New Year's Resolution Delayed

Let me just say that I will be *SO* very glad to say goodbye to 2006 and put it behind me for good. This entire year has been perhaps the very most difficult of my entire life (there are two other years that do come to mind as a close call, but neither one of those held such widespread damage on so many fronts and so constantly.)

Anyway, I was looking forward to a quiet evening of introspection, a late movie (to get away from the fireworks and gunshots of my neighborhood), and some cuddle time with my husband.

Instead we are at the airport, waiting for The Next Flight to take us to my FIL's hospital. He is not expected to see the new year.

So maybe I'll get some time for the introspection tomorrow, and maybe it will be a few days.

Thank you for understanding.

Thank You SP9!

I got your package on the 22nd or 23rd? I don't remember which exactly, but definitely got here in good time.
The lilikoi jelly is all gone, and the tropical marmalade is half gone. Yum!! a taste of the islands!!! :) I *so* want to go back to Hawaii again! I was there once-- when I was about six years old. Three weeks, I think.. and ten days of that I was so sick I couldn't keep anything down. .. and still the islands live fondly in my heart.
So my very favorite part of this box was the pair of little jelly jars! Thank you!!
And to give y'all an idea how wonderful an unexpected little happens-to-hit-the-mark giftie can be, those little jelly jars held their own in the midst of 4 ounces of super-soft superwash merino top for my spinning wheel! Wow!! so super-cool!, 4 ounces of bamboo top (which I've never tried spinning before and am quite looking forward to!), and a wonderful sampler of cotton yarns (natural-grown colors!) which are definitely destined for my loom! I'm imagining a jaunty spring scarf, perhaps... (although at the rate I'm chipping away at my projects, that'd be for spring 08 at the earliest), all wrapped up in some wonderful wrapping papers! (the penguins are my favorite.) and nestled up against a single-serve packet of some delightful Chai mix (I did remember to keep the package for the photograph. the contents are long gone.)

I haven't had a chance to take the picture yet, so that will follow in a separate post.

And I think I'm late on the thank you for the thanksgiving package! My word but I'm running late around here!! .. My SP9 sent me a very lovely *handmade!* roll-up fabric carrying case for my needles!!! :) (I tried putting paintbrushes into the slots, but that didn't work very well (but did inspire me to add "make a roll-up carrying case for my paintbrushes" to my never-ending list of possible things-to-do)) .. I can hardly wait til the next time I get to travel so I can take a full set of needles with me in their nice new carry-case! :) Maybe that way I'll be able to just buy the Yarn at the LYSs instead of picking up yet another set of needles too!

...

...and Mia, the fudge is gone. All gone, sure was yummy! .. In the spirit of the season I was good and kind and generous and I *shared* that yummy fudge. O:) .. I let my husband have ONE piece! ;)

...

OH!! And PAULA!! Thank you so much for the OrnaMental2 gifties!! I just love the handknit ornaments you made! I tried to wear the angel-girl (okay, well, she *could* be an angel if she had wings and a halo and stuff.. I guess she's just a girl, though) as a hat (would have looked stupid, but sometimes that's for the best, y'know?) but she didn't fit. Instead she makes a really cute centerpiece, and she fits nicely over an empty yarn cone!

I'll get pictures up soon. At least that's my hope.

...

Tune in tomorrow for my New Year's Resolution (in writing this time so I can remember what it IS come February!)

Power Restored

We got our power back on Monday morning.. roughly 10am. I've been kept busy ever since-- all the appointments I had to make up from the time we were without, and fielding calls from family, and sorting the contents of my refrigerator (hey, I'd been meaning to defrost and clean out my freezer anyway.. I just hadn't intended it to be so *thorough!*)

so my husband and I have been warm and clean and relatively comfortable for the past couple of days. :) .. but there are still some local areas that don't yet have power restored! It was a bad storm. I believe the hope is that everyone will have power again before next Monday. We have borrowed crews and equipment from all over the states helping out with the repairs and the clearing of fallen trees, so the rest of it should go pretty quickly, I hope!

I have a really big Thank You!! to my friend, Raoul, who agreed to house my bunny for a few days so his water bottle wouldn't freeze. :) Fortunately, it was unnecessary as we got our power back the following morning, but Thank You anyway!!! You've been a True Friend this past year (well, longer than that, but it's been especially apparent this past year)-- willing to help, willing to spend time with me, willing to cheer me up watching a movie or listening to me decompress at least twice a month despite your 80+ hour work weeks that you've been putting in since February this year! ... You have given when so few others had time or concern for me, and I *really* appreciate you for that. :) Thank you.

I have pictures to share-- of the recent weather outbursts mostly, but I have to find some time to get them groomed and transferred!

hugs all. Several of you asked after me in the power outage, and it was really warming to the spirit to find those messages in my inbox when I got back onto the computer. :) Thank You! and happy Solstice!

PS- This Is Why We Have No Power...

link to Wunderground photos

Huge trees downed by the weather took out a lot of power lines and equipment-- just clearing the debris to begin repairing the damage is a daunting endeavor!

Here's a huge thanks to all the linemen and fire crews and other people who are helping us all get through this week!

Power Outage

It's a good thing I wrote that "high winds" update on Thursday, because we have been without power ever since, and our house's power is not expected to be restored for another two or three days, at least.

May I take this moment to say an extra *big* Thank You!! to Zann for the wool shawl! to my current SP9 spoiler for the wristies, the head band, the shoulder shrug, the leg warmers! to everyone who has sent me handknit socks!! and to everyone who sent me sock yarn (much of which has become handknit socks by now!) .. I have been wearing them *all* for the past four days!

No kidding. It is cold enough in our house to see our own breath in the air. We have no electricity, and I have been exceedingly grateful for our gas range top, and for the candles (The candles!! My apologies to each of you who were *going* to get a candle as a gift this year! They're kinda half-used by now, but I can still send them if you still want them! ;) .. once this is over and I don't need them anymore, at least! They've been incredibly useful, thanks for letting me borrow them! ;) )

I'll put up pictures later-- when I can actually get the pictures onto my server. Right now that's just not possible. In fact, it wasn't until mid-afternoon today that we got any sort of phone service at all restored! We now have intermittent use of our cel-phones, at least, but no way to recharge them except by remembering to plug them in to the car when we drive somewhere.

And it's getting *COLD*! .. it's only about ten degrees warmer inside the house than it is outside the house, and right now outside the house (somewhat after sunset but still before midnight) it is 30 degrees, and if it gets that cold inside the house the pipes may freeze. .. for that matter the bunny's water bottle could freeze. Fortunately I made some calls today and found someone who has power and heat and a willingness to watch my bunny for a few days until my own house regains power.

Last night we went to bed under 4 cotton blankets, 1 down comforter, 1 silk cloak, 3 wool shawls, 1 poly comforter, and whatever else we could find! .. *still wearing* our wool hats, socks, and mittens!!

My knee does *not* like this cold, btw. It *hurts.* .. a lot. and it's tight. (thank you again for the leg warmers, SP9!)

But maybe the cold will help keep the stuff in my freezer from thawing out too much! that would be an up-side...

and it's really cool to get 7 days of no power for Channukah this year... just pretty durn nifty timing, if you ask me....

but my husband doesn't like being cold almost as much as my knee doesn't like it, and my husband has the power to do something about it.

So, since I've already asked my in-town once-Friends for help many times throughout this year, and almost every time have received the same exact advice in return: "throw money at the problem, I can't (won't) help you." -- can't clean house because of my knee injury? "hire a maid" can't take care of the yard? "hire a gardener" need someone to watch the bunny for a few days? "hire a pet-sitter" need someone to talk to, commiserate with? "hire a counselor."

((To each and every one of you who gave a better answer than "go hire someone," I treasure your support and your friendship. There are very few of you this year.))

So, knowing from previous recent experience what the answer to asking for help or comfort would be, and assuming that some portion of those once-friends are in electricity-less situations themselves, I just plain set out to do the best I could with the circumstances that exist. No phone, no electricity, no computer, no support, no camaraderie. Some day the power will come back on and things will start getting back to normal. In the meantime, painful and cold as this week has been, it's *nothing* compared to the pain and limitation I suffered throughout most of this year, throughout which quite nearly everyone whom I asked for help turned me away. And I got through eleven months of this year so far-- what's another seven days of freezing?

.. .. so how am I on the computer tonight, typing up this post for all the world to see?

Simple. Keith did exactly what our once-friends would have recommended. He waved some money at the problem to make it go away.

So here I am in a hotel room for the night. I've had a warm shower, and I've washed my hair. And I will sleep warm tonight without my wool socks and wool hat.



If I'd thrown money at every previous problem I had, I wouldn't have had the budget for this one.


And before I sign out for the evening (who knows when I'll get back on again), a great big Huge Thank You!! To Zann and to my SP9 for asking how I'm weathering the storm. :) .. and to R. for agreeing to watch my bunny for the next few days so that his water doesn't freeze! :)

hugs all
--Peacock

High Winds Today

and also heavy rain.

Power interruptions throughout the region. Shutting down my misc. electrical systems so nothing shorts or drains battery tonight.

Hope y'all are having a better time of it.
...and happy Channukah (in case I don't get back on later tonight.)

Tha nk You, Mia!

for the fudge. :) all gone! super yummy!!

Patty's Challenge #3 -- Food Recollection

What To Do:

Write a post about your favorite recipe and what it means to you. You don't have to post the recipe itself and if you don't have a specific recipe you can write about, think about a food memory that you have.

A food memory, mmm? I could tell you about the peanut butter sandwich I made for my brother when I was about five, and he was about three.. y'see, he liked crunchy peanut butter and I didn't. I liked creamy peanut butter (and of course he didn't). Usually he got his way (he threw loud, long tantrums, and mother gave in), but one day he'd been left with a sitter and I was at the grocery store with mother without him. She couldn't remember whether she usually got creamy or crunchy (she also often called me by his name and vice versa, and has only just now begun remembering when our respective birthdays are), so I was able to get her to buy creamy for once!! yay!!!

My brother, of course, pitched his expected fit, but there was nothing to be done about it. The peanut butter was already purchased and wasn't going back to the store. It so happens that I was beginning to "cook" meals (I was really good at frying eggs and I could make all kinds of cold sandwiches) for my brother and I, and I reasoned with him that it was *much* easier to make creamy peanut butter into crunchy peanut butter than it was to take the crunchy back out! I promptly made each of us a peanut-butter-and-honey sandwich, and onto his I sprinkled some of my parakeet's food. :) Insta-crunchy!! He loved it. Mother was horrified.

But she started buying two kinds of peanut butter! (I still prefer creamy, he still prefers crunchy.)

... much much later we learned that mixing the honey into the peanut butter before putting it onto the bread keeps the bread from getting all crystalized and nasty from the honey! wish I'd known that trick sooner!!