I HIDE YARN

I Spoke Too Soon

No sooner did the tech leave, when my computer started sounding noisier than usual.  I called back in, to have them call him before he got very far away.  Nothing happened.  Since everything appeared to be working correctly, I didn't pursue it.

I was online for awhile, then turned my monitor off to do other things.  When I went to turn it back on, my screen flashed up momentarily and disappeared.  I turned off my computer, waited and turned it back on.  Monitor light lit up again, I could hear Windows loading, but nothing worked on the monitor.  AARGHH!!

I call them back, they will send him back out in the morning.  This was the original reason I called them to come out, because the monitor was blinking.  My system had already blown one monitor.

Here's where it gets sticky.  I called them on Friday, my warranty was expiring Saturday.  They could not come out on Friday, and acted like it was just my tough luck.  I'm oh-no-you-don't.  I can understand you might not be able to come out the day I call (Friday) but I am calling you about the problem BEFORE the warranty is up.  I have no problem with you coming on Monday, but I expect it to be under warranty.  Several phone calls were made, etc.  They had to get an extension from the mfg. (okay by me, I didn't buy it from the mgf., I had it built by them and purchased it from them.)

Fast forward to today.  Tech comes out, says everything is fine.  Cleans the dust out of it, gives some advice - charges me for an hour of tech time and 60 miles drive time.

He is barely gone from my driveway when I notice some extra screws lying on the desktop, and my computer is louder than normal.  Almost a whine.  Then later...the monitor is not working.  I call them back, they will send him out first thing in the morning.  I tell them I am not willing to pay more charges for a HARDWARE failure.  She quibbles, I stand firm.  She calls the owner, they concede.  However, I am concerned.  This happened once before.  My monitor blew, and everyone thought it was just the monitor.  They replaced it, and the new one started blinking within a short time.  They came back out and ended up having to replace the motherboard.  I called them back to remind them of all this, and to please check my records.

We hooked up another monitor here, and it is working fine.  I'm not sure what they are prepared to do.  Computers are so expensive (this one was over $2,000) and they seem to last less and less and are made up of subpar parts.  I want a Mac.

I need to win the lottery.

Why There Has Been No Update

Super fast internet is wonderful...well...except when it's not working.  For some reason mine goes out when it rains.  Just me, no one else.  It has been so dry here this year, that it hasn't been that big of a problem to anyone but me.

Monday night moisture fell from the sky, and I lost my fast internet.  I was desperately wishing for my oh-so-slow dial-up, because at least it had 24 hour technical support.  Something my superfast internet company does not find necessary.  They have no problem clocking out and going home at 6 pm no matter how many towers are down.  (Where was THAT in the contract?)

I had internet for a nano second on Tuesday morning, followed by a whole lot of nothing.  I was told my tower was down, but assured they were working on it and it would be up and running any minute.  I was told that at 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 3:30 a.m.  I had a connection for another nano-second around this time and my hopes rose, only to be dashed again in about 2 minutes...when no pages would load...I should check my internet connection.  What a good idea.

I called right at 5:00 p.m. and they had already switched the phones over to voice mail, which assures you that you can reach technical support up until 6:00 p.m.  Somewhere someone is doubled over laughing and slapping their knee at the number of us schmucks who actually FALL for that and hopefully push #6 only to be told they are busy assisting other customers - and to leave a message.

It ceased being funny on Wednesday, when that was turning into a repeat of Tuesday.  As many of you know, I am disabled, trapped in one room of my home and the internet is my connection to the outside world.  I asked to speak to a manager who was very sympathetic, and promised to put a note on the General Manager's desk.

Before she had a chance to tell me all of this, I had already called my old internet company and begged to be reconnected to my oh-so-slow dialup as a backup.  When I had mentioned that as a possibility when my new system was being hooked up, they were appalled and told me it could "seriously screw up the system."  Deciding the system couldn't be much more screwed up, I made the call.  They were delighted to be of assistance, and I wouldn't blame them if their front page now announces to the world that they are the BACKUP SYSTEM to an ULTRA FAST COMPETITOR who can't seem to keep THEIR SYSTEM UP AND RUNNING.

Imagine my surprise when the General Manager called me all apologetic,  promising to get situation corrected ASAP and volunteered to credit my account.  He fully recognized that my personal situation was unique, and he was sorry that his company had let me down.  Wow. 

Good as his word, he dispatched a team to swap out some equipment on the tower.  He explained that a long term supplier starting with an M, who also manufactures a ton of cell phones, had moved their company to a far flung country where they could pay the employees next to nothing and produce sub-par parts at next to nothing while continuing to charge top dollar for them.  They had gotten no warning about a change in parts until they began to malfunction.  He mentioned how many of them were now sitting around his office.  He also dispatched his best technical guy - Hi Eric! - who may have to rent a room from me soon - to my house.  Eric replaced all of the equipment that had just been installed a few weeks ago.  When he left I had internet.  Wahooooo!

It started to rain about 10 p.m. last night and my internet went out.  I sighed, thinking this was just another sign that 2 drops of rain and it would quit.  While I was moving stuff around in the dark, preparing to disconnect the fast internet, so I could switch to dial up without making their system seize or whatever they were afraid of - I tried my system again - and it was back up!

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Currently this evening, Thursday October 18, 2007, I am sitting in an area surrounded by tornadic activity.  Once again, some just a few miles from me (as in the devastating tornado of November 2006.)  We are fine, and surprisingly my internet connection only hiccuped once.  My step-daughter is stranded at work, but she is safe.  After suffering major damage to their home in 2005, my step-son and family have put a storm shelter in their back yard, underground.  So I feel certain they are fine as well.   Daylight tomorrow is probably going to bring some horrible realizations of just how many of these storms - especially in Western Kentucky - were devastating.  There is word of a lot of property damage, as well as injuries.   It is unclear how many have actually hit a little to the northeast of me in Indiana.  There are also reports of property damage in Southern Illinois, close to where I was raised.

When I started this post, I had no idea it was going to go in this direction this evening.  I'm sure your prayers would be welcome.  If you are a transplanted Hoosier, you may be glad that Back Home Again in Indiana does not apply to you right now.   (Ironically my internet went out for a few minutes and when it came back on it saved this post, which caused it to prematurely post.)

Our official state song is On the Banks of the Wabash (which Back Home Again in Indiana mimics much of the verse.)  Back Home Again in Indiana is the song played at the Indianapolis 500 right after the Star Spangled Banner.    I also bring you My Old Kentucky Home for all of my friends in that neighboring state just 15 minutes away.

^^^^^^^Back Home Again in Indiana^^^^^^^

(as sung by Jim Nabors)

^^^^^^^On The Banks of the Wabash^^^^^^^^

(I couldn't find a good YouTube video for this, sorry.)

Chorus:

Oh, the moonlight's fair tonight along the Wabash,
From the fields there comes the breath of new mown hay.
Through the sycamores the candle lights are gleaming,
On the banks of the Wabash, far away.

^^^^^^^My Old Kentucky Home^^^^^^^

One of Those Weeks...

Sigh.

Things have not gone exactly my way this week.  Here is a partial list of events:

• Dh came home from the hospital grouchy and unbearable to be around
• The coordinator from the local MS Society called, listened and basically told me I was very well informed.  Then offered no help.  None.  Nada.
• I get replies to some of my email to state or federal senators/representatives who refer me to the HUD website to find accessible housing.  That would be a great idea if the website WORKED.  You put in your area, and then it comes up with no responses.  Every time, in any area.
• I have not finished Hint 1 of the Secret of the Stole, and Hint 2 has already been given.  I am already behind.
• The Monkey Socks were screaming for attention.  So I got them out to knit on them.  Now I realized they were screaming because the yarn cake was being eaten by MOTHS.  MOTHS!  I keep all of my yarn in sealed bags, with lots of lavender or cedar.  How did this happen?

I've been knocked down a bit, but I'm not out of it by any means.  Even if my head is itching like crazy, because now I am sure I have cooties.  If I shave my head of its waist-length hair, will you still love me?

All Winston - All The Time

Long time, no post - I know.  Things got a bit chaotic around here for awhile.  First Sachi was in heat.  Oh boy.  I had never heard a dog yodel before, and I wouldn't care if I never heard it again.  Winston wore his little paws down.

• Circle newly mesh wire wrapped, and covered playpen (Sachi's jail cell) 300 times looking for an opening
• Run back in to see if Mommy is okay, lay by her feet for 2 minutes
• Jump back up when Sachi yodels and add to the chorus with whining at the side of the playpen
• Run back to Mommy...then back to Sachi
• Rinse and repeat until Mommy is frazzled from the yodeling and whining and Winston is prone from exhaustion

I told my husband I would know we were in trouble when we saw Winston by the playpen with a pair of tin snips.  Yodeling and whining sometimes continued into the night.  We tried putting their crates in separate rooms and the noise only got worse.  Please, may we get Winston's complicated neutering surgery over and done with before she goes into heat again.  If not, I am moving to a hotel for 2 weeks.

For the first time EVER, I have missed a sock knitting deadline.  I feel so terrible not to have my sockaplooza socks finished yet.  I emailed my sock pal to let her know, and she was very gracious to say not to worry.  But I still do - worry and fret, which doesn't make for smooth knitting.

DH is home from his last surgery hospitalization.  He went in on Sunday night for early Monday morning surgery.  He was supposed to come home on Tuesday, but they delayed it until Thursday.

So while I am busy knitting, knitting, knitting...you get some Winston pictures.  Why Winston only?  Because he is the one who babysits me all day long.  The others come and go, but he takes me on like a full-time job.  He doesn't clock out until someone else is home, and he feels it is safe to leave me (plus he wants to greet them like he has just been waiting by the door for them to come home - heh.)

Winston supervising the refilling of the weekly - 4 times per day - pill case.  Yes I take a truckload of meds, but not as many as I used to thanks to Congress privatizing the Medicare prescription plan so these companies can change the rules, the prices, etc. at whim.  The word "contract' doesn't faze them.  They "accidentally" have charged the wrong co-pay on at least one drug every month since I started - always double or more than what I should be paying.  It practically takes an act of Congress to get it appealed and refunded.  Now I am in what is referred to as the "gap" or "donut hole" which means I must pay full price for all of my drugs until I meet $3800 out of pocket.  Does anyone care that all of the hospital and medical bills have beat them to the pocket?  Not to mention the frivlous things like food, house payment and utility bills.  But that is a story for another day...or should I say never-ending nightmare.

This is Winston "helping" to make the bed.  His idea of the perfectly made bed is, pulling the comforter around with his mouth until it is in a big soft pile he can lie on like the first picture.  If I discourage that, then he gets under the blanket and tunnels underneath from the head of the bed to the foot, and back again.  Blankets like the lavender one on the edge of the bed can either seem very attractive or utterly unnecessary to him depending on his mood.  When it is the latter, he nudges it off the bed onto the floor.

Of course no day is complete without several times of playing "Where's Winnie?"  He has a new hiding place, under the bed.  Usually he hides under pillows or blankets because under the bed is Molly's domain (the old grouchy dog.)  He never gets tired of popping out from somewhere when he hears "Where's Winnie" as if he totally surprised you that time.

Supervising Mommy, bed making and hide and seek can totally tucker out little Yorkie boys.

Thankfully Sachi is back to normal, and so is Winston.

Sockapalooza Sigh

If you recall, I had completed one sockaplooza 4 sock.  I had a good amount of the second cuff knitted when I had to rip back to the ribbing.  Wah!

Ringing phone...

Bliss:    Hello?

Caller:  Is this Head up your Hind-end Knitting?

Bliss:    I beg your pardon?

Caller:  IS THIS HEAD UP YOUR HIND-END KNITTING?

Bliss:    Well, yes - I suppose - I mean...

Caller:  Did you just rip out a sock cuff because you had discovered the amount of ribbing rows were different between the two socks?

Bliss:     Yes.

Caller:  I thought you had a fancy, schmancy leather diary where you keep all your sock knitting information - like size, rows or repeats of pattern and modifications.

Bliss:     Yes - I do...it would be this one...

Caller:  So what's the problem?  You open up the diary and find the number of ribbing rows completed.

Bliss:    mumble...mumble...mumble...

Caller:  I'm sorry, you are going to have to speak up.  I can't hear you.

Bliss:    I didn't write it down in there.

Caller:  (with incredulous tone)  You have a special red leather diary to store all of your sock knitting information inside and you didn't write down that important bit of information?  Did you write it down ANYWHERE?

Bliss:   Well as a matter of fact I did write it down somewhere else.

Caller:  It seems like I am repeating myself here, so what was the problem?

Bliss:    I couldn't remember where I wrote it down.  I looked through my stack of post it notes, and my steno pad where I keep daily to-do lists and other useful information.  It wasn't in any of them.

Caller:  Couldn't you simply have counted the rows on the first sock?

Bliss:    Well I thought I could, and I eyeballed them by holding them up side by side and they looked the same.  So I finished what I thought was the right amount of ribbing and began the pattern.  Something just kept niggling at my brain...

Caller:  Did you stop knitting until this er "niggling" went away?

Bliss:    Well no - I just kept knitting because I wanted to get the socks finished.

Caller:  So let me get this straight.  You thought if you just kept knitting that somehow the sock ribbings would magically match?

Bliss:    Um, yes?

Caller:  So how did you finally discover the truth?

Bliss:    I found where I had written my modification of rows.

Caller:  And where was that?

Bliss:    On my copy of the pattern.  I type out instructions, pattern repeats or charts because I can't hold a book in my lap and knit, and sometimes cannot read the print if the pattern book is lying on a table nearby.

Caller:  How in the world did you not SEE this when you began the second sock?

Bliss:    By then I had already memorized the pattern, and I was not referring to the notes any more.

Caller:  Well I hope you have learned your lesson!

Bliss:     I hope so, too!

I have ripped back to the ribbing, added the two additional rows and started knitting the pattern again.  That deadline seems to be zooming closer.  Knit faster Bliss, knit faster!

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Hubby has been back in the hospital since Monday with another infection.  (They decided they stopped the IV antibiotics too soon.)  He will need a little additional surgery on the bone where they amputated his toe.  They are sending him home to me today, I will do IV antibiotic therapy on him and wound care.  He will go back in the hospital on Sunday night July 29, have surgery early Monday and either come home that day or the next.  Once again, there has to be a delay in doing surgery because he is on a strong blood thinner.  The Plavix needs to be out of his system at least a week, preferably 10 days before doing surgery.

The doctor sets it up this way because Dave feels better at home, and it is much cheaper for the insurance company.  We had a similar set up with his surgery in May.  The insurance company thanked us by refusing to pay the initial hospital stay as unnecessary!   The doctor called them and straightened that out very quickly.  He told them normally he would have to keep a patient in the hospital the entire time so he could receive the care he needed around the clock from nurses.  This was a rare situation where the patient's wife was able to provide around the clock care for free.  Of course if they would rather he kept the patient in the hospital until surgery this time, he would be happy to comply.  They couldn't rescind their earlier assessment fast enough!  They assured him this arrangement would be just fine.

One of the residents on the team came around to see DH yesterday, and saw the notes where they were preparing to send him home.  He asked DH how he could go home when he needed IV antibiotics several times a day, plus wound care.  DH told him his wife would be doing it.  The resident asked if I was a nurse.  DH said no, not exactly.  Is she a doctor?  Well, no not that either.  The resident shook his head and said I'm confused.  When my boss called me on Monday and said I must see you immediately and admit you to the hospital, I asked him if he had seen you?  My boss said no, "(the patient's) doctor at home spoke to me on the phone about the urgency of the situation, and I assured her the clinic would see him today.  Does he think your wife is a doctor?

DH laughed and said that is a private joke.  My wife is exceptionally smart, and has vast medical knowledge - plus 10 years of on the job training with my constant wound care/surgeries/antibiotics, etc.  Dr. A. trusts her to know what to do, and to call if something is wrong.  When I come in to see him, he always asks what "my doctor at home" says about my situation.

Young resident says, so you wife is NOT a nurse or a doctor yet she goes to all this trouble to get up around the clock to take care of you?  She doesn't freak out doing packings and wound care for amputations?

DH says, that's not all.  She has Secondary Progressive MS, and is in a wheelchair.  She still manages to do everything I need.  I know it's a big aggravation, but she does it because she loves me.

(Awww...and I didn't think he noticed.  An aside, I called the clinic first to get an emergency appointment for DH on Monday and they flat refused, so I said I would call Dr. A - the big boss.  They said it wouldn't do any good to call him, that I should just take DH to the emergency room.  Going through the ER is a nightmare, because they never recognize the situation for what it is and will give him a dose of meds and send him home.  One call to Dr. A and within 15 minutes the clinic was finding out they would have an emergency patient coming in at 3:45 p.m.  He knows I NEVER call unless it is a real emergency, and DH needs to be assessed and/or admitted.  Twenty minutes after DH arrived at the clinic, he called to say he was being admitted into the hospital.)

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I will leave you with a happier note.  My special friend in DC knew I was under a lot of stress at the moment, and he sent me the following.  It was just the calming influence I needed.  May you be blessed as well!

(So as not to offend any readers, I will tell you it is a beautiful musical and pictorial tribute to what Jesus does in our lives.)

http://www.andiesisle.com/He-Will-Be.html

Monkey See Monkey Do

I have been trying out some patterns for my Sockapalooza4 sock pal.  Monkey socks were not going to be in the picture, because the pattern is so popular.  I wanted my pal to receive something different and special.

So explain this...

How did these Monkey Socks get in my needles?  Now I know why everyone is knitting them.  They are a blast to knit!  Cookie A. you ROCK.  I don't know when I had this much fun knitting a pair of socks.  The yarn in Sunshine Yarns in the color violets.  (Pssst.  If you follow that link Dani has some of this color available right now in her Etsy store.  It is a tighter twist than this particular yarn.  A tighter twist will wear even better.) 

My pal likes purple.  Boy howdy did she get the right sock pal...red and purple constantly vie for my favorite color.  The only problem is these socks might be too big for my pal.  Oops.  That means they would fit me....mwahahaha!

I originally chose this yarn for my pal...

It is Cherry Tree Hill supersock in the color amethyst.  I swear I am not going to buy any more Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, and then I forget why and get sucked in again.  Just one of these wound balls (1/2 a skein) has no less than THREE knots in it.  Bleh.  It seems like there is always something wrong with the yarn...knots, not colorfast...something.  I have a neat pattern picked out that should show up best in the vibrant solid color, if I can work around the knots.

DH is feeling much better at home getting his IV antibiotic treatments.  Surgery is now set for early Wednesday morning - the same morning Kiddo graduates from the 8th grade.

Your prayers, good thoughts, comments and emails mean so much.  Friends really do ease the burden.  Thank you.  I hold each one of you in my heart. 

Update

Surgery has been postponed due to the fact he is on a strong blood thinner.  I suspected this might happen.  They are tentatively saying it could happen on Friday, however he has not been added to the surgery schedule.

So we wait, while he soaks up some more IV medication and waits for his blood to thicken.

Teenager has not been throttled yet, although I have considered slipping some chill pills in her food.  But the truth is if I had any chill pills, I would be hogging them all for myself.

Your prayers and good thoughts are so much appreciated, as well as your comments regarding teenagers - both from being one and raising them.  I no longer have to ask where grey hair comes from.  I thought raising a teen-aged son was hard, but that was a walk in the park compared to raising a girl.  Yikes.  Nobody said I would need riot gear and tear gas.

Of Dye Spots & Plumbing

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with self-striping yarn made by companies like the Opal socks I am currently knitting.  I like the pattern that appears with no effort on my part, even if I choose to knit plain stockinette.  I confess to sometimes knitting faster just to watch the colors change.

Yes, I do need to get a life.  Have mercy on my simple ways as you recall I am basically stuck in one room of my house until we find the funds to make our house handicap accessible, I spontaneously begin to walk again, or the world comes to an end.  The last one cannot possibly happen yet if I am to have any chance at knitting up my stash.  (Stop laughing Joan, we don't want you to stress the surgical wounds.)

The pictures following note what I do NOT like about this type of yarn.  It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine.  Some manufactured yarn runs are worse than others.  I don't mind it in hand-painted yarn much, because someone has taken the time to make a one of a kind (per se) yarn.  However if it is machine dyed, shouldn't the control be a little better?

The first two photographs are with my camera set to macro mode, which of course makes it look much worse that it actually is.  I daresay they would pass the galloping horse test.  In fact Boris could have probably worn them while astride Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense yesterday, as he was dressed in blue and yellow  (the jockey not the horse) - albeit it not the turquoise blue of these socks.  Jockey pictured here.

The state of the socks...

One heel turned and gusset picked up, one heel ready to turn.  I gotz to knit feetz this week!  (Perhaps I have been spending a little too much time on I Can Has Cheezburger?.  If you want to start your day with a smile, stop in there.  It never fails to make me laugh.)

Speaking of animals, my own resident loldog, Sachi, has decided to become a plumber's apprentice.  We had a minor plumbing leak under one of the master bath sinks, and my step-son volunteered to come up and fix it.  (DH has the mid-line in his arm for IV treatment and has to be careful what he does.)  As you see, Sachi was present and accounted for...

Jeff observed some things that make him believe she is supervisor material. 

• Pic 1 - Typical of many supervisors, she was always on his back. 
• Pic 2 - She stared over his shoulder a lot, but offered no help.
• Pic 3 - She was the first one to leave for break.

I owe emails to some of you - I'm sorry!  Life has delivered some double whammys around here lately.  Please know I appreciate each and every comment, email, and good wishes sent our way!

Hello to my sockapalooza4 pal, who stopped by to comment! 

I sent an email to the sockapalooza4 pal I am knitting socks for, but I haven't heard back from her yet.  I don't think she blogs too often, and has a busy life.  It's possible she hasn't picked up email yet, or - like me - has found it difficult to find the time to respond to all.

Okay...I'z off to knitz feetz...

Lonely Ball Winder Seeks Yarny Companion

The following picture shows the sad state of knitting at my house lately...

(Clicking pic makes everything BIGGER)

My yarn winder is so abused, it is forced to wear a scrunchy.  Yes, Winston has his own pillow for when we nap in the afternoon.  Remy doesn't need a pillow, because he uses my head, my neck, my chest - any comfy appendage will do.  (They sleep in their crate together at night still.)  There are some lonely knitting bags hanging on the door handle.  Don't worry, I have at least 5 or 6 more stuffed to the gills with yarn or projects in other places.  The top knitting video may or may not be related to a secret WIP.  And last...but not least...tax stuff. 

No, I haven't filed my taxes yet.  This is silly, because we will definitely get money back, because we have more medical expenses every year than the amount of my annual income from disability.  (This year the medical is running close to $14,000 - after his insurance pays his and Medicare (from disability) pays on mine.  This has been a good year.) 

I cannot finalize my taxes, because I am still waiting on a statement of account from one medical facility.  They claim they cannot send it to me until their attorney releases it, because they have been bought out and there is a name change.  Hello?  I worked in accounts receivable (in one form or another from clerk to credit specialist) for over 25 years.  My father worked in the industry all of my life, until he retired.  Never has there been a reason a client could not receive a statement of account for the year PROCEEDING ANY CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP!!  What does the amount I paid in 2006 have to do with a change of ownership in March 2007?  And even with a change, business should continue as usual within a few short days.  First they told me I should use my cancelled checks as proof.  Umm yeah.  My husband has been going there for visits 2-4 times a month for NINE YEARS  (not counting the numerous hospitalizations and surgeries) this = a poopload of payments.  Plus I pay using check by phone.  There are no cancelled checks, and they know it. 

Why would an attorney have a stay on all correspondence issued from their side for going on 3 weeks, with another 3 weeks expected?  (This is not a rant on lawyers.  Some of my best friends are lawyers.  Dang!  Maybe I should have mentioned that-heh)  Are we deciding on the font size, letterhead color?  Bear in mind this is the accounting facility ONLY (separate in full from the huge medical center that had no name change.)  Did the new owner accidentally buy this company, and has stopped payment on his check?  Regretted his impulse buy, and is stonewalling with legal mastery by withholding statements of account from last year? Busy using my credit card information (from the time or two I used it to pay) to buy lunch at Pizza Hut in Malaysia?  (see section below.***)

Speaking of my yarn winder - It even has a new (only test used once) swift companion!  I used one of the plastic Japanese versions for years.  Then I bought (with my birthday money) an expensive model from an unnamed knitting store, online and brick & mortar, that did not work worth a tinker's darn.  I had a couple of pleasant conversations (so I thought - see below) with the owner, who told me it was not a good match for fine yarn.  Hello!  Sock knitter here!  That information would have been helpful in the hand-made swifts online description.

I tried using it with several different weights of yarn.  Every time, it would become a snarled mess that needed to be removed from the swift, and untangled by two people with a sense of humor.  Eventually I got permission to return it.  Then I got a nasty message from the owner saying SHE had wound SEVERAL different skeins into balls using this swift without one problem, and begrudgingly gave me a store credit.  Now I don't claim to be the fastest swift in the box, but I swear this swift befuddled more than one knitter who tried to help me.

The store owner said she tried to credit my credit card, but apparently it was expired or something.  I didn't bother to explain that some ***ding-fod had been using my credit card to purchase lunch at Pizza Hut and something through a travel agent in MALAYSIA.  My credit card company called me in the middle of the night to tell me about it.  Of course they closed that credit card account and issued a new card. 

Wouldn't that make a great novel though?  Thief steals credit card information, uses it to buy lunch at Pizza Hut twice and then tries to escape the country.  They only charged $32 (twice) at the travel agent.  How far can one go on $32, and by what mode of transport?  Donkey?  A Flinstone rental car (foot powered?)  I can only surmise that since they purchased TWO tickets, they either had an accomplice or it must have been round trip.  Heh!

I have no idea where my credit card info was stolen.  I shop online, but have done so for ten years without one problem.  It could have happened just as easily when my husband used the card in a restaurant or store.  Stops to ponder if husband has been missing for any length of time.  Nope.  Don't think he was the one dining and traveling in high style in Malaysia.

I know it couldn't have been my friend Fern in Malaysia.  Hi Fern!  Because...

1. Fern is a total sweetie.
2. SURELY any friend of MINE would buy YARN.
3. Yarn purchased anywhere in the universe would never be noticed as "odd" by my credit card company - heh.

Now, I have a new - less expensive - but totally wonderful and ingenious swift that is languishing on top of my stereo system.  Where do you store a swift that doesn't fold, etc.?  I will feature it on the blog soon, because it does work and is worthy of a blog post.

I owe emails to the wonderful people who have commented.  I love you, I do.  I have been involved in a study course that has taken precedence over most of my life, including knitting and apparently good manners, too.  Sorry.

A publisher sent me a knitting book to review...as well as a copy to give away to a lucky blog reader...so stay tuned...there will be a non-ranting, non-medical,  knitting-type post coming any day now. 

No really. 

Stop that. 

I mean it.  I CAN write a post about knitting only.  (crosses fingers behind my back)

Thanks for the Salmonella Peter Pan

We were some sick puppies around here this week.  I was blaming my husband's chili (oops) and it turned out to be the peanut butter sandwiches we ate with it.

Consider this a P.S.A. if you eat Peter Pan peanut butter, or some Great Value peanut butter.  (Apparently Great Value peanut butter is made by more than one manufacturer.)

A co-worker of my husband knew about the recall by Conagra Foods (see the recall notice here) and became suspicious when my husband was describing how sick everyone at our house was.  Sure enough, the Peter Pan peanut butter we ate that night had the 2111 code beginning on each jar lid.

It has apparently affected people in several states.  I can tell you it was no fun.  Even though it wasn't my husband's chili, it's still his fault because he KNOWS the rules are JiIF peanut butter only.

What's next?  Never mind....shhh...let's pretend I didn't ask that, okay?

Added later - the evidence:

(clickety biggety) Not only was my husband not using his super human skills to see that there was salmonella present...

(clickety biggety)

...he apparently also doesn't pay attention to expiration dates.  Notice the jar on the left.  Incidentally, it was the jar on the right we ate from and got sick.