Restless Saturday

I have great plans for today. Finish my Argosy blanket, maybe spin and start an Argosy scarf with the spun yarn (can you tell I really dig this pattern?) Plug in the camera battery charger so I can take pictures, take a road trip to Petoskey to check out the cool book store that's supposed to be there.

Unfortunately I probably won't do any of those things. My house is dirty. Or rather, the house I live in, which people get to tromp through and judge on 24 hours or less notice, is dirty. And I signed some damn piece of paper which says I will keep it clean or someone will get litigious with me.

Someone complained about the yard not looking spiffy. Well. When we moved in there WAS NO YARD. There is a small triangle of dirt in the back, which changes with the seasons. Fall, it's rotting leaves, winter is snow, spring and summer are alternately mud, weeds, and dry dirt. Sometimes we'll hack down the weeds, but honestly it looks better with the weeds. We hacked them down yesterday. If no one buys this house, it will not be because of our not taking care of the yard, as I mentioned, there is NO YARD.

Someone also mentioned that the carpet is dirty. It's cream. Someone put it in, someone who only had a small baby and a wife living on the carpet. I have 3 children, in varying sizes, with varying degrees of dirt on them at all times. Cream (white) carpet is bound to get dirty. Not trashed mind you, just a little dull.

So we clean the carpet. No biggie. Just a time sucker. But did I mention where I live it is only Spring and Summer for an infinitesmiley (however you spell it) small amount of time? It's spring now, and I'm stuck inside cleaning. I can't even get over to my new house to plant or mow or weed the garden which also has a devestatingly short lifespan, because I don't technically own it yet!

So I want out. I want out of Alpena. Not forever, just for a few days! Heck I would take a few hours, but it takes a few hours to get ANYWHERE from here! I am a city girl! I miss the mall! I miss bookstores! I miss restaurants! I miss cars going by! I miss kids playing pick up ball outside my house! I miss the mail man walking by! (He drives by in a regular car here!) I miss my family who almost all still live in the city like normal city raised people do! I miss my neighbors and going down to visit them and gossiping about all the people I've known for 12 years because that's how long I lived in my home. I miss going to my kids school and finidng someone to talk to before a program starts.

I know some of that isn't only found in the city. I guess what I really miss is home. This isn't my home. I don't know if it will ever be. I miss home.

I'm sorry for being maudlin. I'm going to go plug in my camera right now, then go enjoy the sunshine, I don't care if I get sued for not doing my laundry!

American Idol

I know everyone out there who watches is probably all bummed that Adam didn't win, but look, I think things worked out well for all involved.

Yes, Adam is a more versatile and powerful vocalist. That's why it's good he lost. If he had won, he would be stuck to American Idol forever, doing their kind of music, which isn't what suits him best. This way he's free to be the artist he wants to be and feed off of American Idol press. I can't wait to see what he does.

Kris needed American Idol. He's more low key, and while not a particularly powerful singer can do cool things with his voice. He reminds me of Elliot Yamin, who was one of my favorite idols ever. I can't wait to see what Kris does either. I just wish he didn't have to sing that cheesy "No Boundaries" song. Haven't the powers that be at AI figured out that no one likes that?

Anyway, I found my camera and I'm charging it this afternoon. Pictures of knitting forthcoming. This is my WIP list :

1. Pinko the Wave (haven't come up with a more suitable name yet!)
2. Sock of my own "design" (really I cobbled together some other people's designs)
3. Another sock, that's been frogged at least twice and now isn't really a sock but a ball of yarn
4. An Argosy baby blanket (this is my favorite right now!)

I am also doing some quilting, applique roosters to frame and put in my new house. I used to quilt all the time but knitting dragged me away.

New House

houses

We made an offer on a house. It's nothing special, but it meets our needs and it isn't butt ugly. Because trust me, while it may be a buyers market elsewhere, the pickings in Alpena are slim.

This house is literally the only one that doesn't need major work that we've looked at. It still needs to have ugly wall paper torn off of two bedrooms, but the kitchen cabinets are cute and have been remodeled in the past decade or so. Most kitchens we've looked at are straight out of the seventies. You know, avacado appliances and plastic brown cabinets. The height of fashion in 1975 perhaps, not so much now.

There is one more house, complete with said kitchen and shag neon green and red carpet that fits the bill size wize. It's actually in a nicer area, but I spent 12 years living in a fixer upper that never got completely fixed up. I'd prefer not to do it again.

The pink blob is still blobish, but making it's way to becoming a stole. I started another pair of Kai-Mei's, love them! I'd take pictures but the camera is mia. I think someone in this house might know where it is, I need to ask!

Ode to a Pink Blob

That big pink blob? That is my Pinko The Wave, getting it's edging! Celebrate good times, come on! Although I hear it takes a while, I'm enjoying knitting the short repeat and connecting the stitches. It's good tv knitting. And it's good "avoid gettting your house "show ready" knitting.

We think we are going to be able to move from this house to another. It's a bittersweet sort of blessing I guess. I love this house, it's why I agreed to move to Alpena, but times being what they are, our house downstate hasn't sold and we can no longer afford this house. I am a lucky woman, there are a few houses here that totally meet our families needs, if not being everything we want. We won't be homeless, and really, I'll have more money for yarn, so it's a good thing, right?

As well as Pinko - which I'm thinking of renaming to something to do with cherry blossoms (the yarn reminds me of cherry blossoms!) I'm cranking out a pair of Pomatomusus, or Pomatomii as I like to refer to them. Out of Berroco Comfort Sox, which, while splitty is uncomparable for it's cheapness and comfort factor. Wash it a few times and the socks are more comfortable and better looking.

Clawson's library millage passed! Go BML! I'm so happy for them, but I must admit I am a bit jealous. I would give my eye teeth to still be working there. I miss the library and everyone in it so much. I can't wait to see the new children's area!