My yarn stash is almost out of control. There's a knitting terminology called 'critical mass'.  That means that you have more yarn than you can knit in your lifetime.  My stash isn't at critical mass yet, but it's getting there.  I've got yarn EVERYWHERE.  It's in baskets, in cedar boxes, trunks, tubs, in closets, shirt sleeves, bags....in the vanity under the bathoom sink, under my bed, behind the couch, in the laundry room....it's every frikkin' where. So why is it...

I've recently been introduced to the concept of 'Freeganism'.  Freeganism is a way of life where.....well, the rules (guidelines) explain it far better than I ever could: *My thoughts about each of the guidelines are in itialics* 1.    I will not buy anything except for food, medical needs or in case of emergency. That seems pretty easy.  However, 'emergency' is pretty subjective.  2.    I will be a vegan. Not so easy.  I'v...

This time last week I was getting my patient cleaned up and comfortable in her bed.  I knew that she was on her way out of this life, but I thought that she had a few days (if not weeks) left. If you had told me that I'd be starting college classes today, I'd have laughed at you and told you to check your temperature because you must be delirious.   My life has changed a lot in the past 7 days.  First, my patient passed away.  I knew that she was terminally ill, but ...

Tomorrow is the first day of school for me.  I haven't been a college student....well, in quite some time.  Years.....and that's what scares me. I'm scared.  I can't pinpoint exactly what I'm scared of; it's more of a generalized scared.  I'm a little scared of getting lost, of being late, of not fitting in, of.....of a whole bunch of things.  The one thing that I'm NOT worried or scared about, though, is the class work.  I KNOW I can do that. I guess that I'm...

It’s hot around here.   Very hot.   Almost 100 degrees hot.   Miserably hot, in other words.  The kind of heat that becomes the sole topic of conversation on the news and in stores and over telephone lines. Growing up the in UK, I was never exposed to much heat.   Bikini weather for us was 70 degrees, and   anything over 85 was described as a heatwave.   I got my first real taste of heat when I lived in North Carolina.   My first summer t...

I finally got my dream appliance today.  I've been hankering after a Dyson for a couple of years, so when the opportunity for me to get one presented itself, I took it. My hands were literally rembling when I got it home and started taking it out of the box.  It's a pretty spendy machine, retailing at $369, and I was worried that it wouldn't perform to my expectations (or to my husband's expectations; he wasn't very happy about my dropping nearly $400 on a hoover. I had nothing t...

I quit my so-called knitting instructor job yesterday. When I was hired at the start of June, I was asked to provide them with a short bio and a photo.  My supervisor - we'll call her 'Betty' - said that she needed that as soon as I could get it to her, along with some samples not only of my work in general, but of the items we'd be making in class.  She said that she'd put the bio and the samples up on the classroom wall so that people could see them and perhaps be enticed into com...

Recently, thre's been a trend towards 'mineral' cosmetics versus the traditional liquid foundations.  I've tried a couple of them - Cover Girl and Physicians Formula - and I haven't been too pleased with the results.  Each one claimed that it's leave me with an 'airbrused complexion', free of age spots and imperfections, but all it did was settle into my crows feet and fine lines and make me look 10 years older.  So, I tossed them away and went back to using my old standby, l...

One of my worst fears was recognized today. My patient fell.  On my watch. She likes to have some privacy in the bathroom - as would anyone - so I normally help her in there, help her get her underthings down, and then leave her in peace.  She hollers when she's ready to get up, and I'm never far away (usually in the bedroom or kitchen, both of which are on either side of the bathroom). I go back and check on her every few minutes, knocking on the door and asking if she needs any...

I'm hooked on Jelly Belly jellybeans.  The Commissary here at Scott AFB sells them in bulk for $4.29 a pound; you can either get the 49 flavor mix, the Fruit Bowl mix, the Sour mix, individual flavors or a mix of all of the above should you so desire.  Every time I go to the store I make a point of getting some - I keep them in a Mason jar on the kitchen counter and have a little tin that I carry in my purse so I can have Jelly Belly beans whenever, wherever.   I've tried...