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Last Minute Lands

The yarn lot I bid on at the last minute just arrived, and I got an exotic vibe just opening the box. Someone was a collector of fun fibers for sure -- and I love the medieval-looking copper basket. Here are the eighteen skeins came with the basket, and most are unused and still have labels. The majority are wool but some are synthetics and a few are very exotic. The basket itself isn't ancient, of course, but just made to look like it is (the green patina is actually paint.) It's still charming, and I will definitely put it to good use. As I suspected, the yarn is very rare and pricey. I looked up info on what had labels, and nearly everything was discontinued and now being sold for exorbitant prices. These two skeins alone are worth $21.50. This skein of Tahki Chinchilla imported from France is a mohair blend that I've never before seen -- about $10.00 a ball. I added up prices on everything that was tagged or had labels, and added $5.00 pe...
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Hop On

Unstoppable is one of my favorite movies of all time, thanks to Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson, a wonderfully simple plot, and almost nonstop action laced with the perfect amount of character depth and development in a film format. The premise: Based on true events, the movie depicts what happens when a slacker railroad employee makes a series of mistakes that turns a train into a speeding, unmanned runaway missile of molten phenol and diesel fuel. The unlikely saviors are Frank Barnes (played beautifully by Denzel), a 28-year veteran railroader being forced to retire with half-benefits, and Will Colson (Chris's best role to date, I think), a newly-hired rookie having family problems due to jealousy over his pretty young wife. These two start out not liking each other, but are forced to set that aside in order to chase and catch the runaway before it derails and destroys a highly populated area. This is a very blue-collar workplace sort of story that shows...

Cardi Obsessed

It's funny how things stay with you as a maker. Back in September we were walking around Winter Garden when I saw this boutique display window. The little color block crochet cardi caught my eye, mainly because it looked pretty simple. Given that it was simply granny stitch I also thought I could make one myself. At the time I was working my white and abalone V-stitched throw, so I filed away the pic and the idea. I thought about that cardi in the window a month later when I finished a thrifted granny stitch ripple baby blanket that I thrifted. And again while I was working on a granny stitch ripple throw of my own. I would have tried to make it, only I had two quilting projects waiting in the wings and I really needed to make them first. Then my holiday bad luck struck and I badly sprained a finger, pretty much wiping out any chance of working on my two quilting projects for the next month. I can still crochet, however. I went on my paint program and worked...

Making Ends Meet

For the next seven months I have to scrape together as much income as I can so that I can pay my medical insurance premiums, which will skyrocket 148% in 2026 unless our useless government does something (not optimistic about them.) Since I have two chronic and potentially dangerous health conditions I have no choice but to pay these unreasonable premiums until I turn 65 next year. My guy is going to help me if I need it, but I'd rather pay my own expenses. For that reason I will be monetizing my blog, which will result in ads showing up with the content. I do apologize for this, but it's the only way I can see to generate some extra income without the stress of taking on a second job or dipping into my retirement funds to cover the increase. I also have other options, such as moonlighting as a copy writer or a writer-for-hire, and two of the publishers I used to work for have made it clear that they would welcome me back any time. As soon as I'm on Medicare I will d...

The Most Wonderful Day of the Year

Yes, the happiest day of the year has finally arrived. Much as I love Christmas, December 26th is the day on the calendar that is farthest away from the next visit by Santa. I can breathe a sigh of relief and not think about all that good luck, good times and good cheer that I love so much for a whole 365 days, starting today. Okay, the sarcasm is mean, I admit. Before you judge, you should really read some of the holiday hell stories on my blog. They are not for the faint of heart . I think I will celebrate by taking my guy out for lunch. Our neighbors gave us a Culvers gift card, and I do love their shrimp. :) Image by Rosy / Bad Homburg / Germany from Pixabay

A Wish

May your Christmas be merry, bright, and incident free!

Help for the Holidays

Last week my guy and I visited to the local no-kill cat shelter to make a donation and visit with the kitties. This has become an annual tradition for us, and one of the few bright spots of our holidays this year. To see more pics, check out my album here. We also go to honor the memory of our cats Jeri and Jak, whom we lost to old age many years ago. The cats at this shelter are for the most part abandoned pets, strays or feral, and many are in rough shape. They are treated by a vet, looked after by staff and (if appropriate) made available for adoption. The shelter just built a new building which has become a separate facility for elderly cats so they can live comfortably. It's very humbling to go and sit with the kitties. Many are friendly and will come up to me for a head scratch, even some that are recovering from injuries or neglect. Others want nothing to do with us and run. On our visits we offer attention, and money, but it's the folks who run and...