More photos

Serena and Justin T. Serena saw this coat at Cabelas. The clincher to buy it (and a matching one for Justin T) -- see that fur? It is raccoon. As she says, "Revenge is SWEET!" Remember the raccoon story?Annette was delighted with raccoon fur too, as she has had run-ins with raccoons in the house too. Not to mention that they found that the raccoons were almost in the house when Serena moved out. They figured a few more weeks and the animals would have made it down the chimney -- again!

The two Justins, and they are both smiling! They took to each other immediately.

Justin L with Grandma and Grandpa.

Here is Justin L with his new sweater from Grandma (me.) Daddy (Nathan) is behind Mommy ignoring us. I thought of waiting until Christmas to give it to him, but with weather becoming cold, I thought it would be better for him to have it now.

Nathan, Kim and Justin L left early for the airport. Serena and Justin T left within minutes of us so we went to the airport together. We asked someone else in the waiting area to take our picture together. Turns out he is a professional photographer.

Goodbye Dad! (photo heavy)

This is a really difficult post to write.

Last Tuesday, December 1st, my sister called shortly after we got home from work. My Dad had died that morning. He was 95 years, 5 months and 16 days old. This is the last photo I took of Mom and Dad together, last August.

We worked that night, I spent it in floods of tears, honestly. Thankfully, we had the next 2 nights off. Work was really supportive, and gave us bereavement leave for the next 3 days after our weekend. Thursday we flew to Boise, to be with the rest of the family. Nathan and Kim with Justin L flew in that night (late!) while Serena and Justin T flew in Friday. My sister Annette was already there when we got there, her husband Steve arrived Saturday. Mom and my brother Bill live there.

We had a great time together, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing. It was a time to remember the man that had meant so much to us throughout our lives, as husband, father, father-in-law and grandpa. Justin L was a bit young to comment on his being great-grandpa.

It was fun to watch Mom meet Justin T. What a difference in height! grin

Saturday afternoon we held a family memorial service. Two cousins and their spouses were able to come, John and Josie from right in town and Renee and John who were in town for a missionary furlough from Russia. Howard conducted the service. Almost everyone there spoke and gave a memory. From Dad suggesting that Serena and Nathan pick up rocks to form a rock wall (with the suggestion that Dad chose that activity to wear them out - grin) to how much he loved his family.


Justin L was such a delight. Annette bought a pair of sunglasses for him, he had a great time with them. Here he is with Mommy (Kim.)




After the service we all went out for a dinner full of memories, laughter and some tears. This is a photo of all of us.






Bill, John Michno, Annette and Steve.










We flew back Sunday and arrived in miserable weather. Snow, wind, ice and low temps. :-( And the temperature continued to drop once we got home.

We had put a duvet cover lined with a plastic shower curtain in front of the sliding glass doors to the deck, to cut down on heat loss. It is frozen to the doors and has been since we arrived home.

I'll do another post with more pictures.

SNOW!

Oh my goodness. Some of you may have read or seen that Denver is having a snowstorm. It started Tuesday evening and hasn't yet stopped. Howard went out this morning (thank God it is our weekend!) and cleared off the car and shot a couple of photos. This picture is just past the front door to the apartment building. Normally that branch is high overhead. I would guess that the car on the right has not moved since before the storm started.




We worked Tuesday night, leaving for work early because of the forecast. It started to snow as soon as we were on the freeway. By the time we got off work, the car had several inches on it. It was a white knuckle drive down the mountain, the road was completely white. Oddly enough, the last little bit was the hardest -- the plows don't go through so much and climbing the hill was almost too much for our car. We parked the car in the parking lot (can't get it in our garage space yet) with the understanding that we did NOT need to go out again until Friday night. Whew! (This is the back view of that car.)



This is what our car looked like, having missed the first night of the storm. The one in the center of this photo, looking as if it has a thin line between the end of the snow on the car where it hasn't QUITE met the snow on the ground. Yet.









Howard cleared part of the windshield and took a photo of the contrast.

Howard used the shovel blade as a measuring tool to measure the depth of the snow on top of the car. The blade is about 14-16 inches deep (we need to measure to be sure.) As you can see, the snow extends a bit above that.

Our car is being protected a bit by the apartment building. I don't want to walk out and see what the cars that are unprotected look like. Call it lazy or call it cold. Forget it right now. Almost time to go to bed!

Welcome!

At their own wedding. I'd like to welcome a new member to our clan -- Justin. Serena and Justin married September 30th.
Photo taken in June at Justin's brother's wedding.


That makes 2 Justins, now to be known as Justin T (or Big Justin) and Justin L (or Little Justin or Justin the Small.) We figure the initials are safer, as Justin L will grow. Will he be as BIG as Justin T? Who knows. grin

Justin and Serena were best friends her freshman year of college. They lost touch, but found each other again.


The newlyweds live in the Chicago area. With 2 cats and 3 dogs.

Serena is still looking for a job. Good thoughts her way would be appreciated.

Justin

Here's Justin "reading." I LOVE this picture!

Raccoons

You know, I've always considered raccoons to be cute and harmless. The other night Howard received a frantic call from Serena that raccoons were in the house please come help. It seems that 5 of them had pushed in a screen and made themselves at home. Tora-chan hid but Titania decided to defend her territory. When Serena got to the kitchen 3 raccoons were fighting one very angry cat. The other two coons were investigating the house. Serena started throwing things to get them away from Titania. They weren't afraid of her at all. She finally knocked something down on them. Titania ran away and Serena chased the coons out of the house, replaced the screen then shut the window. That's when Howard got there, to a trashed kitchen and a VERY upset daughter! No sign of Titania, Tora-chan strolled out leisurely shortly after, wondering about the upset and why the dreadful almost skunk smell in the house. After much cleanup they started the search for the missing cat. Nada.

After we got off work and other appointments we drove up to find the cat. Nope. By then we were pretty resigned to the worst. Maybe not resigned, but definitely thinking that it was inevitable. At 6:30 in the evening Titania strolled out, a little sore and wondering what was on the menu. After a vet visit she came away from the attack with a sprained tail (how can a cat sprain her tail?!) a sore foot and a slight infection. An antibiotic and short course of steroids and she will probably not even remember this-the cat with two brain cells, one in each lobe of her brain. She has no memory-be away from her for more than a day and she doesn't know you.

Knit stuff

I can knit again. Those of you who knit understand, these weeks without knitting have tried me almost to the limit. I finished a pair of Happy Feet socks in the past few days. Okay, not quite finished, I need to graft the toes. But I look forward to wearing them, suddenly my socks are starting to show signs of wear. Part of me whines greatly, the other part looks at my list of completed projects and sees when each pair was finished and is grateful they lasted so long! After all, the latest to develop a hole is from October 2003. I'm going to try to darn the hole, after all, the rest of the sock still has plenty of wear! I started a pair in Kaffe Fassett's Regia Landscape, this time the colors are much better at singing than the earth pair I made last year. I'll let you know as they progress. There is something about the olive green that he includes that icks me. I love the rest of the colors so far. I found myself trying to knit faster, to get PAST the olive, as I reacted so negatively to it. Don't know why.

I'm trying to stay awake to call the apartment office to ask them to please fix the ceiling in our bedroom after bits of the plaster fell when the roof leaked. Part of me wonders why I have to ask that, as they already know of the problem and have reported that the leak(s) repaired. Oh well. Such is the life of a person who works nights as opposed to days. We are asleep when most of the rest of the time zone is awake.

Oops

When I was really restricted on my right hand, I tried to sew. I planned out the cutting layout (including the length I wanted on the skirt) and Howard was a sweetheart and cut it out for me. I managed to get the zipper in and one seam before the pain won.

Tonight I got most of the skirt done. It is hanging at the moment, so the hem can hang out before I measure and hem it tomorrow. I eked out the fabric, it was all that was left on the bolt. I was so proud that I'd gotten all the pieces without any but a few tiny pieces leftover. You know what they say about pride. grin I forgot to read the pattern pieces, one said cut 4, I cut 2. The last said to cut 2, I cut 1. So I didn't have enough fabric. I used scrap fabric to make the inside waistbands. Without planning it in the least, the stripes (it is a pinstripe fabric) matched precisely on the pockets. That was NOT planning, luck is the only way to describe it. The other problem? Despite measuring several times, the skirt is way too long. It is one of those that really needs to be adjusted BEFORE it is cut. sigh And, of course, if I had measured that correctly, there would have been more than enough for those other pieces. grin

Yesterday was supposed to be an inch of snow, per the national weather websites. We left work with 6 inches. East and westbound I-70 was basically a parking lot, the commute wasn't pleasant.

LAST weekend we were absolutely hammered. I took a picture at work before it really got bad. It continued throughout the night and the next day -- a heavy WET snow that compressed as it fell. The roof at work wasn't built to sustain that amount of weight, 42 inches of snow when they measured it. The building was closed while the snow was shoveled off. Yeah, it is pretty, but it is sure devastating! Some people waited more than 3 days for electricity. Some of them also lost phone and water service too. NOT a happy way to spend the time. The main way we were impacted is that the roof leaked and we have ceiling that decided to come into our bedroom in one place. Joy

Whee!

I saw the doc today. No surgery! Two different doctors, same practice, two opinions. I'll take this one, thank you! GGGGG I am to do occupational therapy for a month, then see him. If it still hurts, then try a cortisone shot. If it is still a problem, last thing is surgery.

I pulled out my knitting. Hard for you to believe, isn't it. GGGGG I haven't dared try it, but I plan to do so quickly!

:(

I fell at work a month ago. Doc said it was a sprain. This week I had an MRI. Turns out I have a non-displaced fracture, a torn ligament and a tear in a different ligament. No wonder it hurts! Find out the 21st when I have surgery. No knitting or spinning for a while.

Big Grin

I got a note from Serena the other day. The entire post is copied for your delight.

I tie-dyed your car at lunch. ;)

Love you!!

New Knitting project soon

This knitting adventure came as a trade from a friend in Denmark. Whee!!!!

Fast postal service! Mailed about March 17 from Denmark and arrived in Colorado US March 23! Interesting, instead of colors 98 lagoon and 102 magpie I was sent 98 lagoon and 99 aubergine (purple.) The colors look good together in the package, so I am going to go with it. Now to wait until my hand has healed! snivel

The hand continues to be difficult. I know a sprain takes a while, but sheesh! Last week the doc's office made a plaster splint to immobilize the thumb (because it hurt more than when it first happened!) After a week in that, it has improved. Today the physical therapist gave me a new brace, one that fits better than the first. Turns out I need a size small, not the medium first given. Doctor again tomorrow. I don't expect to be out of the brace this week. Tell you what, these longer nights for a medical appointment is tiring! Especially today! Less than 5 hours of sleep because of the pt appointment in the morning and then knitting group in the afternoon. I'm going to have to skip knitting on PT/doc days, I NEED sleep!

Talking about trying to spin tomorrow, don't know if the hand will allow it, but it would certainly help my sanity!

Whee!

My cell phone gave up and stopped working. Serena persuaded us to buy iphones (it hurt so much when she twisted our arms - not!) With this I can check e-mail at lunch, at least most of my accounts.

I fell at work the other night helping a customer get a wide screen tv into his SMALL car. The cardboard on the box gave way as I pulled on it. I waited a day to go in, verdict is a sprain of my hand. No knitting until it heals drat it.

weird

So, I have a new job schedule -- 10 at night until 7 in the morning. The good news? I get to work the same shift as DH. The bad? Most of life is NOT on our schedule. YOU try scheduling appointments after 5 in the afternoon. Doesn't happen much, does it?

Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful to be working for a corporation that respects our need for together time. I appreciate the promotion from cashier to customer service manager. It still feels odd to have people are so genuinely glad on my behalf for my promotion.

We will (actually I will, DH has been working this shift long enough that he has adjusted) adapt. As others are getting up, I'll be preparing for bed. Can't find me on the normal scale wherever you look! :)

It is beginning to get light. I appreciate the changes in view based on weather here. Today is a clear day, with few clouds obscuring the sun as it rises. Glorious!

DS, DDIL and DGS are suffering from strep. For the third time for DS and DDIL. I wish there was more I could do for them other than prayer. But that is all they need.,

Gack!

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted!

Justin has turned one. Hard to believe that it has been a year! These two pictures were taken about 11 months apart - he has changed a lot in that time! The sweater is the same, the modified Hanne Falkenberg Tutti-Frutti that I knit for him. I don't know if he'll be able to wear it much longer!

I finished the Hanne Falkenberg Plisse Monday. Pictures to come soon, I hope.

Howard and I have both changed jobs as our employers cut hours more and more because of the economy. Just couldn't afford to continue, even though we liked the jobs. We are both enjoying the new jobs. We are working opposing schedules, Howard works nights and I work days/swing. We cherish the few hours we see each other. After all that happened last year, I find that I have very low energy levels. I'm recovering, but it has been a haul.

Yesterday was a bad accessory day. I guess. That's the best way I can think to describe it. I lost my pedometer, my sunglasses, the stick on my shawl pin and broke an earring. Hello? What in the world did I do wrong yesterday? On the drive back to the house I was praying that I wouldn't break my glasses to finish the day! I did bang them and need to get them adjusted, but no break. Whew!

My dad was hospitalized over a week ago with a stroke. He was released Wednesday night to a rehab facility.