WIP Wednesday

I found a new group on Ravelry, The Blog Hub.  They are having a WIPW posting weekly.  This is something, I know I can do.  I have so many WIP's, I could post a new one every week for a year or two.  The catch is that it has to be what your currently working on.  Actually, as slooow as I move, I'm set for weekly posts for years and years, probably decades even.

I've been currently trying to finish these socks for my Mom's birthday that was a month ago today.  I told you, I'm slooooow.  Actually, they would have been done quite awhile ago, but I knit and ripped the first sock 3 or 4 times.  First, I knit it in plain vanilla pattern, but decided the yarn would look better with a pattern.  So, I chose a variation of Leyburn, knitted top down.  Also, I wanted knee highs so I used a trick to have the decrease in size without having to figure out how to decrease stitches.  I started out with size 2 dpns, knit for 4 inches, then switched to size 1, knit for 4 inches, then size 0 to finish 4 inches of leg and the rest of the sock.  I should have tried it on as I went along, then I would have realized I was knitting to tightly.  Rip, start again with size 3 for 4 inches, tried it on, perfect. Size 2 for 4 inches, tried it on, doing good. Size 1 to finish.




This should, I repeat, should be finished by Friday for an FO post.  I think the yarn is Pagewood Farms which yarn and color, I would have to get up and walk into the other room to find the label on my nightstand.  I know exactly where it is.  I'm just not getting up out of my chair.  Butterscotch and I have been having quite a tousle over my chair today.  At one point he stretched out on his back and kicked with all four seven-toed feet, right into my bottom, when I tried to sit down.  I finally got it arranged so we are "sharing" comfortably.




That's a picture from my front door heading back to the dinky parking lot.  This is before the manager trimmed the bushes really low today. The bare patio, that's mine. The patio with lots of stuff, that's my next door neighbor and new best friend.  On Duane's nights off, she lets him drag her Webber grill over to our side and we have a community barbeque, then she pulls out her folding table and we play Scrabble into the wee hours. By the way, the temp is climbing back up here, it was 102F here today.

What was that?  Oh, Mr. Butterscotch states he's not comfortable.  I think he just mumbled something about the width of my back side.  I'm going to head out now, need to give a certain male cat some head noogies.  He might find himself on the floor.

Kinda Funny

Another post, so soon. I know, I'm either very absent or here frequently. My life in extremes, I'm trying to find balance, slowly, very slowly. Here's hoping the Universe at large doesn't have other plans for me.

This wasn't the post I was going write today. I was browsing some of my favorite blogs last night and came to this post by Hyperbole and a Half. It had me laughing pretty hard. It even made D laugh when I showed it to him before he went to work today. I have to say it's a honor to make him laugh, it doesn't happen that often. It also reminded him of the same person, the crazy neighbor I mentioned yesterday. We'll call her S and her 18 year old son SH.

So if you haven't clicked over there yet, do so now, then come back here. Pay close attention to level 3 and 4. Really, go there now, I'll wait for you. Then I will tell you my level 5, because S took it to much higher levels. Note the last picture, that's so me back then.

Disclaimer note: I'm not insensitive to people with mental disabilities, I used to work as a nurse and spent a lot of time on dementia units. It's just when the crazy doesn't try to help itself and becomes obtrusive into other peoples lives, I become impatient.

Ok, did you read it and back now? Good. So we started out at level 3 with this person at 4am on the first day. We were very quietly trying to unload the van of the last of our belongings. She and her son live in the one-bedroom 50 feet across from us. Note also, she has a beat up old loveseat on her small patio, facing directly at our door. So, at 4am she comes out to do laundry, which I found to be a bit odd, but maybe that was the only time she had to do it.

She tells me her son is bi-polar and frequently goes off his meds and flips out. Don't flip out and call the cops or the manager like the rest of place did the previous week when he flipped out. I just look at her and say, Ok, well, I used to be a nurse until I became disabled from an injury. Why I said that, I don't know.

Then she tells me that one of her son't Dr's told her she had bi-polar too, but she didn't agree. Do I think she is bi-polar. I answer that I'm not qualified to answer that. She then goes on to tell her life story and I'm standing there freezing. Teeth chattering, and she just keeps talking and talking. It was warm enough for shorts and tank top during the day of packing and moving, but now at 4am it had cooled down to almost freezing. So, I awkwardly respond with, I have Fibromyalgia. I need to go inside and sit down. Sorry, we only have one chair empty.

Over the course of the next few weeks her son's sits on the loveseat and stares at our door. The minute he sees it open he either comes over, or tells him we are up and about and she comes over. Then he will come over and they bicker like children, right there, in MY living room.

Level 5

D goes out for a job interview and I go with him to the door. She's watching and immediately runs over.

Her: Where's he going?

Me: To a job interview.

Her: (rubbing her face up and down on my screen door making Miss Piggy faces at me) I need to tell you something.

Me: Ok (trying to ignore the fact she is making Miss Piggy face with her nose)

Her: Let me in for just a minute, I don't want anyone to over hear.

Me: (trying to think of something I need to do) I was just going to take a shower.

Her: I'll just be a minute. (Grabbing the handle and opening the door) (Damn, I forgot to turn the lock when I saw her coming)

So she then sits down on my futon and begins telling me her life story. I listen for a bit then tell her, "well, I wanted to take a shower."

Her: Oh, go ahead, I'll just sit here.

Me: No, I'd rather not. I need to be alone.

Her: Why? It's just a shower.

Me: (thinking) It's because of my fibro flaring today. I need to drip dry so I'll walk around naked and don't want anyone to see me.

Her: Why on earth do you need to do that? (looking at me like I'm the strange one)

Me: (thinking fast) The texture of the towel makes my skin hurt, my nerves are hyper-sensitive.

Her: (Squinting at me, like she doesn't believe me.) Well, just let me tell you one more thing.

She goes on to tell me several more things and I get up to use the bathroom. When I come back out she's standing in my dining room area. I look at her.

Me: What are you doing?

Her: How long are you going to keep that ravioli sitting in your cabinet.

Me: (What the hell?!!?)(It bursts out of me) What the hell?!!?

Her: I'm wondering when are you going to eat that ravioli?

Me: (I just can't hold it in) What the hell?!!?

Her: I don't have any food and I'm wondering if you're ever going to eat that ravioli. It's been sitting on your shelf since you moved in. (Obviously she's been peaking my cabinets every time I use the toilet when she is over.)

Me: What the hell?!!? But I give her the ravioli and a couple cans of Spaghettios I had to send her on her way. I make sure to click the lock the second she is out the door. As I stand there with my back against the closed door, my brain, it can't stop. (What the hell?!!?)

After the manager got her to relocate to another complex, I got to meet the other tenants, who had been hiding from her too. I told them that story, plus many others. That one however, they love best. Every once in awhile when they see me, someone will ask. "Hey Denise, just wondering. Did you eat that can of ravioli yet? When are you going to get to that?"

So, I'll leave you with a picture of the pineapple upside down cake, I made over the summer. We used fresh pineapple. Enjoy your day, and I'll back with some crafty, yarny stuff tomorrow.

Long Over Due

It's been long over due that I should have posted here. We've moved as of February 1st to a cheaper apartment in a different section of town. I've been in a funk after that move. The kind of funk that makes me want to evade life. I have to tell you, Facebook games are dangerous when one is in that frame of mind. Click, click, click. I wish I had a penny for all my click, click, clicks. I would be a rich woman.

D finally found a decent job, the beginning of June, right at the eleventh hour. Just before things were about to turn very ugly yet again. Not that things had been ugly enough at that point. We had to deal with some batshit, crazy neighbors for awhile. They're gone now, the manager finally sent them on their way. So, I won't dwell on that part anymore than I have to. Besides, I could write a novel on our experience, the kind of weird sitcom type.

This complex reminds me of those 60's type motels. D says they're more from the 30's period. It's not a converted motel, the individual are too large to have been that. I took a picture of my handspun yarn on the pool fence to show what it looks like.

That's all yarn I spun over the winter, when I wasn't on Facebook, I hypnotized myself with my spinning wheel. It's not that bad, draft, draft. It's not that bad, peddle, peddle. Anyhow, I stood on my patio to take that shot of the pool and the apartments across the way. My side looks similar, only with nice sized patio areas. I'm looking forward to getting plants out there once the weather starts to cool down a bit more.

Speaking of weather, I made it through the hot summer days easier than I thought I would. Central air helps a bunch. I can't imagine living without it down here. It's hard to believe in just a month and half, we'll have been down here a year. I have to admit, I'm getting wee bit homesick as it heads in what my mind knows should be the fall season. I say should be because we are still getting days with temps in the high 90's.

I miss the cooler fall days that cause the leaves to change color. Going to the farmer's markets and the fall harvest of apples and pumpkins. Making soups, and stews and baking pies. But with comes damp, cold weather that my muscles and bones just doesn't like.

Any way, I'm doing much better down here, so I'll have to search out those crafty blogs with pictures of the seasons I miss. This winter I can post pictures of my sunshine, cactus and flowers. I'm forcing my self to go out for a daily walk in the evening when I don't have errands to run. My fibro is still having it's flares but not nearly as bad it was. I'll try to remember to take the camera with me for my walk tomorrow.

One day at a time, things will get better. If they don't get better, I can usually count on them being interesting.

It's A New Year But Still The Same Old Situation

We did get help in December, from some online friends and I found St. Elizabeth Church that helped with half the money needed for rent and late fees. We paid the other half with the generous donations from our friends and my yarn sales. What little was left over we have been making due with just the necessities like pet food, tp and bus fare.

Now, it's January. I find out after the fact that DES only helps people with minor children here. We get food stamps only. Duane had an interview at Sprouts and was almost hired, but when the manager put in the paperwork the company went on a hiring freeze. The manager sounded sincere when he told him that a week later. He was upset that he had to work his employees short with no overtime. We haven't seen any new faces in the place, when go there for bunny greens.

He put in an application at Subway. They say they have 3 openings and nobody has applied. The DM was there but she didn't have time to talk to him as she was dealing with 2 employees. She said she would call this week when she had the time.

I had an interview last Monday at Micheal's crafts. They are not hiring until February or March, just calling in applicants for interviews. I really wish the lady had told me that when she called me to come in. I had my hopes when I went there and left feeling dejected. I would have eaten bottles of Advil and worked what ever hours they gave me.

I was going to post an update on Christmas, but after all that stress and a bad winter storm blew in that week, I spent it in bed. My fibro flared up seriously.

I have called every agency there is and the ones that would have helped, I got there too late and have to try back on February 1. That will be too late as we have eviction court tomorrow morning. I looked up on the Arizona Housing laws and we will have 6 days after that and the sheriff comes to physically remove us.

We don't have the money even for a U-Haul and storage for our stuff. I'm facing being out on the street and losing everything. Losing the pets is the hardest of all. They are reason I get up in the morning and keep trying to make a life even with severe pain.

I would list more of my fabric, yarn and fiber for sale. But with the way things are, I don't want someone to buy something, pay for it and me not be able to mail it out.

So my companion, put up another plea on Wish Upon a Hero. We hate having to beg to survive. If you can spare even $5 and have it in your heart to help us. It is just horrible being in this position. If someone would give us any job, we would gladly work.

I don't want to do this, I really wish I could go back to writing about my knitting, spinning, recipes, funny stories and pictures of the pets, living with chronic pain.

That is all I can write right now. I'm really hoping I don't have to blog about my experience as a homeless person from the library.