Rip Off?

Read a newsletter from an online store I really like. And they were advertising new tote bags. Tote bags that have very interesting names....considering they look exactly like a well known name brand for fabric bags...

At http://yarntree.com you can see them for yourself....The Laura....The Ashley...etc. Maybe they are put out by the same company - you know, how you can buy appliances that are made by a big name company but sold under the store's name?

But it is suspicious sounding and looking. Anyone have any idea?

This should be a contest

But I dont know how long people would have to wait to win!

OSH had their "fill the bag up and get 10% off" sale today. So we went and filled it up - got some seeds and pots (lavendar and sweet pea) and a tomato growing kit for grandson since his cousins enjoy growing plants...some lightbulbs and some peg hooks....and some things for hubby that he has been wanting for awhile.

Since he had to tear down some shelving in the garage to have the new garage doors installed (which are wonderful by the way!) - it left enough space for a work bench that he has been talking about for years. So there was this very nice basic workbench thingie, and with 10% off, not a bad price. As I told my son, whether or not he has a workbench - the thing is, he will never return things to where they belong (but makes sure he blames others for loosing things!) so why a work bench? Becuase he wants one.....now the test will be how long it takes him to put it together.

But better yet - we finally bought the new storage shed he has been wanting. At a good price. The contest would be how long it takes to get this one into place....but I am afraid that it will take much too long for a contest. He needs to finish cleaning out the old one - tear it down - build the foundation he wants to put under this one - and then build this one....hmm...years? decades? I know it will be more than months....

Patho Report

Found a way to access my patho report (dont ask for details! LOL) and basically - NO MALIGNANCIES IN THE SPECIMENS!!!!!!!!!!!

This and That

These are socks I made for a friend of mine. She bought the Jitterbug yarn at Ball, Skein and More in Cambria. I love working with that yarn! Bt if you guys only knew how crazy this person is - when I asked her for a photo of the socks on or off her feet, I knew I was in trouble. She did give me permission to post the other photo tho...

When we were in Cambria I bought 2 skeins of the Jitterbug yarn to make socks for me - I wanted 3 but...When I was paying for them, I found out that the owner of the shop had died very unexpecetedly the week before and so they had no idea what is going to become of that shop. It is a very nice shop - I hope someone else will buy it and continue her tradition of lovely yarns ...

Forgot to talk about this antique shop I found in Paso Robles...I think I spent an hour in it. Could have dropped a lot of money there but a.) did not have the money and b.) did not have the truck to bring everything home in! So jsut got a crocheted purse and a tiny manicure set with jade/jadite handles (which I cannot take a photo of until I remember where I put the battery charger for the camera).

Reading the paper this morning and saw this article about a very considerate man...92 year old died of a self inflicted gunshot wound in front of a mortuary.

I am itching like crazy! Cannot wait to take off this stuff off and take a shower - this afternoon! That is when the 48 hours will be up...but also when the workers will be gone. We are having the original garage door replaced with a new and improved model. From heavy wood - which has already broken down several times - to an aluminum one with windows installed so we can actually see in the garage at any time of day without having to put the lights on for quick trips out there!

I survived it! Stereotactic Breast Biopsy

Was it as bad as I expected it to be? Yes and no.

The tech was a sweetie....with warm hands which is unusual for a mammo tech! And the radiologist was very very nice.

Now, the table I had to lie - unmoving! - on for 1.5 hours will never make the Temperpedic Company worry about competition! That was very uncomfortable - had to lie there on my abdomen with my boob thru a hole - being tightly compressed by the mammo machine.

And then the numbing shot - ouch! And let me tell you - Lidocaine does wear off! After an "ouch" I was re-dosed....and later, after a "bigtime ouch" I was re-dosed again! That time I almost broke out in a sweat...

They had to actually make 2 incisions to try and get a good sampling. He was disappointe he was not able to get them all but knows he got enough for a sampling. And he said (which I will hold on to for the next few days) that he is "suspicious" that they are benign.

Right now I am bound up like they use to bind women up who were not going to breast feed - I have a steristrip on my colorful boob (black marking pen - brown betadine - and some dried blood) with a gauze taped over it. Then another gauze, and these nifty little ice packs - and then an ace bandage wrapped all around me - and my sports bra over all that.

And yes it is tender - and I am sure will be much more colorful by the time I can take another shower....48 hours from now!!! YUCK!!!

Todays the Day - it is B Day

Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. They tour it on the 3d Sat on the month and this was the first time we were there at the right time! They are trying to raise money to restore it - they need about $12 million to restore and rebuild all the buildings. And no - even tho it is right down the highway from Hearst Castle - the Hearst family has NOT donated any money for the restoration...

Big whale migration route. And we did see some spouts. They say at times they can see the whales close up. But not that day - of course! The water was a bit rough and it is the tail end (punny???) of the migration time....


Found this in an Antique store in Cayucas. Had to buy it! What are the odds of finding something from the little town in PA where we lived for 12 years - at an antique store in CA!!!

This will eventually go to DD#2 cause she loves pigs....or maybe to granddaughter since she was born in the year of the Pig....but I cant part with it yet!

Elephant seals....young ones. We saw many dead, decaying, and being eaten baby ones. We asked one of the volunteers and they said that the storm that came thru a few weeks before caused many deaths becuase they were jsut too young to deal with the waves. At this point they are here growing, and practicing their swimming lessons...

Piedra Blanca......White rock. By the lighthouse which was named for the rock. Later in the year, we are told, this rock will be covered with Harbor Seals. There were a few at the very base of it.

Sunset while eating at one of our favorite restuarants - the SeaChest. Even growing up by the ocean - you forget how the sunset occurs - the sun creeping down into the ocean slowly - and then - whoosh! All of a sudden it is gone! This was shortly before the whoosh!

We had a lovely time in Cambria. Toured the lighthouse on Sat afternoon and did the night tour at Hearst Castle that night - a dark and stormy night! They said that afternoon, when even in Cambria we felt the temperature drop dramatically, they even had hail that afternoon up at the Castle! This year (this is the 2d time we have done the night tour) they had many more costumed people in the Castle and more interactions with them...it was fun.

You can buy Hearst beef there at the Castle - frozen of course. Can even have it shipped to you. A bit costly. But we had some of their beef at a restuarant and must say, it was very very tender and good. Free range beef. And therefore higher in Omega 3's - which I have learned is very important ....also learned that it is very important to buy the eggs with Omega 3....

(.) (.) (.) (.) (.) (.) (.) (.)

B-day.....boob day...biopsy day...hubby got me up early so I could eat breakfast cause they want me NPO for 6 hours before they skewer my boob...and all I can see is the last of my Peeps waiting for me....they sure do look good!! Right now that is what I am most afraid of....not prognosis...not yet....that will come AFTER I survive this assault on my boob!

But I am going to post some Cambria photos here becuase we had a lovely weekend there - and I want to think of that rather than having a panic attack!

Hello Spring!

Not as warm as it has been - but it is sunny! Hopefully we will still get more rain out here (the midwest could share with us!!)

I was just at the grocery store....and it is a sad commentary on our economy when they have most of the baby formula locked up behind the counter!

Gas Prices

Just read an article in the paper that stated that Maui has the most expensive gas.
Hello????? Have you been driving around CA recently?

Coastal CA has the same prices as the ones quoted in the Maui article. $3.99/gallon for the lowest octane in Cambria - Cayucas - Morro Bay area.

And the little gas station jsut before Big Sur - $5.20/gallon!!!! Never really thought before why so expensive - part of the reason is the cost of the gas for the trucks to take the gas to these out of the way places!

We are lucky - knock wood - no big family with kids - and not living on Social Security - so I havent REALLY noticed how the gas prices are affecting the grocery prices. This big ole world called the USA is getting a bit scary these days...and I am really concerned for my children and their children.

Speaking of which - DD#2's house is supposed to close by the end of the month! Isnt that exciting? And if you think it is wonderful - keep ordering things thru www.amazon.com to keep her and not-son-in-law working so they can afford this house!

Son is finally painting above my kitchen window. Something I have wanted ever since we re-painted all the downstairs. He is his worst critic tho - wanted to surprise us when we got home form our weekend away (will write more about that later) but only the banner is almost done cause he keeps finding fault with what he is doing. When finished it will say VIVI BENE RIDI SPESSO AMA MOLTO (Live well, laugh often, love much). And only when it is done to his standards will he allow me to photograph it!!!

Funny story

Read this cute story in a newsletter I get from awesome Ewe, an online knitting store (www.awesomeewe.com). If youare old enough to remember Burns and Allan you will really enjoy it...

"
Hi Danielle:

A Knitter For President ???

Did you know that one of our own kind - a knitter - actually ran for the office of the President? It's true and I have the facts.

A few decades ago, a knitter sat thinking as she stitched away on a sweater. Suddenly it came to her out of the blue. She called to her husband and told him with no uncertainty that she was going to run for President.

"You're, you're running for President?" Her incredulous husband burst out when he heard the political ambitions. "How long has this being going on?"
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"For a hundred and fifty years," she responded. "George Washington started it!"

Her husband thought the whole idea was "preposterous." "Not only that," our knitter replied, "it pays good money too!"

The hubby then wanted to know what party his wife was running under - Democrat or Republican.

"The Surprise Party of course!" As our knitter so eloquently explained it, her father had been a Republican, her mother a Democrat and she had been born a Surprise.

"How are you on speech making?"

"I'm not going to try to impress my audience. I'm just going to act like I don't know what I'm talking about, then they won't think I'm too smart for them."

"What about all that hand shaking? Won't that affect your knitting?"

"I'm practicing lots. Sometimes it's embarrassing when I do it without thinking. The other day I was motoring on Sunset Boulevard and a man stuck out his hand, so I took it.

"Fare, lady," he said.

"You're no foul ball yourself, big boy," I said. "Then I realized he was the bus conductor!"

So as ewe can see for yourself, our knitter had everything under control.

She even had her mascot and slogan picked out too. Her mascot would be a kangaroo named Laura. Her slogan: "It's In The Bag!" (I'm not sure if this referred to her knitting or to the fact that the kangaroo was a new mom.) Her campaign buttons would have to be sew on ones of course - obviously to discourage supporters from changing their minds about her in midstream.

"Who's your vice presidential candidate?" The husband wanted to know.

"None." There would be no vice in her administration, let me tell you! She then offered her platform ideas. She suggested that Congress should be put on commission. If the country did well, it would get ten per cent of the profits. She was also wanting the Civil Service to be extended to all branches of the government because, after all: "A little politeness goes a long way!"

The current president of the time had held that position for several years, the husband informed his ambitious wife. That didn't bother our little knitter one bit.

As she so cleverly responded: "I'm sure he wouldn't mind getting up and giving his seat to a lady. That old saying about not changing horses in the middle of the stream is ridiculous, when you remember that people have been changing babies in the middle of the afternoon for years and everybody takes it for granted."

The knitter and her supportive hubby hit the campaign trail and worked their hearts out to get her elected. The election came and went with the winner collecting more than twenty-seven million votes.

Our little knitter got just a few hundred write-ins. But at least we knitters can say with pride that one of us ran for the Presidency of the United States. (In case you're wondering who our little stitcher was - her name was Gracie Allen, the wife of George Burns!)"

Goodbye to another member of the older generation

Another friend has lost their father. It is sad. How many of that generation are leaving us - hopefully we will all remember the lessons they taught us. Julio was such a good man. Such a kind and friendly man. We will all miss him.

But now for some more complaints....besides wearing pajamas all day long, and all night long, out in public...pajamas with slippers even! What has given men the idea that they do not have to be courteous enough to remove their hats and caps while at the table? My son and husband can testify....the meal does not start if there is a cap on their heads. Come in, stay a while, eat - you dont have to shovel it in within seconds and run out the door! Take your jacket off, and your cap and relax and enjoy the food and company! Respect the other people at the table with you...

Spring is coming - the season of change! The sun is out - not as windy as it was - but boy, allergy season is starting early this year. Next week I will be saying a temporary goodbye to my current crop of students, and the week after, I will be welcoming in the new crop!

And I am really confused given the fact that we change our clocks NEXT WEEKEND! This year really has me, and my watch, confused....the first 4 days of this month, my watch reset itself to read the date as 1!

And oh boy, lots of changes in my philosophy of life this year. Looks like Hilary (Bill) Clinton is going to win the nominatin after all. And it cracks me up - what kind of ego does she have when people are publicly stating that they are voting for BILL again and not HER? Anyway - always swore I would vote for the first woman running for President...and I just cant do that. AND...Emily dont choke here...this might be the first year ever that I am 'forced' to vote Republican. Even tho I dont agree with that choice, that would be the only way to make sure my vote counts AGAINST Clinton. Altho, looking back over the years, I cannot remember when the last time the candidate I voted for actually won!

Maybe next time, I will run for President. After all, I will have more than 35 years experience....of being married! OH but wait, I dont have the other two qualifications - I have never slept with a President and I have never slept in the White House....or even traveled for free around the world .... guess I dont have as many qualifications as I thought...