Fair Time!
Well, it's that time of year again. Peter and Cathy met me at the BART station near my office and we took off Friday evening for the opening day of the fair. It's probably about 20 miles to the fairgrounds, and when we were almost there, some guys in the car next to us rolled down their window and told us that we were losing water. Damn! I have a hose from the water reservoir to the radiator that has popped off twice before. About that time the dash lights for the radiator came on. S0--we pulled over, lifted the hood, and sure enough that same b----y hose is off again! But to make matters even worse, the clamp is now missing, somewhere on the freeway behind us. Fortunately I had antifreeze and water in my car, so Peter pushed the hose back on, I put the fluids in the car and off we go again. Got about another mile and it happened again. Not really surprised since there was no clamp to hold the hose on. But we are very near where a friend of mine lives so I called Kelly. She and her husband Greg showed up with clamp and toolbox in hand and more water. Ten more minutes and we're back on the road. Thank God for friends, not my neighborhood so had no idea where to find an auto parts store.
Mind you, the temp is over 100 on this day.
Finally arrived at the fair grounds, hot and sweaty, but ready to see how we did. After a bit of hike from the parking, we arrived at the Home Arts building! Yea! We split up looking for our entries, I have 5 and Peter has 2. Don't realize how big one of those display barns are until you start looking for a few small items. After a couple of rounds, we discovered Peter's ruana hanging with afghans, sporting a nice blue ribbon for first place. Then we found my afghan, another blue ribbon. Pickles found, no ribbon. Ah, ha! There's Peter scarf proudly displaying a red ribbon for second. Ok! only 3 more entries to find. Right near the main entrance we finally locate my sweater boasting a blue ribbon. Well, the only missing now are my 2 doilies. We looked and looked and looked and they are not to be found. Peter takes off to see if he can find a volunteer who can point us in the right direction while I keep looking. By now Cathy has just stopped, she is so exhausted. Hurrah! I find the doilies about the same time Peter finds someone to ask. They are tucked in the back corner in a glass display case. A blue ribbon for the spiral and nothing for the pineapple.
Not too bad, I have 3 blues and 2 duds, but Peter has a blue and red. These are not the best pics, these old barns aren't designed with the best lighting and I'm not the best photographer particularly when I'm bent over, but you get the idea.
When it Rains, it Pours!
This has never been more apparent to me than this past weekend. Friday on my way home from work, all of a sudden, the oil light in my car came on. Well, I was about 2 blocks from the drugstore where I was picking up a prescription, so I made my way there. Picked up 3 qts of oil and put them in the car in the parking lot as soon as the car cooled down enough I could do that. Headed on home, about 3 miles, and 2 blocks before being safely in my own driveway, the oil light came back on, the temp gauge went thru the roof, the car started smoking and making this death rattle kinda noise. OMG!
Well, managed to get it in the drive at home. Just turned it off and sat there. I take care of my vehicles, I can't believe this.
But, it doesn't stop here. Saturday we had to take our entries to Anitioch for the Contra Costa County Fair, and then on to Oakland for our monthly guild meeting. So, since the Volvo is out of commission, we are going to take the T-bird (also has good air conditioning and it was hot!) Before we left, went out and checked all the fluid levels, this car is over 20 years old, needs a little extra TLC.
We got about 20 minutes from home and the darn car is overheating! Pulled off the freeway, found an industrial park and pulled into the parking lot. Opened the hood, which weighs about a thousand pounds and has the craziest latch ever invented, and what do I find but the radiator cap off the radiator. Now, I know I put it back on after putting coolant in the car, but maybe I didn't put it on properly. Who knows! It was off. So, let the car cool down, put about a gallon & a half more of coolant and a gallon of water in poor old Betsy. She was really thirsty. Penny & I both checked and rechecked the radiator cap to make sure it was on tight. Okay, on the road again!
About another 20 minutes and the temp is climbing to the bright red spot on the right end of the gauge. Off the freeway again, into another parking lot under a tree. We are very near where one of Penny's brothers live, so we call his house. Mostly what we want is someone to come take one of us to the fairgrounds to get our entries in before 3 p.m. and it is already after 12! Just got voice mail. Don't know new cell phone #-while trying to figure out what to do, he calls us. Would be happy to help but he is in Sacramento, about 1 1/2 hours away with his wife. Drat!
Well, to make a long story short, our entries did not make it into the fair, we did not make our guild meeting, poor Linda had to figure out how to get home from Oakland, and several hours later and many $ we finally got home with the car (thermostat, serpentine belt, etc) after 6 p.m..
But this day is not over yet! No more than got our clothes changed, when the phone rang. A good friend of ours is in the hospital, has been there for a week, but no one thought to call us til Sat evening. Back into our clothes and off to the hospital. He had emergency surgery after a complication from a colonoscopy. But they still don't know why he was sick in the first place. I got a call last nite, and he is home and able to eat real food, so I guess that's progress.
So, as you can see, Saturday was not my day.
My very own IRA!
I know I am very lucky, but sometimes it smacks me right between the eyes. This morning while reading my CP emails, I was struck by how many times someone said they would love to do more but they are on a limited income. Which probably means disability or retired.
And with their limited resources, they want to do more for others.
I am still working (have a few more years on the old gray mare), my kids are grown and in their own homes (well, my dd is in mine temporarily), and I share expenses with a really good friend. So, once my bills are paid, food is in the fridge, I can pretty much spend what's left on Yarn, Books, Tools/Gadgets that I want. And the really lucky part is I have some left over most months!
I remember a couple of years ago, my friend Chelo, was squirreling books for her retirement. Didn't figure she would have the $ for too many after she actually had the time to read. So she has boxes and boxes of books. I have boxes and boxes of yarn and patterns and hooks. I'm not so sure this was what the government had in mind when they created the IRA (individual retirement account), but it works for me. I guess I better really get busy building that stash so I will have lots I can do when I have the time for it. I love it! I just found a way to justify buying all that wonderful yarn with absolutely no project for it in mind. Yea!
Time to turn a new page in this old book.
I love to crochet for others, but it seems that the recipients aren't all that crazy about receiving. So all that beautiful yarn I have bought for them, and the time I would have used now are earmarked for me! I'm sorry, but when the time and love I put into a project isn't appreciated, then why am I doing it?
For example, I bought some gorgeous fingering wt cotton in dark chocolate brown with my daughter in mind. She has seen the yarn, says she likes it, but has rejected every pattern I have shown her. And has not submitted anything that she likes. So now its mine. I also like dark brown.
I made my granddaughter a lovely scarf, my own design, for Christmas last year and have yet to receive a "I got it", "I like it" or "its been turned into a dog toy". The blue yarn and teal yarn that I picked up for her are now mine. Even tho blue is not my fav color, I wear it.
I haven't received a thank you for the gifts to my son and his wife from last Christmas either, so the purple I bought for her will turn into a sweater for me.
Good thing I look good in almost any color.
Russian Spiral Doily
Well, I fell in love with this pattern when I first saw it about 7 or 8 months ago. So, in all my wisdom, I decided it was time to do it. First it would be my entry for the county fair, and then it would decorate our new dining table. Notice how I keep saying would? I worked up the first half and it seemed kinda wonky, but sometimes those things work themselves out as you go. Not a chance! So I thought maybe if I went and got the symbol chart blown up I could see if I had misread the symbols. Well, I spent 2 days going over it with a magnifying glass, and I did exactly what the chart says to do. Still wonky! Since the written parts of the pattern are in Russian, I'm out of luck there in getting any guidance. I got the pattern here http://www.devichnik.ru/2002/08/spiral.phtml if you want to check it out.
So it's now a PIGS and I've chosen another pattern for my fair entry. Oh well!
Comfortghan for Jay Dawson in memory of Ryanne Mace
Pen Klapper, another of our CP members, son's fiance` was killed at the shooting at the university in Illinois. So, in true loving fashion, the CP members put together a comfortghan for him. He has received it, and was so very touched that people he did not know and likely would never meet sent him so much love and comfort. Here are a couple of pics I took before I mailed it. I used the same faux braided joining as the other one, but this was done in denim blue. The edging is #33 from 50 Crocheted Afghan Borders.
