Uncle Leona's Day Camp

I am officially pooped

And no, this time it doesn't involve golf or a certain Y chromosome carrier. This time, it's from pure, unadulterated manual labor. This weekend has been about as perfect a summer/spring weekend as weather can go: mid-70's, no humidity, little breeze...outstanding. For what? Here's what has been accomplished around Casa de Leona in the past two days:

1. The back yard was mowed
2. The woodpile was restacked after the fence guys knocked it over last summer.
3. Two flower beds were weeded.
4. The herb garden was pruned back.
5. The ornamental grass bed around the pool heater was weeded.
6. Three dead ornamental grasses were dug out and replaced from the existing live ones.
7. The snow fence the fence guys left was removed from the back yard.
8. The patio furniture was dug out of the garage and taken to the back yard.
9. The pool was cleaned, filled, and chemicalized.

I now have two full yard waste bags and the makings of a fine hernia. A complete weekend.

While allowing the Motrin to do its magic, I got a lot of work done on my weekend knitting project, too. Although there is a sweater in progress (in the knit forever phase...boring), I needed quick gratification, so I channeled my inner sorority girl and got to work on this:

It's a Noni bag. It's being knitted with Cascade 220, which will felt up great. I just hope it felts enough. Here's a little look at the scale:

No, Grady hasn't suddenly started doing drugs. I caught him in mid yawn. As for the bag, it called for size 11's and a 3 stitch/inch gauge. I'm using size 10.5 with a 3.5 stitch/inch gauge.

Yes, I'm a rebel. To be honest, I want the finished size a bit smaller than the stated measurements, and I didn't want to mess with the striping, 'cause I like it.

The bigger issue, however, will be that I have to put a zipper in. I hate zippers. Always have, ever since my sewing days. I can do them, but I'm never satisfied. That's why I'm taking a zipper course at Stitches Midwest. Maybe I'll get a clue.

Or maybe I'll discover the wonders of Velcro, the Miracle Fabric of the New Millennium.

I am alive. Alert the media.

Yes, I'm still here. The Cavs are now mired in a 3-0 hole, but I haven't slit my wrists. You see, it's all part of the Cleveland Sports Fan Psyche: we expect defeat. It's our special gift. Not that I wouldn't relish a championship around these parts some day...

(Insert plaintive sigh here)

OK, back to reality. I had a lovely long weekend in Grand Rapids--5 whole days of fun and frolic. And blisters. And sunburn. And tendonitis. And chafing.

The chafing is from golf, you animals. Sheesh!

The golf was a lot of fun. It was me and eight guys hacking up the course for 54 holes over two and a half days. Yes, that's a hell of a lot of golf. I played OK, I guess. Sadly, something happened to my swing at league night last Wednesday that I couldn't fix before the weekend, so my scores were all over the place. I did manage to win two of my matches, though, which was two more than I won with this group last year.

My handicap helps. A lot.

One of the matches won was against my Michigan man, whose butt I had been promising to kick ever since they announced this event. He took it like a man. Of course, it helped that he beat me the next day when I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Probably a good thing; can't fiddle around too much with that male ego, even if his seems to be pretty stable. Speaking of the man, yes, we had a wonderful time together. And no, I still have no clue where this little romance is going, which, at the moment, is fine by me. I just like having fun.

There was a little intrigue over the weekend, however. I had invited another gentleman to join us who lives in Milwaukee. I have played a lot of golf with him (even spent four days...platonic days...in Hilton Head playing golf) in the past, but I hadn't seen him, ironically, since the event in Chicago two years ago where I met Mr. Michigan. He was able to join us, and it was great to see him again. I still view him as a friend, but I'm not so sure things haven't changed from his end (his "good to see you again" email yesterday was interesting to read). Nothing overt, and maybe I'm reading too much between the lines, but I'm just wondering a bit.

Me and men. Never a dull moment.

I didn't bring the knitting to Michigan, but I did manage to get the ribbon top back done while watching the Cavs go down the tubes again last night.

I'm not sure if the armholes are long enough, but we'll see when I start sewing things up. I also did a little surgery on the pattern; it called for shoulder cast offs for six rows, then putting the neck stitches on a holder. I didn't want to have that high of a back neck, so I did two short rows, then put the stitches on the holder, then did four more short rows on each shoulder. Looks OK at the moment. Maybe I do have a clue about this knitting stuff after all!

I certainly have more of a handle on it than I do on Y chromosomes.

I'm still a little stunned

Last night Cavs' victory over Detroit still hasn't sunk in. We're going to the NBA Finals? Where's that Allen Funt guy? He's behind my bookcase, right? It's beginning to sink in around town, though. I was at the mall today to find my Eastern Conference Champions t-shirt. First of all, finding a parking spot near Dick's Sporting Goods was impossible (they wound up being out of the shirts anyhow). I managed to get one of the few at Penney's--grabbed it off the rack before the sales chick put the price tag on it. They were going that fast.

Christmas shopping in this town is less insane.

Cavs attire was all over the mall. Everyone is in a good mood (except for the guy in the SUV who felt I took his parking space...he probably peed on my tires, but it was raining, so big deal). And where will I be when this silly little seven game series with San Antonio begins?

Michigan.

Wearing my Cavs hat.

Better find me some bodyguards.

Needless to say, I did some furious knitting while at home watching Game 6 last night. Let the trumpets ring, people...

The gloves are done!!

I finished the thumb today. I think I ripped it out three times during the fourth quarter, then I gave up. The yellow yarn ran out with three rows left on the thumb. The blue, however, doesn't appear to be dented. Will I make another pair?? Maybe. My Mom loves them.

Lord knows I have the yarn.

When the thumb was abandoned, and I was listening to the joy on the Cavs call-in show on the radio, I got some work done on the next spring sweater:

It's a simple pullover made with El Cheapo ribbon yarn from Pat Catan's; I think the stuff was $1.49 a ball. The colors are great, though, and it's making a very interesting fabric. I'm pleased with my cheapitude.

It's so not my style. Cheap yarn, that is.

Oh, yeah, before I went to work on the glove yesterday, I decided my new golf club needed a hat.

It's my stock hybrid wood pattern using leftovers, including a little splash of Fiesta La Boheme. It'll look lovely next to the skull and crossbones this weekend.

And my Cavs headcover.

The Snowballs are Being Tossed in Hades

The Cavs are headed to the NBA Finals!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!

I'm spent.