"Honey! One of these socks is too tight."

To all husbands out there (I know, I know. I have very few male blog readers that I know of, but here goes):

IF you were the last one to use the carpet cleaner, and
IF your wife decides, in a moment of pure insanity, that she needs to clean the carpet, and
IF she finds that the carpet cleaner was left with unused water in it, and
IF the machine is no longer operable...

DO NOT, under any circumstances, attempt the following:

* Tell her "Well, it was working the last time I used it." That really doesn't help, because it is not working NOW and she has not touched it in months or maybe even years.

* Make the statement "You probably forgot how to work it." Really? I can feel a slight chill in the air.

* "Accidentally drop the heavy metal handle on her head while she is sitting on the floor dismantling the machine to ascertain the problem. It is doubtful that this maneuver will render her unconscious. Even if you succeed, upon regaining consciousness, she will likely still remember that were the one who broke the machine and will most definitely remember that you bludgeoned her with a piece of the cursed beast.

* Once she has fixed the problem, reassembled the mess and proclaimed victory over yet another household appliance, look at her from the couch where you are watching football reruns, roll your eyes and sarcastically remark "You're amazing."

Despite any or all of these actions, if you have a wife who is knitting socks for you, she will most likely continue to do so -- probably not because she cares if you're feet are warm, but because now she needs an outlet to work out her frustrations. So...

I'm quitting my chores for the evening and going back to work on my husband's second sock. If he observes that this one seems a little tight, well then...let's just say I have sharp pointy sticks and I can do more than just knit with them. :)

O Pioneer!

I really should not go to bed earlier than the rest of my family.

Let me start by explaining that, when we moved to the sticks in 1991, this place was so far off the beaten track that the road was still gravel, there was no city water, most everyone had their own propane tank buried in the back yard, and you had to turn a crank on the outside of the house to get electricity. OK, I'm exaggerating a bit, but only about the electricity. When we were building the house, my folks gave down from Kentucky for a visit. They followed us from our apartment 45 minutes away to the building lot. The first thing my mom said when she got out of the car was "How in the world did you find this place?" (Not a positive comment from someone who, herself, lives in the wilds of Kentucky.)

Because there was no city water, we had a well dug and were delighted to find that we did not hit a sulphur spring, of which there are an abundance in these parts -- hence the name "Kingston Springs". Well water can be very good, and our was and is. However, we vowed that we would tap into city water if ever it was run to this area. The county did run water into the back country about 10 years ago, but we have since lacked the $40 gazillion it would take to tap in and run the line from the road to the house 0.25 trazillion feet from the road. Hence the problem of the day...

When you have a well, you have to be very careful about letting water run for long periods of time. If the water is allowed to run for too long, the water level gets too low in the well and you end up pumping muddy water into all the pipes. Once that happens, it usually takes about 24 hours for everything to clear up. That means no drinking water, no showers, no laundry, no dishwashing, and, most importantly to me this morning, NO COFFEE! You see, because I went to bed before the rest of the family, I was not awake to do a final check of the house to see that all was as it should be. It seems that one of the commodes was stuck in flush mode all night long, pumping gallon upon gallon of water up and out of the well. I awoke to mud. Isn't that a lovely way to begin a Monday morning?

Ah, but this story has a happy ending. I came up with the bright idea to melt the ice cubes in the fridge so I could make some coffee. My pioneering ancestors would be so proud.

Now I'm off to hitch the team up to the wagon so I can make by daily journey into downtown Nashville. Y'all have a great day.

20 Things

I was catching up on my blog reading when I saw this on Knitting4Shirley's blog. I thought "Why not?" so here goes:

1. Explain what ended your last relationship?
Returning to my present relationship, 24 years ago.
2. When was the last time you shaved?
Yesterday
3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.
Yoga while listening to my 11-year-old chatter and while fighting off my 2 terriers.
4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
Catching up on blog reading
5. Some things you are excited about?
Transplating plants today. Redoing the floors (if we ever get started). Working at the Kentucky Derby.
6. What is your favorite flavor of JELL-O?
Orange
7. Your prom night, what do you remember about it?
3 guys in tuxes push-starting my date's car in the parking lot of the restaurant.
8. Do you have any famous ancestors?
No, but one was a Pony Express rider
9. Last thing received in the mail?
Junk mail cleverly (or so they thought) disguised as official government mail. Sorry guys...didn't fool me. Now who's the clever one?
10. How many different beverages have you had today?
One - coffee
11. Do you ever leave messages on people’s answering machine?
All the time. What's the big deal?
12. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
No. I draw hearts and smileys.
13. Any plans for Friday night?
I plan to enjoy being at home.
14. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
Never really thought about it. With short hair, it doesn't seem to do anything. When it was long -- yuck.
15. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?
No
16. Do you re-use towels after you shower?
Yes, if someone else hasn't thrown it on the floor...How can it jump from the hook on the back of the door to the floor opposite corner of the bathroom all by itself. I'm just asking.
17. Describe your keychain(s)?
Silver seahorse -- absolutely my favorite sea creature.
18. Where do you keep your change?
Where every other self-respecting woman keeps hers. In the bottom of my purse.
19. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?
My grandmother's funeral.
20. What kind of winter coat do you own?
Black leather...not that we need winter coats very often in Tennessee.

New Addition, New Reason to Knit

About 2 1/2 weeks ago, we got another baby for Team Rogers. With the addition of this new niece, my brothers and I have 5 girls and 1 boy. Woo hoo!

Here's the little sweetie being held by her oldest cousin (and my daughter):

And now for the knitting part...

This is the Garter Yoke Baby Cardi from purls before wine. Liana, my long-time knitting pal, recommended this one. She's been working on one too out of a royal blue speckled with all kinds of pretty colors. Mine is done in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino that I bought at Haus of Yarn. I know, I know. What am I thinking making a baby sweater out of a cashmere blend? Before I get comments like "You must not like that baby's mother" or "I can't believe you'd use a special care fiber for baby clothes" or "Well, the silverfish and the moths will love it" let me just say that once I petted this yarn, I had to have it. You true yarnies will understand. Those of you who don't..."[insert favorite phrase]". My new niece has the coloring of her big sisters, her cousins, and me, so she will look absolutely fabuloso in this periwinkle. She will when she grows into it. The finished product looks to be about a 6-9 months size.

So now that the fun little sweater is done, it's back to the socks for the hub. I have some serious Second Sock Syndrome going on with that project. But I promised I wouldn't start on anything else until it's done.

I'm in knitting purgatory.