Is it Spring yet???

The weather is getting me down.
We have been on  a roller-coaster ride this year.  We have had periods of cold weather, followed by snow, followed by warmer temperatures including rain and thaw, and then more cold weather.  For days the ground is either covered in 6 inches of snow, or the sun melted it all and left behind a muddy mess….only to change it’s mind and freeze the ground again and cover it with a new blanket of snow. I love snow….when it stays around!  I hate mud!  I have 3 all white dogs….mud equals brown dogs and bathing them in the tub….which then includes an unwanted shower when they shake to dry!
This past week has been a real tease.  We had temperatures in the 60’s (16c) , beautiful clear blue skies and I can see the yard again.  The sun has been shining, flowers are starting to peep up through the thawed earth, birds are singing in the trees… I know this because one day I was knitting in my room and heard a single bird chirping from near my window outside.  I grabbed the camera and headed outside to “capture” it.

But it was too good to be true. Last night the temperatures began to drop. I had to grab the blanket at my feet during the night  Today an icy rain/sleet mix fell from the sky.  Gray clouds surrounded us as we drove to a birthday party. Emily turns a year old this week and her party was today.  My husband’s second cousin paid me to do more pictures of her so I did 2 things I like; getting out of the house, and taking photographs; and got paid for doing it!
 
Spring brings a little heart ache for me.  No sports!  (Unless by some mere chance that my grand-daughter does decide to participate in track again this year!)  You see, sports means I get to spend at least an hour a week watching one of the grandchildren that I am not allowed to see otherwise.  Now I will have to wait until July when football starts back up. I have been very brave lately, but yesterday after the last basketball game of the season, I could not hold back the tears.  July is 5 months away….

My oldest grandson did return from his Army training to convalesce from his tendonitis of the knee.  He spent almost a week here with me, but is home once again at his mother’s.  My daughter is still not talking to me after 8 months
.
My grandson  showed me some pictures of the newest addition to their family….Puppies! In this picture, they are 1 week old. That’s my youngest grandson holding one.  I think they are all going to be much larger than their Mom, the lab puppy I gave my grandson 2 years ago.

We have new neighbors.  So far it has been a little rough.  The first week, they were out in their yard until 1 a.m. making noise.  They have children….and the sounds of them playing remind me of what I miss.  Our street was mainly retirees….people over the age of 65…Most in their 70’s who have lived here for more than 30 years.  They aren’t used to hearing children ride up and down the sidewalks.  And the adults who live next door have not been very considerate as far as parking goes.  They have taken up 4 or 5 spaces and not left room for the other people who have to also park on the street.  There is barely room for 1 car in front of each house as it is.
I did a little internet research and found out my youngest grandson’s school was having a Spelling Bee.  I contacted the principal to learn the time and date.  I didn’t know if he would be in it again this year, but I took the chance and went to his school.  I was pleasantly surprised to see him sitting amongst the contestants.  His mother didn’t show up.  I took some pictures and even had the chance to speak to him afterwards.  I wrapped my arms around him, gave him a hug and congratulated him on his effort. I believe he was very happy to see me.  His mother found out about the Spelling Bee that evening when he came home from school with the medal.
  
I am keeping as busy as I can.  I took my mother-in-law to have cataract surgery on her right eye, and I am now playing nurse maid.  Four times a day, I go over to her house to put drops in her right eye. She had the surgery on Wednesday, and had a post-op appointment the next morning.  She has another appointment this Wednesday.
For now, I am doing the best I can. The “lottery God “ came and went and I didn’t get chosen to be on TV.  I watched a show this week that said “Don’t say you are broke, Say you are temporarily out of cash”. 
Out of cash, out of luck, out of mind…….
Come on Spring!  I need you!  I need the flowers to keep me busy taking photos.  I need the warmer days to get outside and garden.  I need the sunshine to brighten my mood. 
I need time to fly by, so I can see my grandchildren again.
Hugs and Love to all my dear friends!

"RETARDED" GRANDPARENTS

Written by a third grader, on what his grandparents do.

After Christmas, a teacher asked her young pupils how they spent their holiday away from school. One child wrote the following:
We always used to spend the holidays with Grandma and Grandpa. They used to live in a big brick house, but Grandpa got retarded and they moved to Arizona . Now they live in a tin box and have rocks painted green to look like grass. They ride around on their bicycles, and wear name tags, b ecause they don't know who they are anymore. They go to a building called a wreck center, but they must have got it fixed because it is all okay now, they do exercises there, but they don't do them very well. There is a swimming pool too, but they all jump up and down in it with hats on. At their gate, there is a doll house with a little old man sitting in it. He watches all day so nobody can escape. Sometimes they sneak out, and go cruising in their golf carts. Nobody there cooks, they just eat out. And, they eat the same thing every night - early birds. Some of the people can't get out past the man in the doll house. The ones who do get out, bring food back to the wrecked center for pot luck. My Grandma says that Grandpa worked all his life to earn his retardment and, says I should work hard so I can be retarded someday too. When I earn my retardment, I want to be the man in the doll house. Then I will let people out, so they can visit their grandchildren.
PRICELESS

I’m a knitting fool!!!

I had a phone call from a sister the other day….Actually, my “baby” sister sent me a text saying our middle sister was trying to call me but couldn’t get through.  Well I was told to give her a call because she had some knitting things and wanted to ask me about them.

You see, my sister’s have a lot in common.  They both clean houses for elderly people. And at one time or another (because I am the oldest), I have taught them something.  Now I’m not that elderly, but I do know a few things about the elderly.

#1 they generally have a house full of things they have “collected” over the years. and

#2, eventually they decide to “clear” things out.  

Now this means someone is going to end up with a lot  of “good Junk”!  So I call my middle sister.  The first words out of her mouth were “How long do you talk on the phone??”.   Well my answer was, “What number are you calling?” ; as I NEVER  get actual phone calls. I get a lot of text messages, but this sister doesn’t have a cell phone, and openly admits to not knowing how to use one if she did have one.   She used a home phone number I haven’t had in over 3 years….(Just goes to show you how often we speak. )  The younger sister’s both have a condition my parents referred to as “Diarrhea of the mouth”….in other words, once they get talking, you can’t shut them up!  (Or get a word in!)

She goes on and on describing all the knitting supplies this one woman has given her.  I taught my sister how to crochet, and the only thing about knitting she knows is a little sing song from our childhood;

                “Knit one, Purl 2, drop a stitch and then your through”.

After going through naming all the things she can read the names of and describing everything without a packaging, she tells me that she has already spoke to my mother, who said she would mail the package to me if I want it….OF COURSE I WANT IT!!!  Does an alcoholic turn down a free drink?????  So she said she would meet my mother at the Laundromat the next day to give her the supplies…Now I was sitting on pins and needles waiting for the postman to bring me a second package!!

You see, last week I was looking for something and found an old digital camera that has been in my drawer for probably 4 years or more.  I had acquired it from someone second hand because they didn’t have any cables or battery charger for it.  It has a case, 2 rechargeable batteries, and 2 memory cards.  It’s so old, it’s only a 3.2 megapixel!  My cell phone is a 2 megapixel!.  But I thought it would be nice to have something to carry in my purse….I went on the internet….on Amazon.com….to find cables and a battery charger.  I found a battery charger for $1.99 (1.24 GBP) Of course it cost me $3 for shipping and handling!  But it was due to arrive between the 3rd and the 8th….(not here yet!)

My knitting supplies arrived from my mom on Saturday.  I was like a kid on Christmas!  I couldn’t wait to rip off the brown paper and cut the box open!

 

I’m Knit Rich!!!!  I have all the supplies a knitting fool could want!  There are at least 1 set of each size needles, plus at least 1 set of each size double ended needles…(I counted 17 sets of one, and 19 sets of the other!!) There are 5 new circular needles in several sizes and lengths, plus stitch counters, stitch holders, row markers, needle “mittens” ( for holding your work on the needles) yarn needles and so much more!  There was even an envelope of patterns with easy to read instructions.  Now if you add to that all the supplies I already had, there are several hundred dollars worth of knitting supplies.  (considering one package was marked $1.80 from 1976!!!)

So I’m going to be a knitting fool!  And I will probably be doing a little internet research to figure out how to use some of the items….like this thing….

But in the meantime, I am still working on scarves and chicks.

So for all my internet friends, I will say Happy February!  May you have an early Spring as several different Ground hogs here predicted.

Hugs and Love to all reading!!!