Another one is leaving!

  So back when we heard that Aylin's Woolgatherer was closing the yarn shop part of her shop there was some misinformation and some people thought that  Uniquities was closing.  Well, it wasn't that long ago that this happened and now it seems that Uniquities really is closing.  We were supposed to have our last K&CC meeting there last Saturday, but the space we use was needed to help organize the stock for even easier access.
  It just seems so strange that so many local yarn shops are closing.  This will make it harder for people to find places to take yarn they don't want.  Not everyone who donates likes using yarn themselves and will know to keep trying shops.  Hopefully Fibre Space and Nature's Yarn don't plan on going anywhere.

  Funny thing about those is that because of the future yarn sale prices I will have some difficulties.  Bill has been frustrated because I'm not very good at being motivated to clean and organize, and I am also kind of annoyed with me.  I have decided that I shouldn't really buy a lot of things unless I need it for a project.  I hope that over time this will help me to decrease how much I have and that it will make it less daunting.
  I'm also thinking of applying that idea to my other items too.  I have been watching some daily vlogs by some people who are trying to live their life more minimally.  I'm going to have to force myself to, but I know I need to donate some of my cloths that I will never use again.  It will be hard because most of the extra things I held on to have been things I really liked before and I'm worried that maybe no one will buy it and they will just get thrown out.
  I also plan on going through some of the bags of yarn and beads and pulling things I know I won't actually use and bring it to donate to a K&CC meeting.  Some friends might also be getting some of the crafting items.

  Now I am off to go see if I can find some white ruffle yarn.  I'm pretty sure I got some from Mary, but I don't know where I put it.  Wish me luck!

Makeup

  As everyone here should know by now, I really like playing around with make-up and trying new things.  I was searching for random things when I found the lipstick made in a collaboration between MAC and Caitlyn Jenner.  Finally Free is a rosy nude color.  One thing I really like about the sales of that color is that "100% of the selling price goes to the M·A·C AIDS Fund Transgender Initiative, to further its work in support of transgender communities."
  This let me to click around the website some and I found this page on the M·A·C AIDS Fund.  I never knew they had that.  That is pretty great.

   Look everyone, I did my nails in a bright summery color!  It is also coordinates with my knitting.  I actually cast off the scarf last night, but I didn't have anything to weave the ends with in, so it isn't totally done yet.

Getting back into things.

  It still feels really weird to not have Mr. Jag around but we might have a new kitty running around the house before too long.  A friend is moving and his mother is super allergic to cats, so he can't take the cat with him.

  Someone on Monday knit-night had a bunch of these with various markings on them.  Some said when to increase or decrease.  I picked these two because I thought they made a nice set.

  It is very confusing times when a yarn shop closes.  You are always happy to see the discounts that you would never have gotten other wise, but you are sad because once they lock the doors for good, you won't be able to shop or see some of the people anymore.

  I did not let any sad feelings from buying some fancy stuff though.  I know, I totally need more yarn, right?  The top ones were just so soft and silky that I couldn't say no to them.  Some of the smaller balls were also under $5.

  I have also tried to keep myself busy.  It is a lot farther now than in the picture, but I am working on another Directional Colors Scarf.  I wasn't sure what else would look really cool with that yarn.  It is a few different yarns sewn together and all wound into one skein.
  The picture they use for a project shows a pillow.  While that was cute and all, I wanted something cooler.  I might get another one if I find something else I want to make out of it.

Everyone Loves Mr. Jag

March 23, 1998 - June 6, 2016

  Everyone who met Mr. Jag thought he was a pretty great cat.  Not all cats came up to you for a good petting and then talk to you about it.

  A little after 3am on Sunday I heard a splat sound from the hallway.  I went to go clean what was going to be partially digested kitty food off the floor so our housemate didn't have to deal with it.  What I saw was a huge puddle of water blood and a blood clot the size of a small hamster.
  Bill and I rushed him to the ER where they did all they could and got him stable.  He even got the cube with the heated floor.  One blood transfusion fixed the problem for a while, but in about 24 hrs it looked like he would need another.  His rapid decline surprised everyone and we all knew his little body was telling us it didn't want to fight any more, no matter that his brain wanted to do.

  He was the best kitty there ever was.  He loved to come and wake me up in the morning to get some breakfast.  If I didn't get up fast enough I would get a lick to the armpit or a cold nose to the eyelid.
  He was the only cat I have ever seen who would stiffen his tail and wiggle it back and forth when he got really excited.  I've also not seen a cat lick food off of a spoon until I met him.  Most cats try and move out of the way when you lean in to give them a kiss, but Mr. Jag would lean into it when I went to kiss his head.
  He loved cheese grease, spicy gumbo, lobster, tater tots, frosting, soup, kitty caves, and getting the spot between his shoulder blades scratched.  He also loved watching birds go by while laying in bed.  Estee by Estee Lauder was his favorite perfume, he even started licking my arm the first time I wore it.
  He had a "Labrador tail" and would sometimes knock things into himself with it and get scared by the items.  He also loved blankets and anything soft, though he didn't understand the concept of sitting on your lap.  Lady Gaga was his jam and he would complain if you tried to sing along.  He would also come to the door to greet whoever was there and would welcome them in.
  He didn't like cold cuts or when his cat food was too stinky.  He used to hate riding in the tiny box in the car, but recently realized that there was a lot of cool stuff outside the windows to watch go by.  He also didn't like it when food would get into his water, it was made undrinkable at that point.  He loved to crinkle plastic bags, but if you crinkled one around him it was too scary and he would run away.  While chicken and turkey were yummy, he was not a fan of duck.  He thought people taste was gross, but would still give me licks every once in a while.  He liked to give a smell to everything I put on my body or anything I ate.
  I have a million stories about times when he didn't make sense, but in the best possible ways.  He still loved drinking water out of the bath-tub sink more than his fancy kitty fountain I bought for him.

  He was trying his hardest to convince us all that he was feeling great and that he was ready to go home and live his life.  We visited with him for almost 2 hrs and you could see him getting more and more wobbley as we were there.
  I have his paw prints with me and I'm waiting to hear when I can take the rest of him home with me.
  Just remember, hard decisions are hard.  I still feel so sad even though everyone around me told me that I made the right decision and did the right thing for him.  I've also been told that he knew he was loved and that he lived a good life.  I did do my best to spoil him.
  I wore the cloths I know he liked (they were the ones where he cuddled my leg and where he half laid in my lap for a few minutes), and I am making his favorite gumbo and tater tots for lunch.

Rolling Thunder re-cap.

  I have my memory card back with all of my pictures and I feel like I can give a better recap now that I have had some time to calm down.

  This little guy was on my shoe.  I thought it was some dirt, but then he stuck to my nail when I tried to brush him off.  Then I realized that it wasn't dirt, but was a snail.  When we were done with our photo-shoot I put him closer to the trees and bushed so hopefully he wouldn't get smooshed or fried in the sun.

  First time seen on the blog!  This is the newest project I have been working on.  I wasn't able to decide if I wanted to do a color-work cowl or a brioche cowl.  So I found some pretty variegated yarn and did both.  I also brought some healthy snacks.

  Remember Meg with the painted nails from last year?  This is her bike that she is riding this year.  It didn't take her long last year before she got her motorcycle license (even though her mom said no way at first).

  Santa was also there!!  He rolled in and then asked me if I knew who he was and then went "Ho Ho Ho!"  It was awesome! His license plate also let everyone know that he is Santa.

  Meg was trying out the bike from one of our new friends.  He was super impressed by her and had to rub it in to his friend that a 17 year old girl was riding her own bike in Rolling Thunder and he wasn't.

*~* WARNING: STOP WATCHING AROUND 4:01 IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE THE ACCIDENT *~*

  I was glad I didn't actually see it happen in real time.  Meg was right next to them and she was a lot braver after than I would have been.  When I saw the wife she was moving around some, but Bill said she was unresponsive by the time he ran over to her.
  I will be writing a good commendation for the officer on the scene who was taking the evidence and testaments.  She was very good at making it feel like she understood how we felt and that we shouldn't feel pressured.
  As of the last I heard on May 30: both of them are doing okay.  It seems that no news is good news.
  Here is a link to another YouTube video that got a better shot of the helicopter come in and take her out.

Now some happy stuff!!

Picture from the internet

  Do you remember the "Saluting Marine" from my video last year?  His station looks a bit different than usual this time.

Picture from the internet.

  He got married!!  They got married on the 29th and she stood next to him the whole time.  The Daily Wire did an article about the two of them.
  I wish I had video of them, but I am interested to see if she stands next to him again next year.

I know I was excited, but it wasn't supposed to be THAT interesting.

  As usual, a few bikes showed up for Rolling Thunder.  It was way too sunny for my taste, but some people like that sort of thing.  They were even giving out some bandanas, but they had been died red in a less than through way, so they leaked pink when they got wet.


  Here was supposed to be the super fun footage of out trip in HD and showing Meg's first time riding her own motorcycle in the parade.  Too bad things were too exciting.
  When we got to the bridge where people would spread out and get to speed up.  This was all going fine until someone in near the end of the bridge slowed down quickly.  No idea what it was, but this caused a lot of the people to have to stop quickly.  The people next to Meg braked a little too hard and locked his back wheel.  To try and avoid hitting the person in front of him he went to move to the side to go around them.  Somehow the bike ended-up flipping and rolling over them after she went flying over his head.  I didn't see it happen since I was trying to not body-check Bill while we slowed down.  I only saw them on the ground and the only thing I could think to say was "Oh no!"
  Bill pulled over and hopped off to help them.  He helped make sure that no one tried to move them or anything.  Other people helped moved the bike out of the way, and some others stopped the traffic.  It was nice how everyone's first thought was to go help them.  A helicopter was flown in to get them help.
  I reviewed what I had been recording and I had gotten it on tape.  I turned in my SD card so police could have the footage.  A bunch of other people gave their account and SD cards.  I was glad I could help, though I sort of hope to get it back with the footage.  The first part is of Meg's first time pulling out of the North parking lot.  I know it is a silly thing, but it's my way of dealing.

There are so many things going through my head, I just hope they are both going to be perfectly fine.

Bike Weekend

 

  This is us getting ready to leave.  Most of us were riding on motorcycles down to Myrtle Beach for the first weekend of Bike Week.  It was going to be about an eight hour trip and I was really nervous because I had never ridden on the back for that long before.  Luckily some of the ladies were taking a car, so I had another option in case I couldn't make it.

  During the ride I was thinking it would have been cool if I could have gotten some pledges for the ride.  That way I would have had extra motivation to stay on.  The ride was nice until the last hour and a half.  While we were getting some lunch we heard someone say that a bad storm was on the way.  There were reports of hail.  We waited around and while there was a lot of rain, there was no hail.

   She was hanging out and crocheting a water bottle holder near where we stopped to get some lunch.  I was too shy to go and actually go talk to her though.

  Some of the things I learned on my long ride was that the back-rest made a ton of difference, the wind will move your helmet a little over time, and lifting your butt off the seat a little will definitely help.

   This is the first thing you saw when you walked into the house that most of the group was renting.  I thought it was funny that the house was telling you to escape the second you walk in the door.

  The whole weekend was spend looking at a ton of cool and pretty bikes, hanging out, and trying new things.  It was the first time for me, but some of the other people in the group have already been before.

  At one of the places we stopped for lunch two of us got interviewed and then we got to see some of it on the local news later.  That was a lot of fun too.

   This bar was really interesting.  They had some funny signs on the outside seating like "What goes up, must come down. Don't feel the birds." The bar is called Dead Dog Saloon and the pictures on the wall of the inside are all of dogs who have passed away. I think that is very sweet.

   Another very interesting place we went to was called Suck Bang Blow.  They have a booth with clear sides so you can see what is going on in the inside.  The gimmick they have is that you suck down a beer, throw your bike into first gear while your front tire is touching the back wall of the booth, and then you go so that you make tons of smoke and noise.  There is one blind guy who works there.  He gets it going and will regularly blow out the back tire to try and get more people to do it.  The joke is that his bike is the only one to have 80,000 miles on it without ever leaving the pit.

  I had brought some knitting with me, but I never had it with me when we had our few moments of down time.  I think I will bring something small with me next year, that way I can have it with me most of the time and won't have to worry about not grabbing it at any point.

  There are a few things I have finished, but it has been so rainy and gloomy that I have not been able to get any good pictures of any of it.  Hopefully those will come soon.