Summer Knitting...

Just finished Veera Välimäki's Golden Wheat Cardigan...

...in spring green yarn I found in abundance at a thrift store in Grand Rapids, MN.  The yarn is Berocco Vintage Chunky, only 40% wool and 60% synthetic...but the yarn was very inexpensive!

I start my second semester of nursing school in less than a month.  I want to be ready, but it's going to be tough.  I made it through my first semester in one piece, although there were times...well, there were times.  Tough times.  But somehow I got straight A's.  What the heck?  I still don't know how I managed it.  My blood pressure went up for sure during the semester, and I started feeling really unhealthy and stressed out.

My summer break has been wonderful.  Amazing.  I feel better, and the blood pressure's gone way down.  I have been biking, canoeing, camping, swimming, walking a lot, plus working outdoors at Gibbs Museum.  I feel a lot more fit now than I did a few months ago.

Yorkshire wool socks...finished a few weeks ago...

My twin sister is planning on moving back to Latvia by next year.  I will be visiting for sure-- can't wait to go back there myself.  Perhaps I'll start the trip in Sweden or Finland and sail to Latvia from there.

First things first: I gotta get through the next several months.  If all goes well, I'll graduate right before Christmas and take the NCLEX (nurse licensing exam) around New Year's.

In the meantime, before studies begin again: more swimming, canoeing, relaxing...lazy lazy lazy...

And watching Dark Shadows, which I've been getting into.  My twin has been obsessed with this 1960s soap opera for almost 2 years now.

CIAO!

Oh no way

It's been so long.  So so damn long since my last post.

I am still living in the same Lauderdale house with Jesse and the 4 cats.
George is and always will be an impossible act to follow, so I don't think I'll be getting another rat anytime soon.
I'm currently in my last semester of pre-requisites for the the practical nursing program at Saint Paul College.  I've been accepted to the 2013 program.  So, in January, it's on.  Really and truly on.

2012 has been busy in its own way.  After I left my job at Planned Parenthood, I started soapmaking again and sold it via Etsy.  I also sold some at a local shop in St. Paul.  I did a lot of sewing and knitting.  I did some temp work at my mom's office for several months.  I applied for my dream job (sexual health educator for a county clinic) but I didn't make the cut after my first interview.  Yeah, I was bummed.  But I forged ahead and got certified as a nursing assistant (CNA) and home health aide (HHA).  6 weeks of classes at Saint Paul College plus a nerve-wracking state skills test.  But by early May, I had my state license.

Over the summer I was a full-time student, taking 3 pre-reqs for the LPN program.  Anatomy & physiology 1 was really challenging for me, but I got straight A's.  I also had to take a tough entrance exam for the nursing program (the TEAS) but I scored an 85% which was apparently higher than average.  I applied for the LPN program, got in, and am now just getting those last few pre-reqs done this fall (including anatomy & physiology 2!).

I'm working part time at the Gibbs Museum of Pioneer & Dakotah Life, which is about a mile down the road from my house.  I get to dress up as a 19th-century farm gal and give tours of the historic farm.  All in all, it's a pretty great job.
I haven't actually had to look for work as a CNA because I got my job at Gibbs right before my state certification.  It's sure nice to have that as a backup, though.
Spring and summer was also heavy-duty garden time.  We have had a nice crop of dry beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, kale, and spinach.  My sister has 4 chickens, which we raised from little balls o' fluff.

And yup, there's been knitting...
I'll end this with the pics.  Later, gators!

 

George

George passed away two days ago.
I'm very sad.  It's hard to express how horrible I feel about it.
Over the past few weeks, he was slowing down.  Getting thin.  He slept a lot more than usual, and lost interest in eating. 
Early this past Saturday morning, I woke up to find that George had climbed into bed with J and me.  He hadn't done that for a very long time. 
He was breathing hard.  I could tell he was focusing on getting air into his lungs.  It was taking all of his energy.  It seemed as though he was suffocating.
I believe that George came to our bed seeking help from us.  He was scared, and didn't know what to do. 
We did what we thought was best.  With my sister's help, we used a gentle technique to euthanize him here at home.  It was very quick, but I know he was afraid right before he died, which devastates me.
I had to go to work right after his death, which was really hard.
Goddamn it.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've had to work so much.  I haven't had much time for anything.  I do recall that a week ago I sat with him on my lap, and it was very nice.  I had a cup of creamy coffee and he helped himself to little sips.

It sucks that he's gone. 
It sucks so much.
I'm not going to lie: he was my favorite. 
I loved Bella dearly.  I loved her very, very much.
George was...one of my best friends.  My little guy.  Small fry.  A smile in my life.
He filled my heart.
I will always love him. 
I am having a hard time accepting that he is not here anymore.
It's so goddamn hard to accept this!
I've been alternating between deep, horrible sadness and bizarre numbness over the past two days.  Nothing seems quite real.  Everything is strange to me.  I've lost both my children in the past two months.  I live in a house that isn't mine on borrowed time.  The four cats in this house are okay, but I am not connected to them.  Not truly.
J is at my side, but he does not belong to me.
I do not want anything to belong to me.
I seem to belong nowhere.
On December 31st, I am leaving my job of 4+ years.  It's a decision I made.
I will go free.
I have some plans for myself over the next few months.  I wish to seek some volunteer work.  I will take a class for school.  I have many personal projects to work on.
No matter what happens, I'll find ways to survive.  I have my backpack and my sleeping bag and my boots.  I have friends to count on for shelter and support if needed.
Yet I don't think I'm going to need much outside help.  My life lacks the complications and costs that tangle up the existences of others.  I don't have a car.  I don't have a phone of my own.  No debt or bills.  No rent to pay right now.  I have some savings, more than most.  I know how to scrape by.  I know how to make do, how to slip through the cracks, how to live with very little.
I cannot deny that I am excited about my future.  I very much want to volunteer my time to a few organizations and do some good work.  I am thrilled about finally (finally!) getting some much-longed-for sewing projects started, hopefully for a bit of profit in the form of a tiny business.  I am also dreaming about getting a small bicycle-powered enterprise off the ground this winter, the details of which I shall get into another time...
With that, I bow my head in humility and acceptance as I step forward slowly.
I have hope, even as my heart is weighed down by sadness.
I shall ignore the critical words of others around me as I forge my own destiny and make my own decisions about what I define as meaningful work in these coming days and months.
For what else can I do, but work?  I love to work.  I am enriched by work.
I just wish to wield more power over the work I do.
Good night.

Can't believe it's been so long...

...since I posted to this thing.
Well well well.
Let's see...
It's late, and I can't sleep.  I work in 7 hours.  Great.
I've been knitting.  I am working on my olive green sweater with the Brown Sheep Nature Spun, only I have nixed the Roam idea and, instead, am making my own version of the Wonderful Wallaby which I plan to turn into a hooded zip cardigan by steeking it.  I can't help it, I like working in the round.  I don't like knitting in pieces and sewing it all together. 
I finished my Monkey socks a couple of weeks ago~

Turned out well, I think.

I'd better attempt some sleep.  Good night, for now.

New Home

Hi there!  Been a little while since I've rapped at ya...heh...
So, to sum up, J and I are living in the small house next door to my sister.  We officially moved in over the past weekend.  We're going to be here for at least a few months.  I'd like to stay forever, if I could, but the woman we are housesitting for may be able to move back in when she undergoes enough physical therapy.  Of course she should: this is her house.  I am really enjoying living here, however.  No rent and we don't have to pay for utilities until January.  Whoo!
About 75% of our stuff is moved in, and the remaining quarter is still at our old apartment.  Shucks.  My least favorite part of moving is the final cleanup of the old place, the space I'm tired of looking at and dealing with, and having to sort through the remaining crap that needs to either be moved, trashed, or donated.  We have until the end of this month to finish with it, but I really want it to be done sooner than later.
Moving.  I have moved twice in the past three months.  Getting a bit old.  Makes me want to minimize to nothing but a backpack.  Maybe I still will.
I did do a good deal of moving on my bicycle this past Friday.  I had taken that day off from work in order to attend the annual Weavers Guild Fiber Fair at the Textile Center in Saint Paul, but instead I decided to do some moving and not spend a bunch of money at the fair.  Wise choice, I think.  (My stash is still not diminishing, anyway.)  I loaded up my bike rack bag/panniers, filled my big backpack to the brim, and carried a shoulder bag around my neck.  I also tied some shirts and a sweater around my waist.
It was a beautiful, sunny fall day and I had no issues with my bike-move.  I rode south on Bryant Ave in Mpls to the Greenway, rode that to the light-rail trail, and took that into the West Bank, my old neighborhood .  From there I rode through the U of M campus and across the commuter bridge to the East Bank, rode to 15th Ave SE and took that to Como Ave, and went east on Como to Eustis...and a few short minutes later, I was in my sister's driveway:

It only took me 40 minutes to ride from Lyndale and Franklin in Minneapolis to Larpenteur & Eustis in Saint Paul/Lauderdale...and I took the long way, loaded with lots and lots of gear on a little folding bike.
Yes...Lauderdale.  Lauderdale, Ramsey County, MN.  Bordering Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Roseville, and Falcon Heights.  I lived in Lauderdale from 2009 to 2010, then the West Bank till last August, then J's apartment in the Wedge area in Mpls, and now...back to Lauderdale.  Right next door to the house I lived in before with my sister and her partner.  It's bikeable, there are buses nearby...the only person with a car between the 4 of us is J, 'cause he works like 30 miles north of here...
Lauderdale is a strange, amazing place.  I will devote an entire entry to Lauderdale and its history. 
Don't worry, I will eventually devote an entry to pizza.
I also want to write about the apartments/dwellings I have known and loved and hated in my time.

Here is a photo of my new home:

Built 1928.  This is the rear of the house.  This is the only door we use, as the front one is pretty much sealed.  This view faces the backyard.  My sister's house is on the left.

Backyard, facing away from the rear of the house.  That's the garage.  There is a large garden space in front of the garage.

Moose, who came with the house.  He's a gentle giant.

Lilac, also part of the bargain!  She is a very pretty (and chubby) kitty.

On an animal note, the four cats are learning to coexist.  There is a fair amount of hissing and snarling, but hopefully it will lessen over the next few weeks...hopefully.

George is not well.  Over the past week or so he has become ill with an upper-respiratory infection and he is losing weight and some of his hair.  He's getting old.  I worry about his kidneys, too, because he's drinking a lot of water.  Just a few weeks ago, he seemed just fine, but now...not so much.  I do not want to take him to the vet, however.  I have always had negative experiences with taking rats to the vet for an illness, even great vets who specialize in small animals.  It just may be George's time. 
(Update, later in the day: we took George to an emergency vet because I became paranoid that he couldn't pee due to a blockage and was in pain.  The vet's X-ray showed no blockage, but he does have an upper respiratory infection.)

It's hard to tell from this photo, but George is really blissed out on J's lap getting a little massage.

Yarny stuff...

I finished one Monkey sock the week before last (I think) and just started the second one yesterday.  No pics till I finish them both.

I have another pair of socks on the needles that is just stashy stripes and I am not liking 'em.  They're ugly.

Maybe I can just "put them away" and tuck 'em into a basement corner forever...?

I am still going to knit Roam as soon as I finish the second Monkey sock.  My current thrift store cardigan zippered hoodie is falling apart, and Roam will be the perfect replacement. 

The yarn I will be using came my way via a very recent visit to the discount loft at A Depth of Field yarn shop on the West Bank in Mpls.  (I don't mind that store, but my sister has had some major 'tude from there...)  I found exactly 8 skeins of Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted in olive green on sale, which is the perfect yardage for Roam in my size. The total for all of 'em was $28.  WOW.  Yes, I love Peace Fleece and I like blue more than green, but I cannot beat a deal like this Nature Spun.

I have decided to knit Oona's Hoodie by Veronik Avery with the Patience Blue Peace Fleece that I have not even ordered yet. 

I think this will look delightful in blue.



All right.  I should close up shop here.  I need to get dinner started for my hungry hungry manimal who is hopefully on his way home.  And what shall dinner be?  I think hashbrowns.  And sandwiches.

Do widzenia.

A little less knitting, a little more biking.

I used to be a pretty hard-core cyclist.  A serious commuter by bike.  When I lived in Chicago, I biked ten miles each way to work from the far north side down to the Loop.  Biking became a primary way to get around.  For a long time I didn't even have a halfway decent bicycle, just a department-store "mountain" bike, and I still just...rode and rode.
As time went on, I acquired a nicer, faster (used) bike, a 1982 Schwinn LeTour (which is currently taking up space at my sister's house).  I rode the hell out of that thing, and eventually converted it to a single speed, added a coaster wheel, changed the handlebars...yadda.  Yadda.

After I moved out of Chicago and into Minneapolis/St. Paul, I alternated between biking daily and taking the bus/train.  I did own a car for a short while...um...it's long gone, so no need to talk 'bout that.

When J and I first started dating, we biked everywhere together.  Hell, we met 'cause of bikes.  We first became acquainted on Mpls Bike Love, a local website devoted to Twin Cities culture complete with advocacy, forums, et cetera.

Lately, I've been very public transit-reliant.  Nothing super wrong with that, yeah, but at the same time I get so weary of waiting for buses and trains, dealing with noisy passengers and crowds, having to rely on departure schedules, the works.  I've been riding public transportation for 18 years, so...I know what's up.  I know.

This morning, I decided to ride my bike to work for a meeting. My job is 10 miles from my apartment.
Not only that, I also decided to bike to my school after the meeting.  That's another 6 miles.
Then I had to get home,  According to Google Maps, I live 10 miles from my school.
So, I biked 26 miles today.  Not bad!

My new goal is to bike to work as much as possible.

By the way, my current steed is a souped-up 1979 Raleigh Twenty.  It's a folding bike.  The guy I bought it from on Mpls Bike Love added a 7-speed internal gear hub, light alloy wheels, and high-pressure tires.  It's a pretty nice ride, even if this picture ain't so nice...

This is not the interior of a garage.  This is inside our apartment.  Sad, sad, sad.



Lately I have been spending more money than usual.  I've been buying clothes and shoes that are cold-weather specific, like merino wool base layers and socks, warm boots, even a new parka with a detachable liner.  I've heard rumors that this coming winter ain't gonna be a wimpy one, and I don't intend to stay indoors for the whole season.  I wanna bike, hike, ski, and basically do what needs to be done.  I'm also going to have to shovel lots of snow.  Why?  Because...
...J and I are moving within the next month into the house right next door to my sister's!
Long story short, the owner of the house has become disabled and is staying in an assisted living facility for the time being.  J and I are going to be the live-in caretakers of her house, probably just for the winter.  We'll take care of her two cats (we'll be up to four felines), shovel, winterize, and pay the utility bills.  We won't have to pay any official rent.
It's pretty exciting, yet I know we have a lot to do in the next several weeks.  (Pack, clean, minimize, oh crap...)

I finally finished the Grape Loop socks...

I'm going to be doing a little less knitting in the near future.  I still have projects lined up the wazoo, but since I have rekindled my interest in biking, I am gonna have to make some cuts to my knitting time.  I am also going to devote more time to schoolwork.  Ain't got no choice anyhow, since my final paper is due in a month and the big exam is a bit after that...
...add to this pile the moving situation.

Happy Halloween!

Upcoming blog idea: my favorite pizzas of all time.

What next...?

It's been a little while since I've had a moment to write.
Sadly, Bella passed away early last week.  Her health declined to a very low point quite quickly. She stopped eating and hardly had the energy to get up.  J and I made one last attempt to try to help her, which entailed giving her IV fluids daily and feeding her with a syringe (all this in addition to her multiple medications).  Nothing worked.  The vets we took her to believed she had a serious disease underlying her hyperthyroidism and her kidney problems.  I agree-- she most likely had liver failure.  This past Monday the 17th, Bella was so ill and in such bad shape that my aunt and I took her in to the vet one last time.  It was so the right decision.  She died in my arms... :-(

She was such a good girl.  So beautiful. 

It's been sad around here, without Bella.  At the same time, I am relieved that she is no longer sick or suffering.

So much on my mind...

On a different note, J and I went camping on yet another lake way up in northern MN yesterday evening.  It was very secluded...quiet save for beavers splashing into the water and owls hoo-hooing...just right.  It rained hard during part of the night, but J and I remained snug in our cozy tent and new sleeping bags.

This morning, dark and early, J and I packed up and drove a bit further up the road to the town of Ely.  We were on a mission: to purchase Steger mukluks.  I wanted two pairs and my sister wanted two pairs.  She was unable to come up north with J and me, so she made her request before we left for the trip.

Believe me, going to the mukluk store was no whim.  My sister and I have been wanting mukluks from Steger for two years now!  They are expensive, but supposedly well worth it...very warm, durable, and cute to boot (pun totally intended).  Plus, they're made right in Ely, and we don't get a chance to go that far north too often.  I bought myself a pair of the Apache moccasins and a pair of Little Muks, both black.  My sis wanted chocolate-brown Apaches and tall Ojibwas. 

J did not purchase any muks today, but he tried some on...he's strongly considering getting his own.

Gosh, a part of me would like to live on a small parcel of land up north in the lake country, have a small cabin, some sheep & goats & chickens...

My sister dreams of this as well.

J is fond of the idea, but of course he keeps bringing up the fact that gainful employment opportunities are scarce in the northern part of our fair state.  He's from Grand Rapids originally, so he knows.

I'd like to write more, since there is a lot circulating in my head, but I am getting tired and I still have unpacking to do.

Recently off the needles:

Cotton socks, Peaches & Creme in Colonial.

Winter cowl, Mountain Colors Twizzle in Headwaters.  Blurry photo taken this morning in Ely.

G'nite.