Finally, pictures

I've been pretty busy this week. Last weekend we had a sale at the shop, so I worked a bit extra on Sat. and Sun. to get it set up and broken down. Then this week was full of appointments on days off. I saw one of the wellness coaches at the gym and had another vet appointment. This time it was for the 2 young cats. Annual exams, rabies shots and shaving. One girl in particular has weight issues that make it difficult for her to keep herself clean. She also has long, fluffy fur that makes her look larger (or so I thought until I saw her shaved!) Poor Monster. I have to clean her rear end with baby wipes until she looses enough weight to clean it herself. Ever try to put a vacuum cleaner cat on a diet? Not easy. She doesn't like the diet catfood although Brownie is more than happy to eat it. The other thing is that Dr. Zook said to let the old ones eat as much as they want and limit the young ones. Ai yi yi! It takes 2 humans to police the cat feeding area. However, Monster likes the cleaning well enough except I really need to warm up the baby wipes before I use them.

Anyway, here are pictures:

This is the only picture either of us took in the cabin while up at the Black Bear Lodge. Keith cooks the usual Sunday morning pancake jamboree. (BTW, we always call in a pancake jamboree in homage to The Brain.)

This is a tree we saw on our hike. I won't mention the trail because on the Tuesday afternoon we were there, it was a lot busier than it used to be when we went there back in the '80's. It's still an uphill hike all the way to the waterfall.

The waterfall starts in what looks like a cleft in the rock from here. You can climb higher to see the actual falls, but it's not part of the trail, and it's pretty steep and slippery. We did not climb up there this time, but we have in the past when we were 20 years younger and many more pounds lighter. The round trip is around 5 miles, so that made up for lazing around the cabin all the day before watching Discover and History channel between hot tub lounges.

We ate at the Troll Tavern while in Helen. It's under the bridge, and we sat right next to the river to eat our lunch. The day was so gorgeous. We were there right before the pollen started, so sitting outside was just lovely. A light breeze under the shade of an umbrella. We would eat at the Troll Tavern again.

So, I've covered cats and our short vacation. On to other things. I've been knitting on the cable wrap, but one night this week I'd had enough. One thing about knitting is that sometimes the big projects get sooooo boring. Hardcore knitters always have more than one project going. Luckily (and Keith is always teasing me about them - he just doesn't get it) I always have a sock going. Even though they can take a long time, I like socks. So I've been working on this one, and I learned how to do the heel with a flap and gusset instead of the machined looking short row that I've been doing. Heel flaps and gussets are quicked, but they do look handmade. Here is the sock.

The colors are deeper and richer than shown here, but I didn't feel like adjusting them to be true. This is knitted on a size 2 Addi Turbo needle in the Magic Loop Technique, just in case you're wondering. I think I mentioned before the yarn is Jitterbug by Colinette, a really wonderful handpainted yarn with a great springiness. It's 100% merino, and knits like a dream. I'm following the pattern that comes with the yarn, so it's knitted from the cuff down. What you see in the lower righthand side is the needle coming out from the foot area.

I'll mention my weightloss here also. I've been not quite obsessively keeping track of calories ingested and exercise done these past 2 weeks while I work on some lifestyle changes. It really helps to keep me on track. I've let go of 3.2 pounds in the past 2 weeks. I'm uncovering the slim, svelte and strong woman beneath all the upholstery. Of course, seeing that I'm really eating half a dozen cheesestraws from the bakery really opened my eyes, as well as seeing just how many calories are in the pancake jamboree once you add butter, real maple syrup and bacon. It all comes down to choices, and I'll eat my pancakes knowing that the rest of the day is devoted to salads. What's nice is knowing that I can also go out to a potluck and make some good food choices. Daphne's birthday party was last night, and knowing that there would be delicious cake, I forced myself to eat smaller portions of things like potato salad and BBQ. It was a fun party, although I did have to get tough with bunch of kids. Daphne has a firepit in her back yard, and you know guys, they have to build a fire. It was really cold last night for April, down in the 30's. The kids were wired and wild and started poking long sticks into the fire, sending up fountains of sparks. Some of the guys just watched this going on. I finally stood up and used that stern tone that I think only women on the verge of getting really mean can get, told all the kids to put their sticks in the fire and not to do it anymore. Suddenly the kids all cleared out, and in a minute the whole area was filled back up with the dads. Hmm, I guess I got to be the villain in this one. That mean woman!

I think I've covered it all for this week. Vet visits, exercise, work and a party. What a wild life I lead. (tongue in cheek).