Self-Medicating

Today started off not only as gray and drizzly, but also as one of those days that foretold of any number of things that were going to get my goat. It appeared to be fairly brimming with annoyances. Firstly, I seem to have developed some sort of rash on my upper left arm. I thought it was a sunburn back when I first spotted it well over a week ago and attributed the whole matter to sun sensitivity. That can happen with antibiotics... I took care to keep it well out of the sun. By the time I got to the doctor's on Wednesday, though, it was irritating enough to make me want to mention it.

Too bad I forgot all about it in our rousing discussion of what is the best Greek pastry.

This morning, Mr. Rash was itchy and sensitive to the touch. I quickly hastened to my local purveyor of pharmaceuticals for some of that sweet, sweet hydro-cortisone. That should hold me until I can get the school nurse to look at it.

Issue number two, my seasonal allergies, were rearing their ugly heads fairly forcefully by the time I got there, though. This made my tolerance for Ms. High Hair behind the counter somewhat low. Her decision to wander off to complain to a co-worker about "Susie" and her habit of leaving unsold cigarette packs atop the counters was ill-timed, as far as this Sheep was concerned as I was waiting to purchase my rash relief and couldn't have cared less about Suzie's poor housekeeping habits. Ms. High Hair went into great detail with regard to her complaints despite the fact that there were a number of us waiting to purchase life saving medications and breath mints.

She finally wrapped up her diatribe and returned to the cash register, but not before making her final statement on the subject of her nemesis: "I don't matter what you say to her...she just don't care!"

Irony at the drug store. Too bad I wasn't in the mood to appreciate that.

The next stop was the post office. The plan was to arrive at 9:00 and be one of the first in line to post my postals. And, thanks to Ms. High Hair and her delaying tactics, I was there at exactly 9:00. Too bad the post office is under its own set of rules with regard to punctuality and customer service. They view the whole operation as somewhat flexible...it's not like they don't actually police themselves, really. Ten after nine is just as good as nine and if you don't like it you can write a letter. Just don't try to mail it at nine o'clock.

Then there was the cute little local gal who opted to use the exit lane to scoot ahead of me in line once things opened up and, being of the cute variety, got away with it. I, on the other hand, followed the rules and was not cute, having rolled out of bed, discovered my rash, been struck down by allergies and opted to not wash my hair so I could get these errands done. We, the rashy and unwashed do not get to cut in line. We have to follow the rules and hope that the Beautiful People cut us some slack.

I was rather fired up by the time I got to the counter. But, dang it all to heck, they are so nice at my post office that I just can't hold a grudge. I'm not being sarcastic here...they are all delightful to a fault. You can't stay mad. No matter what happens, you leave happy. It's only later that you remember the slights you suffered and by then it's too late. Besides, if you go back they may have decided to close early and you'll just have to wait for someone of the postal variety to wander back in to hear your complaint.

Yup...the universe was doing its very best to ruin my weekend. A Sheep has a choice at that point: lie down and take it or fight back. I chose the latter, girded my loins, took a hefty slug of decongestant and set to making things better. My weapons of choice were all of the fiber variety:

*I plied the teeny bit of rambouillet left on the bobbins, soaked it and blocked it.

*I went about getting the lamb/silk blend back on the wheel in order that I might go back to spinning that lovely yarn.

*I began spindle spinning some of the shetland that I dyed on Wednesday and spent a good portion of the afternoon declaring my love for all things shetland. There will be many, many rambling posts on the subject of my love for this fiber in the months to come, so you may want to prepare yourself for that.

*I knit on a little cottony something that may or may not remain on the needles...time will tell. But it is sort of pretty and entertained me for today, at any rate.

*I fired up the crock pot and tossed in two ounces of rambouillet top with a little caramel colored dye and am thinking that what emerges is going to be something rather yummy.

(I also had to do a wee bit of school-type work in between all this stuff, but I spaced it out enough so that it didn't take away from my happy-making. No need to discuss this little matter. It was the bitter pill that came with the sweet)

All that fiber therapy did wonders for Sheepie's outlook on the day. By the time The Big, Fluffy Kitty and I settled in for our little afternoon nap, there was a great deal more smiling happening. That could have been the allergy medication talking...but I like to think it was my self-prescribed day of knitting and spinning.

The Smaller, Less Fluffy Kitty (who is by far the more articulate of the household) has proposed writing a paper for The American Journal Of Medicine on the whole phenomenon. I'll let you know how that works out.

SA

Why Some Sheep Are Endangered:

The Time: 2:20 this very afternoon

The Place: The Fifth Grade Hallway

The Players: Sheepish Annie and The Teacher Who Will Soon Hate The Sheep

Sheepish Annie: Hey there, Mr. TWWSHTS! How's it going there, big guy? (The Sheep is in an unusually good mood today for reasons that will be explained later)

Teacher Who Will Soon Hate The Sheep: Why, I'm just fine, Sheepie! And how be you on this fine, fine day? (It is noticeable when The Sheep is all perky and happy at this hour. Normally she is grim and tired-looking after spending her day arguing with children whose sole purpose in this life is to find ways to drive her to bourbon and Botox)

SA: Well, it is just a fine, fine day! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and...guess what?

TWWSHTS: Oh, Sheepie! You know how I look forward to our daily guessing games. But, I'm rather busy today...I've got a whole class just waiting for me to impart my words of wisdom. Why don't you just tell me?

SA: Awwww....you never want to play with me, anymore. Hrmph. Maybe I won't tell you. (pauses then begins to giggle uproariously) Oh, what am I saying?! You know I'm going to tell you! Here it is: You should really be proud to know me. In fact, you should be considering constructing some sort of temple in my honor as I am truly the greatest educator of all time! Wanna know why?

TWWSHTS: (sighing and clearly beginning to be bored with this game) Yes, Sheep. Do tell...

SA: I have managed to skillfully and successfully avoid having to go on any and all end of the year "celebratory" field trips! That's right! I am like a god or something! I zigged, I zagged, I ducked, I dodged and I made it across the finish line without having to board another bus to some locale that amuses children! I rock, that's what I do! I rock out freakin' loud!!!

TWWSHTS: What???? You got out of all of the field trips? All of them? You don't have to go to Washington, the water park, the other water park, the salt marshes, the refinery or the toothpick factory?

SA: (clearly not seeing that her colleague is not finding this conversation amusing in the least) Yup! I am crazy with the mad skills here, my fellow educator. OK. So I managed to luck out on the last one. I was supposed to go to one of the multiple water park trips and that one fell through. But the rest was pure "avoidiatory talent!" I should teach classes or something! I could make a fortune!

TWWSHTS: How, um..."fortunate" for you.

SA: Yeah! I should scoot out and buy a lottery ticket right now! If I win, I'll have t-shirts made up for the whole staff that say, "The Sheep got out of all the end-of-the-year-field -trips and all I got was this lousy t-shirt." That would be hilarious, right???

TWWSHTS: (grim faced...and that's putting it mildly) Yeah...hilarious. Your wit continues to amaze. Now, if you'll excuse me...

SA: (blithely rambling on despite all indications that her fellow teacher is nearing his breaking point) Hey, don't you have to go on a field trip tomorrow? Aren't you going to the waterpark with eight thousand or so fifth graders? Boy, I sure am glad that I've mastered this whole "field trip" avoidance thing! I'll just be sitting back here relaxing in the nice, quiet school while you tell kids fifty or sixty times per minute to not drink the water in the wading pool...kinda ironic, isn't it?

Teacher Who Now Actively Hates The Sheep With The Passion To Ignite A Thousand Suns: Stop talking to me. Never talk to me again. Ever. I am reinstating that restraining order from back when you were actively avoiding the holiday parties in December. (turns on heel and stalks away)

SA: Gee, what's his problem? Some people are so darned sensitive!


Does this make me a bad person? Should I have, perhaps, volunteered to take his place on the field trip? I'm sure that I could have knit one or two rows on the bus or while hiding from the children in the ladies restrooms. Is it wrong of me to feel such a raging surge of happiness at the prospect of not going on one of the umpty-gajillion field trips that are happening right now? I'm thinking that it might be.

And I'm feeling sort of badly over the fact that I just don't care...

SA

WNBP; The Home Version.

Welcome to your Wednesday Night Bullet Post. The night when Sheepie takes a break from coherence and continuity in order that she might bring you any number of random tid-bits from her day. Today's WNBP comes to you after a day spent happily at home. 'Twas a "sick day" for The Sheep. Too many others were competing for my time and attention on this Wednesday and the whole teaching thing came in a distant third. Here's the recap in something of a shorthanded rendering:

*Why I thought you might be interested in a picture taken of my doctor's office from the parking lot, I don't know. But, I was early, had a little time to kill and a camera phone. What else was I supposed to do?

Fascinating, no?

*Prior to my doctor's appointment, I got to go and have another chest x-ray to get some nice shots of my Monkey Pox. I'm hoping for clearing of the lungs and a few nice wallet sizes that I can share with family and friends.

*I am getting really good at the chest x-rays now. In fact, I am fully (and somewhat fetchingly, if I do say so myself) posed in front of the apparatus in the correct position for maximum x-ray effectiveness well before the technician has finished her instructions. This month's visit was extra special because I didn't get the gown that was split up the sides. The neckline was rather torn. But I can live with that. The ventilated hospital wear that they provided me with last time left a little too much Sheep out for public viewing.

*Despite being somewhat jaded about the whole process, I still worry when they go to check the films before sending me on my way. For some reason, I am always expecting to hear someone scream, "Gnomes!!!!" from the developing room, followed by the sounds of a mass exodus. If it takes a really long time for them to come back, I can extend this scenario to include men in bio-hazard suits with Geiger counters and a team of wizards. I can also knit several rounds on my current sock in progress.

*Oh!!! I keep forgetting to tell you guys about this! I found the best chocolate syrup ever. I mean seriously...if you aren't using this I don't know why you even get up in the mornings. It has ruined me for all other chocolate syrups. Sooooooooo good!!!! Trust me. You wouldn't think there'd be a difference in chocolate syrups. But there is.

*In between appointments today, I tossed a couple of ounces of Shetland into the crock pot with some sapphire blue dye just for snorts and giggles. It's not as pretty as chocolate syrup. I mean, really...what is? But it is darned good lookin'! As soon as she's dry, I think I'll take her for a little spin.

*About a billion people out in the real world commented on my Socks Of Summer. They loved the color but couldn't believe that such a wee little thing was ever going to fit a grown up foot. I, ever the smug knitter, patiently explained that things look smaller on the needles. I would then condescendingly explain that the sock would be just fine once fully knit. I was wrong. It was too small. Riiiiiiip! It is now on size one needles and looking a bit more proportional.

* According to the doctor's scale, I have managed to lose a couple of pounds. But not nearly enough to wear a toddler's sock.

*I found out yesterday that I have to go on a 6th grade field trip on Friday. I do not want to go on a 6th grade field trip. Especially not on a trip that ends at a water park. I have been strategically manipulating my schedule for weeks in order that I might avoid all the end of year field trips. Apparently I zigged when I should have zagged. Light a candle for me.

And there you go! I trust that you all made it through the mid-week mark with your wits and needles intact. Here's looking at the light at the end of the tunnel we like to call, "The Weekend."

And the fact that, once that weekend is over, I will have but one short week standing between me and a summer vacation!

SA

Hits And Near Misses.

I commute about forty minutes or so each morning. I can do it in thirty if the traffic is light. (which it generally is at too-early thirty which is when I'm out and about...) The towns I travel through after leaving the Maine Turnpike are of the "quaint" variety. By the standards of the rest of this great country, most places in Maine are actually small and cute. But these are hamlets that even we consider to be petite. So you can imagine the hub-bub that is created by the construction of anything that resembles "big city" in these towns. A mall would probably be enough to cause mass fainting and hyperventilation. But even a small chain-type donut place can be enough to make people a bit silly. And this is just what happened in the town next to my school.

First there was the discussion of the soon-to-be donut place. Then there was the digging of the hole. That attracted the attention of every little boy within a ten mile radius...it was something of a safety hazard for a while there for what little boy (and many girls) can resist the siren song of a large, yellow machine digging a gi-normous hole? Then, after many months of anticipation, there was the actual, honest-to-goodness opening of the donut place. I can only assume that the excitement over this event finally coming to pass was what caused the marked lack of oxygen to the brain on the part of the gentleman who tried to kill me today.

He'd clearly gotten his donuts. This must have just been too much for him to deal with on an emotional level. I know this because he had somehow managed to pull his car out half-way into oncoming traffic. It was a pretty big bag of donuts. I know this because I got to see it. Up close and personal, you might say. As he was blocking the right lane, I was forced to drive in the left. No big deal, really. I was planning on taking a left shortly anyway. But, Mr. Donut must have also been late to work because, not five feet from me, he shot out. And stopped. Traffic going the other way was not conducive to continuing. I was left with few choices at that point.

I slammed on the brakes. As I approached his vehicle, I got to see his donuts and hoped that he felt they were worth being the last thing he was ever going to see on this earth. Realizing that braking wasn't going to be good enough, I took a hard right and narrowly missed his bumper by inches. Thankfully, the guy behind me was observant enough to realize my situation in the blink of an eye. He gave me the room I needed to borrow his part of the lane and maneuver. With great squealing of tires and widening of eyes, I was able to get around Mr. Donut. If this doesn't impress you, then know this: I was holding my coffee at the time. I did it with but one Sheepie hoof on the wheel and didn't spill a drop, thank you very much!

I still don't understand why the entire town didn't drop what they were doing and give me a rousing round of applause. They were probably all distracted with worry about whether the donuts were OK...

Yeah. It was a miss. And I'm rather grateful for that. The truck, clearly feeling chagrined over it's poor behavior over the last few months, rose to the occasion and made the maneuvers that the situation required of it.

Now let's talk about a hit, shall we? A good kind. The rambouillet that I am spinning as part of my Wooly Wonka exotic fiber club was dry when I arrived home and it is happily skeined.

OK...it is badly skeined. But it is still rather happy!

I have to admit that the whole time I was spinning it, I feared disaster. Were you in the vicinity of my humble home on any of the weekends that this was on the wheel you might have heard things like:

Dang it! There's another floofy part!

Wait...how did it get so much thinner?!!

That doesn't look right...

What was I thinking???? Joining a fiber club...I must be crazy! Me? Spinning the same exact wool that everyone else is spinning! Just what I need! My spinning up for comparison! Oh woe is this sad, sorry excuse for a Sheep!!!

But, you know what? After its final plying and dip in the warm waters...it ain't half bad!!! In fact, I think I did rather well with it. It is a bit finer than I was shooting for, but I think it will still work for the club pattern. The nubbly parts that looked so ungainly in the singles seemed to just blend in beautifully. The finished yarn is soft, springy and lighter than air! I don't know whether to knit with it or just snuggle it.

Or strap it to my bumper. It could cushion me in the event of further encounters with donut-distracted drivers.

SA

The Plan Is In Motion.

I'll admit that my rush to the store yesterday to purchase index cards might not have been exactly my most stellar example of organization. I used all of three of them to randomly jot down a few musings about what I thought I might like to get done over my upcoming summer vacation. Despite my best intentions and desires to create a system of multiple project management, I really only spent about ten minutes on the whole thing before I wandered off in search of more interesting diversions and a cold soda pop.

Still, it must have had some effect. No, no...I didn't exactly finish anything. Let's not get all carried away, now. But I did make some respectable progress on the rambouillet. In fact, I pushed through numb fingers and an aching back in order that I might spin the second bobbin into submission then ply it to my will. I even had a skein soaked and blocking when I flopped my weary self into bed last night about thirty minutes later than I should have. The fatigue showed today, I fear. Ms. Sheep was not exactly the most tolerant of teachers. In fact, I was something of a screaming shrew at points. In my defense, there were a couple of students who were just bound and determined to make our last two weeks together less than enjoyable. I begged them to see the error of their ways, look into my fiery eyeballs and see the fate that awaited them. They weren't really on board, though. They were sort of committed to their ill-chosen courses of action. I almost have to respect them for that even if they were clinging to the belief that it was a splendid idea to engage in paperball fights. They really just picked the wrong day... There is a vein in my forehead that has still not stopped throbbing visibly. I probably should have gone to bed a wee bit earlier.

But, I don't regret it. Not one little bit. The plan is moving forward. The Index Cards Of Summertime Structure have had their say. Sheepie has some new yarn!

Shhh...it's still blocking. We don't want to disturb it.

And, in other news, the mailbox continues to contain great things for Sheepie. In full defiance of the mojo that brought me a case of the Monkey Pox on my 42nd birthday, I am bound and determined to bring back the "happy" into this household!. Take a gander at what I got today!

Dontcha just love these little stitch markers?????

Now, there is no need to be jealous of my new loot. There are several ways that you could actually get yourself some of these super-sweet stitch markers. You could:

1. Go visit Mousie and purchase some for yourself. (A very sensible way to get it done, really)

2. Come to my house and try to steal mine. (Less than sensible. I have attack cats, after all!)

3. Go to my Relay For Life fundraising site, make a donation and get your name entered in the drawing! You might win a set for your very own self! (A very frugal way to do it and you won't get any nasty scratch marks from the savage kitties.)

Thanks Mouse! I just love these sweet little stitch markers. I'll be wearing my set to the Relay as inspiration. I often wear my pretty stitch markers on a chain around my neck...don't you? C'mon! They're as nice as any jewelry I have! And, when one is walking in a circle for 18 hours, what better to have as bling than a red Chuck Taylor and a happy, little sheep? Since Mouse was kind enough to send a couple of extra markers just for little old me, I'd say it was fate!

And now The Sheep must get a few things done about the house. It is highly likely that bedtime will be coming a bit early tonight. I'd like to think that I'll get a bit more spindling done before bedtime. But, I probably shouldn't count on it. I fear that the students may mutiny tomorrow if they have to experience another day on the high seas of education with this fiber-crazed captain at the helm.

Maybe I should make up some notecards with a sleep schedule on them...

SA

Clearing The Decks.

My first thought upon awaking this morning was of index cards.

OK...that's not really true. My first thought was actually something like, "Hrumph..gurgle...shrobtufoofle..." And then I went back to sleep for another hour and a half.

Which was something of a problem. Because when I woke up the second time, I had the whole index card thing going on. And I needed to get to the store very, very quickly. Because, late last night as I was greedily running my fingers through the vast variety of lovely fibers currently living in my home and awaiting their turn on the wheel, I had a realization. Having many new fibers to spin means...well...you have a lot of fiber to spin. This could mean only one thing!

I needed a plan!!!

Now, truth be told, this really isn't all that big a deal. I have two more weeks of school and then the summer is upon me. I will have plenty of time to do many of the things I want to do. But, having experienced nigh on twenty summer vacations in my professional teaching career, I am fully aware of how short the vacation can seem when you have decided to do too many things. And I frequently over-reach in my goal setting. Still...it wasn't going to hurt to prioritize things a little bit. A list would be just the thing to help me out with this planning process.

I live in a home with plenty of paper products, many of which are suitable writing surfaces. I have Post-It notes, writing tablets, fancy stationery, memo pads and used envelope backs. Any of these would have done the job. But, I had it in my head that only index cards were going to do the trick for this project and there was no convincing me otherwise. I needed to go to the store and I needed to go quickly.

Despite having slept later than I meant to, I made it to the grocery store to do the weekly marketing without incident and index cards were procured. I scampered home, pleased as punch with my high tech organizational system in hand, and hurried to put away the frozen foods in order that I might begin making the lists that would change my life as a fiber aficionado forever.

Anyone need some index cards? I used about three of 'em. The lists are fairly impressive and I may even get to half of these projects between the months of June and August. Assuming, of course, that I don't lose these lists between now and then. Which is disturbingly likely. Maybe I should hang on to the index cards...just in case.

Despite the amount of time I took out of my life (that I will never get back) thinking about lists and my burning desire for index cards, I have to admit that it was sort of fun. I rather like thinking about all the things I will soon be able to do without the time constraints of day to day employment. The loss of Job #2 will mean even more time with which to play. It will also mean less dollars with which to fund the doing of things, but I think I can live with that. I know that I probably won't get to all of it. That's OK. The planning is half the fun of it all, really.

But, like all good things, this will come to she who waits. And she who finishes up what she has going on in the here and now. Today, I finished the second bobbin of rambouillet and the plying has begun. I'm hoping to get it done tonight...we'll see how that plays out. Even if it doesn't get done, it is in the home stretch so I'm thinking it will be finished before the summer vacation commences. The spindles didn't see as much action as I'd hoped this weekend so I may try to fiddle with those a bit this week and see how far I can get on those yarns. Once spinning space is cleared, I need to return to the lamb/silk blend. That remains in the early spinning stages and plying is still pretty far in the future. That task is going to take some focus once the vacation begins.

With those projects happily snuggled up in the finished yarn drawer, I will be able to start playing with the new stuff. Summer fun, I tells ya!!

There was an index card devoted to the knitting projects as well. I'm rather excited because I just got the Knit 2 Together book and I hear that there are some really neat patterns in there. But, I don't know that for a fact...

I haven't exactly been able to read it yet.

Before I sign off for the day and begin getting ready for the first day of the last two weeks of school, I'd like to say a big, "thank you!!!!" to everyone who helped out with Mommy Sheep's quest to become a more knowledgeable quilter. And an extra big shout out to Lorraine who offered books from her very own stash to help get Mom started. I am so fortunate to have such talented and generous people in my blog circle. I knew I could count on you guys to get her off to a good start!

Have a great week!

SA

A Call For Quilters And A Surprise For Sheepie

We don't often talk about it. I like to think that everybody just politely ignores it. But, I think that, by now, we are all familiar with The Sheep's strategy for taking up new hobbies. It is unique in it's very lack of strategy.

It all starts with me saying something like, "I've got a great idea!" This idea marinates for a while. A short while... And before I have completely thought the process through, asked any really pertinent questions, read the directions and donned the appropriate safety equipment, I'm off and running. More often than not you will find me, many dollars later, sitting in a pile of fabric, needles, pine cones or glitter muttering, "I don't know where I went wrong..." My thirty or so loyal readers sit back in either abject horror or well-meaning amusement as I fight my way back to the starting point and try again to achieve the desired whatever-the-heck-it-was that I was aiming for in the first place. I will go through this process several times before I finally get there. And, by the time I have arrived, I have, more often than not, come up with some other brilliant scheme for creating beauty out of raw materials.

It makes for good entertainment for you and is the only learning curve that works for me. What can I say? I enjoy a good symbiotic relationship...

This is how I do stuff. It is my way. However, it is not Mommy Sheep's way. Mommy Sheep reads the directions. She takes the time to figure out what she is doing well before she cuts up fifty dollars worth of designer fabric or mahogany dowels. She measures twice, cuts once. Daddy Sheep is like that, too. For that matter, Baby Brother Sheep is a rather methodical sort of fellow... What the heck happened in my genetic makeup????? I mean, you'd only have to see us all together to rule out adoption. There is no mistaking the family link, here. Sheesh...

Any-hoo...Mommy Sheep just got herself a brand new and rather fancy sewing machine. To say that she deserved it would be an understatement since her old model was the one I remembered from my childhood and I am somewhat "vintage" myself. It does all sorts of amazing and wondrous things and she has asked me if I might know of anyone who could recommend some good beginning quilting resources. She, being a reasonable sort, is looking to start with a table runner. (some of you will remember that I plunged ahead last summer on a full sized nine patch with rather sad results...) If you know of any good books or websites for the newbie quilter, would you please leave a comment for me? Mommy Sheep would be grateful and I think we would really all prefer it if she got her advice from people who know what they are doing rather than my stepping in on this one.

There was a time in my life when I wouldn't have believed that I could just type up a few paragraphs, hit "Publish Post" and be guaranteed that a response would come. But I know now that there will be some help on this one in my in-box before I can say, "Gee, I wonder if anyone is even reading this thing..." Because, you see, people are nice. Very nice. How do I know this? Well, there are examples of it every day and so many people have been nice to me right on this very blog. Sometimes, though, you get a reminder that is overwhelming in its generosity. Sometimes, you get an email from none other than Snooze.

For those who don't know of Susie, she dyes things. Beautiful things. Specifically, she dyes woolly things. And people buy them. They buy them so darned fast that I don't know how she keeps up. Last summer, when I had a pair of socks go tragically wrong, she sent me a skein of her hand painted sock yarn to soothe my ego a bit. Now, all my handknit socks are favorites in their own way...but these babies saw a lot of wear. The colors were perfect, held up to washing and went with darned near everything I owned. And the yarn? Mmmmm.....

So what is a Sheep to do when someone this talented notices that she is a spinner and offers up some handpainted roving for sock yarn? A Sheep says yes, that's what she does! And when Susie learned that I am a self-taught spinner who would like to take a stab at doing things the right way for a change, she even offered to send a book along that would be helpful in mastering techniques. Wow!!!

I awaited my package with all the giddy anticipation of a school girl! I was expecting a smallish box with the average two to four ounce package of roving and a book. Imagine my surprise when I opened the not-so-smallish box and found this:

No...I am not kidding.

Along with the hand dyed merino came a sample of almost every wool known to sheepkind with Susie's hope that I was feeling better and would enjoy experimenting and playing with different fibers. I was stunned...stunned beyond words for a moment, there. (believe it or not)

Even Desdemona was beside herself...she is a great lover of the woolly things. Note the somewhat greedy expression in her little eyes. I may have to watch her...

I won't list all the lovely fibers that came in this box 'o happy as you will be hearing all about them when the hit the dye pot, spindle and wheel over the next few months. I'll just let you look forward to it...as I am!!! There are really no words that can begin to express my thanks for such a wonderful gesture. A simple Thank You is the best I can do and yet it seems like so little. You are the best, Susie! I will follow your directions to the letter, play with it and enjoy it to the utmost! You made my day! Heck, you made a good chunk of my summer vacation!

Now, I must bid you all good day while I go whirl various spindles and wheels, make some needles click and review the dye supply. 'Cause, ya know what?

I think I have a great idea!!!

SA

Welcome To Maine

This post is dedicated and specifically addressed to the nice man who inadvertently got in the wrong lane entering the Maine Turnpike this afternoon. He needs my help. I must take time out of my busy schedule, set aside the napping and complaining about having the Monkey Pox to assist him in better understanding how we do things around these parts. Fiber content to follow. I thank you for your patience.

Dear Guy In The White Car Who Meant Well And Was Just Trying To Be Honest,

Hi there and thank you for choosing the Great State Of Maine for your weekend get-away. We surely do appreciate your tourist dollars and how you give us something a little different to look at on the way home from work or shopping. But, you would do well to study up a bit before trying to do something tricky like get on the toll highway. Clearly you need a little tutorial before attempting this feat again. Let me see what I can do to help you out.

Maine is on the EZ Pass system. This is a handy way for those of us who commute regularly to avoid having to stop for that pesky ten seconds that it takes to hand change to the toll guy. We can use any lane we darned well please because we have paid for the privilege. Well, assuming, that is, that we have a plan that covers the entire Turnpike. Which I do not. And this has led to some problems at times, I will admit, but we are talking about you not me right now so let's just stay focused, shall we?

Now, where was I? Ah, yes! EZ Pass... Now, the lanes are pretty clearly marked. The one with the giant sign that is bigger than my entire condo which says, "EZ Pass only, all others prohibited" is for us. We are the Chosen Ones. But, I can understand how you might miss it. You do, after all, have to look up slightly. It's an easy mistake. And the Maine scenery being what it is, I can certainly understand how you could get distracted and all. I'm sure that this is the explanation for your having found yourself in the lane that is designated for those of us with the electronic pass to freedom. I did pause to wonder, though, how one with a New York license plate has never once been confronted with an EZ Pass situation...

I applaud your honesty in refusing to pass through the toll gate to the open road that is the Maine Turnpike. You are truly a gentleman of the Olde School who does not like to take advantage of the taxpayers here in our lovely state. Very thoughtful of you.

But, your decision to stop rather than go created something of a problem for those of us where were very, very tired after a full day of teaching, an unexpected long meeting after school and the need to purchase the bribes for the children who managed to behave themselves for most of this week. We were kind of expecting to just drive through the magic scanner thingie and be on our way. We were unprepared for your brake lights. We were even less prepared when you decided to back up and try to do the right thing by going to a regular toll lane. The seven of us who were behind you were left to back up frantically and take on something of an "every man for himself" sort of mentality. Again, I see how you meant well. But, to say that your plan backfired would be an understatement. Big time...

May I offer a suggestion? It may sound radical, but I can assure you that it does, in fact, work. Next time you are in this position, why don't you just drive through? Now, bear with me here...I know that this sounds like a caper of the most nefarious sort. But, I can assure you that the Maine State Police are really rather busy and that they are not monitoring every single toll booth. And, if it is really bothering you, you can call the Maine Turnpike Authority at your earliest convenience, confess your sin and offer to make it right. They will be eager to help you. You don't even want to know how many times I goofed and went through the wrong lane back when I was driving a rental during my car repair woes. Trust me. As one who was raised in the fine tradition of guilt as a means for ensuring better behavior in the future, it is easier to live with the knowledge that you have snuck onto the highway than you might think.

I also know (by virtue of the fact that I work with someone who was recently in this situation) that it is far less expensive to pay a ticket for accidentally going through the wrong lane than it is to be charged with obstructing traffic. Or causing an accident. That is rather expensive as well.

So, dear sir, to recap: Your intentions? Noble. Your actions? Maddening and rather dangerous. The solution? Suck it up, drive through and deal with the guilt that will plague you for far less time than you think. A better option? Look up. There is a sign that will tell you which lane is open to you.

And, as always, I hope you enjoy your visit. Please feel free to roam our state to your heart's content. Just see if you can't do it while going forward. Backward isn't working for you. Or me. Or anyone else...

Best wishes for a lovely vacation,
The Sheep


When not advising the tourists on the best way to handle dangerous situations like going through a tollbooth, I sometimes like to pick up my mail. And I'm so glad that I took a minute to do that today. Lookee what came for little ol' me from Wooly Wonka!!!

New spindle, new fiber...does it get any better????? Methinks not.

I placed this order on Sunday. Got it today. If you factor in that this package came almost from the other side of the country and that Monday was a holiday, you have some idea just how quickly Anne ships out those orders. I immediately began spinning up some of the shetland that Cathy sent me a while back when I first started showing signs of becoming all sickly and stuff. I do love having sample packs with which to play...the idea I'm working on is a little combination of a thinly spun silk/alpaca blend in deep dark blue and a thick and thin silvery shetland. Plied together, I think I will have something almost boucle-ish! And if it doesn't work then we simply un-ply and try something new. Either way, I've been playing with the spindles and this is going to make for a good day.

That's me...giving of my vast knowledge base to others and optimistically experimenting with the fibers. And, yes, I am back on the narcotic cough medicine again.

Why do you ask?

SA

WNBP!!!!

Well, I seem to have gotten my "what-the-heck-day-is-this?" syndrome under control and am ready to do my regular Wednesday Night Bullet Post. If it isn't Wednesday and I'm not back on anything resembling a schedule that fits in with the rest of the world, please don't tell me. Just nod, smile and talk about me after I leave. Let me cling to the belief that I have some semblance of control, here...

*I set the alarm ten minutes earlier today. I decided that I needed the extra time in the morning to prepare myself for the day. It would have been a good idea. But, for some reason, those extra ten minutes seemed far greater than the sum of their parts as I strolled about my home, blithely assuming that I had all the time in the world. Ten extra minutes is naught but ten extra minutes. Used well, they can ensure that you leave the house with your cell phone, a healthy lunch and wearing shoes. Spent lolling about on the couch checking your email and congratulating yourself on getting up so much earlier simply makes you later than you would have been had you just gotten up at the usual time. And also seems to lead to a great deal of bad language accompanied by arm flapping. (for the record, this doesn't help matters, but it often seems like the thing to do under these types of circumstances)

*I am beginning to accept that, perhaps, starting back on the workouts might have been something of a judgement error on my part. I was feeling like something of a big, fat, whiny baby over the whole pneumonia thing and wondering if I wasn't just looking for attention and an excuse to lay around eating bon bons. Well...I am a big, fat whiny baby, that's true. But, I probably should have waited another week. I did thirty minutes on the bike and fifteen minutes with the weights tonight (this is a bit less than my usual routine) after I realized that I had an opening in my busy schedule today. Now I'm all achy and had a low fever earlier tonight.. It was a very, very low fever and nothing to worry about. But it seems odd to have any type of fever when you are taking antibiotics. Thankfully, it went back down but I guess I should maybe take it easy for the rest of the week...

*The past couple of days have been just lovely. Nice warm weather...and I'm so very glad it is going to rain tomorrow. My students are just itching for summer vacation and have lost all patience with me and my attempts at educating them per state and federal law. They do not care that I am contractually obligated to provide them with a certain number of days filled with all that I have to teach them. They would rather be outside playing Kick The Can or torturing hapless wildlife. Rainy days tend to go a bit better. It sort of takes the sting out of being stuck with me for six straight hours. Frankly, I can see their point. I'm not all that thrilled to be stuck there with me either.

*For the record, I have twelve more days of school left. This is a good thing. And I refuse to allow the fact that I have about ten million things to get done before the closing bell take away a single ounce of my joy. The workload may impact on the blogging just a little bit, though. Bear with me for the next few weeks, 'kay?

*The good thing about summer vacation is that I will have more time for the knitting and spinning. Those of you who have just about had it with the endless parade of socks and scarves that I've been posting about with all the pride of a practiced lace knitter can look forward to more variety in your blog viewing options. I'm not saying that they will be "good" projects. There will be an endless parade of poorly executed dishcloths and vests. But it will be a change in the scenery and everybody needs a change every now and again, right?

*The Very Scary Automatic Air Freshener seems to have finally died a natural death. No more will I have to watch the Smaller, Less Fluffy Kitty shoot five feet in the air every nine minutes when it lets loose its blast of chemical freshness. I never did muster up the courage to face it head on and risk a cloud of air freshener in the face in order that I might simply shut it off. It was just too intimidating. But, come on! An air freshener that frightens the household pets to the point where you actually need an air freshener seems like something of a sinister plot to me. I wasn't going to tangle with this tool of the devil!


And there you have it: your weekly dose of the random. Now I must bid you all good evening and go ponder tomorrow's alarm clock setting. Do I go with earlier or later? Which would result in more of the morning efficiency?

For the record, this will not be an issue 13 school days from now.

SA

Better Judgement?

It is so very, very rare to find myself of one mind on any issue. Hysterical Mind and Rational Mind simply never can find that middle ground that would allow me to follow one path. The last time I can recall them joining forces was when they decided that we should not travel down to Rhinebeck in the ailing truck for fear that we might break down on the side of the road or spontaneously combust and take out a busload of nuns delivering hot meals to the needy. That would have taken much of the fun out of the fiber festival...

Mostly, though, they just argue with one another over the best course of action. This is why I never get anything done. By the time one or the other has swayed me to their way of thinking, the opportunity to act has passed or I've forgotten why I cared so much to begin with. Or I get hungry.

Today's input from the two halves of my gray matter was remarkably in sync, though. Sure, their reasons were rather different. But they both stated strongly and for the record that I should bail on the workout today. They were of the opinion that I would do better to simply come home, put on my jammies and have a little frozen yogurt while watching afternoon cartoons.

Rational Mind, being somewhat more logical, put it this way:

We have pneumonia. We are are feeling much better, but remain rather tired. Falling asleep this afternoon while working with a student in one of his regular education classes is a clear indication of this fatigue. The strong possibility that we may have actually snored during this time period is another indicator. We would do better to wait one more week and go back to the exercise routine in a stronger and more "oxygenated" place.

Hysterical Mind, although of the same opinion, was a bit less logical:

Are you crazy??!!!! We have the Monkey Pox!!!!! Just look at us! We are all sallow and tired. The least little bit of exertion is going to send us spiraling back down to the depths of illness and further sallowness! This is not a good look for us...we need to rest. We need to recuperate. We need chocolate!!! Yeah, that's it!!! Chocolate!!! And, if you recall, we had the hives this weekend, as well. Those hives probably indicate that we are having some sort of medication reaction!!! Sure, you can go ahead and think that it is a wool allergy from all the spinning, but you don't know that!!!!! Do you want to spend what may be our last moments on this planet all sweaty and gross??!!! Or with hives??? No!!! We should just lie perfectly still, monitor our pulse and respiration then see if we can't make our peace just in case the worst should come to worst!!!!

I reviewed everybody's thoughts on the matter, weighed my options then made my decision based upon the input of another who lives in this household: the waistband on my jeans. Mr. Waistband spent the better part of the day complaining about how both of his halves should be meeting somewhere around my belly button and questioning why this is such a problem today. Mr. Waistband also noted that we will only have time for one workout this week due to meetings and such. He, by virtue of his having spent the day digging into my belly and sides, won the argument handily.

I did the workout. I knit upon the Socks of Summer while I pedaled my little exercise bike and tried to ignore Hysterical Mind and Rational Mind as they complained about the difficulty of this particular salute to fitness and put me through every version of "I told you so" that they could think of. They did not make it fun. It was rather grueling. I hated every single minute of it. I huffed, I puffed and every muscle ached. But I did it.

Good thing, too. Both HM and RM seemed to want some of the nice frozen yogurt for dessert tonight. And neither would rest once we found a rich vein of chocolate sauce running through the center. We mined it thoroughly.

Now they both want credit for the decision to do the workout today. It is over and we are all full of chocolate sauce so they are suddenly feeling rather virtuous about the whole thing. But, I know the truth...

The waistband runs the household.

SA

On Your Mark, Get Set...

...Go!!!

Or not. This weekend marks the beginning. Those of us who live in the vicinity of sand, surf and cotton candy must now prepare for the onslaught. I do love the summer. Mostly because, as a teacher, I get to take it off. And, since Job #2 is going away, it looks like I'll be taking my first real summer vacation in years.

But, there is a downside. Traffic will increase as will my encounters with stupidity in the grocery store. I hate to use the word, "stupidity." It sounds all cranky and demeaning to others. And no one really means to hamper my shopping in any purposeful sense. It's just that I am a magnet for stupid occurrences and, with the aisles containing about three hundred more people per square foot, the odds of something ridiculous happening increase exponentially.

But, I'm open to the idea that summer can be a good thing and embrace it with all the gusto of a golfer in a plaid pants store. (note: golfers of the better dressed set need not send hate mail. I am just trying to come up with a good metaphor and my literary fount seems to be a bit stopped up at the moment) The long Memorial Day weekend has given me a little taste of what is to come and I'm gearing up. Even my beverages have that festive air about them:

It's what all the smart Mountain Dew bottles are wearing this season!

I saw these little bottle/can cozies in the grocery store and just couldn't resist! Who doesn't love an Hawaiian shirt???? (note: golfers of the better dressed set may now roll their eyes and question how I could suggest that my fashion sense is better than that of the plaid pants wearers. I completely understand the reaction) It keeps my Mountain Dew protected from the warmer air and my hands don't get all soggy with the condensation. It was an investment, really.

Along with my realization of the season came a little of the summer heat. This would normally curtail the knitting somewhat and send me scampering to the wheel for some spinning action. However, after yesterday's marathon session with the rambouillet, we seem to be having something of a reaction to that particular fiber. A couple of mini hives made an appearance last night and again this morning. It could be anything from the antibiotics I'm currently eating like candy, the humidity or any number of things in my environment. But, I'm starting to see a little bit of a pattern in these reactions and am beginning to suspect the lanolin. Rambouillet is a wee bit more greasy than other fibers with which I've worked. I noticed the same reaction with the Lincoln I was knitting up a few months ago and that was one that I knew I hadn't washed as well as I could have. I opted to put Mr. Rambo away for a little bit and return to it later. I'm something of a "face toucher" and that's where I noticed the hives. I'll have to make sure that the hands are washed and that I limit the spinning time, I suppose. Too bad. I was just getting the hang of this particular fiber and starting to really enjoy spinning it. Never fear, though. It is still more than workable and I fully anticipate being able to finish it up and even knit the pattern that came with it.

And I guess I'll just have to have a few other projects in the works to keep my days filled in between rambouillet sessions.

::sigh::

I suppose I'll just have to break down and do a bit more of the spindling.

::sighing again, loudly for effect::

Good thing I just ordered another spindle...I had to force myself to do it. I mean, why would I want another spindle??? (if you aren't catching the irony here then you aren't really trying) But, I guess I'll just have to suck it up and learn to love it. There is no other choice.

And if I happened to order a little bit more fiber to spin upon it then I suppose we will just have to deal with it. Summer is here, after all.

One must adjust to the season. And I don't look all that great in Hawaiian shirts...

SA

Gimme Space!!!!

There is an imminent disaster waiting in the wings over here at Sheepie's House Of Unfinished Projects and Monkey Pox. And, when it finally comes to pass, I am going to look like the bad guy. There will be great outcries on behalf of the injured party or parties and I will be painted in the blackest shades of black. But, I'm stating clearly and for the record here that I am doing my best to avoid the tragedy. However, I am in my early forties and not nearly so limber or quick of reflexes as I used to was. There may be no getting around it.

For the past week, no matter where I want to place a foot, there seems to be a cat already occupying the space. They may not have been there a nanosecond prior to my arrival. But one or both of them will be there by the time my cute, strappy sandal hits the carpet. I swear to you, I half expect to see my feline roommates when I'm shopping at the grocery store. (In my mind's eye, they are pushing a tiny, little cart filled with Meow Mix and salmon fillets...and talking about me.) To date, I have not stepped on anyone. But that has been more due to luck than skill on any of our parts. Any day now, we will have a bruised paw. Or I will tumble ignominiously to the floor after some comical ballet involving my balancing precariously on one hoof while trying to find a clear space to put the other. This shouldn't be all that hard, but at least one of the felines is easily panicked and tends to move from safe spot to safe spot, thereby preventing me from returning to the security of a two-footed stance.

Like I said...it's only a matter of time.

I've been home a bit more lately and I guess we're all just getting in each other's space. But summer vacation is fast approaching and, if we don't work out who belongs where sometime soon, I think we may have some problems. I simply fail to see how, once I am home on a daily basis for a couple of months, we can manage to continue in our uninjured states.

I just wanted to get that on the record. I am doing my best. Please don't hold me in utter disdain when the one fluffy kitty or another is boo-hooing over her smooshed paw. I'm going to feel badly enough...

Frankly, it has seemed safer to find an acceptable activity and just stay put for as long as possible. Having finished the second of the Sweet, Stripey Socks, I decided to park myself behind the wheel and make some serious progress on the Rambouillet from Wooly Wonka. And, once forced to attend to the task for an extended period, I managed to spin the first half.

The Results Of Enforced Sitting.

Just to be on the safe side, I also started The Socks Of Summer. Being mildly incapacitated with the Monkey Pox/Pneumonia at the moment (but improving rapidly, thanks!) I opted to go for the comfort knitting and subject you all to yet another pair of boring stockinette socks. But, the yarn is really cool and was dyed by none other than the famous Samurai Knitter herself.

Let its sheer beauty entertain you in order that you might be less bored by my uninspired knitting.

I promise to do something with a bit more "oomph" once school is out for the year, 'kay? Right now, I just need something mindless and instant in the gratification department. Something I can't screw up too badly...

'Cuz if I throw it across the room I'll have to go and get it. And I will step on a cat.

SA

I'm Supposed To Be In Bed Right Now.

I even promised Mommy Sheep that I would refrain from writing anything tonight so that I could tuck my tired, Monkey Poxed self into bed right when I got home. The Sheep family had a lovely time at the cookout. Uncle Sheep The Elder, who has been unwell and off his feet for the last few months, recovered and was able to make the trip from New York with Cousin Sheep. Uncle Sheep, The Younger along with Auntie Sheep, Newly College Graduated Cousin Sheep and her boyfriend also made the trip. They saw fit to bring along some of this Sheep's favorite lemon squares and these gooey chocolate things that have changed my life and made me want to become a song writer in order that I might compose some sort of anthem to them. Also present was one rather spunky 8 year old grandson of Mommy Sheep's cousin (Which would make him some sort of relation of the "second" variety and umpty times removed, but I've never really managed to get a handle on the actual titles of the distantly related. Still, he is a cutie and I'm just going to call him, "cousin") This little feller took a likin' to his older Sheepie relation and, after asking me if I was in college, is now my favorite relative. I was happy to wile away the visit playing cards and having tic-tac-toe tournaments.

I was a bit tuckered out when all was said and done, though. So I really did promise that I would go home and go to bed. I am, after all, a fragile flower who must take to my fainting couch after such raucous and rousing good times.

But, I just had to stop by the old blog and put up a picture. Finished Objects haven't exactly been plentiful of late. If I didn't just post the picture before hitting the hay, I feared that I would be awake all night just thinking about how surprised everyone would be when faced with proof that I do actually still knit every once in a while. This would not be good for my Monkey Pox recovery. I could relapse from the exhaustion and have to go to some sort of rehabilitation facility for wheezy Sheepies. No...it was better to just pop online and get the picture up in order that I might avoid an extended period garbed in unflattering hospital wear. Take a look!

The Sweet Stripey Socks are finished!

And now I can sleep the sleep of the just. For I, The Sheep, have proven that I am capable of finishing one or two of the knitting projects. And, as if that wasn't enough...

the stripes match!!!!!!!!!

SA

TNBP...just go with it!

I'm a mess this week. With this latest round of the Monkey Pox raging all over my Sheepie self, I seem to have had some difficulty figuring out what day is what. I completely forgot that yesterday was Wednesday! (it was, wasn't it? I've got a great deal of codeine coursing through my system these days and don't even know my own phone number any more, really.) How about I do a Thursday version for you? Will that work? I'm feeling a bit random right about now. I think I can pull it off. Lets give it a shot:

*Thanks, everybody, for all the nice "get well" wishes and knitting suggestions. It meant a lot. I was feeling a bit low after getting the pneumonia diagnosis, truth be told. I was hoping to avoid this.

*Today was a bit better, though. I didn't cough nearly as much, which is nice. The down side of the whole affair is that I seem to have Monkey Pox with a side of sinus infection. My right ear continues to block up after a day of exercising my vocal chords "discussing" the finer points of appropriate behavior with my students. Not only does it block up, but it clears itself with this rather horrid "popping" and "squeaking." I wouldn't mind so much if it didn't kind of hurt. But I'm back on antibiotics now so I suspect that I am kicking its little arse even as I loll about on the couch. Ha!!!

*Speaking of antibiotics, here's a little tip for my doctor and her staff: It would be extremely helpful if you would give me a heads-up when you call in prescriptions for me. I knew that there was a nice little bottle of cough syrup waiting for me behind the pharmacy counter. I asked for that and was going to pick it up tomorrow. However, if you are of the opinion that I need to go back on antibiotics, it is more likely that I will actually take them if you include me in the discussion. And, for that matter, it would also be nice if you told me that you had scheduled a chest x-ray for me. It is rather important that my chest be there if an x-ray is planned. It is a good thing I called today...this is how I "keep up." Had I not thought to give you a jingle I would be blissfully unaware of my sickly state, the lifesaving medications required for its curing and where I need to be to get pictures of it. I am sick. I have a full calendar right now what with the resting and coughing. I need advance notice if I am going to stay on top of anything else...particularly those things I am paying you to take care of!

*Ignore that last rant. I love the staff at my doctor's office. They are wonderful and put up with a great deal of nonsense on my part. I am not what one would call a "model patient." I am just a bit grumpy with the Monkey Pox and all. They are a part time operation and really do manage to give me full time care. Except on those rare occasions when they don't. And it is generally badly timed...

*Summer seems to have hit the great state of Maine with a great big wallop. It is going to be somewhere around 92 degrees tomorrow. Which is hot. I so look forward to the time spent cramped in a small classroom with ten sweating children who do not want to be there. (few Maine schools come with air conditioning) It will be a little slice of heaven...assuming that heaven is a sort of stinky place where no one will do what you ask them to do.

*In addition to the Monkey Pox phone call yesterday, I also got a call from my boss at Job #2. I am soon to not have a job #2. The head office is closing our branch. It is complicated and convoluted. And very sad. Our doors will close at the end of next month. There are many families who will not have time to find other places for their supervised visits with their children. Others will be unable to finish the parenting education programs that the court ordered. It makes me so very glad that I put the time and energy into all that promotional literature last summer. You remember...the ones that they opted to leave in my incapable hands when they had a graphic designer sitting up there at the main office twiddling her thumbs. There may be some interesting developments to come out of this if my boss and I can pull it all together. Or not...we haven't really had much time to flesh the whole thing out. Either way, though, it is entirely possible, that I will be suddenly flush with various office supplies. I am feeling a need for more Post-its. And maybe some nice new pens....and a photocopier. (that last one is probably a bit much. I'm pretty sure I'd get caught with that one.)

*I did get a bit of happy news yesterday, though. It seems that I got an A in my Wednesday night class! Now, there is really very little you can do to screw up an A in a graduate level class if you do the work. But the effort I put into this wasn't really my best. I knit some fairly nice socks during the course of the semester, though. So I guess I can be happy on two fronts even if I'm not really convinced that I deserved the A for my work in this class. I guess it pays to have a knitter for a professor...

*We are now cruising towards a three day weekend here in the states. My Monkey Pox and I will be spending the majority of it lounging on the couch, reading and doing a bit of the knitting. There will be a short detour over to Mommy and Daddy Sheep's house for a "little" family gathering that will include most of Mommy Sheep's side of the family equation. I promise to keep it low-key so those of you who tend to worry about a sickly Sheep on the loose need not fear. Mommy Sheep is nothing if not diligent in her monitoring of her little lambs. I will be in good hands, I assure you. And I promise to rest up all of Sunday and Monday.


That's it for tonight, folks. I am carrying a full load of prescription cough syrup and any further ramblings would probably include odd things like obscure (and incorrectly recalled) song lyrics or the combination to the lock on my diary. I think it best for all concerned if I leave it at this for now. I'll be going into the soon-to-be-closed office of job #2 tomorrow night, but will be sure to catch up with you all on Saturday before or after the grand family gathering.

Enjoy the week's end!

SA

Not Entirely Unexpected...

Here is a little transcript of the call made to my doctor's office from my classroom at 11:00 this very morning. Voice The First is mine. Voice The Second is that of My Favorite Medical Assistant:

Sheepish Annie: Hi, there...Sheepie here! I just wanted to check in on those chest x-rays I had done last Friday. You know...did they get my good side? Were my eyes closed? Do they make me look fat? I can schedule a re-shoot if need be. I simply won't have a fat x-ray in my file.

My Favorite Medical Assistant: Oh, hi there, Sheepie! Glad you called actually. Your report is right here but it got stuck at the bottom of the pile like it always does and the doctor hasn't read it yet. Why don't I just pop it right up here on the top and...oh. Um...by any chance did the doctor give you, oh, I don't know...maybe some sort of antibiotic?

SA: Why, yes! Yes she did. I just finished my five day course of Zithromax and it is still happily coursing through my system as we speak! Such a nice antibiotic!

MFMA: Well, that's good. And, just out of curiosity, how are you feeling right about now?

SA: Funny you should ask. I've got this weird thing going on where my right ear blocks up and it sounds like I'm yelling. Except I'm not. It just sounds like it because my voice is coming from inside me and it's louder in there. Then it pops and I can hear normally again. Isn't that funny?

MFMA: Yeah, fascinating. And your chest? How does your chest feel?

SA: (now sensing where this conversation is going and becoming wary) I'm coughing. But it's not so bad really. It is actually quite bearable. And if I hold my breath, I can make it stop. Nothing to worry about, if the truth be told. I'm doing great!!!!

MFMA: Really? That's what you're going with?

SA: Well...I'm a little tired. OK, maybe more than a "little tired." I'm a lot tired. And I'm coughing all the time. And my knees hurt. But I don't think that has anything to do with what we're talking about...

MFMA: Yeah. I thought so. The doctor hasn't read the report yet. But here's the thing...


And the conversation progressed in the manner that I knew it would when I first called last week begging for an antibiotic. I had held out some hope over the last few days. The worst of the symptoms had responded so well to the bad bug medicine. I wondered if I had, perhaps, jumped the gun on my little self-diagnosis. Maybe I was just overreacting...

But, like My Favorite Medical Assistant said, I should have trusted my first instincts. They were really pretty accurate. You only have to get it once and you will never again forget the symptoms. I knew. And now it is confirmed.

I have the Monkey Pox again. For those of you who do not have The Sheep's Guide To Diseases That She Has Renamed To Suit Her Desire For Funnier Illnesses, that would be pneumonia. Same as last year, right side and in the middle. I just managed to catch it a bit earlier this time. Which is good...but it still isn't what I wanted to hear. And yet, I knew.

So, I have let the good doctor know that I will probably be requesting a refill on the prescription cough medicine. I have lived without it for a few days because I was being stubborn and insisting that I didn't need it. But I do. I need to sleep. I am very tired. That, in and of itself, was the biggest clue. I'm not one of those spunky, perky types who is just bubbling over with the energy, but I can generally make it through a day of teaching without falling asleep at my desk.

I have accepted the situation for what it is, set aside the workout for today, taken my cough syrup and tried to see the bright side. I have to sit for a while. I can go to work and I can do pretty much all the stuff I need to do to keep Chez Sheep running. But there won't be any energy left over for much else. Since I caught Monkey Pox Part Deux early this time, I don't anticipate the lengthy recovery I had last year. But I'll be sitting for a while. It's really all you can do.

And if you have to sit, you might as well knit. One or two projects might actually get done over here at the Convalescent Home! This could really all be for the best.

Any project suggestions out there? You know, things you can knit while on prescription cough medication? I might be here on the couch for a while...

SA

Seasonal Thinking.

I woke up this morning with a singular and deeply disturbing thought. It was not the kind of thing that usually comes out of my brain. I'm usually thinking about chocolate or pizza. Or shoes... But this morning's first thought of the day (and the second, and the third...) was this:

I wish it was winter.

Shocking, right? I don't particularly care for winter, overall. It comes with a heaping helping of cold and a side of snow. These are not things that I really love. You have to dig your car out of the snow. And the cold makes my skin all dry and crackly. Nope. Not something I love. Except that, with snow, comes snow days. I've been teaching for nigh on twenty years and I still do love me a good snow day. You wake up thinking, "darn it all to heck, I have to go to school today" and then the TV says that you can stay in your jammies all day. Nice.

After two weeks of being sick, I'm tired. Yes, I feel much better. But I am tired. And there are no snow days in May. Last year we had some Flood Days. But we aren't going to get those this year. Which is good, really, since we ended up going to school for five extra days last year and those were very, very, very long days indeed. But I am tired and wishing for a snow day.

And then I realized something: There's a long holiday weekend coming my way!!! This is a good thing! Three whole days...of weekend!!! I can survive three more days of toil if I know that there is a little reward at the end of it all. I know I can. But, I was still needing a little more of the motivation if I was going to keep this energy level up for the next month. Whatever would a weary Sheepie do to distract herself from her tiredness until school closes for the year?

Wait! I seem to recall purchasing some yarn from The Samurai Knitter back in the cold, cold days of February. And, I also seem to remember thinking how it reminded me of fresh cut grass in the summertime! That is a little something that might give me the love of the season! It took some digging through the yarn stash, but the skein was located and duly wound. It is ready and waiting for me to finish up the sweet striped sockie. When those are done, I will cast on for the next pair of foot coverings...

Behold: The Socks Of Summer!!!

Let the season's knitting begin. I am ready!

SA

Thinking It Through...

You know...something occurred to me yesterday. I'd spent the entire weekend (and then some) spinning because of the fun, but judgement impairing prescription cough medicine. I can spin without really thinking too much. Knitting seemed like a bad idea. You know, what with the counting and keeping all the stitches on the needles and everything. It seemed like a responsible decision.


Upon reflection, though, it occurred to me that the second of the sweet, striped little sockies already had a number of errors to its name. The heel is sloppy. There is a weird rogue thread dangling around in there somewhere and I can't for the life of me figure out from whence it came. It seems attached on two ends...did I drop a stitch? If so, why do I have the right number of stitches? And the gauge is off by more than a smidgen. Which makes the fact that I knit the cuff longer than I usually do exceptionally tragic. These are not socks that will ever fall down. These are socks that may result in the amputation of my feet following the loss of circulation below mid-calf.


But, I matched the stripe pattern so we are ignoring these little issues...


At any rate, if these errors could be made while I was in full possession of all sock related faculties, why was I not just taking up the needles and knitting away? It's not like anything else could go wrong. And you know what? I breezed past the gussets and into the foot with nary an issue. Figures. I wasted a whole weekend of sock knitting time. Or did I?


I actually made great progress on the spinning. I had so many nice comments on the spindling results from yesterday and wish I could take full credit. This is, however, another one of those times where the fiber really makes the yarn. And I didn't even pick it out. No...this came to me as part of Cathy's little care package of fun fiber samples. The lady has taste! There was really very little I could have done to make it un-pretty. It is so soft and sparkly and has been just a joy to spin.


Before I sign off the for evening and return to the socks and spindle, I wanted to let my two original (and imaginary) spokespeople for my Relay For Life Sponsorship Drive give a little update on where we are with prizes that are available for the winning should you happen to be the lucky name drawn from the folks who donate to my pledge site. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you....Hysterical Mind and Rational Mind!



Hysterical Mind: (jumping up and down and wriggling a little bit) Omigod, omigod, omigod!!!!!!!



Rational Mind: What are you doing?



HM: C'mere, c'mere, c'emere!!!!!!!! You won't believe this....c'mere!!!! Now!!!!! Here!!!



RM: Hold on, hold on. I just need to finish getting our lunch ready for tomorrow. Honestly, if I left it up to you we'd be eating ice cubes and plastic wrap for lunch every day.



HM: (trembling just a bit at this point and grinning maniacally) NO! Come. Here. Now!!! You gotta see, gotta see, gotta see!!!! This is so freakin' awesome!! It's soooooo cool. C'mere, c'mere, c'mere....uh oh.



RM: What?



HM: I think I just peed a little bit. No, wait...it's ok. But you gotta see this! Lookit what Susan sent us for two more prizes in our drawing!!! See? See? See? Remember when we told her about how were giving away one of her gift certificates as a prize??? Lookit what she sent!!! LOOK, I SAID!!!!!!



RM: Wow. Double wow. I may have just peed a little bit, myself. Those are beautiful! Should we show the nice people?



HM: No. I want one. Just show them one. I'm keeping the other one.



RM: No, you are not. Show the people the two new prizes. Two. Not one. Two. You can't keep one. These are prizes that people might win if we draw their names from the list of sponsors. This is how we are going to cure cancer.



HM: Oh, yeah. The cancer...we hate cancer. OK. But, can I have a milkshake tonight?



RM: Yes. Yes you may. You just need to go use the bathroom first. You take care of that and I'll show the nice new prizes:

Soooooo pretty!!!!!!! And one of them could be yours!

SA

Meme...and more me!

Sheepie has been tagged. And tagged again. And then some! It seems that there is a great deal of interest out there in any random pieces of information about my rather mundane life that I'm willing to share. And since "I" happen to be one of my favorite topics, I'm ready to rock 'n roll. Apparently I am supposed to do the following:

"Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag seven others and list their names on your blog.You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog."

At least that's what the first one told me to do. It seems that there are some variations on the theme of this particular meme. Hysterical Mind spent more time than was prudent researching just how many things we were supposed to be putting on this list and is now breathing into a paper bag over the fact that we have to choose between 7 and 8. Rational Mind is also in something of a twitter at the moment as it has occurred to her that we haven't put a great deal of planning into this and may end up blurting out certain facts about ourself that are best left shrouded in mystery. I am of the opinion that there will be either 7 or 8 things on the list when all is said and done and any sharing of the "too much information" variety can be handily blamed on the ingestion of prescription cough syrup. (yup...still taking that little doctor approved cocktail. ) So, before one or the other halves of my mind freezes up to the point where we can't find the "t" on the keyboard, let's get this show on the road, shall we?

This Meme-palooza is brought to you by the following bloggers in no particular order:

Emma, Lilith and Jeanne.

This Meme-palooza is partially brought to you by the following bloggers who attempted to pounce and then realized that I had already been snared:

Julie, Kmkat

And now...a random number of random things about me:

1. Despite being a teacher, I rarely take a class in order to learn more about my hobbies. When I wanted to learn crochet, I bought a book. When I wanted to re-learn how to knit, I bought another book. And ended up teaching myself Continental Knitting...thankfully! Spinning? Bought a wheel and hoped for the best. The Internet was my only teacher at that time.

2. I rarely cook...but I'm rather good at it. I can make pasta from scratch and bake my own bread. I use recipes more as references rather than as hard and fast rules for cooking.

3. My favorite color is blue. My second favorite color is pink. I am moderately embarrassed by this. Whenever I wear pink, people always comment on it. Mostly they say, "Um...you don't really strike me as a 'pink' sort of person." So I make do with a pink cell phone.

4. I have never watched "Survivor". Not ever. I think I may have once caught a few minutes of a few dirty, hungry-looking people scrambling across a beach for some reason, but that could have been the news. I don't watch the news either so I can't really be sure.

5. I have been an avid reader since before I can remember. If I'm super-busy then I read a book a week. During school vacations, I can usually go through at least three. I often read even more than that. If there are no new books around, I will re-read one that I liked. Those usually go pretty fast for me.

6. I never get rid of books. I keep them all. I have run out of places to put them and now just stack them on the bedroom floor until I can come up with a better plan. Which I've been saying I will do during the last five summer vacations.

7. Until recently, my entire education, kindergarten through Master's Degree, was provided by the state of Maine. The Wednesday Night Class that I just finished was through The University of New Hampshire. I sort of feel like an adulterer.

Well, it seems that 7 is the magic number! I can't come up with anything else. If I do, I will be sure to edit as I know that you all live for those little tid-bits that represent my day-to-day existence! Now...who to tag??? Hmmmmm...

Just kidding! You can all stop hiding. I can still see you anyway. I waited so darned long to get to this that it seems everyone has already done it. If you haven't and would like to, drop me a comment and I'll make a list so that everyone can go read about your random awesome-ness.

And, lest you all think that I have been sitting around all day trying to edit down my endless list of Fascinating Facts About Me, I give you a little peek at my latest spindling project:

Yes. It is that shiny. And it is that soft. And it is that pretty!

Details to follow. I must get back to it before the weekend runs out!

SA