Rooted in Mississippi

Cynthia penned this one and asked me to start it. So here goes!

1AM: Did you make resolutions for 2006? Did you keep (any of) them?

I did not make resolutions for 2006. I am not a “put it off until New Year’s Eve” kind of gal. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I don’t celebrate Christmas. So I am less likely to be bloated from feasting. I started dieting, exercising and taking care of myself back in June.

2AM: What New Year traditions (celebrations or superstitions) did you keep in 2006?

I made black-eyed peas and cabbage for my husband. He grew up with those kinds of superstitions.

3AM: Was there anything you did in 2006 that you had never done before?

I quit work. For the first time since I was fourteen, I am not earning an income.

4AM: How many calendars do you display/use? Where and what kind are they?

There are always a few calendars around. I try to have the WTWW bra calendar on the wall somewhere, but I don’t really use it. There is usually a Dachshund calendar somewhere too, but I am the kind of person who lives and dies by my electronic calendar. Until I left work, it was GroupWise. Now, it is the Yahoo Calendar, which is much better integrated into Yahoo Beta, if it is indeed still in beta!

5AM: What is the most important lesson you learned in 2006?

Some people grow up and yet never take responsibility for their own lives. They get older, but they never stop asking someone else to pay their bills and take care of their needs.

6AM: Which color would you chose to represent 2006? Gotta reason?

A tender green for new beginnings.

7AM: Of what are you most happy you accomplished in 2006?

I really don’t know how to answer that one. Maybe that I processed all that fleece! Or that Celeste from CyberStitchers nominated me for the EGA Gold Thread Award and I won for my region.

8AM: What was the worst thing that happened to you in 2006?

My brother told me that he was now legally blind.

9AM: Did you renew or restore a relationship in 2006?

Well, I finally got to see Jane Marshall again; she lives in DC and I rarely get to visit with her, although we chat in email. I tracked down Shoshana Clark from high school; she had immigrated to Israel, but got bombed out of her home and is temporarily living in the states again. I heard from Marco; who now lives in Germany. There are a few I would still like to find: Jeff Martin and Lee Hammock in particular. The last I knew Jeff was still living with his parents in the Dunwoody area of Atlanta (in the 80s) and Lee was working for Macy’s in New Orleans (in the 90s).

10AM: What candy would best describe 2006 to you?

Cracker Jacks.

11AM: Where you more or less healthy in 2006 than the previous year?

I had a few colds and viruses, but all in all, I was healthier than the previous year. I am exposed to fewer cooties now that I no longer work in a hospital!

12PM: What was the best change in your life in 2006?

I have to go with the retirement thing.

1PM: What is your greatest regret from 2006?

I don’t know that I have any real regrets, but I would have liked to have spent more time with my family.

2PM: How did you celebrate your birthday in 2006?

I don’t remember anything special, but anything would be better than last year. Last year we were at visitation for my father-in-law.

3PM: If 2006 was a member of your family, which member would it be?

I guess it would be me, because it pretty much revolved around me in a good way. We have had several bad years, where things revolved around sick or dying family members. Nothing shows the true character of a person like their behavior after a loved one becomes seriously ill or dies.

4PM: If you could, to which one day in 2006 would you return and why?

I wouldn’t…what was, was. I am not the kind of person who lives in the past, which is funny considering I have a degree in History.

5PM: Did you fall in love in 2006? With whom or what?

I was going to say no, but I did fall in love with Belly Dance.

6PM: What is the most significant thing you read in 2006?

Wow, that is another hard one for me. I read so much last year. I just don’t think I can come up with an answer.

7PM: Did you take a vacation in 2006? To where?

Well, I did go to Louisville for the TVR Regional Seminar and Richmond for the EGA National Seminar.

8PM: What did you lose in 2006 that can never be recovered?

This is probably NOT what you were looking for, but the only thing that comes to mind is my cell phone and all of the phone numbers stored there.

9PM: Do you believe you are a better person at the end of 2006 than you were at the beginning?

I am always on the path to improve myself physically and spiritually, but both of those are slow processes.

10PM: In your opinion, what was the most memorable world event of 2006?

I suppose the hanging of Hussein.

11PM: Are you glad or sad to see 2006 end?

Neither. It simply means I have to learn to write 2007 on things! Growing up with two calendars takes away from normal western feelings of Auld Lang Syne.

12AM: Have you made (or will you make) resolutions for 2007? Will you be able to keep them as well as those you made for 2006?

While I make resolutions and goals all of the time, I do not make them specifically for New Year’s. I am still working on losing weight and getting into shape, but that has been going on since I left my job. I really think the Jewish thing is what takes away some of the New Year’s novelty for me. I mean, hey, I already had New Year, it was called Rosh Hashanah.

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I picked this up from Joshilyn Jackson of Faster Than Kudzu and author of Gods in Alabama, which I read earlier in the year. 

A- Available or single? Okay, this confused me too.  Neither available, nor single.

B- Best Friend?  I guess I should go with the best friend since forever, Jane Marshall, even though we live half a country apart.  We both left Georgia after UGA.  She wound up in DC…so I don’t get to see her very often.

C- Cake or Pie?  Definitely pie…preferably pecan without too much goo or pumpkin with whip cream on top. 

D- Drink of Choice?  Until recently, it was TaB.  Yes, people still drink it, even though it is tantamount to battery acid in a pink can.  These days, it is water, which is a little pathetic.

E- Essential Item?  Lordy, I don’t know what to answer.  There is an alternative for almost everything I consider essential, because I am not nearly as rigid as some would suggest.  So I suppose the answer is, the only thing essential to me, is me.  I can live without my laptop, camera, hot water dispenser, TiVo, spinning wheel, knitting needles, crochet hook, and even a feather pillow (although I travel with one).  I am adaptable.  Okay, maybe air.  LOL

F- Favorite Color?  I never can say just one…I generally go with jewel tones.

G- Gummi Bears or Worms? Ummm, neither.  But if I had to, worms, the sour kind.

H- Hometown?  Atlanta, Georgia

I- Indulgence?  Crème brulee.

J- January or February?  February…it is fun to hear how different people say the word, plus, it is the only month with the potential for an extra day. 

K- Kids and names?  No kids, just pets.  Oscar, Louie, Choochie and Omar.

L- Life is incomplete without?  Self-reflection.  “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates (Apology 38a)

M- Marriage Date?  11/22/02  It was a little creepy to get married on the anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination, but I liked the numbers and my friend the astrologer said it was a good day for us. 

N- Number of Siblings? Technically, I have five half-brothers and three half-sisters.  I was raised by my mom and I was youngest of her five.  I never had any relationship with my dad’s two oldest kids (neither did he) and his two youngest are sort of estranged from me, even though I did try to be involved in their lives.

O- Oranges or apples?  Not fair, I love both!  But I eat more apples. 

P- Phobias/Fears?  Roaches creep me out…especially the small ones that can crawl into your ear.

Q- Favorite Quote?  “In the midst of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” – Alber Camus

R- Reason to Smile?  My little family on the sofa.  I love it when Ben, Oscar, Louie, and I are all sitting on the same sofa together. 

S- Season?  Growing up in Georgia, I used to love spring, because everything was so green, new and full of promise.  However, after living in the smothering heat of Jackson, it has shifted to fall, which is more reliably temperate.

T- Tag three people!  I hate to tag people, but I think Cynthia, Zippi and Karin are most likely to do it.

U- Unknown Fact About Me?  Hmm, this one stumped me.  I am such an open book.  I used to be shy.  You know, quiet and retiring.  Hard to fathom, huh?

V- Vegetable you hate?  I don’t hate any vegetables.  I can live without aspargus or butternut squash, but it is hard for me to worked up about disliking a vegetable. 

W- Worst habit?  Either interrupting people when they are talking or eating too fast.  Neither is really earth shattering, but they seem to surface now and again.

X- X-Rays you’ve had?  Admittedly, there have been a lot, including an MRI of the head in college when I was having real trouble with migraines.  I had a bunch of recurrent infections a few years ago, turned out my dying thyroid was ultimately to blame, but it involved chest x-rays (pneumonia/bronchitis), sinus films, and even a CT of the sinuses.

Y- Your favorite food? Crab meat! Okay, got to agree with Joshilyn on this one…jumbo lump crabmeat can improve most any meal.

Z- Zodiac?  A damn fine dive watch.  Okay, okay…I know what they want!  My sun sign is Cancer.  Does that make me a cannibal?  (see answer to Y)

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Nothing beats a salad spinner for wuzzing a single skein of yarn.  For five dollars, I can get most of the extra water out of the skein before I set it up to dry.  I use an old umbrella swift to dry my yarn, but I would really like a yarn blocker one day.  It is just one of those extravagances that I do not see in my immediate future.  The more frugal I am, the longer I can stay I at home.

As you can see, I now have three skeins of the dyed cheviot.  It is resting atop the last of the green batts.  I think I will have enough for four, maybe five skeins.  I have to admit, I have really given that carder a workout since I bought it at last year’s ROC Day.  I have put at least six fleeces and lots of fiber through it in the last year. 

I am almost through my second bobbin of the peachy/pink Falkland.  As I spin it, I am way more aware of the browns, cinnamon, and green.  Part of what makes it so pleasant to spin are the constant color changes.  The beginning of the bobbin is sort of brown and coffee colored.  I can not wait to see what it looks like when it is plied. 

Cynthia and her husband are coming to Jackson today!  Hopefully we can meet up with Lisa for lunch. 

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I managed to get the green cheviot plied.  For the first time, I had serious trouble with the Reeves when I changed from the high speed whorl to the bulky one.  I have no idea what was going on, but it was acting up.  I ended up adjusting the drive band and the mother of all.  After all of that, it finally started to work properly and I was able to ply it.  I set the twist and it is currently soaking in a bucket in the kitchen. 

I also have a bobbin of the peachy/pink with brown and green.  I am going to switch back to the high speed whorl and spin up another bobbin full so I can make it a traditional two ply yarn.  I decided it was too fine to try Navajo plying.  Mostly because I was afraid I would make a knotted twisty mess of it. 

Oh, and to test Cynthia’s theory that I get more comments when I post pictures of the pets. Here are two photos of Choochie in better days, before the surgery collapsed his ear.  He still likes to follow me around when I am outside, sometimes he trots down to the end of the street before he turns back when I go out for walks.

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I got this from Deb over at Red Shoe Ramblings, but she got it from someone else.  I thought the questions were interesting, so I decided to play along.  

Do you own a gun? Yes, I own a 9 MM Browning semiautomatic and I know how to use it.

What do you think of hot dogs? Love them…even the non-kosher kind.     If we are talking dachshunds, then you know where I stand on that subject!

What’s your favorite Christmas song? Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel

What do you prefer to drink in the morning? English Breakfast Tea with splenda and cream

Can you do push-ups? I can!  Mostly I do modified push-ups on my stability ball.

What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? I suppose an antique pearl ring from my mother.  I wish it were a little bigger or my finger was a little smaller, so I could wear it more often.

What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex? I have no secret weapons…what you see is what you get.

Middle name? Peace

Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:

1. My maiden name rocks.
2. My given name is pretty darn cool too.
3. Man, it’s cold. 

Name 3 drinks you regularly drink:

1. water
2. hot tea
3. more water

What time did you wake up today? Around 9 AM

Current hate? I don’t think I hate anything…but I don’t like scammers, liars or manipulators.

Favorite place to be? Home.

Least favorite place to be? The mall.

Where would you like to go? Provence. 

Do you own slippers? I do, but I tend to ignore them and wear socks.

What shirt are you wearing? A Smithsonian Institute Celebrating a century of Teddy Bears sweatshirt. My husband bought it for me on a trip he went on without me.

Do you burn or tan? I avoid BOTH!

Favorite color(s)? I am not a color snob.  I love gem tones…ruby red, emerald green, kashmir blue, sapphire orange, aquamarine, amethyst…

Would you be a pirate? No.

What is your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving.

What songs do you sing in the shower? It changes depending on the last thing that got stuck in my head.

What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? A disembodied hand…it was from some cheesy horror movie that I should NOT have watched.

What’s in your pockets right now? I don’t have any pockets, but I have a pedometer on my waistband.

Last thing that made you laugh? Something my husband said while we were eating.

Best bed sheets as a child? A set of ancient green and white striped sheets that must have been washed a million times.

Worst injury you’ve ever had? I was taking home glasses and mugs I had left at my friend Jenny Comer’s house and one of the Carver boys wrecked into me with his 10-speed.  The cups broke on the ground and my face hit the shards.  Sheer luck kept me from losing an eye.  It was horrible, the skin was avulsed back to my scalp line and required a lot of stitches from the plastic surgeon. 

Are your parents still together? Divorced since I was three.

Do you wish on shooting stars? I never see them.

What is your favorite book(s)? Usually whatever I am currently reading.

What is your favorite candy? Atomic Fire Balls

What song did you have played at your wedding? Which wedding.  LOL

How is the weather outside right now? Chilly and clear.

What was your first thought this morning when you woke up?  Wow, the dogs sure let me sleep late.

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Well, I actually spun wool today!  I finished another bobbin of the cheviot I washed, carded and dyed.  I decided to let it sit for a while, before I ply it, because the first bobbin lots most of its energy before I got around to spinning up the second one.  I was worried that it might be a little under-spun, but it looks a lot like the first two skeins, so I decided not to change anything about the way I was spinning the singles.  I think this is my third or forth of this color and I have to admit it gets boring spinning the same wool for several skeins.  I mean, as much as I love green, it is getting a little old.

Later I switched to the high speed/lace whorl on the Reeves and dug out some Falkland I dyed a while back.  It really does spin like butter, which is a big change from the Cheviot’s neps and noils.  It also takes a little longer to fill the bobbin at this grist, but the color is so beautiful.  I really enjoy watching the color changes and keep checking the bobbin.  With luck, I will get a chance to sit down and spin some more of it tonight after dinner.

My husband and I did manage to get out for a walk today, he went home before I did, but I managed to walk for an hour and half. I am getting a lot of use out of my walkman.

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Last night I was online chatting with Cynthia and catching up on my blog reading. I heard the neighbor start a car (he has several over there) and then a splintering crack.  It was dark and raining, so I could not see the damage.  All I saw was tail lights and I knew someone next door had hit the fence.  My husband even went out in rain gear with a flashlight to try to inspect the damage, because we let the dogs out in the backyard several times a day. 

Well, this morning it was clear that I had not imagined it.  Someone over there drove into the fence and broke it.  Luckily because of the height difference from his side to out side, the tiny dachshunds will not be able to get high enough to get out.  I just hope his Great Dane, who is often on the loose, does not try to get in!

Speaking of the tiny dogs, I thought I would share some more photos, because I am a shameless dog mom.

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This time Jen was the one asking for photos.  Many southerners have a fondness for yard art and I am not immune.  Rhonda has pink flamingos that she dressed for the occasion and she posted a photo on her blog yesterday of them in all the Christmas glory.  I have a swan made from shovel heads and assorted hardware.  She is right out front and her purpose is to scare off intruders and yuppies.  Someone tried to say it was a goose, but geese are not mean and territorial, swans are!  I also have a parrot made out of a pipe wrench in the backyard. 

Interestingly, I did not buy either of these items.  They were part of my husband’s late wife’s indoor décor.  Although, I am the one who decided to put them outside where yard art really belongs. 

While I was out there, I noticed that we had a ton of birds all over yard.  Ben thinks they are cedar waxwings and his guess is far more educated than mine!  There were also some robins in the mix and they were really hard to photograph, because they were constantly in motion.  We both agree the flock must be in the midst of a migration.  There were too many to count in this very young crepe myrtle and the limbs were all swaying and flaying with the commotion.

We did go out to a Chinese/Japanese buffet today.  I was heavy on the soup and sushi and light on everything else.  It started to rain as we walked across the parking lot, so I might not get in a good long walk today, but there is room for a day of rest now and again.  Maybe I will practice belly dance, since there is not a class tonight. 

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And for Cynthia, some photos of my mom!  The top picture is her with me as a baby, when she was a in her late thirties.  The bottom is her holding David, the oldest nephew in the earlier photo.  To help put it into context, he is in law school now. I promise to post more as I find them.  I plan to take my scanner with me on my next visit to Atlanta, so I can have access to more family photos.

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My absolute favorite kinds of gifts are handmade with love. Once again Shay has included me in her annual shortbread cookie and candied pecan extravaganza! I love her shortbread, it always brings back memories of Minnie, because she used to make them for me. My husband loves the pecans, but Shay and Jim instructed us to share, so we will. Shay also included this cool biscornu pincushion made from a dresser scarf that belonged to her grandmother. Shay always comes up with the most wonderful things and her work is fabulous, the cast-on edging is just perfect.

I wanted to add a photo of Minnie, who I mentioned in the first paragraph. She was the woman angel who actually raised me and my siblings, because my mother worked all the time and was a single parent for most of my life.

Our neighbors to the north sent over pita chips and hummus, which are a favorite of my husband. I was sort of a grinch this year and basically did nothing. Well, I did get something together for Cynthia and Lisa, but that was pretty much it. My husband and I decided not to give gifts this year, because we need a small deep freezer for the house. Well, okay, I did buy him a stability ball and pedometer, plus I got him some almond lip balm from Aubrey at Goodies Unlimited. Those are things I would have gotten him anyway, I do not need a holiday or mass marketing of that holiday to inspire me to buy things for people.

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