Purling Oaks

An Office

Oh yeah, I used to blog, once upon a time.  

 

An Office.  With a Door.

So, it turns out I enjoy having a desk and a chair and my computer attached to a large monitor.  It motivates me to write.  Who knew?  Not me, certainly.  I'm still discovering new things about myself, even in my fifth decade on this earth.  That is a good thing, it keeps me interested.  Sort of like dating myself, as in the "let's go get a coffee" kind of date.    

I'm in the midst of perfecting my office set up.  (Probably a cyclical task.)  New big-ish monitor, a nice clackety mechanical keyboard that my hands enjoy, and a second smaller screen (my little MacBook Pro) to use for research or whatever.  There is still the issue of using a tabletop that is several inches too high for comfortable long-term typing.  The lighting is nicer--warm light from the tapestry loom side of the room.  Maybe a floor lamp is needed?  I need to hang pictures.  Perhaps, I will share photos when I'm done fussing with the arrangement.

One of the things I liked about working in DC was my little office.  It was tucked on the backside of a building, a big city block away from the White House.  Goodness, I don't even remember what floor of the building it was on (4th?), but I can remember my office.  

An interior office, the room enjoyed a moment or two of natural sunshine every day from the atrium window and it had a door I could close, allowing me to focus on a project or eat lunch at my desk.  There was room for a chair for visitors.  A plant or two perched on the top of a filing cabinet.  A stash of tea, instant coffee, and snacks had their own desk drawer.  I had a spare outfit hanging, in the event of a clothing disaster. It was a small sanctuary, yet a productive environment. When I left DC and went back into the field, as before DC I shared basement tables with mismatched chairs or handsome conference rooms with my fellow examiners, whatever space we were allowed at each assignment.  Far from an ideal environment, it takes some fortitude to train yourself to work without distraction.  I guess I had enough fortitude to deal with it for over twenty years.  Then I retired, waving goodbye to all that, thinking I would not miss any of it.  

Odd revelation, missing an office with a door.  Crazy, I know. And yet, there is a little part of me that is humming with happiness as I sit in my "updated" home office. This particular room has almost always been "my office" so I think the humming must be due to a change in my attitude.  I'm still musing about that. 

Five Years

I have been retired from my previous career for five years plus a month and a half.  I couldn't continue to work with all its required travel and be there for Mom, so retirement it was.  And that was okay. It's what a person does if circumstances allow.  

The first two years were years that I'm not too interested in remembering in detail, the continuation of a rollercoaster ride that I'm sure many other caregivers may relate to.  Three years ago, Mom moved to a very nice assisted living home located about ten minutes away from my house.  She's doing great there.  Ten minutes means it is so easy to visit and collect her for shopping or medical care or getting an ice cream cone.  We are both happier.  

I am so thankful for the recommendation from a friend regarding Mom's current home.  To my bones thankful.  Down to the marrow in my bones thankful.  Yes, really.

Typepad Stuff

There are still a lot of cobwebs here at the blog that will need to be dealt with.  I have forgotten how to find and change parts of the blog.  I remember thinking way back when there were tricky bits and there still are ... as that knowledge is eluding me.  There is a bunch of other stuff that I bet I'm clueless about.  I'm open to resource recommendations if anyone happens by to read this post.  I'm sure I'll stumble about and eventually get things tidy here.  That said, there was an iron trivet with this saying hanging in the back entryway to my parents' home and Mom always smiled as she recited it: 

Come in, sit down, relax, converse.  Our house doesn't always look like this, sometimes it's even worse.

 

Hello! Anyone home?

Yeah, I used to have this blog.......

 

2012 was quite a year......one I have absolutely no desire to repeat --- except I would like to keep the lessons learned and personal motivation derived from various happenings.  In the whole scheme of things, my 2012 "events" were actually pretty low-scale when compared to other folks' events.  I guess I just don't like any "events."  

So, here we are on the 12th day of January and I'm about ready to do some clothes shopping for work clothes.  My old stuff is old and is falling off me, which is really not the look I'm trying to project.  My goal is to get about 3 outfits worth today and keep my wardrobe small and flexible.  It helps that I'm working less than full-time and, frankly, I hope to be wearing slightly smaller clothes by summer or fall of this year.  I still have several pairs of jeans from my current body size in the back of the clothes (hope springs eternal - or something like that) so I'm fine on the personal casual stuff for a while.  Okay, I am wearing looser t-shirts right now--they're fine.  Really.

A year and a half ago, my scale showed a measurement for me over 30 pounds heavier than I am today.  Two-thirds of that amount was disposed of since the end of August.  After years of beating myself up for not being able to lose any significant weight on the classic weight loss regimens, I've finally found a method that works for me.  It is such a relief to find a method that my body responds to.  One size does not fit all, so if whole grain/calorie-counting/exerciseyourselfallday/whatever doesn't work for you, try something else!  I wish I would have earlier and saving all the negative internal-talk for something else.  I'm following real food/vegetable/meat/real fat method including no wheat or grains.  I'm eating moderate levels of carbs (vegies, starchy vegies) while working to my target weight range.  After that goal is met, I'll still follow the real food/primal/paleo method or some variation, just with different ratios of protein/fat/carbs.  I'm not 100% strict and enjoyed a gingerbread man or three this Christmas.  However, I can feel it physically and mentally when I'm "off-plan."  

So, my clothes shopping today should be a happier experience than one I would have had two years ago.  I would have gone in December, but I cannot shop when I have to hunt for a parking place.  

Well, that's my personal news for the beginning of the year.  My mom is feeling much better after having pneumonia last week but she's tough.  We're feeding her up with good food to support the continued healing.  Quite scary, that pneumonia!

Happy New Year and may we all enjoy a prosperous and joyful 2013!

 

Just peeking

Happy almost end of February!  I've been absent from the blog since I've got nothing to share.  There's been drama but it isn't really mine in the most direct sense, so there you are, no blog stuff and no desire to blog around it.   I did get the crud Friday afternoon but it was fast and furious, so now I'm just tired.  

White Dot got into a big fight with the Boogie Cat last Saturday morning and had to go to the vet for stitches where his hind right leg was ripped open.  Yowza and yuckola.  He's now in second place for most *ahem* precious kitty of the house, after Fuzzle's broken-leg excitement about five years ago.   He's healing quickly and is happy to be out of his exile to a closed bedroom and paper litter.  We're working on what to do about BC encounters since that was trip number two to the vet that was BC-related.

I was able to attend my local monthly spinning group meeting last Monday -- it was fun with a lot of laughing.  I brought some crocheting rather than my wheel but they're a kind group of women and let me stay.  I helped solve a mystery of a rigid heddle loom--no biggie but it helps to know which way to point the darn thing.  0.O

I've immersed myself in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs this weekend.  I thought it would all be re-reads but somehow I missed one of the series.  I'm glad I remedied that with a download as Bone Crossed was good.  I'm about to start River Marked before I start throwing things in my suitcase for another week of work.

Okay, that's it for now.  I hope you all have been warm, safe, and happy.  I'll stop by again...hopefully soon.

 

Lists, Tuesday, and Books

This morning I'm drinking coffee and making my lists for the weekend.  Let's see...groceries:  black beans for some black bean soup, mixed bean soup for some, well, mixed bean soup.   Looks like a theme of fall is here, to me!  The plumber is here to fix the toilet that has been slow for longer than I want to say..check!  Bedding in the laundry...check!  I need to expand my work wardrobe with more business attire so I've got go clothes shopping on the errands list, too.  

Tuesday was a good day.   I met up with Vicki in Appleton for dinner and coffee with knitting!  I really enjoyed seeing some of Vicki's recent projects and to see the results of her dye pots in finished form.  She really has a great eye for color.  

We rarely remember to document our meet-ups with photos but Tuesday we both pulled out our phones for the barista.

There!  Documented meet-up with friendly blogger...check!  :D

Next on the list is waiting to have our annual boiler inspection this morning and to finish up the laundry.  I'll probably have to slip some work-work into the morning, as well, since life will be smoother for the next week or so if I get this project finished.

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 I've been reading a lot lately.  Admittedly, it is one of the ways I use to escape stress.  No matter what, reading is always a pleasure.  I've been reading quite a bit with my iPad Kindle app but also a few "real" paperbacks.  The titles have been heavily weighted lately in the urban fantasy/werewolves & vampires genres:  I've read through ALL of Ilona Andrews' books and a good portion of Jeaniene Frost's.  I like both Andrews and Frost.  Andrews builds strong worlds and has a pleasant writing style.  Frost builds good stories but is not as strong a writer--although still very readable.  For Frost's writing, I mean that sometimes I'm "bumped" out of my reading trance by illogical sentence structure or some odd construction from a technical sense.  That happened less frequently as I read the series so perhaps her editor is paying closer attention.  I'm currently on the fourth (hmm, maybe make that the sixth) (Amazon link) book in the Kitty Norville series by Carrie Vaughn.  I read Kitty Goes to Washington a while ago (yes, while I was working in DC) and recently decided to read the whole series.  I was surprised by the turn of events in the third book; Ms. Vaughn is not formulaic in her writing and, obviously, I'm pleasantly entertained since I'm so far into the series.  

 I've also been reading Vicki Pettersson's Zodiac series.  When we were in Columbus, Georgia, we stopped* at The Book House and I purchased the first two books in this series.  Ms. Pettersson's story line is original - to me at least - and I'm enjoying the stories.  I don't always like the heroine as she is so self-centered and, at times, immature, but I think that is also an essential component and keeps me reading to see if this girl will break-out.  Perhaps this heroine is just a bit more "real" compared to my typical expectations of a fictional character. I definitely recommend reading this series....at least through book three which is where I've put myself on hold to give my Amazon account a breather.  

On the more serious side, I've been reading this version of Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  I finished it last night and I'm thinking of reading it again, soon.  I recommend it.

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Mid-way through typing this post I noticed the sun was high enough to turn the frost on the outbuildings into vapor.  Beautiful.  (That is vapor, isn't it?)  :D

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Have a lovely weekend everyone!

 

*As a traveler, I have the opportunity to sample a lot of things and one of them is used book stores.  This Georgia book store offered a very nice, yet new to me, selection of used books.  I wonder if I happen to visit there again, would have the same experience?  There were a LOT of new to me fantasy/sci-fi books on the shelves of this store.  Do readers in Columbus read and trade different books than those in Madison, Wisconsin?  Hmmm, probably just a happy circumstance....

Autumn, all ready?

Although each season has unique and welcome offerings, Autumn brings more to the table for me than the others.  The relief of cool nights, the changing greens to orange, red, and yellow then to browns, the wind as it whispers secrets or howls in the night as Halloween approaches---all these stimulate my senses and make this season my favorite.  For now.

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Stacey says it has been two months since I've posted and I don't doubt her.  Sometimes, especially lately, I don't have much that I want to share here, or can share, for truth's sake.  Then, frankly, just being out of the habit of posting contributed to my absence.  However, I am motivated to post about something important to me and to a very dear friend.  

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Stacey is fund-raising right now for NMO, which is neuromyelitis optica (NMO or Devic’s Disease).  It "....is an uncommon disease syndrome of the central nervous system (CNS) that affects the optic nerves and spinal cord. Individuals with NMO develop optic neuritis, which causes pain in the eye and vision loss, and transverse myelitis, which causes weakness, numbness, and sometimes paralysis of the arms and legs, along with sensory disturbances and loss of bladder and bowel control." ~From The National Institute of Neurological Disorders"

Not many people know about this disease and it doesn't get as much funding or attention as it should.  Stacey's being challenged by NMO and we both want better and more research to find better treatments and a cure.  You can help find a cure by contributing to her fundraiser.  There are a lot of great prizes for knitters and non-knitters and for those folks living in East Texas.  This year, I donated a brand-new, never out of the package iPod Nano for one of the prizes.  It is cool.  Seriously.  Did you know you can fit that little thing into a watchband and be a very cool techie-nerd person.  Or just be cool by having one of the newest iPods out with cool watch faces.  Even Mickey Mouse.  I.am.not.kidding.  Make a contribution to NMO in Stacey's name and for every ten dollar contribution, you'll be entered to win one of many prizes, just tell her when you visit her blog to let her know you're helping to win the fight against NMO.  Go.  Contribute.  Win stuff.  Feel good.

An FO, a little update and PURSES!

A finished object that, someday, will become a finished object!!

It is 1,042 yards of worsted weight yarn (2-ply) of my own spinning.  The fiber is wool.  Wool from Woolgatherers in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.  Unknown vintage or donator-sheep but I do know that the color is a sheep color, that is, undyed and I like it.  Finished spinning and plying during my July 2011 staycation.  Started maybe last year some time.  It may become a vest in the future.

I've been absent from the blog, I know.  Job changes, emptying the DC apartment, the trip home from DC, having to set up another apartment in a Milwaukee 'burb, summer heat, and just not wanting or having the energy to talk/write about it all are factors contributing to my absence.  DH and I are still tight--all the change-related stuff is for the job--so don't get worried about the marriage.  It is very nice to be home and closer to home.  And I do mean Very.

An odd offshoot of all this change has been my need to change my day-to-day purse.  Flying weekly and having desk drawers to stow things at work allowed me just use my back pack and a wallet or my "city" bag (actually a Lexie Barnes bag from last year (not the print pictured) - Love!) and my wallet.  Now, I don't have a fixed place I go every day and I've got to--or want to--use a larger purse but the old "city" bag isn't the 'image' I want since I would like to project a more polished look due to contact with what I'll call the public.  A big flowered bag just isn't working for me; unfortunately, because the interior of the bag is the best with tons of pockets and the exterior never shows wear...but I'm digressing.  I'm alternating weekly between my old purses and briefcase bags to see if they'll work for me in this phase of work.  One of my "old" bags (ha!) holds everything but just in a jumble-irritating.  (I think there's a Freudian slip there somewhere)  Do you have any favorite bags that you think I might like?  Feel free to make suggestions.  Please.

I just finished reading Theirs Not To Reason Why: A Soldier's Duty by Jean Johnson.  It was a good read and is also the beginning of a series.  I believe this author is starting to write SciFi after spending time in the Romance genre.  I will probably look at some of her other work; she had an interesting and enjoyable writing style.

I'm enjoying the cooler weather Wisconsin has been blessed with this weekend and, as usual, doing my laundry on Sunday.  I hope you all enjoy the coming week.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln*

Hai!

I've sipped and savored my first one and a half cups of coffee this morning.  Now to start working the keyboard.....

Here's a bit of catching up.....

Way back in January....but less than a month ago...I met up with Nora and some new-to-me friends in Watertown, Wisconsin, for a few hours of talking knitting, yarns, shoes, spinning and other things that knitters talk about when gathered.  It was a cold, sunny, and lovely day.  I brought along my spinning wheel since my ability to knit correctly and talk while making sense at the same time is challenged at times.  Nora described the day with more photos and details here.  Speaking of Nora....

She took to it quite well.  I know that our work to create a wheel spinner is not finished yet but we are so much closer after that day in January.  

Just a few days later in Washington, D.C., I had the great pleasure of meeting up with Angie (aka Lori-Angela) for a long lunch at a sandwich place just a block from my office.  She was visiting our capital city from western Canada with her husband who had the handy excuse of a convention to come to visit.  We share a name and, in fact, our husbands share a name, which is fun to mull.  She's a very productive knitter and I'm not, but we didn't let that stop us.  We had a lovely visit and a nice discussion of knitting-relating stuff and of transitions (which we're both experiencing).  The time went too quickly.  It was so nice to meet another "virtual" friend and have her materialize in real-time.  

 

I'm contemplating ripping Williamsro.  The time that it has been tucked away has moved me to different sweater likes for myself, although I still love the pattern, just not for me.  I'm considering a top-down cardigan, probably Laura Chau's pattern here and probably with the yarn from Williamsro although I do so love Noro Silk Garden.  My plan is developing.  I had considered using the yarn I won in the NMO funds drive over at our Stacey's (looks like I'm too late for a page linky) but the gauge I'm getting won't give me the quick (at least in my mind) or faster knit that a heavier weight than Silky Wool will give, although I love that yarn, too.  Yup, I did a gauge swatch.  I'll do another with Cash Iroha, maybe today on the drive north.

We're taking a day trip up to visit with my mom and family to celebrate her birthday, that was this past week Tuesday.  Happy Birthday, Mom!   I'm looking forward to our visit and better sign off to get myself ready to go.

 

Have a good weekend!

 

*This was the first thing that came to mind for a title.  Sometimes, you just have to go with the flow to get a project started and finished.  

Getting the broom out and....

*Brushing away the blog cobwebs.....*

I've found that getting adjusted to a new travel schedule, setting up and moving to POE, and a seemingly heavier work schedule took some, well, adjusting.  More adjusting than I thought but after a few weeks the schedule has been smoothing out and the psychic adjustments that DH and I have had to make are also smoothing out.  We are continuing to make changes and find more time together, quality time.  Maybe more than before, which is nice.  We didn't know we were missing that.  Anyway, I thought I would check out the blog and show you a few things that are interesting at Purling Oaks Central this weekend.

Lamb's ear has spread around my garden.  I've been harsher with it this year to contain it but I still love it for the texture and color of the leaves and the pretty lavender flowers.  

Lime thyme is flowering....along with all the other thymes.  This one does have a citrus aroma, leaning toward lime, but I think the color of the leaves may have as much to do with the name of "lime" as the fragrance.

 The black raspberries are just beginning to ripen.  Fortunately for berry production, we've been getting rain.  As I type this it is raining---of course, I am also wondering what the rain will do to my flight schedule today.  No big worries though.  I'm reading Nora Roberts' Kindred in Death in paperback and have a book or two available on the iPad.  

Yes, iPad.  I gave in to my inner geek and bought one with 32 gig - wifi only.  I really like it and found that I don't miss having the 3GS service.  My back up plan, should I need constant wireless access, is to buy one of the wireless access points I can carry in my purse or pocket so it can be used for multiple devices.  I'm not at that point yet.  I like that the screen is large enough to actually *see* something and I can stream Netflix over the wireless at the apartment.  

Blue on the Rock on an early summer Wisconsin day:

 

Have a great Sunday and a very good week!

 

  

Cathedral window quilt details!

Well, as long as I'm waiting, waiting, waiting for the coffee to drip this morning, I thought I should make good use of this time to show the quilt.  (Keep in mind that I am writing this coffee-less.)  (ETA:  TypePad recognized my weakness and chose to eat my first post about the quilt this morning.  The beast.  I also hate their edit/format functions.   I'm afraid to change anything in this post for fear of losing it a second time. Yes, only half a cup later.)

Yes, I am adding "run vinegar through the coffee maker" to the list that all ready has "get Jeep battery checked" and "be thankful for your AAA-membership" on it.  (It was a later than usual night last night.  *blink*)

Here are the photos of the quilt from last Saturday.  In the photo from left to right are Maddy (not her "real" name but she answers to it), Millie, Sandy, and my mom, Dorothy.

 

Large, isn't it?!  It certainly covers a queen-size bed amply.    

More details:  

 

Sorry about the lighting in the latter photos, but I think you get the idea.  That is a whole lot of handstitching!!  In case anyone is clicking in from a search for cathedral windows, this quilt was purchased or won at an Amish quilt auction near Shawano and Bonduel (Wisconsin) that occurs twice a year.  A talented quilter produced this wonderfulness that now represents precious memories of a fun, chilly day in May with my mom and friends.  When I'm at POE, it will remind me of happy memories every day.  I like that strategy.  

Clever girl.  :D

Happy Friday!
 
 
 

Anything down that well?

Let's see.   What to type?  I think it will have to be various and sundry topics.  I'm trying to reprime the blogging well.  Here goes.....

I'm waiting on the final rise for two loaves of bread made with a sponge starter as described in the New Joy of Cooking.  (Not the new New Joy, just the old New Joy.)  The bread rose the first time in the fridge overnight because I started the starter yesterday afternoon.  The type of starter and a slow rise usually result in a very tasty bread.  We'll see tonight if that's still so.

Wow, on the feeder there are several goldfinches that look almost olive today along with a few of the muted winter yellow.  

I've been grazing the Internet regarding growing hair long or longer.  One interesting hair-related item I found was that for some people, use of shampoos containing sulfates can result in an itchy scalp.  I believe it relates to the sebum on the scalp and clogging of pores but then again I may have that a bit off.  Anyway.....I found that I am one of those people.  I switched to a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner and my scalp is so much happier.  No wonder the dandruff shampoo was not working.  

Also hair-related, as I'm growing my hair, I have also decided (at least for now) to forgo the highlighting at the salon.  This holiday season I got a really good look at my gray hair.  I must say it has been a bit of a mental adjustment seeing the gray.  (Yes, that is an understatement.)  However, I am beginning to really like it.  I'm maybe ten to twenty percent gray.  Of course, the growing out of the highlighting may be challenging if I'm also trying to increase the length of my hair.  /sigh

There has been knitting.   This is an "old" photo; I've actually knit a few more inches on this sock but I'm too lazy to document it right now.  Maybe when I show you the bread, I'll give you a new view of the sock.  This is a restart of socks using yarn I won from Joan many moons ago.  I'm using magic loop on a US 1 addi turbo.  It is a nice thinner fabric.

There's also been spinning.  I met with the/my local spinning group again this past Monday.  It was really nice.  

I've been having dinner with my husband every night this week.  Work night dinners with my husband.  Nice.  

Happy Friday.  Be well.