Just got back from a walk with the hound (the Appenzeller/not-a-Rottweiler-really-we’re-not-lying-about-that-nope) and it was a nice walk except for the *87* other people who were out there flying about on roller blades (backwards no less…I mean seriously how silly is that?), or 8 abreast on their bicycles (why yes, we do own the road) and herds of children who were obviously thoroughly enjoying the beautiful weather. Their parents looked a little less enthusiastic about it.

Miraculously, HRH behaved perfectly. Not a woof, not a growl, not a “lemme at ‘em”. Like a perfect gentleman.

Hurrah!

It won’t last.

My knitting-foo is broken. I am in one of those “can’t do a thing right to say my ass” spells. I have put away the socks (poor socks) and taken up a very basic doggie blanket for the Tierheim. That and a bulky hat knit on Addi circs. which I don’t think I could screw up very easily. Not sure what the deal is but I just can’t seem to focus on fiddly knitting just now. No loss, there’s always room for more critter blankets.

The evening walk was short due to clouds moving in and threatening darkness earlier than I was anticipating. Whilst this is a very crime free area, the drivers are…uhm…well…German. Heggelinstraße is a 1.5 lane road that goes through fields and on out to Kluftern on the main road (B31 or B33, can never remember which is which) and is, in part “private” (but a fair bit after the area we tend to walk in). We get kids out there at one of the benches (nicely placed benches here and there), the one under a walnut tree who sit there and party. I rarely run into them usually being home before they settle in for their fun. But we do get people driving down H’straße at some pretty unsafe speeds, bad enough in the daytime. Very bad at night especially when walking on the shoulder which one has to do at a certain point to make the transition from the fields to the town streets. And no pretty sunset tonight like last night (a glorious red, peach, orange, purple, mauve affair) only rather cloudy and dull. No mention of rain in the forecast so not sure what the clouds are up to. Was nice to see the Alps all silhouetted. Very clear.

Noticed on the way down the alley (only word I can figure that describes rightly what we live down) that only 2 cars (one of which is ours) was parked straight. This is something I’ve noted about Germans. They seem inexplicably unable to park. They so often are at a horrid slant, sometimes taking up two spaces which then shoves anyone else off so that entire rows are borked. This is especially frustrating here on the alley because the spaces are very narrow (and long, oddly) to begin with. We generally, even if everyone is parked relatively correctly) have to disembark the passenger door side before pulling all the way into the space. Then there’s barely room to open the driver door and squeeze out. And no, I’m not that fat! I really can’t understand this inability to park. It’s rampant. Drives me buggy at some grocery stores where there aren’t all that many spaces to begin with and you’ll see someone who has taken up 2 spots. But…hey it’s okay, they can drive FAST.

I was wondering tonight if there was a holiday tomorrow. I think not, I think it’s 2 October, Unification Day. Sure seemed like a lot of kids and folks were out walking about and in a celebratory mode. Maybe they are making a long weekend of it? It was crazy all day out there. And kids were obviously getting together for fun times tonight.

And…it didn’t last. HRH thought it would be a lovely idea to eat a chihuahua. I explained that he would get gas and he, grudgingly, took a pass.

Been digging into the Ann Budd “Getting Started: Knitting Socks” and I think I may be finally getting this. I hope. Book is nicely laid out, has information presented in a manner that makes sense to a total neophyte. Too, there are a lot of nice looking but not brain-melting patterns and she, thankfully, doesn’t trumpet on about how easy things are. <begin mini-rant> I get so frustrated with checking for patterns on the Innerwebs when I see “easy pattern”. Gnah. Well yes, I suppose if you are a veteran knitter some of these “easy” patterns are just that…TO YOU. I wish I still had the URL to one that I found. I swear it would make the Yarn Harlot cry. Easy my ….well…anyway, this book is good. </end mini rant> And it gave me the information all in one place that I need to go ahead and make some socks (with heels, tubes, no problem). Very nice instructions for Kitchner-ing. Oddly I took to that straight away and have no problem with it. I learned that a couple tube-socks ago and like it. Also like 3 needle bind-off. Now if I could just manage to learn how to sew up without it looking like a drunken weasel had hold of the needle.

Small steps.

So cast on for a nice, plain k3,p1 ribbed sock. I’m cross-eyed from the size 1 needles but I have decided that I don’t care if this looks like a deflated sheep when I’m done, I will finish a pair of these. Using Regia Stretch in an ivory colour so I can see what I’m doing. Got about an inch done after a couple of really wonky starts…one should NOT cast on at 0100…at least I shouldn’t. Having a bit of coordination problems with the tiny pins but that stablised out nicely. Experimented with a new (to me) join so blindingly simple I’m embarassed not have thought of it…knit first several stitches of the round with both the yarn from the ball centre and the yarn from the tail. Doh. So, aside from figuring this’ll take about a year to finish (gauge of 9 stitches to the inch) I’m determined.

And in the meantime, I’ve knocked out 3 more pairs of booties. Have to 4th done this evening before bed. I can stay up late since Himself is going to take the first morning walk in exchange for me taking the evening walk. I almost didn’t make the trade as I was feeling lazy but decided having a sleep-in tomorrow would be worth it. Of course I neglected to put on a jacket and about froze to death (bit windy) with just a sweater and camisole. Arms and neck were chilly! And me, with a bazillion scarves laying about. I won’t make that mistake again.

Fighting off a cold. My poor sinuses are just really irked with me. And it got into my throat and upper chest. Night before last I didn’t sleep well for the coughing, sneezing and such. Yesterday was a day decidedly lacking in motivation (more booties resulted) and today I was just tired. Feeling better this evening and am hoping to get a solid night’s sleep. Tired after running about in FN this afternoon. Well hell, I was tired this morning to begin with.

Got my three Jeffrey Archer in prison books. Reading the first one, so far it’s interesting. I think I might’ve been a bit more nervous than he seemed to be were I a peer in prison but then again, I’m rather a wuss.

Himself says the television is calling for storms. Checked the T-Online radar and see nothing of the sort…it is a bit windy out but otherwise, I’m not sure the forecasters have got it right. Did notice on last walk tonight that the snow line is creeping down on the Alps. It’s about half way between the top and bottom of Mt. Sanitas. Better get cracking on a headband for me before it gets overly chilly out there. Having gotten frostbite on my ears years ago I don’t relish the sensation of semi-frozen ears. Oh, wore my tube (acrylics) in my walking boots. That wasn’t so good. I rather expected it wouldn’t be. They’re more meant for ’round the house with my Birks. They just were too…crunchy…in my boots. If I had it to do again (and, y’know…I do, plenty of that yarn left over) I would do ‘em on a size smaller needle.

Okay, off to finish this bootie and then go read Lord Archer’s tales of prison life in the U.K.

Poor Himself has been on a long course of dental work starting earlier this summer. Has been a long haul for him, nearly weekly and I have no idea how he’s maintaining. But he is doing a good job of it. Today, two extractions…wisdom and uh…well one of his molars. It’s a good thing insurance here is as comprehensive as it is. Still we’ll have 20% to cover. I do NOT want to see these bills. Heh.

My sinuses don’t like Germany. I’d forgotten I even had sinuses living in the high desert back in the States. Well I won’t be forgetting I have sinuses anytime soon here. They really dislike the sudden weather changes and the damp. Lately they have been reallyreallyreally acting up and I would like them to stop. Now. Right now. Actually today was marginally better than they have been, no real aches going on. Just realised that. Good. Poured rain most of the day and when it wasn’t pouring, it was misting energetically. Even HRH was not excited about walkies. He did the minimum distance required to empty himself (this dog has the holding capacity of an oil tanker…it’s…amazing) and then gave me the “HOME. NOW!” look. I was happy to oblige. The creek was indeed dredged out and it’s rather boring now. Very straight, water level consistent throughout and no more pretty little waterfalls/rapids. ORDNUNG!

Meh.

So whilst I am waiting for Getting Started Knitting Socks from Amazon.co.uk:

I decided to quick like do another pair of booties for the Flohmarkt. First one done, no problem (finally adjusted what I am thoroughly convinced was a pattern with massive misprints which kept resulting in a bootie that looked like it was meant for a flat-footed clown) but I guess I went to sleep or something on the second one. I noticed about an inch from finishing that I had about 10 errors in it. Humpfh. Rather than bother to pick back and re-do, I ripped and started over. These things are small so it’s no biggie. Hopefully my sock book will show up tomorrow along with the Jeffrey Archer “prison” series that I decided I had to read. I have no idea why I decided this but I did. Hopefully they are interesting since I bought all 3.

Evenings are closing in earlier and earlier and I will go into shock when the time change comes. I rather enjoy long, autumn/winter evenings but I do wish we could keep reasonably long days as well. Although this year I will not be sleeping through most of the daylight hours having finally gotten myself into a schedule that allows me to be up for the entire daylight period. Last winter was not so good in that respect. Long, dark, blah.

I am so envious of the folks ’round here who have fireplaces. It smells wonderful. I have already warned all and sundry that I WILL HAVE A WOODSTOVE at the country house we’ll eventually be moving to. Either that or Germans will get a taste of a full fledged conniption fit. And I’m good at those. I shall whine about arthritis and sinus issues and anything else I can think of that will gain me a woodstove. There is nothing like curling up with a book or some knitting in front of a fire and ignoring the silly weather outside. And I’ll have a view of a twinkling village to boot.

I can hardly wait.

Well except for that whole…moving thing. Ugh.

Hopefully tomorrow I will be knitting a sock from a pattern that doesn’t cause brain cells to fizzle at an alarming rate.

And life will be good.

Odd, kinda creepy things are being seen on our “walkies”. Last week I noticed what seemed to be a small pile of uh…fur. Just fur. Like, not fine like a cat but not dog-like either. This fur was located under the chestnut tree on Heggelinstraße right where the fields start. I noticed this and after looking at it briefly decided to obey my inner wuss and keep on going. It puzzled me but I decided some things need to remain a mystery.

Then the other night Himself asked: “What died under the first tree by the first ditch?”. (We have the fields all sorted out by landmarks.). I did not know because there’d been nothing untoward there earlier in the day when I had last walked HRH. Himself went on to explain what he saw which sounded like a bigger bit of the same thing I saw under the (spreading) chestnut tree. Apparently neither of us have the guts to really investigate.

Actually looked like patches of llama. Hmmm.

The rains are back. On the first walkie this a.m. (which HRH did NOT wish to partake of) we found a city crew on the road apparently dredging the “creek” (still not sure what this is…it comes out of a culvert that runs under the sidewalk on the south side of Heggelinstraße, scarily close to the sewer line…but I’m told that Germany would NEVER allow open sewage and to be fair, the waters look very nice and clear most of the time except when there’s a mysterious foam after a hard rain. Too, people let their doggies drink and play in it. Anyway…along the course of this are places where the banks (one side is fields…corn and hay, the other side is the shoulder of Hegg.) slide a bit and sort of dam up the stream. I guess that’s what they were dredging. Kind of amusing in the middle of a very heavy downpour but I chalked that up to just one more thing I don’t understand about how Germans function. Be interesting to see tomorrow morning what it looks like after their efforts.

I rather like this stream…especially on hot summer days when you can sit under one of the old apple trees along the bank and watch the water running over the stone bottom. This is the stream, though, that SnakeZilla lives in, or so I’m told. I’ve not encountered him and after the last mowing of the banks and today’s dredging I wonder if SnakeZilla is still…lurking to petrify me.

We did the bank thing today, sorting out the savings accounts (no more hectic Augusts for us, thankyouverymuch) and got the paperwork finished on the loan (thanks, ya stooooopid Irish company whose name I won’t mention but which deserves all kinds of nasty thoughts because they don’t pay their bills for over 2 months). So, the stress levels have gone down to…oh…DefCon 4. And we didn’t manage to kill each other. Kind of bummed though because my ideas for birthday and Christmas gifts for my MIL and OIL (oma-in-law…grandmother-in-law) are down the crapper due to lacking the funds to buy the yarn when there was time to do it all. They both have birthdays upcoming (November and December) and then Christmas. I don’t think I dare give ‘em anymore scarves or dishcloths. That might strain even their kindness. Heh. Neither of ‘em are “hat people” so that’s right out.

I suppose I could try to become proficient enough in socks (twitch) but I have my doubts. I’m still not quite groking the whole heel/gusset thing. I did find a couple of good sites that may help me break through the wall on the heel/gusset thing. Will find out in the next couple days. I do have my bulky tube socks. Unfortunately…acrylic. Ah well, it’s all about learning.

Looked in at Real in Nussdorf which usually is a good source of cheap acrylic yarn which I need scads of for the Tierheim project. They only had baby yarn (in gawd-awful colours) and some very shaggy “fun fur” stuff that was too hideous even for the bottom of a kennel. I miss Red Heart that could be found damn near anywhere back in the States. Great, big fat skeins of the stuff. Nothing to compare here.

Rain is ending…for tonight anyway. Looks like more tomorrow which’ll guarantee a soggy walk in the a.m. Creek might even be full. Glad I have a poncho and wellies on order. I expect this’ll continue ’til it gets cold enough to snow. Not sure I’m looking forward to that but I will have an excuse to knit myself a really nice hat or scarf-hood thingie.

Your Score: Tri-Lamb Material

56 % Nerd, 8% Geek, 56% Dork

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.

A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

You scored better than half in Nerd and Dork, earning you the coveted title of: Tri-Lamb Material.

The classic, “80’s” nerd, you are what most people think of when they think “nerd,” largely due to 80’s movies like Revenge of the Nerds and TV shows like Head of the Class. You’re exceptionally bright and smart, and partly because of that have never quite fit in with your peers or social groups. Perhaps you’ve realized, or will someday, that it is possible to retain all of the things that you like about being brilliant and still make peace with the social cliques around you. Or maybe you won’t–it’s really not necessary. As the brothers of Lambda Lambda Lambda discovered, you’re fine just the way you are and can take pride in that. I mean, who wants to be like Ogre, right!?

Congratulations!

Your Birthdate: March 21

You’re a restless rebel with an unpredictable nature.Bright but unbridled, you tend to seek out wild experiences over new ideas. (Yes, well, kinda. I actually am more the ideas bit than the experience bit. Then again that could be age-related because I do recall times when it went the other way.)

People are frustrated by your great potential, but you love your unconventional life. (Uhm, flashback to report cards in school. Oh yeah.)

You’re a heartbreaker. People get attached to you, and then you’re gone. (Not so much. I don’t move very quickly.)

Your strength: Your thirst for adventure (Okay, fair cop.)

Your weakness: Not taking time for slow pleasures (And another.)

Your power color: Hot pink (Not in this world or any other. Ugh. Pink? NoNoNoNo!)

Your power symbol: Figure eight (If I knew what the hell a “power symbol” was, I might be able to agree/disagree.)

Your power month: March (I’ll keep this in mind. Hadn’t noticed actually.)

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

 What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer. You are through those knitting growing pains and feeling more adventurous. You can follow a standard pattern if it’s not too complicated and know where to go to get help. Maybe you’ve started to experiment with different fibers and you might be eyeing a book with a cool technique you’ve never tried. Perhaps you prefer to stick to other people’s patterns but you are trying to challenge yourself more. Regardless of your preference, you are continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as well you should since your non-knitting friends are probably dropping some serious hints, these days.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!

…half moon out and shining, 46f, crisp and starting to smell like autumn. Odd how that smell that I like so much is apparently decaying leaves.

Been an interesting couple of weeks and frustrating but positive as well. We have a client who is dawdling in signing off on their site for no apparent reason. They were all hot ‘n’ bothered to get the work done by 1 August and then…they disappeared for a month “on holiday”. Okay, that was bad enough but since they’ve been back they still haven’t managed to get ’round to just having a look at the site and getting this all done. Very odd and very frustrating since a significant amount of money is involved. So tensions have been a bit high ’round here BUT I’m progressing very well with my anxiety issues. I’m sort of surprised since the stress levels have been kind of up there. Am happy about that though. It’s a journey and some days are better than others but all days are good, one way or t’other.
Going to do a large charity project and I’m tickled pink about it. The local animal shelter would like blankets for their critters and they also have a weekly flea market with all proceeds going to the shelter. I can offload all the stuff that I’ve made that I really had no other place for it to go and hopefully it’ll earn money for all those critters. That would make me soooooo happy.

So, I’ve be bemoaning being unable to get worsted weight here. I’ve seen a bit thinner and a bit thicker but no worsted as I was used to in the States. This kinda bollixes me up but I’m chugging away at mindless knitting for blankets. Basically doing squares that can then be stitched together, if needed, for larger blankets. About 2o inches by 20 inches, so good for the cats and the bunnies and some of the dogs and for the larger ones, as many squares as needed. Finding bulk yarn is not going too well but I’m chiseling away at the stash that I had. Down now to mostly “fancy” (scarf type) or wools that probably wouldn’t suit. I will use those to make stuff for the flea market.

But tonight? Back to the sock saga. Digging around I found a yarn that will make some nice house-socks and it’s starting to get nippy so I’m going to do those up and get used to the whole sock process. It still is kicking my butt and on days when I’m in whinge-mode I wish there were someone ’round here I could say to “Uh…help?” but alas, no such luck. So I have to get it learned by experience. Other issue I have is I absolutely, categorically SUCK at piecing things together. Gawd. Seriously not good at that. But I’ve a bunch of small things done that I can keep trying with ’til that magical “aha!” moment hits. I know it will.

Been really enjoying being outdoors since the heat seems to have (touch wood) finally gone for the year. Averaging in the low sixties during the day…some days rain, other days so beautifully blue, clear, fresh that I wish I could stay out all day. Neem continues to be a pigheaded dog but not troublesome. Just a young fellow who gets so wrapped up in leaping ditches and stalking slugs that he forgets everything else. He’s calming down quite a bit about the cats (he and Fred are in the same room, both snoozing right now and Neem passed on an opportunity to eat Bear earlier today) but he still obsesses about ‘em, spending hours watching them behind their gates. Better than it was and patience is paying off.

Changing my diet a bit due to desire. I’ve gone off red meat (gasp!) in the main and have been craving veggies (actually had broccoli for breakfast the other day) and chicken. Interesting but I’m not arguing. I think the red meat thing is more a case of not bothering to eat the abysmal beef here. It tastes like…grass. Meh. Chicken is pretty good here so I often have that with a veggie. Eating a fair bit of nuts instead of my beloved vice of tater chips. No more caffeine in my life (wah!) and still drink lots of water because I like it. Not a fan of soda anymore. If I can’t have my Coke, I don’t much want anything. Now if I could just get these Germans to stop making such good dark chocolate, I’d be all set. Have lost weight, or gained muscle, not sure. Down a couple sizes in jeans. Heck the ones I bought in June are falling off me now, even straight out of the dryer. That’s good for the ego but not so good since I hate clothes shopping. So need to get a belt, I guess.

Well, there’s a sock waiting for me and I want to get a good bit done tonight whilst it’s quiet and peaceful. Tomorrow more running about to get SK to the dentist and get the kitchen cleaned up. Laundry too. Meh, I hates housework.

Been kind of following the latest chapter in the O.J. Simpson thing. It’s like watching a train wreck. I wonder how this’ll all pan out. Been really interesting seeing on various boards and sites some of the comments. Racial divides are already starting and acrimonious postings are legion. Just got a “breaking news” in email that he bonded out for 125k and had to surrender his passport. I was kind of surprised by that given his little drive-around back in LA in the famous white Bronco. Ah well, it’ll be interesting to see where it goes.