On another front I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of a new Erlbacher Gearhart sock knitting machine. I have hankered after one for years, but the only machines that were available were antiques. You bought them on ebay or from folks who bought and reconditioned them, but you never really knew if you were getting all the parts until it arrived. Now there is a company in Missouri making NEW antique knitting machines. I ordered mine shortly after Christmas and they said there was a 6-8week wait. That means – anytime now. Can’t wait!

AJ installed the new light fixture and finished painting the walls in the kitchen. Then I did my vacuum thing, so we are looking better in that regard. The television news is all about the death of Joe Paterno and the outcome of the SC primary, and I am feeling at loose ends. Yes – I can knit, but I had wanted to add borders to a wall hanging I am making of Oregon’s Multnomah Falls and just discovered the I cannot use a rotary cutter. It requires too much downward force from a hand that just had surgery 3 days ago – so – here I am, telling my tale of woe.

AJ took Jessie to the park. She is a three-year-old Springadore – at least that’s what we call her. She came from a litter of pure bred Springer Spaniels on a farm East of here, but her father was a black lab from the farm down the road. Therefore, she has black fur, slightly wavy, that shines a bit brown when the sun hits it. We got Jessie when we moved to Green Bay. I was alone all day and missed having someone to talk to, so Jessie became my best friend. She’s very smart, loves romps in the park, makes up her own hide-the-ball-in-the-snow game, and then delights in digging it out.

Finished – surgery and all. What a relief!

I’m pretty lucky. My mother taught me to knit European or English style (right hand yarn thrown) when I was little, but when I came home from college once, I noticed that she was holding the yarn in her left hand and going really fast. She then taught me Continental, and now I can do both. I don’t think I could do Continental at this moment – might put too much stress on my wrist, but I’m going to give throwing the yarn a try. I think it will work.

The idleness is driving me crazy! You can play just so many games (I know; I’m Facebook games addicted) and your brain starts to rot.

My cousin came by and took me to lunch today. That’s another reason I am lucky. We moved to Green Bay from the Chicago area about 8 years ago, but I already had a cousin here, and she made the move a lot easier for me. So we went out to lunch and then to Monterey Yarn afterwards. I teach at Monterey, and it was fun to descend upon the store with my cousin. I don’t think we have been there together.

The snow is starting again, and i feel like hunkering down with a good ball of yarn. I’ll let you know if I can get away with it or not

Reading: I have several books I would like to read, and today I downloaded The Great Gatsby – a book I haven’t read in decades. I also signed up for an e-book program in which you read the entire Bible in one year. Of course, I am already behind, but now I will have the opportunity to get caught up.

Housework: Need I say more? Pick one task and do it, however slowly. I can vacuum with my left hand.

Green Bay is an interesting microcosm of Packer fanatics, blue-collar workers, University employees, health care workers, and truck drivers. Home of Schneider and several other trucking companies, Green Bay hosts thousands of native Wisconsin people who are extremely well traveled, and because the city is small, just 100,000, it is unique amongst football franchise cities. Where else would you find a city that turns out with shovels to remove snow from the playing field before a big game? These folks would pay to do it.

But there will be no joy in Green Bay today. The chat around the water cooler will probably rehash all those dropped passes and center around the extra week off that the Packers had. I’m no big fan of football, and certainly lay no claim to expertise on the subject. However, concentration/focus must be at the root of it all. In the end, I’m just glad that I finished a placemat during the game. One down, One to go!

I’m afraid my husband and I are pretty spoiled with a quiet life. Everything has a place and, for the most part, gets put away when we are done with it. Not so here. The house is small for a family of 5 and the kids just leave things where they last used them, so basically they live in a state of controlled chaos. Drives me crazy.

My response to the situation was so tell them that I was going to throw away anything that I found on the floor, with the exception of shoes. That got everybody scrambling. Pretty soon the floor was clean enough that I could run the vacuum cleaner.

I’ve gotten quite a bit of knitting done here. Working on placemats for our newly renovated kitchen. I picked a herringbone pattern from one of the Barbara Walker books and should be able to finish one while I am here.

I leave Monday and should get back to Green Bay with just enough time to prepare for the Knitting 102 class that meets at Monterey Yarn that night. Hope the weather cooperates and the Packers win on Sunday. Go Pack Go!

We went around the circle, and each resident stated what craft they like to do. I took notes fast and furiously, because many of them had no supplies. Two out of the group wanted to learn to knit, and I am meeting with them tomorrow, apart from the group, to get them started. One of the two celebrates her 95th birthday this month. The rest were mainly interested in knitting, although there were some who wanted to do needlepoint.

We shared stories, talked about Continental and English knitting styles, what size needles would be best for those with arthritis, etc. But what was so interesting was that they just really wanted a way to connect with others. In one discussion about the benefits of knitting, one of the ladies said, “It breaks up the lonelyness.” I thought, “Aha! That is why we are here.”

In the mean time we have put all the Christmas decorations away and rearranged the furniture in the great room to take up the space left by the absent tree. Andy started sanding the kitchen walls this afternoon, to get the remaining wallpaper paste off of them before we apply a primer coat. I sure will be glad when the upheaval is over in the kitchen, but it is going to look great.

The Race is one of time. My first hand surgery is in the middle of the month, and I am trying to get several projects completed before I only have one hand to complete them with. The immediate project is the Weeping Willow shawl (pattern by Two Old Bags) that I am making out of Interlacement Yarn’s Tapestry yarn. I finished the shawl body yesterday and started the lace edging. The shawl is square and I just finished the edging on one side. At that rate, one side = two days knitting, I will just finish it before the surgery.

Of course there are probably a dozen more projects waiting in the wings, a house that needs cleaning, etc. etc. etc. Who knew retirement would be so busy?

I also intend to finish projects, knit and quilt projects that are in progress but not finished. UFOs we crafters call them. I have a list a mile long, and must finish them, as soon as my hands heal.

Of course, hammered dulcimer and recorder practice is also on the list.

Forgot to mention that I have ordered a Erlbacher Gearhart Sock Knitting Machine, which means I will be able to turn out socks by the 100s, as soon as I figure out how to do it. I am excited about this, It should save my hands a little wear and tare.