That Old Rachel 15

One July when Rachel was about two and a half, we finished dinner and, instead of getting down, she asked for paper. She had found a pen and started drawing. She colored on her paper for a bit and then started coloring on her knee. I asked her to stop and she said, with many gestures, "You can't see this (waving at her knee) because I am showing you my face (circling her hand around her head)! So you can't see what I am doing on my knee. You can only see my face!"

I told her I could see both her face and her knee and I didn't want her to color on herself. She thought for a minute.

"But I am decorating myself for Christmas!"

"Do you know when Christmas is?" I asked.

And she answered, "Um...this year I think. And maybe next year."

I have been in a funk for several weeks now. If you could see the inside of my head, it would look something like this:



When I was younger I used to describe it as my brain feeling scratchy.

And I think my face has probably mostly looked like this:



I don’t know what it is exactly…a whole combination of things. Mostly, I think, I am hearing Time’s wingéd chariot just a little too loudly these days. I miss my mom, though that seems silly since she’s almost 4 years gone. When do you get used to these absences? I miss young Rachel. I mean, 21-year old Rachel has her own charms and appeals…but sometimes I really just miss the baby. I miss feeling young. I feel so damn middle-aged-verging-on-old. Perhaps I should take up sky-diving.

So…I’ve been knitting hard and reading lots of Terry Pratchett. I should have some knitting related pictures in the next couple days. Fingers crossed.

Happy Summer...For Those Who Like It

Summer is here, school is out, let the ice cream reign!

Actually I hate summer...don't like the heat and humidity, get horribly chewed by mosquitos, don't like many outdoor activities...give me winter any time. But for those who look forward to it...I wish you a long happy summer.

This is another photo dragged out of the big ole box of photos and I have no idea who these people are. But it is rather quintessentially summer, isn't it?

Out Of Bad, Comes Good

Well, fourth time's a charm, I guess. It took me four starts to get this sock going. The first one was way too wide...that's the one I showed in a recent post. Then I cast on again in the car on the way to work but dropped a stitch and tore it all out and decided to start it up again at lunch. Started for the third time and knit a couple of rows and realized I had some weird loops of yarn hanging loose...couldn't figure out what was wrong, so I ripped it out again and started for the fourth time...with much grumbling.

This cast on will end up with 64, rather than 74 stitches and I think will fit much better. (I sort of wondered if 74 stitches wasn't going to be too big.)

And not only will it fit better....look....


I like this version much better! There isn't any pooling or striping and gee, I just love these colors. So, although starting a sock four times is not something I generally love to do, in this case, the end result is a great improvement.

Nice afternoon. We left work early as Rachel had a physical therapy appointment (for her back). While she was there, Arthur and I wandered over to the Toyota dealership and, lo and behold, they had a Scion XB...one of the original boxy ones. We really like the look of them and don't care as much for the new ones. So we asked to take this one for a test drive....pretty darn nice. But it's a 2006, the last year this version was made, and it has 40,000 miles on it. But we really liked it.

Picked Rachel up and we headed down the road to the Nissan dealer to try out the Cube. It was nice too. And brand new. And a little more maneuverable, Arthur said. But not as high off the ground...and it didn't have the same feeling of openness and visibility. On the other hand, the Scion only had two airbags, and the Cube had six. The Scion had wonderfully comfortable seats...but seemed to be pulling to the side somewhat on braking.

Still, it was fun to take these vehicles for a spin.

Giz had a nice evening, too, with a little outside time.


He'll undoubtedly throw up later.

How About Some More Relatives?

I've written before about my great-grandparents, Dora and Quinn Lauer. Here's a nice studio portrait taken in late middle age, I would guess. (Dora may be the one whose hair turned pretty much snow white when she was in her twenties. I remember Mom telling me that about one of her relatives.)

But we all started out younger. Here's a picture of Dora as a young woman.

I love the fur muff and the big satiny roses on her hat. Though I am glad I don't have to dress this way. Oh...honestly...I would use that muff.



And here is Quinn Lauer in front of what may be his first doctor's office in Conover, Ohio. I love the swing in the front.

There was a swing like that in the front yard of my Great-Great-Uncle Justus's house in Carlsbad, New Mexico. My mom and brother and I went out to Carlsbad to visit family there when I was six. And my mom said I spent an afternoon swinging in the porch swing with Uncle Justus talking a mile a minute. I don't have any clear memories of that moment, though I do remember some stuff about the visit, but I've always had a warm spot in my heart for Uncle Justus. Don't think I have any pictures of him, though.