I Need a Magic Wand...

to get all this shit done. Why is it that it takes so long to set up a new house? I honestly can't remember how long it took to set up my Sacramento home, but it seems like this one is taking forever. Maybe sleeping around the clock isn't such a good idea after all.

And for all you smart-asses, yes... I do have wands (some of them magic), but they're not geared to do Bewitched-type things.

Here's what things look like at Chez Goddess tonight (and most nights):





There's Hubster and Emma watching TV. Yeah, right. Hubster is watching the insides of his eyelids, and Emma... well, I don't have to say anything about that.





There's the fireplug. She long ago passed pot roast stage.

We just got notice that our daughter is planning on coming for a few days in two weeks. Deadlines. I work well with deadlines, but I don't know if I can pull this one off. Being out of remission sort of puts a dent in one's armor. We'll do the best we can, but I don't know. My foot and ankle are swollen up like a balloon - the skin is stretched so tight that I can barely flex the ankle, and it burns like a mofo when I do. I also can't walk very well. The last time this happened, the skin actually split because there was so much fluid in there. It's about to do that again, so I'm seeing the doctor in town (I think there's only one) tomorrow. I have to see him anyway to get my meds set up (not the pain meds, but the ones that keep my head from sprouting horns and spinning around). Maybe he'll have an idea of what to do. The man who gives me massages told me to drink a lot of water - he thinks that because we're essentially high desert and it's dry, my body is holding on to whatever moisture it can. That's a pretty good theory, except that my ankle split in Sacramento (close to sea level and humid because of all the rivers). This is also something that happens when my body decides to go apeshit on me. So I'll hobble around with a pressure bandage on (I look like a mummy in progress), swear as much as I can, and hope that this new doc will have an idea of what the hell is going on. Nobody else seems to.

I'm also cold - very, very cold. Right now, the house is up to almost 70, but I'm sitting here in sweats, shivering and having a hard time typing because my fingers are freezing. It does no good to bitch, but I do it anyway because... well, I don't know why. Oh well. That's what the blog is for.

My SnB meeting was cancelled tonight due to lack of participation. Last week, there were only three of us. I hope that I haven't scared the shit out of everybody with the TB thing. If so, I'll have to drop out. I don't want to fuck it up for the rest of them. We also found out that having a SnB group means you have to run it according to bylaws or some such shit. I say, drop the name and call it the Idyllwild Knitting Group. I don't think any of us do well with rules.

My readings are going really well. I guess the whole town read the ad in the local magazine and now knows who I am. We had dinner at a little pub the other night, and a waitress shook my hand and welcomed me to town. Wow. People want to meet me instead of running in the opposite direction. I've got posters up around town, too, and I think it's working. I had a lady frantically trying to contact me for a reading this past week. We finally hooked up today, and it turned into a two-hour session. The best part of doing this is that it allows me to help people. Weekends are fun - I sit on the front porch of the shop and knit or play my flute. Both activities draw a lot of attention. The knitters now know that I have a shop which is opening to the public (many happy people there), and the flute makes people stop, listen, ask questions, and possibly want a reading. It's all good.

As you know, my friend Sheryl is coming next month for a two-week (or longer) visit. I tried to get tickets to The Tonight Show so she could see a taping, but they're impossible to get because he's leaving. Oh well. I've got lots of other things planned, but I had wanted to see it, too. We'll have fun, even if we're just sitting on the couch in front of a fire (it still gets cold enough at night to have one) knitting and gossiping about everyone we know. Don't worry - your secrets are safe with me. It's all the other stuff...

Speaking of knitting, I have a pair of socks for me, a pair for Hubster, and a sweater on the needles. I'm going to knit tonight instead of work - I'm just too tired to do anything other than sit. My big chair should be in any day now, so Emma will be able to sleep with me again while I knit. I'm tired of cramming my big ass into the chair we have now, so that will be welcome. In the area of home improvement, I've hung baskets of flowers all along the walkway from the garage to the house. It's gorgeous, although one of them didn't fare well in the cold temps the other night. I might have to replace it, but I hope not. It was one of the prettiest ones, with the flowers hanging down over the edge of the pot. In any event, the colors brighten up the entire outside of the house.

I've decided that I'm just taking the bike out and riding it, class or no class. The damn class is $400; while worth it, I think I learned enough from the last one to stay upright on the iron horse. I'm going to try it as soon as my foot unswells, which means I may be waiting until Halloween. I'm just dying to ride it (and may die doing so); it sits in the garage twinkling at me. During the weekends, the town square is full of riders. My bike is the prettiest one I've seen (preening over here), other than the electric banana yellow trike I saw last weekend. That, and the all-black Corvette Z06 which made me cream my sweats.

Hubster finally told his boss that he's moved to SoCal. She wasn't happy. I told him he should have told her that it's closer than North Carolina, where she lives. He's come up with a plan, though, to keep him from having to fly back to San Jose for meetings. We're getting a note from the doctor saying that I can't be left alone and he has to stay here to keep an eye on me. Heh. We'll fix them.

They'll probably fix us at bonus time - and not in a good way.

The Secret Package is Here!

Two posts in one day from me. Unheard of.

Unless there's something really, really special I want to share with you.

I was a participant in Secret Pal 13, but I had to drop out due to all the shit going on in my life. Well, my spoiler wanted to keep me and talked the swap mom into letting her do so. She's been sending me a lot of fantastic packages along the way, but the last package - the one where she revealed her identity - was a huge secret and surprise. And indeed it was! There were two items in it - one for me and one for Emma - as well as a card revealing herself. Here's what she made for me:





That's right - a February Lady Sweater with yarn she dyed herself! I'm so excited that I can barely stand it! Her knitting is superb, and I'll be wearing it tonight!

She was also VERY thoughtful and included this for Emma:









Yep... a bone with a squeaky inside! Emma wore herself out throwing it in the air and catching it, then laying down, holding it between her paws like a cat, and munching on it. She's now snoring away with her Daddy.

Kim, my pal, knits for the Knit Picks catalog, as well as being published in a magazine. I'm truly honored to be wearing one of her creations, especially since she made it with yarn she dyed just for this project. I won't give out any more details about her - I don't want her privacy invaded - but I had to share at least this much.

And to Nic, my darling swap mom - thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing Kim to remain my spoiler. My entire weekend has been made a LOT happier by this act of kindness! She was absolutely the best pal that anybody could ever have!

Now I have to go make chocolate mousse - a little late (it has to set for four hours), but I figure that by the time we eat it, it will have chilled enough.

Thank you, Kim!!! Much love to you (and to Nic).

All is Well - Just Busy as Hell

Wow. I'm a poet and didn't know it.

Seriously, I've been so busy that I can't see straight. Take that, add to it my being out of remission again, and you have all the makings for a difficult time. I received a letter from a new artist (well, she's not new - she's been waiting for months) to the shop, and she listed all the excuses (read: reasons) I've given her as to why her work hasn't been listed. She's absolutely right on every single point she listed. I've been horribly remiss in listing several people, and it's just from all the things which have conspired to keep me from doing my job and doing it right. If you're an artist who is still waiting for your work to be listed, please forgive me and hang in there. We're almost there. I'm not going to continue listing reasons; I'm just going to do it.

On the brighter side of life, my knitting group is going really, really well. It varies from week to week how many people show up, but the ladies whom I've met are absolutely wonderful. I really enjoy going. It's the first time I've enjoyed being with a group of women and enjoying myself, as well as looking forward to the next meeting. I have nothing but terrific things to say about all of them.

To Polli, who left an absolutely hysterical comment to my last post, you made me snort coffee out my nose. Thank you for a much-needed laugh.

It looks like our Emma is going to be a TV star! During our last meeting, the owner of the place where we take her for grooming came in (our meetings are held in the local coffee shop). I introduced myself, and he told me about his wanting to make a video featuring Emma, Bella (another Bully), and a few other funny dogs as an advertisement for his business. I guess Emma runs around and shoves her way through the mad pack (he has a playground for the dogs where he puts them for boarding and/or after they've been groomed and are waiting to be picked up) in order to greet and play with the other dogs. I thought she would be shy around strange dogs, but she isn't. He says she's funny as hell. That big, hard head of hers comes in handy for banging open doors and getting to where she wants to go, including here at home. She's glued herself to Hubster when she wants to sleep and to me when I'm walking around the house. She's also gotten bigger and broader - quite large for a female. We absolutely adore her. I think she misses the snow, but it's supposed to snow on Sunday. It's soft on her big, webbed-toed feet.

I've been hobbling around the house for a week now. My right foot and ankle are blown up to the size of a balloon; it's painful to even flex my ankle or touch my foot. My left knee has also gone out, which tells me that the disease has landed there and is eating away. I've been remiss in finding a pain doctor and have a short time in which to do it now. My meds run out in a month, and I don't want to go into withdrawal. I also don't want to drive for 10 hours to go to my old doctor. Sigh. I hate having to find a new doctor, and I also don't have the time to fuck around with this. But do it I must.

I got notification in the mail today that my SP13 pal's package has arrived! It's something special, something she made for me, and I can't wait to get it, see it, and find out who she is. She's been the best pal and an absolute doll, and I can't thank her enough for everything she's done for me. I'll be posting pictures of what she sent. We got to the post office after it closed and found the notice in our box, so Hubster will be there when they open to pick it up. Yay!

I'm boring tonight - no funny stories, nothing interesting going on - just buying things for the house (I got a huge pot rack and a gorgeous antique - Art Deco from the late 40's - sideboard), so I apologize for that. I have two pairs of socks on the needles and a cabled Gansey sweater which I try to work on at night. My Tarot readings went really well this past weekend, and I even had one woman stop to ask me for my URL. She thought I was interesting and wanted to learn about me. That's a first. Usually, people run away from me shrieking loudly. The owner of the shop where I read and his partner have invited us to dinner tomorrow night, so we're happily going (his partner is an amazing cook, and I'm bringing dessert). It should be a fun evening and a wonderful break from unpacking.

I thought I was taking forever to unpack and put the house together until I heard from a lady who took over seven years to do it. Now I feel absolutely speedy. If I felt better, I could do more, but I don't, so I can't. Hubster has that pesky job he has to work at during the day, which sort of puts a crimp in my getting him to help me. Here it is, 11:00 p.m., and I haven't even cooked dinner or cleaned the kitchen. He's working in my studio right now. Shit.

So it's off to make dinner and then work on the room some more. Tomorrow is baking/photographing/listing day, as are the weekend nights (and probably Sunday, if it really snows - downtown tends to literally close down when it snows). I love it.

Maybe tonight, I won't run face-first into the pots hanging from the ceiling.

For My Idyllwild SnB Knitting Group

It has come to my attention that something I said in an earlier post has concerned some of the members of my knitting group. It was also suggested that I amend that post and link it to my group for them to read. I thought it was a good idea, so here it is.

When I said I had TB, some of the ladies in my knitting group became frightened and concerned. Rightly so. Even though I went on to explain it, I think it was sufficient to scare the shit out some of them. Here is another explanation, one that I hope will resonate with them.

When my TB test came back positive (this is the bubble the doctor injects into your forearm), I was immediately sent to the hospital for a lung X-ray. That X-ray showed I had been exposed to the disease, not that I had full-blown TB. I have these "things" in my lungs which indicate I've been around it. Since I'm already so sick with the auto-immune stuff, I think that compounded the problem. Anyway, I was then sent over for a blood test which showed I didn't have TB, wasn't active, and only had been exposed to it. That's it. I DO NOT have TB; I can't be active for something I don't have; I take very strong antibiotics every day to ensure I don't switch over and get the actual disease (and another pill to protect my liver from the antibiotics); I have to take the damn pills for six months; I have to get my blood tested regularly; and I would NEVER go around anybody if I had it.

In fact, should I ever show that I'm positive (or if I was positive in the first place), I would be thrown in the hospital for six months in an isolation ward. No argument. No excuses. It's a public health risk, and I wouldn't put anybody in harm's way. I have my grands to think of in addition to the rest of my family and the public at large. I may be a bitch, but I'm not a cunt.

I hope that explains everything. In any event, I'll be at the meeting tomorrow night to further explain things.

And to those of you who don't say words like the "C" word, that's just who I am. I try to be on my best behavior when I'm around those of you ladies who don't say bad words.

I'm just a pig.

I am Truly Tired

Boxes. Stock. Hanging pictures. Shopping. Studying tarot cards to refresh my failing memory. Knitting. I've never been so tired, and you all know how tired I can get. Throwing my back out didn't help matters any, either. I was confined to my chair for about three days, but it's much better now. At least I can climb the stairs without screaming.

I have to tell you that this is the town I was meant to live in. I'm accepted here. Nobody gives a shit that I'm bald and have tattoos. Everybody is excited to see the bike when I'm finally able to ride it (there's still too much gravel on the road and melting snow for it to be safe for a novice rider). My knitting group is a joy to attend - the ladies are simply delightful. My house is a dream come true. What more could I ask for?

I could think up some things, but I'm going to try and not be greedy.

Things are actually going quite well. Emma has turned a year old, but she's still very much a puppy. Right now, for instance, she was just running around with her branch; then she plopped down and began snoring. She's beginning to calm down, though, and takes great interest in both the computer and TV. Having a dog that heavy standing on your legs while you're trying to type is an adventure, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

SHOP ANNOUNCEMENT: 20% OFF SALE ON ALL MERCHANDISE, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NEXT WEEK.

The shop is coming along just fine. I've purchased new cubes for display and hope to open the house to the public in a couple of weeks. My knitting group is in a lather waiting for it to open so they can go shopping. I'll just be glad to get some things sold. I also am getting a sizable list of artists for Sock Summit, but I need a lot more. If you're one of my artists, please consider joining us. It's a remarkable opportunity to get your work noticed.

In addition to reading the tarot on weekends, I'm also going to be giving knitting classes in my home. I'm making a list of classes which I think might be interesting and showing them to my knitting group. We'll decide on what we think the residents would like, and I'll advertise in our local paper (it comes out once a week). The gals told me that a lady was giving beading and jewelry classes here about a year ago, and her classes were consistently full with waiting lists. I'm hoping that the knitting classes will be the same way. The gals seem to think they will be. As for the tarot readings, I'm really looking forward to those. We're expecting nice weather this weekend, which means a lot of tourists in town. I have to go to the shop today to see how my area is coming along. I also have to begin moving some of my things over there so I can set up.

I found the coolest pot rack (which we're picking up today) at our local antique emporium. It's huge and in perfect condition. The price was just too good to pass up on. I'm amazed at the prices of things up here, but I suppose coming from the capital of indulgence, the Bay Area, anything looks cheap (other than LA and/or Rodeo Drive; I'm going to take Sheryl, my friend from England, there when she's here). We're going to stroll Via Rodeo and pretend we're rich bitches. I think I'll also call LA Ink and see about getting some new ink while we're there.

Speaking of Sheryl, I've got lots of things planned while she's here for her two-week vacation. I can't mention them because they're surprises and I know she reads the blog, but Sheryl... you can rest assured that you'll have the time of your life. We'll have pictures to post because I want a lot of things for memories of places we went and things we did. You have no idea of how excited I am to have her. The shop will be open while she's here; I'm going to put her to work wrapping orders. It'll be wonderful having someone fun to work with.

Other than that, the usual is going on. I just wanted to leave a post to let you all know that I'm alive and busy. Oh... for some reason, my blog is going blank from time to time. I don't know why - a dear friend suggested it might be the Neo displays I have on the sidebar, but those have been there forever - so if you log on and get a blank page, just reload. I have to figure out what the hell is going on.

And for those of you to whom I owe emails, I'm working hard on catching up. So much to do, so little time.

I think I'll take a nap and dream about all the things that need taking care of.