Life

In September, I was hired back on as tech support supervisor. This is the third time I’ve been hired there. Then they got rid of my team in favor of contracted people in othe countries. I am now co-supervisor of that group. Honestly, this is not a long term deal for me. I don’t have the energy for it. At my age, there’s not a lot of time ahead. I just go day by day.

Jake and Fanny are doing fine. Mr. Trouble, the stray, still comes by daily for food and pets. Will see how it goes this winter.

Jake

Just a quick one

My retirement was short. I was contacted by a co-worker, asking if I would be willing to come back as a contractor. I said yes, and was back at work by May. Was offered a full time position. It would have meant flying in to train people. I just don’t think my lungs are up to flying. So that didn’t work out but I am on through September.

I am learning to sketch and do watercolors. I’ve played with it a little. I was subscribed to Liz Steel’s mailing list. Went into an email to unsubscribe and saw it was for a class on teacups. Could not resist that! Then I signed up for Foundations, which is her sketching class and Watercolors. Trying to keep up with Foundations which is being done with a group right now. There is lifetime access to the classes and you can join with the group led versions when they pop up. It has been a lot of fun.

Jake and Fanny have been fine. It’s been a nice summer, with triple digits just this last week. Lots of rain to keep things growing. I still don’t have a garden but I have a few things in giant pots out front. Am having the house painted soon, so it will finally be all one color. I need to prepare for fall.

And there is my outside cat, Mr Trouble. He is not feral but doesn’t seem to belong to anyone. I started feeding him, so he hangs out here a lot. Will try to make him an inside cat come fall. More to come.

Mr. trouble

Changes

I am still trying to settle in with recent changes. I was terminated at work, along with two coworkers, because they wanted people to come in to the office three days a week. No way that’s happening from here. I am looking for work but this may turn into retirement. I have so much I want to do here. I’ve been trying to catalog all the yarn I’ve bought over the last few years. That’s what I want to work on. And it’s difficult to settle in to a new community, when you are at home working until 7.

There are some other issues that may be resolved soon but don’t want to talk about those yet. I picked up a Canon DSLR and have been trying to learn how to use it. I have been taking short trips in the area and want to take better pictures. I went to The Garden of Eden in Lucas last week.

It was a fun trip! I don’t know if I’ll use it but I have a small tent for overnight stays. I can sleep in the back of the car too. But first, I have to get the mahogany kitchen table moved out of the car into the house. Am hoping for help with that soon. No progress on the garden. The weather has not been cooperating. I did get Jake to the groomers.

So far, it’s been nice to rest and to have time to relax. My birthday is tomorrow. I miss being able to go to Larson’s to get a cake. That was one of Lon’s favorite places. But I picked up a tiramisu cake at the store and that will do. Still waiting for warmer weather.

Stay warm!

Cold one here today but we are warm inside. I have a very happy cat sleeping on a heating pad:

And Jake just came back in:

Outside it’s cold. I have been feeding the birds and was blessed with a cardinal today! Should be a bit warmer tomorrow. Stay warm and have a happy holiday!

Home at last

It still needs work and I want to set up a garden for next year. It’s my little house in this quiet little town. I still don’t really know anyone, although I’ve met some neighbors. I don’t feel lonely or sad these days. I sit out in the back yard with Jake and just take it all in. It’s sunny almost every day and you can see for miles when you get out of town. At night, you see the stars. All the pictures I take show bright blue sky with interesting clouds. I am happy to be here.

Unpacking

It all arrived on Thursday. The crew was impressed by all my trunks. I have stuff piled everywhere now. But I will find places for it and put it in order. I do think the animals are happy to have familiar items here. I am especially grateful my cousin convinced me to move the fridge. There was one here, but it doesn’t work. The old one works fine and I’ll hook up the ice maker next week.

I have the gas turned up for the furnace and a company should be out next week to get that working. I still need to have two windows replaced, which may happen next week. I have learned to be patient with when someone will come out for these jobs. I did have to convince the window place that I don’t need an estimate. It has to be fixed. I can’t go through the winter with two busted windows. It’s a slower pace of life and that’s what I came for. So far, I’m happy with the neighborhood and happy with the house even though it needs a lot of work. I will get it done over time. I will have some order here and a comfortable place for us.

I have arrived!

It was not a fun move. My plan was to move some of the stuff I needed right away in my utility trailer. Well, everything was overloaded and I blew out the transmission in the car. Found a rebuilt one and got that put in. Sold the trailer to my stepson and had the stuff in the car and trailer added to what U-Haul was moving. Took four days to get here and that part went fine. We are still pretty burned out. I am in northern Kansas, where I bought a small house that I could afford. I’m in a town of about 1200. So far, I’m pretty happy with it. There’s work to be done on the house and a couple of things I need to do right away. But it’s mine. And I think it will suit me.

My stuff is also in Kansas and will be delivered and unloaded on Wednesday. I haven’t had much time to check things out. There is a small city about 22 miles away, where I can get items that aren’t available locally. The best thing is that I don’t have any memories associated with anything here. Everything is new.

Will try and do another update, once I find out how much was broken.

Moving very soon!

Thought I should sneak in a post, for anyone still listening. I am officially at the packing it up to go stage. I should close on the house the first of September. Will head out of here not long after that. I am using U-Haul’s version of a POD, since they will hold them and then deliver closer to where I will be. I am moving the more fragile stuff in my utility trailer. I put a slightly heavier axle on it, electric brakes with a breakaway box and new tires. The transmission was checked on the car. I think I’ll be fine if I keep it light. And I am getting better at backing up a trailer. I think it will take me four days to get to Kansas. I would rather drive fewer hours than try to overdo. And it will be me, Jake the springer and Fanny the cat on this trip.

The house is cheap but in a nice rural town. It needs work but anything I could buy would need work. I will own it outright which makes me feel a lot better. And I plan to have a garden! I am taking all my irises with me and raspberry plants. I plan to keep working for now, so I can put some money into repairs. I look upon it as possibly my last great adventure. I have cousins in OK that plan to visit too.

It’s all stressful, but I hope it goes smoothly. It really has come together over the last month or so. I even guessed at when I would need the packing box from UHaul and it’s turned out to be just about right.  I could have closed earlier but need to be here in town on 9/2. I will be moving most of my treadles and my Singer Fashionmate, which is the only electric one I’m keeping. I may not post again until I’ve landed at my new home.

 

 

Trying to keep updated

The good news is that I will be moving in the near future. I am currently looking for a house to buy in the Midwest. And then comes the fun of finally moving. It will be good to be in a new area. There are just too many memories out here and I spend a lot of time being sad.

And in a happier change, Jake got a very short haircut. I thought the weather would turn warm, but we had several weeks of cool weather. But it’s still short and will be more comfortable than all that hair. I do miss the curls on the ears.

 

Long time between posts!

Lots of things happening all at once. I am finally wrapping things up here. Will be looking for a  new place and planning a move. I’ve waited a long time for it and it will be nice to see something new. I have to finish the last of the packing and make sure that I’ve gotten rid of as much extra stuff as I can.

And…I had to put Loretta down last night. She was getting to the point where she had trouble walking. Just going out to the yard was hard. She did manage to go to the woods on Sunday. I wasn’t sure if she could do it, as she had a seizure on Friday. She had to stop mid way and rest but did make it back to the car. She was a sweet dog and I will miss her. She is likely the last puppy I’ll ever have.

 


I am still working on some projects. I am making another IPA from Chic Knits, to replace the one that someone decided to wash in the washer. Pictures when I’ve made a bit more progress. And I’ve been doing a small amount of spindle spinning. Mostly I have been trying to recover from three weeks of laryngitis. It’s really tough to deal with life when you can’t talk. It’s slow, but I am starting to talk well enough to be understood.

Not much new around here

I haven’t been doing a lot beyond work. I did not finish the second Icelandic sweater. I need to combine the pieces and do the yoke but wasn’t motivated. I love the one I did finish and have worn it a lot this winter. I have a pair of socks going but that’s about it.

My cat had to have three teeth pulled. She’s recovered okay. Loretta is really starting to fail. I am trying to give her as many good days as I can. She still has a good appetite and manages to save her strength for our trips to the woods. Jake has slowed down this year a bit. He is the same silly dog. They really keep me busy and give me something to take care of.

I’ve had to update my electronics due to some changes at work. I bought a Lenovo Idea Pad which I think is the second computer I’ve bought new. I like it. It’s small and I will need a second monitor for work. It should last me for awhile Also have discovered TWSBI fountain pens. I hadn’t bought any pen and ink in a long time, so it’s just a fun thing for me. The TWSBI 700 vac in Iris, extra fine nib, is my favorite. I bought Noodler’s ink in Black and Anti-feathering Blue. I have some samples to play around with too. The black ink even works on Moleskine paper.

Then I upgraded my pressure canner to a small All American. Bought a Vita-mix. I’ve wanted one for decades. Still trying to figure out the best way to use it. I have a dehydrator and plan to start putting up some food this year. I have a few Grow Bags in the back yard, for the fingerling potatoes left from last year. It’s not much but it’s fun to play around with. I am still trying to settle up here and move to a new place. It has been a long, frustrating time. I just have to be patient. For now, I just keep working and wait to see what happens.

Finish of the sweater

When you finish both sleeves, you start work on the body

You work till time to join the sleeves. I didn’t take a picture of this part. I started the yoke, using a design from Priscilla’s book and putting the decreases in the pattern. Here’s what it looked like:

There were problems. I didn’t like the way the decreases affected the design. And the white yarn was consistently thicker. Also, I was trying to avoid long floats by weaving in. I finished the sweater, wove in the ends and tried it on. It did not meet my vision of a faded pattern. So I did this:

This is me cutting off the yoke! Since I would just be knitting a new yoke, I knew that it wouldn’t take long to fix. I left the longer floats, changed the decreases and came up with this:

I finished it and blocked it. This is the final result:

I’ve worn it in the woods and it is a cozy and warm sweater. I’m really happy I redid the yoke. And I’m trying to sort out my notes as I work on the next one.

More on the sweater

I used the ribbing suggested in the video I linked. It’s very easy to do. You work the two sleeves first, since this is a bottom to top sweater. They act as you gauge swatch. Nothing fancy here. I wanted a fairly plain design. You can try as you go and adjust the speed of the increase.

Merry Christmas and Happy holidays!

I’m working on a second Icelandic sweater so I will try to post the rest of my tutorial next weekend, when I’m off.

Icelandic Sweater

This first part will be light on details as I still need to rewrite my instructions. EZ’s percentage system uses gauge, size (bust in my case) plus ease. When you have that number, the other parts are done by percentage. When I did my gauge, it measured 4 stitches per inch. But working the sweater, it came in at 3.5 so I used the first set of numbers.

More calculations. I would need to adjust my stitch count for the pattern. I worked both sleeves, then the body.

I did the same for my patterned yoke. I’ll talk about that on another post. I’m very happy with the finished sweater. I’ll do another post with the construction pictures.

At long last!

I own a utility trailer! I ordered on the end of March. The plan was to use it for a vardo. I ordered a heavier axle, electric brakes and a spare. It was supposed to take 4-6 weeks. But it didn’t come up for the build. I would call and was told it could take another 2-3 weeks. At one point, they told me they were telling folks that new orders would take 3-5 months! I told them that was great because it had been almost five months. I didn’t want to cancel the order but started looking at trailers for sale. I found a 5×8′ cargo trailer that had been turned into a small camper. I didn’t have enough money but knew I would on payday. So I checked it out and told the guy I would buy it, if it was avaiable on Friday.

I got a call on Tuesday that they were ready to build my trailer. And it would cost an additional $400. I canceled the order. I no longer trusted the company to build it. Then the cargo trailer sold on Wednesday. I was upset. I knew it wasn’t big enough and that I was giving up my dream of the vardo. I just wanted to finally see some progress.

Thursday night, I checked Facebook marketplace and found a 6×10′ utility trailer. Price was fair and it looked good. I contacted the owner and asked to see it Friday. He told me he’d had some calls trying to lowball the price. I told him I was serious. I knew I would buy it, if it looked as good as the pictures. And it did! I offered him $100 less than his asking price but told him I’d give him full price if he’d hook it up. He laughed and took care of that for me.

It has higher metal sides than the trailer I ordered. I’ll have to figure a way to use that in the vardo design. I drove it home. And I backed it into the driveway. My neighbor said I did pretty good for a first timer. And I unhitched and secured it. Pretty happy about all that.

Just a quick one

I thought I’d actually done a post here last week. Oh well.  Not a lot of progress being made. The yard looks better but we still need to clear out the house. I am trying to get things wrapped up here and get out of here before winter sets in. I am looking at moving to South Dakota at this point. No particular reason. I can’t take the heat any more and I don’t know how much I’ll wind up with from the estate. I need something with an affordable cost of living and a house I can afford.

Still waiting on my trailer. They can’t get axles for it. I ordered it the end of March. I’d planned to use that to stay in while house hunting. At this point, I’m ready to buy something sight unseen. I would have a house inspection of course. But we have a mask mandate yet again, which means I am stuck at home and I’ve had enough. This is insanity and I want to move to where people are allowed to have a life. I am so done with this.

Shepherd’s Wagon

I took a nice road trip yesterday. Drove out to eastern Oregon, down to Shaniko, then Antelope and back up to Fossil.  If you can, you should make that drive. The view of the Painted Hills is spectacular. I wanted to visit Fossil as they have a beautiful county courthouse. On the way to see it, I discovered they have a shepherd’s wagon! It’s in a tiny park in downtown and open to view. I was so excited about it that I never got around to the front to read the sign with all the details. I may make another trip out there. For now, here are some pictures.

 

It’s unlikely this was meant to take out on the highway. It has a single axle with rubber tires.

This is the view to the left.

 

Closer view of this kitchen area

 

Bed

Area to the right

And a better view of the stove. I used to have a small wood cookstove like this.

Just testing

Quick one

Thought I would do a quick update. No pictures in this one. Life is really an awful mess right now. The house has been cluttered with things to be packed for going on three years now. We had a lot of things packed up and stored in the big truck. I decided that I was not going to use that, so had to have everything brought back in the house. And I’ve gone through it multiple times. I had to plan a new way to do this. My problem is that I am moving to a new area, with no place to stay when I get there. I looked into covered trailers but they seemed expensive. Then I found this: Paleo Tool  I have always loved vardos. It dawned on me that I could do one, leave the inside unfinished, load it with my things to move, then unload to a storage locker. I could then finish the inside and camp using the vardo till I found a place.  The more I thought about it, the more it resonated with me. And while I have info on making a different version, primarily out of plywood, this vardo design is what I want. I like pretty much everything about it.

 

I have ordered a utility trailer to build this on. Mine will be 6×12 ft. My stepson finds it a really interesting project, so he has said he will help me build it. He has a lot of construction experience. I have been ordering things for it. I have the same wood stove he uses and it is a wonderful little stove. I plan to keep my systems as simple as possible. Every time I deviate from this, it just gets complicated. I decided to get a small fridge, which meant getting a small generator to charge batteries to run it. I intend to put a bathroom area into mine. I am to the point of buying lumber, which has gone sky high while I’ve been planning this. It’s a small structure and I’ll manage somehow. I will post pictures of this, when I finally start work on the project.

 

And the more I thought about it, the more I thought about not buying anything at all just yet. It would be great to travel a bit, while I’m still able to make those drives. The problem for folks that are full time RVers is that they don’t have a permanent address. But there are states that will let you establish yourself as a resident. And South Dakota is the easiest state for that. So my plans are a bit different. I will rent a UHaul and move the things I want to keep there, for storage. When the vardo is done, I’ll go and switch my residency to there. And then, I’ll decide what I want to do and where I want to go. It will be an adventure. I am getting rid of a lot of stuff and giving away some things I thought I might keep. I am looking forward to a snug little home with a wood fire and kerosene lamps. Just like old times.