I'm not fluent in your dialect of crazy (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dine) wrote2025-12-15 11:36 pm
dine) wrote2025-12-15 11:36 pm
mific (mific) wrote2025-12-16 04:48 pm
mific) wrote2025-12-16 04:48 pmEntry tags:
Water gardening with & without ducks
I've always loved water in gardens, but for some years I only managed that through bird baths, which are also handy for emergency plant watering. Then I discovered my local big box store had cheap plastic half barrels, which I've used to repot a couple of small trees, but it occurred to me one would be perfect as a water garden. They came with no drainage holes, but I cut those with a hole saw in the two used as planters. So I got a couple of small water lilies and a black taro (they like sitting in water), and another marginal plant, planted them up in some old perforated peg baskets, and hey presto. Mosquitoes are easily managed by putting a chunk of mozzie dunk in the water (it releases bacillus thuringiensis that kills mozzie larvae, harmless to anything else).
Everything was lovely until two weeks later when I came out one morning to find the tub filled with mud and ripped up water lilies. Ducks. The bastards had gotten in and savaged the plants, rooted about in the planters, and bitten off all the water lily leaves. Not eaten the leaves, just ripped them off. That was when I remembered why I'd never tried to make a water garden here before.
But I had a water garden now, although it took a day to lift and redo the peg basket planters, replanting the sadly denuded lily roots in each one and running the water in the tub clear with a hose. I wasn't going to let the duck pack get the better of me!
One thing I enjoy with gardening is DIYing things. I've made tripods and more complex plant supports, mesh cubes to cover brassicas for my wheelibeds, and so forth. I lay awake in bed trying to figure out how to keep the damn ducks out, and finally had a plan. The duck dome. (shown lifted up off the water garden tub)
1. A circle of hose, joined by jamming a 4 inch bit of thick bamboo in to hold the ends together (a system I often use to make small hose circles to raise pots up for drainage).
2. Four 4-inch bits of hose attached to that circle with the bottom side slit open so as to fit over the lip of the plastic tub. Easier to take it on and off with just a few attachment points.
3. A number of long, thin privet branches slotted into holes drilled in the main hose circle, bent over to make the dome and tied where they cross. I wasted some time researching where to get willow slips for this, then realised I had what I needed already - several Chinese privets that are invasive but provide shade, and I keep them trimmed so they don't flower. They have long, straight branches which I've been using for a while as plant supports.
All that remained was to assemble the bits. It went pretty smoothly, although the privet branches weren't perfectly straight, but it adds to the rustic look. I'm happy with it, and it's been duckproof so far. The water lilies are both making a comeback, as well.
In other news, I posted pics of our local reservoir dam on common nature, here.
And I'm now completely obsessed with Heated Rivalry on TV. In between episodes I look at all the meta, gifs and despairing posts from other similarly obsessed fans on tumblr, have read the books, am now listening to the audiobooks (Connor Storrie does a vastly better Russian accent than the readers manage - I gather real Russians think he's actually Russian!), and am trying not to rewatch the eps too many times in the gaping voids between Fridays. It's bloody inconvenient, as I have less than a week to finish my due South and SGA Santa fics, but I'll get there. Here are three meta pieces about how THE SEX IS THE POINT, two collected bymachinistm, and one by Gav at the rec centre. Jacob Tierney is a fucking genius, and has taken Rachel Reid's (very readable) books to a new level, like Peter Jackson's loving LotR adaptations. Not to mention the explosive chemistry of Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Storrie is getting a little more attention as his performance of Ilya is spectacular, but I'm very fond of Hudson's Shane and when you see clips of Hudson being himself you realize how well and subtly he's performing the role. Plus Shane's such a sub; I just love him. God, four days to get through until Friday, but that's one ep a day, right? And then number five drops at 7pm. Not that I'm desperate, or anything...
Everything was lovely until two weeks later when I came out one morning to find the tub filled with mud and ripped up water lilies. Ducks. The bastards had gotten in and savaged the plants, rooted about in the planters, and bitten off all the water lily leaves. Not eaten the leaves, just ripped them off. That was when I remembered why I'd never tried to make a water garden here before.
But I had a water garden now, although it took a day to lift and redo the peg basket planters, replanting the sadly denuded lily roots in each one and running the water in the tub clear with a hose. I wasn't going to let the duck pack get the better of me!
One thing I enjoy with gardening is DIYing things. I've made tripods and more complex plant supports, mesh cubes to cover brassicas for my wheelibeds, and so forth. I lay awake in bed trying to figure out how to keep the damn ducks out, and finally had a plan. The duck dome. (shown lifted up off the water garden tub)
1. A circle of hose, joined by jamming a 4 inch bit of thick bamboo in to hold the ends together (a system I often use to make small hose circles to raise pots up for drainage).
2. Four 4-inch bits of hose attached to that circle with the bottom side slit open so as to fit over the lip of the plastic tub. Easier to take it on and off with just a few attachment points.
3. A number of long, thin privet branches slotted into holes drilled in the main hose circle, bent over to make the dome and tied where they cross. I wasted some time researching where to get willow slips for this, then realised I had what I needed already - several Chinese privets that are invasive but provide shade, and I keep them trimmed so they don't flower. They have long, straight branches which I've been using for a while as plant supports.
All that remained was to assemble the bits. It went pretty smoothly, although the privet branches weren't perfectly straight, but it adds to the rustic look. I'm happy with it, and it's been duckproof so far. The water lilies are both making a comeback, as well.
In other news, I posted pics of our local reservoir dam on common nature, here.
And I'm now completely obsessed with Heated Rivalry on TV. In between episodes I look at all the meta, gifs and despairing posts from other similarly obsessed fans on tumblr, have read the books, am now listening to the audiobooks (Connor Storrie does a vastly better Russian accent than the readers manage - I gather real Russians think he's actually Russian!), and am trying not to rewatch the eps too many times in the gaping voids between Fridays. It's bloody inconvenient, as I have less than a week to finish my due South and SGA Santa fics, but I'll get there. Here are three meta pieces about how THE SEX IS THE POINT, two collected by
machinistm, and one by Gav at the rec centre. Jacob Tierney is a fucking genius, and has taken Rachel Reid's (very readable) books to a new level, like Peter Jackson's loving LotR adaptations. Not to mention the explosive chemistry of Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Storrie is getting a little more attention as his performance of Ilya is spectacular, but I'm very fond of Hudson's Shane and when you see clips of Hudson being himself you realize how well and subtly he's performing the role. Plus Shane's such a sub; I just love him. God, four days to get through until Friday, but that's one ep a day, right? And then number five drops at 7pm. Not that I'm desperate, or anything...
thistle in grey (thistleingrey) wrote2025-12-15 08:47 pm
thistleingrey) wrote2025-12-15 08:47 pman inkling of terms
If I've gotten something wrong or blurry regarding these weaving-related terms, please say. This post does not explain how to weave; below are only some ingredients distilled from others' discussions and investigations.
( some basics, some tools )
( sociolinguistic footnote on "weft" )
( some basics, some tools )
( sociolinguistic footnote on "weft" )
Azure Jane Lunatic (Azz) 🌺 (azurelunatic) wrote2025-12-15 06:31 pm
azurelunatic) wrote2025-12-15 06:31 pmEntry tags:
Beads have arrived!
I lost the beads I was going to use for the two crocheted necklaces. (I think it's safe to say in *this* venue that I got commissioned to make a second one, and the second one is going more smoothly than the first one in all respects so far.)
Since the replacement beads included ones shipped from Czechoslovakia, I've been nervous that I won't be able to finish on time. (Which I still probably won't, but I can make An Effort now.)
The last of the replacement beads arrived today, and I am very happy with this. Will I get cracking on it? Well, probably not today.
Additionally, it's been a not as terrible as usual leg day. Hooray for physical therapy (and remembering to do it), and hooray for pain meds. (Yesterday I completely spaced my pain meds until bedtime. Surprised Pikachu was surprised at how horrible a leg day it was.)
Since the replacement beads included ones shipped from Czechoslovakia, I've been nervous that I won't be able to finish on time. (Which I still probably won't, but I can make An Effort now.)
The last of the replacement beads arrived today, and I am very happy with this. Will I get cracking on it? Well, probably not today.
Additionally, it's been a not as terrible as usual leg day. Hooray for physical therapy (and remembering to do it), and hooray for pain meds. (Yesterday I completely spaced my pain meds until bedtime. Surprised Pikachu was surprised at how horrible a leg day it was.)
here's luck (heresluck) wrote2025-12-15 08:03 pm
heresluck) wrote2025-12-15 08:03 pmEntry tags:
monday poem #335: Carrie Green, "Eating Apples"
Eating Apples
Every time I eat an apple, I think
of my Uncle Buck eating apples,
or rather I think of my mom
telling me how he ate them,
my quiet uncle who loved horses
and who cracked open
the fresh wounds of our hearts
when the cancer claimed him
so soon after it claimed his brother,
my father. I might have seen it—
Uncle Buck eating lunch
in the shop office, air conditioner hissing,
the smell of oil and gas
laced with sweet apple
as he ate skin and flesh,
his eyes closed as he pushed on,
down and around and down,
biting through the green crunch of core
and the hard black seeds
until all that remained
was a slim brown crook of stem,
a comma that once linked fruit to tree.
— Carrie Green
originally published in Salvation South
Every time I eat an apple, I think
of my Uncle Buck eating apples,
or rather I think of my mom
telling me how he ate them,
my quiet uncle who loved horses
and who cracked open
the fresh wounds of our hearts
when the cancer claimed him
so soon after it claimed his brother,
my father. I might have seen it—
Uncle Buck eating lunch
in the shop office, air conditioner hissing,
the smell of oil and gas
laced with sweet apple
as he ate skin and flesh,
his eyes closed as he pushed on,
down and around and down,
biting through the green crunch of core
and the hard black seeds
until all that remained
was a slim brown crook of stem,
a comma that once linked fruit to tree.
— Carrie Green
originally published in Salvation South
mrkinch (mrkinch) wrote2025-12-15 04:27 pm
mrkinch) wrote2025-12-15 04:27 pmEntry tags:
12/14/2025 Crab Cove, Elsie Roemer, and Garretson Pt
This is Christmas Count season, when everyone is out finding unexpected birds, so today rather than meeting in Tilden we went looking for two of them, a Yellow-billed Loon and a Green-tailed Towhee, with mixed success. The loon was amazing and easy to see, a walk-up in that as we walked out to the point at Crab Cove a birder called out, she's coming towards you, she'll be there in two minutes! And there she was, a huge loon, lighter than a Common Loon overall, with a big, ivory-colored bill, so close to shore I didn't need bins. She more than made up for some of the birds we've dipped on recently. There were other good birds there, in particular an Eurasian Wigeon, something I always look for in a flock of American Wigeon. And of course a Spotted Sandpiper. ( The first list: )
I'd seen one back in 1976 but I never made an historical ebird entry for it. I'm pretty sure I didn't see it so well as I saw this one, so that was very satisfying. Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary is on the way to Garretson Point so we stopped briefly. The tide was still high but there was a nice selection of shorebirds including a large flock of Dunlin flying around, and Forster's Terns lined up on a distant breakwater, each one exactly the same distance from the next. ( The second list: )
The second rare bird was the Green-tailed Towhee at Garretson Point, part of MLK Jr Regional Shoreline. U saw the bird, Chris got a glimpse, and I missed it entirely, not an unusual result.:) ( The third list: )
But I saw my first Ruddy Duck of the season, surprisingly late. And on the way back to the car we were treated to a small flock of Black Turnstones on an even smaller rock yelling at each other. They are very loud.:)
I'd seen one back in 1976 but I never made an historical ebird entry for it. I'm pretty sure I didn't see it so well as I saw this one, so that was very satisfying. Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary is on the way to Garretson Point so we stopped briefly. The tide was still high but there was a nice selection of shorebirds including a large flock of Dunlin flying around, and Forster's Terns lined up on a distant breakwater, each one exactly the same distance from the next. ( The second list: )
The second rare bird was the Green-tailed Towhee at Garretson Point, part of MLK Jr Regional Shoreline. U saw the bird, Chris got a glimpse, and I missed it entirely, not an unusual result.:) ( The third list: )
But I saw my first Ruddy Duck of the season, surprisingly late. And on the way back to the car we were treated to a small flock of Black Turnstones on an even smaller rock yelling at each other. They are very loud.:)
luzula (luzula) wrote2025-12-15 10:31 pm
luzula) wrote2025-12-15 10:31 pmEntry tags:
Write every day: Day 15
Writing was on my to-do list, but unfortunately it had too much competition, and now I'm too tired. How about you?
Tally:
( Read more... )
Day 14:china_shop, goddess47, badly_knitted, chestnut_pod, trobadora, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, carenejeans
Bonus farm news: Today I ate common salsify root for the first time. Tastes kind of like sunchoke/Jerusalem artichoke?
Tally:
( Read more... )
Day 14:
china_shop, goddess47, badly_knitted, chestnut_pod, trobadora, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, carenejeansBonus farm news: Today I ate common salsify root for the first time. Tastes kind of like sunchoke/Jerusalem artichoke?
cupcake_goth (cupcake_goth) wrote2025-12-15 12:47 pm
cupcake_goth) wrote2025-12-15 12:47 pmRandom fashion pondering
I used to have this skirt by Kambriel. I have since sold it on to sistawendy , and it looks fabulous on her. But I miss the idea of the skirt.
I'm pondering buying yardage of both those fabrics to make myself an ankle-length version. I'd be making it myself, because if I asked the Madwoman in the Attic to make something with both those patterns together, her head would explode.
sistawendy , and it looks fabulous on her. But I miss the idea of the skirt.I'm pondering buying yardage of both those fabrics to make myself an ankle-length version. I'd be making it myself, because if I asked the Madwoman in the Attic to make something with both those patterns together, her head would explode.
cupcake_goth (cupcake_goth) wrote2025-12-15 10:57 am
cupcake_goth) wrote2025-12-15 10:57 amDear Body, that wasn't the plan
Originally, I was supposed to be getting my COVID vax on Friday and thus spend the weekend recovering. (COVID vaccinations hit me hard.) But then other things meant moving things around, and now I'm planning on getting my vaccination on 12/27, which gives me more days to recover.
So we could go do the other things, right? AHAHAHAHAHA Friday night my back decided to ~do the thing~, the thing that sent me to the ER at the end of 2019. This round wasn't quite as bad, but I did need the Stroppy One to help me stand up from any seated position and to escort me up and down stairs in case my left leg randomly decided not to work for a few seconds.
I lost the whole weekend to heavy drugs and being covered in lidocaine patches. Luckily I have a Dr. appointment on Thursday; I will go over all of this with her, say, "I've done all the things that can be done before medical procedures are discussed", and then ask what tests I need to get before I can get steroid shots. (Steroid shots are the next step, with the ultimate step being surgery.) The Stroppy One will be in the appointment with me, because there's a good chance I'll forget to mention something, so having a backup brain is a good idea.
Stupid bodies.
So we could go do the other things, right? AHAHAHAHAHA Friday night my back decided to ~do the thing~, the thing that sent me to the ER at the end of 2019. This round wasn't quite as bad, but I did need the Stroppy One to help me stand up from any seated position and to escort me up and down stairs in case my left leg randomly decided not to work for a few seconds.
I lost the whole weekend to heavy drugs and being covered in lidocaine patches. Luckily I have a Dr. appointment on Thursday; I will go over all of this with her, say, "I've done all the things that can be done before medical procedures are discussed", and then ask what tests I need to get before I can get steroid shots. (Steroid shots are the next step, with the ultimate step being surgery.) The Stroppy One will be in the appointment with me, because there's a good chance I'll forget to mention something, so having a backup brain is a good idea.
Stupid bodies.
My Fannish Corner (mxcatmoon) wrote2025-12-15 01:37 pm
mxcatmoon) wrote2025-12-15 01:37 pm
Entry tags:
It's beginning to look a lot like...
Randy Rainbow posted another fabulous parody a week ago for the holidays, if you haven't seen it.
Note: political topics and swearing.
Note: political topics and swearing.
kass (kass) wrote2025-12-15 11:39 am
kass) wrote2025-12-15 11:39 amEntry tags:
Night Vale
I haven't listened to Night Vale in a few years, but I happened to see this mentioned by one of the creators on bluesky and I am listening now and it is so weird and delightful.
Welcome to Night Vale, ep 280: The Story of Hanukkah
I'm not sure I knew that Cecil and Carlos are both canonically Jewish? (Or at least -- Cecil has a bubbe and a zaide, from whom he inherited a chanukiyah?) Though I suppose the fact of a floating cat named Choshech should've tipped me off.
(Needless to say, the story of Chanukah articulated in this episode does not initially seem to have anything to do with Chanukah. But stick with it. It's wonderful.)
Welcome to Night Vale, ep 280: The Story of Hanukkah
I'm not sure I knew that Cecil and Carlos are both canonically Jewish? (Or at least -- Cecil has a bubbe and a zaide, from whom he inherited a chanukiyah?) Though I suppose the fact of a floating cat named Choshech should've tipped me off.
(Needless to say, the story of Chanukah articulated in this episode does not initially seem to have anything to do with Chanukah. But stick with it. It's wonderful.)
Lanna Michaels (lannamichaels) wrote2025-12-14 05:36 pm
lannamichaels) wrote2025-12-14 05:36 pmAnyone want anything?
Anyone want anything? Drabble, meta, rant, ridiculous lyrics that scan to I Had A Little Driedel, complete bullshit about a topic I know nothing about, etc? ;)
(These posts don't expire.)
luzula (luzula) wrote2025-12-14 10:18 pm
luzula) wrote2025-12-14 10:18 pmEntry tags:
Write every day: Day 14
Alibi sentence (or rather, alibi finishing of an unfinished sentence). How about you?
Tally:
( Read more... )
Day 12:luzula, garonne, goddess47, trobadora, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, carenejeans, chestnut_pod, china_shop, ysilme
Day 13:goddess47, china_shop, trobadora, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, chestnut_pod, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, carenejeans, china_shop, garonne, ysilme
Day 14:china_shop
Bonus farm news: Today I threshed some radish seeds.
Tally:
( Read more... )
Day 12:
luzula, garonne, goddess47, trobadora, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, carenejeans, chestnut_pod, china_shop, ysilmeDay 13:
goddess47, china_shop, trobadora, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, chestnut_pod, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, carenejeans, china_shop, garonne, ysilmeDay 14:
china_shopBonus farm news: Today I threshed some radish seeds.
codyne (codyne) wrote2025-12-14 11:45 am
codyne) wrote2025-12-14 11:45 amSo, yeah
Yes, the cat had rabies. I had my first round of shots on Friday, and really, it was not anywhere near as horrible as it's been made out to be. Seriously, I had people in the ER where I went for the treatment telling me as they were checking me in how painful the shots were, and how they were going to inject me right in the bites (sort of gleefully, almost, although I will charitably assume they were trying to prepare me for the worst so I'd naturally be relieved that it wasn't really so bad after all).
Granted, I have a high pain tolerance and no fear of needles, especially after the numerous surgeries and procedures I've been through in the past few years, but really? the shingles shots were way worse. So, people, here is my message to you: if you ever suspect you have been bitten by an animal that might have rabies, DO NOT HESITATE to get the shots. If you wait until you start having symptoms, it is too late. Get the shots, it might be somewhat painful and inconvenient but it's seriously nothing compared to dying of rabies.
Public service message over, here is what happened: the initial rabies treatment consists of two sets of shots. First is the actual vaccine. It's given in a muscle, and they let me choose the location. I chose to get it in my right thigh. I barely felt it, didn't even need a bandage, it didn't get sore afterwards or have any aftereffects. I will get three more of the vaccine shots, tomorrow (Monday), Friday, and the Friday after. I had to go to the ER to get the first set of shots, but I can go to the walk-in clinic for the remaining shots. Quick in and out, no big deal.
The second part of the treatment (probably the reason I had to go to the ER, because it had to be administered by a doctor) was to "infiltrate" rabies globulin into all the bite and scratch sites. This was done with a very thin, short needle about a centimeter long. The doctor inserted the needle underneath and around all the bites and injected globulin. It was a bit ouchy but nothing too painful. It took a while because I had two bites, one on each hand, and scratches on my right hand and both legs where the cat came up behind me and jumped on me. After doing the main bites, I asked the doctor if she wanted to do the scratches on my legs. She said she had plenty of globulin and it couldn't be reused for anyone else, so we could use as much as I wanted. The scratches probably weren't necessary to infiltrate, but I figured it couldn't do any harm, so I told her to load me up with as much globulin as she could. She had to change the needle twice because it was so thin it got bent. My hands were a little sore at first, but the soreness went away quickly and I think my hands actually felt better after. Maybe it was psychological relief, but it did help to have healthy serum go right into my bites and scratches.
So that was it. Next time I decide I want to get another cat, I will go to the animal shelter.
On to better news! Yesterday, we had an early Christmas dinner with my younger nephew and his fiancée (they just got engaged, so we were celebrating that, also). They are going to spend actual Christmas with her family, so they came here this weekend. I was pretty exhausted from my week of stress, and hadn't had time to do any shopping, but I managed to put together some veggie enchiladas for dinner, and a few presents. My brother & SIL and I are going to swap main presents on actual Christmas, but I wanted to bring something for them. I've been feeling crafty lately, and I had some leftover yarn from various projects, so I started searching knitting patterns, and decided on a wine bottle cozy (because they like to drink wine) and a couple of bottle/can cozies. Then I decided, since my sister-in-law is a HUGE Mets fan, to see if I could find yarn in Mets colors to knit the cozies. Fortunately, Walmart has a decent selection of basic weight 4 acrylic yarns, and I was making my weekly trip to Walmart anyway, so I picked up a skein each of royal blue and orange.
I didn't take a picture of the can cozies but they were just plain cylinders, one in blue with an orange trim and one orange with blue.
They were a big hit, my sister-in-law really got a kick out of having cozies in Mets colors. (I have plenty of yarn left over, I will probably knit her a beanie & scarf with the rest.)
For my nephew and his partner, I had another plan. My mom always told me she wanted me to have her wedding diamond -- it was originally in a plain gold wedding set, but after my dad died, she didn't want to wear wedding rings any more and had the diamond reset in a swirly gold band and put a sapphire in the wedding set, just to have a stone in it. I don't wear rings so I just put mom's jewelry aside, and I don't have kids of my own, so I long ago decided I'd give the diamond to whichever of the nephews got married first. So I took the ring, the wedding set, and a professional appraisal mom had done of the ring way back in the 90s, and gave them to the kids, with an explanation of how they came about and how I'd decided who gets them. (If the older nephew every gets married, I have another diamond ring of mom's I'll give to them. But there's only one wedding ring, so I had to choose between them, and first come, first served.) They were very appreciative! The ring is currently too big for my future niece, so I don't know if they'll resize it or just keep it as a keepsake, but they loved it and will take good care of it, so I'm glad to have finally passed it on.
We had a delicious dinner and I'm relieved and glad to be getting my life back to normal.
Granted, I have a high pain tolerance and no fear of needles, especially after the numerous surgeries and procedures I've been through in the past few years, but really? the shingles shots were way worse. So, people, here is my message to you: if you ever suspect you have been bitten by an animal that might have rabies, DO NOT HESITATE to get the shots. If you wait until you start having symptoms, it is too late. Get the shots, it might be somewhat painful and inconvenient but it's seriously nothing compared to dying of rabies.
Public service message over, here is what happened: the initial rabies treatment consists of two sets of shots. First is the actual vaccine. It's given in a muscle, and they let me choose the location. I chose to get it in my right thigh. I barely felt it, didn't even need a bandage, it didn't get sore afterwards or have any aftereffects. I will get three more of the vaccine shots, tomorrow (Monday), Friday, and the Friday after. I had to go to the ER to get the first set of shots, but I can go to the walk-in clinic for the remaining shots. Quick in and out, no big deal.
The second part of the treatment (probably the reason I had to go to the ER, because it had to be administered by a doctor) was to "infiltrate" rabies globulin into all the bite and scratch sites. This was done with a very thin, short needle about a centimeter long. The doctor inserted the needle underneath and around all the bites and injected globulin. It was a bit ouchy but nothing too painful. It took a while because I had two bites, one on each hand, and scratches on my right hand and both legs where the cat came up behind me and jumped on me. After doing the main bites, I asked the doctor if she wanted to do the scratches on my legs. She said she had plenty of globulin and it couldn't be reused for anyone else, so we could use as much as I wanted. The scratches probably weren't necessary to infiltrate, but I figured it couldn't do any harm, so I told her to load me up with as much globulin as she could. She had to change the needle twice because it was so thin it got bent. My hands were a little sore at first, but the soreness went away quickly and I think my hands actually felt better after. Maybe it was psychological relief, but it did help to have healthy serum go right into my bites and scratches.
So that was it. Next time I decide I want to get another cat, I will go to the animal shelter.
On to better news! Yesterday, we had an early Christmas dinner with my younger nephew and his fiancée (they just got engaged, so we were celebrating that, also). They are going to spend actual Christmas with her family, so they came here this weekend. I was pretty exhausted from my week of stress, and hadn't had time to do any shopping, but I managed to put together some veggie enchiladas for dinner, and a few presents. My brother & SIL and I are going to swap main presents on actual Christmas, but I wanted to bring something for them. I've been feeling crafty lately, and I had some leftover yarn from various projects, so I started searching knitting patterns, and decided on a wine bottle cozy (because they like to drink wine) and a couple of bottle/can cozies. Then I decided, since my sister-in-law is a HUGE Mets fan, to see if I could find yarn in Mets colors to knit the cozies. Fortunately, Walmart has a decent selection of basic weight 4 acrylic yarns, and I was making my weekly trip to Walmart anyway, so I picked up a skein each of royal blue and orange.
I didn't take a picture of the can cozies but they were just plain cylinders, one in blue with an orange trim and one orange with blue.
They were a big hit, my sister-in-law really got a kick out of having cozies in Mets colors. (I have plenty of yarn left over, I will probably knit her a beanie & scarf with the rest.)
For my nephew and his partner, I had another plan. My mom always told me she wanted me to have her wedding diamond -- it was originally in a plain gold wedding set, but after my dad died, she didn't want to wear wedding rings any more and had the diamond reset in a swirly gold band and put a sapphire in the wedding set, just to have a stone in it. I don't wear rings so I just put mom's jewelry aside, and I don't have kids of my own, so I long ago decided I'd give the diamond to whichever of the nephews got married first. So I took the ring, the wedding set, and a professional appraisal mom had done of the ring way back in the 90s, and gave them to the kids, with an explanation of how they came about and how I'd decided who gets them. (If the older nephew every gets married, I have another diamond ring of mom's I'll give to them. But there's only one wedding ring, so I had to choose between them, and first come, first served.) They were very appreciative! The ring is currently too big for my future niece, so I don't know if they'll resize it or just keep it as a keepsake, but they loved it and will take good care of it, so I'm glad to have finally passed it on.
We had a delicious dinner and I'm relieved and glad to be getting my life back to normal.
Jesse the K (jesse_the_k) wrote2025-12-13 04:18 pm
jesse_the_k) wrote2025-12-13 04:18 pmEntry tags:
Boost! marina's well-informed meta on Heated Rivalry
I've observed hockey RPF fandom from an immeasurable distance, and I still got a kick out of this post:
https://marina.dreamwidth.org/1576715.html
marina was in hockey fandom, spent her childhood in Ukraine, knows much about filing serial numbers, and has definite opinions about vodka.
I'm reading reading reading.
Hi!