Stormin’ Grace

Leave it to Grace to come up with a unique and intriguing question…

All right I have a really insane question for all of you knitters out there, just keep in mind this line of last friday’s post “I would rather be a nutjob then a crankpot.”

When you are knitting and using metal needles like Addi’s or Options and it starts to thunder and lightening to you put your knitting down? I do and pick up something on wooden needles and Tom thinks I am crazy. Everyone who answers my question will be entered into a drawing for prize (to be determined but with a minimum value of 10$ and knitting related) . Post the same question on your blog and I will give you an additional entry as long as you tell me where to look. I will take entries until Sunday the 27th and pick a winner on Monday the 28th .

Go on over there (click the mega link) and comment…

OK, science geek warning…

The mythbusters did an episode on getting struck by lightening because of a tongue piercing.. you can read their results here

honestly…

if you’re standing on your roof, during said lightning storm, and you hold up your knitting needles to the skies… you do stand a higher chance of getting struck, and if you wanted to increase your odds.. hold up a copper knitting needle! … In Grace’s general situation (in your living room knitting along to the sounds of the storm).. you won’t..

first… metal knitting needles are generally either aluminum, or nickel plated brass… neither of which are good conductors of electricity. In fact.. nickel plated brass ‘knitted’ mesh is one of the top googled items for lightening protection for airplane fuel tanks.

All that being said… Lightning has a mind of its own sometimes.. it’ll strike where it can get a ground… so.. if you’re IT this time around.. it won’t matter what type of needle you’re holding… metal, bamboo or plastic!

I seriously have NEVER considered the consequences of knitting with metal during an electrical storm.. and maybe I should have… but I can say this.. even if I were to become a ‘crispy critter’.. I’d at least do so doing one of the things I love most! That being said… I knit almost entirely with bamboo needles.. I do have metal ones.. but they aren’t used nearly as often as my bamboos!

The last of our family visitors leave early in the morning.. so I promise to post, with pics and more info about what we’ve been doing these last few weeks…

Time for the Bee Bush

When we moved into our home last July, this bush was in full bloom, with a host of house-guests… BEES…  now I’m certain that I’m not the only mother of small children who are petrified of bees.. so it will come as no surprise that the children at this household NAMED the bush(es) and are avoid it in the months of July and August like the plague!
It’s actually a beautiful bush, that I think may be St. John’s Wort… (see flowers in photos below)… but I’m not 100% certain… I tried to Google it.. but can’t be certain… some botanist out there want to help me??  We pruned this sucker like you wouldn’t believe and it came back bigger and badder than last year’s version… I’m thinking that sadly, this is the ‘last’ summer for this bush…  the kids cannot navigate that corner of the  pool decking… and just opening the pool gate is a threat of a bumble bee aggrevation… It will be particularly hard to see it go for Murphy who loves to lay under it’s branches in the shade…

See that happy worker bee… collecting untold amounts of pollen… his legs look heavy!

Look, another happy worker bee!

Big beautiful puffy yellow flowers.. is it St. John’s Wort??? anyone???

I’m in love….

With my new chiropractor!

Active Performance Chirpractic

Dr. Armillei, you’re my hero… well, you and your ART (active release techniques) that is…

Back up.. back up…

background info is a necessity here…

We’ll go back to the Fall of 2006… I’m in the shape of my life, just ran a PR in the marathon (3:50), on an extremely hilly course…  I took a mild amount of time off (from racing longer distances anyway)… and ran a handful of 5Ks in the early spring with a goal to PR there as well..   We sold our house and moved to a rental during that time.  Much chaos ensued, and we end up with a bit of overtraining (stress relief to run a few more miles) and I start noticing a mild flare-up of my PF that I’ve battled off and on since 1995…  I did some self treatment that seemed to work to a degree but didn’t quite take it all AWAY…

By late summer, we’ve moved to PA, and run a few more 5ks, and had our week at camp…  by the end of which my PF is definitely back… and NOT really responding to self treatment.  We go through a fall of minimal running with the hope that the rest would do it some good… to no avail…

January 2008 cortisone shot number 1… not much relief, and a very slow comeback but a comeback nonetheless…

May/June 2008… up to 3-4 miles 3-4 times per week… feeling good until OH NO… flare up… and 2nd cortisone shot…  MUCH more relief this time… and right back into my daily 3-4 mile runs… until the big OUCHIE moment where I thought I’d had a tear…  MRI results just show a thickening of the PF… and the podiatrist says, REST and not a whole lot else to be honest…

July  2008… I’ve had 6 weeks off, NO improvement AT ALL, in fact.. it’s gotten worse.  Bad enough that our little hike over the camping weekend had me incapacitated for the remainder of the day… I returned home and visited the NEPARunner website in search of a message board where I could post my request for a sports physician/podiatrist in my area…

A runner there recommended Active Performance Chiropractic.  I’m a chiropractic enthusiast… I loved my NC Chiropractor… Dr. Pascal.. he was a runner, an athlete, worked with athletes (Olympic runners!) and I trusted him… he was awesome.. and I hadn’t looked for a replacement…  but now I have one, and dare I say, I like him even better… we want to invite him to camp!
‘Active Release Techniques - ART is a soft-tissue technique that focuses on restoring the integrity of muscles, ligaments, nerves, and tendons.  Many conditions are the result of scar tissue accumulation due to acute or chronic repetitive-use conditions.  Problems arise when teh scar tissue results in dysfunction.’ (quoted from the Active Performance Chiropractic pamphlet…

Basically, ART was like deep tissue massage on the muscles where I have scar tissue development…

I can honestly say that the ART Dr. Armellei performed on my lower body (Hips, buttocks, calf) decreased my heel pain to 60% what it had been when I walked into the office BEFORE he laid a finger on my foot… after working my foot I’d give it 80% relief… and with lumbar chiropractic adjustments, and feet adjustments.. I’d put it at between 80-90% relief.  I can’t tell you how thrilled I am…

I’m not at 100% and we’ll have future visits until I am… but wow.. the relief is tremendous… I’m so very thankful.

Now… as a word of caution.. anyone interested in ART… you ought to be prepared for a very painful procedure.. it’s not like going and getting a relaxing massage… during some of his procedures it was all I could do to keep myself from jumping right off the table… and there was one where I did finally have to ask him to stop… but the pain relief is well worth that…

Appointment number two… THURSDAY… :-)…

Running trails.. here I come!

When simple addition goes wrong…

So we have 5 here, and then my Sis-in-law (SIL1) is coming to visit on Friday

5+1 = 6

My other sister-in-law (SIL2)  had planned a trip of unknown start date to visit us in July, and now she’s arriving on Saturday… She comes with herself, 3 children of hers, and the oldest’s boyfriend.  Hubby has to return to MN for work.

6 + 5 = 11

My mother-in-law and father-in-law saw the potential mini-family reunion of the situation with their two daughters and one son and all but 3 grandkids and decided to arrive on Friday…

so we went from Friday’s math…

5 + 1 = 6

to

5 + 1 + 2 =8

And then on Saturday to

8 + 5 =13 …

SIL2  is now visiting an unmentioned (but previously visited with for the last 3 weeks) sister-in-law (the one in the camping pics above)… SIL3…  SIL2 has convinced SIL3 of the potential TOTAL family reunion by also coming to visit us.

SIL3 called yesterday to mention this and I said… ‘what’s a few more bodies in an already chaotic situation?’  but she was still unsure of the trip.. I mean … we did just spend near the entirety of the last 3 weeks with her and her family…  They planned for possible arrival, without her husband (MIL and FILs youngest son)… on Sunday or Monday… so the number I was expecting was..

13 + 4 = 17

SIL3  just called… hubby can get Monday and Tuesday off from work… so… they’re now coming on Saturday, and our numbers for Saturday are now…

13  + 5 = 18

I don’t have a firm date of when anyone is leaving…

Anyone else want to come???

Bring your tent… there’s no more floor space at our house!

How I convinced him to go…

The middle guy was reluctant to go to the Park program today…  so I told him I’d let him go like this..

Yes.. he has a ’summer only’ Mohawk (yes he goes to Catholic school and this would NEVER be acceptable)…

and.. today.. it’s Green!

One day he’ll admit to his friends that he has a cool mom…

The ‘magic?’ of 12

We’re back from Camping at Watkin’s Glen State Park… what a lovely campground and fun time was had by all, even with that day of nearly non-stop rain…. :-(  Bleh…

quick a few pics from our time away… (click each for a larger image)

A view into the gorge from the Gorge Trail.

Walking back up the Gorge Trail, view of some of the falls, I think this section is called Cascade Falls

Obligatory Family Pose

Hay Ride Fun

The kids and cousins on the hike

So… virtually NO knitting on the trip… somehow camping never ends up with me relaxing??? what??? isn’t that what camping is for?  Apparently not… I hate that about the two most recent camping trips… but hey… there’s always a third try right??? maybe, though we haven’t actually planned anything for the remainder of our summer with regards to camping…

The camping was fun, the food yummy, and the company great. :-)  That’s all you need for a good trip…

So, I know you’re wondering about the ‘12′ in my title… well.. the magic of 12 is that I have 12 people, yes.. 12 … coming this weekend for anywhere up to 1 week of visiting… YIKES… all are family members so that should mean I don’t have to really kill myself to clean.. but y’all who know me well enough know that I will still be busy cleaning… plus.. I have to get the room above our garage ready to house some sleepers.. ;-)  We have plenty of floor space, but a quiet, pet free, allergen free zone for my niece is quite a necessity…

Oh the fun!

This is so awesome

You cannot skip watching it…

Where the Hell is Matt

The kitchen is CLOSED

Since this morning, I have cooked/prepared:

Two boxes of Spanish Rice

2 Boxes of thin spaghetti

Refried beans

24 meatballs

Diced (well big chunks) chicken in garlic

Guacamole

1 batch of brownies

Spaghetti Sauce

Yes.. you read all of that correctly…

We are going camping at Watkins Glen this week… (tomorrow actually), and we’re meeting my BIL, SIL, and their 3 kids…

We’ve been camping with them before, and I find it easiest (as does my SIL) to split the dinners so that we aren’t all packing the same stuff.. or competing for the same grill with competing meals..

Ya’ll know me, the mildly anal retentive (shhh I’m thinking it’s mild, so don’t burst my bubble)… perfectionist… I don’t like running around at meal time like a chicken with my head cut off… it just doesn’t make me a happy mom. AND.. .when I’m camping, I like to have as LITTLE to do at meal time, as possible..

SIL is doing the first dinner, some sort of grilled chicken meal with salad… we’re doing the second, pasta and meatballs, and green beans, and then we’re ’sharing’ the third, grilled stuffed burritos and quesadillas… somewhat from leftovers, somewhat from what we’re collectively bringing for the meal.

My meatballs are cooked, and the sauce doctored (I have yet to find a jarred sauce I love as is)… and the spaghetti is already cooked and frozen.. so on meal night, I’ll need to boil some water to speed cook the al dente pasta, and steam the green beans, and heat up the sauce… not that big a deal. We also bring garlic bread which we toss into the fire and have cook right in the bag… if you turn it regularly it won’t burn.. SERIOUSLY…

For burrito night I made up some guacamole, and the SIL is bringing salsa… I made spanish rice, and have the re-fried beans read (of course, I need to doctor those as well.. sheesh.. perfectionist)… so now all we need to do that night is set up the conveyor belt ‘build your own’ stations for burritos… wrap in foil and grill away! mmmm

The only other thing I cooked today, already, is tonights dinner… if my kitchen stands a chance at cooling down AT ALL today I had to get it done… nothing special.. just some sauteed chicken with garlic that will be tossed with olive oil, blanched broccoli and fresh diced tomatoes.. mmmm YUM!

too bad it’s raining because it would be great to escape this heat and eat outside!

No brownies though until camping… they were a special request from the Big girl!

THE KITCHEN IS NOW CLOSED

WoW

Whiskers on Wednesday!

Our kitty is a standardly traditional cat… he has need for you ONLY when he has a need… so… we don’t get much lovin or snuggling, which for my allergies is actually a blessing. Sparky does truly love my knitting, so this past winter I got a lot more of Lap Lovin from him than the norm… but now that it’s summer… he’s more than happy to stay away from us and only come for a visit to the door (he’s an indoor/outdoor cat) when he needs some food…

Because of this situation, I”m going to highlight my in-Laws cat, Luke..

Yeah, I realize, not the best picture, but I kept finding him sleeping whenever my camera was available…

Luke, also known as Lucifer, was the wild (literally) cat found and adopted by my husbands grandmother. When she passed away, hubbys family adopted Luke. We think he’s around 15 or 16 years old, and a remarkable thing has happened in the last year for this kitty… actually two remarkable things…

first, he’s now much much more interested in visiting with you and being pat… where before you were lucky if he came anywhere nearby… I guess he was more in tune with his wild roots until just recently…

Second… he was JET black, until this year when he turned a chocolate brown. I don’t know about you, but I have NEVER seen any cat that is totally chocolate brown in color… I’ve seen Tabbys with that color in them, but never a wholly chocolate brown cat… it’s really a pretty color, but surprised me when we saw him this past week!

Luke is a great kitty… we hope he sticks around for a few more years! He’s one of only 2 of my MILs cats that allow my kids to pat him!

Startitis is rampant here…

Ugh… seriously I have this monster list of things I want to knit, and I’ve committed myself to a few designs that need to be submitted… and  I keep finding myself casting on something new… what is wrong with me???

Right now on the needles I have:

Spring Forward, from the Summer Knitty

Pomatomus, from Cookie A. (Knitty from a few years ago)

Design pattern #1 (due as soon as I finish it)

Grocery bag of my own design (no due date)

Baby Alberti Afghan (baby due in September)

February Lady Sweater (due for me in the fall)

Hemlock Ring Blanket for my mom’s birthday (August 6th, but she doesn’t arrive here until August 14)

Chewyghan, a blankie of my own design honoring our dear Chewy

But… I want so desperately to cast on a whole HOST of other things… sheesh!  I need to have some finishitis sent my way, and quickly…

We’re going camping this weekend, and I’m planning on bringing the Chewyghan and the grocery bag… simple knits, that don’t require paperwork to be brought (and subsequently lost)…  I find socks to be great car knitting projects so I’ll probably bring Pomatomus or Spring Forward with me for the drive.

I’ve been remiss in mentioning a few of my dear blog friends contests…

First, Aunt Kathy is having a two month long contest at her site… she will be doing random drawings from the comments posted weekly for weekly prizes… Her contest runs from July 1 to August 31!  So do check in with her daily for extra chances for each weeks prize!

Second… Monica, at Monniblog, is having a 1000th post contest… Can you believe she has made 1000 posts???? wow! I’m only at 393, and just amazed that someone has been blogging long enough (she started in 2001) for 1000 posts… amazing!

And finally, Gnat, at Bark N Knit is having a contest too… Gnat has a fun and interesting podcast that you should give a listen to sometime.. it’s about knitting and dog lovers… .. so quick.. run over and comment for a chance to win!

Finally… some ‘recent-ish’ yarn acquisitions.. these have been acquired over the last few months…  and I just haven’t had time to comment here about it… sheesh… slacker…

Contest winnings from Socks and More.  There’s a color for each month and you just need to knit and item in that color, with CPY yarn and you get an entry….

This Unique Sheep Pima Cotton won’t stay in my hands long… it’s for some designs I submitted to them… and is being used in the unfinished design items I mentioned above… it’s it lovely.. it’s a dream to knit with and I love how it feels…

I have a new LYS!  And I got this Brown Sheep Wildfoote sock yarn there to knit the Big Guy a pair of socks… sometime

This is Berrocco ‘Love It Colors’ in the Salad Days colorway that Cass turned me onto with this knit of hers… it’s it gorgeous.  This colorway is discontinued so I was quick to scoop some up so I can have it to knit with :-)  I plan to knit her most recent tam.. is it the Chicken Tam?? and perhaps… a similar shawl…

With my payment from Knitty for my Paw Cozy, I joined the Harry Potter Sock yarn club that Dani has at Sunshine yarns… and my first installment came… Gilderoy Lockhart.. it’s lovely and so very very Gilderoy Lockhart!

Also… from Dani…

Harry Potter: Mini Skeins.. with my short sock fetish.. this will be a fun group to knit with!

And…

Two skeins of her Sunsilk Tinkerbell.. which is destined to become a Swallowtail!

I love dani’s yarns…

I’ll be back for Whisker’s on Wednesday….