had a mild heart attack at some time in the last few years. I think I know when it was, and at the time I'd thought it was a bad med reaction. Well, now I know better. Anyway, basically it's a wait and see sort of thing. If I have another bad episode with the a-fib they want to see me, otherwise I get to kind of muddle through myself.

In other news, I finally finished the verger's robes, at about 4am Thursday. I ran down to Salem and delivered them Thursday evening, and James (who was there for a church conference) thought they were wonderful. Yay. I was so tired I didn't care. And now I have to clean the sewing room- I'm hosting a sewing work weekend this weekend, and the sewing room looks like a bomb went off. A bomb of black velvet floof and wool scraps and threads...

YES WE DID!

Aren't those just the cutest little girls? And they get to go to Washington with a new puppy!

The votes aren't completely counted everywhere- I understand that Nebraska isn't done counting yet, and the margin is razor thin, as is Missouri with a 338 vote margin. You could just about shave with that! But we opened the champagne when CNN called it for Obama, and my, but it was good!

Now comes the hard part, of course- putting the country back to rights. So many things, so much to do! But having seen the energy people put into the campaign, if Obama can get that kind of support after the inauguration, there's almost nothing we can't accomplish. I think that we are on the verge of big things.

Speaking of _verge_, the chevrons are on the second sleeve, and they are halfway corded. I should be able to finish them up and get the lining put in to both sleeves, and start pleating them in. Time is tight, but I think I can do it.

One day to go!

The excitement is palpable... I bought a bottle of champagne to open Tuesday night, and the checker asked what I was celebrating. I said "Tomorrow's election day! And it sure looks like Obama's going to win!" She grinned, and said "Good plan!"

If I can shake free the time tomorrow I think I'll bake some brownies and take them down to the Obama office on Killingsworth. They were out there collecting ballots last night, in the rain. I suspect that some warm chocolate love would be a good thing.

I've worn a grove in my finger, working on the verger's robes. I was going to post some more pictures but the photos are really grainy and you really can't see anything. (If anyone wants to know what to get for me for Christmas, a decent digital camera would be a Very Good Thing.) The work has gone slow but is speeding up, mostly of necessity. I have the chevrons tacked down on one of the sleeves, and the embroidered cord is done on one chevron. That will go fairly quickly though. After both sleeves are chevroned, I have to pleat them up and put them on the body of the gown. After that, they're done. It's just getting the other sleeve done that is going to take time... I have to deliver them Thursday, so I'm on the line here.

Busy week besides- Monday afternoon it's time for the yearly mammogram (oh, such fun! Not.), Tuesday is Election Day, and we'll be watching the returns, And Wednesday is the echocardiogram. Sleep? What is this thing you call sleep?

Update:
Just put the brownies in the oven. Now if I could just get the 'Witchita Lineman' song out of my head, it'd be a halfway decent day...

Getting down to the wire...

A week from now we should have the election results, and if things go like they're looking, the Democrats will be celebrating. In the meantime though, there's plenty of what hits the fan about, and the noise to content ratio is getting pretty high. Ah, for the calm of November 5th!

(Would that be calm, or just a hangover?)

Still working on the verger's robes, and encountering glitches. I'd ordered some twisted cord from Fabric Depot, to finish the lapel edges and around the chevrons on the sleeves. Made the order nearly three months ago and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally Saturday I told them to cancel the order. They called me back Monday to explain what had happened. Apparently Heritage Trims, the company that makes the braid, has merged with another company, and is now working out of China (of course). There's been problems filling orders since this happened, and the guy who called me says that when things come in- if they come in- the quality isn't that great. Fabric Depot is now phasing out that product line, as it's too much trouble. Which doesn't help me much, but it was good to finally find out why the cord was not coming in.

No one else in town seems to have it either, so I'm going with plan B and embroidering the braid myself. It isn't that hard- just time consuming. But it looks good and it's getting done, slowly but surely.

The other glitch has been figuring out the folded section in the lapels. The book with the patterning sketches doesn't come with construction instructions, so I've been doing a lot of fiddling trying to figure out how the pieces work. This slows me down and gives me extra headaches, which I have anyway- working black on black is really hard on the eyes. Gotta get it done though- they need it before the 6th, so I need to finish it up this weekend. Hey- the work keeps me out of trouble, right?

Actually, it's rather anti-climactic...

...since here in Oregon we vote by mail. The ballot comes in the mail- you open it up, mark the little ovals (rather like the scantron forms in college exams) and put it in the envelope provided, sign it, stamp it, and put it back in the mail. Wanda and I both did ours tonight- two votes for Obama for the record. The hardest part is reading all the little tiny type on the sheet that explained all of the ballot measures.

Voting used to be mysterious. I can remember going into the voting booth with my dad once, when he pulled the lever for Richard Nixon. (I'm not certain but I think mom voted for Humphrey.) And the day I turned 18 I went down and registered to vote, at my brothers' elementary school. My first vote was for Ronald Reagan (I'm sorry! I got over it!), down at the fire station in Puyallup. I had Annie in the Snugli when I did it (and she was terribly scarred, I'm sure ;-)

In '88 it was clear from the pulpit who we were supposed to vote for- Bush Sr, of course. But I didn't. I'd been paying attention during the Iran Contra scandal, and was appalled when Bush claimed he hadn't known what was going on. I couldn't vote for him, because either he was lying, or he'd been the stupidest vp ever; either way, I didn't want him in the Oval Office. So I voted for Dukakis. My first 'protest' vote, I suppose...

Voted for Clinton twice, voted for Gore, voted for Kerry. Heck, I even did a little volunteer work for Kerry. Been volunteering for Obama too. Bought the yard sign, so we look like all over the other neighbors. (I love this neighborhood!)

Coloring in the little oval for Obama, I almost felt like some stirring anthem should be playing in the background- if it had been a movie, there would have been dramatic lighting and French horns. Instead it was just my desk lamp and the hum of my computer. But I filled in the ballot and it's stamped and sitting in front of the printer, waiting to go into the mail tomorrow. No band, no purple finger. Just the sense of a job well done. :-)

Ah, my favorite time of year...

The leaves are turning and the nights are getting chilly and I can wear my sweaters again! And soon there will be Thanksgiving! This evening at McMenamin's I had a bowl of 'Steak and Ale Stew' which was much too yummy. And two cups of cocoa. It was just that sort of an evening.

Tonight Larry worked on his coif while I worked on the verger's robes. I got both of the welt pockets in the lining done, and the side pocket in the outer layer. Next I need to do the velvet facings and such. Haven't figured out exactly _how_, however, so I may need to sleep on it. Maybe I'll work it out in my dreams- I usually do.

I found David a coat for his birthday, a nice one at Ross, microfiber suede, very water-repellent and really nice looking. Need to get it into the mail soon, along with Lydia's presents. I don't think that I can afford to head down there on Sunday though. I may just send David some money to take Lydia out for her birthday.

Two weeks left in the campaign. Bleh.

Current status of the ticker...

I got back from the cardiologist's about an hour ago- spent all afternoon being poked and prodded and such, and they did another EKG. Upshot is, that I apparently had an episode of atrial fibrillation. It has passed, and the EKG came out clear today. But they're going to go an echocardiogram next week to get a good look, and then go from there. In the meantime, no marathons. :-)

Been a fairly quiet week, outside of the dr appts. Wanda and I watched the debate Wednesday and spent a lot of time yelling at the tv. Didn't bother with any of the drinking games though- neither of us needed to get that drunk on a weeknight. :-) We had a full house for Project Night- Claire was here, Jen and Mike were here, and Victoria and Christene were here, working on masks for the Masque on Saturday. I got materials this morning for my potluck entry, and I'll probably put that together tonight. James will be up sometime later this evening (I have cleared off his side of the bed, except for a couple of books) and I am really looking forward to seeing him- haven't seen him since July.

18 days to Election Day! Boy, I sure wish it were over with...

@#$%^&*! Cartridge pleats...

My fingers are sore and no, I can't work with a thimble. And the verger's robes I'm working on have cartridge pleats across the back and over both shoulders. I have the back pleated up:




And the front pattern piece is cut out- not easy, as it's a weird shape:









I'm taking a couple of hours to do other stuff- I'm working from a schematic in an 1895 book on making scholars' and clerical robes, and it is not the clearest source to work from. My brain is tired.

I borrowed a copy of the remake of _Lion in Winter_ from Mike and Jen, and watched it the other night. I didn't care for it. The dialogue didn't work as well- parts were really rushed, and I would have missed several really good lines had I not already known where they were. Patrick Stewart didn't seem to grasp Henry's nature, the quirky, impulsive, unpredictable, manic nature, and so much of the play is driven by that nature, it didn't have the energy it needed to propel it along. The guy that played the Marshal was good. Glenn Close's Eleanor wasn't too bad, but lacking the right Henry to play off of, kind of fell flat. The guys playing the boys... at times I liked their Richard, but mostly didn't. (Same with Alys.) Geoffery was ok. John was horrible. Not even close. And Phillip lacked the strength to make him really work.

Of course, matching or superceding Hepburn and O'Toole is next to impossible...

I see Dr Becher tomorrow morning, and maybe we'll know more about the pre-authorizations for the cardiologist, etc. I'm glad to have any coverage at all, but man, the hoops to jump through are a real annoyance!

Thumpata-thump!

Well Bobs and Bobbettes, here's the latest news: I'm sick.

Yeah, yeah, I know that's kind of a given, but this is new and different and kinda scary. Starts out with my not feeling good since Saturday- and not the normal 'not feeling well'. I feel like I've had WAAAAAAAAAAAYYY too much caffeine, but I haven't had any since breakfast Saturday. Hammering heart, basically, enough that my neck is pounding too. And not episodic- continuous- since Saturday. This morning I decided that Something is Wrong and called the doctor. Dr Becher wasn't in today, but when I used the H word they fit me in with someone else. So I saw Dr. Henriques. Anyway, the EKG came out abnormal- atrial fibrillation with slow ventricular response (that's right from the sheet, which I kept). They took a bunch of labs to check blood chemistry, etc. Dr said that my heart is not beating too fast, but irregularly. They sent me for a chest x-ray, and when they can get authorization through I'm supposed to go for an echocardiogram and to see a cardiologist. In the meantime, there's not much I can do, other than avoid caffeine etc. And I feel like crap and then slightest movement leaves me really winded (yesterday in the pool was less than fun. I'm going tomorrow anyway).

Bother, said Pooh.

Other interesting stuff this week: I was down at the Democratic Party office on Wednesday, and had a surprise. Leaning over tho get something out of the bottom shelves, I heard a RIIIIIIPPP!! Yes indeedy, it was my jeans. A sudden catastrophic fabric failure, in the back between the pocket and the center seam. Not a thin spot or a stress point- it just blew out. An 8" split. I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting down, alternately wanting to crawl under a rock somewhere and laughing my a$$ off. It really was pretty funny...

Went to an event Saturday, small local event here put on by the Barony's incipient Canton, Kaldor. It was in a teeny grange hall on Sauvie Island. Very nice and relaxing, terrific potluck (two words that don't normally go together) . I finished resetting the sleeves on the brown linen gown and watched Ilonka knit on teeeeeny knitting needles, and visited and generally passed a nice afternoon and evening.

Tonight is the second debate- Go Obama! Widen that lead!

Ok, so I was wrong...

...And they had the debate Friday after all. I listened to it on the radio here at home (instead of going to one of the debate parties or such) and refrained from drinking- if I'd done one of the drinking games I saw online (certain number of swallows per certain words, etc) I'd still be just now sobering up.

I was pleased with Obama's performance- a fine orator and he spoke like an adult. It was clear that he was very well prepared. Can't say the same for McCain though- with all of his rambling and sputtering and searching for words, it made me wonder if he'd wanted to postpone the debate simply because he wasn't prepared. As it was his performance was kind of embarrassing.

In other news...

Saw Dr. Fickle last Thursday. Explained how I am NOT THRIVING without the nortriptyline, and we decided to add it back in, to try at least. It would be nice if I wasn't feeling like I'm choking back tears all the time. Part of the problem may be that we've passed the equinox, and autumn is here, with winter not far behind. Needs me some more light!

Speaking of light, Larry and I were over this evening to see Robert and Ilonka's new place. Very spiffy! 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, with a full basement. Lots and lots of room, and quite a few windows. Funny thing was that whoever painted it couldn't make up thier minds what color to use, and seemed to have 1/2 gallon of everything, mostly in shades of yellow, excepting the hunter green and such in the kitchen. It was truly strange. I think I could have gotten used to it- I like having yellow around, if it's the right shade. Anyway, they are next door to Kateline and much closer to Robert's work. A serious improvement over the teeny little place they have now. I'm seriously jealous though- I was looking around and thinking "This would be a great place for James and I..." Sewing space, shop space, space for the computers and our books... only drawback is the kitchen is kind of small. But doable. *sigh* Maybe this time next year we'll be in a place as nice.

And I'm contemplating cutting my hair. Just can't decide...

**UPDATE** I got my hair cut- took 5" of ratty split ends off of it. It's still pretty long and looks a lot better than it did. Chickened out on the chin-length bob though. I'd love to, but couldn't figure out what to do for my hair at 12th Night if I did...

There was Sights See'n...

So over the weekend I got to drive to scenic Central Oregon, to attend Summit's September Coronet Tourney, in Culver. Gemma and I left after she got off work (5:00) and it took us quite some time to get out of town, thanks to the traffic. (Gresham. Yikes.) Over the mountain wasn't too bad, and it was full dark before we got into Warm Springs. The fun began after we got into Madras. The directions from Madras to Culver were somewhat sketchy and heading out of Madras I was basically looking for a sign. A Sign! We saw an SCA sign, pointing left, so we turned and trundled off into the desert. After a few minutes I determined that we were not getting into Culver, nor were we likely to do so at the direction we were heading. So we turned and looped up with the main highway (97) again, and shortly found ourselves in Terrebonne. Hmm. Too far. So we turned around again and went all the way back to Madras. I stopped for directions, took a good look at a map and got an idea of where our turnoff would be, and hopped back in the car. We drove back out of town. This time the SCA sign wasn't there at all, but we founf the sign to Culver, pointing right. Picked up that road and shortly were in Culver. After a few minutes looking for the park (the sign was visible from only one direction, natch), we finally pulled in, at 20 to 11, having spent an extra 50 miles wandering around. Grr.

Event was nice and fairly low key. Laurel meeting was... a Laurel meeting. ('Nuff said.) Tourney was clean and Brian of Ledbury won, for his lady Acacia, having beaten Johannes von Langental. VESTA CAME IN 3RD!!! WOO HOO!!! Dinner was nice, dessert was yummy, we partied for Bera's birthday. I was so worn out though thatI went to bed about 10:30. Really.

Drive home Sunday was pretty- we got to see the stuff in the daylight that we'd missed in the dark. Lots of sage. Lots of cows. Gorgeous canyons going through near Warm Springs. And the mountain was pretty too. We stopped in Rhodedendron for something to eat which was nice as I was completely sapped of energy. I got home about 7 and pretty much fell over.

Today I spent two hours at the Democratic Party main office, selling Obama schwag tofolks and answering the phones. Couple of weird/funny calls and a couple of people just wanted to bend my ear about how awful things are and how Obama _has_ to win. Hey, no argument with me there!

I just got a note from my sister saying that she's filed for divorce. Hit me pretty hard. Wow. I hope her boys are ok.

So, think there'll be a debate Friday? 50 cents there won't be...

Introducing Caribou Barbie!

She snowmobiles! She hunts! She cooks mooseburgers! She fires staff! She has weird hair!

Just the sort of woman you want your little girls to emulate, right?

Not much really happening here, sewing, swimming, getting ready for Coronet. James is not going after all, so I've been amending plans to be camping with Gemma. Gotta keep her warm- she gets cold too easily. (Water bottle. Hot.) Planning menu, etc. And making myself some new garb to keep warm in- I don't have alot that I can wear still.

Annie is busy visiting Kelly in the Virgin Islands. Apparently there is rum there. And snorkeling.

And Friday is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Don't forget, eh matey?

A word to the wise-

Beverages and keyboards don't mix! * sigh *

Was startled by the doorbell and knocked over my glass of icewater into the keyboard. I turned it upsidedown and drained it and let it dry. And let it dry. And let it dry. Roughly 18 hours later it still wasn't working right, so I went down to Office Despot and spent $13 for a new keyboard. Old one was getting pretty grungy anyway, and last time I cleaned the keys a couple of the little clips on the underside of the big ones broke. (Yes, I am trying to justify the expense...) But the new one fits a little differently (a built-in wrist thingie is both ineffective and in the way) and will take getting used to.

Out shopping today I got:

* a copy of _Remains of the Day_ with Anthony Hopkins,
* tacks and glue to fix the velcro thing on the tourney bed slats,
* 2 pairs of jeans (Goodwill, not retail)
* an autumn wreath for the front door,
* and a keen thing that it a three-legged stand and big salad bowl on a lazy susan- I'm going to use it as a wash stand and ditch the folding stand, which is heavy to move and bulky to transport. Now just to figure out place to put my jewelry boxes, etc.
* a cheap halloween wig to play with. A shade or so lighter than my hair, but I can play and make braids from it, etc.

Wanda came home with a bunch of stuff, including a storage rack thingie that I found- perfect for sewing things- brightly colored bins on it. We'll find something to do with it, I'm sure.

I'm busy trying to clean up projects in the sewing room and get some work done, partly just to catch up and partly to get room to work on the verger's robes. Almost done with a gown that I'd cut out for James some time ago but I don't remember. I'd put a tag on it though, so I knew what it was. Moss green twill, very lovely fabric, Frankish cut. Just finishing an embroidered bit on the hem (hides the machine hemming). Getting stuff done so I can fix the tourney bed, though I have to go get another pair of hinges to fix the poster frame- the pair I got have non-removable hinges, and well, I need to be able to remove the hinges- that's sort of the point.

Next weekend is Summits Coronet, and Gemma is going with me. Should be fun, if chilly. :-)

I do NOT have too much stuff!

Soooooome people (hi Amalric!) seem to think that I pack too much stuff for eventing. I do not! I do think that I manage to pack a heckuva lot of quality into Zippy the Wonder Volvo (TM) however, and I don't hear anyone complaining about eating feast-quality food or being served on dishes that look like they're from illuminations. Besides, they have no idea how much I used to bring, back when I had the van...

So I went to Acorn, spent the day in the kitchen, which was ok. Nice dinner with just me, Arlys, Guiliana, and Claire. And then we had more people over for the dessert and brainstorming about the kingdom session (or, what Amalric calls my 'rabble-rousing'). The wafers I got at Trader Joe's were really good- just perfect to go with the ypocras. The almond cookies were happy too, and we had a great time sucking air through the meringues (guess you'da had ta been there). It was waaaay too much fun (and I drank too much but I was eating at the same time and was ok, though slightly tipsy. Some good conversation with Helena and Aleyn, also from Arlys. Amalric showed up later and argued with me (which I knew he would- we disagree on the matter and are very frank about it). Cutest Duke I know but also stubborn, and listens but I sometimes feel like he doesn't _hear_, if that makes any sense. However, as long as he continues to clean the grill with his shirt off, I'll smile and be nice. :-)

Have not as of yet (Tues evening) unpacked the car. Just flat exhausted. I'm tempted to leave as much of it as I can there until after Coronet, which will be the last camping event for the season. And it looks like my sweetie might make it to Coronet! Yay!!! Much more fun with him than without. :-)

And as it's Tuesday, Larry will be over shortly. Wanda is asleep (home sick with headache) so we'll go and quietly grab dinner somewhere else. And hopefully get some work done upstairs- I need to start blocking out the verger's robes. Maybe we'll pop in a movie while we're at it.

For Air Force Two?

“McCain has been running this campaign based on 'We're at war, it's a dangerous world out there. The democrats don't get that. I, John McCain, am the only one standing between the blood-thirsty Al Qaedas and you. But if I die, this stewardess can handle it.'" –Bill Maher

But the peanuts will still cost you extra, sir.

Well, the political scene continues to be 'interesting' in the Chinese sense. They aren't just finding skeletons in her closet- there seems to be an entire ossuary in there. And now her poor kid is in the limelight- imagine being 17 and preggers and the whole nation staring at you- fer real? If there's a rock nearby, I'm sure she's under it.

I am glad that Obama came out and specifically said that the families are out-of-bounds and if he finds out someone one his campaign is involved in that sharkfest, they're fired. So the tabloids are picking up the slack- the _National Enquirer_, of all things, broke the teen pregnancy story. And apparently they now have an entire crew up in Alaska, looking for whatever they can find. Oy. Glad my name's not Palin!

I'm still aghast that they are still pretending that her nomination is real. I keep thinking Dick Cheney will pop up out of his undisclosed localtion, yelling 'April fool!' Or something.

In other news, something went 'poink!' at the base of my neck earlier today and it is still out. Which makes me cranky. But I went out and got the rest of the materials (except for the finish cord, which is on order) for the verger's robes. Plan to start blocking them out after Acorn War, which is this weekend. And I have Malcom's 'civil servant pinstripe' gown to finish, Elfreda's gown, Sofia's kids' stuff, Wanda's pavilion... and thinking about 12th Night. Not like there's nothing to do. Just wish I felt like doing it, you know?

Sarah WHO?!?!?

Gee, wish I'd thought of this one first- it's so apropos!

My new question is: Are they pulling a Harriet Myers? Is she going to drop out so they can slip someone else (perhaps even less palatable) onto the ticket? Or is this simply the first drips in a full meltdown of the Republican party?

YES WE CAN!

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This, too, is part of America's promise -- the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.


Take a good look, folks- these are the faces of America's future. Lydia and I were lounging around , listening to parts of last night's speeches this morning, and I told her to listen hard- this is history in the making. I've never seen anything like this (though I'm told the feeling is a lot like the Kennedy campaign in 1960).

America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise -- that American promise -- and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.


I think that the thing that I see as the biggest difference in Obama's message and all of the other words around him is that his is about the future- not the past or even the present- that we can't stay here where we are now but have to face ahead. I like that.

Needless to say, tonight's speech sealed the deal for me.

And there's the dress!

Minus the train that is- Lydia isn't crazy about trains (neither am I- they're an invitation for trouble). But she wants a basic Empire for her wedding dress. I already have the base fabric- and we plan to pick up the pattern (Butterick 6630) this week, and do some of the basic fitting and such. With a year to work on it we can do embroidery and other fun things to it...

We didn't make it to the pool Friday because we were up until 3:30am looking over bridal magazines and stuff online and giggling like a couple of little girls. She's been spending a lot of time watching movies and doing handwork and such. I should be, but just haven't felt like sewing. Bleah. It's not like I don't have anything to do, just don't feel so hot. May be med related, I dunno.

I'm pretty well satisfied with the choice of Joe Biden for the Dems VP slot. Old-fashioned working-class Democrat style, and if nothing else he can be the lightning rod. Biden has already been teeth-in to the GOP. This may turn out to be just what we need to get across the finish line first. (pleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease...)

The New York Times came out with an article on the McCain's finances that was not in the least bit flattering (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/us/politics/23mccain.html). I sent it out to a bunch of people and one friend remarked that he thinks Cindy McCain has a dalmatian coat in her closet. I snickered over that one for quite some time.

It's nearly September- it's raining and I have an incredible urge to go back to school. Wish I had the money and the energy to do it.

Here doggie...

Maybe if we get out the can opener it'll come?

Lydia didn't get in last night after all- the bus broke down in Medford, and then there was some issue with the driver, so the bus (if it had run at all) would be coming in at 5am. So David and Lydia decided she'd take tonight's bus instead. Let's hope that this one shows up on time.

The weather has cooled off considerably, which has been a great boon to those of us wimpy Oregonians who don't handle hot weather well (like, well, me and Wanda). And the rain has been good for all of the parched lawns around town. The thunderstorms are exciting though- Monday it knocked the power out at the pool- the pool itself was fine, thanks to the windows, but the locker rooms have no windows and were pitch black. I got a flashlight out of the car and went anyway. Yay me.

James went home Tuesday. Boo. We ended up going to Home Depot and getting some more lumber to fix the bed, which was kind of funny. It seems to be working ok now. :-)

Ciarain's memorial service was last night, and it was very night. I'd never been to a Episcopal funeral before, but at least I knew in general how to behave, which was better than many of the SCA folks there, who clearly don't find themselves in church often. Hey- at least they didn't pull out the kneelers! ;-) The music was nice (we didn't make any egregious mistakes), Earl Edward read a eulogy, and there was a nice potluck buffet afterward. In all, a pretty decent send-off.

Dental appointment tomorrow, nothing really interesting until the Laurel meeting on Monday. Just plan to spend my time geeking out with my daughter and a pile of bridal magazines. :-)

* gasp! * It's hot!

As much as I love being warm, this is ridiculous. it's been way too hot for several days now, and Wanda and I have both been suffering. Anything over about 85 and I'm not so happy; it's been in the upper 90s and over 100. Friday and Saturday were especially bad. We had some thunderstorms Saturday night, which should have helped, but mostly it just added to the humidity. Bleah. Supposedly it will start cooling off Tuesday. Sure hope so.

Lessee, what has been up... I went to see Dr Fickle (the guy who looks like Ulfred) on Thursday. I'm completely off the Lamictal now (though still twitching) and now we're starting to drop the Nortriptyline. So far so good. He was pretty happy with how I'm doing. He did remark that he was surprised that I have only gained as much weight as I have- apparently you can expect to gain about a pound a month while on lithium. Doesn't sound like much until you remember that I've been on it since '95. He said that I must be being really careful with the diet (which I have been and I'm sick of it) because I haven't gained that much. I'm still not happy with my weight, but that does make me feel a little better about it.

On Friday I saw Dr Becher, got an Rx for a different NSAID for the arthritis, as the Ibiprofen has not been cutting it. We'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I continue going to the pool and try to take care of myself. She says that at this point there isn't much more we can do. Bother, said Pooh. But my blood pressure was fine (better be, taking 3 separate meds for it!), which is at least one good thing.

James arrived late Friday night (yay!) and it was WONDERFUL to see him again! And I have to admit that we, er, sorta broke my bed. Didn't really _break_, per se, but a couple of the supporting boards in the frame shook loose and fell out, and the bed slipped out of the frame- suddenly my end of the bed was lower than the rest. Sorta fixed it but we missed one and we'll have to take it apart again and try to get the last board put back. Embarrassing, but funny. :-) I had the giggles for some time.

Went to a BBQ at Randall and Leah's yesterday- way too hot still but there were lots of friends there which makes it endurable. Lots of yummy, yummy food, including of course, MEAT. Wanda was in heaven. I actually ate some meat too. Randal had rubbed some of it with something with pineapple in it and it was really good. There were salads and fruits (unfortunately the fruit that looked really good had melons in it, so I couldn't have any but there was lots of food). And lots of sodas and such. And sherbet and sorbets and cupcakes for dessert. Yum.

I went to the 8:00 service with James this morning (no really, I did! Voluntarily even!) and it was too hot already- I spent much of my time trying to fan myself and worrying about falling over there in the pew. The early service has no music, so it's much shorter (though still about an hour) but was rather nice. In the chapel there there's a much more intimate feel- communal. The chapel is really pretty too. It might well work for a wedding, though I must admit that I'm beginning to thing that I should just tell James that we should do it in Ashland at his parish, as he so thoroughly has his roots down there. I suspect that Rev Anne would love to officiate.

Lydia will be up sometime Weds, and stay for a week or so, maybe a little longer. We're going to spend a lot of time at the fabric store and at the computer, looking at bridal stuff and drawing pictures and thinking about fitting and design for a dress for her. They're looking at sometime next summer for a wedding, so we have time- time to make something really special. Mummy's prerogative. :-)

Too much intertooobez!

Oy! Now I'm getting a headache!

So I've been cruising the web, poking my way down dark alleys, turning over rocks (Eyuw! Rush Limbaugh!) and looking for info and pictures on verger's robes. Why, you might ask? Well, I'll tell you- cause James is going to be the verger at his church and wants a well-made set of robes that don't cost a gazillion dollars, and as I just happen to have those kind of mad skillz, he wants me to make them, and this is ok by his pastor. So I've been running around town looking at fabric, and then plowing through catalogues and pictures online. I'm still trying to figure out the sleeves- there seems to be about 4 different ways to make them. And I haven't decided which yoke to use. Scribble scribble...

In other news: well, there isn't much. I continue to feel like something you usually wipe off of the bottom of your shoe. Completely off of the Lamictal now, and I'm CRANKY and feeling creepy crawly- you know how when you were a little kid and you were trying to stay up on New Years' Eve, but you were so tired you were twitching? _That_ kind of creepy crawly. And the shakes are actually worse than usual. Thankfully I'm back in to the dr on Thursday. And even more thankfully, there's ice cream in the freezer!

More Frankish goodness!

Isn't that a GORGEOUS brooch? Wow. 7th century, no less.

I dug through the intertoobez again a couple of days ago and found some keen new Frankish things, this brooch being one of them. Always on the lookout for more pretties. I also created a Picasa slideshow of keen Frankish things- sent the link off to Lindis, who is also looking for Frankish stuff. Sent her a bibliography too, and was surprised to see how much I have here.

http://picasaweb.google.com/SlugTrails/FrankishPics

In other news, I'm still feeling crummy. Sleeping a lot, no energy, really aching. But of the original 250 mg dose of Lamictal, I'm down to 75mg. I may be off entirely by the time I see Dr Fickle again. Then we start dropping something else. I'd like to feel normal again but I don't know what normal is anymore. Hey- really what I want is to be 30 again. Only with the sweetie I have now. :-)

I went to Dragon's Mist Defender on Saturday. Nice low-key event. I helped judge the 'Dragon in any medium' contest- the gyngerbrede dragon was especially cool. After the awards not-really-a-court, we grabbed some food and then had a wake for Ciarain. Music, lots of stories. Rodrigo had a very funny story of using Ciarain's directions to get to the event, and finding himself 25 miles away. At a nudist camp. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants!

James wants me to make the verger gown for him, so I get to go to Washougal to check the availability of black worsted. And to Fabric Depot for black braid and black velveteen, and some lining. And then I have to figure out how many hours and write up an estimate, because apparently the church is going to pay for it. Cool. Hey- it'll keep me out of trouble, at least. :-)

edit: Weds. a.m.

Sigh. I finally broke down, went to the jeweler and had my carnelian ring cut off- the one with the huge cabochon. The guy said that to repair and re-size it would probably cost about $75, so that will have to wait until October at least. But at least it isn't cutting into my finger anymore. Apparently that finger is no longer a size 7, but now a 9. That would explain why the ring is too tight! He said that it will take a couple of weeks for the swelling to go all the way down, so not to get it re-sized until then. He also suggested thinking about re-setting the stone into something a little more durable. I may think about that.

Blarg.

I feel like this bear looks- getting up and moving is just too much trouble, ya know?

I dunno if I'm still crashed from the trip (I'd think I'd have bounced back by now) but I'm still sleeping a lot, and on days that I go to the pool I spend the rest of the day zoned out. And Wanda says that it's taking me longer to bounce back. I have an appt with Dr Becher in a couple of weeks- I'll have to see if she has any illuminating thoughts...

Tuesday Larry and I walked down to the Cup and Saucer only to find that they've cut back their hours and close at 3. So we walked the rest of the way down to Kennedy School McMenamin's and got a bite to eat there. We got there about 5:30, which was perfect, because at 6 it filled up. That place is way too popular. We came back here and worked upstairs for awhile. Larry is finally down to hemming his new undertunic. I'm fringing the ends of a new Frankish mantle- a black one. I should see if I can get some black silk for a veil too.

Not much else happening- Wanda comes home Friday afternoon. I plan to day-trip to Dragons Mist Defender Tourney on Saturday- they're holding a wake for Ciarain in the evening. Sunday we have tentative plans for brunch. Be nice to see the gang again.

Oh- and a judge in a US District court just ruled that Congress can indeed force White House aides to testify under subpoena, that there is no case law that supports their claims of immunity. Heh. I wanna see the marshals drag Karl Rove in. He won't go quietly, I'm sure...

Well, off to make some muffins- the last of the frozen cranberries! * sob! *

Sooooo tired!

I'm home, but barely moving. Wanda and I went to breakfast at the Cameo, but I am surprised that I managed to stay awake! Drank plenty of tea, but after we got home I went back to bed, and slept for about 2 1/2 hours. And still sleepy...

The reunion was great. Far too many Klaassens in the same place (noisy!), and far too many pastors in one place- it was a miracle that anyone could get a word in edgewise! Lots of singing, lots of pictures, and too much food. I'm going to regret the last one there.

Houston is BIG. Lots of sprawl. Lots of really BIG vehicles, and the drivers are insane! Sooo glad I wasn't driving anywhere- I was terrified just being a passenger! Barbara and I went to a import place Friday before I left, and it was BIG too! I almost bought a hairpiece, but the one I wanted was out in my color. :-( I did get myself some earrings and a Dem donkey pin, and Wanda a necklace. Barbara bought me a lovely bracelet with deep green stones.

We had lunch with James' sister Barb in Tulsa before we left. It was so good to see her! And then we had a hard time finding the way into the airport again. Just barely all got onto our flight. Getting Ahmed the Terrorist (Dad) through security was, er, amusing. :-) Poor Barbara had to sit next to someone who was really rude to her. But we got back to Houston and retrieved Dad's van (and then braved the Houston traffic) without a whole lot of hassle. And my flight out on Friday was ok- I was the very last one on, and they closed the door behind me. Wand got in from Chicago just before I got in, and we got some food before we came home. Very, very nice to be in my own bed at home!

News just came in a little bit ago- my friend Gunthar won Ansteorra Crown Tourney! W00t! I'm going to make them something really pretty for their reign. :-)

But first, some more sleep...

Hot enough for you?

Ok- I just had half a page done on this post, and it disappeared. So I'm starting over. Arg.

Hot. Hot. HOT. About 100 outside right now. Houston was in the upper 90s when I got there Sunday afternoon. It is very FLAT. There's some trees in the residential section but not much otherwise. Most of the houses in Houston appear to be made of brick (they don't get the regular small tremblors like we get in Oregon). Everyone has A/C, which is good since it's hot...

Oklahoma has some very low, rolling hills, some pecan trees, scrub oak, and white pine. Except the trees, everything is shades of brown. And it's hot here too. I went out to go to the pool at 9 am and it was well over 80 even then.

The family has rented several cabins/houses and there's kids everywhere. And this is really alarming- I'm not one of the 'young ones' anymore. Oh oh oh oh, that smarts!

The aunties are fun. I'd forgotten how much I'd liked them.

I've been eating too much- tasty, mostly picnic food so far. And I'm almost out of tea already.

Dad has been bragging about how cool James is. Heh. Got him fooled, don't we? :-D

Had very bad news Sunday evening. Ciarain Clain Ferta had a fatal heart attack early Sunday morning. Everyone is in shock. Pretty horrible. I'm hoping that I'm home in time for a service if they have one.

Interesting thing- flying to Houston, I noticed that a lot of the fields are planted/watered in big circles. So much of the fly-over country looks like a Twister board!

I'm off to try to reduce the pile (324 messages) in my mailbox. :-P And then is time for a nap.

...I'm leaving, on a jet plane...

Well, I finished the last of the sewing after breakfast this morning, and packed my bags. I think I have enough clothes- I hope. Hard to know since I don't really know what we're doing for the next few days. If nothing else fails I have a brick-,er, book in my bag, and I can go curl up with it. Or nap...

Packed my swimsuit, and hopefully I'll get a chance to use it, since I'm missing class here. And maybe I'll get some sun. (Weeeeellll, that might not be so good, since I burn at the drop of a neckline...) But a few days out of the house will probably be good for me. And I don't have to set up and take down camp to do it!

I'm contemplating going to DMDT, and haven't decided whether I was to day-trip or camp. Probably day-trip, and save my energy (and $$$) to do Summits Coronet in September. It's in Corvaria, so day-tripping is out of the question. But it'll be the end of the season, and maybe be a nice finish to it. Be interesting to see who wins- especially since that will be the Coronet that is sitting when 12th Night rolls around, and 12th Night will be in Adiantum.

I think I'll go catch a nap. I wonder if they've started winding up that big rubber band yet?...

We're in for a Bumpy Ride!

Yeah, that's Harry on the Knight Bus, and I'm feeling more than a bit jostled myself. Gotta mind when the shrunken head says to hang on!...

I saw the new shrink today- they finally found a replacement for Anna. He reminds me so much of Ulfred I was having a hard time paying attention. Anyway, we're going to draw down some of the meds and see about getting a better handle on them. Which is what I was hoping to hear, frankly. So life may be a bit difficult while we're doing so- not like it's been easy of late...

Status is pretty well normal: I'm broke (mostly because I'm a dork), I'm feeling crummy (serious arthritis flare-up), I'm whiny (no thanks to you, Phil Gramm!), and lonely (because I haven't seen a Certain Someone since May)... A bowl of ice cream helps, but that brings other issues along with it . So I try not to indulge too much.

Pool felt really good this morning, but I was having a really hard time moving- so stiff that when someone asked if I was ok, I clenched my jaw and muttered "MMMMMBPHoilcanMMBMBPH..." (after the Tin Man, you know). Always nice to make someone else laugh.

I mailed off a package to Annie yesterday- I can hardly wait for her to get it, and see who's inside. :-)

Sigh.

The depression has welled up a bit again- the 800lb gorilla can't be ignored anymore. He'd been pretty quiet- enough that I could just work around him, but he's getting testy and threatening to break furniture... and I'm having a lot of trouble sleeping.

Lifeworks finally hired a replacement for Anna, and I have an appointment next week. Maybe tweaking the meds will help. However, I'm really sick of the meds and had been hoping to taper off on some of them, because they're messing with the rest of the body.

Sometimes life just sucks.

I finished the brown gown- turned out pretty nicely, and I plan to wear it to the Picnic in the Park event next weekend. In the meantime, I'm madly working on clothes to take to Tulsa, as I have not got any summer clothes ans it's likely to be hot and humid, unlike Oregon where it's likely to be 65 and dripping- unless it's one of the three day in the year that it's over 80 degrees...

Been collecting up stuff to send to Annie- kind of a belated birthday present. I was going to send her the toolbox, but it weighs a ton and I'm pretty sure that I can't afford the shipping. But I found some other stuff to send. Probably so that this coming week if I can find a box.

In the meantime, I think I'll have to invest in some bananas...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIE!

Oh my goodness- she's 24! How can that be possible? Seems like just yesterday she was sitting in a box, eating popsicles with her brother...

(Ok, the picture is of Zazu Pitts, but honest- looks just like Annie!)

I have a 24-year-old daughter.

I am ooooollldddd. :-P

Saturday Claire came over and we watched videos and sewed and I got the sari-embellished dress nearly done. Sunday we went to Goodwill after brunch and I found two lengths of very nice blue wool- one sort of a cadet blue, and the other Summits blue. (I'm thinking of maybe making a Christine de Pisan dress.) And then I slept through the afternoon.

Got a little more of the car unloaded- I have the serving dishes and some misc stuff left. Might get them emptied later today.

Got a call from Akiko yesterday- they finally hired a replacement for Anna Anderson, and I'm seeing him next week. Glad to have someone to monitor meds.

The fambily reunion is looming closer- and I am trying to arrange to see James' sister Barb while I'm in Tulsa. It sounds like Dad has us scheduled pretty tight, but we have time on the last day so I might get to see her then.

I am old. Next thing you know, these kids of mine will be getting married. Wait, that's already in De Planz! Aaaahhhh!!!

I HATE hot weather

Upper 90s and maybe over 100. Not my idea of a good time. Really- I'd rather be cold than hot- after all, you can always put more clothes _on_, but when you have all of your clothes _off_, there's nothing left to strip! Bah to hot weather! I was hoping to get more stuff unloaded from the car, and maybe some sewing done, but if it gets as warm as the NWS says, I may just lay on the floor panting like the cats. Poor kitties can't take their clothes off!

Not much happening this week- I went to water aerobics, came home and slept (not feeling so hot), did some sewing, did some laundry, unloaded part of the gear from Zippy. Not all of it- we have guests in the basement, and there isn't room at the moment to put things away. So I sort of have an excuse to leave it out there...

Working on a dress for myself (another Frankish- hopefully I will start dropping some weight soon and can make new cotehardies), brown 'linen-look' (probably a cotton-rayon blend), but I had a length of sari fabric that I found at Goodwill ($3!) and I bordered the hem with the heavy gold parts. There's bits left over to play with too. So far it's looking pretty nice. I just hope it doesn't look like 'I took apart a sari and made this dress'... y'all know what I mean :-/)

Arlys says I am an agitator. Lets hop she doesn't mean a washing machine. :-D

...And I'm very religious.

I made it to my water aerobics class today, got through class, came home and went back to bed. When did I wake up? A little after 5...

The dinner for Their Highnesses went very well. We had Chyckens in Hocchee, Beeff Y-Stewed, Pommes Endored, Tart of Greens (from Menagier de Paris), Losyns, Salad, Funges (with green onions instead of leeks, and it actually worked), ummm... Cheesecake with strawberries, some fruit, Gyngerebrede, and Wine with Ypocras. I carved because I sort of know how. I did mention that a knight would have carved for a Prince, at which Rustam admitted that he didn't know the business end of a carving knife. I also told them a little about period service, how feast were ordered and served, details like the knight kneeling to carve the dead object, no candles on the table, and a little of the hierarchy of serving. They were like 'Wow, that's cool'. AND Sofia's kids liked the food! YAY!!! And we had enough food, even though I forgot the Erbowle in the freezer here, and didn't remember the carrots until I went to put away the leftovers. Also forgot the wafers completely. Oh- and leftover chicken chomped down with Gyngerbrede is actually pretty good!

Gemma and I didn't get cranky at each other, which I pretty much anticipated- neither one of us is that hard to get along with, I think. She crashed early Saturday night and I trundled over to hang with Amalric and Caia and the rest of the rabble over there. That was a lot of fun, and not just because I was drinking. They are such fun people! The boyz really like the puppet theatre and the candy, and I really like seeing the big grins. I like being an Auntie. Phoenix was running around asking if he looked like a vampire (was eating one of the Blood Pops) which was really funny because he's got teeth missing . :-) And the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans are always a hit.

The slats for the bed soft of worked and sort of didn't. Conceptually they were great, and yes we slept on them. But the board down the middle of the frame isn't wide enough to support the ends of both board sections, so we had to overlap them. So I'm thinking about some sort of velcro assembly to hold the ends together. But I don't have to do it right away because I likely won't be doing another camping event until September Coronet. Between now and then are mostly wars, and since James won't be there, there's kind of no point in my going- there's nothing for me to do! So I think I will stay home and try to catch up financially. Maybe I can get James up here or go down and visit him.

Probably be moving cars around sometime tonight or tomorrow, so I can unload by littles. I simply do not have the energy to do any unloading tonight, though I do need to go dig out the laundry bag and throw it downstairs. Other than that, the rest can wait a bit. I think I'll run my dishes through the dishwasher though- there's chicken grease on everything and we tried to get it off but there's only so much you can do in camp.

And I got a teeny bit of sunburn, on the back of my neck. I usually have veils on and they cover that, but as I was working in the kitchen all day I didn't have them on. Ouch.

I swore fealty to Gustav and Sofia, which raised a couple of eyebrows. Nyah. I lived there for 7 years, still play there as much or more than I do locally, and my heart lives in Glyn Dwfn. So why wouldn't I? And once James is done with school and finds a teaching job, chances are pretty good that I'll be back down there. And there's a lot of work to do there. There's not nearly enough gothic-era folks there, or Franks for that matter. :-) (Bwahahahaha!!!)

Just a little bit...

Time stress and money stress. I just got back from the grocery, having spent closer to $30 more than I usually do, and not because I bought a bunch of junk. Y'all know what I eat at tourneys, yes? Oy oy oy. I was going to make leeks and funges (mushrooms) but leeks were @#$%^& $$4 a bunch! $4! So I did not buy leeks. I bought some green onions instead and I'll have to fake it. Meat is way out of line too. I remember when you could get a chicken for just a couple of bucks. $8, baby. I got the wine for Ypocras at Trader Joe's, but I didn't get any beer. Simply not in the budget right now.

So I think that this may be the last feast I throw for awhile. Of course, I won't be eventing again for a bit- July I'm going to Omaha (Yay. Omaha in July. Joy.) for the fambily thing. I don't think I'm going to Tryggvy's War. Dunno about the rest of the season.

Yet on my to-do list for today-make brownies and gyngerbrede, fix the hinge thing on the bedframe, clean out the car, and get with the packing thing. But I made it to the copy shop, TJ's, the Post Awful and the cleaners, and the grocery. So I'm doing good. Just not done yet...

Well, no rest for the wicked- back to work!

Never shop for jeans when you're depressed.

Well, that's how I feel at least...

Needed another couple pair of jeans because the ones I have have been mended to the point where I'm mending the mending. That is to say, they are worn out. But I hate clothes shopping right now and I am so unhappily conscious of my size, finding jeans is even harder than usual. But we went to Goodwill and I found 2 pairs that will do. I'll set the other one aside for wearing when I'm doing something messy.

I also found a surprise for a couple of small boys I know- it's a little stage curtain thing for hand puppets. I know my kids would have loved it, and I think the Blackhart boyz will too. And I have candy for them. Heh. Just like a grandma- give 'em candy and send them home! :-D

Well, the backlash has begun on teh survey thing. I was expecting it- just wasn't expecting a couple of sources of it. It appears that nothing I say will budge the opinions (even if I point out I "But you read the question wrong- that's not what I said") so I don't think I'll try. Can't please everyone. I've gotten enough positive response from folks I respect, I'm ok with not having everyone in my corner.

At any rate, not much is happening this week, though I think that I'll put together copies of everything for the royals, so they can get it from the horse's mouth (Neigh!), and after I have a chance to basically write a white paper, I'll send one on to the board chairman and our ombudsman. Phew- this is beginning to look like work...

Went to 3M Champions yesterday, and it was a nice little event. Wish I'd been feeling better but it wasn't too bad. They gave me another Golden Torc- I'll have to dig up my baldric and put it on.

This week I'm finishing up Sofia's kids' clothes, and packing for Investiture. Not much left on the clothes but her chemise. I need to look at the brocaded stuff I would a couple weeks ago and see if there's enough for a Frankish coat.

In the meantime, me and my wide butt are going to take a nap.

I gots my 'fwimmin' suit...

When I was a wee little girl, I liked to get my fwimmin suit on and go fwimmin. Dunno what the deal was about s'es, but that's what I'm told...

I still like to go fwimmin, but haven't in years. But Dr Becher leaned on me really hard last month, so I've joined a water aerobics class. Turns out that the local Salvation Army community center has a pool and some low-key classes, and at a really reasonable price, too. So I dug out my orange fwimmin suit and went.

The class was mostly little old ladies in silly caps, and I imagined that I would fit right in. WRONG! I really had to work just to keep up- it was rather embarrassing, really. Mostly isometric and resistance stuff, but enough that I was getting winded. So this may be just the thing.

In other news, my plot to take over the kingdom proceeds apace. Seems to be gaining traction, so we may be on the way. I'm hosting a dessert social/chat at Investiture, and I'll see where folks are then. Kind of exciting!

And now I will go to bed, for I am tired and sore.

And the survey says...

With 120 responses in, this is what I've got:

1) In general, how do you feel about the size of An Tir?

* 89% * say TOO BIG. 7.5% say ok as is, 2.5% are unsure, and .08% blathered on but did not answer the question.

2) Would you support (at least in theory) the formation of a new
Kingdom from lands now part of An Tir?

* 89.6% * say yes, .08% says no, 9% say not sure.

3) What do you feel is the idea size of a Kingdom event?

avg. 1021 persons

4) How far are you willing to travel to Kingdom events?

Those who answered in hours- 5.78. Who answered in miles, 219. (The discrepancy seems to be due to urban traffic and ferry times.

5) How far do you travel to large events (June Faire, Autumn War,
Sport of Kings, etc.) and how often do you do so?

246 miles/ 5.42 hours; 2.23 times per year.

6) How far do you travel to regional events?

Miles 137.7, hours 4.05.

7) How often do you attend local events (your home branch and
immediate neighbors)?

1.16 per month.

8) Would you be willing to take a Kingdom office or autocrat a
Kingdom event in a smaller Kingdom?

66% yes, 17% no, 15.8% maybe.

9) How would you feel about beginning a dialog about forming a
Kingdom from southern portions of An Tir?

65% positive, 11% negative, 23% unsure.

10) Where do you currently live and play?

Answers from all over.

I'm going to try to pull together some analysis on the comments, but them's the raw numbers. The disparity between #2 and #9 seems to be the Canadian issue.

Pictures of Gunthar's Elevation! Woo hoo!

And here we go, folks!













Ahh... isn't he purty?