Monday, May 28, 2007

The pink thing is finished and bestowed upon its intended.

I modified the baby kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I realized as I was knitting it that I did not care for the way the arms were shaping. Instead I knitted the body from back to front, then added the arms separately. There's lots of room to grow.
Here's an action shot- ballet in progress.

and the requisite "No photographs, you swine paparazzi!"
I'm raising Greta Garbo.



Not to be outdone, Little Brewer #2 designed his own scarf ala Doctor Who. He picked out the colors himself from the Stash of Doom. I think he looks very dashing, an impression enhanced by the presence of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

It's amazing how little attention we pay to the daily workings of our bodies until they break down. I am still running a FUO = fever of unknown origin. We've ruled out hepatits, lupus, lyme disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. On top of it all, I caught Little Brewer #1's scarlet fever. Not only am I achy and feverish, I'm itchy. I'm like the seven dwarves rolled into one: sleepy, doc, itchy, achy, feverish, grumpy, and dopey. Dopey, because I can't even work up the energy to knit. Let me tell you, being home from work for a week and not being able to knit sucks big time.

Little Brewer #1 turned 7 last Saturday. We had a water party in the back yard. It was a wee bit chilly but the girls made the best of it. I purchased inflatable palm trees for that "tropical" look. It seemed like a great idea at the time. However, we soon discovered that it took forever to blow them up and they wouldn't stand on their own.
See the clever photo below? The fact that the tree is being supported by *two* people should have tipped me off. Swine misleading advertising.
Instead of palm trees by the wading pool, we had semi-inflated palm trees laying in the yard like limp tropical phalluses. The girls put them all in a pile, loaded it up with beach towels, christened it a "nest" and spent the rest of the party running back and forth from the nest making "peep peep" sounds. Kids are amazingly creative.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Sick

Remember when I said I was feeling better?
Apparently I was mistaken.

I am now consistently running a fever of 102, with night sweats and shaking. My work colleague and my husband convinced me (rightly) that this sort of thing is NOT GOOD and got me to go to the doctor. The doctor helpfully said that my symptoms are consistent with a number of different possibilities and that he was going to have to do some blood tests.

Ok, here's the thing. I had all sorts of excuses for not calling the doctor sooner. I am embarassed to be sick. I thought I could get over it on my own. I was afraid that the doctor wouldn't believe me, or think I was being silly.

Stupid. I am very stupid about my own health.

Anyway, back to the blood tests. Remember in science class when we had to test our own blood to determine its blood type? I am pretty sure that only required a drop from one finger. Not this time. The doctor did warn me they were going to take "quite a bit of blood." Quite a bit? They took so much blood I should have been given a cookie and a Red Cross donor card.


Four of these. Doesn't look impressive? When you're sitting in the chair, they appear about the size of a Red Bull can. Fortunately you don't actually have to FILL the container.

Also a gazillion little vials. What are they going to use all the blood for? Late-night snacking?

Hopefully the results will come back today and we will at least know what it is. Or is not. Or something.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Mother's Day

This will no doubt be one of the gazillion blog posts on Mother's Day. My Mother's Day went as follows:


  • Wake up with a splitting headache, possibly a result of the "good lord, it's HOW high??" pollen count or from last night's rum.
  • Brewguy brings coffee in bed. Snuggling, while I try not to move brain.
  • Little Brewer #1 brings card with poem and bath salts. At least I think they're bath salts. They appear too big to snort.
  • Little Brewer #2 brings card and cookies. "Look Mom, I brought you some cookies! Can I have one?" Immediately eats said cookies. More snuggling.
  • French toast. Brief delay while dining room table is cleared of unsold yard sale detritus.
  • Picnic at Dixon Park, which is right on the BWI landing approach. Would have brought wine, but Maryland has crazy laws about open containers.
  • Nap
  • Call own Mother to invite her to lunch next week.
  • Dinner and a trashy movie (The Mummy). Just the right mix of schmaltz and Brendan Frasier.

All in all, a lovely Mother's Day.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007


When humor goes, there goes civilization.
----Erma Bombeck (attributed)



Ever notice how little things start to go wrong when one spouse is out of town? This used to happen frequently to my mother. My father is an atmospheric physicist*. When we were small, Dad would chase eclipses around the globe to study and measure solar flares. Mom would take us for chicken noodle soup and root beer floats at Hot Shoppes. During his absences, things tended to happen. Like the chimney falling off the roof. The washer exploding. And I have this vague memory that the dryer may have caught on fire, but I could be confusing that with the kitchen fire.

Back to the present. Brewguy is again in Milton, Oregon visiting MIL. She's a little distressed that her house is in "disarray," so he is helping her put everything back. To which I say, what did she expect? She MOVED, albeit temporarily. That, and the fact that she needs a new dining room table because hers is now sitting in my dining room.


Okay, I may feel a teeny bit guilty about that but she did insist that I take it and at the time we were all under the impression she was not going to need it in that little apartment of hers.

The little brewers have been troopers. I took them to MDS&W on Saturday (slight whining), shopping at the organic food mart (organic pop-tarts! ecstasy!), and a birthday party on Sunday.

Things are starting to happen.

aThe dryer won't stop at the end of the cycle. It helpfully buzzes its little heart out, continually, until you open the door.
aMy cell phone won't keep a charge.
aLittle Brewer #1 has contracted scarlet fever.


My first thought was, "Oh no! Just like Beth in Little Women!" The pediatrician reassured me that scarlet fever is not as bad as it once was, likening it to "strep with a rash." She is on antibiotics, but will have to stay out of school until Thursday. Since Brewguy is out of town, I get to stay home with her. This is really an unexpected blessing, because now I get some undivided Mommy-Daughter time.


With a dash of itchy.


*Do you have any idea what it is like having a physicist Dad? Those forms in school that ask for your parents' occupation? Try spelling "physicist" when you're in third grade. When I asked for math homework help he would start with Newton. On the upside, I have memorized most of Newton's laws.

Thursday, May 03, 2007

To sell or not to sell

As you may recall, last month we spent a week in Milton-Freewater clearing out MIL's house. With MIL's blessing, much of her stuff was sent across the country to us, traveling on a slow truck.

In preparation for the new stuff, I have been sorting my current clutter. Luckily our neighborhood is having a community yard sale in two weeks. As I unpacked box after box with labels reading "glasses from old house," and "small items," I had visions of selling the multitude of vintage chairs, glassware and miscellaneous clutter I have accumulated. The house would be free and clear, ready to accept the new bounty, and we might make enough to buy a pizza. Ah, what good intentions I had.

The moving company called yesterday. The truck will be here on SATURDAY (which, by the way, is also Maryland Sheep and Wool. They better not show up before 3pm.)

Saturday...the day after tomorrow. My living room/kitchen/porch is still full of yet-to-be-yard-sale'd items. Where the *(&*(^!! am I going to put this new crap??

Panic has set in. I have temporarily become the de-clutter monster. That set of Fiestaware? On the block! The Iriquois China? Outta here! The Wonder Woman tumbler? Well, I might have to save that one.

I even considered thinning some of my precious stash. Fortunately it was only a momentary impluse.