Knitting 40 shades of green

So it's November

I have been talking about blogging lately and just not doing it.  I have lost any regular readers I may have once had and it's my birthday month.  What better reason to take the NABLOPOMO challenge.  Plus, as of last month I have wireless.  I know, welcome to the 20th century.  Too bad it is already the 21st. So what to talk about, I have decided on a couple of new features. 

• What not to do:  a look at dating in your 30s and beyond.  These stories are compiled and exaggerated over the occasional glasses of wine to remind us that even the worst dates can be funny.  I don't have to write fiction because the stories of our lives are just too crazy to be able to make them up.
• Eating with Jasmine:  these will be the recipes that I have promised to share and never gotten around to for lack of photos or just not getting around to it.
• Featured Restaurant :  it is my birthday month so it is likely that I will have a few meals worth sharing and I have a great meal from a cute place from my trip to Milwaukee that needs to be downloaded from the camera.
• Those along with the general ramblings, hockey games, wine tastings, events and occasional knitting and maybe we can manage 30 posts in one month.

NABLOPOMO year 3

Well, I might as well jump in with both feet and join National Blog Post Month again this year since I have finally broken down and ordered DSL service.  Hopefully, this will make blogging easier and I can share insights, knitting, cooking and general craziness on a more regular basis.  So if there are any readers still out there I will attempt to post every day this month.  So stop by daily and see what I have to say.

There has been some grumbling...

"I haven't seen a blog post since July 22"

"Surely, you must have something to blog about..."

"You haven't posted in forever..."

"Now that would make a good blog post..."

Well, I have ignored the pleading long enough and will start blogging again.  I guess I just had some things going on and didn't make the time to fight with the slow dial up connection and my computer has decided that it doesn't like the wireless at Panera and won't connect.  On my to do list for next week is to get a dedicated computer line.  I tried to get it with Verizon on-line but they wanted me to change my phone number...so not worth it for the exorbitant amount of money they wanted.

There has been cooking and maybe even a little knitting so surely I can find something to share with you, my readers, on a regular basis.  However, right now I will be somewhat uncreative and share an email forward that you may not have seen yet.

Post Turtle

While suturing a cut on the hand of a 75-year old Texas rancher the doctor struck up a conversation with the old man. Eventually the topic got around to Sarah Palin and her bid to be a heartbeat away from being President.

The old rancher said, ''Well, ya know, Palin is a post turtle.''

Not being familiar with the term, the doctor asked him what a post turtle was.

The old rancher said, ''When you're driving down a country road and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle.''

The old rancher saw a puzzled look on the doctor's face, so he continued to explain. ''You know she didn't get up there by herself, she doesn't belong up there, she doesn't know what to do while she is up there, and you just wonder what kind of dumb *** put her up there to begin with."

Did you miss me? and a poem for St Brigid

Maybe you have noticed that I haven't blogged much lately. I am not sure why. I think about blogging but blogging and blog reading haven't been happening much lately. There seems some disconnect when I am actually in front of a computer. I am trying to pare down my hundreds of bloglines and thought I would put up a post so that you all don't forget about me.

Let see what have I been up to?

I have been to quite a few hockey games and my team is finally starting to show some promise since firing the coach and bringing on Bruce Boudreau. We may even have a chance at the playoffs. I better start saving money for playoff tickets just one point out of first place in out division.  However, other than a few sock rounds on the metro this isn't ideal knitting climate.  I can't have Stevie yelling, "This is no time for knitting!"  Although Chris' colorful taunts to Victor Kozlov have me wondering just what would you bake in a Russian Tart.  (He is British, by explanation).

There has been lots of visiting with both friends and family which has taken time away from knitting, documenting cooking adventures, and blogging.

I owe a finished object or two for 2008. I definitely have a pair of socks to show off and I have almost finished the striped sweater (just the button hole band, buttons and the seams, oh and the ends before I started knitting them in).  And I need a photo shoot for Jade.

I have started another pair of socks and set a goal to make at least 6 pair of socks for me this year -- I need more hand knit socks and only managed 2 pair last year.

I am continuing to pull out abandoned projects to breath new life into them --

and I am still doing the Dark Days of Winter challenge and will post on my CSA and meals soon.  Really soon, I promise...

edited to add:  I missed the feast of St Brigit yesterday (not sure how it slipped my mind) so here is my contribution to the silent poetry reading

The Red Wheelbarrow ~ William Carlos Williams

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens.

Let's Begin year 3 of Knitting40shadesofgreen

I started this blog on December 28, 2005.  Today I begin the third year of blogging.  It is a bit of a miracle that I have kept up with it since I have never been very consistent with my attempts to journal over the years.  I am not sure if it has effected my progress in finishing things or not.  That first entry had a list of things on that needed finishing and all but one of them have been finished.  However most of the things I was working on at the time are still out there unfinished.  Lets take a look back, shall we?

To seam or add minor finishing touches:

• Aztec Sun Vest  Next in queue for finishing
• Salt Peanuts  Finished
• Polka Purl Dots Finished
• Silk Vera Tank  Finished
• socks  Finished
• Baby sweater from baby knits  Finished

Currently on the needles:

• late Christmas scarf in Louisa Harding Inspiration  Finished 
• Revena rug in Lopi  Tucked away (but I loved working on this and should pull it out)
• Via Diagonale  Needs handle and lining
• toe-up socks  Finished
• Abfab Afghan wedding present  The wedding and the first anniversary have passed
• small Bobby Bear  Abandoned
• cable/lace cardigan  Haven't seen this in ages should dig it out.

Of the 13 things 7 are finished, maybe I should attend to the other 6.  Last year for the blog anniversary I added a few more things that need finishing (and a few that were finished).  So as a vehicle of motivation, the blog is causing some finishing but not discouraging multiple projects and abandoned knitting (often for no good reason other than my desire to start something new).  I am always astounded that people other than my immediate family read this blog and am thankful for your comments and readership. 

Here is to another great year of knitting, cooking and all things green...

NABLOPOMO redux

Well, National Blog Posting Month is over (or Na pablano Mo as my sister likes to call it) and I managed to post every day without too much trouble (although there were some times when I was at a loss over what to post). Rarely did I start a draft of a post before the day it was posted. I am not sure that my writing improved much but I did get a lot more of my ideas published rather than in my head.

Last year at this time my posting seemed to fall off considerably.  I don't feel that same writing fatigue this year but as December progresses we will see, it is a notoriously busy month.  To wit, I am heading out the door for the Alexandria's Scottish Christmas Walk.

Place Holder

I really was going to post an update on my NAKNISWEMO sweater -- I brought my computer with me to Panera so that I could post during out knitting group but it seems that my computer is having issues with wireless -- while the signal strength was excellent it took me 15 minutes to have the web programs acknowledge it and then it kept losing the server.  So that post will have to wait until tomorrow.  Instead I will have to distract you with my latest time sink here.  I have been addicted to it since I saw it mentioned in the Washington Post last week.  I seem to be stuck at level 41/42.  I better start reading the dictionary.

NABLOPOMO

Again with the joining thing.

I have decided that, once again, I will attempt to post to this here blog every day in the month of November as a part of NABLOPOMO (which is short for National Blog Posting Month or some other such similar name). It certainly is easier than writing a novel in a month. The information on this project can be found here and be sure to check out the Randomizer (there is a link in my side bar). I am hoping that this extra pressure incentive to write regularly will help me to get more ideas out of my head and into posts. I always tell my students that the best way to become a better writer is to write more, so here's to nothing. Hopefully, I won't end up boring you to death with what I had for lunch (oh wait, I already do that). Well, there's no harm in trying.

Still here

I have about 4 blog posts waiting in draft form but am having a hell of a time uploading photos. Hopefully tonight I can try to figure out the issue or get my computer to behave -- if not I will have to battle with the work ibook in Safari (which has limited interface with typepad). Hope to post for you soon