It all Started on June 09, 2007

I started this blog on 6/9/2007 to join a knitting swap called "Knitters Virtual Vacation". I am still in touch with many of the vacationers.   

We all say this-I did not realize that it has been that long since I posted, I started this post on 2/5/11 but did not put it up. I'm trying out some of the new features that blogger has added. I have made a 'new' page "About me" and I'm thinking of one about my cats and other subjects that I think my friends might like.

I am still unemployed and so many of my hours a day are looking at jobs from so many sources that it has become a full time job.  I have come to realize that I am not marketable in the industry I have always worked in. I need to reinvent myself. Then there is the 'age' issue. Everyone is letting go of the experienced workers-read-older and higher paid. Then they post the job looking for level entry but want all the experience that the person they just let go has.

What I really need to do is apply for social security disability. When I'm not looking for work I go to doctor appointments. If you have have advice let me know? There is so much information out there and on the SS site that my mind goes numb. 
Now for your viewing pleasure-

2/15/2011 Here is Pia all stretched out.

 and this is the little girl I adopted on 1/23/2005

4/12/2011- Sissy & Pia-it is very rare that they are together. They were close as kittens but as they got older they have own special spots. Sissy spends most of her time with me and Zorro has now started taking a spot on the couch.

Sissy is not that happy but is giving him some space

Still here but lost in a row boat with 1 oar

Hello to anyone who is still out there. I have not visited my blog friends is months. I am going to keep this short. I lost my knitting muse. I cast on a pair of socks on 1/1/10 so I could start the new year on the right foot.

On 5/21, my Supervisor and I who complied the whole of the "Production" department were given immediate notice that our services were no longer needed "due to restructuring of the Production function within ****** company.

I have never not had a job. The market out there sucks. You can not believe the job requirements. It looks like every job want a Bachelors degree to just answer the phones. In addition to the over done job descriptions, high school & college graduates are in the running because they are all level entry so many companies are going to take advantage of that for the summer months. I have over 30 years of experience which does not seem to count for much right now. I've been applying for jobs that I am over qualified for but that is OK, I could deal with less stress right now.

The upside to being home this long is that I have cleaned out my garden and going through closets and drawers. I have already made two trips to Goodwill. I have taken pictures of Barbie's and other collectibles to put up on Ebay. Then there is a collection of 'vintage' that I will try on Etsy.These garden pictures were taken back in May. Since then the landscapers cut everything back so the management company can fix the soffit, roof & gutters. If I had not "been home" I would not have know I had a problem. So that was an upside of not working. I was going to take these into work like I do every year but before I had a chance I did not have the job.

The cats love having me home. I have taken dozen of pictures of them. They are such clowns. Sissy in particular loves having me home to the point where I am more than ready not be be at home. I spend 6-8 hours searching for jobs on many different sites and she is right next to me looking for attention. She is doing things that she never did before.

Zorro eating out of Pia's bowl. Took this one so you could see how big she is.Here is Stanley on the bottom shelf of my gardening bench. This is one place he spends a lot of time staying cool in the afternoons
This was taken in the morning. This was as close as I could get. I took one move forward and he left this spot.

We all know how our furry friends like boxes. Zorro had been curled up sleeping but by the time I got the camera he sat up. Then he left.
Within seconds Sissy got it. She stayed awhile then she took off, she just could not help herself to find out what Zorro saw in the box. She & Zorro are pals. The are the frick & frack of my kitty brood.
Every morning I open the front door and the morning sun comes in. Sissy & Pia grab a spot. This spot has become Pia's main spot. Here is my fat cat in all her glory. No shame here.

Have to go now, job search continues. I will do better in posting, it might also help me talk to adults.

WoW-Sissy

Here is Sissy in Stanley's bed. It was the 2nd time I found her there.

I took this picture of my roses and peonies this past Saturday. I cut off most of the Peonies because of the rain we has Saturday night. I knew they would be goners. Today I still have roses and more peonies. Wild weather, late snow, very hot August weather, lots of rain and now cold mornings...this is the best show of my roses than I ever had.
This is just one in a beautiful cobalt blue vase I own. Since there was no sun and I could not bring the flowers into the house, ants, I could not get a good vantage point to show the vase/flower combo. They are still sitting on my patio along with others that broke that as sitting in a bucket. Definitely the cool weather is helping keep these going.

Stash almost under control

hah! Had you fooled too! I pulled everything that was piled in the entrance of my former stained glass studio back on my 4 days off on New Years weekend.

Well, I have moved all this around (a few times) but have not sorted through it all yet so it is still in this general area. Have to have your priorities in place. Knit the first pair of socks of the year and catch up on all the weeks TV that I DVR. Of course, there is cleaning and laundry thrown in for the weekends. During the week I am just too tired to tackle it. As much as I would love have all the lovely colors displayed I need to keep my yarn under cover. With 4 cats and lots of hair it is much better choice. As it is-- all my projects have a hair or two that I might have missed when knitting. I pulled all my stained glass books from this unit. Now I have another tub of books that I need to deal with. In the mean time Sissy thinks this is a great new hidey hole.

Whiskers On Wednesday--The heat is on!

I have been so bad at posting that I could not even do WoW one once a week. On Monday October 20th, Sissy got on top of the entertainment unit looking for heat. By the 23rd I turn the programmable thermostat to heat. It would not go on until it was 68 degrees. Well, it finally got cold enough and up she went. Zorro followed. He does not know why she is up there but that is best friend and that is what friends do. She is looking at him at what a stupid boy he is! the bad part of this is now Sissy is sometimes getting on the tree which is Stanley's only place that he is comfortable.

Please stop in to see what all my WoW friends were up too.

The battle is on!

We are having a battle of the bed. This bed once belonged to my beloved Pug Manda who shared her bed with Missy. You can read about them here

Last winter I kept the bed on the patio for the boys. They were not coming into the house everyday back then. I washed the bed and brought it in and Sissy has taken it as hers but Zorro think is is his.

Zorro 11/1/08 at 10:28 PM

Sissy 11/1/08 10:28

Zorro 11/1/08 at 11:04 PM
Now if I had a dog it could be worse. Cat in Dog Bed

Whiskers on Wednesday

Look who found a new place to hang out. Sissy is my girl who wakes me every morning, comes into the bathroom to get brushed. (when you live alone you don't close the door). She will sleep on me when I am napping and cleans my hair from the back of the couch. Yet I have only picked her up a handful of times that she does not like.

Please stop by WoW and read about Jessi's family.

Whiskers on Wednesday

This is a short post. My camera battery went dead so the post I planned will have to wait for next week.
This is Zorro last night in Pia's spot!! After awhile I had to get him down. Pia is getting stressed. It started with the fleas and now she is loosing hair on her big, fluffy tail.
This is Sissy's new spot after dinner. This is the only window that lets the sun in and it only comes in at a angle as the sun sets. Smart girl!

Head on over the WoW! I am in the spotlight this week!! Monica you did a wonderful job.

Much better

Don't you agree? I have dozens of patterns. I looked through Ravelry. So many new sock patterns are toe up. I haven't tried that yet. I always say the next pair.

What I look for in a pattern is how many stitches and row in the repeat. The Show-off Stranded Socks fits the bill but it really looks better in a variegated yarn. So I went back to a pattern I did for Robin's PIF socks. You work the pattern repeat over 4 stitches + 2 p, and 4 rows. With my beaded stitch counter it is a no brainer. I can set it down and and always tell were I'm at. I'm knitting 9 to 5 again.

Have mentioned how Sissy wakes me up by shredding my magazines. She does this when short of sitting on my face does not work. BUT when I hear the shedding she know I will get up and yell at her to stop. In trying to not set this bad habit in stone, I've been holding back on the reaction. Just leaves more damage. Usually it is the cover or the post-it notes I tab on the pages. There are a few babies past and coming up that I thought, gee, why not knot a present? So I wanted to do the BSJ but I have not brought the pattern. This EZ sweater was in last years Vogue Spring Summer issue. I had the page turned back and set it down...next morning this...

Today was a beautiful day as was the whole weekend. Here is Stanley enjoying some time out.