Purling Oaks

Sunny but drifting....

Not too much excitement here for early February.  We're having a nice sunny Sunday with the snow blowing off the oaks in the back yard.  I think we added another ten inches of snow this week and I only had to drive in about six of it.  White Dot and Blue have both found cushions situated in sunbeams for early afternoon naps.

I'm fighting my annual winter descent into darkness and, frankly, not very successfully.  No surprise, though, since it is, ahem, annual.  It is one of the hazards of living in the upper Midwest for me, I think.  Fortunately, I have some good books ready to escape into and a planned journey to sunny California very soon, which will get me through into spring.  I haven't been a total hermit.  I did clean out my home office yesterday.  I've been stacking stuff in there for probably a year...or more.  Now the desk is clean, the floor is walkable, and the chair is ready for me to plop my rear into for some tasks that need doing.  

Oh!  And I also made some more sauerkraut yesterday that should be ready to eat in a week or so.  That batch was my second and I hope it is as good as the first.  I didn't know 'kraut could taste so good.  Not that I didn't like it from the store, but my home-made is much less tart.  All you need is cabbage, salt, and a big jar.

Bodywise, I've been holding at the same weight for the past 2 months.  Not bad for this time of year, considering the re-awakened sweet cravings.  /sigh  I've got some thyroid testing in the works and I'm hoping I just need to downward-adjust my meds due to loss of body mass.  Fingers crossed for an easy fix.

I think I'm going to try a bit of in-house sun bathing to copy a feline or two.  Have a lovely week!

 

Surrender

We are waving the white flag. 

The basement is flooded.  We tried to wet vac but the water was too fast for us.  We moved everything we could and put blocks under what we couldn't.  Hopefully, the water will just be an inch or so. 

Earlier this afternoon we guessed we had had about six or seven inches of rain (before the basement started getting wet again) and we think several inches have fallen since.  And the rain keeps coming. 

And as I was writing this entry, our septic tank alarm went off.  Which means we may have worse problems.  /sigh. 

And a tick was just crawling on me.  (The tick is dead now.)

Well, my pity party is over.  Stay dry, you guys.

ETA at 7:30 am Central Monday:  Well, the worse referenced in my whine happened.  The technical explanation is some valve-thingy that was new not more than one and a half years ago failed.  The plumber says lightning probably took it out.  So, the septic pump didn't know when to turn on and, shazam, there's more than water in the basement. 

The appropriate folks have been called but we are not the only one with this predicament in Southern Wisconsin.  Although we are bone-tired and not looking forward to the extra work/expense, we are safe and whole and about to have some freshly brewed coffee.  *small pleasures*  Thanks for your good thoughts and I hope you all are safe and dry, where-ever you are.

Squirrel scrutinizing

Yes, by golly, it is a slow day here at Purling Oaks. Here are Fuzzle (stretched out), White Dot, and Black Dot observing a local squirrel who, once again, is emptying the bird feeder. The cats make very interesting noises when they watch the birds or the squirrels.

I am on about day two of a cold. My cold. Drats. Darn air travel, doorknob, or whatever! I'm hesitant to do anything crafty since my brain may be about as clear as the rest of my head. I just finished reading Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold. I really enjoyed the book especially since the protagonist is a middle-aged (for the storyline) woman. Often the female heroine is a young and fit twenty-something. It is nice to have a different model presented.

Re-entry

Re-entry to work after a long vacation is not anywhere near the top of my list of favorite things to do. Absolutely no where near the list, in fact. *whine* times three.

I'm on dial-up this week. *whine* Do you know it takes a very long time to load even one blog on bloglines? Yes, it really does. I may be doing a lot of bloglines catch-up this weekend. *whine*

Despite my recent post, I am a sucker for technology. I just need time to make it work. (insert hysterical laughter) Monday, I acquired a new, fancy-pants, mobile telephone and can now receive my email on my phone. I love it. I can actually see the letters on the screen. (Yes, yes, I know, I'm resisting the bifocals.) I can also reply to the email...well, at least I think I'm replying to the email. *g* I supposedly will also be able to post to the blog with the phone but I will believe it when it happens. Technology can be great when it works efficiently.

The weather in Wisconsin has been horrible and quite unusual for January. The fog was incredibly dense on Sunday and Monday. Then we had horrific tornados in the southeaster part of the state. Today, it continued to rain and is very dreary. I'm working in Fond du Lac this week so I hope for some time to check out the yarn shop downtown. Yarn......mmmmm, I feel good just thinking about it.

Segway

I left work late this morning with a rotten headache and nausea and returned home to the hotel. I'm working with DH this trip, which turned out to be really nice today since he drove me back to the hotel. I changed clothes, climbed in bed and slept for four hours. The headache and nausea are gone and I just have an achey stomach. I am hoping this is it (just a bad headache) and not the f-sickness.

After I woke up I decided to read the new Knitty. You know, the articles part. Although we all love the pattern p0rn in Knitty, the articles are good, too.

Anyway, DH just brought back some nice mild food for dinner so I'm going to wave goodnight and hope this sickness segway was just a bad dream when I wake up tomorrow.

degrees of accomplishment

I've accomplished some knitting these past two days.  However, since I've not accomplished how to post a photo from afar, you'll have to wait for proof.  The Sunrise sock now has a heel flap...achieved on the flight from Milwaukee to Kansas City.  I also finished the cap on the first Sonnet sleeve and made a bit of sleeve progress last night.  I was so enamoured of the sleeve I had to tuck it into my suitcase.  (I was afraid to bring it in carry-on if the TSA didn't like my long pointy sticks.)  I think I'm finally going over the edge....or, rather, I've reached the sweet point of no return into the land of enchantment. 

On another front, I wonder if I'll feel the tap of a CDC official on my shoulder and hear the official say, "come with us, ma'am....."  I've had a, ahem, minor set-back on the cold front and I'm coughing....really coughing.  Ugh.  Tonight I'm trying wine and it is giving me some relief but that obviously isn't an option during the day at work.  Well, not an option for me, anyway.  *g*

On top of it, my hotel wireless connection is being very capricious this evening. 

I. Am.

Wiped. Out. The cold is still in control. Sore throat, big time. A bit sniffly, major tired.

I finally gave in this morning and called in sick after trying to do some work, telecommuting-style. I read a light-weight book and fell asleep for two hours.

I hope to feel better very soon. I have a meeting tomorrow. I have to speak at said meeting. I better save all my words for the meeting or they'll never hear me. Marvy.

Sorry about the grumpy poster. She should be better soon. Chicken broth is on the stovetop.