Saturday, July 28, 2007

No Sheep Swap Package #2

During this tough week, it did have a bright spot. I received my 2ND No Sheep Swap Package from none other than ... "stitchaywoman".

It was a great package, as so was the first. I got the following:

The dark chocolate drink is long gone! Yummy! The card reads"I have a secret pal but it's not really a secret...I know who she is!"

Did you see what is on the top left? NEEDLES!! Lantern Moon, Destiny Circular ones!!! YAHOO!! I do not own a pair of circulars and I'm itching to try my second shawl on them (but I have to finish my first shawl...can't have too many UFO's!) :-)

There is also samples from other non-wool yarns. This is such a great idea to send in a swap. I can't want to try some of them.

Thank you Stitch-ay Woman!! You've made my first ever swap a great experience!!

**As for how Emily is doing (she is the one on the right of the picture with the mohawk!)...she is enjoying her cheerios. She is taking her medications however, there isn't any change. She did give me quite a startle last night when I arrived home and didn't see her. She had managed to crawl over the towel/rod (that keep her on the rug for traction) into a tube (the cardboard kind you use when you are making a concrete footing) and was hiding!

We gave her a bath last night and she looks pretty clean. She just had her first visitors (our wonderful neighbors) who feed her yogurt drops. So...we will just be taking one day at a time.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Pet ER Day 2

Well the good news is we have Emily at home. She is back with her sister.

The not so good news is we really don't have an exact idea of what is going on. She could have e. cuniculi, pasturella, neoplasia, or something else. Many of the tests for those items will be back in 1-2 weeks.

She is not in any pain. So, we are treating her for infections that she may have.

We have rearranged the dining room to accommodate where she goes. We put in a nice plush feeling carpet, moved the water/food bowls to a lower sided bowls for ease.

I guess we are now just going to take it a day at a time. These meds may improve her back leg, they may keep it the same or it could get worse. We don't know.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Pet ER

Well I've had my first day in a vet ER. Our rabbit, Emily is spending the night in the ICU.

We came home and found her with her legs going one direction, her front paws going another and it seemed that she had loss the use of her back legs. Our vet took x-rays and ruled out a dislocated joint and suggested we go to a specialist.

Fortunately, we live very close to a vet teaching hospital (Tufts in Grafton, MA). So, off we go...

The exotics vet was very calming. She did a radiogram, while Emily was under anesthetic. Also, blood work and some other items. She didn't find any breaks (back, leg etc.) which was a relief, however we could be looking at a neurological issue or something hereditary. We should know more tomorrow when all the tests results are back (well except for one test which will take a week).

So...we will see how things look tomorrow. For now, I exhausted and off for some shut eye.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Shawl Progress


Well it is coming along...just over 2 feet! I should be spending much more time on it than I do, but I get so hung up in reading blogs (well over that 65% in an online quiz...see below).
I've had a busy week at work since my friend/mentor left. In fact today I was in NH, presenting to a group, and stopped for lunch at this Panera. It was the best sandwich! Definitely recommend them!!
On a sad note:
One of our bunnies is a bit under the weather today. So, please send good wishes for a speedy recovery.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Calling in

OK I called in 'sick' today. Well it is more of a mental health day. When I called my boss this morning, at a time I knew she wouldn't be there, I did mention that I was not feeling well as I had been up half the night.

Which is technically true...I was awake every time I rolled over. I just couldn't bring myself into going in today. Plain and simple.

A few posts back I mentioned that a pivotal individual has left the organization, and as I expected, the environment is going downhill. Upper management doesn't seem to get it and guess who is now doing that job without the title, pay or recognition? MOI.

To top it all off, I could have a job where she left to go to, if I just say the word. Which is leading me to a major headache....hence the sleepless night.

I've been thinking about it, in fact a few years back I was thinking about going to that company when I received a call from the big big boss where I work now asking me back. So, instead of trying something new, I went back to familiar. In the past few years that I've been back, I've had many things promised, yet nothing transpires. Leaving me to feel that I've reached my ceiling level here.

So the question is, to stay where I am or move on?

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Books

Another fine package of a special book arrived in the post office on Saturday:



You could order it from Amazon or Barnes & Noble...but for a little while you can order it through KnitPicks for 40% off!!!

Also, you'll want to sign up for for the KAL for No Sheep.

As for how the shawl is going...one word, SLOW! We have had quite a heat wave around here and knitting in 90 degree weather with high humidity, isn't fun.

Monday, July 9, 2007

Who knew...




You Are an Afternoon Person



You can find energy any time of the day ... or night!

You prefer to be out and about when most other people are.

Very early mornings or very late nights aren't really your thing.

You're practically solar powered, and the afternoon is when do best.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Blog

Somehow I don't think my DH would agree with this. I'm sure he thinks it should be much higher.

65%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle2 - Online Dating

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Ode to a mentor

I received news on Friday that has made me quite sad. One of the higher-up females in the company I work for is leaving. She has been a mentor for me for quite a number of years as we work very close on a day-to-day basis. The opportunity she has been offered is fabulous and I am happy for her. However...I'm still sad for the rest of us. She has been quite an ally in many items we have had to deal with and I will miss her terribly.

Our VP is going to announce it on Monday morning...I already feel like calling in sick.

On to a better front before I start losing it again, knitting! I was able to have a couple of hours of knitting time today and got quite a lot accomplished. Although I haven't taken a picture of it to post yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Happy July 4th!

Wow, it has been a while since I've been here. Things have been busy. We entertained friends last weekend. I worked the long hours last week, in preparation for taking this week off! YAHOO!

The DH was so kind to bring my to WEBS. Yes, "WEBS...America's Yarn Store". What a store! I had saved a few bucks to go and I went over my limit by $17. not that bad! I returned the 14" needles that I had ordered from them. I just couldn't get comfortable with a needle that long.

I picked up Lantern Moon needles. WOW! SO lightweight and much better than the cheaper bamboo ones. So I splurged. I figured I was going to trade off the current needles from my wrap to these. Then, the DH surprised me with another pair later in the shopping trip. I now have two pairs, 4.5mm and 5mm.

I also purchased Rowan Summer Tweed. This is going to make a really nice shrug for myself. I also picked up some ribbon. I'm also going to make a ruffle scarf.

DH was such a good sport (and for the record I was only in WEBS for exactly one hour). He sat in the chair the entire time and became the offload-of-the-arms site. I took him to the Northampton Brewery as a thank you. He enjoyed his 4 self-selected beer choices, pulled pork and key lime pie! So, I think we are even.
I heard from my downstream swap pal. She emailed me last night that she received the package and loved it. Yipee! I guess I can now show you what I mailed out to her: The picture doesn't show the fireline beading thread that I included as well. The Panda Cotton sock yarn is in 'Dreamy'.

So...are you wondering how my shawl is coming along? With the new Lantern Moon needles I got about 20 rows done in the past two days. The needles are 10" in length, so I'm just about at 12 1/2".