Merry Christmas!

Here's the latest picture of Robby. I had him for the day a couple of weeks ago, and we snuck away to have his picture taken. Isn't he gorgeous! No, I didn't knit his sweater.

He is eleven weeks old now, and changing every day.

Still nothing permanent on the job front, but I am enjoying working part time and being home more, especially at this time of year.

I have joined a new online group. SocksForSoldiers is a group of knitters who are donating their time and yarn to provide hand-knit socks for our troops. I've set a goal for myself of two pair of leisure socks by January 1. For more information, go here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SOCKFORSOLDIERS/

Happy Thanksgiving!
We are very fortunate. We have a wonderful son, daughter-in-law, and grandson (shown here at the recent wedding of one of Nick's childhood friends), are healthy, happy, and strong. We have wonderful friends and loving family members. Who could ask for more?

Happy Thanksgiving Day to you and yours, and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous year.

As Promised...


New Pictures of Robby


Halloween was a great excuse to dress up the baby while he's still too little to protest! Here's our little stinker:


I made his skunk costume, using parts of two patterns and a little ingenuity. Isn't he adorable? He'll hate me for this one day, I'm sure...
I sewed most of his dad's clothes when he was little, and had almost forgotten how much I enjoy sewing. Yes, he's sleeping again!

Then I happened onto a post-Halloween sale, and found this little bee suit at 75% off...well, for $2.67 I couldn't resist. Look! His eyes DO open!

Grandpa and I got to keep Robby overnight last weekend and then took him to visit some friends who live about an hour and a half away. Uncle 5Ross and Auntie Joyce enjoyed meeting him, and he was SUCH a good boy. There's sure a lot of preparation and paraphernalia involved in keeping and transporting a baby. We had a wonderful time, and look forward to having him stay with us again soon.

Friendly Socks volume 2!
Here are my patterns from the upcoming Friendly Socks book 2:

Taxi!

Crocodile Rock




Wee Robby

To learn more about our new book, visit the Sirius Knitting link to the right ------->
The book is due out very soon, and there will be a special deal for anyone ordering both book 1 and book 2 at the same time.
Coming soon: New pics of Robby!

Hello!
I'm still here, and have been knitting and stuff. Will have more time for that for a little while, as I was just laid off work yesterday...the new-job hunt starts soon.

Yes, Sarah, there are newer pictures of Robby, and I'll be posting them soon, now that I have some time. Check back!

Some New Pictures of Robby
There's been knitting. Here's Robby in his new hat from Grandma, made from leftover self-striping sock yarn.

And here are Wee Robby Socks, one of my original patterns in Friendly Socks, Volume 2. See the Sirius Knitting link at right for more information on the Friendly Socks books.

My brother and his family came from Canada for a visit. He and his girlfriend brought his son and her four sons. You can see how excited Robby was to meet them all!

Here's Robby and Great-Uncle Greg


Darlene and all the cousins in my very messy living room.

The boys took turns holding Robby.



...and here's the very sleepy baby. Isn't he gorgeous!

More Robby!

I hope these pictures will look better on the blog than they do on the edit screen. If not, I'm pretty sure they'll be clearer if you click on them.

Here he is, just a few hours old, and already sound asleep!


Every Sunday evening we have dinner with the same group of friends, usually in a local Applebee's restaurant. This is our friend, Mike, holding Robby. We have known Mike since we were all just kids.

And here are Tom and the sleepy baby. Tom was my boss in 1978-79, when I worked in the paint department at Montgomery Wards. He has been my best friend ever since, and was the first to get a smile from Robby's daddy, Nick, when he was a baby. That's Bruce behind them, another friend from many years back.

You can see that Robby is not quite so chubby as when he was born. He lost a whole pound in his first few days, but has regained 6 ounces.

I went to the fall knitting retreat at The Fifth Stitch in Defiance, Ohio on Saturday. There was Stash Enhancement! On the way home, I stopped at the Carter Baby Outlet in Fremont, Indiana and did further damage to my personal finances...but then, what's a new grandma to do! Robby's socks and a little cap are finished. He's wearing the socks in the dinner photos, but you can't see them. I've started a dishcloth blanket for him in Lion Brand Homespun, and another little cap for Rebeckah, another friend's new baby daughter.

Meet Robby!

He was born at 12:59 this afternoon, weighing in at 9 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 22 inches long. Nici did beautifully, and she and the baby are doing very well, indeed. Daddy Nick was a little tired...

And Grandpa is very happy.
I am awed by the strength my son and his wife showed throughout the labor and delivery, and by the love they have for one another and this new miracle they brought into all our lives. There are no words.

It won't be long now!
We got The Big Call last evening. Nici is in labor.
Here's a picture of a very calm Grandpa driving us to the hospital.
Here's the happy mommy, walking to help speed things along. She and her twin sister spent the day at the county fair with their little brother, and she got a little sunburnt. Rich and I made a run to Taco Bell for food for Nick, and when we got back to the hospital, the kids were out walking laps around the parking lot. Nick needs to wash his coat!

Here are the happy and very excited Mom and Dad, waiting,
waiting,
waiting. . .

Watch this space for more news later today.

I'm still here...
Things have been busy. The computer is still not fully fixed, but works off and on. There has been knitting. I've been working on a couple of new sock designs for Friendly Socks v.2, due out this winter. See the Sirius Knitting link to the right for more information on the Friendly Socks pattern books.
One of the new patterns will be a baby sock named "Wee Robby" in honor of our impending grandson. He is due any minute, and we're all anxiously awaiting his arrival. I have a sweater on the needles for him, too.
We haven't done a lot of riding this summer. Have been busy working and trying to keep up with the lawn mowing. Here it is September, and the riding season is nearly over. Well, maybe next year!
Nici and Nick say I never have pictures of them on my blog, so here's one:

This is Nici's Fourth of July cake. She was very proud of it, and it was delicious.

More another day.

Computer Troubles...
My computer is having difficulties, so it might be a little while before another update. I'll be back with you as soon as I get it fixed.

Summertime...and the livin' is easy
Almost the end of July, and it's been weeks since I've posted. Here are a few pics of what's been happening down on the farm.

{ I finished a pair of socks and mailed them off as a gift. Meilenweitt yarn on size 0 needles, two socks on two circs, Eye of Partridge heel, 4x2 rib continuing down the instep.

{ The old farm saying is "Knee-high by the Fourth of July" and the corn around our house was certainly that!

{ We had a cookout with friends, and watched the fireworks across the field from our house

My brother was here from Canada for several days. He and his girlfriend and their five sons stayed with us. The boys all slept in a tent in our front yard. They had a wonderful time chasing and catching fireflies, which are much more plentiful here in farm country than in the city where they live. Very early Tuesday morning we had a big storm with lots of rain, wind, and a wonderful light show. I had to go out, wake the boys, and rescue them from the collapsing tent. My brother came out to help. Just as we pulled the last peg, the power went out, and all was black for a couple of hours. A great adventure for those city kids!

We went to our family reunion and had a wonderful time.

{ My cousin, his son-in-law, and grandson grilled the hot dogs.

{ My son, brother, and brother's girlfriend at the reunion.
Had a baby shower for daughter-in-law, and she got lots of sweet baby loot. She says she'll have to change the baby four times a day to use all the little clothes. No pics, sorry!
The weather has been normal for July. We've had some very hot days, but that's to be expected. Have had more rain than usual, but that's ok. Normally by this time the grass is getting a little crispy, and it's good to see it green instead of brown. Today is a perfect summer's day: clear, sunny sky and a nice cool breeze. We'll probably go out for a ride on the BigYellowBike in a little while.
The seed-corn workers have been in the fields detasseling the female corn, and the crops look very good everywhere around us.
We'll be off for a few days next weekend. We're riding the BYB to Marysville, Ohio for the Honda Homecoming and the Dan Barr Memorial Golf Outing in Hubbard, Ohio. The kids will be here to take care of the dog and cats while we're gone.
Enjoy your day!

Photo Album


Alpster and daughter Steph


"...Jambalaya, crawfish pie, filet gumbo!" Robeth and Alpster


RadarContact, our New York City guide




RedneckDave, Toyo and Krista



Too wet to ride...Wingit, Scott, Brobubba, Robeth, DicePilot



Friday night supper, first seating



Alpster and ClosetChef (but the clothes don't mind)



RedneckDave and AdmiralPat

Ground Zero
A message written on the construction wall.

This is Engine and Ladder Company 10, directly across from the former World Trade Center complex. A new memorial to NYC firefighters was unveiled near here on June 10th.





Here are pictures of the construction site. It is hard to imagine how this must have appeared before September 11, 2001.
Rich and I had Ross take a picture of us standing in front of the construction fence. Ross declined to have us do the same for him. He was right. It seems invasive and disrespectful, so I will not post it here.

New York City!
On Sunday, most of the Cats-Caders packed up and headed home. Ross and Joyce planned to leave Monday for a ride up the east coast, and Rich and I didn't have to be back at work until Thursday.
One of the group, 'RadarContact,' is an air-traffic controller who lives near NYC. He offered to borrow a car and take Ross and Joyce into the city for the day, and they invited us to ride along.
Radar drove us to Tarrytown, NY, where we caught a train to Grand Central Station. While we were waiting on the platform, a young lady came up to me and commented on my Crocs. She was from California, in the area for a volleyball tournament, and had noticed that everyone at the tourney was wearing Crocs -- then she found out they were sponsoring the event! She borrowed her friend's Crocs flip-flops to see how she liked them, and headed for the city.
Ross is quite amused by my yellow shoes, and couldn't resist the opportunity to take this picture.
The train traveled beside the Hudson River and right down through the city. We saw Yankee Stadium, Harlem, and many other famous places along the way. When the train pulled into Grand Central Station, we bought day-passes for the subway and headed out to see the city. We were nearly overwhelmed: so many things and people to see. We hardly knew where to look next. Radar was an excellent guide. We had very little time, and he made sure we saw as much as possible.

I loved this little church standing in the shadow of a modern skyscraper. The city is a marvelous study of the contrast between old and new, and this is a perfect illustration.

This is a view of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry.

Here are Rich and Radar in Times Square. We walked down Wall Street and Fifth Avenue and saw Saks and Tiffany's, Rockefeller Plaza and the lions at the New York Public Library. We bought hot dogs from a street vendor. We rode in a taxi and...

in a carriage through Central Park. Our cab driver was an Irishman who mumbled comments over his shoulder about the sights we passed. I had a hard time understanding him, but his information seemed mostly to be related to various movies and television programs that had been filmed in the park.

We saw the Empire State Building, but we were running out of time so this was as close as we got. Shortly after we took this picture we headed back to Grand Central to take the train back to Tarrytown.

It was a wonderful trip, and I'm so grateful to RadarContact. Without him and the generous loan of a car from our Cats-Cade hosts, we never would have made the trip.

Next post: Ground Zero.

More from our trip to Cats-Cade
Saturday it never stopped raining, but it was still a wonderful day. Of course, there was knitting. I don't know why I look like I was crying. Maybe because I'd realized that there was no way this pair of socks was going to get finished before we headed for home. They're still not done, but there's only a little of the foot to do, then the toes.

Saturday there were all sorts of things going on. The organizers of Cats-Cade had lots of clinics, installation sessions, and rides planned. Some of those things got done, but mostly the wet weather kept us inside the pavilion. It was kind of nice, as we all had a chance to get to know each other and visit.

This is Jim, from Ohio. He and his wife, Judy, ride a magenta trike. Their signature says, "Judy drives. Jim reads, knits, and sometimes *&%##". I first met Jim & Judy last September at Wings Over The Smokies, and was very disappointed to find out that he DOESN'T knit at all... Here he has presented me with yarn, needles, and a demand to teach him how, LOL. Judy knits scarves, and I was able to teach her the knitted cast-on, but I don't think I was able to teach Jim to knit. Maybe at the next rally...
These bargain hunters are '5Ross', 'Mainecoast', and Rich. A member of our group has a seventeen-year-old daughter who just had a double lung transplant. Group members brought along spare parts and such from their bikes, and we held a rummage sale, with all the proceeds donated to help with her medical expenses. Hal Greenlee, the owner of Honda Direct Line and the sponsor of our online forum, donated many items, including a very special chrome motorcycle wheel and dozens and dozens of riding jackets and pants. A good chunk of cash was raised to help Brobubba and his family. Shown below is some of the riding gear Hal donated. Rich and I each bought new jackets, and I got a really nice pair of riding pants.

This is 'Brobubba'. He's the father of the girl with the wonderful new lungs. She was not yet well enough to make the trip to New York, so Bro bought a Cats-Cade shirt and asked us all to sign it for her. He said she was very excited to get it and see all the names of people who know and care about her.

Here are "Hedo" "CJS" "Alpster" and "Soloquest". Hedo is the unofficially official photographer of Cats-Cade, and many of the pictures I'm using in my blog were taken by him. CJS is one of the organizers of the event. Alpster and his daughter, Steph, cooked gumbo and jambalaya for everyone...YUM! Soloquest was our entertainment for the evening. He's a very talented singer/guitarist. The GL1800 Riders' forum also has a chat room. This is, more or less, the regular group of chatters who hang out there. In the front row are "Snoppy" (pronounced Snoopy. No, it's not misspelled, there's a reason for it), "Royal" "Sassy" and "DicePilot". In the second row are Jake, "MaineCoast", "Alpster" (he doesn't hang out in the chat room, but he made such good jambalaya we wanted him in the pic), and "Robeth". Brobubba and I are in the back row. These are my yellow Crocs, a source of endless amusement and more than a little ridicule at Cats-Cade. They, of course, match the BigYellowBike! Most. Comfortable. Shoes. Ever.

Next post: The Big Apple!