SOCKS, SOCKS, SOCKS!

Here I am with the blogger name "A Knotty Knitter" and I haven't written one thing yet about knitting ...  and I knit at least a little bit every day. 

I like to knit socks ... at least so far I do.  I have finished one pair and I'm almost finished with my second pair, but I'm hooked.  I'm not really sure why they are so appealing to me.  I've been knitting two at a time and that is challenging. Socks are knitted on very thin needles with very thin yarn, called "fingerling weight" or sock yarn and that is challenging.  I'm a perfectionist when it comes to knitting ... so I have restarted this pair at least 4 times because I kept making mistakes that I couldn't "fix" .... that has been challenging.  I haven't taken a knitting class so I am learning to do this by reading sock knitting books & knitting blogs and watching knitting videos on YouTube .... and that has been challenging!!  Did you even know there were knitting videos on YouTube ?? .... me neither!!

My first pair of socks! 

I'm not sure what the fascination about knitting socks is for me.  I am not a fast knitter and so even knitting a pair of socks ... which would seem like a quick project, so far has taken me a long time to finish (starting over four times might be a factor!)  However, there is great satisfaction seeing the socks take shape and actually trying them on as I go along. When I wear them after I'm finished I can say ..... "I did that!!" I have knitted hats, scarves, sweaters, baby blankets & throws ....  but somehow the satisfaction of putting on a pair of socks that I have knitted is more awesome than anything!

However, in all honesty I must say that buying sock yarn might be more appealing to me than the actual knitting ...  I have an embarrassing amount of it in my "stash" .... my yarn stash ... not a drug stash ;)  Accumulating a stash is a recurring theme in my "crafting life" ... which is begging to be a subject in a later post!!

SO if you want ...  I would be happy to knit you a pair of socks ... stand in line and be prepared to wait .. for it may take a very long time :~)  AND  BTW  most of the yarn I have is in colors that I think my grand-daughters would like it. SO you just might want to go to Target to buy your next pair of socks!
Just say'n  :-)

Mollie ...

For almost 11 years my best four footed pal has been a little white fur ball named Mollie.  Eleven years ago next month my sister and I drove to Crystal Lake to see a breeder who bred "teacup" Maltese and Yorkie pups.  Judi has a history of "encouraging" me when I want to bring a new dog into my life.  The last time had been about 20 years before when she helped me find Tiffany, my first Maltese.  After my wonderful experience with Tiffany I knew that I wanted another Maltese.  They are very loyal and very smart dogs .... and Tiffany was fairly easy to housebreak and train ... and I need EASY when it comes to those two things.

We got to the breeder's house and saw the puppies .. a Maltese and a Yorkie ... I wanted a female and knew they had one of each.  Both puppies were adorable of course ... but I immediately fell in love with the Maltese.  I was "sold" right away ... it was a good thing Judi was there 'cuz she knew what questions to ask. I was already in love .... all of my questions had flown out of my head!   So she told him we needed to think about it and we would get back to him in an hour or two.  I didn't need to think about a thing but Judi and I left and went to a nearby restaurant .... had appetizers and a drink and talked.  We both agreed that this was the puppy I was looking for.  We went back to the breeder, with my check book in hand! I've never been sorry!!

An hour later we were driving back to Wheaton with this little white ball of fluff.  You couldn't tell her front end from her rear .... she weighed just 3.2 pounds.  While Judi drove home I tried to hold my "baby" but she kept crawling up my chest  .... only wanting to sit on my shoulder and snuggle into my neck .... we fell in love that Sunday.  Soon after I got her settled into my condo .... I named her Mollie.  A few days later I remembered that my Grandmother's name was Molly .... and that those who knew her talked about how smart and fiesty she was!  The following years would show that my Mollie followed in Molly Ball's foot steps!!!  She was extremely smart and the groomer and vet can attest to how fiesty she was!!  But best of all she thrived on attention and loved to be held and cuddled.

Several weeks ago Mollie suddenly got very sick. Several days later the vet and I reluctantly agreed that she should be "put to sleep".  She was in a lot of pain and her prognosis was extremely poor.  I just couldn't bear to see her suffer any more.  It was a hard day.  It all happened so suddenly and I was so not prepared!! 

I miss her every day.  It has taken me a while to be able to write this.  If you are a "dog person" you will understand the loss ..... and if you aren't ..... going into more details won't really mean much to you.  A friend sent me the poem "The Rainbow Bridge" .... at first reading it was painful ... but as the days have gone by and I have sort of gotten used to her not greeting me every time I walk through the door .... I have found comfort in the though it expresses:  Just this side of heaven is a place, the Rainbow Bridge, where our pets are playing and are well and happy.  Someday we will see them again and we will cross the bridge together.

I will always miss her companionship, unconditional love, the non-stop kisses she gave with her little pink tongue, and those big black trusting eyes that never let me out of her sight!  Even in the end ... she knew I was loving her and taking care of her ......

Mollie .... sitting on my knitting project ...
it's soft .. why not?

Vacation Time!!!!

My daughter, Sheri and I decided months ago to take her two girls and spend a week at a lake house on the shores of Lake Michigan.  Her husband and her two teenage Boy Scouts were going to be having  a "once in a lifetime experience" at a high adventure Boy Scout Ranch in Philmont, New Mexico ...

To us the plan was brilliant!!  The guys were going to do what they loved to do best, and we girls would be doing something we had always wanted to do!! So the guys began researching, gathering information and planning with others in their scout troop for the trip.  While Sheri did an internet search and found some possible lake houses for us.

As the time drew nearer plans became finalized. Sheri and I rented a lake house in South Haven, Michigan that fit our needs to a tee! The Andy, Brendan and Colin were chosen along with four others from their troop for the trip to New Mexico!!!

Then came the next phase ... getting prepared! The guys needed to purchase serious hiking and camping equipment ... I'm not talking about the casual sleeping bags and stuff one needs for camping on the usual Boy Scout weekend outings they had been on for the past 3 - 4 years.  This was serious rugged hiking and camping that they would be doing!!   They needed the right boots, sleeping bags, back packs, etc.

We began preparing for our "adventure".  I bought some beach books, SPF 50 sun screen, and started stocking up on wine.  Sheri and I made a few lists about meals to fix, food to take .... and then decided to just "play it by ear" when we got there .... there was bound to be a grocery store around and there would always be restaurants ... Oh yes! We bought new beach chairs! Some SERIOUS BEACH CHAIRS!!!

For several months the guys worked on getting in shape and trained by hiking 5 to 15 miles or more with 35 pounds on their backs most every weekend ... in all kinds of weather conditions.  They needed to be in condition for the grueling demands that they would be facing in New Mexico.

I think that was about the same time that Sheri, the girls and I got manicures and pedicures... with flowers on our big toes :-)  and  ....  I bought another beach book and another bottle of wine.  Getting in condition for the demands we would be facing ..... can't be too prepared!!!

FINALLY the day arrived!!!  We are all leaving on our trips!  The guys (with all their gear) boarded an Amtrak train to Cimarron, New Mexico .. where they would arrive 18 hours later to begin a very rugged hiking and camping adventure for the next 10 days.

We girls drove for a couple of hours to the lake house on the shores of Lake Michigan where we would enjoy the sun, swimming, sandy beaches, shopping and sunsets over the lake!!! We had wonderful fun going to the beach .... eating out .... achieving our goal of eating ice cream every day .... staying up late and sleeping-in the next morning .... playing "Fish", "Pick Up Sticks" and "Jacks", reading and for me knitting!  Did I mention shopping???? Our biggest adventure was fending off mosquitoes!!!

Everyone is home now sharing stories, memories and pictures .... and we all agree that we each had a great time!!!! The boys had some life changing experiences that they will never forget!!  All of us have wonderful memories!!

Maybe, next year we'll take our vacation all together .......  hmmmm  .....   wonder if we will go on a rugged hiking adventure in New Mexico .... or lie on a sunny sandy beach in Michigan and take pictures of amazing sunsets??

Can you guess where I'll be??? 

South Beach Lighthouse     South Haven, Michigan

Rockin' for the Troops!

The time had finally come! A few months earlier I had ordered tickets and a few Saturdays ago the day was finally here. We packed up lawn chairs, coolers, sun screen, and hats and set out into the beautiful sunny day ... ignoring the fact that it was predicted to be the hottest and most humid day of the summer so far .... 100 degrees or more.  "We'll be fine!" we said ... thinking how bad can it be it's a huge beautiful park with LOTS of trees, we've been there many times and it's always wonderful! We drove about five minutes from my house to Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois.  Our timing was perfect ... got in line at the gates just moments before they opened at noon to let in a very limited number of cars which could park on-site (others had to park in two remote locations and take a shuttle to the park).

We made it!!  We were at the Rockin' for the Troops 2010 concert with Gary Sinise & The Lt. Dan Band!!  I was going to see my favorite TV actor (from CSI: NY .... up close and personal!)  We staked out our spot so we could see the stage and one of the jumbo-trons they set up in the area. We knew the main performance wouldn't begin until 8:30 pm or so .... but we took books, ipods, knitting (for me), and we knew there would be lots of things to enjoy in the park until then. There was always something happening on stage or on the jumbo TV.  Cantiny is a beautiful 500 acre estate donated to the community by the late Colonel Robert R. McCormick. There are spectacular gardens to explore and two fascinating museums to visit: the McCormick family home and gardens and a World War I First Infantry Division Museum along with several WW I tanks for the kids to climb on!

Oh yes, it was very hot but it didn't dampen our spirits!! Past attenders of this event brought umbrellas to shade the sun ... we'll know next time!!  At one point in the afternoon I said, "I would give my first born grandchild for an umbrella"! Then I felt a punch in the arm ... she was sitting next to me :-) We managed to stay as cool as possible while we wandered around the park, visited the sponsor's booths and bought cold drinks and food from the vendors. Needless to say ... I didn't knit a stitch ... way too hot for that!

As the afternoon progressed the crowds grew and American flags were every where! (I did know enough to bring some flags with us!).  The concert was a benefit for the programs of Operation Support Our Troops - Illinois  (http:www.osotil.org).  This was the fifth year for their charity event and the fifth year that Gary Sinise had appeared.  As I looked around at many of the thousands of people and saw their t-shirts, hats, and patriotic gear, I realized how many were veterans & their families,  families of those currently serving serving in the military, as well as current service men and women.  Frankly, I knew nothing about OSOTIL until that day.  I was there because I like Gary Sinise.  I can tell you after that day my eyes were opened in a new way about our troops, their needs & how important it is to support them overseas as well as at here at home.

 
The opening ceremonies were conducted,  two other awesome bands that dedicate their time to supporting our troops in the US, Iraq & Afghanistan played long sets, and finally Gary Sinise and Lt. Dan Band was on stage!!  Everyone went wild .. standing, clapping, singing and dancing for most of the 2 hour show!! After their final number and long thunderous applause they returned to the stage to play an encore of 7 or 8 songs which lasted for 30 minutes!!!

It was an awesome show ... but what touched my heart were the words that Gary spoke to the crowd at the end. "Our troops need us to keep them strong in this tough battle they are in. I have traveled to many military bases and have spent a lot of time with troops and their families. They are sacrificing so much and need to know that you and I care about them.  They are stretched to their max and we on the home front have the responsibility to do all that we can to ensure that they know that we have not forgotten about them so that they stay strong and come home safely,"

I went to Cantigny Park that day to attend a popular concert with an actor I love watching on TV ....  and I left that night with a renewed respect for him AND a renewed commitment to remember our troops and their families and to make an effort to find a tangible way to help!!   It was a great day that I will not soon forget!      jp

Our Amazing Family Reunion

BBB Family Reunion 2010

This past 4th of July the Illinois contingent of our family hosted a Family Reunion.  It was so much fun! Our last reunion was 9 years ago ...  we were so overdue!!  Forty eight of us came from all over the country ... from New Mexico, California, Indiana, Wisconsin, Washington D.C., Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania and of course Illinois.

Evan designed the logo for the reunion cake

It was really fun to meet and greet everyone on Friday night in the "party" room that we rented at the hotel where out of town family were staying. After enjoying good food and drink, lots of conversations, and much picture taking we played a rowdy game of Family Jeopardy!! For several weeks Sheri and Gary had been conspiring via e-mail (between Boston and Chicago) to create an amazing "hi-tech"game packed with facts about our family.  It was a perfect start to the weekend!

On Saturday a small group went into Chicago to see "Billy Elliot" where Abby is appearing in the cast!! They had a great time and brought back pictures of the "star" of the family.  We were all sorry that Abby couldn't be with us for the weekend but we are so proud of her... and we understood "the show must go on!"

Andy with Cathy and Jerry ...petting a dolphin

The rest of the gang headed to Brookfield Zoo.  Andy is a keeper at Seven Sea's where he trains dolphins and works with the pinnipeds (sea lions, seals, walruses, etc).  So he arranged for groups of us to take some "behind the scenes" tours of several exhibits.  I saw the big cats  .... stood up close to a beautiful snow leopard and some amazing tigers while their keeper told us lots interesting facts about them .... It was awesome!!  When our group tours were finished we all met at the Seven Seas Arena to see the Dolphin Show.  It's always a fun show .... it was neat to see Andy swim with one of them.  After the show he gave us a behind the scenes tour and told us how important the daily care is that the keepers provide for the animals and how they use positive reinforcement to train them. The animals are never forced to do anything ... even allowing a vet to examine them and administer meds is a trained behavior.    Even though it was very hot and humid (mid 90s) everyone agreed that it had been an amazing day! That was a trip to the zoo that most people never get to take.

Next stop  ...  back to the hotel to relax, grab a swim or a nap, and dress for dinner!!

We had a lovely (adults only) dinner in the private dining room of a nearby steak house ... dinner was compliments of my Mom who is 93yrs old. She enjoyed the reunion every bit as much as the rest of us, attended all of the events (except the zoo) and was the last to leave the party each time ... I think she was afraid she would miss something if she didn't stay :-)  This was another fun evening filled with much laughter and good times!

The next day was Sunday ... nothing was scheduled 'till 2pm so everyone was free to do their own thing!  Since "some of us" had stayed very up late for the last 3 nights partying in one of our hotel rooms ..  "sleeping in" was my choice :-)  Later that afternoon we all gathered at Walt and Jane's lovely home for more food & drinks, great times and MORE picture taking!!  To date we have over 550 pictures posted on our family photo web site .... YIKES!  At dusk a group headed to the July 4th Fireworks.  Later, back at the hotel we began saying our goodbyes!    REALLY?    It seemed like we had just begun the weekend and it was time to say goodbye already???

As I sat on Walt's deck on Sunday afternoon and looked around at the kids playing in the yard (after shagging the teenagers away from the video games in the family room) and at the groups of people sitting around laughing and talking, I realized how great is to be part of a family likes ours. Not every family makes family a priority,  gets along and likes each other as well as ours does, or would make the effort to come from such distances to spend the weekend together and enjoy it!  So as the title of this post says we truly do have an "amazing family".  I for one, do not take that for granted and I'll always treasure ours!


SO ..... who's planning the next reunion???

                                                                 

Jumping Into The Blogging World!

Blogs fascinate me!!  I've been reading them for a long time!   I'm also an unashamed "people watcher and eavesdropper" in airports, doctors offices, zoos, parks ..... any where there are people.   I love to know what others are doing, saying and thinking!!  So I've added blogs to my list of "people watching" opportunities.

When reading blogs I often thought "I would like to do that!!"  Quickly my next thought was ... "but I don't have anything to say!!"  The perfect opportunity came when my daughters, my sister in-law and I were planning our family reunion ... there was a lot to say about that! One thing led to another, time ran out.   The blog never materialized .... but thankfully the reunion did!

So, here I am still with the itch .... still thinking "I don't have enough to say about any one thing" .... BUT then I realized I do have a little to say about a lot of things  .... don't we all?

The title of my blog comes from my user name on Ravelry (a social network for knitters).  I made it mine because my knitting friends aren't the "old ladies" of our grandmother's time. We are "naughty" partly because we don't conform to the old stereotypes (other reasons are a subject for another post).  I enjoy knitting but I'm not an expert by any means!!  I might share some of my knitting projects here as well as other things I am enjoying doing these days.  I'm looking at this as a place to reflect on my interests, activities, challenges, concerns and joys of this season of my life ...

So, Welcome to my blog .... join me and let me know what you think .... just pretend we are sitting in my comfy living room in front of a fire sharing a glass of wine or two and talking!!!