Treasure Hunting

  Krissy and I went thrifting recently and I found some goodies.  I got the iPod Nano for $4.99 and the PokéBall for $7.99.  They had the charging cord for the iPod separate and with some other cable, but I still have some old charging cables around, so I didn't need it.  It charges, turns on, and came with some music.  I'm oddly excited to own Melissa's I and the music she liked to listen to when she last used it.  The Vera Bradley clip case is also a nice touch.

  I have charged the PokéBall and it turns on, but I haven't checked to see if it will connect with the game or not.  I checked it by pushing the button, and it doesn't seem to have a Pokémon in it.

 

  Last year we went to RKOcon and this year we plan to go to the same convention, though since it is being hosted by another group, it is called Rocky Takes the Garden State.  Since the Worry Worms were a hit last year, I'm going to make some for this year, but this time I'm planning ahead and can make them before we start heading there.  Depending on how many years we go, I think it would be fun to make them differently each year, so they kind of become a collectors' item.

Paul 2 Works!

  At work we have a stapler that has always had the label "Paul" on it.  It has been decided that the stapler's name is Paul and whenever we need a good stapler, we ask where Paul is.  It has gotten to the point where we hide Paul and have a cheaper stapler out in the open as a decoy since things have a tendency to wonder off.

  While at Goodwill my mom and I saw a stapler that looked just like Paul.  However, someone didn't like the previous owner of this stapler, or didn't know how to load them because there were about 20 staples forced onto the shuttle that keeps pressure on the usable staples.  I wanted to see if the stapler would work, so we found a bag of dinner knives with a hole in the bag, and I started to pry them off.  I got about two thirds done before I couldn't get them out the last bit with my hands.  We took a chance and paid the $2.99 for the stapler.  Once I got home, I was able to get the rest out with some pliers pretty easily.  Once the last staple was pulled out the shuttle sprung forward and using some junk mail, I discovered that Paul 2 does indeed work.  Now I can have my own Paul at home, even though I don't know if I need a stapler that can easily go through 20 pieces of paper or not.

Pattern: Balloon Dog by Gloria D - Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in 304 Aurora Print - Hook: 5mm

  I wasn't sure what to make, and I'm sure everyone has been getting tired of seeing the same few things over and over again.  I also knew that there is a good chance that there is going to be a lot of repetition soon, so I decided to make something a little whacky.  Though, at knitting recently, Tammy mentioned that she follows the Knitting Minimalist, who only uses about 6 patterns.  She uses different colored yarn and sometimes different stitch patterns within those 6 patterns, but I feel like that might be me soon.

Pattern: Hazelnut Beanie by Monk Wolle & Beanies - Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick in Fisherman - Hook: N

  I found this pattern while looking for something else, but it stuck in my mind.  I then went to go and find it again and couldn't find it for some reason.  I posted about it on a group on Reddit that helps people find patterns and no one could find it, though I did get links to a few that were close.  I was then going through my favorites and found it buried pretty far back.  I used less stitches because the yarn I picked out was thicker than the one she used.  It was a pretty fun pattern and I might try it again with the two colors.

  I've still been making the worms in the background.  I had started falling behind and had a bunch of small balls piling up in the bottom of my knitting bag, but I have fixed that problem now.  You'll be seeing a lot more of the crazy rainbow ones because I have a few skeins of yarn I grabbed of the same colorway just to make worms with.  I'm still not sure how I feel about the very small bursts of color, but I don't hate it.  With how many worms I have been making, I'm wondering if I should move them out of the Crochet category and make them their own separate category.

Happy 20!

   There were quite a few milestones at this last Rocky showing.  We celebrated the fact that there has been a cast at the University Mall Theater for 20 years now and that The Transylvania Concubines as a cast are turning 18.

  Back when we were in college, Bill knew some people on a cast up in Ohio, so that's how I was first introduced to it.  I remember going to see the show at University Mall back in 2007 after graduating from college and seeing how different the callbacks were at times between the two shows.  However, we started going more regularly around 2017.  Enough time had passed, and it didn't feel too different anymore.

  I was just thinking about how crazy things could have been if things had just gone a bit differently.  If I had gone to college closer to home and known about the show as a general thing, there is a chance I could have been there when they first started performing at University Mall.  I've been going to the theater since the 90s and I went to go see other movies there frequently enough that I remember when a car drove into the front of it.  I wasn't there for the event, but it was a big deal.

  The energy at the show was great and I loved it.  There were some technical difficulties, like the computer they use to play the movie didn't want to work at first, and then one of the stage lights I use went out, but we all had so much fun.  It's great to have regulars in the audience because then I'm not the only one trying to do most of the callbacks with cast helping when they can.  Someone had printed pictures of various years of the old cast, and everyone had fun looking at those.  Some of the alumni have performed since their time being regularly on cast, and it was fun seeing them again.

  I have been unofficially part of the cast since 2021, but now I'm a signed member in 2023.  It'll be interesting to see what happens as the years go by.

Back at The Cabin Already

 First trip out:

  The first night was fun, we got in too late to feel like cooking, so we just ate some of the snacks we brought instead.  I found out that the Whippoorwill is my favorite bird.  Their song has a good rhythm and is fun to dance to.  We saw some deer on the road and startled them when we got back from a quick trip to get signal.  Most made it over the fence but two had problems.  We slowly followed them and while the one was looking for a way to get back to their friends, the other took a few bites of grass.  Eventually the one found a point to hop over and the other squeezed through to follow.

  We brought the wrong size of sheet, but were able to find one that worked.  The bed Bill and I used was way too firm for my taste and I had trouble getting to sleep.  The previous owners asked for more time to let everyone get over to get what they wanted, and we weren't sure if they had finished when we got there.

  Once my parents got there the next morning we got them unpacked and went to The Factory Antique Mall.  It was a lot of fun to walk through and I could see going back a few times to see what new things some of the booths may have put out or what new booths have moved in.  I'm considering contacting them about one of the cases to try and sell some things.

  We decided on Rackem Smackem Ribs for late lunch.  I got the fried bologna sandwich because I've tried to make them before but haven't been impressed.  To see how I really feel about them I figured I'd get one from someone who knows what they are doing.  Turns out the thickness of the bologna makes a big difference.

   Since it had rained the tree frogs were really loud and the Whippoorwills didn't come out until later.

  I slept much better the second night on a softer mattress and surprised everyone by having breakfast with them.  Normally I don't eat until lunchtime.

Second Trip out:

  We got a later start than we had planned, but we actually cooked this time when we got in.  I was tasked with finding a colander and while I didn't find one of those, I did find some frogs to take pictures of.  We also figured out that we are going to have to make or get something to block off the tops of the windows if we open them to put the screens in, otherwise bugs can come right in and try to fly into your wine.  I've recently been watching YouTube videos on how to make hand embroidered and beaded moth/bug brooches, and it might be interesting to make some based on the moths and other bugs that come into the cabin.

  It was midnight by the time we got done eating and cleaning up, but we played Doomlings anyway before heading to bed.  I had a lot of fun reading the flavor text on the cards and looking at the cute art.

  We went on a hike to see if we could find the old foundation.  We started by following an ATV trail which got pretty muddy at one point and that wasn't ideal, but we kept going.  At the end of the trail we found a really old tree stand.  Since it would be easier to see things, and we were told the old location had been on top of a ridge, we headed upwards.  I saw a bunch of cool mushrooms and bugs along the way.

  Once on top of the ridge we found a game trail.  It was nice and dry and easy to walk.  At one point there were fallen trees blocking the path, but I the found a bunch of wild succulents behind a tree right off the path there!  I'll need to go back there and grab some.  As we kept going we saw a turkey.  There had been a turkey walking in the side yard early and I wondered if it might have been the same one.

  As we kept going we found a lot of cacti.  I would have to thought that it would get too cold for them, but they were growing nicely and a few were either going to flower or grow fruit.  I ended up with some of their pokers in my finger and had to use some blue tape to get them off.

  We ended up finding the old foundation and it is pretty close to the road. We had been told that it was easy to walk to, and it probably was at one point, but it's overgrown currently.  I think it would be really fun to make it easily accessible again.

  After that we went to the gas station and Family Dollar to get supplies for less fun things.  We did a quick stop in to check out Riverside Grocery.  I don't think I'd call that a grocery store, especially since the Family Dollar felt more like a grocery store.  I cleaned out some of the mouse nests in drawers while Bill played with the mower.  Bill had to get the biggest nest because it was too high up and too far back for me to reach.

  Before we left Bill was taking some pictures and found a bee hive inside of the tree that I like the most.  Hopefully it isn't too harmful to the tree.  We said hello to some of the neighbor's cows who came over to the fence when we stopped.  On this trip we also discover that one of the other cabins in the area is called Lonesome Dove.

  We have a five star island (cabin).  If you have been playing Animal Crossing New Horizons then you know that these only grow when you have a top rated island.  I have no idea how it got between the porch and the step, but I'm going to have to figure out how to get in there to move it and where to move it to.  It was a shorter trip this time, but I'm looking forward to heading out there again before too long.