EXTRA! Sara and Nick Engaged!

View of Sara's engagement ring. Date is set for April 13, 2013.

December Already

With great intentions I had planned to have all my Christmas shopping done by now. Years past, my shopping was completed by October/November! I've lost the excitement of Christmas for many years; it seems that AFTER Christmas I'm in the mood to decorate, shop, and trim the tree. What's up with that? Anyway, shopping is going well; still don't know what to get Dave, but fortunately, Sara has given me suggestions for gifts.

I did make two small stockings for decorating the mantle, but now I have to put the decorations on the stockings, so another hurdle to get over. As Nike says for exercise, I must remind myself for working on my other activities (finishing a sweater, cutting out a jacket, decorating the house), JUST DO IT! Easier said than done, I say.

Today I'm running with Sara in the a.m., sushi lunch with her and Aileen, then we are going riding. A nice day filled with activities.

Tomorrow I go to the Os to refill their pill boxes. Later on, dinner with Betts. Sunday, riding lesson.

Post Thanksgiving

T'giving dinner was early, but if we had not gotten to the O's when we did, we would have eaten at midnight. Even though the turkey was fully cooked, we had to warm it up for about an hours, then warm up the potatoes, stuffing, gravy and make biscuits.

Sara and I ran our 5K, and I won a pie. I picked a pecan pie since I had already "baked" an apple pie the day before. The pecan pie was delicious and tasted even better since I didn't have to bake it. Always works that way.

Friday I rode Smash, but didn't do too great. On Sunday I figured out with her gait I have to put up my stirrups until I get used to her because I spend most of my time just trying to keep my feet in the stirrups. After I put the stirrups up going to the canter was a LOT easier than it had been.

Yesterday I splurged a bit and bought a small piece of tuna for dinner last night; it was good, but I may have overcooked it; it didn't taste horrible.
Monday it is and back to work. Bleh.

Thanksgiving Around the Corner

Here it is Tuesday, two days before Thanksgiving. Tomorrow MARC train has a special 2:00 p.m. train. No one can figure out why they have this special train at 2:00. Even the government workers say they have to take vacation time to catch this train. Fortunately, I am able to leave early to catch the train tomorrow as my office will be closing at 4:00 p.m.

Sara and I are signed up for a Turkey Trot in Laurel Thursday morning. I'm hoping the weather will be a tad bit dryer than it is now. I guess we need to figure out car pooling, time we are leaving to get to Laurel to get our numbers before the race.

Dave is still a "GO" for his trip to Uruguay to attend a wedding of our cousin's nephew. Not sure what that makes him to us, relative wise. We went to the Sugarloaf Crafts Fair last Saturday and Dave bought the wedding gift and a few other gifts for people who are putting him up while he is there. The weather looks to be in the mid-70s and sunny. Certainly hope it stays that way while he is there.

Sara and I did a practice ride on Sunday, and Bella and I went through her Celtic Musical Freestyle. It wasn't pretty because I kept getting lost, but I got the feel for the ride. I'm hoping Bella will bring it back from her memory bank and help me through the test next time. It's something new and it is scary only because it's something different. Aileen will give me the music, but I don't need it any time soon.

On the Knitting Scene: I made two small Christmas stockings for decorations; can't decide if I should block them because once I stuff them with, what else?, stuffing, it may be enough. I plan to put little Christmas gift boxes, etc. on the top to look like presents from Santa. Now, I'm back to knitting the Debbie Bliss fair isle sweater. It looks really nice; hope I can finish it soon as I have found a really nice Christmas stocking I want to make for next year.

Waredaca Show Recap -November 6

Sara and I prepared for the postponed Unrecognized Starter Trials on Saturday; we cleaned up the horses a bit, put the finishing touches on our costumes, and loaded up the trailer as much as we could. Sunday, albeit too early, we took off for the barn to get the last-minute gear and horses on the trailer. Off to Waredaca hoping for a good day.

Sara started off with Smash dressed as clowns and off to her dressage test.













Then, it was my turn:





Bella and I as a Dressage Ring.









Unfortunately, our jumping efforts were not so great; we were both eliminated at the stadium jumping. However, I was told I could go to XC, and I did. The stars were not aligned with Venus or something, and I couldn't get over the first "welcome log" at XC. I was done. We packed up and went home; I was in 4th place after dressage, but eventually was eliminated. And so it goes. We have the winter to work on our problems and have a better spring season next year.

Maybe I should stick to running.

P.S. Sara won 2nd place for her costume: $30.00! Better than a ribbon, I say.

Worrying: New Show Date November 6

Last week we were worrying about our ride times for the show on October 30; then we worried about our costumes; then we worried about the snow that was coming into town. Rides times were good for Sara; however, my times had a waiting period of 3 hours after my dressage test before I did my jumping. Then the show was postponed and we worried about that

New ride times: Sara: Dressage 9:48 a.m.; Stadium Jumping: 12:36 p.m.; XC: 12:54 p.m.

Me: Dressage: 1:25 p.m.; Stadium Jumping 3:02 p.m.; XC: 3:20 p.m.

It's not as bad as the first round of ride times we had; I was not scheduled to do my jumping until almost 4:00, and Sara's dressage was 10:something and her stadium jumping conflicted big time with my dressage time. Anyway, we will still have a few moments of Cathy running back and forth, but we will get through it.

Better remember to turn the clocks back on Saturday night; we have to get up early enough and this will give us a little more sleeping time, but who sleeps the night before a horse show, anyway?

Sunday I have to leave the house at 6:00 to pick up Sara, make our Starbucks Stop and get on the road to Cathy's so we can both do last-minute work on our costumes. (Priority) We'll leave Cathy's about 7:30; Waredaca is not that far away from her place.

To top it off we have registered to run a 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day at 8:00! We must like to get up at the crack of dawn, and exercise.

Ran to the Jefferson Memorial today at lunchtime! The weather was perfect, the sun was shining, and now I am beat! Exhausted! Tired!

And, our cousin in Uruguay, Matias, is getting married in December (summer down there) and Dave has decided to go attend the wedding. Sara and I will stay home and take care of the respective animals. It will be another nice trip for Dave to go on and get some respite from taking care of his parents. He definitely needs it!

More Show Jitters

Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through all this stress to do a horse show. It's the same with signing up for 5K Races: I think it's a great idea at the moment, but as I have more and more time to think about what I've done, I wonder if was a good decision. Not to worry, though; I always get through the show or race and sometimes even come home with a ribbon!

Went stadium jumping last Saturday at Serra Valley, and it was not pretty. I've decided that from now on I have to have a jumping lesson every other week. The last time I did jumping was the June Waredaca show! That's way too long not to jump and then "cram" for the next jumping show. This Saturday we are going to Loch Moy for XC schooling.

Dave went to FL with a friend of his last week to get a respite from his aging parents. Our niece, Dara, was kind enough to fly out from CA and stay with them for a week while Dave had a nice R&R. Fortunately, Dara is a registered nurse and could help the caregiver if any help was needed. Dave took lots of photos and got much-needed rest.

Speaking of decisions and not sure about them, Betty and I are thinking about going back to NYC for the Vogue Live! seminars. We weren't too happy last year, but we found some classes we really want to take; I found a glove class; I can make mittens, but the thought of knitting fingers scares the bejeezus out of me. Why? I don't know, but I figure if I have someone show me in person what I'm supposed to do, I can overcome the fear of the fingers.

The weather had been quite nice, so I took advantage of it and ran outside at lunchtime. This week, however, is another story. It's been rainy and will continue to be through tomorrow night. Hope this doesn't put a damper on our Saturday XC schooling (making the grass too slippery for the horses). Today I am attempting to run on the TM and do my 60-second switch, which is to warm up for 10 min, then change the incline of the TM every 60 seconds for 18 min, then run another 10 min., making this a 38-minute run. Of course, at my rate of running, it could possibly be a 48-minute run or walk.

My Weekend Orders

Saturday and Sunday Sara is going out of town with Nick and has asked that I stay at her house and babysit her two pups. Well, one is a pup, the other is grown, but they are all pups. Not a problem, but now that she has Smash, my other order of the weekend is to ride Smash on Saturday and ride her in my lesson on Sunday. What's a person to do? Ride horses and take care of dogs.

To top it off, Dave is going to Florida on Sunday so airport shuttle has been added to my responsibilities of the weekend. I will take Dave and Romeo to the airport, but Romeo will come back with me to Sara's house and the pups. Then, I chill for the rest of the day waiting for Sara and Nick to come home or if they are going to be too late, put her pups in their crates and go home with Romeo.

Today I have strength training day at the gym. What, I don't know, but I'm sure it won't be pretty. That's about it for now. Maybe something will come to me later.

Jumping Smash or Smash Jumping

Yesterday I rode Smash in our lesson, and things were going well (except for when Smash did not want to canter and did a buck with one leg)until Cathy decided it was time to jump. Jump! Are you serious! This horse is amazingly tall, and I'm still used to "little" Bella's jump. We went around over an "X" jump; not pretty, but we got over it; then Cathy made it a vertical jump, which freaked me out. Don't know why; I guess I still have to get used to Smash's gait.

After that Dave and I went into Baltimore to the Inner Harbor; he saw there was a craft show there. As we drove into the city, we kept looking and looking, but could not find the show. Finally, we saw a few tent-like cubicles. Ah, the crafty people! There were a lot of photographers there; some jewelry, some other crafts, but nothing that jumped out at us. All in all a big bust.

On the way back Dave wanted to pick up the pictures he had sent to COSTCO to be printed. Very nice ones from Chincoteague. He will be coming ot my office in the beginning of November for another "Show".

Speaking of Shows, I do believe Sara, Theresa and I are doing the Waredaca October30 Halloween Event. I've decided to make Bella a dressage ring; I'm ordering the letters A, C, B, and E, and will attach them to Bella somehow; I'll wear "X" on the front of my shirt and buy some light chain to connect the four letters around Bella so it looks like a real ring. On my back I'm thinking of a sign that says, "Enter at A, then what?" Or "Where am I going?" Or "Enter at A, Where do I go from here?" Still have time to put it together. It will be cute and easy. My last costume was so detailed. Here it is:

Riding and Updates

We found out that Amy, the owner of Smash, wanted to sell Smash and have Sara 1/2 lease Smash, then sell the horse for a commission. Obviously, that was not a good deal for Sara. Anyway, to make a long story short, Sara outright bought Smash from Amy. Sara is now owner of a Holsteiner Thoroughbred, 17HH, black and full of spunk! Maybe too much spunk, but good.

I had been riding Smash alternating lessons because I wanted to try her out on the Intro Dressage Tests at a show. We went on Sunday to Loch Moy, along with another rider from another barn where Cathy teaches. The bad part is that the timing of the rides could not have been worse: Allison rode at 7:40 a.m., I rode at 7:54 a.m., Sara rode at 10:30 a.m., then 1:22 for her stadium, then 1:30 for her XC jumping, meaning we had to get up before the crack of dawn to get the horses, pick up Allison and get to Loch Moy in time to tack up, warm, and ride. We were all tired even before we rode, but we muddled through it all.

For having ridden Smash only about 3 times, my scores weren't too bad. My first ride was really off, but I came back and rallied to increase my score by 5.6 points. Not bad, I say.



Allison, who rode her horse, did well with 65% on both of her tests. Way to go, Allison.

Sara rode a wonderful dressage test, but we think the judge was a bit harsh on scoring. We noticed that the judge was harsh with everyone. Sara then went clean on the stadium jumping, which really made her happy. After that she decided to excuse herself from the XC because Smash still is not in best cardio shape. But, the decision was a good one, and Sara felt much better about herself and Smash.

Today Dave is going to Chincoteague (sp?) with his friend to photograph the wildlife out there. I'm glad he's going because he really needs a break from his parents, who are 93, his mother has a broken hip, has dementia, needs 24-hour care, and his father is on his way to dementia, if he is not there already. Dave will be gone until Friday evening for a much-deserved vacation.

Ran yesterday for the first time since the Friday before the Labor Day Weekend. It was not pretty, but it felt really nice to get outside. Today I'm staying in and doing cardio/running combination of exercises. I believe that tomorrow will be cooler, so I'll see about going outside tomorrow.

In the knitting arena, i'm going back and forth between two projects: one is a sweater I started awhile ago, the other is a new one that I'm making for Sara.

Riding and Teeth

Sunday I rode Smash in the lesson; Sara rode Rizzo. Then I practised my tests and Sara jumped off Rizzo to ride Smash for her tests. And, it did not rain.

Monday we had another lesson; Sara rode Smash and I rode Bella. We warmed up in the ring; i did Intro A on Bella and Cathy liked my transition from trot to walk so much she said she would havegiven me a 10! I will have to keep that 10 for a long time. Sara changed Smash into her dressage saddle and practiced her test. Then, I got on Smash and practiced Intro B. Not too bad, but I did have a few off-balance moments.

Now we wait for ride times for Sunday's show. {chewing nails}. I see that a show is coming up, get excited, sign up for the show,get nervous and then wonder why the heck I signed up. It usually goes away after awhile (like after the show)!

Yesterday I had a bone graft and it was not pleasant. I'm still suffering from the laughing gas; yesterday I spent the entire day sleeping off the gas; i was dizzy and my stomach was upset all day, as well. At work, but needing a nap. Guess I'll go to the lunch room and eat my sandwich and fruit.

That is all.

Horse Update

August 21 was a scheduled PVDA show; I wasn't riding until 3:03 and 3:57, so we didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn. The bad thing is if I ride early, then the day is salvagable. I drove to Cathy's, we got Bella on the trailer, started out to the show and Dave called to tell us that there was thunder and lightening at the show and the show had been put on hold. Oh, well, we were on the way, so we continued on. Got to Schooley Mill, the show was still on hold, and we could see the lightening and hear the thunder. After a few minutes the show was back on; I tacked up, got on, warmed up, and was ready to ride! Just as I was getting ready to go into the ring, the show was put on hold, AGAIN. Then, it started to rain and pour buckets! Finally, the show was called. So, back in the trailer, untacked Bella and home we went. Since I was at the end of the day, there were about 15 people who were scheduled to ride. Not sure how many did not ride, but there were only about 5 riders there when I got there. So far, no news about a make-up show or refund of money.

So, since Hurricane Irene came through, there was no riding Saturday or Sunday. Sara and I drove up to Cathy's, but unfortunately, we drove right into more rain. We went to Dunkin' Donuts and got a bagel, coffee for our breakfast. We were very fortunate that our electricity never went out; well for about 2 seconds, no trees fell on our house, and water in the basement was minimal. Saturday it rained all day and got progressive worse when the eye of the storm hit in the early hours of Sunday. The Patapsco River is raging right now and did overflow its banks. Fortunately, it did not flood Ellicott City.

Once I got home, I took a shower, and upstairs I went to sew my skirt. I got a lot accomplished, but ran out of steam. I have only a little bit more to do; hopefully, I will have enough energy to finish the skirt tonight. That is probably a pipe dream, but I can plan. There's always tomorrow!

With the weather being so nice today, I will run; I do need to do some strength training, but I can't pass up good weather.

Hopefully, I can ride this weekend as Sara and I are both riding Smash in a show on September 11. Ack!

Big Event on Sunday

Yesterday, Sara and I were given different horses to ride. The reason? Sara is planning on riding Smash in a September eventing show; I wanted to then ride Smash in two dressage tests only. I had ridden Smash a few times, the first time being a total disaster. She totally shut down on me, and that, people, was the end of the lesson. The next time I rode her, it was only for about 2 minutes after our lesson. Sara wanted me to feel the power of the horse, and power there is. So, yesterday, I rode Smash the entire lesson, and Sara rode Cathy's horse, Rizzo. Sara had never ridden Rizzo before, nor had anyone except for Cathy. It is her horse, you know.

So, we start the lesson with the normal walk, then trot. I worked on not falling off, learning a new rhythm for posting since Smash's stride is so much bigger than Bella's. Getting that perfected took about the entire lesson. Sara spent her lesson figuring out Rizzo and how her brain worked. A feat, for sure. Then, Cathy says to canter. What? On this huge horse with a huge stride? Are you nuts? I had earlier told Sara I wasn't sure if I wanted to canter with Smash. But, I sucked it up and did it anyway. That horse has a great canter! Very smooth and not as chunky as Bella's.

We both had an exciting and interesting lesson; we both learned how to ride completely different horses than we usually ride. Sara has ridden Smash a lot and has done a great deal of training with that horse. She did all the hard work, I got on and rode! I certainly like that arrangement.

So, we have decided that it is very possible for me to ride Smash in two dressage tests after Sara has completed the eventing portion of the show. Of course, we will have to let the farm know that we are riding the same horse so they don't schedule Sara's dressage/jumping/XC jumping at the same time that I want to ride the dressage tests.

Cathy said that if I am going to continue to ride Smash, now I have to learn to jump her. Again, What???? Seriously???? I do know that I am my own worst enemy, and once I get over the jitters, I'm ok.

Sara and Cathy came up with a traininig schedule that Sara would ride Smash next week, I ride Bella (I do have a dressage show coming up); then on alternate weeks, she will ride Rizzo and I will ride Smash.

I'm very excited about this new adventure with Smash. I was almost petrified of her; one; she is very big; two; she is very strong; three; I didn't have confidence in myself to ride (this is a very bad thing to do to oneself). I fooled everyone and rode Smash well.

Onward and upward, apparently.

Feeling better from the cold I had since Wednesday. The last time I exercised was Wednesday morning, when I felt ok enough to run, but I went downhill fast. Stayed home on Thursday, but went back to work on Friday. The only exercise I have done is the riding. Today I have to get back into the swing of things. I'll probably do some running/weight work so as not to overdo anything. Sure. That's the ticket.

Horse Show Recap - July 31

Theresa and I participated in the Liberty View dressage show on July 31. The farm is nice, it's fairly close to Cathy's, and it is a very laid back place to be. The weather was warm, but not as boiling hot as it has been, so the show did go as planned. Theresa and I got tacked up, took the horses into the indoor arena to warm up, and for some strange reason, both horses thought that was the show. They were both "up" and moving forward well. As soon as we walked out of the indoor ring, both of them put their heads down and acted as if the end of the world was coming.

Bella is still in love with Satchmo, and she followed him everywhere, even tried to follow him into the ring when Theresa went to do her first test. After Theresa another rider did Intro A, then Bella and I went to do Intro B. A few more people did Intro B, including Thersa. However, the ones who were supposed to go after me were not ready to ride. I was asked if I wanted to go early, and I said no, I would wait. But..... these people were so late that when Theresa was finished Intro B, I was the only one there. So, instead of waiting for another 20 minutes, I went ahead and rode Intro C. Bella and I had our usual conversation when she's decided that the show is over and she doesn't have to listen to me. Luckily for me, the judge couldn't hear that conversation, and she even said that we were very relaxed! Cathy couldn't believe it, but I told her that Cathy, Bella and I were the only ones in that conversation.

Me: Bella, we have to go across the diagonal; Bella: No, we don't; Me: Bella, it would be nice if you would keep trotting towards M; Bella: I'm thinking about it; Me: Bella! Change rein! Bella: Ok, if you insist.

This type of conversation seemed to carry over to circles at E and B, canter circles at A in both directions, and our free walk. Our scores were not too shabby, and ended up with a third place and a second place. Theresa earned second place in both her tests. (Tried to put the videos up that Sara took, but keep getting an error message, etc.)

Of course, being a glutton for punishment, I have signed up for the next PVDA show on August 21 to, again, attempt conquer Intro B and C tests.

Never give up; never surrender, as Tim Allen says.

Caught a cold the other day; it has put me down for a few; I went into work early to run on the TM as there was a staff luncheon, which ruined my noon-time exercise regimen. I had a runny nose (more than usual)and felt a slight ache. I left work early on Wednesday, stayed home on Thursday, but was able to get back on Friday. Now all the germs have moved into my throat. However, no fever. I am armed with cough medicine and Ricola cough drops in case I should go into a fit of coughing.

No running or exercise yesterday or today; I must save myself for my Sunday riding lesson.

Done!

Sweater is finished! Now, on to the next UFO.

Stop Staring at Me, Sweater!

It worked! The staredown between me and the sweater was won by the sweater. I finally caved in and started sewing it together. Never under estimate the power of a sweater stare!

Another Hot Week - Weather Wise, That Is

The temps last weekend were actually tolerable. Saturday was a really nice day since we did get out and go to a BBQ in the afternoon. Sara went riding Saturday morning to exercise Smash and get her in shape, so I went with her to help set up the jumps in the field. Fortunately, we went early enough so it wasn't too hot. Dave had gone shooting (photos, that is) in the a.m. and when he got back, we prepared ourselves for the BBQ. It was nice; we sat in the shade and chatted with people. Nothing exciting.

Sunday Sara and I went to our riding lesson; we did some more jumping. Bella is a jumping fiend, but tires out quickly. That's what happens when one is a "senior" horse. She loves to do her job, but she tires out fast. It's ok, I was tired, too! We should call ourselves, "Team Geriatric".

After our lessen we went to another BBQ, which wasn't really a BBQ, but more of a get-together. Our friend had a Mexican theme for food, which was very tasty and very fattening. His daughter, husband and triplets were there, and the kids are great entertainment. They asked, Is Funny Dave coming? Didn't care about anyone else, just Funny Dave.

Work goes on as usual; nothing exciting going on. Just getting through the days the best I can.

In knitting - Still plugging away at the Penny Straker sweater; making great headway on the left front; and I think it's time to measure it to see if it is the same length as the back (up to the armholes, anyway) so I can start shaping the armhole on the front.

My blue sweater continues to stare at me. I should pick it up tonight and start sewing it together just to stop it from staring at me. Should and will - two entirely different things.

Dave went to the doctor today about his knee. It wasn't bothering him for awhile, but when the weather changed, the knee started to act up, again. His surgery last year was to harvest some cartilege to grow it for a possible transplant this year. However, with his parent situation, we're not sure if he should do anything now because if he does this, absolutely no weight is to be put on that knee for 3 months! How irritating is that? And of course, there's the other question: If he gets it done, will the knee stop hurting?

Running on the TM today; way too hot, again, to go outside and I hear the temperature will be over 100 degrees by the end of the week. Ugh.

On the Home Stretch

Today is the day! Dave will be taking his mother home from the rehab center. They have hired a 24-hour nurse who will be living with them and will take care of the cooking, some cleaning, helping Dave's mother in and out of the wheelchair, etc.

Sara is back from her vacation, which she enjoyed very much. Her birthday was yesterday.

Dave's birthday is today.

What timing. Sara was born 12:10 a.m., July 11, and Dave had the nerve to say, Can you wait until tomorrow? I think not.

Not much else to report except I've gotten back to WW since the scale says I've put on a few pounds. I don't really believe it, but what can one do?

Running on the TM lately or working on the elliptical. Just too darned hot to go outside these days. Today is going up to 98 and with the humidity, will be over 100 degrees. No, thank you. I'll stay inside.

I'm still plugging away on the Peggy Straker cardigan, but I'm now on the left front. It's a beautiful sweater, but definitely a lot of work. My blue "plain" sweater is waiting for me to sew it all up. I am not looking forward to that, so I look at it and keep going.

Sunday played around with the fabric I have with the leopard motif on it. Yet another challenge I have put to myself. Why? oh why?

Waredaca Horse Show Ribbon, At Last!

June 26 was probably my fourth Starter Trials Horseshow at Waredaca. So far, I have not won a ribbon of any sort. Cathy is beginning to wonder what's with me. We got to the place, walked the XC course, watched some of the stadium course, then got ready for my dressage test.

Warm-up was great - left bend was almost perfect. However, once in the official ring to ride the test, the left bend was not as well as I had hoped. Got through the test, then got ready to warm up for stadium jumping. Jumping warm-up was good, too. I even remembered the course, so I went in; pushed Bella forward (because that's what Cathy told me to do) and used leg, leg and more leg. We went clean! Yay. After that we made our way to the XC course. Bella was so excited she was jigging almost all the way to the start box. I could not put her in the box until 10seconds to go. She won't stay in the box because she get's very excited. We charged out of the box at a canter! She really was feeling good. We went over the first jump with no problem, second jump was good; third, fourth, fifth and sixth jumps were clean. The seventh jump was a little uphill and we had a bit of a problem "going forward". Bella hit her hind feet on the jump, but we made it. We charged forward to the eighth jump and made that clean. Boy, I was exhausted!

On the way back to the trailer Bella got slower and slower. We almost didn't make it; she put out her all for the jumping and had little energy left.

I took my pinney back and looked at the preliminary scores; I was in fifth place! Woohoo! I might get a ribbon. In the end I was tied for fifth place, but since it was the first time I actually got a ribbon, I was very, very happy.

No falls, no poles knocked down, no circling at the XC jumps. For me, this was a fairly perfect show.

Countdown to Birthday and Horse Show

So, it's time for yet another birthday. Funny, it seems I just had one not too long ago, too. Cathy's birthday is today, so we are throwing a collective birthday BBQ on Saturday to celebrate. I believe she told me her daughter's birthday is the 25th; mine is the 24th. Lots of June babies.

I'm taking Friday off as a gift to myself. Who wants to be at work anyway on a Friday? I'll be going to COSTCO to get the burgers, hot dogs and buns and some things for the house. I'm also going to make a chocolate cake and a potato salad. This BBQ comes at a great time as I have to be out at the barn on Saturday to put my things in the trailer for a horse show on Sunday, pretty up Bella and her tack. No ride times have been posted, but probably won't see them until tomorrow.

Seeing as I am at the lower end of the difficulty level, I am thinking I won't be riding until later in the day. Let's hope that it won't be a too-early morning.

Knitting: I rushed to sew the fronts and back of my blue sweater together because I thought I had to pick up stitches to knit the button/buttonhole band. Well, found out after I put the pieces together, I have to knit 12 stitches in 1x1 rib, make a buttonhole every 3" or so, then continue until the piece is long enough to go around the front, back neck and the other front.

Still plugging away at my Penny Straker Aran sweater - last sleeve on the needles. I already put together the design for the fronts (i.e., copied all the different patterns and put them in the correct order), so I'll be ready to go when the sleeve is complete.

My Cranston coat is in progress, but only the lace and bobble part for the middle of the sweater (that goes around the waist). Slowly, but surely these items are getting finished.

Which reminds me, I have to get back to the jacket I was making that has leopard motif on it. Wonder when that will be....

Work Week is Over, However...

The work week will be over in 1 hour, 30 minutes, not that I'm counting. However, tomorrow I may have to take Dave's father to see his mother at the Rehab Center for only a short while, then take him home, then drive to Cathy's to go cross country schooling for my horse show next Sunday. It's going to be a long day tomorrow. Then, Sunday I have a riding lesson in the a.m., and possibly have to take Dave's father, again, to the rehab center.

The wheels are turning well regarding Dave's mother going home. They are interviewing caregivers, someone will be over during the weekend to assess the house and what needs to be done to make it wheelchair safe.

Went outside and ran today. Wasn't too bad; the weather was getting warmer as I ran (duh!); Now, I'm ready for a nap, but for some strange reason, my firm frowns upon one sleeping at her desk. For the life of me I can't figure that one out. A powernap is all I need to get through the day.

Lunch was a shrimp salad with a bit of dill in it. I should have put a little bit more, but I didn't want to take any chances and have it so overpowering that I couldn't eat it. Rest of lunch: watermelon, carrot, green papper, cucumber, and celery with hummus. Lunch's dessert: yogurt with apple and honey. Definitely need that power nap, now.

Hopefully, we will go out to dinner tonight. Not sure where, but it beats cooking.

Interesting Weather We're Having

For the past three days the high temps have been no more than 82-85; after last week's 95-100 temps, plus humidity, this is very delightful. I went running on Monday at lunch time and on the way back, a young man asked if I had a good run. I said, at my age, it's amazing I made it up the hill. He said, You're what? 35? I laughed at him and almost fell down because of the tears running out of my eyes because I couldn't see where I was going! Apparently, he needs glasses badly. I told him, No, I'm 62, and then I ran like hell. If he was being kind, it was very nice of him; if he was serious, he needs professional help.

I'm going to run outside today, as well, since our weather is sunny and only a high of 82.

The doctor has said that Dave's mother can go home, but she will need 24-hour care. Not sure exactly when she will go home, but Dave is working with the health-care provider to get things started.

My Penny Straker sleeve is coming along nicely; slowly, but nicely. The blue sweater has been blocked; now I have to sew the back to the fronts and sew the button band and the back band onto the sweater. If only I could get my rear end off the couch after dinner and do this, I would be so much further along.

Saturday I will take Dave's father to see his mother at the nursing home for a short visit, then I have to take him home, and then drive to Mt. Airy from Rockville to my riding instructor's farm for a Cross-Country Schooling lesson. One of the other riders is going with me, so that helps defray the costs of the trailering, etc.

Horse show is June 26, so have to get in some jumping to make sure I'm being safe and won't hurt myself. Then, Sunday a.m. is a dressage lesson. I better refresh myself on the test so I don't get eliminated because I forgot what to do.



Well, you can't read this, but there it is.

Baby Sweater Complete!

Apparently, the math did work.

I never did like Math

For someone who is not very good at math, I amaze myself sometimes when modifying a knitting project. I'm working on a baby sweater that the instructions say to work in pieces. Well, first of all, I'm using 6 colors. Can you imagine the amount of ends I would have to work into it? So, I decided to knit it all in one piece, then split at the armholes to work the two fronts and the back. Easy? Sure! Except, of course, after I do the 1x1 ribbing, I have to add stitches to the two fronts and the back. Not so bad. It's only addition.

I'm at the point where I'm ready to split the sweater into its fronts and back. But, first, I had to figure out when to stop knitting, split it, continue the back to its finished length, then get back to the fronts.

Math was never my strong point, and I stay away from it as much as possible, but the question here is:

Why is it I am constantly using math to knit?

It's May Already

On May 1 I participated in a dressage show, the first one with the new 2011 tests. Fortunately, they weren't too much different, but enough that I had to re-memorize them. Bella was a really good girl; she knew it was time to put on her show face, if a horse can do that. Moonie, however, was a bad boy. Right when he was to get in the trailer he did the rear, turn to the right and run away - twice. Once he was in the trailer, Cathy "ace'd" him - twice. Sallie came along just to get Moonie out of the property. She was planning on riding him, but had second thoughts when his bad behavior abounded. She did get him off the trailer later on while we were there, and of course, he acted as if nothing had gone wrong.

So, Bella and I did the new Intro B test; had a nice score of 63.8, and got a 4th place ribbon. Our second test, Intro C, was only .3 lower and got a 2nd place with that score! SCORE! Bella did not fight me with the new tests; apparently, she likes them. Usually, when I try a different test than she's used to, she tries to tell me where to trot and where to canter. Sometimes, it's a good thing, but with the new tests, we both have to remember what to do next.

Dave's mother is getting better, very slowly. She has her moments when she wants to leave (and I don't blame her one bit). We're hoping she can get enough physical therapy and she can move a little on her own so she can go home. It is a big hope, though.

Jane, Dave's sister, came into town, wreaked havoc, and left everyone here to pick up the pieces of her mess that she made. I do believe we are done here.

Dave and I went to the MD Sheep & Wool Festival on Sunday; fortunately, it was nice weather and we got there early enough that by the time we left at 10:45, the crowds were beginning to arrive. Actually, some already arrived, and I was glad to be going in the opposite direction of everyone. The vendors were the same; however, I did buy some silk/merino yarn and some mohair to make a sweater (to be added to my list previously made), and electric blue silk/merino, which will be used as a lining underneath the lacy part of the sweater.

Since my earmuffs finally fell apart, I needed another pair. I was really worreid if I would be able to find anouther pair. Lucky me, there was a woman who made earmuffs and I was able to get a pair for the next winter. I'm not prepared for the cold weather.

As I was running outside the other day, I saw people with a sign, "Judgment Day is here; May 21 is the end of the world." Man! So much for the hair appointment I made for that day. I'm going to die with bad hair. Crap!

Dave and I will be celebrating 33 years of married life on May 20; it's a good thing it's the day before the end of the world.

My new running route (hopefully) will be to get down to Constitution Avenue, as I usually do, then find a way to get to the Jefferson Memorial. If not, I can always make it back to the Lincoln Memorial or maybe run along the Potomac River. It's time for a change.

List of My Projects Either In Progress or Waiting to Be Started and then Left In Progress for a Very Long Time

I've made a list of projects: (either in progress, not yet started, to be frogged and ones that are faint images far, far away)

1. Penny Straker - Galway Sweater, Back finished, working on first sleeve (still.
2. Ohio Knitting Mills - Father Knows Best Cardigan, Back finished, Left front finished; right front in progress (this is a very plain vanilla sweater, so it goes quickly) Best to knit while watching the TV. No pattern to follow (really), so no worries that the pattern goes awry.
3. Kit of 6 Mittens (shows the seasons of the year; From Knit Picks)- Yarn has been rolled into balls; Patterns have been photocopied; All I have to do is start knitting
4. I have fabric that I bought to make a jacket that has African-type designs, including three leopard panels and a panel with a variety of animals on it. I have the pattern, but the challenging part is piecing all of these panels together to make it all flow. So far, I have cut several strips of fabric to add to the leopard panels, but nothing sewn. I have done a lot of creative thinking on this so far, which is the hardest part of the entire project. Ha!
5. Cardigan with Dancing Ladies on it. I've started this project several times, and every time the design does not work out. I've tried following the pattern from right to left, which works on the right side, then left to right on the wrong side, and it does not work. I've started in different parts of the design, but still is not looking right. This project is getting very close to being frogged.
6. When (not If and I'm being optimistic here) I finish the Penny Straker cardigan, I want to make another one.

I have a quote in my sewing room: It's a long way from creation to completion.

Ain't that the truth?

Since I was not able to exercise for two days, my body is revolting. Well, not revolting in the sense it's disgusting (but that too), but in the sense that it is craving those endorphins. I'm sure I'll feel better, too, once I come back from the gym. Cardio sounds like a plan today, but it will have to be on the TM. I went out earlier to the post office, and it is cold out there!

Another thing I haven't done in awhile (because of the rain last week) is riding. The forecast doesn't look to wonderful for this Sunday, either.

This is becoming more of a running blog lately.

Ran outside on Monday because the weather was sunny and the temperature was somewhere in the 80s! Ran to the Lincoln Memorial, around it, and back to the office. Much longer route than when I go to the Washington Monument and back. If I do the Monument again, I'll have to figure out how to make it a little longer. Maybe go around it twice instead of once? I'll have to take that under consideration.

Yesterday and today I did the run/strength training/run routine. Tired, once again.

Dave's mother was in the rehab center getting physical therapy and yesterday we found out she dislocated her hip (of course,the one that she broke a few weeks ago). The doctor who first saw her at the hospital thought that maybe it could be popped back in, but the orthopedic doctor said, no, she has to have more surgery. Today, she is under the knife one more time and for a 92-year old, this is not a good thing.

Continuing work on my "plain vanilla" sweater when I came upon the pocket instructions. Apparently, I can't read. I read the directions about 3 times, and today I was ready to email the author of the book when BAM! it hit me and I realized what I was supposed to do. At least I didn't make a fool of myself in an email, but nonetheless, I have already complained to my knitter-friends that the instructions MUST BE WRONG! OK, I did make a fool of myself, but hardly publicly. Well, publicly now because I just posted this on the Internet. Dumb.....

You are SOOOoo Lucky.

Once again, I have forgotten my journal about the South Africa trip, and in addition, I've been busy at work. So, double luck to all.

The weather was so nice on Monday that I went outside and ran to the Washington Monument and back to the office. Of course, six million other people were outside, too, but I muddled through. As I was running back on the home stretch to the office, I saw a couple "smooching" on the street corner, and I could not resist saying, "Get a Room". The woman laughed as I sped by. I'm thinking it's a good thing I was running because who knows what repercussions could have happened.

So, today is Wednesday, and the weather forecast is looking fairly well. Should be in the mid-60s, so we'll see if I go outside today. I am getting quite annoyed with the TM and staring at the walls of the gym even though there are TVs there. Who wants to watch a) ESPN, b) CNN, c) HLN, or d) TNT with reruns? Anyway,everything is closed-captioned, and who can read all that stuff while trying to run? Not I, boy.

Day 3 Back at Work

and everything is the same as before. Of course, I didn't expect it to be any different, but a gal can hope, right?

Started back at the gym on Wednesday and took it easy. I walked for 10 minutes at 4.0-4,2, then ran for 10 minutes at 5.5-5.6, then walked again. Did 30 minutes and about 2.5 miles. Yesterday, I walked/ran for 10 minutes, did assorted upper and lower body exercises, then 10 minutes on the rowing machine on 8 resistance. Today, I'm hoping to up the ante and see how things go with running.

Forgot my journal,so everyone has lucked out.

I did take some knitting with me; a plain stockinette sweater and my Aran fisherman's sweater. I did work on both a little but, but once we hit South Africa it was just too darned hot to knit, even in the A/C. But, that's how I was able to work on my journal instead of knitting.

Tomorrow Sara and I are going to go XC schooling. Sara is doing a show on April 9, but I'm just going along for the fun of it. And it is fun.

Dave's mother is getting a little bit better. Oh, she fell and broke her hip while we were gone. She is 92, and the doctor said she had to have the surgery or she would be bed ridden. It's going to be a long row to hoe, but we are hoping she will recover.

Unfortunately for Sara, she ended up being to go-to person while we were gone. She did a fabuouls job and was able to take Dave's father to the hospital and to see some rehab facilities that Dave's mother has to go to for her physical therapy. But, now that we are back the responsibilities have been handed over to Dave.

South Africa Recap

We took the plunge about two weeks ago and made the trip to South Africa. Since it takes 16.5 hours to get there, we were wondering if aliens had taken over our brains that we would sit in an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean for such a long time, with a stop at Dakar, Senegal. What?

Left on a Thursday evening, arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa on Friday evening - 6 hours ahead of the U.S. Fortunately, we had made arrangements for a hotel stay that evening and got a rental car and fresh start the next morning. The reasons? One, it would be dark; two, they drive on the left-hand side of the road; three, no street lamps in sight in this country. What?

Once we got the car and all our bags stuffed inside, we headed out to the Kruger National Park (an animal reserve) and promptly got lost (reason four not to head out at night time). We were able to proceed, but ended up taking a little bit of a different route than originally planned. Reason Five: Never believe a) a South African's estimate of time it takes to get anywhere; b) never believe a South African's estimate of distance to get anywhere. After driving with a few rest stops on the way, it took us 6 hours to get to our timeshare, only 400 meters from the Paul Kruger Gate of the reserve.

The timeshare was good; no A/C except in the bedroom; the place did have fans, but because it's right on the edge of a wild animal reserve (and monkeys like to get into the rooms and destroy everything looking for food) we were not allowed to keep our windows open. Hence, anywhere in that timeshare except the bedroom was stifling hot. We learned to adjust. We hardly spent any time in the timeshare, anyway, and with the A/C on in the bedroom, sleeping was no problem. We have tons of pictures, but not ready to post.

That's it for now; must find my journal to bore everyone with more day-by-day descriptions of the trip.

Another Finish

Back of the sweater is finished! Pats self on back. Sleeve is started. Surprisingly, this pattern is not as difficult as I had anticipated. Will post a pic of the back soon. I do a lot of thinking about doing something, and when I finally do it, it wasn't really that hard. Gee.

Not much else; time has flown by and I'm so ready for nice warm weather. I've had enough of this.

I vowed not to buy any more yarn, but since I will be on a very long airplane ride, I bought some yarn to make a plain, vanilla V-neck cardigan. It won't take too many brain cells to knit.

Running inside is getting very boring; I'm losing my eagerness to do same. I have been doing the 60-second switch just to mix things up. That is chaning the resistance every minute; You just don't know how long that one minute can be when you don't have any breath and you know that any second you will just flip right off that darned ol' TM.

That's about it for now. Not much has been happening here. Just time flying by,

Start and Finish

I took the weekend to START the Penny Straker Galway Cardigan.







I did say FINISH, and I mean that I finished this shawl about a week ago; it's been blocked; and here it is:

This is a close-up, sorta, of the beads that I used in this shawl.






This is a full view of the completed shawl.

Vogue Knitting Live!

Which is better than Vogue Knitting Dead.

Betty and I went to NYC last weekend to the first Vogue Knitting Live! conference, I guess you could call it. We went up on the Bolt Bus, and I was the first one to reserve a seat, so I got the dollar seat on the trip up. The trip back I had to pay the full price of $15. That's adds up to less than the total of tolls on the road to NYC. We stayed at the Hilton on the Avenue of the Americas, where the conference was held. Lots of Knitters, lots of Yarn, lots of temptations.

Friday night we went to the market place, and I vowed i was going to look only. You believe that one, right? Anyway, we saw some nice stuff, but I was not tempted UNTIL we came to the Irish yarn booth! The woman was selling yarn, along with patterns for fisherman's knit sweaters. I already have a pattern, and another woman was in the same boat as I. She asked the Vendor how much she would charge for just the yarn. After many calculations, hems and haws, the Vendor said, $90 for 1,000 grams of yarn! That is enough yarn to make a full-sized sweater and a long one at that. So, in order to get this bargain, I bought the yarn straight away. I didn't want this Vendor to think about it too long and then change her mind. What a steal! I mean it.

We walked around, saw a lot of interesting yarns: bison, yak, and some Hawaiian fibers.

Saturday we went to the gym in the a.m. Can you believe it? We actually did some exercising. Fat good it did with all the food we ate, but still we made the effort. We get an "A"for that.

Attended a seminar on Norwegian knitting, which was the most horrible seminar/lecture I've been to. The speaker was not prepared, she rambled on and on about designers she assumed we knew. Not impressed one bit!

Sunday we attended at "steeking" class. Steeking is the process of cutting up the middle of a perfectly good sweater that has been knit in the round. Knitting in the round makes the sweater much smoother, no side seams, and any pattern in the sweater will look much cleaner. We learned how to crochet up the middle of the sweater on two rows, then purposefully take scissors and cut. It is scary at first, but it works! Unfortunately, the sweater I'm making now is not knit in the round, so no steeking for me on this one.

Went to work on Monday, took Tuesday off for my hepatitis booster shot for our trip to South Africa. We had snow starting Monday night, the travel nurse called and told us the office was closed, so I took the day off for nothing, well not nothing, I did get some things accomplished yesterday.

So, it starts to snow last night and snows, and it is very wet and heavy snow. Apparently, my office is open today, but the MARC trains are not running. Gee, what a surprise. I can't go to work even if I really had to or wanted to.

Christmas and New Year

Sara came over on Christmas Eve, and we opened presents and had a nice "Shrimp Elegante" dinner. Of course, Sara made out like a bandit, and I have become an "electronified" person. I got a new sensor for running to go with my iPod and a Kindle. At first I couldn't make up my mind if I really wanted a Kindle, but now that I have it, it is really quite convenient. I must get a cover for it so I don't scratch the screen.

Fortunately, I left work early on Thursday(12/30) so I went to the grocery store on the way home instead of having to go on Friday morning and then make everything. Friday morning I made the cake and custard for the trifle, made the ever famous green bean casserole, and started to set the table for dinner. Sara and Nick were coming over for dinner.

I had a make-up riding lesson on Friday afternoon; the weather started out not too nice, but it did warm up for the amount of time I was riding. We rode in the field, which has a slight incline/decline, depending on the way we are going. Bella has a bit of a problem now cantering downhill, so she does break once in awhile. After the lesson I went back home and did a few more things for dinner. Unfortunately, my Yorkshire puddings did not rise; I think it's because I didn't let the oil in the pan get hot enough. They did taste good, but not the same as if they had risen properly.

Saturday we were supposed to go to a New Year's Day party, but Dave wasn't feeling well with a sore throat, etc. I would have gone by myself, but I didn't know that many people except for the host and hostess, so I opted to stay home, too. I did take Romeo out for a long walk, he and I chased a stick, then we came back. That was about the extent of my doing anything constructive Saturday.

Sunday morning was my regular riding lesson, so Sara and I took off in the rain. Yes, rain. Again, the weather was half-way decent for our lesson, but still damp. After I dropped Sara off at her house, I went to the grocery store (which I should have done the day before, but.....), put the stuff away, made chili for dinner. I had gotten a small piece of salmon out, but by the end of the day, I was too lazy to make it. We'll have it tonight.

Things I accomplished yesterday: went to the grocery store and got some decent food, made chili, sewed in the yarn ends of my sweater (now I can block it), made some leeway on the shawl I'm knitting. Not a huge amount of things, but better than Saturday.

Today: Back at work; will go to the gym or run outside; not sure which, yet. All depends on two things: weather and how much "gym fever" I have! I did bring warm running clothes, so I may take the plunge. At least the sun is out today.