Kitty Intervention

Mom, I'm worried about you. We need to talk. You're spending so much time on this knitting project. - Chief

Look at that! It looks like you're not even taking time to care for yourself. You need a kitty intervention.

I guess I have to do everything for you. Even give you a bath.

Take care of yourself, Mom. We love you and need you to feed us!

Knitting project took a turn for the worse this week. My math skills took a vacation and I managed to design a vest with a 1 inch back neck opening. Guess there will be more kitty baths before I get this right!

I need some blogger help

I used to see people's email addresses when they left comments and about 6 months ago I only see the person's user name and unknown email addresses.
Do any of you out there who use blogger know if I'm doing something wrong in my set up. Is there some way to get the email addresses back. I'd love to comment back to people but I can't unless I click on their profile and I can figure out what blog is the person one. This only works occasionally.

Thanks in advance for any help and - thanks for all the comments even though I can't reply to you at the moment.

Tough Choices

Mom took the day off. We're working hard as usual.

Maybe I'll get up and find some kitty treats - Bert

Don't do it. If you get up I'll have to move my foot - Chief

Yeah, I'd have to move too. Nevermind. - Bert

I would like to point out the ugly blanket under them is theirs. It's not my regular bedroom decor! (or IS it?!?)

When in doubt - tell an embarrassing story

My knitting can't be shown right now and Bert & Chief are sleeping under the bed so no cute kitty pictures. That leaves me with telling you a "I can't believe how stupid I was" story.

Monday when I left work my car told me it needed an oil change. Yeah - my car talks to me with all the On Star, extra information type stuff. It even has it's own phone number. I never use it because it's WAY too expensive but - go figure - cars need their own phone numbers. I don't know it but, if I felt like it, I could ask the car and it would tell me.

Anyway- back to the oil change. Knowing how much I can procrastinate I decided I would go get it changed right then or I'd forget and end up blowing up the engine or something from lack of care. Headed over to the dealer a mile from work and less than an hour later I was getting back in my car. It was happy with all its fluids topped off and I headed home. Sort of.

Whoever drove my car to the front put my seat back. I have long legs and normally have a seat all the way back but my SUV has a very long seat length. Right then it was back a couple notches from my "sweet spot". I could drive but it didn't feel right. I felt under the seat and no bar to move it up. I haven't changed the seat since I bought it over 3 years ago and, well, I couldn't find how to do it.

Since it was OK to drive I headed out and pulled out the manual at the first light. Found the section on the seats and it said change it using the bar. Again - no bar. In the front there's a knob to change the lumbar seat pressure. On the left side is the usual lever to change the back of the seat forward and backward. There's also a flat bar that tilts from its center clockwise or counterclockwise. This tilts the seat so my butt or legs are higher or lower.

Still no bar. No way to move the seat forward. I looked I really looked. I looked Monday night. I looked Tuesday morning. I looked Tuesday on the way to lunch. I gave up. I called the service department and admitted I had a stupid, embarrassing question. I told the guy what happened and he says

- There should be a lever on the side that can be pushed forward.

- Well, on the side there's the normal lever that goes up and down for the back of the seat and there's the bar that turns clockwise and counterclockwise for the tilting of the seat and that's it.

- Then you must have a bar in the front.

- Nope. I can clearly see the bar on the passenger side. Nothing like that on my seat.

- Then it's a lever on the side that moves forward.

We were back at the beginning of our conversation so I said I'd look again and if I couldn't find it I'd be in after work.

After work I couldn't find it but I didn't drive over, I was too embarrassed. This morning I tried something radical - I tried to move the tilting bar forward and as if by magic - my seat moved forward.

So my question is: if the manual can have a page to show pulling the manual bar up, it can show tilting the bar to change the seat, it can show the lever to change the back of the seat, it even shows how to use the seat belts (because none of us have ever used a seat belt) - why can't it show the tilting lever being pushed forward and back to move the seat?

That's it - nobody is ever allowed to change the seat in my car again!

July 14, 1922

87 years ago my hero was born. He grew up in south Minneapolis, joined the Navy and met "The Chief". Chief introduced my hero to his youngest daughter and they were very happy.


After they were married and adopted 2 children, the family lived in a northern Minneapolis suburb. My hero loved to do things with his hands. He repaired the house and redid many parts of the house. Finished the basement. Made jewelry from rocks he collected and polished with his daughter. Took wonderful photos and developed and hand painted them

He worked in wood and made clocks. Beautiful clocks.

My hero taught his daughter to love working with her hands. He taught her - if you can read you can do anything. If you need something, learn to make it yourself. Believe in yourself.

My hero turns 87 today and he has memory problems. He can't remember how to turn wood. He can't fix things anymore. But he still has a gentle soul and loves everyone he meets. He'll give you a quick smile and usually a wink. Even when he doesn't remember me, I remember him.

He's still my hero and always will be!

(and yes - Chief was named after Grandpa, a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy)

Typicial Evening in Pictures with a surprise

After work I head toward the highway and make the drive home. It's usually I fairly short drive - less than 1/2 hour and filled with cars and little to look at. Every once in a while I get to see bad things to take note of.

Guys with longer thinning hair really shouldn't ride motorcycles without a helmet.
Once home I settle in to watch a bit of NCIS, not hard to do because it's on what seems like 24/7 now a days. Bert loves to get comfortable and watch it with me.

I LOVE Abby. She's so cool! - Bert

Tonight is special. Early July means I can go out to the backyard and grab a fresh treat. This year I ignored the raspberry bushes and that seemed to be what they wanted. Have tons of raspberries this year. Here's tonight's batch before washing. YUM! Gotta get me some ice cream this weekend. I love treats.

Mom - did I hear you say 'kitty treats'? Cause if you did, you can give me some. I love me some kitty treats - Bert

SUDDENLY -

There was a loud crash in the closet behind the Kitty Cottage.

I know I heard something back here. You hear anything? - Chief

Yeah, I did. Did it come from the cottage or behind it? I'll check the cottage. - Bert

Nope. Nothing in here. You see anything out there? - Bert

Nope. I think someone is playing a trick on us. Time to go back to sleeping. - Chief

After putting the camera down and actually checking out what happened I discovered the wire rack cubes in the closet that hold part of the stash sort of kind of fell apart on one side. Could it be trying to tell me the stash is getting too big?

Speaking of stash. There is something I have managed to avoid like the plague. I hover at the web site being careful to leave it before I can no longer turn back. I watch in glee while other people regale us with their stories of fiberly drugs from this place. I am stronger than they are. I can hold my own and not succumb to the pressures of these insidious people. They pretend to be friendly but NO - they want your soul. They send innocent people out to take picture of their main pusher at national monuments and places meant to be safe. They have invaded every nook and cranny of our knitting world and I SHALL NOT FALL PREY!

Oops - I fell off the wagon. I went. I saw. I bought. I made my first purchase and Loopy Ewe. They have me, I'm theirs. I surrender.

Cherry Tree Hill Select Supersock in Silent Night - a limited edition.

I tried - I really tried.........

Quick Summer Treats

In one of the groups I hang out in on Ravelry we got to talking about no cooking for the summer. I have several almost no cooking recipes and decided to kill two birds with one stone. Let the group know the recipes and do a blog post.

Sorry there's no pictures. These were something requested of me today and I haven't made them with taking pictures in mind before. But - trust me - they're good!

I have made Crockpot baked beans tons of times. These are great because other than soaking the beans everything is just dumped in the crockpot and left alone. I've found the longer you let them cook on low the better they are - they get that caramelized coating on them and the flavors work their way through every pore of the beans. Yum. I think I'll have to go get some navy beans and get a batch going!

Crockpot Beans

Serving Size : 12

1 lb Dried Navy beans
¼ C Molasses
6 T Sugar
1/2 T Salt
4 C Water
1 medium Onion -- chopped
2 oz Bacon

Wash beans. Do not soak.
Put all ingredients in crock pot. Cook 12 - 18 hours (up to 24)

Variations: I’ve made these without the bacon and about ¼ tsp. liquid smoke in its place to add flavor.

+++++

While I was pulling up my beans recipe I remembered the dump cake. This is another throw stuff in a pan and forget it. After the first time I made this recipe I started playing around a bit. I made it with chocolate cake and cherry pie filling and thought I would die it was so good. Give this a try when company is coming - quick easy and again - yum!

Dump Cake

Serving Size : 12-24 depending on serving size

1 pkg Yellow cake mix
20 oz Crushed pineapple
20 oz Cherry pie filling
1/2 C Chopped nuts (optional)
1 C Butter or margarine
Whipped topping or Ice Cream

Grease a 9x13x2" pan. Dump in undrained pineapple, swirling it around to fill corners.
Dump in pie filling and stir together until layer of fruits are even.
Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the fruit to cover it all.
Melt margarine and drizzle over top until cake mix covered. Sprinkle with nuts.
Bake at 350º until browned, about 1 hour.
Serve with whipped topping or ice cream.

Variation: Chocolate cherry. Use 1 box of a chocolate cake mix and 2 cans of cherry pie filling instead of pineapple and cherry.

Obsessive Compulsive Knitting Disorder

I think admitting you have a disease can be a good think. Knowing the symptoms are sometimes difficult but I've noticed a few things lately.

1. At work today I spent a lot of time thinking about what I was going to bring to knitting group tonight. My big projects that I don't need to concentrate on are finished and I only have a couple socks that I've brought to group a few times before. I couldn't possibly let them see the same project yet again! So over lunch and a few quiet moments at work I was cruising the patterns. I was in a panic becuase I didn't have a new project to bring. Maybe a shawl- I have lace weight yarn.

2. Shawls are a problem. I have 4 shawls ( 2 need to be blocked) but I don't really wear shawls. I have enough lace weight yarn for (I think) 5 or 6 more shawls. It was pretty and it was on sale.

3. Last night a friend asked if maybe I could donate a knitting something for a breast cancer event. I went to my box of completed items and pulled out a little cotton stranded work purse and a wool colorwork Christmas sock. She loved them and I realized - I have a box filled with completed things that have no purpose. I made them just because....

4. I usually can't wait to get home to pet the kitties, grab supper and settle into my recliner for an evening of TV and knitting. Notice this list of things to do doesn't include doing the dishes or housework or mowing the lawn....

5. I took time out to read a book instead of knitting. It was a good about knitting shop.

6. The side table on the left of my recliner is filled with projects, needles, and tools for knitting. The table on the right of my chair is filled with knitting books and magazines.

I could go on but its pretty obvious - I have Obsessive Compulsive Knitting Disorder. Let's hope there's no cure.