AHHHH SO EXCITED!

So, I have done some writing about my financial plans and goals, so I figure I might as well add more as it comes along.

A few months back, I realized that soon, my mortgage interest rate would be adjusting, and I was worried about that. So, I re-read my mortgage documents, looked online for current LIBOR rates, and called around to see what kinds of deals were out there for refinancing. For the most part, no one wanted to touch my loan with a ten foot pole, except for the company who already owned the loan. This made me suspicious. So, I kept researching, and finally decided that I thought my rate would actually drop upon readjusting.

To answer your question if you were wondering, here is a link to the explanation of a LIBOR rate. My mortgage documents state that my loan will adjust to the one year LIBOR plus 2.25% or something to that effect.

Anyway, on a whim, I looked up my loan info online today, and... boy oh boy, my rate is definitely dropping! I am thrilled for more than one reason... of course, I'm happy that my monthly expenses will be dropping, but I'm also pleased that I was able to research the situation and then make a sound decision that ended up being the RIGHT decision!

I am definitely beyond relieved. And of course, the extra money will mean added cushioning for any unanticipated expenses that may come along, although I am truly hoping for NONE of those for a while... that car repair last January was plenty for a long while, as far as I'm concerned!

Keepin' the Streak Alive

Yep, another blog post... but don't get used to it or anything!

I also whipped up a cozy scarf recently, using the glorious Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica yarn. I did the "My So Called Scarf" pattern, which features a herringbone stitch. I am certainly not the first to pair this pattern with this yarn (even in the same colorway); it is a great pairing, in my opinion.


Here's a closeup shot of the stitch pattern. It really requires a jump in needle size, so if you strike out on your own and make this with a yarn other than what is called for, be sure to use a needle larger than is noted on the ball band.


On the topic of weather and the seasons, I have been happily enjoying this unseasonably warm weather! However, I was quite dismayed to note how much earlier the sun is setting now... before you know it, (less than 2 months from now, I suppose) the sun will be down before 5 PM, which I just hate so much! I suppose it's good news that it's Christmas then, as well - always a fun and welcome part of the year!

Shoulderette Bonanza!

As promised, I will now share the details of the three shoulderettes I knit up over the past couple of weeks. In the past, I have been very insistent that shawls and scarves should be enormous and should wrap around the neck one meeeeelion times. However, I have more recently decided that this is perhaps too narrow a view, and that perhaps there is room in this world for a smaller version of the shawl. Enter, the shoulderette.

First up, was Laminaria by Elizabeth Freeman. I used a skein of Malabrigo Sock Yarn in the "Solis" colorway. The yarn color was gorgeous, and I can tell it would be lovely and squishy as socks, as well. I also adored the knitting pattern - there were several different pattern charts, which kept things interesting. And not only were the charts interesting, but the resulting knitted fabric/ pattern was soooo pretty! Unfortunately, I ran out of yarn with 1/2 a row left to go, plus the bindoff. What a dilemma - do I buy another $20 skein of yarn? Ugh, for just one more row? Nooooo! Instead, I went onto Ravelry and searched for completed projects worked out of the same yarn/ colorway. I ravmailed a couple of those people who lived fairly nearby, and asked them if they had any leftovers. Indeed, I found several people willing to send me some of their leftovers, and I was able to complete the project! The donated yarn wasn't really the right color due to differences in dye lots, but because it was just the bindoff in question, the difference wasn't noticeable. If I had had to change mid-project, it would have been a much bigger problem.

Check out how pretty:


Some of the flowery lace and edging detail:



Up next was the Zetor Scarf by Jatta Soheltaa. I used a ball of Noro Kureyon Sock yarn, which I really enjoy working with. It is a very rough, primitive, and rustic yarn, with very unusual color combinations, and I just love that about it. The pattern itself was simpler than that of Laminaria, which was a better fit for the more busy/stripey nature of the Noro yarn.

Check it out:



And last but not least, the Aeolian shawl, again by Elizabeth Freeman. I used 1 1/3 balls of Knitpicks Shadow in the Snorkel colorway. When I ordered this yarn, I was super disappointed when it arrived, because the color was WAY off from how it looked online, at least on my home computer. Now that I look at it from work (naughty, naughty), it actually looks more accurate. It's a lovely color, but is very close to a knitpicks lace yarn I've used in the past for TWO different shawls! Blagh. Anyway, I decided to suck it up and use it anyway - no sense in wasting perfectly good yarn! You will also notice it's awfully close to the Malabrigo sock yarn I used for the first shoulderette in the post... too bad, so sad!

Again, I really enjoyed this pattern. There were several different charts to work through, and the pattern includes nupps, which look so cool in the finished project! The pattern also called for beads, but I decided to omit them this go 'round. I did do two extra repeats of the "Yucca" chart to make the final size a bit larger than the wee shoulderette size, which meant that I ended with 599 stitches to cast off at the end. Elizabeth uses a nice bindoff that provides enough stretch to block out nicely at the end, and it is firm enough that it's not rolling up all over the place. I like it.

Here are some photos:



And looky here at those wonderful nupps:



I have to say, I hope that Elizabeth Freeman writes more and more patterns... it may mean that my shawl collection becomes ridiculously huge, but who cares? It's more about the enjoyment of the knitting for me than it is the utility of each and every knitted project.

I'm currently working on another for-pay project, but I'll be sure to share more pics as more projects are completed...

Knitting Needles Afire!

All month, I have not had any knit-for-pay projects, until last night, actually. So, I have had the chance to do a LOT of knitting for myself!

First up, I pulled out the Forecast Cardigan , and finally finished up the second sleeve and the button bands, and sewed on the buttons... that thing had been languishing in the UFO pile for an eternity! I used one of Webs' Valley Yarns selections, called Berkshire, in the lovely "Ming Blue" colorway. It's a great wool/ alpaca blend that knit up very nicely. I did make some mods to the pattern... I did a braided cable instead of the bobble-icious cable called for in the original pattern. I also lengthened the ribbed torso segment, and removed the garter ribs around the wrists... they stuck out funny even after blocking.

All in all, I enjoyed knitting this sweater, and think it turned out well. I am reevaluating whether I did a good job with button placement... and I do have a criticism about the button hole band... the ribbing causes the buttons to slide into the ribbing, which looks dumb. I may have to consider fixing that, actually, if it drives me crazy enough.

Here are a couple of photos:



Up next, the Slanting Gretel Tee from the Fall 2009 Interweave Knits Magazine. As soon as I saw the pattern, I was very excited to realize that I had yarn that would work just right for the pattern! I then had to slightly reevaluate that decision, since the yarn I had was actually a bit thinner than the yarn called for. I made the next size up, and it all worked out just fine. I had a big ol' cone of Brown Sheep Lanaloft Sport in "Cherry Splash", and I actually have a decent amount of that yarn left. Probably not enough for another sweater, but certainly enough for a hat or two.

Here are some shots - the red did NOT come out right at all in these pictures. It is not nearly as nuclear as all that! I'll try to get better photos, really.




Isn't the center cable pretty?

I also made THREE 'shoulderettes', which are small, shoulder covering lace shawls. I am thrilled with how they turned out, and had a lot of fun making them, too. However, I feel that I should save them for another post, so stay tuned!

FERRET! AAAHHHHHHHH!!!

I was sitting in my office this morning, minding my own business, when I suddenly spied a large-ish, dark shape moving across the floor. I looked up, and it was a dark brown ferret! What in the world?!?

At first, I tried to call it over to me... it is/was probably someone's pet, so it had to be friendly, right? (I know, I don't know what I was thinking, but whatever.) It didn't come over to me, just kept hopping around, so I calmly left the room and shut the door.

I found the custodian.

Me: Rick, you will never believe what I have trapped in my office right now.
Rick: (looking skeptical) what?
Me: A FERRET! Hand to God, Rick, there is a ferret in my office.
Rick: Are you sure it's not a rat?
Me: Yes, I'm sure it's not a rat.

We go back and forth a bit; Rick is hesitant to believe my tale of mystery and excitement.

I tell several other coworkers; no one believes me. "How did a ferret get into the building?"

I was a bit baffled by their question... this isn't exactly Fort Knox over here. Doors are propped open during deliveries, for instance, and ferrets are sneaky, squeezy little creatures.

My coworkers tromped upstairs and looked in through the window next to the door. The ferret was frolicking around, jumping up on the bookshelf, trying to knock my pictures down from the wall, and having a good old time. After a while, he appeared tired and rested in the corner. I took advantage of the moment and darted in to my office to grab my breakfast and my iced coffee; the ferret did not seem to mind. I really didn't want the ferret to eat my breakfast!

Anyway, animal control arrived in a fairly short period of time, and caught my little friend in one of those bags-at-the-end-of-a-stick contraptions. Now here comes the most exciting part:

Ferrets spray when they are scared. This spray smells rather terrible. Now, my office smells skunky/ musky/ animal urine-y. Ewwwww! Even grosser, I checked out the spots where I saw the ferret had climbed, and it looks like there are pee trails everywhere. GROSSSS! Fortunately, I have some all purpose cleaner and unlimited paper towels and some industrial spray disinfectant.

I just hope the ferret didn't sneak into my purse and use my cell phone to make any long distance calls.

It has been quite the week already... all of this happened before 9 AM today! Jeepers.

Quincy Hat

In the middle of doing some knitting for pay, I've had occasion here and there to whip off a project or two. The most recent one is the Quincy Hat from the Brooklyn Tweed booklet by Jared Flood, put out by Classic Elite Yarns. That was a mouthful! Edited to add: I used Manos del Uruguay classic wool in the Wildflowers colorway.

Anyway, I really liked the simple yet very creative construction of this hat! The brim section is knitted flat, with built-in i-cord edging. You then put a twist into the brim, kitchener stitch the brim together, and pick up the crown stitches. Each step is relatively simple, but with enough interest to keep you wanting to knit more. And, the final result is super cute!

Here is an ultra glamorous shot of me in the bathroom mirror:


And here is a better shot at the crown:


The only changes I made were to go down a couple of needle sizes, and to cast on two fewer stitches when making the brim. I frequently like a slightly shallower hat than patterns call for.

Now, I'm trying to decide whether to make a matchy scarf by repeating the brim pattern, or to just use the same yarn in a different pattern. At this point, I can't decide!

Max's Knitted Socks, Leak Update

I had promised a leak update about a month ago; here it is: They fixed the leak. Huzzah!

Now, on to the knitting. I tweaked the Wee Tiny Elf Socks (ravelry link) pattern to fit a human baby foot, since it's originally designed to be just a little decorative sock. I also knitted the cuff lengthwise rather than knitting all of those little triangles one by one (I am too impatient for that). I think they turned out great!


Don't you just love those pointy toes???

I also made a pair of socks without pointy toes, using the Baby Keep Your Socks On pattern.


Both of these sock photos were more difficult to snap than you'd expect... it required a lot of assistance from other family members. We figured out that if we lifted him up in the air and then brought his feet down to the table, he'd keep his feet still for a split second... which is when you have to snap the photo!

Almost as great as the socks in the photo? Those cute little chubtastic legs!

New Garbage Disposer!

A while back, I may have mentioned that my garbage disposal had kicked the bucket. With work resuming in two days, I finally figured that I had better get kickin' on some of those around-the-house jobs I've been meaning to work on.

I was initially worried that I would not be able to install it myself, but finally just went to the store to ask about how hard it really is. Turns out, it's not that difficult at all! It would have been easier if I had been able to find a unit that was compatible to my old one, but that was just not meant to be. However, the whole process, including rewiring and everything, took less than 1/2 hour. That's less time than it takes to put together an Ikea bookcase!

I have run the garbage disposer successfully already - no leakage, no problemo. I am tickled pink!

Finally!

I started a post back on August 7, but then my computer started acting sassy, so I never got to finish! I am back from Oregon, where I finally met my new nephew, Max! I took about 150 pictures, and whittled them down to about 50 sharable pics... click here if you want to see them all, or simply enjoy a few selected pics below.

Here he is, enjoying the swing at the park... we pushed him very gently of course, since he can't quite sit up on his own yet...


Here is my brother, probably making entertaining noises for Max:

Max REALLY liked the flavor of my sister Liz's hand... he was going to town on it!


Napping in the baby carrier:


Enjoying his play mat:


I enjoyed my visit, particularly meeting Mr. Max. Of course, I also attended the Sock Summit, but that is for another post!

The Leak Update, So Far

So, the leak occurred again last night, at the more acceptable time of 10 PM. How considerate.

I again called my neighbor and maintenance, and we all decided that the a/c should be turned off, and turned back on again an hour before the maintenance guy could arrive.

This guy was a bit more on the ball - he dumped a whole 4 liters of water into the drip pan, and blammo... leaking commenced. So, it appears that there is a leak somewhere in the line AFTER the drip pan.

Fortunately, my neighbor is agreeable to having his a/c unit looked at further, and will avoid turning on the a/c until the issue is resolved.

I must say, I am relieved that the actual cause was narrowed down... I was fearing a miserable cycle of leak-> maintenance -> "we don't know" -> leak -> maintenance... so on and so forth, with no one taking responsibility for rolling up their sleeves and taking responsibility for solving the problem.

That's it for now... several nights have been spent tossing and turning now, or managing drips, and having to get up early for repair personnel. I am tired, but wow, it looks like a gorgeous day out there!

I'll be sure to update again once an actual fix/solution has been put into place.

Water From Above

I am a light sleeper. It's a pain in the neck sometimes, but every once in a while, I'm glad stuff wakes me up. Take 1:30 AM, for instance, like, just a few hours ago. I really do think I was in a deep sleep, but still woke up... I initially thought the noise was my blinds slapping against the window frame, (which happens with a fair bit of regularity) but once I made my way over to the window, I realized the noise was coming from further in my apartment. I turned the lights on, and to my horror, water was dripping from my ceiling all over my PlayStation2, right next to my TV and stereo! Noooooooooo!

I will briefly interrupt the story to state that I actually have occasional nightmares about water dripping into my home. The dreams are more strangethan what would happen in reality, though... for instance, I have had a few dreams where I move in to my new condo, only to realize that it only had part of a roof, and that rain and snow would accumulate on a regular basis. I hate those dreams.

Back to the story... I quickly unplugged all electronics in the area and moved them away from the region of drippiness. The drips were happening every 2-3 seconds I'd say. The thin puddle on the floor was a few feet in diameter.

Of course, I ran upstairs, and, feeling guilty, started pounding on my neighbor's door. He eventually came to the door, and I apologetically explained the situation. He and I examined the area where water ought to be coming from, but we couldn't see anything. The area in question was also next to the HVAC vent, but we didn't really think anything of it at the time.

So, I called the management company. The woman who answered (thank goodness for 24 hour service) said that she'd call maintenance right away.

An hour passes.

I call again. She seems surprised that I have not seen hide nor hair of said maintenance personnel. She assures me she will call them again.

30 minutes pass.

I call again. Same assurances are given. Dripping had stopped briefly, but started up again. I begin to strongly suspect the air conditioning unit of my neighbor.

30 more minutes pass.

I call again.

20 minutes pass. I am getting understandably vexed. Finally, there is a knock on the door. My wet ceiling and puddly floor are inspected. Maintenance dude leaves and knocks on my upstairs neighbor's door. I listen and hear thumps and evidence of possible progress being made in the a/c ventilation system.

Mr. Maintenance comes back. Evidently water is not draining properly from the drip pan of my neighbor's a/c. Instead, it is draining into my condo. The HVAC repair company has been notified and will *theoretically* show up first thing in the morning. My neighbor's a/c is turned off, and the dripping has stopped.

It is currently almost 5 AM; maintenance has been gone for some time now, but I am unable to sleep. The fear of damage to my home has my adrenaline pumping, and I am irrationally worried that the dripping will start again. My neighbor is very nice; he is not the type to turn on the air conditioning when he knows it will flood my condo. Intellectually, I know there is nothing to worry about, but I am still wide awake... and exceedingly tired. And of course, I can't sleep in; I have to get up and shower and such so that I am presentable for the next round of repair personnel!

Hahaha, that is kind of funny, considering the state of pajamitude I was in when the first guy got here! You'd think I would have had plenty of time to put on appropriate clothing (2+hours), but I was sleepy and was expecting him to call first, not just show up; I assumed I had appropriate changing time! However, there is something about middle-of-the-night visitors that makes pajamas seem more acceptable. Once daylight hits, it feels like I ought to have actual clothes on, yes?

I will close by stating that spell check has selected a couple of words as misspelled, but did NOT highlight "pajamitude". This surprises me!

Enjoying the Out of Doors

Last weekend, I spent some time at my parents' house. One of the things I did was go on a very hilly bike ride with my father... man, I am not used to those hills! And living where I do, I don't really get a chance to practice... let's be honest, I would not practice if I could avoid it! But, it's much hillier where my parents live, so I am forced into the hill climbs.

The next day, my left wrist hurt really badly. I think I put a lot of strain on my wrists when I ride. Not quite sure what to do about it.

I also took my camera into the woods and took some photos. Here are a couple of the ones I thought turned out the best. My parents live in the woods near some good granite quarry spots, and the old hollowed out quarried areas are full of water at times. See if you can spot the wee black tadpoles in the pool of water.

The Sun!!!

It almost feels like a miracle that the sun is shining. I quickly took advantage of it to take some pictures of a few projects I have finished up in the semi-recent past.

First up is the Counterpane Carpetbag, which I actually knitted eons ago, but never got around to sewing it up. I really like how it turned out. I did end up lining it, because I can just imagine stuff inside wriggling its way out through the knitted holes!


Next up, the 4 Corners Dishcloth. You knit one quadrant at a time, and then seam it up using a garter stitch graft, which I had never done before. Slightly different from kitchener stitch.



Next, the Chinese Waves dishcloth. Slipped stitches help to create a nice, waffly texture.


The Varanasi Socks are up next. It's a free pattern... actually, most of them are free, except for the Counterpane Carpet Bag pattern. Not too many people on Ravelry seem to have made the Varanasi socks yet, but I really liked the pattern. I enjoyed that the socks are different in the front and the back. There is a little ribbing up the back of the leg, kind of like a spine.


And finally, the one I'm probably the most excited about, the Easy Ripple Afghan! It's crocheted, and I don't crochet all that often. However, I am quite pleased with how it came out. I like the colors I picked, and the chevron pattern is easy to memorize. Don't you just love it?


That's all for now, folks... I have to go get ready for the weekend!

The 6 Month Report

So, in 43 minutes, it will be the last day of the 6th month of the year... close enough for me to feel as though it is time for a 6 month report on my New Year's Resolution... which was to "spend less money and reduce my debts". In reviewing the post I made about said resolution in January, I can safely say that a lot of the changes I've made have not only become second nature, but have really made a difference in helping me reach my goals.

To briefly review, I first took a look at all of my bills and cut/reduced what I could - quit the gym, changed my cell phone plan, reduced my cable package and Netflix package, and so on.

After trimming whatever bills I could, I decided to write down every penny I spent. I have been doing this every single day since January 1, and it has been very illuminating. Here are a few things I have learned:

1. Coffee and bagels are a slippery slope, and the few bucks add up. Better to make coffee at home, and if you really "need" a bagel, buy them at the grocery store.
2. Writing things down sort of automatically makes me spend less - you can't be in denial about where the money is going.
3. I spend about $350 a month on groceries, eating out, and entertainment. This is actually pretty good, in my opinion. I also think that this is a lot less than I used to spend - again, keeping track seems to be helping.
4. It is a lot harder to earn money back to pay off a credit card bill than it is to just not spend it in the first place. Is that splurge on a fancy new outfit REALLY worth it? Possibly every once in a while, but definitely not every time the urge strikes.
5. My desire to buy new stuff has been seriously dampened. This goes for yarn, too. I've spent about $60 on yarn all year so far, and all of that yarn was either required to finish a project I had already started, or was for a gift I did not have appropriate yarn for.

As for making extra money, I have done various odd jobs, as described before on this blog. The one odd job I continue to do is test knitting. Check this out - I'm on my 19th "for-pay" knitting project since the beginning of the year! Amazingly, during that time, I have also managed to complete 13 projects for myself, including 3 sweaters, 7 pairs of socks, and various other projects. Not too shabby, I must say. I can only imagine how small my stash would be right now if I had been only knitting with my own yarn!

And, finally, I should mention that I am keeping up with my "debt pay-down" plan, as well. I am optimistic that at some point within the next 36 months, I will be able to say that I no longer have a student loan or a second mortgage. Now, that sounds really nice!

So, that's the 6 month status report. I am optimistic that the rest of the year will go well, too. Wish me luck!

Maxi Dress - I'm Confused

Soooo, this spring, everyone is advertising and selling maxi dresses - halter top or spaghetti strap dresses, frequently with an empire waist, and trailing alllll the way down to the ground. I was excited to see this style, because I think it would look good on me. In fact, I actually bought one the other day at Target, and it looks pretty cute!

My confusion is this: who in the world are they making these dresses for??? The one I bought (as well as all of the others I tried on) came all the way down to my feet - the hem actually touches my feet, people! For any of you who have never seen me in person, I'm 5'11" tall... which places me in the top 1% of all women... which means that these danged dresses really couldn't possibly fit anyone whose shoulders are any closer to the ground than mine are, without the dang thing dragging on the ground.

Personally, I am as pleased as punch - a cute, trendy look that I can actually carry off! However, I'm sure it's a look that will fade fast, since the other 99% of women are going to pick the dress up (if they can actually REACH the high-up rack these dresses have to hang from), hold it up to them, and realize a foot of fabric is lying on the ground. A non starter - that dress will never even make it into the dressing room!

ANYWAY, I intend to rock this style for as long as it's still cool - it's a nice way to look glamorous but still be comfy - the dress I got is a knit jersey fabric... nice!

Apologies to the other 99% of women out there... if you have a sewing machine, perhaps you can hem a maxi dress to your liking???

Thankful

At this time of the school year, I am incredibly thankful that I did not receive a pink slip on the 15th. Dozens and dozens and dozens of school employees received them, but I did not receive one. True, most of these people will have these pink slips rescinded prior to the first of the fiscal year (July 1), but they have to wait and worry until then, and my heart goes out to them. I attended a union meeting today, where we discussed possible concessions that we as a unit could offer up to the school board, so as to preserve as many jobs as possible, and I am hopeful that negotiations will go well.

It was hard to sit at this meeting and look around at all of the anxious faces - one woman noted to our table that her husband had just been laid off, and that she also just received a pink slip. What an absolute nightmare!

I worry that things will get worse before they get better, but I am incredibly grateful that I am most likely safe for one more year.

Tossing Some Crochet Into The Mix!

Although I am a knitting fiend, I do also know how to crochet. I've been rather successful in my efforts to bring little to no new yarn into my home, and have been 'shopping the stash' any time I want to start a new project. This past weekend, I didn't really feel like picking up any of my current WIPS, so I impulsively dragged out a BIG bag of acrylic yarn that I bought some time in 2008 (an impulse purchase at the time; no idea why I had planned to make a crochet afghan). What better way to blast through a BIG bunch of stash yarn?

Of course, it is an ill timed project... who wants to keep a big, warm, cozy afghan on their lap while they are working away on it? However, after only a couple of afternoons of work, it's already 16 inches long... at that rate, it will be just over 5 feet long in 8 full evenings... not sure whether those 8 evenings will all be soon or later, but they will happen eventually, I suppose! Irritatingly, I think I will have to buy more yarn to finish the blankie, but if I buy it on sale, it won't be too expensive to complete.

The colors are quite pretty, and it's decent acrylic - check it out so far:



I feel like the colors are a bit richer and prettier in real life. Interestingly, a lot of the colors match the stripey chair I have in my living room... I'm not sure if I'll keep the blankie or give it away... but considering the matchy aspect, maybe I'll keep it!

I was zazzed!

Last night, after trying to make plans with a friend which potentially involved some convoluted idea of when/where to take a bike ride, I became quite zazzed about the idea of riding my bicycle. So zazzed, in fact, that I woke up earlyish and went for a 20 mile ride this morning. I've gone on a handful of rides so far this spring, but none yet where I just rolled out the front door of my home... I had been bringing my bike by car to somewhere so the whole ride would be quiet and pretty. One disadvantage of the 'coming home' part is an unavoidable stretch of cobblestones... quite jangly on a bicycle!

Anyway, it was a very nice ride. I evidently enjoy exercising when it is cool and cloudy out, and this morning did not dissapoint. 55 degrees when I set out, and not a single ray of sun to be seen - perfect! Now that I'm home, I feel a bit clammy, but that is when a hot shower feels best, in my opinion! Anyway, I'll have to break the news to my friend that we will not be going on a ride together this evening; at least, not on bikes!

The sun did start peeping out a little bit near the very end of my ride - I am hopeful that it makes a more grand appearance later on today! Enjoy your weekends, everyone!

Whoa, Another Job?

A while back, I mentioned that part time jobs keep falling in my lap. Today, it happened again! I received a call from Student Support Services (a department within the Lowell Public School Department) saying that there was a family that needed some mental health support over the summer. I won't be too specific about the family demographics, as it would be very easy to identify the family. It is a family that has arrived to the US fairly recently, and they have two children, both of whom have the same noncurable genetic disorder that prevents them from being able to go to school. The disorder is medical in nature, and the school environment is simply too dangerous to their physical well being.

Anyway, the children already receive in home tutoring and nursing assistance, but the school department and the family are worried about isolation and the children's mental health. Enter, me! The specifics of the job are a bit unclear, but it sounds like I might visit a couple of times a week and hang out/ interact with the kids. Even better, it is very close by to where I live, so it's not an annoying schlep anywhere inconvenient.

So, that's all of the information I have at the moment. I was very specific when I said I was not interested in anything more than a few small hours a week - so this would be pretty perfect, wouldn't it!

Great Brook Farm

Yesterday, I went for a nice walk in the woods at Great Brook Farm, in Carlisle, MA. It was an incredibly gorgeous day; I couldn't believe how beautiful a day it was! There were still mosquitoes who chomped away despite the "Australian Rain Forest Tested" bug spray I used, but for some reason, the bites aren't really all that itchy. I am grateful.

I had recently bought a new rechargeable battery for my pocket sized point & shoot digital camera, so I tucked it in my pocket and snapped a few pictures - it's a much easier camera to pack and pull out than the big ol' DSLR I have. I enjoy using the DSLR more, but... it is a bit unwieldy when tromping through the woods.

Here are some of the photos I took:

Look at how many lady slippers there were!


Here is another one... they were everywhere.


A poofy dandelion:



Just LOOK how gorgeous it was!




Another nice feature of this spot is that they have amazing ice cream there. I got butter crunch, and it was incredibly creamy, rich, and wonderful. Yeah, it kind of negates the exercise I did, but hey... it was worth it.

While we sat and ate our ice cream, we saw a bunch of geese across the pond. One of them seemed to be in trouble , flapping around and not following his family into the water. The family swam away, then mom quacked at him and went back to get him, but he did not follow. An intrepid human boy tiptoed toward the situation, and finally he and his dad figured out what was going on... the gosling was trapped with a length of fishing line! The mom watched carefully as the humans freed her baby... and then he swam happily out onto the water and joined the other geese. It was rather exciting, I must say! At first, I didn't realize the gosling was in trouble, and I thought that the boy was going to get nipped by an angry mom, but everything worked out okay in the end.

I saw a few excellent dung beetles, but the photos didn't turn out very well... I'm sure you are all quite disappointed.