Here today, gone to Maui

So tomorrow Mr. Gadget and I will be leaving on our grand voyage to Hawaii and I'll be taking a blog vacation until Feb. 10. I've been thinking about what kind of trip report I'll write when I get back. I've always been a fan of "Top 10" lists. I may post the top ten most interesting sights along the way. Or maybe the top ten weirdest characters onboard. Or maybe even the top ten gourmet delights. Or......I may do all of the above. I'm sure there will be plenty of blog fodder to last at least a week or more.

The pictures are from a recent visit to the botanical gardens. There were quite a few things in bloom in spite of it being winter and all. It was very quiet and peaceful there....a little oasis from all of the noise and traffic and congestion that is southern California. We are lucky that it's in our neighborhood.

Mr. Gadget related an interesting story when he returned from his trek to the gym this morning. Seems the place was deserted, or so he thought. A few minutes after he stepped on the treadmill, he heard someone singing in the shower in the men's locker room And he noted that it was a female voice, and in a language he didn't understand. He thought about going in to check things out, but continued treading instead. Soon he heard a man's voice singing. It wasn't long before the mystery was solved when an Asian man turned off the lights and walked out. Mr. G. came to the conclusion it was quite possible this man was singing both parts of an Asian opera.... maybe. I'm pretty sure we won't find anyone more weird on the ship, but we'll see. Maybe I'm being too judgmental. I think from now on I will refer to these people as "whimsical."

So Mr. G. has been chuckling about my plan to take the Goddess coffee mug along on the cruise. We'll just see how he feels about it while I'm sitting there on the deck, watching the whales and seagulls, enjoying my comfy coffee cup while he struggles to fix his tea (you know how those tea drinkers are....they want it just so!) If I know Mr. G., and I do know him well, he'll just forego the tea for the duration. No proper cup, no tea. I'm pretty sure he'll just start early with the Pina Coladas......

The manly cable

I've finished the back of the manly sweater and am now underway on the front. The cable is taking shape nicely. I did have to do a bit of frogging however, but that's ok. It's important for a knitter to keep her frogging edge. I had no idea what I had done until I got back to the nasty spot. Seems I had knitted two stitches together by mistake. An easy fix. A big "thank you" to the knitting gods.

So I'm thinking maybe I'll take my Goddess coffee mug with me on the cruise. I'm wondering if others will see it and realize just who I am---a goddess who deserves adoration and respect, and maybe a couple of tasty goodies from the buffet to go along.

Just for the record, I'm not one of those snobby coffee types. There are those who must take along their own coffee pots, and their favorite coffee brand.....or so I've heard. And there's talk going around that the cruise ships serve that awful syrup-based coffee. I'll be fine with whatever kind of coffee is served. But it might be nice to have my own mug. Coffee-drinkers, and tea-drinkers for that matter (just ask Mr. G.), do gravitate to a favorite mug. It should be ever so much more friendly than those much-too-small-and-awkward-to-hold buffet coffee cups. Maybe it will generate some interesting conversation. It might even gain me a few new admirers.......

As for the elderberry sweater "recipe" I was waiting for--the one I had to re-order because I lost the original--it was mailed to my Connecticut address, even though I asked them twice to mail it to me here at my Cali address. But not to worry. Tech Guy faxed it to me. I've definitely got a love/hate relationship going on with technology. So now it's here, along with the sweater in progress, awaiting my attention. I may be getting to it sooner rather than later if I find myself facing another frogging opportunity.

And I should report there was no half-price sushi to be had the other night when Mr. Gadget and I went out to take advantage of the early-bird special. Seems it only applies to Monday through Thursday (with the Thursday boldly underlined in red on their sign). We pondered for a few minutes whether we wanted it badly enough to pay full price, and then we walked a block up the street to a Mexican restauraunt (voted best in the area according to their sign). Well, I ate too much, and now I'm not so sure I'm going to fit into any of my cruise clothes. Good restaurants. There's that old love/hate thing again.....

Essentials

So I went on an errand this morning and picked up some cruise essentials. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that Mr. Gadget and I are going cruising again soon. A week from today we'll be setting sail on a 15-day trip to Hawaii. It was all his idea and who am I to argue? The way we look at it, there may be just a small window of opportunity between the kids leaving the nest and the nursing home. I've always been fond of the old saying: "Life is uncertain; eat dessert first."

We've never worried about motion sickness on previous cruises because they've always been in calm waters. But this one starts out with 4 days at sea and I've heard the Pacific Ocean can be unpredictable. We best be prepared. After all, it would be a real disappointment if we couldn't make it to the dining room.

I bought a box of greeting cards a while back. I love the picture and thought these would be great for sending to some of my girlfriends on their birthdays. Especially the girlfriends I grew up with and with whom I spent many summer days at the beach.


Of course, the drawing made me think of handmade dolls. It might be difficult to do the bathing suits; maybe sundresses would be easier. And I'd have to master the pattern for bare feet. It's fun to hark back to the beach-going days of my youth. I was quite the seamstress then. I had a two-piece bathing suit (before the bikini era, thankfully!) that I loved. It had a bra top and a bottom that was short shorts. When it started looking a little tattered, I took it all apart and used it as a pattern to make several more. I never had a great figure; I was always dieting even back then. But I always had a reputation for having the best tan and the most bathing suits.

So Mr. Gadget and I are going out for a sushi dinner tonight. There's a little place down by the beach that has a weekday early-bird special. We plan to get our fill of sushi before the cruise, since on our last one they tried to serve us spam sushi. Yes, that's right....SPAM. Well, you can probably guess what Mr. G. and I said to that! "No thank you......."

Monkey business

One of the things I can't get in Connecticut, but that's readily available here in California, is good monkey coffee. That might be because the mug that gives this special coffee its name is here and not there. And there's really nothing special about this coffee. It's Taster's Choice. Since Mr. Gadget is a tea drinker, I've grown accustomed to TC. If I make a pot of regular coffee every morning just for me, I end up drinking it all day and then I'm jittery and a little more weird than usual.

So I've been giving some thought to making a monkey doll. I don't have one in my cast of characters. Mine would have more pronounced ears than this one, but I like the eyes. Maybe a couple of black buttons would do. And he has a cute face. I'd probably make the doll in a small dark brown print, including the head, and then applique the white face on. He might look very dashing with a bow tie made from a banana print. I think I have some left over from my food quilt that still sits in the to-be-finished pile. And he might need a small bunch of bananas.

So I know you all (scores of readers....) know that I'm not the brightest operator of gadgets, in spite of the endless tutoring that Mr. Gadget provides. These last two days have really tested my spirit in that regard. Yesterday, while out for a walk with two gadgets stowed in two pockets of my jacket, my cell phone rang. So I turned off my MP-3 player and fished my phone out of its pocket. In the process I turned on the speaker phone. Why is it so easy to find the on button for this and so terribly difficult to find the off button? I hope the people on the sidewalk enjoyed hearing my business. I'm just glad it wasn't monkey business.. heh..heh..

Then today, during another walk, I was holding the MP-3 player instead of leaving it safely in it's pocket and it slipped. And in my haste to grab it before it hit the ground, I hit the button that sent the book back to the beginning. I haven't told Mr. Gadget this yet. He's still over at the gym with the curmudgeons. But I know he'll just laugh and tell me to read the instructions. I'd much rather just give him the gadgets and let him do the dirty work. But I guess I'm going to have to put the manly sweater aside tonight and get the instruction books out. It may be a late night. I might need some monkey coffee.......

Playing with food

One of the things I like best about California is the abundance of fresh produce. I certainly took it for granted when I was growing up here. Yesterday, as I was putting together this fruit and veggie basket, Mr. Gadget remarked that I have a little weird streak. The way I look at it there's plenty of weird to go around, and I'm proud to have staked a claim to some of it.

I have plans for all of this fresh goodness. Last night I cooked the Japanese eggplant (which Tech Guy seems to think qualifies as a pornament). Next will be the avocados. Guacamole! And as for the big one that looks a little bit elderberry-colored, well, I'm just waiting for the recipe....

So, we had a little excitement in the neighborhood night before last. As I sat knitting on the manly sweater and Mr. Gadget was reading his Scientific American, we heard a siren stop close by. Then another and another, and lots of blinking lights. Mr. G. put on his hat and coat (did I mention it was cold---in fact one of the coldest days in these parts since 1949?) and ventured outside to see what all the racket was about.

It seems that one of the condos just down the sidewalk was ablaze. The resident (maybe a curmudgeon, I'm not sure), we later heard, was heating up a towel in the microwave. Well now, I've done that too, but I'm always careful not to do it for too long since I figure those gadgets are really made for heating food not cloth. Anyway, the firemen did a wonderful job of putting out the fire and, probably more importantly, kept it from spreading to the other condos.

So I'm thinking maybe I'll go out for a walk around the neighborhood, now that the temperature has risen above freezing. I'll take my new MP-3 player so I can listen to an audiobook, and I'll take my cell phone. Good thing I have a jacket with lots o' pockets..heh...heh. I'm expecting a call from the hospice nurse who will talk to me sometime today about dear ol' dad and how he's doing. She sees him regularly, which I don't, so it's good to touch base. Yesterday I delivered the peanut butter cookies and he said he'd have one later. He was mostly concerned about his car, which he said he'd parked out in front at the curb. He hasn't driven in almost 5 years. So I reassured him that I would move it for him, and he seemed appreciative. It's always a dilemma whether to try to explain to him that he's a bit confused and the car isn't there, or to just play along. Mostly I just play along....

What's this?

Weren't we in shock this morning when we awoke here in southern California to find the temperature a brisk 36 degrees! Mr. Gadget walked up to the corner to get a newspaper and insisted I come outside to see what might be a good photo op for the blog--ice on the sidewalk. So I humored him and here it is, with his shoe for scale..heh...heh...

The flight out yesterday was uneventful and very long. Before take-off, the flight attendant announced the duration of our flight would be 5 hours and 60 minutes. That was actually pretty close. It turned out to be 5 hours and 65 minutes. And during all of those minutes (365 if I'm not mistaken), I was able to make some progress on the manly sweater. I brought all of the yarn with me, so I do have hopes of getting most of it done while I'm here in the sunny but frigid west.

So I searched the condo thoroughly and couldn't find the pattern for the elderberry sweater. Sadly, I'm just as disorganized on the west coast as I am on the east. I ended up biting the bullet and calling Green Mountain Spinnery to order another. It should be here soon--I'm sure before I finish the manly sweater. But did I mention that Mr. G. and I are going on another cruise? The manly sweater will be just right for cruise knitting, since it is knitted in pieces and will be more portable. The elderberry is knitted in one piece basically, and I'm not going to need a big blanket on my lap where we're going.

And yesterday, after unpacking my suitcase (I beat Mr. Gadget--definitely a first!) I did get up to the nursing home to see Dear Ol' Dad. He's doing so-so. He was fast asleep when I got there, so I waited a while for him to wake up, and then we had a short visit. I caught him up on the family news. I told him I'd make him some peanut butter cookies--one of his favorites. Then, just out of the blue, he asked me what I thought of the canoes. I have no idea what he was talking about, but I hope he gets out and about on the lake now and then for a pleasant little paddle. Such a nice change from his bed at the nursing home.......

Just another day in Dingleberry

I was up early enough to get a picture of a pretty sunrise this morning. Well, it's not a fabulous sunrise, but it's a change from sunsets. I'm turning over a new leaf by getting up this early. It's amazing how much more of the day I have to do things. In fact, I should spend some serious crafting time in the treehouse in the early hours, since the windows face the east. And thanks to Mr. Gadget, I have a nifty coffee-cup warmer.

So I had just gotten back from the grocery store this afternoon when the phone rang. "Hello," said I. "May I speak to the owner or the decision-maker?" a male voice asked. To which I replied, "No," and promptly hung up.

Several seconds later, the phone rang again. "M'am, you hung up on me. That was very rude," he said in a scolding tone.

"No, you were rude by not identifying yourself," I quickly shot back. "We're on the do-not-call list."

"Well, I was about to get to that when you rudely hung up on me. I'm calling from the Dingleberry Police and we don't have to abide by the list," he told me.

"We get calls all the time from the Dingleberry Police," I informed him, "and they always identify themselves. I'm sorry if I was rude."

"That's ok," he said. "Do you usually contribute to the police organizations?" "No," I said. To which he curtly replied, "Alright, thank you, good-bye."

We get these calls all the time. The caller usually asked for Mr. Gadget by his first name. They really tick me off. I used to worry that if I said no to my local police, they would somehow short-change me in the protection department. Like maybe if I had to call them for some urgent matter, they might just take their time getting here. Then I found out that the people who call are usually just fundraiser-types and not actual cops. I have no problem saying no now. But I worry about senior citizens who might feel intimidated and give away money they can't afford.....regularly, because these people call at least once a month. Chalk it up to another one of my pet peeves.



So, I've begun packing for the trip out west on Saturday. As you can see, I've got my priorities straight. Lots of yarn and knitting projects. And for those of you (you know who you are) who think I should have a ball winder, think no further. I'm one of those weird knitters who kind of enjoys winding my own yarn. I was thinking of packing a felted ornament kit too, but it might be too much. I suppose I should save a little space for some clothes.......

Mostly about the head

There was no blogging yesterday because I was having a few issues with my head addressed, so I gave my brain the day off. First was the appointment for hair color and a hair cut. Gray roots and shagginess do not become me. I also got an eyebrow trim. This came after I mentioned to my hairdresser that I'd seen a recent episode of Oprah on which she featured The Eyebrow Lady. I must be living in the Dark Ages because I thought there were only two options when it came to eyebrows: "plucking" and "living with."

Then I had the pleasure of another meeting with my dentist. It seems that on Monday, during my routine check-up, he found an "issue" with one of my molars, and he thought it prudent to take care of it before I left town. I will say, though, that it could have been very unpleasant were it not for the fact that I'd had a root canal done on that tooth several years ago which meant that I did not require the dreaded numbing shot.

You may remember that my dentist and his assistant usually keep up a dialogue about current reality TV shows while they work on me. These shows must be in repeats now. The only subject they talked about was the child of one of their patients. It seems he/she was in the office the other day and they couldn't decide if he/she was a he or a she. Seems the child's name was no help either. Kind of like Pat on Saturday Night Live.

I mentioned earlier that Big City Girl breezed in last Friday on her way to New Hampshire for some snow fun. Last night, on her way back to the big city, she swooshed through just long enough to grab the bunny. Before she arrived at the house, we had an interesting text messaging session. "We're at Exit 71," she informed me. A little while later, "Now we're at Exit 40. Do you think we can make the 8:10 train?" To which I replied, "You can try. I'll get bunny ready."

Two more messages came in, one from Exit 14 and one from Exit 4. After the last one, I knew there was hope (we're at Exit 2), so I messaged her back, "It's do-able!" And a few minutes later the swooshing happened as she ran in, threw bunny in the carrier, and ran out yelling back over her shoulder, "I'll email you!" A couple of hours later I received one more message....the one moms always like to get. "I'm home, finally! Thanks for watching Bam Bam." I guess I'll have to wait to tell her what a well-behaved bunny he was and how he ate all of his peas and said "please" and "thank you." But he just wouldn't sit still for the bedtime stories.......

Ain't he cute?

Here is Bam Bam, Big City Girl's bunny, for whom we are currently bunny-sitting. Yesterday we let him out of his cage to do a little romping around the family room. After all, bunnies need exercise and a little snooping time. But two laps around the TV tired him out, so here he is taking a little rest.

Yesterday I decided to take a road trip to a nearby town where there is a nice yarn shop, and where I was told they would carry the recommended yarn for Mr. Gadget's sweater--my next project.I'll be making it out of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride 85% wool-15% mohair worsted as the pattern suggested. Mr. Gadget really surprised me when, after I informed him there was a nice selection of neutral colors available, he requested something in a red. This one is called medieval red. It kind of calls up images of knights in shining armour doesn't it? Well, that's exactly what he is....heh...heh. This will be so much more fun to knit than something in a beige or tan. I'm thinking maybe he made a New Years resolution to be more colorful this year.....

And while I was at the yarn shop, I picked up this nice desk calendar. There's a new knitting pattern for each day. I especially love the floppy hat and those cute little knitted roses. There's lot of other neat stuff in there too. I should never want for a knitting idea.

It's raining today, but still pretty mild here in the northeast. Next Saturday, Mr. Gadget and I will be heading out west again for our annual "get-away-from-the-nasty-winter" break. It might just be a bust this year, what with the daffodils coming up already and no snow so far and none in sight. The weather folks do say, though, that when winter starts late it usually ends late, so we may be coming home expecting signs of spring, only to be putting those snow shovels to work.

So today I have an appointment with my dentist, so I'd better excuse myself and run off to do my biannual flossing. Just kidding......

Next......

And for my next knitting project, I've decided to make this sweater for Mr. Gadget. He heartily approves of the design. He also likes the hair and wonders if it will come with the new sweater. I can't promise.

This sweater has a cable design down the front. It actually looks more difficult to do than it is. I've done cables before, but it's been a while. A small refresher course might be in order. I did make Mr. G. a sweater a couple of years ago out of some acrylic yarn, and I wasn't at all happy with it. That was before I learned of the wonders of wool and the joy of good seaming techniques. The acrylic is now in the to-be-frogged pile and will have a new life as a crocheted afghan--one of these days when the urge to crochet overcomes me again.

So Big City Girl breezed through the house briefly today, on her way to New Hampshire. We didn't recognize her at first, as she was wearing a skirt. But before we became completely speechless, she informed us that it was a skirt made out of sweat pants material. She did notice my just-finished Noro shawl-collared jacket hanging in the hallway and remarked that she liked it.....so maybe that's a Christmas idea for next year.

Here are a couple of ornaments I meant to post earlier. I embroidered them and hand-stitched some felt on the back. I think they look a little like stained glass.

Most of my embroidery is done with just a few simple stitches: satin, outline, back stitch, and the occasional French knot. There are hundreds of embroidery stitches and lots of books with instructions for each, but I prefer to keep it simple and just use lots of color.

I've been brainstorming on ideas for more handmade ornaments. I'm keeping a stack of blank 3 x 5 cards handy for sketching up my ideas. I have to admit, though, that I've been using those cards for other things too---like grocery lists and notes to family members and even for notes to myself. They fit nicely in the front pocket of my jeans. Although sometimes I'm so bad I have to carry one in my hand when I go upstairs, so when I get there I remember what it was I went up to get.......

Christmas on the run

Here's a wooden bendy guy I bought a while back at IKEA. I actually got it for Big City Girl, since she loves to draw. But when she left it home (it was apparently too big for her shoebox apartment) I kind of adopted it to use for sketching my annual Christmas cartoon. It can be posed in an infinite number of ways. I'm not very good at coming up with cartoon figures on my own, but I do find it fairly easy when I have something to copy. It has other uses too. I can put it on the breakfast table and arrange it in my "mood of the day," thereby warning family members not to talk to me too early, or at least not until I've had my coffee.

The ornament is an old one that used to be part of my mother-in-law's collection. I have a few others, as well as her button collection and some sewing notions. I used to think most of these things were junk, but I've changed my tune and now refer to them as "vintage." And to a dollmaker, they become vintage treasures. I also have some of my grandmother's tatting. Now there's a craft I've never tried. But no need. I have more tatting than I'll ever need.

A few months ago I posted about doing some cat-sitting for my neighbor across the street. She's the owner of Henry and Clarence. She was so pleased with my service that she gave me a special kitty calendar for Christmas featuring...you guessed it......H and C. Here is Clarence romping in the snow. Well, maybe romping is the wrong word. Clarence looks more like he's thinking, "What did you do to my grass?"

This nice neighbor also gave me two jars of home grown tomato sauce and two large chocolate bars. I'm using the sauce sparingly in homemade soup. The chocolate didn't make it through Christmas Eve. To my credit, and in the spirit of the season, I did share it with the family.

So Big City Girl emailed me today to say she and her boyfriend will be arriving on Friday evening for a short visit before continuing on to New Hampshire where they expect to find some snow for winter-like sports. Mr. Gadget and I have offered to bunny-sit. She will bring her cute little bunny up on the train again and we will do our best to keep him alive and entertained while she is gone. I think this is what you do with grandchildren, but I'm not sure. We will try to hold off on spoiling the bunny though, since this will most certainly result in more little bunny pellets to clean up. We'd just as soon keep those to a minimum.......

Shawl-collared Blogiversary

It's truly a day for celebration here at the Macaroni Monologues. I've finished the Noro shawl-collared jacket, as well as one whole year of blogging. While one was fraught with more than a fair share of frustration, the other was nothing but fun! Two of my favorite activities in life are knitting and sewing and all-things-crafty (that all falls under one umbrella) and writing. The blog has given me a wonderful opportunity to share about my creative projects in a fun and silly way. So I plan to forge ahead with one more year, and who knows what kinds of adventures will be in store.

It's pretty bleak in the northeast today, but who's complaining! It's in the 50's. Mr. Gadget and I have been busy putting Christmas things away. He took the outside lights down, and I did the tree....except for the tree lights which is always his job. I'm more than willing to help, but he has a system. Well, I did note a small glitch, but I think it can be fixed next year by tying a piece of bright fabric on the end of the light string to make it easier to find.

Our New Years Eve festivities were a little disappointing this year. Mr. G. and I met some friends at a local restaurant--a repeat of last years' celebration. While the food was excellent, the service was very poor. It almost seemed like two or three waiters had called in sick. And even though we had made a reservation some time ago, and had confirmed it early yesterday, they didn't have our name on the list. However, we were seated without much of a delay....they must have sized us up as honest folks.....and then we waited and waited. The meal progressed slowly, with many reminders to the waitstaff that we were still there. But the biggest disappointment was that they ran out of creme brulee.......one of my reasons for living. I had to settle for cheesecake.

So today, as I ponder whether I should have asked for a raincheck on the creme brulee, I'm thinking about crafty projects for the new year. I've been pondering ways to improve on my dollmaking techniques. I'd like to learn how to make dolls with bare feet. I just think they look cute with those little needle-sculpted toes--the angels especially. Maybe not so much the witches or the Red Hat ladies, but you never know! I found some great advice here. And I'm wondering if I can attach hair to some of my dolls using needle-felting techniques. I'd also like to try my hand at designing some of my own dolls, and doing more needle-sculpted faces. I'd just dive right in if it weren't for Mr. G's shirts that need ironing and the load of laundry I meant to do yesterday. You know, I think I remember Mr. G. mentioning he might have seen creme brulee at Costco.......