This makes sense:

"You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result."

– Mahatma Gandhi

Yay! A hat!

Yes, I know it is late and I should really be in bed by now, but I simply had to post this - my first ever truly knitted hat. I have always crocheted hats before, never knitted.

One of the most interesting things about this hat is that I didn't use a pattern. At all. I just cast on a good number of stitches, enough I think would fit my head, and I started knitting. I knew I wanted a k1 p1 (knit 1, purl 1) rib before the full knitting of stockinette stitches. So, I just began the thing yesterday and finished it today. *happy sigh*

My Hubby liked the hat so very much he tried to actually take it, but it wasn't big enough for him. This is the only reason I am able to have it currently on my head at the moment. So, to make him happy, I have begun him another hat. Since the first one wasn't so planned out and it turned out OK, I'm doing the same thing with his. But I'm changing it up some. I am doing it on US size 3 circular and double pointed needles (dpns) just as soon as the decreases begin to make it very difficult to keep the hat going on the circulars. Because it is being done on such a small needle size I added a good twenty extra cast ons and then am working in a k1 p1 rib, but I don't believe I am going to make it quite as long as the one I did for myself.

The thread is cotton, so these will be able to be worn during the heat of summer. I also want to make myself a scarf out of this thread and perhaps a nice little bag. I'm dying to try out an idea for a bag, which is the original purpose for purchasing this thread, but since projects come as projects come, I am pleased with what has been happening here with the thread. I believe there is another ball of the thread I can pick up from Michael's just as soon as I have a little bit of extra funds to spread around at a couple of different yarn places. (JoAnn's has better prices, but the store simply doesn't have the choices that Michael's has in the yarn department, or in the needle department. It would be so nice to be able to get into the yarn store near UK, but I can't, so no use in dreaming about it.) One of the said places is going to be on-line for some needles which I am having a problem finding in an actual yarn place.

I am going to start saving my pennies soon for the yarn I need to make an afghan for someone for Christmas. I also need to work on Hubby's sweater I promised him; plus there is a pair of shorts I would like to make myself. The baby blanket needs to be finished or I need to make some baby bibs or something for the babette which is soon to be here.

My mind boggles at all I need to do with this knitting thing! It is the perfect end to a very busy and hard writing day, or when you aren't feeling well. Knitting makes me feel productive even if I haven't really been. I love knitting.

Vince McMahon and Donald Trump are really hitting the waves.

McMahon got Trump to agree to this hair vs hair match by giving a sizable donation to charity. I wonder which charity. If someone knows why don't you share with us?

TV, Reading, and Just Living

Today has been one of the more painful days I've had in a while. It has been such a downer that I haven't even thought about picking up the knitting and finishing the cap I started yesterday. Yesterday, in and of itself, wasn't a good day per se, but it was a little better than today has been. Luckily I am not a major grump-ass like normal. Why? Because I actually figured I was going to have a few days like this until the weather stabilized to its normal spring and summer temps. Since this was expected I am just smiling the best I can, moving slowly, and just letting life roll right along with me.

One good thing about yesterday was that I began reading Storm Front in earnest. Jim Butcher has a wonderful character in Harry Dresden. I am just sad I didn't know anything about this series of books until the series came out on SciFi. You can check out the series here at SciFi.com. The thing I really like about this series is that you get to catch up on the episodes you've missed on SciFi.com itself. I really enjoy that.

If you haven't started reading The Dresden Files I highly encourage it. They are wonderful books. Storm Front has not let me down so far. Yes, it isn't finished, but it is going to be finished very, very soon. So, enjoy reading. Roll along with life, just like me.

Strange news stories, writing, and Jocalat bars.

Today has been one of those lazy, happy, hopeful days filled with friends, books, talk and laughter. To put it succinctly - it has been a wonderful day.

Yesterday wasn't a shabby day either. I sat me down and got some words down on WP #1 and the current word total is 25,037! I am so stoked about that. Although it is late, I am going to sit myself down and get a few more words down before I go to bed or do some knitting. Books, sadly, don't write themselves or spring from your head fully formed. They take time. They take thought. They just about drive you insane in parts, but the appear to be quite worth it in the end. *sigh* So, I plod forward and the words grow and life goes on, and the life, this life, still feels pretty good.

In order to keep the writing going to to give myself a physical reward, I make sure and treat myself with a Jocalat bar in the orange and chocolate flavor or the coffee and chocolate flavor. Yes, I know, seeing the word count go up should be all the reward I need, but when even that joy fails to push you further into composing the story you need a little extra help. I love these things, and I make sure and eat one only after I have worked on WP#1 (or whatever writing project I have going at the time). It works. Which is good.

I am also doing a ton of reading of late. I have three books borrowed from a friend and purchased several. Today I found the first book in the Dresden Files series since I absolutely love the show. The first book in the series is Storm Front. I read the first chapter and am hooked. I want to read all of them now and am going to have to make myself take one book at a time! Since I am still in the romance reading phase, I am also reading Lie By Moonlight by Amanda Quick. It isn't a bad read either. I began reading Lie By Moonlight before Jim Butcher's Storm Front so I will finish it before reading Dresden.

Now for some odd stories in the news I found today:

Baby boy supposedly emasculated by family pet, but the mother was high and the injuries are not consistent with a dog attack. Also, the dog was an 8 lb dauchsund.

People want to exhume Houdini's body.

Peace is really in a piece of string.

Yesterday I was left alone and set free in Michael's after Church. It felt like the perfect beginning of Spring to me! Hubby took a nap in the van while I shopped for yarn and cotton thread for some projects I have in mind. I roamed the isles touching various yarns and holding several to the side of my face. Knitting needles were perused carefully and selected with the utmost of care. Several ladies appeared during my wandering of the yarn and yarn tools section. Each and every one of those ladies took as much care as I did about picking out a skein of yarn, and several times they placed yarn to the sides of their faces. This is a knitters way, I believe, of tasting the yarn to see if it has the proper amount of softness before the strands are tested, ever so gently, for stretch and pull.

I was in there for a little over an hour rolling here and there in utter contentment and peace. Hubby was sleeping in the van to get over his weekend of doing various work tasks for Church. He deserved a nap, and, with the way he was feeling about me - I deserved time to enjoy myself in the yarn store. Yes, yes, I know that Michael's technically isn't a "yarn store" but this is the only place with a moderate selection of yarn that is wheelchair accessible here in Lexington, KY. (I could go to Wal Mart, of course, but I would really prefer to purchase yarn there for very large projects in hopes of saving a few pennies.) So, I go there and enjoy myself with the almost carefree abandon.

My selection for the day was a nice ball of cotton, which you can see in the picture, some Caron soft colors in earth tones; US size 8 double pointed bamboo needles, US size 3 dpns (metal), US size 2 straight needles, and US size 5 straight needles.

(I have threatened Hubby with socks from the earth tone yarn, but he says he doesn't want socks. If he truly doesn't want socks, this leaves me open to use this worsted weight yarn for other things, perhaps some leg warmers. My plan is to have several pair of leg warmers before the winter comes back to help me keep my legs warm.

So, I left Michael's feeling as if I had the best treasures I could possibly afford. When I came out the sun was still shining, the air was warm, and the sky was just as blue as when I had gone inside.

Hubby, having been awakened when I opened the side door of the van to deposit my wonderful treasures, decided he would like to go to a park and sit by the water and just rest. So, we drove out to a local park with the windows down.

Everyone pretty much had the same idea because the park was packed with people. So, sitting by the water I reached into my bags of recent purchases and picked out the cotton yarn and some needles and began playing with it. It was perfect for knitting there. Hubby just chuckled and we talked about nothing important and everything in between while my hands were busy with the thread and the needles. It is amazing how peaceful you can be when you're playing with some string and two sticks.

Rat poison in the pet food!

According to MSNBC.com aminopterin was found in the wet pet food. You can find the complete story here. The really strange thing is that there isn't going to be a criminal investigation. How many pets would have been killed if this wasn't discovered in time? Isn't the poisoning of pets a criminal action? It would seem to be.

Oh well

I had a lovely entry made with my discussion of the reenactment of the Victorian era, not the Civil War, and my computer hated it and made Explorer close which caused me to lose it all. Bummer.

So, I will post more on this later when it isn't quite so late and I actually feel like doing it a little more.

Getting over the flu is rough.

Um.....

What does this mean exactly to us non-math people?

I need to remember this:

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." – Helen Keller

Cat and Dog Food Recall -- Serious

Cat and dog food is being recalled because of some deaths. It is causing renal failure in some animals. There are 50 brands of dog food and 50 brands of cat food being recalled, including IAMS and Eukanuba. This is wet food and "moist" foods so far. About the only brands I didn't see on the list is Alpo and Purina. We are having to take back some canned food for our dogs. Luckily the wet food/canned food is just a treat for our brood, but I don't want to do or give them anything that might hurt them. This is important. Pass it along. You can find info about the entire story at CNN.com.

Not So Much Progress to Report

Yuck o! Yep. That is the current feeling of this household. Yuck O. You really need to stress the last part of it to get more of the feeling of it, unless you have the current crud going around (here at least).

It is nasty. The tummy can't decide which end is best used in getting rid of most food and the head feels as if the universe, or, at the very least, the galaxy has decided your head can't be trusted to think, feel, or be anything other than congested.

Yep. Yuck o.

It isn't just me either. Hubby has it too. However, his "constitution" is stronger than mine which means his tummy is revolting. However, he has pains in the tum tum and his sides are sore from sneezing, coughing, and just feeling absolutely like crud of the worst sort.

Still, today is a little better in some ways than yesterday. Except for my head. I need a new one of those, or at the very least a new nose and sinus pathways. Yesterday I could sit and knit and sort of watch Hubby play on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II and pass the time and pretend to feel better. Today there just really isn't pretending. I feel bad. This means, of course, it is time to dig deep and grab the boot straps and go for feeling better if at all possible. I'll work on that tomorrow.

Progress!

There has been progress.

Word Count WP#1 = 23, 943

This was from last night. Hopefully there will be more today, after getting back from my doctor's visit. Don't worry, this one is just routine.

One of Those Questions

Why does reading encourage you to writ your own stories?

Lately I've been reading voraciously, as you all know. Today I finished another book. Moon Called, by Patricia Briggs. It wasn't a "romance" novel per se. A man and a woman didn't fall in love and live happily ever after at the end of it all, but there was a possibility of romance you could leave to your imagination. It was filled with lots of action and twists and turns that kept me reading and enjoying every moment of it until the last page. And, at the last page, I smiled, because I could see myself doing something along the same lines as the main character, Mercedes, or "Mercy" did.

This book was filled with werewolves and fae and witches and loads of action and guns and fighting and .... Just a good read.

About half way through it I kept thinking about my own project, WP#1. It needs to be finished. It needs to go through all of its cycles and have a beginning, middle, and end. It will undoubtedly meet its word count, but, quite honestly, it needs to be finished and, much to my surprise, I am ready for it to end. Reading as I have been doing of late has given me the release and relaxation I've needed to prepare for the ending of my own work. Isn't it odd how it works.

So, if you like action and a good heroine story with werewolves and the possibility of love, check out Moon Called by Patricia Briggs.

It's time I get to work myself.

Determination!

Something can be said for determination. Check out this video. This is one determined hampster who wants one of those tasty cookies sealed in the dang plastic! Silly two legs!

Cuteness and Knitting

Today I was roaming around the Web and just seeing what all I could find that was interesting. A friend told me about Cute Overload.com so I finally went there for a peek. If you love animals then have a wonderful time browsing the site.

Several people have asked if I would list some of my favorite knitting sites recently, so, being one to always try and please the readership. My first pick to list in the week is Knit Picks.com. One of my favorite things about Knit Picks is that you can build your own circular needles with interchangeable "cords" which go from 16 inches all the way up to 61 inches. This I likes very muchly.

Speaking of knitting.... The first legwarmer of the legwarmer pair I am almost finished working on and will soon be beginning the second. Although the weather is beginning to warm and it is pretty likely I won't be using them much at the current time, I will have them safely stored for the coming winter and probably fall. Now I begin looking for new projects to do. One of them, I hope, will be knitting my own teddy bear or possibly a mouse. If anyone has a fairly easy knitted pattern for it, please share the url with me?

The Crochet Hook of Love

Today was a very emotional day for me: a wooden crochet hook my mother gave me broke, and so did a piece of my heart.

My knitting bag fell over and got tangled in the back wheelchair wheels. Despite my best efforts to set it free so it could roam wild in all of its knitting goodness in one spot, I couldn't. This meant yarn was scattered from my front room into the living room and needles had fallen out and thus the crochet hook. Before I could move to use a crutch or grabber to get the crochet hook out of the way, my front wheel ran over it and broke it.

This sent me into tears. I was sure all was lost until Hubby called and said he was stopping by the house on the way to Church this evening. In less than five minutes of being home, he had the knitting bag strap untangled from the wheel and had placed several wayward balls of yarn seeking their freedom, or perhaps trying to commit suicide by tempting the cat, were collected and placed in easy reach for me to wind and set back to rights. Hubby then proceeded to the shower and I rolled yarn and cried.

The breaking of said hook brought everything very clearly into focus of my Mom's passing of March 11 four years ago.. Using the crochet hook in knitting projects (yes, you need a crochet hook when you knit) made me think about my Mom. Not in a sad way. It made me remember her smile and the way she would cock her head when she was listening to something funny, and how she would clap her hands during UK basketball (that's University of Kentucky Wildcats for the possibly uninitiated) games, or any time she was interested in what was happening around her. It reminded me of seeing her own hands at work in quilting and sewing, or crochet. I felt close to her, in a good way.

Hubby finished his shower and came out to greet me, still winding balls of yarn. "Why are you still sniffling? The bag is OK." I told him I was OK. "If you were OK you wouldn't still be sniffling. What's wrong?"

"It's the crochet hook. Mommy gave it to me." More tears. Sorrowful tears I tried desperately to quench.

Hubby went to Church and I finished winding the balls of yarn and even settled down long enough to knit one row on the leg warmers I am making myself.

I cried while I knit.

I cried while I lit the kerosene heater.

I cried while I heated and ate myself some supper.

I cried while I talked to a friend on the telephone.

Lucky for me the friend on the phone helped me to see positive things and get me distracted from my horrible loss.

Hubby came back from Church and as I was opening some roasted chicken I glanced down and there was the crochet hook. It had a piece of bamboo glued around it and it felt solid in my hand. All I could do was smile as tears welled up in my eyes.

"You are amazing," I said, although I'm not sure he fully understood just how wonderful a gift he had given me. Hubby just went about the business of fixing himself a snack as I rolled into the living room and slipped the repaired crochet hook into my knitting bag where it belongs. My heart was too full for words.

People don't understand how things can be important sometimes. They are just "things" after all. But usually those things are symbols and remembrances of a great and powerful love. They are irreplaceable, just like the people and memories they are associated with. Now the crochet hook is doubly more important to me. One, because my Mommy gave it to me. Two, because my husband cared enough about me to fix it so it could be used and a means by which I could always have my Mommy with me. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what is known as LOVE.

Wow. Monday.

Can't you just feel the enthusiasm there?

Yes, today has been Monday, but not the normal Monday with everything starting all over again and life being all hectic and un-nice. Hubby had a job interview that seems to have gone well, and I had a few hours of solo time. As we all know, this Editor needs time to just sit and have space, time to play silly games on Yahoo! and have in depth discussions with the dogs and cat about the current state of the Universe. These are very important for keep The Editor, which is me, somewhat on the more saner side of insanity.

Much was accomplished, nonetheless. Bills were paid. Games were played. Play was had with the loverly dorgs, and the kitty was properly pampered. No writing was accomplished. No earth shattering, or earth trembling epiphanies was had. Just quiet time with the music blaring and happy times all by myself.

It was needed.

Hubby also used the time to visit family and friends on his own time and he came home with brighter, happier smiles than when he originally left this morning.

Yes, today has been Monday. And it has been quite refreshing.

Heart of Honor, a Book Review

Heart of Honor, by Kat Martin was an absolutely surprisingly wonderful read! According to the front cover, Heart of Honor is "The first in a breathtaking new trilogy" concerning these characters. Even though I am not a romance reader per se, I must admit here and now that I will indeed be reading this trilogy!

From beginning to end it was romantic, heroic, and truly a read I was not expecting. The action moved forward well and kept my attention from beginning to end. The characters of Leif the Viking and Krista Hart, the Englishwoman who fell in love with him, shows how love can conquer all. Of course it can! Romance novels are for that very purpose! Love conquers all and there is a happy ending, which, I am discovering, gives us women hope when all else seems to be in shaky stability around us. It is an escape, this novel, of wonderful proportions.

The back cover says:

Krista Hart, publisher of the weekly London ladies' gazette Heart to Heart, is not afraid to speak her mind. Even on such unpopular issues as social reform -- risking her reputation and her very safety -- Krista will not be intimidated, although she knows full well she is the target of angry opposition for her outspoken views.

When she encounters a powerful Viking descendant imprisoned as a local sideshow attraction, Krista angrily demands his release. Although she tells herself that freeing Leif Draugr is simply the right thing to do, she can't deny being attracted to the fierce Nordic chieftain, especially after her father transforms him into a "proper" English gentleman.

Bu as anonymous threats against Krista become more and more aggressive, it is Leif who must face the unseen enemies desperate to silence her, even as they push her closer into the embrace of a warrior prepared to do whatever it takes to make her his.

I must admit, this was an excellent, adventure packed, love filled, heroic story. I give it a four out of five stars. ****

Spring causes me to think of change and growth.

I know it isn't spring yet with all of the snow falling out west, but the rains have begun to fall here in Kentucky. April showers may bring May flowers, but in Kentucky you can expect a fairly good amount of the wet stuff in March as well. Just as the snow has been falling in the west, rain has begun to fall here, which makes me think of the coming spring and how I would like to see differences, changes in my surroundings as well as on the blog and in my little corner of the world in general.

Yes, change is coming to The News. There could be a new look in its future. It may also move (perhaps, but not likely) from Blogger to some other place where it would just be The Kentucky Mountain Girl News.com. However, the content would pretty much be the same and it would still be open to submissions and life would go on otherwise just as it has always gone on.

Today I feel more like the writer than I have for several months. The arthritis hit, of course, because of the rain, but it did not cause me so much pain I didn't think even for a moment of not putting words down on WP#1 and anywhere else I have taken it upon myself to post words such as The News and the little LJ I also keep.

Today I have seen a continuation and a change in how I approach writing. This is a new development. Right now everything has its set pattern, just as it has always had, but there is more attention to detail and to thought before some words go down. This is good, I believe, because I am indeed pushing myself beyond the safe zone.

Many writers, many people, have a safe zone, that place where they know something will work and their minds and intentions aren't challenged and called into question. With writing, or any art, this can be a "death zone" as well. Since I am still so young to the writing world, I know this could be a death knell to something before it has begun and have, therefore, endeavored to keep it from happening. And it feels good. It feels very good indeed!