Good morning!

Well I haven’t really recorded my food this week, but I didn’t have a “bad” week. Particularly the past few days, I haven’t been very hungry.

I’ve been working in the yard, a LOT. Wednesday, as I mentioned yesterday, I went on a long walk with Clark and then decided to start on my front yard. I haven’t been counting hours, but I probably put in 5 hours yesterday, and more than that on Wednesday. According to Calorie King, 5 hours of gardening burns 1808 calories. So I’m pretty sure I’m good for the week.

I have no idea, outside of the grace and kindness of God, how my body is holding up so well, but I feel great. And I’ve been working hard. And I’m loving it. I’ve pulled out 9 plants, (the rhode almost killed me, and I have another one to go), an unbelievable amount of weeds and weed grass, dug up, moved and stacked brick pavers (Veronica is counting. I think we’re around 60 so far)…

I was worried about my arms, but they’re pretty good. I have to be careful with the pulling. If it’s too hard to pull out, I have to stop and use the hand trowel to loosen the dirt because when it finally gives and my arm snaps back, I feel pain. The bricks have been a little touchy, but being careful with those two things, my elbow pain hasn’t worsened.

SO, as long as my body holds up, I’ve found my summer exercise! I can’t believe how much progress I’ve made. In two days, I’ve completed what I thought would take over a week. Now, I have to figure out how to remove sod. This stuff isn’t cutting and rolling up like the grass at my last house, where all I had to use was a flat edged shovel. It’s tough. We’re going to Lowe’s today for some yard waste bags and I’m going to ask about it. I don’t think I can use a roto-tiller because the ornamental cherry or whatever it is in my front yard has very shallow roots. And there’s a very shallow-buried phone cable that pops up in a spot along the side, and I don’t know where the rest of it is, but my neighbor said it’s been cut during yardwork by the previous owners.

Lame.

Clark is thrilled as can be to be spending so much time outside. Our front yard is small, so I hope his interest holds. Yesterday, when he got a little whiney and wanted me to hold him, I put him in the jogging stroller with lunch, pointed in my direction so he could watch, and he liked that.

How was your week?

So on Wednesday, after going on a nice long walk with Clark and looking at all the lovely yards along the way, I came home and decided I couldn’t live with my wretched front yard any longer. I spent some hours weeding, then went to the store to buy a shovel, a flat bottomed shovel, new hand pruners, and while I was at it, a sun hat and garden clogs (what’s wrong with garden clogs, Cass? They’re cool).

And I spent the rest of the day and evening ripping out all of my vinca (hooray!), a small rhode, lots of weed grass, and a, um, tree. (Clark and anyone happening to be looking out their windows at that time were witness to my victory dance when I finally yanked that thing out of it’s hole and drug it too the sidewalk. Nate, who was out with the girls, wants to know what we’re going to do with it. I dunno. Who cares? It’s out!)

Yesterday I had committed to accompany Liv’s class on an all day field trip and I was keenly aware of the yard work time I was missing. (I’m a bit obsessive at times. I couldn’t sleep for thinking of what I wanted to do in the yard).

It was fun, though. We went on a harbor cruise and learned fascinating things about the Port of Seattle.

I was taking this picture of a ferry crossing the bay when I noticed Liv in the bottom left corner with a boy.

She has referred to the boy in the red jacket as her “boyfriend” before. The funny thing is, she’s not giggly or silly about it. Strictly matter-of-fact. It’s cute. He’s so cute. He came up and leaned against the hull next to her and they chatted for awhile.

Then we went to the Maritime Museum. Check this out.

Pretty darn cool for a museum. I wished I could have sat in there and looked at the art, but I was a chaperone to three active girls that didn’t feel like staying together fer nuthin’, so I wasn’t able to.

We got back in time for me to run home to grab Liv’s track jersey and then back to school to spend a couple hours watching the track meet. It was fun. My best friend in high school was in track, and I enjoyed her meets. I teared up last night, a bit sentimental as I hadn’t been to a track meet since and felt time-warped, back over 15 years.

Liv did well. She took first in the 50 yard dash, (Christine’s event),

and in the relay.

We went home and I immediately fixed dinner. We ate. I took a bath and slept for 12 hours.

Today, the house is trashed, I’m watching a little boy while his mom works in the classroom this afternoon, and all I want to do is hit the yard.

It’s canning season, which means canning supplies are in stores. Which means I’m finally able to buy really big pots to dye in.

That’s a 21 quart and a 33 quart pot. I’m going to dye Clark’s yarn. Finally. The pots I found at thrift stores weren’t big enough to dye all of the yarn for his sweater at once, and it seemed ridiculous to go to all that work (washing, weighing, carding, blending, spinning) to make a sweater with two different dyelots.

I still have no idea how much dye to add for my fiber amount, but I’m content to experiment.

I’ve been working on the Zen Garden/Flower Basket Shawl as I’ve been able to. I’ve completed the amount of repeats called for in the pattern, but it isn’t big enough yet. I think I have at least two repeats to go, plus the edging before it’s done. I knit for about two hours last night while the girls and I watched the second Harry Potter movie and I think I completed the equivalent of one repeat.

I have just over one week to finish it, blocked and all. I’m not sure how this will go.

So, I’ve worn my braces to bed the past couple of nights, because I’m extra sore in the morning when I wake up. I think it’s because I tend to sleep with my arms all scrunched up, with my fists tightly pressed into my neck, under my jaw. The braces make it uncomfortable to bend my arm very tight, so I thought it would help to keep me from doing it.

(I never know what to do with my arms when I’m trying to sleep. They always just seem in the way. I start out hugging a pillow so that I won’t scrunch up, but in the morning, the pillow is always on the floor and my arms are scrunched. What do you do with your arms when you sleep?)

Anyway, when I woke up this morning, (an hour earlier than usual), I felt off, but didn’t think much of it. I stumbled out to the computer to answer some emails. I was having difficulty typing. All clumsy and stiff, but I still didn’t think much of it ’til noticed I was absentmindedly flexing and closing my fist and couldn’t quite close my hand all the way. So I looked down at it and kind of freaked out.

I’m swollen. My left forearm and hand don’t look like they belong to me. I took the brace off and was ballooned out over the top of it. I don’t know if it was too tight, if I ate too much chocolate yesterday (Sara gave me a bag of Lindt truffles for my birthday), or if I just slept wrong or what. It’s been three hours now, and the swelling has gone down some. My hand is almost normal, but my wrist and forearm are still puffy, full, and “stretched” feeling. My right arm was only mildly swollen. Not much.

This is so lame. I hate complaining on the blog.

So, the braces are off ’til I’m not swollen anymore. I’m drinking a ton of water to help the swelling go down. I’m taking it easy.

I just tried to record a song to post, but it isn’t working out right and I’m giving up. Sorry.

This weather is so weird. It’s been hot, pushing 90 degrees for a few days, and now, it’s coat weather. What kills me is that there isn’t much in between. It’s a rapid rise and drop. No time to get used to it. Just weird.

Veronica’s teacher today was talking about bio mass. I didn’t understand the term, then she said that the days of rain followed by hot sun has spurred everything into massive growth mode. I can attest to that. My blackberries and stinging nettle look quite threatening off the back deck, and are encroaching.

I haven’t started feeding my goldfish in the pond yet, because the water temperature isn’t staying above 50 degrees, but we’re getting into late May now. It all seems so odd.

My arms are killing me. I’m in braces again, and I’m going to be good about taking the anti inflamatories regularly. I’ve been pretty lax.

So, I’ve worked on the shawl a little bit. The first day felt fine, the second day was uncomfortable. Typing is uncomfortable. Playing guitar with braces on is uncomfortable.

I think I need to pull out my wheel again.

I, I, Palindrome. I, I, Palindrome.

I honestly don’t know how to type that out, but it’s a They Might Be Giants song.

I, I, ‘m 33! It has to be a lucky year. 3 is lucky, and I’m TWO of them!

We’ve been pseudo celebrating for days. It started Friday, when we went out in search of the guitar I thought I had picked for myself. I’ve been eyeing it for a couple months. I’ve gone in and played it a dozen times (or so it seems). We went in on Friday and it sounded atrocious. I have no idea what happened. The manager said something about their humidifier going caddywompus, but still.

So we left. I was deflated. I’d been searching for a guitar for a year and a half and hadn’t found “the one” yet. Then I thought I had, and I hadn’t.

But we got ice cream. It was the beginning of my birthday.

Saturday, Nate and I went on our date. We got our new eyeglasses adjusted (Nate has glasses! Remind me to tell you about it. If you live locally and need glasses, I can totally tell you where to go) and then decided to try the Guitar Center in Seattle to see what they had. And I came home with an amazing guitar.

It’s the same model as the one I thought I was going to buy, but this one really sounds incredible.

I had it set up yesterday, and the four guitar builder guys in this indie shop I took it to raved about it. It rings like a bell. It sings. (It resonates like crazy, has very even tone, and is all-around awesome). So now, I FINALLY have my own guitar. I’m giddy.

Saturday afternoon we went to the girls softball game, then to a big family dinner at Tres Hermanos sponsored by Nate’s grandma. (Not for my birthday, but it was still a party).

Sunday, we had the big family gathering at our place.

Monday, well, wasn’t exactly a party, but I got my guitar set up, played with my brother, and went on a fun walk with Veronica and Clark. Plus, there were leftovers from Sunday. So food was good.

And today is the actual day.

I want to knit more on the shawl. I have a guitar lesson. I’m hoping to hit an indian buffet for lunch if I can manage it. Hayden is coming over tonight for our usual Tuesday Knit Nite.

Good times.

Added-

The girls made my breakfast shake and toast for me while I was in the shower. They added half of a can of orange juice concentrate from the freezer. My brain’s kinda buzzin’.

Partly, I’m sure, because we never had a freakin’ SPRING! But I’m realizing that the girls are going to be out of school in a matter of weeks. Less than a month. Wow. That just means that before I know it, my girls will be in 5th, 4th, and 2nd grade. Which means Abby is almost in Junior High School.

It goes so fast.

I’ve been running around all morning, but right now, I want to sit down and get some of the Zen Garden shawl done before the girls get home from school.

Oh, and my site has been updated (the software), so I think I can post songs now. Thanks, Tim!!! But it’s suddenly scary.

Hi all. I took a couple walks this week. Counted some calories. Ate too much.

How was your week?

After receiving a wee bit of sass from my dear friend Katie last night regarding knitting and what is or isn’t replacing it in my life, ahem, I figured I’d post proof. Hayden graciously took this photo of me last night, working on the Zen Garden Flower Basket Shawl. It’s much bigger now.

Unfortunately, I’m not posting the whole picture because I look puffy and huge. This is the first time in awhile I’ve shuddered at a photo of myself, and I hate it. I’ve put on about 10 pounds this year and part of last, but it feels, (and looks) like 30. Ugh.

Anyway, I’m working on this lovely shawl. It’s soft and beautiful, and I’ll post more pictures soon.

Love ya, Katie :-).