IT MUST BE A LIMA, OHIO THING?

 

Raise your hand if you know what I call the beverage in my glass.

Nobody?

It's red pop.

Yes. You read that correctly.

Red.

Pop.

I finished cleaning up the post-dinner kitchen and found a bottle of Faygo hidden in the back of the fridge. (I'm pretty sure it's there because I ordered groceries like a twelve year old boy the last time Rich went to New Jersey, and I ended up with a few things that harkened back to my childhood.)

When we were kids, weekends meant Grandma's house. (My Uncle Connie lived with Grandma and took care of her before he and Aunt Linda were married, so weekends were an opportunity for him to have a little free time). So my cousins David and Brian and my sister and I would head over to Lewis Blvd with pj's and sleeping bags and we'd visit with Grandma and Mickey the dog...which was always an American Eskimo Spitz.

(And always named Mickey.)

Uncle Connie always loaded up the downstairs fridge with all kinds of pop. (Soda if you're from the East...Coke if you're from the South. Pop if you're from Lima.) There were bright shiny bottles of Orange Crush, Teem, Vernors Ginger Ale, and...Red Pop. I think it might have been called Big Red, but we called it red pop and drank it with our popcorn in front of The Carol Burnette Show on a big floor-tablecloth in front of the TV.

So tonight I poured that red pop into my glass and settled in to stitch, and JB looks over, sees the red liquid in the glass, and says "What the heck are you drinking, Con?" and I said "Campari", which gave him a minor stroke...and then I said "Red pop".

(Explanations ensued.)

So that's what I'm doing, Dearies. I'm sitting in my chair with my red pop and my stitching and thinking about Grandma's house, where there was always baloney sandwiches, ten kinds of cereal, and lots and lots of red pop.

Happy Thursday. I'm going to put the iPad thingie down for a few days and try to re-set my tiny little brain. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and that you get to do all of the things. Have fun and come tell me all about it!

IN WHICH WE MELT DOWN ALL OVER THE DARN PLACE

 

Oh, Good Grief. I am, as the kids say, having a moment.

It's been thirty-eight years since my mom died, but I miss her more fiercely now than ever before, and I just don't know what to do with myself. Here I stand, on the doorstep of sixty, and I haven't a clue how to be a fully grown a$$ woman who has enough sense not to act like a child most of the time.

They say that you freeze emotionally at the age you were when you lost your mom, so that means I'm wandering around down here as a clueless twenty-one year old. I just don't know how to do this, Dearies. So instead of figuring it out, I grab the tape and glitter and fumble my way through and hope that nobody notices that underneath all of the clowning...is a big fat mess.

My to do list for the day is as long as my arm, but instead of actually attacking it, I'm still sitting in my chair drinking coffee at 4:10pm and wondering what to make for dinner. Does that ever go away, by the way? It seems to me that being a woman in a relationship means spending an inordinate amount of time wondering what the hell is so sticky on the countertop and what to make for dinner. (The answer, by the way...is strawberry jelly and tuna melts.) 

(It's always strawberry jelly and tuna melts.)

I am, however, very happy to report that my canvas piece is coming along beautifully, and if I get out of my own way this afternoon, I should be able to get to the half-way point of the border. I am so happy with the decision to frog and re-stitch. It has been a real pleasure to have that angst behind me as I watch those colors come to life, and I think (knock wood), that I will have plenty of thread to finish.

Thank you for indulging me today. I do this every year, I know, and I realize that I will get to do it all over again on Friday when I remember my Stewey. On that day it will be nine years since his passing, so I guess I should just prepare for more waterworks and sadness.

(Waterworks and Sadness. Sounds like a good title for my book, I think.)

Enough. There's things to do and stitches to be made and Outlander to be viewed. Mom would be peeved at my wallowing, I'm sure. 

(Stewey, on the other hand, will be disappointed if flags are not lowered and a moment of silence is not observed, so lemme go find my black outfit and veiled hat for the festivities.)

Cheers to Vaceila. I'd like to think she's happily needlepointing today, with Dad beside her watching a Notre Dame game. As for Stewey...hopefully he's supervising and has finally found a proper valet to keep him in fresh little smoking jackets and cravats.

OKIE DOKIE

Problem solved. 

Dearies, I love you all for giving me soothing pats on my pointy little head and telling me to just let my booboo ride, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out a way to compensate that outer border.

So out it came, in went the inner border, and now we're back to rights.

(Just keep your fingers crossed that I don't run out of thread.)

DAMN, DRAT, AND PHOOEY

Well, Dearies...I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that your intrepid Spinster has matured and no longer launches projects out the window when she discovers an epic fail.

Nor does she put said project in the driveway and back over it repeatedly with the SpinsterMobile while neighbors watch with unbridled horror.

The bad news is that Autumn Quilts is now officially in the TIME OUT basket until I can stop muttering cuss words under my breath because APPARENTLY I NO LONGER KNOW HOW TO READ A &$#@! CHART CORRECTLY and missed an entire inner border before completing a big section of a middle border so now there's nothing to be done but remove the big section of a middle border and pray I have enough thread to finish the damn thing properly.

Phooey.  I'm going to bed.

SUNDAY SPINSTER BLISS

 

Happy Sunday, Dearies!

Quiet weekend here in Hoosierville waiting for the snow to fly. I think we're supposed to get as much as 8-12 inches with this storm, but I am not watching the news on purpose -- I can literally see the grocery store from our front windows, but one flake of snow falls and my inner psychopath starts hollering "WE NEED PROVISIONS! WE NEED PROVISIONS!" and I start regretting the fact that we don't have a root cellar stocked with canned goods for the upcoming blizzard, and I only have 48 rolls of back up toilet paper instead of the requisite 96.

(You can take the Spinster out of Crazytowne, but you can't budge the crazy out of the Spinster. That stuff is buried deep.)

Progress continues on Autumn Quilts. I am determined to finish this before breaking out the Christmas stitching!

No cold brew today. I opted for a lovely French Roast/Smoked Butterscotch in an old favorite mug instead. A tiny splash of creamer and an itty bitty bit of Truvia and it was perfect!

Cheers to the week ahead! What's on your agenda?

 

POOF...LIGHTS OUT!

 

No electricity for us here in Hoosierville, Dearies. Large outage area that will hopefully result in lots of cozy reading and conversations, and not in mayhem. No stitching for me, but there might be a nap involved!

WooHoo!

IN A MILLION YEARS, I NEVER WOULD HAVE IMAGINED...

 

YOU KNOW YOU'RE OFFICIALLY OLD WHEN...

You go to iHop and have the Rise&Shine 55+ "Senior" breakfast and then go to see the Bruce Springsteen movie.

At 10:00.

On a Saturday morning.

I'm also am not ashamed to confess that I carried my own damn good cold brew in my purse...it is, after all, medicinal.

(The sticker is covering the opening in the lid...I didn't want it to spill, and this came from my planner collection of TCMC emotis.)

Nap time for me, Dearies, because my Irish are playing Boston College this afternoon and I need to be alert so I can holler at the TeeVee!

UM...I MIGHT HAVE TO LIVE HERE NOW

 

My goodness! When I started reading The Count of Monte Cristo, I knew it was a big book, but when I glanced up and saw that I was on page 1,010 with over 400 pages to go...well, I just kept on reading!

I am absolutely positively thoroughly enjoying every minute spent reading this, and I am so happy when I can steal a few minutes out of the day to dive back into M Dumas' world. I printed a graph of all of the principal characters early in, and am so happy I did so! After this many pages, you'd think I know them all like family, but I need to sort them out every now and then.

Laundry today, followed by a flip of the closet from summer clothes to winter...which basically means swapping out lightweight pajamas for flannels! Notre Dame plays Boston College in the football at 3:30, so hopefully I'm parked in the chair with my cold brew and stitching by then!

What's blowing your skirt up today, Dearies? Come tell me all about it!

IN WHICH WE EAT A SALAD

This one was so good! I just kind of dumped in stuff I found in the fridge and pantry: mixed greens as a base, and then chickpeas, craisins, pepitas, sliced apple, and feta cheese for toppings. Salt, pepper, and a little bit of Paul Newman's White Balsamic, and I was one happy spinster!

(Long-haired scruffy Jamie didn't hurt matters either!)

THE SUNDAY REPORT, BY THE SPINSTER STITCHER HER VERY SELF (EDITED BY ANGELS)

So there I was, enjoying my Sunday morning damn good and reading The Count of Monte Cristo, when all of a sudden...MY MOM'S NAME! Right there on the page! My mom's name was Vaceila, but in Greek it's Vasiliki. I've never heard or seen it anywhere in my life, other than when Dad used to tease her that Vaceila was spelled wrong, and should be Vaceilia. And then she would mutter something under her breath in Greek and then sweetly say "It's Vasiliki in Greek, Honey".

(Almost nobody knew my mom as Vaceila. She was Sig. I never knew the origin of it until my Uncle Connie told me that he came up with it because when he was little he couldn't say Vaceila and Sig she became and remained for all of her 54 years on Earth.)

Dinner was Costco meatloaf, mashed, and corn. With JB visiting his mom, groceries got a little sparse, so I figured something that would give me a good dinner tonight and sandwiches this week would be no fuss, no muss. I have had zero appetite lately and have been living on cottage cheese and berries, so this made for a lovely change of pace.

One more block complete on Autumn Quilts and currently in Season 2 of the Outlander:

(There was a rant here about Brian Kelly, but my better angels smacked me on the head and deleted it.)

Well, Dearies. Back to the Outlander and some coloring.

I've been on a bit of a tear lately, and got a new book and some markers, so I'm itching to get back to it!

Here's hoping you had a wonderful weekend, and that the week ahead is full of fun! Any interesting plans? Come tell me all about it!

I MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN THIS PART...

"I need a series to binge", I said.

"Something different than The Sopranos, or Mad Men, or The West Wing, or Succession...or...

"Oh yeah! Outlander! I'll just pop on over to...

"Well, this should work nicely...with...um...school..and...

"Uh....."

 "Wait. What just happened? What day is it! Where....um....

"Nevermind"

"See you in a few weeks!"

 

 

 

WEEKEND PROGRESS

LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!

 

WAIT...WHAT HAPPENED TO WEDNESDAY?

I seem to be in a bit of a time warp, Dearies. I'm not too sure where Wednesday went. I know it was cool and rather gloomy, and I vaguely remember deciding to snooze a little, and then I think I read a bit, ate an apple...

Oh well. The house is still standing and nothing appears to be terribly amiss, so onward we go into Thursday.

Today is beautiful. Cool and sunny and so far lovely and quiet. As soon as I get my second cup of damn good and write my morning pages, I'm off to the laundry room to splosh, toss, and fold with impunity. I managed to get towels and bedding done, but now need to attend to a few loads of my own.

While the Kenmore does its thing I hope to get back to my stitching and catch up on YouTube videos. I've been watching a lot of Ruby Granger and Lady of the Library, so I'm woefully behind with my stitching video friends.

Happy Thursday to one and all! I hope your needles are flying, your soups are souping, and you have the exact day your heart desires! Come tell me all about it!

NOW THE FUN PART BEGINS!

 

I've had a lovely Tuesday, Dearies, but I confess to getting up much later than I would have liked.

OK...noon. I got up at noon. 

I went to bed at 1am, but didn't fall asleep until 3 am, so I am not going to feel one bit bad about getting my nine hours. (That's for you, Betty).

Sleeping is one of those things that has been a big source of anxiety for me ever since transplant. For the life of me, I just can't seem to get myself into a good rhythm or on a "normal" sleep schedule, but I am trying to be patient and give myself a break. After all (as I used to tell my dear Dad when he fretted over his own sleeping issues toward the end of his life)..."You aren't flying a plane full of nuns to church or driving a bus full of babies and puppies on a winding mountain road, so if you're sleepy, you're sleepy, and you can go take a nap with your face in the sun".

But no naps for me today. 

I had my morning (um...afternoon) cups of damn good with my JB, and then after he left for campus I got to it. I did about two and a half hours of "school" at the kitchen table, had my cottage cheese and berries, and then did all of Rich's laundry and washed the washer.

I don't normally do his laundry, but I am trying to find little things I can do for him to make him happy. He is so worried about his mom in New Jersey, and I think the fact that he's turning 70 on Sunday is having more of an effect on him than he realizes.

His mom is 90 and was doing really well living on her own in her condo, but a series of falls has landed her in a rehab facility with a fractured hip that they are trying to mend without surgery. She is doing OK there, but isn't too crazy about the food, and I think she also is really missing going to Mass every morning. Rich is going to go visit her at the end of the month, so hopefully spending some time with her will put his mind to rest a bit. 

But the turning 70 thing? 

I'm at a bit of a loss.

I'm going to get back to my stitching tonight, and now that the center borders are in I can enjoy filling them! I still can't remember where/how/why this one ended up in my stash, but I'm really glad it did! It's super easy to stitch, so after being away so long, it's nice to have a piece to ease back into stitching.

So I think that's about it for me for now. What's new and exciting in your little corner of the world? Come tell me all about it!

THE MONDAY REPORT

On Friday, Rich did his thing over on campus, greeting the visitors to the Alumni Association's Football Fridays at the Eck. He loves meeting fans from all over the country and usually has a story or two about somebody he met from here or there, near or far, who enjoyed some beverages and a sandwich or two from the Portillos booth contained therein. This Friday he actually saw somebody he went to high school with in New Jersey!

(He went to Holy Spirit High School in Absecon).

On Sunday, I got myself dressed in outside clothes and went with him to a volleyball game. (I even tried to put on a little lipstick and mascara to commemorate the occasion).

I like watching the volleyball. It makes me remember playing in high school. (Yes, I am short and round and have a vertical leap of about an inch and a half, but I could set the ball and serve like nobody's business).

These girls, though, can PLAY!

And then...last night...a few hours of stitching:

 

So that's the report, Dearies. Very quiet. Very boring. But absolutely just what I needed to head into a new week. I've already done my "school" for the day and am now going to settle in with a cold brew, maybe a movie or two, and my canvas for company. Rich is snoozimg in his chair (he's wiped out from a weekend full of ushering), and I think we're doing leftovers for dinner with a nice big salad.

What's new with you, Dearies? Are you all happy and safe and healthy and well? Come tell me what's new with you! Happy Monday!

WEEKEND PLAN

Well, Dearies...it's been a lovely week of positively gorgeous weather here in Hoosierville, followed by what I hope will be a positively gorgeous weekend! Rich is doing his thing on campus, and I'm ready to start a nice long stitchy session with a counted canvas piece that I just found in my stash! I'm not sure if this was a Guild project or not, but I know that I am really truly excited to get a needle in my hand again!

So in that spirit, I'm going to unplug for a few days and stay off of the interwebs and just get back to doing what I love! I hope you have an equally wonderful and happy weekend! Meet you right back here on Monday...bring all of your stories!