Right This Very Minute

It is too bad that the Huzbunkle doesn't want a sweater vest for christmas, 'cause then I might make it on time...

But since he wants a whole actual sweater, those pesky sleeves might put me closer to his February birthday than Christmas morn... But I do have to say that it is begining to look a lot like a sweater these days, a nubbly, cabled, and complex sweater! Yay!

As for our train ride last week, Tank Boy and I had a fabulous time! We made the 6:20 am bus (a small miracle, if you know my preferred sleeping habits!) and then made all three subsequent transfers from bus to train to bus to train! We ended up in my old hometown of Truckee, where a friend picked us up and fixed us dinner while we waited for the Huzbunkle to fly back from a business trip in GA and then drive up from Sacramento. All together the logistics of this trip were akin to an algebra word problem, but it all went surprisingly smoothly in the end. We made it to the work holiday party in Reno, and rubbed elbows and white elephants with the big bosses, despite the fact that I had pretty much lost my voice to the hacking cough that had taken up residence in my torso region.

This weekend we're all considerably healthier and homebody-er! We got our tree up, and some lights on the entry way, and are tackling the two weeks of back laundry! Funny story about the tree though, last night, a mere 8 hours after getting the darn thing up and decorated, it decided to take a swan dive in to the middle of the living room floor. The Huz and I who had been dozing on the couch watching the tube, bolted upright ready for action at the surprisingly loud noise a fully decorated tree makes hitting the hardwood (and the family dog, totally uninjured btw.) An hour and three vacuum passes later we were back in business. Lets hope the bugger stays put this time!

We've got non-stop carols on the sound system, and a ham in the freezer! I loves me some holiday cheer!

Raffle Ho!

Ye gad, its been a while since I've been on here! We've been all over for the holidays, then been sick, well, and sick again. We are heading out again soon, (we've got a housesitter you thiefy types!) but I enjoyed being home for the week like one who is about to leave again only can! I got to do some nice cooking in our fully functional and stocked kitchen, and crafting in my stocked and cozy craft (/guest) room! We are missing the daycare fundraiser this weekend, so I guilt crafted this little choker necklace jobber and matching earrings for the raffle. I think they came out rather festive!



Tank Boy and I are off on an exciting train adventure soon, so I'd better get packin!

Finished Object!

I knit a quick hat for a coworker who has retired. He plans on riding his Harley around the country for a few months. I hope he likes it!

... And A Pony, And A Racecar...

Now that November is here, I'm sure you all know what is fast approaching...

Gifting To Suzie Season!

Yes, seeing as my birthday and Christmas come bickety bam, one after t'other, this is the only time of year I receive heaps of pwesents! Yay! So without further ado, here is my List Of Things That Are Wearing Out But Still Hard To Justify Purchasing New Ones Because The Old Ones Work Well Enough List:

TTAWOBSHTJPNOBTOOWWE: (in no particular order!)

I would love me a new women's specific climbing harness, something like this one here. Specifically what I'm looking for is something designed for women's hips, that has lots of gear loops, that stresses comfort and strength over lightweight-ed-ness and comes in a size small.

***Edited to add that The Huzbunkle has crossed the above item off the list! Yay!***

...and/or a new climbing rope like this here beauty. Or something like it that has a differential pattern for pinpointing the center of the rope , a more than generous 60 meter length, and is approximately 10 mil thick or so. I likes me a thick durable rope! (Eeek, does that sound naughty?!)

I am also sorely in want of a new climbing helmet. My current one immediately sloshes over to a jaunty angle on the right where it thunks against my glasses frame and right ear and stays for the rest of the day. I'm guessing that something like this or this might work well for my smallish (~21 inch diameter) very narrow (pinhead!) noggin.

And what's that you say, doesn't she do any team sports? Why yes, and it too, is very gear intensive. So therefore I desperately covet a pair of hockey pants that wasn't purchased (all pre-smelly) at a thrift store for $7 in something like a size mens XL. I'm sure anything here would do me quite well. And no, I'm not referring to the fuzzy leopard gloves, alas, I already bought a new (not quite as snazzy) pair of hockey gloves last year. And I'm pretty sure that I could use a new hockey stick too, but all I can tell you there is that I think I shoot (oddly enough) left handed. I don't know anything about new hockey sticks. Someone gave me my current one, and everyone at the rink laughs at it because it is so old, funny, and worn down.

And now back to climbing for a tick, there are two more items that I don't currently have, but would love to welcome to the HoopGearRack. The whole flam damn set can be seen here, but I am only missing the 0.75 size and the big ol' number 4.

Wow thanks for tuning into Wish List '09!

Now its your turn! What in the world am I going to give YOU for the holidays? Help a gal out here, throw me a bone! Love you!

That's The Way (Uh Huh Uh Huh) I Like It!

And once again the weekend was full of wonderful (in addition to the aforementioned Halloween) and surprising experiences that I just have to share!

Friday was Gal's Climbing Day, so another Gal and I did Little John Right. Now if you pop over to that description you might see that this climb is on El Cap. Yep, El Capitan. The big one. I do have to clarify here, and mention that we were merely climbing about the feet of The Captain, probably not even up to his knees. And yet. Nontheless. That is one big rock. There is a sober sense of seriousness about being at the base of such a colossal beast. A three thousand foot reminder to check all of your knots and anchors not once, nor twice, but three times. And yet, thankfully, he was a gentle beast that day and let us off with nary an abraded knuckle nor knee. But we did however gain a great big whooping sense of yeeeehawww! The other Gal took a ton of pics, so I'll post one or two when they come my way.

Then Saturday was more scootering in Yosemite Valley with one of Tankboy's little buddies. He is now such a speedy scooter, we have to jog at a lively pace to keep up.


Then of course, the trick or treating. Oh the treating!

Then Sunday The Fam Damily had nothing more planned than a quick and dirty run up the unpaved road behind our neighborhood. Afterwards I was hoping to jump into some knitting, and drink some tea maybe. Big day.

Then a friend called. She knew this gal who is in a band who was playing relatively close to our rather isolated area, and would I like to go along for the ride? Little did I know that we were jumping in on the tail end of a zany four day music festival with three stages, multiple camping areas, remarkably good food, bubbles, costumes, hula hoops, and a surprisingly blatant prevalence of mind altering substances. But jump we did. The friend of a friend, and two other acts were so achingly good, that we both confessed to the chills at times. We danced quite a bit, ate some tasty (thought slightly expensive) snacks, had our one alcoholic beverage (Bloody Mary's my fav!), bought some CD's, and then cut out before our terribly staid parental bed times. Did y'all know (or remember from your misspent youths) that seeing live music was so fun?!

So then on Monday (after a rousing round of Potluck Preschool with the neighborhood kids) Tankster and I took a three hour nap. And then a few hours later the two of us were in bed konked out by 8:45 pm. Party am-in-als. We have been doing it up right!

Happy Halloween!!

Roar!





Cute yet fierce! I could just eat him up!

Tasty Autumn With A Hint Of Spring

Due to an unusually forceful and prolonged rainstorm here a week or so ago things have, again, taken on the rosy tones of Shangri-La. The fall colors are coloring, but the air is clean, crisp, and dust free. The waterfalls are flowing again and the grass is growing. The past two weekend have been painfully pleasant, that aching sweetness that only fall can conjure.










If you're wondering why this entry is filled with so many fantastic pics, its because they were all taken by the Hubsand. He got a new camera, and is up to his old (and fabulous) tricks!

I'm still working away on the dinosaur/dragon costume, here's the latest addition, scary claw fingerless mitts! (Note the lack of flair in the pic, it was taken by me...)


The Women's Thursday Evening Climbing Club has come to a halt for the season, that pesky darkness just kept interfering. It has, however been moved to the Friday Day Women's Climbing Club for all those who are interested! Last week a gal and I did the (CLASSIC) Nutcracker. I led all 5 pitches (yay me!) and was WORKED by the end of the day! Today is the first day I got out of bed without creaking!

And yet again the world reminds me why I love the savoriest of the seasons. I keep reminding my self to breathe, absorb, and enjoy.

Kill 'Em With Cuteness!

So Halloween is coming, and I have a newly set up craft room at my disposal. Therefore I have challenged myself to take this pile of ingredients...

And make it into a SCAWWWY DINOSAUR for the Tank!

Day one got me here...


Day two of laboring got me here...



Poor Tankboy, so far its just dang adorable, but not very scary at all! Claws, he's gonna need some claws!

Giddyap!

So I'm a bit of a one trick pony when it comes to following musicians. There is pretty much only one artist that I follow, regularly purchase music from, and attempt to see live. It is a little bit embarrassing how much I love this artist. I have silly fan fantasies of hanging out with her, taking her climbing, and our kids becoming friends. Did I mention the silly part?

Anywho, so she was playing a show down in Fresno (a good two hours and twenty-some-odd minutes away) and a few of us rallied to go see. It was a great evening, we ate dinner at a brew pub, had a few beers, someone asked me if I was famous (!?)...and Ani was just lovely, all soulful and talented.





Today, at work, I felt a little rough around the edges, but it was wonderfully worth it.

We Are Here!

The title of this entry is a quote the Dr. Seuss book, Horton Hears a Who, and yes, we read a lot of Seuss here. Yopp!

So despite the fact that we have not been audible to any but the keenest of ears, we have been here working away on our building! I don't know if y'all remember, but Casa Remodel had never been completely painted. For 20 or 30 years, it has sat, with paint on the siding only as far as the former owner could reach...



Finally that situation has been rectified, due to a hard working dude named Mark and his paint sprayer!


What do you think of the "Iced Mocha" and "Colonial Red"? I personally want to eat it!

So we haven't quite finished the trim paint on the front of the house, but I still think it is a huge improvement!



We also had the interior door thresholds installed, the baseboard and door trim finished, and I finally got the toe kicks done on the kitchen cabinets and the rest of the cabinet side panels on! Up next: bathroom towel racks and a toilet paper holder!

A Present, For Little Old Me?!

Hi y'all. I finished knitting some socks. (Yes I cheated on the Hubsand's sweater-in-progress!)




And yes, my feet are large, and I do have slightly hairy ankles. But they are soft and fuzzy (the socks, not the ankles) and shall ease my transition into fall.

But I Always Bring My Own Grocery Bags!

I have a confession to make. The Hubsand bought a Swiffer Mop thing a couple of years ago, and I flat out refused to use it. For years! My excuse was that I did not want to have to buy "maxi pads" for my mop. So I would haul out the icky looking sponge mop, or just a regular sponge, and fill a bucket or the kitchen sink with sudsy water and spend 45 minutes or so cleaning the floor. Then The Hubsand bought a case of (get this!) pre-moistened Swiffer mop pads. Eeegad! The waste, the expense! And then I spent approximately three minutes mopping the kitchen floor. Phooey. It is too dang easy.

Can I possibly justify the natural resource consumption of a disposable mop pad with the savings in treated water usage?

Home Improvement, Schmome Improvement!

So this past weekend was much more relaxing than last weekend's evacuapalooza. And to top it off the County Fair was in town. Now Tankster loves himself some fair, but I hate to admit that I might love it even more! The farm animals, the snack foods, the knitting on display! The live bands, and cowboy stuff! Balloon animals! Juggling! Eeeegads! Too much good clean family fun to resist!

Did I mention the $3 giant slide?



The impossible to win ping pong ball games, set up for toddlers so that you get a prize just for playing?


And tired loopy toddlers boogying down in the dark?


Ack! I can't stand it, I LOVE THE FAIR! (Despite the fact that I entered the knitting contest and came in dead last! That is how much I love the fair!)

Oh, and speaking of knitting, I did finish that sock I started last week...

Tadaa! One more to go and I can actually wear them! (Yes, that is a super lazy picture of the sock sitting in my lap. It is dark, artsy does not happen here after dark.) G'night!

Duck and Cover

Yeah, so. It has been a wee bit stressful here at Casa Remodel. The Big Meadow fire came a lot closer to our little neighborhood and we were evacuated. (The second evacuation for us in approximately a year!) I was at work so I missed the "pre-evacuation" call, and therefore had less than an hour to pack, and no idea if our recently completed house and all of our belongings were going to go up in smoke. I was not pleasant to be around. (Barky McSnappypants) The evacuation ended up not being that big a deal, some friends in our old neighborhood put us up in their little straw bale cabin for the three nights. (And unlike last time, the power was on at our house so we didn't lose all of our perishables, phew!)

Tank boy had a great time playing with their kids and their toys,

The Hubsand worked his booty off due to the air quality aspect of a wildfire, but Molly cat was not so pleased.

Then we got the call that a coworker of The Hubsand died while climbing during the same weekend. Bluh.

On a completely lighter note, and with almost no segue, I did get to knit a wee bit (Yes, I packed my yarn and knitting supplies. What?) and started this cute sock. Then it was too big and I had to rip it out and start again, but that's not such a big deal with a sock.


And my dad is still not feeling well after the appendectomy, so send him some good vibes, m'kay? We're just going to nestle in here and attempt to not piss off whatever capricious gods currently have their panties in a bunch. Duck 'n cover.

Ack!

I didn't follow my own advice about staying in bed for a week, and boy am I sorry. Aside from Ted Kennedy's passing, and much more locally, today we had substantial rockfall within a 1/2 mile of my jobsite, and the controlled burn (that The Hubsand was monitoring for its impact on air quality) has jumped its bounds and taken off. We are all on pins and needles here.

Ouch.

We had a little accident wherein Tank Boy fell out of the trailer behind the bike, and ended up at the hospital instead of work and daycare. The Hubsand feels awful and many more safety measures will now be a regular part of the day here at Casa Roadrash. But he is fine, we are fine and everything is fine. Except then we got a call that my dad was in the hospital for not only appendicitis, but also a kidney stone?! Lets all go to bed and stay there for a week or so!

And a Weekend With the Cousins, of Course!

Tankboy has had a summer full of:

Long Daddy spiders
Fighter Fighters (aka fire fighters)
Mister Squitos
Bite-amins (the gummy bear vareity)
and twice daily brushing with his Brush Toof.

And really, who could ask for anything more?

Two For One Coupon Day?

Today, at work, the contractor did this crazy thing where they made a Tee into a pressurized waterline, without geyser-ing hardly anything! To start they bolted a sleeve around the existing water line with a little tee type protrusion on it. Then they bolted a valve on to that, which is just a piece of pipe with an extra bump on top so that a little door can go up out of the way, or down to stop the water flow. They they bolted this crazy enclosed drilling contraption on, of which I'm only showing the business end...



Then they drill in the center pilot hole, and then the big circular drill cores out a honkin circle. The center pilot bit actually has some heavy short wires that pop out and hold onto the circle (I believe it is called a coupon, but I read that on the internets, so someone could be playing a cruel joke on me...). They were more than happy to let me take it home!



Construction work iz fun!

Quick Rant

I cannot believe all this crazy hoo hah over the attempt to change our health care insurance system. Imitation grass roots organizations with lobotomized slogans like "Just say no"?! What do they think Obama is trying to do here, bite the heads off puppies? Is it really so offensive to try and provide affordable health care for each and every american?

As soon as the post man can get here, I will be sporting this new political accouterment. Please note that our friend John Allison has chosen to portray the USA as a DINOSAUR!

Shouting down your political opponent instead of informed discourse? Evidently its the American way!

The Trials and Tribulations of Pergo!

First of all my little digi might be on its last legs, as one in four pictures now looks like this...


Second, I have a poll for y'all! This is the one and only spot where the pergo flooring will go the same direction on either side of a door.


Should I cut it nonetheless and install the wooden threshold, or just run it through the door smooth? Assume that neither is intrinsically more work than the other... I am no professional, so I'll just ask other random nonprofessionals their opinion!

You Gotta Have The Right Tool For Every Job

And this, my friends, is my newest and rightest tool! (Aside from the fact that when looked through, it makes you look like an alien.)

For those of you who have not met these before, it is a spring loaded camming device (SLCD) that is as big as my head. With this little puppy, or more specifically, big dog, I was able to safely wrestle my way to the top of that climb that thwarted me last week! Yay!

Previously my largest piece of "protection" (stuff you put in the crack to secure your rope through) was a size three. This Mammajamma is a size FIVE! Yep, that's right, I skipped right over poor number four in favor of the purple people eater! I'm crazy that way.

And in other news that is not AAM (all about me!), I would like to present all the things that are wonderful about little boys.

He's not afraid to rough and tumble football and snuggle his teddy bear all at the same time. Gawd I love him.

Progress!

This weekend was rather fruitful here at Casa Remodel. I finally got the Pergo flooring going! Here's Tank Boy doing the "Halfway Done Red Underpants Boogie."



Then we quick cleaned up, hopped in the car and unfortunately found the battery completely dead. The Hub performed the quickest jump ever (innuendo aside) and we were on the road in 3.5 minutes flat! See, we were in a bit of a rush to get up to Groveland to go to their Movies in the Park night. They were showing the Tale of Despereaux, which none of us had seen yet. The town is about an hour away, so we were trying to head out early to explore and hang out a bit before the movie. The best laid plans...

Now that Tank Boy is a Big Boy and Wearing Big Boy Underpants (see above) we travel with this everywhere we go. Forty minutes from our destination the warning call went out. We were not going to make it to any civilized facilities. So we deployed the on hand facilities on the side of the road. Unfortunately sometimes Tank likes to take his time. A half an hour later The Hub was off in the woods digging a cat hole to deposit Tank Boy's... um... deposit.

So at this point it was already past the Tankster's bedtime, and we were neither fed, nor at our destination. Which made me a bit antsy. But as luck would have it, we pulled up into the parking lot and made our way to the cool grassy expanse of the park just as the announcements were starting. And it was the best evening ever! Tank Boy had so much fun snuggling on the blanket, eating hot dogs and popcorn, and occasionally even watching the movie! Amazing starry skies, perfect temperature, and the world's cutest animated mouse! I can't recommend the Toddler trip to the movies in the park any more highly, despite the 11 pm bedtime!

Then Sunday, it was back to the old miter saw...