The 12 Days of a FL Christmas:

12 -early birds dining

11 -tourists shopping

10 -hurricanes blowing

9 - manatees munching

8 - key lime pies baking

7 - flamingos flocking

6 - dolphins leaping

5 - golden oranges

4 - alligators snapping

3 - mouse ears in motion

2 - space shuttles launching

one seagull in a palm tree

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Back in FL

Well back again, back again, back again home [in FL]...although...it's getting questionable which one I consider to be "home". We blew out of CO on the heels of a 60mph wind gusts storm, in Eastern CO.

Too Long a Time Out

Wow! I just picked up my head and realized I've been missing in action for a very long time. I'm in Colorado again and have been helping #1 dtr with the selling of her home, sadly due to a divorce. Then with the shopping for, and purchasing of,  a townhome. Luckily it's only a block or two from the old house. That makes for great continuity, familiarity and the availability of the same park's, all important for granddaughter C. I helped with the physical packing and move. Due to all the moves I've experienced I'm somewhat of a pro at it. We discovered, in the process, that Home Depot has the cheapest prices on packing paper and also has boxes, other necessary packing materials and the plastic wrap and blankets used to cover furniture, the washer and dryer, etc.

#1 Dtr rented a POD and a very handy thing it was. We could take our time packing it and at the other end, unpacking it, all while it sat in the respective driveway's and in-between it was picked up and stored by POD and then delivered to the new location. And luckily it's not overly expensive to do this. 

In a bad market and under the gun they were very lucky to sell the old house [and it was old, with issues] in a week, for only $3750 off asking...that was amazing and a result of the right buyer, a wonderful backyard, a newish brazilian cherry wood floor beautifully installed by the now ex-son-in-law, and probably, most of all, a purely great location in a desirable town.

#1 Dtr was also lucky enough to find a wonderful buy on the townhome. It's older, but was built really well and in it's day [the 1980's] was probably very luxurious. It has three bedrooms [one on the main floor] with three full baths and one powder room in the mostly finished basement. New carpeting throughout, all walls painted out white and it had been well cleaned. An old kitchen but all the appliances were originally high quality and still work, old cabinets, again high quality and original to the house but in decent condition, excellent condition neutral porcelain tile in the kitchen and dining area. Open plan for the living room and dining area, a gas fireplace is located there. Lovely light, especially considering it is a central townhome and not an "end" unit. This is a small development is quiet and right near a high school and has been maintained well. 

It needed a new Heating and A/C system and the water heater will need to be replaced soon but it works for now. The basement was very clean and has a shiny light grey painted floor. AN area for the washer and dryer and also a large finished area with a new carpet and it's heated. It is warm and pleasant and will be a playroom for now and a family room in the future when a TV gets installed. 

The furnace has since been replaced and #1 Dtr has the luxury of waiting until she needs it to add the A/C unit and/replace the water heater.

This townhome is around 2,000 sq. ft. and for the price it's a wonderful bargain, $50,000 less than anything comparable that we saw, either new/newer or a similar age. When it comes right down to it I like it far better than the "old" house. It has tons of storage and a connected two parking space garage. In the front you enter an enclosed [by a wall and gate] front patio in the Southwestern or Mexican style, big enough for #1 Dtr's large patio table and any amount of people to sit around it, as well as room for plants, the grill and other seating. It has also has a small back deck off a sliding door from the eating area. A vaulted ceiling in that room [which shares a wall with the living room makes it nice and airy and very pleasant to sit in. All in all it's a great purchase and she can be very happy in it for a long time into the future. 

Things have calmed down a bit now she is in the new location and settling in. It was emotionally and physically difficult for her to deal with the divorce, the selling and moving and purchasing of the new home in such a short time period. If that wasn't enough, on top of that and at the same time, she was offered a new job that she subsequently decided to accept, by an old employer, the Westin Hotel. This was all from the beginning of August when thehouse was listed to Sept 15th. Enough to lay anyone out and even though #1 Dtr thrives on stress, this was not a particularly happy event all the way around. Granddaughter C is being shared by both parents and the going back and forth and all the physical changes/moves have been hard on her. But of all the children in the world an Aires child [with an Aries mother who understands her] and two parents who certainly love her, can do this better than anyone else. 

It has all turned out well, given the inherent difficulties, but #1 Dtr certainly felt the pressure and the drain of it all, none-the-less she has managed to rise to the top and ride out into the light.

More on #2 Dtr next time.

Driving me crazy!

This has been a long month of driving, driving, driving and more driving cars/small SUV's, getting estimates and wondering if I could manage to grow three more inches in my old age, so I wouldn't have any more problems reaching the pedals on the driver's side or the floor on the passenger side. Ish! 

I think we have now driven every small SUV made. Surprising were the nicely appointed and warranted Hyundai's, and to my extreme disappointment the dislike I had for the drive and steering of the front wheel drive Lexus [small] SUV. Also surprising was the Subaru Outback V-6, a car with an immensely powerful engine that feels like an old time very powerful American car, with a European suspension....IMHO that's the perfect combination! Only the seat, on both the drivers and passenger sides, which felt as though it had a bad spring poking a particularly uncomfortable spot, stopped me cold. Perhaps a trip to an accessory shop would yield a jell seat, or some such, which might solve the problem.

I may have driven too many vehicles -- of late I keep waking up feeling as though I'm still driving! 

Apparently Consumer Reports and I are perfectly calibrated. After I drive a vehicle A looks up the Consumers report on same and, we agree! Nice to know. 

I'm still busy adding knitting projects to an ever lengthening list on Ravelry. I've finished a few. Carole Ann's Comfort Shawl a group project on which I did a lot of knitting, is done and looks great. I'm knitting the 12 inches of ribbed leg on two "Socks for Soldiers" on which K did the toe-up feet. And I'm doing another shawl in cobweb yarn. All of which I've added to my Ravelry.com projects list. Still unfinished is the Mystery knit-a-long that has gorgeous snowflakes on it, put on hold while I finished Carole Ann's Comfort Shawl.

A serious look at the other WIP's hanging around the house is in order. "To frog or not to frog that is the question!"

Birthdays, Birthdays!

Well, it's been far too long since I posted here. So much has been going on.

Spring has always been my favorite time of the year. Born May first in England when the flowers of Spring are so very beautiful it's a wonderful time to celebrate. 

April brought, instead of rain showers, the birthdays of daughters #1 and #2 who are five years and three days apart, which never ceases to amuse me.  Also D1's daughter, our darling C, was born a bit early and ended up on her Mommies birthday. She's quite a gift - now three years old!

A and I are deep in the midst of car shopping. It's that time again as it's my darling car's birthday in June and it will come off the lease then. Luckily this time around it has been "the good and the not so good" rather than "the good, the bad and the ugly" as far as the whole experience goes. We've been all over the place and driving some unrelated cars. Although most are within the range of my current Lexus IS 350, which I've adored driving.

Mother's Day will come soon and that's the birthday of birthday's, honoring ALL Mother's, whatever time of year it occurs in any given country.

Monday, Monday

It's amazing, really, what unintended trouble one can get into when making a casual comment, online, on a Yahoo  list. I mentioned that "nionon" was the Irish Gaelic word for "heaven". Used in the email address and url for this blog. 

And this is a heavenly picture by Chris, of beautiful Red Rocks, CO, I assume.

I was just trying to help out a fellow lister by suggesting names for a project she had completed, and happened to mention the above. Well! Apparently there are Linguists who knit [it was a knitting list]. I was told I was wrong. And, darn it, she may well be right.

My slap down sent me to my books as well as haring off into the google-sphere. I spent eons of time reading and searching and trying to figure out the lineage of said "nionon". I knew where I'd found it, I just didn't know why it was wrong. I ended up having no choice but to assume that the Linguist who said it seems to be a new-age construction perhaps a downright fiction, was after all, correct. Don't ask me why I couldn't accept her word as an expert in language as easily as I'd accepted the word of an author? After all, who is likely to be correct?

Obviously I was attached to it and my perceived idea, as well romance of it all. I think most of us had to wrestle with AOL at one point in email history to find an email name that hadn't already been scooped up. Personally I hated having numbers stuck onto a perfectly pretty name which was the only other alternative if you couldn't find a pristine word [one that hadn't already been used for AOL]. I don't care for numbers, they always manage to ruin my otherwise perfect day.

But, does being a created word make it 'wrong', linguistically? Language changes all the time. New words come into and out of vogue and change meanings. There is already an Irish Gaelic word that mean heaven and it's "neamh". It's not nearly as romantically pretty. After said Lingust had enlightened me I found it, and some other goodies, online in McBain's Dictionary

heaven, Irish neamh, Old Irish nem, Welsh, Cornish nef, Middle Breton neff, now env: *nemos; Sanskrit námas, bowing, reverence; Latin nemus, grove; Greek @Gnémos, pasture: root nem, distribute, Greek @Gnémw (do.), German nehmen, take. Gaulish has @Gnemcton or @Gnemeton, Old Irish nemed, sacellum. Often, and lately (1895) by Prof. Rhys, referred to the root nebh, be cloudy, Greek @Gnéfos, cloud, Latin nebula (see neul); but the Gaelic nasalized èa is distinctly against this, as also is the Breton env (Stokes).

Of course that look up lead to reading a few other words and their meanings located on the same 'page' in McBain's...not sure why I find dictionaries such completely fascinating reading, but I do. 

I had a little giggle over the apparent similarity of "neamh [heaven]" to the following word. I'm sure the similarity is ephemeral as it's probably pronounced completely differently and would not resemble "neamh" when said in 'real' life, but I was amused:  

neimh: poison, Irish nimh, neimh, Old Irish nem, pl. neimi: *nemes-, "something given", root nem-, distribute (as in nèamh)?

nòin: noon, Irish nóin, g. nóna, evening, noon, Early Irish nóin, nóna, Welsh nawn; from the Latin nônahora, ninth hour of the day, or 3 o'clock.

I was told that "nion" was found as a rune, thought to indicate the "ash" tree [meaningful/sacred to the Celts] and that it is most likely a misspelling of "noin", not sure about that. I'd prefer to think of it as a misspelling of the following, although I am not at all sure of the information at the very end of this sentence:

neòinean, neònan:  the daisy, Irish nóinin: "noon-flower", from nòin, noon. Cf. the English daisy for force

So after all that, I'm not going to change my email name or blog url...and the project name Id suggested? It was accepted despite the small kerfuffle this stirred on the list. It was a lot of fun! 

 

Back again

After being away for too long, due to illness, I'm ba-ack. 

I took a look at my son-in-law Chris's photo stream and found even more fabulous pictures, amongst so many of his fabulous pictures, with which to decorate my blog! He has a truly amazing eye. Some of the credit due, I'm told, certainly goes to my younger dtr, his wife, M does a lot of the editing/cropping and computer stuff for him as well as taking some of the photos.

My current favorite is the bird in flight that I put at the right hand side of the blog. I stopped and took a breath when I saw it. Wow! All the way at the bottom is my prior favorite, the wonderful panorama of Denver that they printed for me -- I have it sitting in my FL house and just love it.

Of course it's hard to pick a favorite, there are so many. So from time to time I may change the pictures, or add more.

Amazing

This is the amazing granddaughter "C"!

 

"Amazing" is a word C likes to use. C and her Mom were visiting us in FL. Mom had business in Orlando and we had C for a few days. Unfortunately she had a cold and ran a bit of a fever. But she is a trouper and, like her Mom, she'd rather 'do' things rather than sit around and mope. But f course it did make her feel a bit upset and Mom deprived at bed time. 

We had an adventure picking out a bike while she was visiting us. Got her a very small bike as one can hardly get a tricycle anymore. And she isn't even three yet! Target was the only place I could find an American Flyer tricycle, in pieces, in a box. Whose putting that together?? 

Wallmart seemed to have cornered the market on those ride-on electric cars, yes for kids! They had about 5-6 different styles! And of course when C saw them she pointed and said: "I want a car"!!!!! X-nay, no, no way, uh uh! When I was training with my trainer in CO she told me that in the after school program she runs she's now seeing kids who do not have the lower body strength they should, due to these cars! I always assumed they were pedal driven. They're electric or have battery driven motors. That's crazy.

I reminded C that we were looking for a "bike". And down at the other end of a long line of bikes C spotted THE bike, her hearts desire, "a PRINCESS bike Nana!" she said, pointing excitedly. Ever since C attended a princess themed birthday party she enamored of anything "princess". And so are the manufacturers, there's no shortage of things to choose! C loved the already assembled [Yes!] bike. 

I was surprised at just how fast she 'got' how to ride it. I tried her on it in the store to make sure she could reach the pedals and she started zooming. She wanted to ride all over the store, but since Nana was hanging onto one of the handle bars, I didn't think so! Such a happy kid! She would not even give any other bike a look. I was surprised she passed up the Princess Helmet Set for Elmo's. She looks adorable with in the ensemble: helmet, elbow and knee pads. She knew the rule: when riding the bike must wear all three pieces...I think the helmet will be the only thing to really last. Right now though she loves putting it all on herself, with only a bit of help.

After we got the bike home she glowed as tried riding all over the house! Since I was supposed to follow C and her Mom home and watch DGD we decided we'd try to buy one in CO rather than trying to put it in my car and drive it from FL when I go for the Summer. And we wanted her to have it for her birthday in April. I will send the Helmet, etc., when I get back from this visit to CO.

Yes, C is amazing!

Rummaging around

I subscribe to a few blogs and find them always interesting to look at. I try avoid looking at any if I really don't have enough time - oye! - because, as I blogged yesterday, one thing usually leads to another and another and another...... 

Today I started with Design Sponge which IS a magazine type of blog [see yesterday's post] that offers an always fascinating compilation of links and ad's, all in a 'moderne' vein. That's usually enough to send me haring off rummaging in all sorts of things. Lot's of eye candy here!

I ended up looking through a great art blog, with video's on to how to make luscious things with paper: The Paper Studio

Whoaaa....In one of the blogs, or in a list, or on a link, well, hmm, somewhere I just discovered an great way to avoid the dreaded deadly single sock syndrome...in a new book by Melissa Morgan Oaks, 2-at-a-Time Socks and it sounds like fun. Although I like dpn's --am I mad?-- I'd love to load both socks up on one needle. The reviewers on Amazon swear it's easy to understand, with great pictures and a handy spiral binding which means it lays flat - no small thing in a knitting book! I'm cruising over to www.Amazon.com to order a copy. 

If only I just had time, much more time! There comes an awkward choice -- looking at "how to do stuff," or actually doing it!

I am actually doing a few things. All knitting related. At some point, when I have more knowledge of how to use my Mac, know how to transfer the pictures from my Phone Cam and know how to use Blogger a bit better, I'll be able to show the pictures of my finished projects here. 

I've been wrestling around with a lace Knit-A-Long [KAL] project over at Yahoo Groups: Secret of the Stole ii. 

We start without any picture of the completed pattern. Just like doing a jigsaw puzzle without the picture on the box. Each week we have a new clue, a section of the pattern to knit and a week to knit it in. Besides the surprise factor a big benefit of doing it that way is the deadline. Stops one getting distracted by the latest rummaging in one's stash, knitting books, or rootling around online. The Friday deadline for each section keeps one motivated to keep up. 

I had all sorts of issues with Row 41. I took it out and re-knit sections over and over, counted and re-counted the stitches, read the chart and compared it to the row by row pattern a few times. Walked away, came back and started coloring the chart to take a break. As a result I figured out that I'd completely missed the fact that I had to do an S1, K2tog, PSSO[pass the slip stitch over] smack in the middle. That was problem number one. 

I hit another snag that required me restraining myself from throwing my needles [knitting still on them] across the room. I merely let the knitting pout in my bag overnight...then the next day I took that row out and reknit with nary a palpitation. Over the worst I finished the "first hint." Just in time, as we received another clue on Friday. I started knitting that today.

It's nice to knit along with a group, even if they are virtual. If one does have some sort of problem usually one of the fast knitters has already encountered and resolved it. Of course problems are usually "knitter error"...but occasionally they are pattern error and something someone posts to the group, even indirectly, often turns on a light bulb! The commiseration is always welcome. 

There are prizes along the way and at the end we guess what the theme of the design of the stole or shawl is...that keeps it interesting down to the very last stitch.

Time floats away

This is the most glorious picture, breathtaking really!

I had one of those same moments of hyperventilation this morning. Reading my email, zipping along I started following some links, one thing led to another great blog, after great blog, after interesting link, after link...and then I just couldn't handle it anymore. Heart beating fast, breathing hard, overwhelmed. Where did the time go and how will I ever read all these things? I want to Bookmark ALL of them. Suddenly, it's simply too, too much. 

There's just not enough time in my life to read all those wonderfully written and interesting blogs. Oh, my! That's why we need magazine's, little samplings of same. And I'll bet someone has already started to magazine blogs somewhere in cyberworld. 

Are you as amazed as I at the really high quality of the writing -- and I guess I should really call it "the publishing" -- in the blogosphere? Many blogs offer a clear example of the higher level of education and language usage that I'm constantly concerned isn't usually displayed on the ubiquitous  TV, in newspapers or in daily conversation. It's actually reassuring. Perhaps I've seredipitously managed to miss seeing any sub-level blogging.

One can spend so much happy time reading and thinking in cyberspace. I pick up my head to look at the clock I'm simply shocked at what time it is! 

Time floats away when one is at the keyboard. 

Good Day Fun Day.

Thought you might enjoy another photo of DGD in her favorite Park -- she loves to swing, higher and higher! Fall.07

It was a good football Sunday this past weekend, wasn't it!? I'm a long time fan of Green Bay [Wisconsin] football. Although I've never lived there and really have no reason to be a fan, I've always loved the verve and sheer joy of football that Brett Favre plays with...he's just the most fun to watch on the football field. I was happy he made it so far into the playoff's and sorry to see his team loose. But both games were very enjoyable and the outcome certainly a bit surprising.

A had Monday off this week, for Martin Luthor King's birth day. We started the day out by A riding his bike and me going to the gym to work out with my trainer. It was a nippy, but clear and sunny day. 

We ended the day by going to Best Buy and Circuit City to shop wireless keyboards to use with the monitor we're thinking of hooking the laptop up to. I really wanted a bigger screen as well as the portability of the Mac laptop, this should solve all the problems and be far less costly than getting both a Mac laptop and a large screened Mac computer.  What a vast difference between the stores. No help available at all in Circuit City, an abundance at Best Buy. Lighting and noise level unacceptable at Circuit City, much more tolerable in Best Buy. The music was so loud in Circuit City that we spent very little time there -- not good for business. But then, as A pointed out, we're not the market they're targeting. I would point out that there weren't many people from any type of target market in there! They were all at Best Buy! 

Good day, fun day!

A word today...

Have you discovered Miriam Webster's Word of the Day yet? 

This word's been around for about 350 years, very cool!

apodictic \ap-uh-DIK-tik\ adjective : expressing or of the nature of necessary truth or absolute certainty. 

Example sentence: The apodictic tone of Liza’s writing reflects her complete confidence in the correctness of her statements.

 

This is our DSGS amazing us with a magic trick. Oct. 07. 

Seems to work.

Found a great podcast music station today.

Acoustic Long Island is a two part very personable show running an hour+. At first listen this show has a kind of-sitting-in-your-living-room-playing-with-your-friends format. The first segment is an open mike, an uneven compilation of acoustic instrumentalists and singers introduced and scattered with patter by one of the two brothers who run the operation Dave and Rob Dircks. I haven't listened to very many and so far only one bro. seems host. There's a regular group of attendees/performers who the host banters with from time to time, enhancing the relaxed and friendly approach. 

Odd pieces and singers are fabulous, some are interesting and some are plain doubtful. Some of those regulars have amazing voices and are obviously much more experienced at their craft. The programs have a very fresh, real and slightly raw and oh yes, "acoustic" sound. No electronic enhancements to cover up almost missed notes, disguise warbling voice breaks, or to drown the words, thank you G-d! Am I the only one who hates music [no matter how legitimate] where any words are totally lost behind the crashing background? In my opinion music that has lyrics is much more enjoyable, provocative or emotive if one can actually discern those lyrics...assuming there ARE some that are more than two words. If I can't hear the lyrics the music had better be some sort of A-mazing! 

The second part is the featured, often name brand, performer/s for another hour+. I started as far back as I could find [Nov.15.06] and worked my way through quite a few while I was playing with the MAC. But I'm still only at Nov 29.06, listening as I type. I'm assuming that the grow and change along the way as they seem to offer video clips on the website along with the voice podcasts. Unfortunately, for some reason I've been unable to play the videos. So, grab a munchie, a cup of tea [or coffee] to drink along - apparently it's held in a Cafe - pull up the website, have a look and a listen and a relaxed and enjoyable couple of hours. It certainly seems to work! 

On the MAC subject, I solved Thursday's iPod problem! All by myself. Hoo...quite an accomplishment, for me. Did a little happy dance all around the room after that. I think "logic" actually worked this time. Also figured out how to upload the pictures from my files onto the blog. Okay, sorry, but I get excited when I can do this stuff without resorting to reading the manual, stomping around the room or waiting for A to rescue me. I've been trying to follow DDM's advice when I asked how she figures out all this technological stuff and knows so much. "Mom, I just keep pushing buttons!" 

Yeah, it certainly seems to work.

DGD is at her favorite Park. Fall.07

Beginnings

Don't you think January's always a great month for beginnings? 

This beginning started off well, A and I bought a new MAC laptop. I switched from my ancient four year old [?] PC to a MAC. Well, I'm still in the process of switching actually. Learning my way around, going round and round, picking up bits here and there. I was surprised by the similarities to the PC and challenged by the differences. Which is not, emphatically not, what I expected to happen. I just wasn't sure that my old and cranky brain was up to it. Forging ahead was almost pleasurable and truly, I never thought I'd say that! 

I had amazingly few of those I'm going to "blow-up-the-computer-and-reduce-it-to-ASH!" moments. Thank goodness. Perhaps due to the incredibly clear and very usable "help" and tutorial videos on the Apple website. Really user friendly, except...oh, yes, there's always an "except-for" moment isn't there? Except for - the burning question one always has to have answered right that minute! 

In my case it was "how do I switch my iPod stuff from my PC to the MAC?"....answer not yet found. It became one of those nasty circular reasoning conundrums where the supposed answers seemed to lead right back to the very question I started with! Oy! 

Sitting on the bed next to my desk is the huge tome that A brought home before we got the MAC. "Missing Manual's OSX - Leopard Edition" I almost balked at purchasing the laptop right there and then. Seemed to me that if we needed something that big to "help" me I was doomed! But "no", A claimed, "it's big because it's actually a great series of books. Really good!". I raised very skeptical eyebrows and muttered, sotto voice, "that CAN'T be good! The blasted thing is 2 inches thick!". Shudder. I have yet to open it. Too, too intimidating.

So far I'm doing okay. A did set up the hard bits for me first, but I'm successfully learning to navigate around and use it. 

Good beginnings, indeed.