And it's been a busy/hectic/traumatic/wonderful summer at that. Lot's of news to catch up on here. I lost some pets this year, my dog Mandy, and 2 of my beloved feathered friends ZooZoo my blue and gold macaw, and my timneh african grey Zoey. That's all I can say about that, or the floodgates will open again....
I got to go back to Arizona to help my Mom move from her apartment into a house my Sister and Brother in law purchased for her to live in. I did get to help finish the house, laying tile, caulking new windows, and tearing down the pool filter and repairing that. And the tile around the top of the pool hadn't been cleaned in a long time, so I got to spend 3 days with a pumice stone and removed 
all the built up mineral deposits. I was there for about 2 days and she ended up in the hospital with what we thought was pneumonia, but turned out to be a COPD exacerbation, a build up of acid in her bloodstream, and a dangerous drop in both sodium and potassium levels. She was in the hospital for 9 days, so I extended my stay for another week to help finish the house for her. It's a beautiful place, that basically got gutted by my brother, and rebuilt by everyone and anyone that could help out!! Nice Job Guys!!! Mom was in the house 1 night and I had to call 911 when she woke me with chest pains... back in the hospital we go. She's fine now, doing well and LOVING the house!! Thank God for small miracles.
all the built up mineral deposits. I was there for about 2 days and she ended up in the hospital with what we thought was pneumonia, but turned out to be a COPD exacerbation, a build up of acid in her bloodstream, and a dangerous drop in both sodium and potassium levels. She was in the hospital for 9 days, so I extended my stay for another week to help finish the house for her. It's a beautiful place, that basically got gutted by my brother, and rebuilt by everyone and anyone that could help out!! Nice Job Guys!!! Mom was in the house 1 night and I had to call 911 when she woke me with chest pains... back in the hospital we go. She's fine now, doing well and LOVING the house!! Thank God for small miracles.
I packed my oldest off for her first year of college at Loyola. I did quite well until about 3 weeks before she left, I saw a Wal-Mart commercial that reduced me to tears.... would I have that "wal-mart moment"?? As it turns out, no. No run down the steps with one last hug for Mom... or Dad... or her sister who she finally bonded with this past year. She was off and
running her own life in college. 
Why do I feel like I offered her up on a silver platter to any dangerous thug in the world to do with what they want?!?!! Normal.. I keep telling myself this is normal... I should concentrate more on the feelings of pride and accomplishment!!! I have busied my self with painting any room in my house that does or doesn't need new paint to keep my head clear. She's a great kid, with a good head on her shoulders. She's smart, and beautiful and she's got great goals set out for herself. She's pre-med bio, going into the medical field somewhere.
My youngest has learned to drive... good God how do parents survive this stuff??!!! I know how I did it... margaritas before lessons!! It worked out pretty well, she is a good driver who knows her limits. She got her sisters car since she's away and won't need it now. She's signed up for 'early bird' at school, so she is up and out the door before anyone else in the house is even awake. Kudo's Kiddo!! You are on the right path in life too!!
On the knitting /fiber front, I am on my 3rd pair of Monkey Socks by Cookie A. I adore this pattern and can't wait to see how my yarns knit up!! I'm picking up my Lady E the 2nd to work on again, now that summer is almost over and it's cooling down a bit. I'll have to refresh my memory how to do entrelac, but thankfully I have my pattern in the bag (yes, my little laminated index cards) with my spot marked on where I left off.I also went to my very first Fiberfest!! I better get my butt back on eBay and start selling off more crap so I can have more money for this hobby... I love my knitting, and I love my spinning, but it isn't cheap. My wonderful, crazy cousin came up just for this fiberfest, and we had a blast!! We got up at the crack of dawn (ok, it just felt like it..)and drove an hour and 20 min. in a freakish storm that followed us all the way up there. The wipers were going full force and I was secretly wondering if I should pull over for a bit to see if it would slow down. Once we passed the spun out corvette, the rain let up a bit and it pretty much stopped 10 min. outside the fest area. We spent about 6 hrs on our feet, walking, oogling, touching yarns and talking to some of the nicest people on the planet!!!
I thought I had everything I needed, until I saw the raw fleece.... OMG it's just what I have been looking for! I wanted to take a project from the very beginning to the very end, and now I can!!! Knitters/Crocheters are the best!!! I'm just sorry I won't be able to go down to Linda's place for SAFF (banging head on floor, crying, screaming,... ok whining!)So that my friends is what I have been up to, work, play, spin, knit: repeat!! I'll try to edit with pictures, wish me luck ;)
