Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Fanfare, please...

I've started a new blog, strictly for fiberish pursuits.  Please check it out!

http://fibervoodoo.blogspot.com/

Hope you enjoy it!

Monday, August 29, 2011

When everything you touch turns to ...

The sale of my house has fallen through. Evidently the male half of the duo buying it is/was a scammer (or has no cojones), and after promising to have the $$ to close Friday afternoon, took the opportunity to skip out while his girlfriend was at Wal-Mart.  I have told my agent to dump the price $15K, and put it back as active.

Meanwhile, after having a rough Friday and Saturday, I managed to get stuff packed into the truck and travel trailer and moved it over to Prineville. I didn't think to take pictures of backing the trailer into it's space - there was about 6 inches on either side of it (it's 8' wide). It's in, it's level, and just needs me to come back and make it livable with the dogs, bedding, etc. Soon...

The cancellation of the sale means that I either a) need to sell 18 birds very quickly (by Wednesday), or b) have to move them, which complicates things enormously. I'm not sure I can move dog jail (10 x 10 x 6 powder coated, welded steel panels) and pull a trailer at the same time, AND keep the chickens, etc. in the bed of the truck. I'm still pondering. (and avoiding putting them on CL)

There's less stuff on the floor since the dump run was made Saturday morning. It is getting there, but there's still so much stuff - the pantry is full, and there's all the canning jars that aren't going anywhere but storage because I WILL use them (someday...). I took the freezer stuff over except for the tequila (everyone keeps theirs in the freezer, right?) and some fruit. The fridge stuff will go over this week.

Meanwhile, looming on the horizon is Shaniko Wool Gathering, on September 10 & 11. Correy and I have shared a booth there forever, even though I haven't been to the last 3. Normally, it takes me about a month to prepare - dyeing, winding, labeling, etc. - I have about a week. Fortunately, I won't be working full time, so that will help - I won't have anything else to do!

I have some new yarn, Alpaca Lace, that I'm dying to try weaving (or to throw on the knitting machine). It's very fine, very soft, and the natural color is a light golden color (even after washing). It should dye beautifully. At about 4400 yds/lb, there's a lot of yardage there. I have more of the superwash merino/bamboo, which I sold out of at Fiber Market day, some superwash merino in sport and fingering, and some superfine, 80's merino fiber, all to dye before the festival.  I also have some raw silk yarn (I love the smell), that I'm hoping to weave with. I've used it in the past to make scarves, which turn out really beautiful.

In my last post I mentioned being a little scattered. That no longer applies. My brain has left this geographical location and is MIA. I'm hoping that doing some fiber stuff will help ground me a little while I navigate this now more difficult transition.

Like the song says, "you can't always get what you want, but ... you get what you need" - I keep telling myself that. Over and over...

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Moving update...

I have gotten down to the stuff all over the floor stage. I'm about to grab the dust pan, shove it all into trash bags and take it to the dump!

Escrow hasn't closed, but the buyers have signed the papers. The bad news is that it hasn't closed - the good news is that I have 3 days after closing to get out, so it's kind of ok...

Thanks to Brin and Tristan (Correy's Daughter and SIL), I got all the big stuff (Freezer, Washers and dryer, Loom) and the kitchen and all the previously packed books over last Wednesday and into storage. I drove home Thursday, and Sandi (a Eugene friend) helped me get all the smaller furniture and odd assorted bits into the borrowed stock trailer, which I hauled over Friday, and then drove back Saturday. Whew - a lot of too-ing and fro-ing!

Work is odd - I don't really have much to do, given that I'm only here for another 5 days. However, I'm not really here, anyway! They're planning a party - I told them to have lots of kleenex...  Also, Chocolate Brownie Thunder ice cream.

The truck is in the shop to the tune of $600 - major tune up, new distributor - or I wouldn't be able to haul the travel trailer over the hill this weekend...

Sorry I'm a little scattered - it's weird coming home to a mostly empty house.  Last night my dinner was fat-free fudgesicles and a beer - I have no pots or utensils until I bring the trailer home tonight! Then I can use some of the food in the pantry...

Oh well, onward!!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Why I can not be considered "normal"...

I am in the midst of moving.  As you may know, moving sucks... So, I, in an attempt to be a "responsible adult" applied for a job in Bend, for which I had an interview on Friday. It went well, other than the fact that I woke up at 2:50 am that morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I don't do sleep deprivation well.

By the time I had driven to Prineville, changed into interview clothes (which I had to buy, not having any suitable...), driving to Bend, doing the interview, driving to Madras to look at a house to rent (not suitable), and getting back to Prineville to change back into "real" clothes, I was a wreck.

I went to the Fair anyway. I had a good time, but was well and truly somnambulant by the time Correy and I got back to her place. I called about another house, which sounded good, but when they found out I had one of those evil, wicked, killer dogs (a pit bull who sleeps under the covers on the bed, loves cats, wants to lick people to death), I was declined. That was the last straw. I lost it. I'm not giving up my dog. We did watch "The Tourist," which was fun.

So Saturday morning, I got it together, and drove home with a migraine. When I got home, I did pillow-blankie-night night courtesy of oxycodone (it's prescribed, never fear - I'm not an addict).  When I got up, I called LindaLou.

I may have mentioned this before, but Linda and I are both INFP's - Introvert/Intuitive/Feeling/Perceiving, per the Meyers Briggs personality inventory. There's some very small percentage of humans that are this type.  She understands me.  So I called her about having second thoughts about the job interview (they are to call me this week for another go). She calmly asked me why I applied for the job, since I wasn't settled enough to know where I was, and why I thought I *needed* a job right away, and, basically, what was I thinking! I said that I guess I was trying to be normal, having a job, being a responsible, self-sufficient adult, to which she replied, "But you're not normal!"

Thanks, Linda, for whacking me upside the head with the cosmic 2 x 4 and getting me back on track.

I'm still kind of a wreck, but I'm going to take the rest of the week off and pack and move stuff, since the house is supposed to close on Friday and I have to be out by Monday.  Yesterday, it took me all day to do my very small bathroom... My bedroom is the stuff of nightmares, and then there's the kitchen...  I know it will all work out, but I swear, if I were a normal person, I wouldn't leave it all until the last minute.

I think the P really stands for Procrastination...

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

It's been a year!

Last year at this time, I was in the hospital on major drugs recovering from double knee replacement surgery. While the initial recovery was painful, I am now pain free, and lovin' it!

I saw my doctor yesterday, and he's still very pleased (as am I), and I don't have to go back for 4 years. I told him that I was moving, and he said he could refer me to a group in Bend, but said that he'd be happy to have me come back to see him (which I will probably do - we have a good raport). As I was leaving, he gave me a hug! I almost cried.

I've been baby-sitting 2 breeding groups of Correy's sheep at the pasture near my house. Last night, I stopped by to check water and found the owner wringing his hands about a water leak.  The upshot is that he's had to turn the water off that serves the sheep, and I'm making an unscheduled trip over the hill with sheep on Friday. I may be able to bring a load of sheep from the east side to the sheep buyer - at $5/head, it helps with the gas...

Annie is now being ridden - I'm going to see her today after work (and to pick up the stock trailer that I'm borrowing to move sheep!).  More pictures soon.

You know what? Moving sucks. Let me repeat that - Moving sucks!!! I have so much stuff - I should have a garage/yard sale, but I don't have time to price everything, move it out of the house to where the sale might/could be (it's foggy at night still), and most of my cast offs will probably go to a) the dump, or b) goodwill. I have boxes, but probably need more, and am still up in the air about where I'm going (other than plan A, which is Correy's back yard with the trailer). I think I'm going to get a storage unit this weekend when I go over there, just in case.  I can also take the boxes that I have packed so far, which would be smart... 

I think I'm like my bosses - I'm in total denial. I know it's coming, I know I need to get stuff done, but I just get paralyzed and don't do anything...  Not good.  I envy LindaLou - she's moving the same weekend that I am (or I would be helping her!), but all her stuff has been in storage so it's already packed.  I need a fairy godmother to come wave her magic wand and make it happen  - or whack me up side the head with a 2 x 4 to get me going...