Best seat in the house

This is what happens to your knitting when you leave it sitting on the couch.

I decided this weekend that I really need to finish up a sweater, or at least work at finally finishing a sweater. So I brought out my original Rhinebeck sweater so I could do some comparison measurements. That would be the purple blob behind and under Jack's shoulders.

I knit a couple of arm cuffs but did not bind off since I really like to try on my sweaters just before they're finished. I started in on the bottom ribbing when I had to get up, only to return to this cuddly view. As you know the cats rule in my house so I figured since I could not beat him, I joined him in a nice nap.

There was also a sock repair session, but that is a story for another day as I still have sleep in my eyes and an elliptical machine calling my name.

Retail therapy

I typically buy most of my yarn at two festivals in consecutive months, which makes for a lovely basket of yarn to knit from. Unfortunately this means I don't aways have that new yarn smell circulating in my house. Sometimes you just need new yarn. But don't ask me how many unknit pairs of socks are in my stash right now. I would have to look shamefully away from you. We're not talking about stash, we're talking about springtime renewal.

You see my LYS (Local Yarn Shop) sent out an email about how we're all longing for spring and technically vernal equinox occurred so it is spring. In celebration of spring they had a discount. Now I tell you I resisted the siren call of Zauberball restocking a month ago. This time? I packed myself into the car and crossed my fingers that a few Zauberballs remained.

They had two colors remaining, so I picked up the blue one. I am trying to resist casting it on, considering still have that sweater on the needles and plenty of socks going too. Additionally I like saving Zauberballs for vacation take along yarn, back up yarn if you will. It is already wound, all I do is make sure I have an extra needle set and I have an emergency sock kit, just add knitter. Hey I even bought a new set of needles too. It is like I planned it.

The other skein is new to me, but I could not resist the color. Totally out of character for me but lovely. It used to be out of character from me, but I've noticed that knitting has changed the way I feel about color. I never would have been caught buying something orange or yellow, but now burnt orange calls to me. No really it almost jumps into my hands these days. Sorry honey I had to buy the yarn it attacked me. It just wrestled the credit card off of me and ran to the counter then the car.Yeah sure, D will totally buy that story.

See I feel better already, I think I'll go measure a sweater to see if I can finish it this weekend.

Time keeps ticking

Gus is doing OK. We had our quality of life appointment with the vet and it went surprisingly good. She started off by saying Gus may be one of those creatures that will never tell you, it is time for me to go. He is such a stoic, fighter of a guy. It seems horrible to for us to choose to take the fight away from him but it seems much more horrible to sit idly by and watch him vomit and have neurologic issues.

So for us we are creating memories and taking pictures and video and just about anything that will help us remember our 17 amazing years with our darling tough guy. (And crying a bit from time to time.)

Gus says: I am not dead yet! I feel fine, I think I'll go for a walk. 

(Monty Python you make me laugh in the worst times.)

On Knitting

There is a commonly held belief that knitters can knit feelings and thoughts into the items they're making. One of the best know examples of this belief is the prayer shawl ministry. You knit healing thoughts, prayers for recovery and good wishes for the recipient. 

While I think it is a valid ministry and I get the beautiful sentiment of it, I don't hold it true for my knitting. Conversely it means that I would knit all my frustrations and not-feeling-it-ness into my knitting because I knit all the time, everywhere. 

But sometimes I do worry that worries and sadness can be "knit in." I thought of that when I was sitting in the Vet ER this weekend. Gus was getting some preliminary blood work done so I could make the decision to admit him or not. 

I pulled out the socks I've been working on for Mom, and I almost put them back. Did I really want to knit worry, fear, and sadness into Mom's socks? 

Then I took out her sock and finished knitting a toe. Who better to help me thorough this difficult time than the person who taught me to be a crazy cat mom?

Sometimes it is best to share emotions to help us. Mom taught me to be strong and she loaned me her strength without even being there.

Thanks Mom! Your socks should be in the mail soon. I love you!

One Tough Guy

Well that was one heck of an emotional roller coaster weekend. Gus started vomiting Friday night. And what started off as a "whew, good thing that happened on Friday, we get to rest up after that night" turned into a full blown storm of a weekend. 

Gus was hospitalized for a 24 to 48 hour hold Saturday afternoon. We got him back Sunday night. Monday morning I had to tear myself away from this...

...to go to work.

Gus is 17 and I don't know how many more trips to the ER, Gus and I will make. I have watched him make a slow decline. It is tough sitting on the sidelines, cheering him on, to take hit after hit. He is one heck of a tough guy but even tough guys ultimately throw in the towel.

I cried my eyes out this weekend thinking every minute that I might have to make the decision. And hating the fact that I would have to make it in a place where neither one of us had any happy memories.

The relief on Sunday, that we would most likely not have to make that decision on that day was immeasurable. Today I decided that I need to talk to my vet about when to make that decision. Like any other test of strength I need to start training for it.

Gus would like to show off his latest battle scar...they shaved his leg for the IV. 

Yeah, I am one tough mother lover. (But Dad is really my favorite.)

Reading sickness?

My reading is off kilter. I can not seem to enjoy and really get into a book right now. I'm still reading them but it is feeling like a slog fest. You know when you're sick and nothing tastes right or even good? I think I may have reading sickness.

It may be due to saturation. I found a couple of series that I jumped into, the problem is they are all similar; strong female character, solving a problem, usually set after one of the World Wars. They're good books don't get me wrong but I think I should take a genre break. 

Then I moved on to a different kind of story, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. I enjoyed it for a bit then I made the mistake of reading a few reviews. I should never ever read reviews while I am reading the book. People are pointing out, the overabundance of bad foster moms in this story. Other than the two main characters all the women I've met are really pathetic people. I am hoping I can power through this element but whew, I am finding it hard to continue. 

I'm starting a new book on my Kindle too so maybe that will help my reading sickness. A little fresh food for thought. 

I did happen to come across a discussion online about audiobooks being considered reading or not. I guess you could argue that it is not technically reading since you're not converting words on a page into thoughts and understanding. But I can tell you I'm counting my audiobooks as books read during my 2014 reading challenge on Goodreads. Especially since six of the eight have been audio. I'd be in a bit of a conundrum if I threw out all the audiobooks. I was surprised to find I read 34 books last year. I am having fun tracking my book consumption. What can I say I've always been a book consumer. Now I just have so many more ways of taking them in. 

Books are good even when you're not "in love" with them.

Poor Jack

Poor Jack got stepped on this morning. I don't know who squealed louder, him or me. I do know which one of us squealed first. He had to be coaxed out from underneath the bed with Greenies. Of course Greenies are the reason he was right behind me in the first place.

Poor Jack just can not trust mom when she has shoes on. Shoes are evil, no really EVIL.

I don't have my shoes on now and I do have a Jack in the lap. Good thing Jack is not one to carry a grudge. He does have a memory though and I'm sure I will not be able to pet him goodbye if I already have my shoes on.

Everybody keep an eye out for underfoot animals, OK?