It's a Hat!

This hat did not turn out like the one in the pattern picture, but it's ok.  The first one I made was tiny, so I reversed the pattern and knit it from the bottom up.  AND, tah-dah, I made up the pattern from there.  I've never done that before, and it works I think.  I kept trying it on as I went along to see when to decrease and then when to stop knitting.  It's not at all floppy like the pattern hat is, but whatevah.  I'll wear it.

Here is my clover plant.  It's usually outside and gets very full with clover leaves, but this one is naked.  

Molly is my prime suspect.  I've never caught her in the act, but

she is sneaky.

PTSD

We have had our four grandchildren here since last Tuesday.  They are at the airport now waiting for their flight to Austin, TX, where their Dad and their dog, FeeBee, will be very happy to see them.

Baxter and Molly, however, have had mixed reactions to the intruders.  

Molly, even though the kids have been gone a couple of hours now, is still in hiding in the basement, where she spent most of their visit. Is there PTSD counseling available for cats?

Baxter came and went from view throughout the week.  He occasionally found temporary (but ineffective) hiding places:

And other times he was quite happy to spend time watching the kids.  This morning he even seemed unhappy that they seemed to be preparing to leave.

But sitting on a suitcase didn't work.

MOLLY! NO!

I never say that, do I?  It's always BAXTER!  NO!

But nope, this time it was Molly and I caught her in the act.

Do you see Gertie?

This is Gertie.  Isn't she c.u.u.u.t.e?  She was a Christmas gift from Sallyknit, who made her and her nine buddies.  

Do you see where Gertie lives?   in a top row cubby, between a photo of younger daughter and some books, where cats can't get to her.  (Hah! say the cats.)

Do you see sweet, innocent, widdle Molly, sitting in front of the bookcase?  Hi Mom.  I'm just sitting here, doing nothing.  Yes, Gertie was on the floor.  I don't know HOW she got there. Really. Prolly Baxter did it.  Yes, it was Baxter. He's the bad cat.  

No, Molly, it wasn't Baxter. 

I just came upstairs and found poor Gertie, being assaulted, assaulted, I tell you, by Molly.  I rescued Gertie.  She is fine.  

Something happened while we were away for Christmas.

Molly learned many bad things from Baxter.  Soon after we came home, I looked into the kitchen to see Molly on the kitchen counter.  I had never seen her there before.

And now, poor Gertie.  

Molly---

Common Sense is Not So Common

so said Voltaire and he is correct.

The new refrigerator arrived Thursday.  My husband and I finished painting the kitchen and breakfast room yesterday.  We cleaned up.  The job is finished!!!

Not so fast.

Do you see the black plastic covers over the edges of the top door and bottom drawer?

Well, look what is missing here:

Yes, there is a piece missing.  Probably a 2- or 3-cent part.

My husband called GE, e-mailed the photos, and yesterday we had a reply. There is no way to order just that little plastic piece.

The GE rep has ordered us an entire new door.  Crazy!!!

Later this week, the kitchen project will be finally finished when the new door arrives. We can't blame China, or the factory in China, or a worker in China. The refrigerator was made in Kentucky.  But I suppose we can't blame Kentucky, or the factory in Kentucky, or the worker in Kentucky either.

Let's blame the designer/engineer!!!  Or the billing department?

(Or me.  You would think I would have noticed this when the refrigerator was delivered.  Nope.)

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My poor cats.  Look at Molly.  She was exhausted yesterday after helping Baxter supervise the kitchen-painting.

Sound asleep.  UNDER a rocking chair.  Never a good idea.

Just Random, Mostly

Well, first of all, I do not like the new Blogger interface.  Just for the record.  Just in case Blogger even cares.

Secondly, I am knitting away on this project:

By knitting away, I mean I am on row 22 of 200 rows.  This should be an easy project, but it didn't start out that way.  It required using a provisional cast on of 395 stitches.  doG help you if you lose count along the way, which is even possible when using markers. So when I made multiple mistakes in the first several tries I made to get going on this, there was no way on this green earth that I was going to just rip it out and start over with the cast on.  No. Way.  That would be, I swear, as bad as doing a prep for a colonoscopy when you aren't even having a colonoscopy.  It is just that bad.  (I apologize for the thought, but I realize I am still offended by the stuff I had to drink for the prep.  Bleaghhh..)

But once I got going, I realized that I was going to have to count 395 stitches on each and every row.  Are you #$%^&;* kidding me?  I moaned and whined, and then I learned that the now Knittergran-certified genius Lucille had found a way around counting all those stitches.  It does involve markers and genius.  

So Lucille, this is for you:

Thirdly, I have learned that Baxter still likes yarn, LOVES yarn, as in chewing and eating yarn.  And Molly likes, LOVES the movement of the needles.  Yarn + moving needles= knitting.

So, yay.

However, I did make a mistake on a recent row and I counted the stitches to be sure.  There is nothing I can do about it, and it won't show since it's at the edge, so it is what it is.

Who's counting?  I'm not. Not any more, no matter what.

This is not going well.

I have written occasionally about Baxter, my mischievous cat. He loves to play, and play, and play, and then, play some more. But I am older-ish. dH is older-ish. And we can't play ALL of the time.

What better solution could there be than to adopt another rescue kitten?

So we did. Her current name is Molly; it's her third name and I think this one will stick. But for the first 24 hours we didn't even see her. She was hiding from us and from Baxter. This morning she finally came out of hiding---she had found an access hole through a wall in the basement that allowed her to get into the area under the bathtub in the basement. We can't fit in there, so we had to wait. And wait.

But she has come out of hiding and she is limited to the basement for now. dH's office is there so she is not alone, and she has gotten friendly (or desperate) enough to climb on our laps and allow us to pet her.

Baxter, on the other hand, is very put out. He is hiding in our closet, the same place he hid for two days last summer when our older daughter and her four children came to visit. He eventually joined the fun, so I hope that he will join us again this time. But he is p*ssed!!! And he lets us know it by hissing any time he hears or smells Molly. He even hissed at ME when I petted him after petting Molly. At ME!!! His favorite human!

I am told that all of this is normal, and that in days, or weeks, or months (months?!) the two cats will settle down and be buddies.

I'll believe it when I see it. And I am hoping that Molly won't like yarn.