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We had our first real snow last week. It actually stuck around & is still looking nice.
Saturday we went to a "cut-your-own" Xmas tree farm and brought back a lovely tree. I've never had a tree so fresh it still had snow on it, so that was fun. It's also the first time we've had a full-sized tree here.
Next, what started out as a quick dash to Home Despot for appropriately-sized lights, rapidly turned into an epic trek for brunch in town, British foods 45 minutes up the road, and finally Home Despot. We decorated the tree - we do NOT have too many ornaments, we still have hooks left! - and settled in for a nice quiet Choresday on Sunday. The cats are interested in the tree, but haven't climbed it or broken anything that we know of.
Today, the snow is melting a little, and we can see loads of animal tracks across the back yard.
This is also my last Mondayon earth of working. In a little over 4 days' time I will be a free human being!
Saturday we went to a "cut-your-own" Xmas tree farm and brought back a lovely tree. I've never had a tree so fresh it still had snow on it, so that was fun. It's also the first time we've had a full-sized tree here.
Next, what started out as a quick dash to Home Despot for appropriately-sized lights, rapidly turned into an epic trek for brunch in town, British foods 45 minutes up the road, and finally Home Despot. We decorated the tree - we do NOT have too many ornaments, we still have hooks left! - and settled in for a nice quiet Choresday on Sunday. The cats are interested in the tree, but haven't climbed it or broken anything that we know of.
Today, the snow is melting a little, and we can see loads of animal tracks across the back yard.
This is also my last Monday
One step forward, etc.
Nov. 30th, 2025 09:16 amI started doing some more work on Upon A Star, and found myself asking "When did these rows stop being symmetric...?"
Dear reader, the rows are all symmetric; I had messed up and missed out a row quite a while ago.
I decided to rip out all of the offending stitches and redo them. It did not take as long as I feared.
The moon looks kind of like an ugly sweater at the moment, but at least it's a symmetrical ugly sweater.
Dear reader, the rows are all symmetric; I had messed up and missed out a row quite a while ago.
I decided to rip out all of the offending stitches and redo them. It did not take as long as I feared.
The moon looks kind of like an ugly sweater at the moment, but at least it's a symmetrical ugly sweater.
When the cats are quiescent, I get to work on cross stitchI made some progress on Upon A Star, including a couple of actual stars. Most importantly, now I can count from the top down instead of bottom up, which is a relief.
I spent a little time cross stitching
Nov. 2nd, 2025 09:42 amI got to start a new color!
Is white a colour?
Will I ever decided which spelling of "color" I prefer?
Should I be using 3 strands instead of 2?
Am I going to use glow-in-the-dark thread in this project? NO!
Anyway. That's all the trees finished on the right-hand side. And a noticeable start on the moon.
Is white a colour?
Will I ever decided which spelling of "color" I prefer?
Should I be using 3 strands instead of 2?
Am I going to use glow-in-the-dark thread in this project? NO!
Anyway. That's all the trees finished on the right-hand side. And a noticeable start on the moon.
In the autumn we go to concerts
Oct. 19th, 2025 09:36 amWe hit a rich vein of '80s and '90s acts at the Palace Theater in Albany. In no particular order:
* KT Tunstall & Toad the Wet Sprocket
* ZZ Top
* The Beat(*) & UB40
* Gary Numan and the Psychedelic Furs
KT Tunstall was really damn good. Luckily there was an opening opening act (Vertical Horizon playing a medley of their hit) so despite delays at dinner we did not miss anything important.
Toad the Wet Sprocket was kind of meh.
ZZ Top was a lot of fun. I knew most of the songs. Boy howdy is that music a product of its time though.
The Beat & UB40 - Loads of fun, good energy. I did not know most of the songs and had a blast anyway.
Psychedelic Furs - MASSIVE disappointment. Richard Butler(**) was like somebody's creepy drunk grandpa getting out the dance moves. It was embarrassing to watch. I bought a t-shirt before the show & am having some regrets.
and finally, GO SEE GARY NUMAN IF YOU CAN, OH MY **** ***. I had no idea what to expect. It was loud, it was industrial, the lighting was like something out of Blade Runner. He played "Cars" about 30 minutes in - normally that's the point where we all think, welp, that's the end of the set then - and then he KEPT GOING for another half hour. Absolutely incredible. Super intense, amazing performance. I can't believe he's 67. He still has his voice, his moves, and his precision. GO SEE HIM. Do consider buying the $2 earplugs from his merch booth.
I should have stuck around & bought a Gary Numan t-shirt; but if there is one thing I have learned, it is that if I buy a black crewneck t-shirt I will NEVER wear it.
(*) known in the US as "The English Beat" but they are the One True Beat to me
(**) it still weirds me out that he has the same full name as a friend-of-a-friend who passed away much too young
* KT Tunstall & Toad the Wet Sprocket
* ZZ Top
* The Beat(*) & UB40
* Gary Numan and the Psychedelic Furs
KT Tunstall was really damn good. Luckily there was an opening opening act (Vertical Horizon playing a medley of their hit) so despite delays at dinner we did not miss anything important.
Toad the Wet Sprocket was kind of meh.
ZZ Top was a lot of fun. I knew most of the songs. Boy howdy is that music a product of its time though.
The Beat & UB40 - Loads of fun, good energy. I did not know most of the songs and had a blast anyway.
Psychedelic Furs - MASSIVE disappointment. Richard Butler(**) was like somebody's creepy drunk grandpa getting out the dance moves. It was embarrassing to watch. I bought a t-shirt before the show & am having some regrets.
and finally, GO SEE GARY NUMAN IF YOU CAN, OH MY **** ***. I had no idea what to expect. It was loud, it was industrial, the lighting was like something out of Blade Runner. He played "Cars" about 30 minutes in - normally that's the point where we all think, welp, that's the end of the set then - and then he KEPT GOING for another half hour. Absolutely incredible. Super intense, amazing performance. I can't believe he's 67. He still has his voice, his moves, and his precision. GO SEE HIM. Do consider buying the $2 earplugs from his merch booth.
I should have stuck around & bought a Gary Numan t-shirt; but if there is one thing I have learned, it is that if I buy a black crewneck t-shirt I will NEVER wear it.
(*) known in the US as "The English Beat" but they are the One True Beat to me
(**) it still weirds me out that he has the same full name as a friend-of-a-friend who passed away much too young
Mid life crisis
Aug. 24th, 2025 11:27 amSo... Apparently my mid-life crisis is playing bass in my friend's punk band. What can I say, I volunteered without knowing what I was getting myself into. Which is very on brand for me.
I last played about 15 years ago. Since that time, in no particular order, I've gone through menopause, broken my fretting pinky, worked from my dining room table with terrible ergonomics and worse posture (and occasional kittens), and messed up both of my shoulders (not at the same time (yet)).
I do love me some fast, loud, 80s and 90s covers. But oh my dog, I can NOT keep up. The lead guitarist is my age(*) so I can't exactly bitch about being old, damn kids, lawn, yada yada.
I don't even know where to begin. My posture sucks. My endurance sucks. My upper body strength sucks. I have an "ergonomic" wide strap but I have it adjusted pretty short and the adjustment buckle(**) digs into my shoulder something rotten.
I am considering posting the above paragraph to about 5 different subreddits. How do I fix my posture for long sets? What exercises are good - both in the gym and on the instrument? What should I wear?
Jamming is loads of fun but I'm also exhausted just thinking about it.
(*) For any aspiring groupies, WE ARE BOTH 41.
(**) What do you even call the slidy thing that adjusts the strap?
I last played about 15 years ago. Since that time, in no particular order, I've gone through menopause, broken my fretting pinky, worked from my dining room table with terrible ergonomics and worse posture (and occasional kittens), and messed up both of my shoulders (not at the same time (yet)).
I do love me some fast, loud, 80s and 90s covers. But oh my dog, I can NOT keep up. The lead guitarist is my age(*) so I can't exactly bitch about being old, damn kids, lawn, yada yada.
I don't even know where to begin. My posture sucks. My endurance sucks. My upper body strength sucks. I have an "ergonomic" wide strap but I have it adjusted pretty short and the adjustment buckle(**) digs into my shoulder something rotten.
I am considering posting the above paragraph to about 5 different subreddits. How do I fix my posture for long sets? What exercises are good - both in the gym and on the instrument? What should I wear?
Jamming is loads of fun but I'm also exhausted just thinking about it.
(*) For any aspiring groupies, WE ARE BOTH 41.
(**) What do you even call the slidy thing that adjusts the strap?
A very "squirrel!" weekend so far
Aug. 2nd, 2025 06:51 pmI'm not saying we have a chronic attention span shortage in this house, but... oh, whom am I kidding, the only reason I've never said that is because I never noticed.
Yesterday Mister Diane and I did our traditional Friday-night grocery shop. Among other things we bought blueberries and a couple pounds of cherries (I like to make the most of cherry season).
Today we made the trek to Costco, which is close to 90 miles, and about an hour and 40 minutes of very scenic driving. Where we ALSO bought blueberries, strawberries, and Even More Cherries - all in Costco quantities of course.
I'm not sure how, but we got everything to fit in the fridge. (He's going to be a little surprised when he finds the BabyBels in the produce drawer under the tomatoes.)
Thank **** we got eggs at Hannaford last night. Costco "yet another size of egg tray" would NOT have worked.
The best bit? While at Costco WE FORGOT TO GET GAS. We rolled into our local magic Citgo on fumes.
Yesterday Mister Diane and I did our traditional Friday-night grocery shop. Among other things we bought blueberries and a couple pounds of cherries (I like to make the most of cherry season).
Today we made the trek to Costco, which is close to 90 miles, and about an hour and 40 minutes of very scenic driving. Where we ALSO bought blueberries, strawberries, and Even More Cherries - all in Costco quantities of course.
I'm not sure how, but we got everything to fit in the fridge. (He's going to be a little surprised when he finds the BabyBels in the produce drawer under the tomatoes.)
Thank **** we got eggs at Hannaford last night. Costco "yet another size of egg tray" would NOT have worked.
The best bit? While at Costco WE FORGOT TO GET GAS. We rolled into our local magic Citgo on fumes.
Oops, I seem to be in a band
Jul. 20th, 2025 01:06 pmHad my first jam session with my new band friends on Friday night. I learned a couple of new songs, semi-learned a couple more. YES, I HAVE STARTED A SPREADSHEET.
Uh oh. These people are GOOD. And loud. And they like fast, energetic songs.
We're doing some Pat Benatar, Blink 182, Green Day (soon), No Doubt, maybe some Alice In Chains, that sort of thing. All new songs to me, which is fine. I don't actually remember any songs from my previous lives; and frankly, if I never play Van Morrison for drunk 40-something coworkers ever again, that's okay. Not that there's anything wrong with being 40 - I wish I was 40 again! - just saying this is a different vibe altogether.
Edit: Also, cue me trying to remember which online sheet music stores I bought stuff from 20 years ago to see if I can re-download any of it. ALAS. SheetMusicPlus admits it knows me, but says I've never bought anything.
Uh oh. These people are GOOD. And loud. And they like fast, energetic songs.
We're doing some Pat Benatar, Blink 182, Green Day (soon), No Doubt, maybe some Alice In Chains, that sort of thing. All new songs to me, which is fine. I don't actually remember any songs from my previous lives; and frankly, if I never play Van Morrison for drunk 40-something coworkers ever again, that's okay. Not that there's anything wrong with being 40 - I wish I was 40 again! - just saying this is a different vibe altogether.
Edit: Also, cue me trying to remember which online sheet music stores I bought stuff from 20 years ago to see if I can re-download any of it. ALAS. SheetMusicPlus admits it knows me, but says I've never bought anything.
More progress
Jun. 21st, 2025 09:59 pm
Thursday I walked into town and successfully bought additional embroidery floss. I love having small businesses nearby that I can support & that have things I need.
Yet another rainy Saturday
Jun. 14th, 2025 01:28 pmWhy do I have a day job again? I swear, the weather has been gorgeous every day this week. It's Saturday so of course it's gloomy. On the (relatively) bright side, it hasn't actually rained much since this morning, buuuuut it's looking pretty threatening still.
In spite of which, I walked into town today. Dropped off some pairs of Mr Diane's pants for mending at the quilt & alterations shop; totally forgot that she carries embroidery floss, AND that I need some more of a few shades. Back on that bright side again, I am the world's slowest stitcher so I can hold out for a while; but also, sigh.
I then found myself watching the Bennington Pride parade go by. I saw a sign that said "Pride is important because someone still thinks it's better to be dead than to be gay" and I started crying. A stranger from the parade came over and asked if I was okay. They gave me a hug and a flag. It was heartening to see so many people walking in the parade, and so heartbreaking thinking about everything going on in the world.
And now, stitching and tea and thinking about lunch. And wondering if I can somehow make a post-it big enough that I WILL ACTUALLY SEE IT AND PARSE IT that will say "Buy some DMC 517, 518, and 519 when you pick up the mending!!" Any bets?
In spite of which, I walked into town today. Dropped off some pairs of Mr Diane's pants for mending at the quilt & alterations shop; totally forgot that she carries embroidery floss, AND that I need some more of a few shades. Back on that bright side again, I am the world's slowest stitcher so I can hold out for a while; but also, sigh.
I then found myself watching the Bennington Pride parade go by. I saw a sign that said "Pride is important because someone still thinks it's better to be dead than to be gay" and I started crying. A stranger from the parade came over and asked if I was okay. They gave me a hug and a flag. It was heartening to see so many people walking in the parade, and so heartbreaking thinking about everything going on in the world.
And now, stitching and tea and thinking about lunch. And wondering if I can somehow make a post-it big enough that I WILL ACTUALLY SEE IT AND PARSE IT that will say "Buy some DMC 517, 518, and 519 when you pick up the mending!!" Any bets?
Meanwhile in cross stitch land
Jun. 7th, 2025 04:03 pmAs it was written in the spreadsheets, so it has come to pass.
New project: Upon A Star by PigeonCoop Designs from the book Cross Stitch In The Forest.
Have I learned my lesson about dark Aida, many similar shades of one colour, and fractional stitches? No. Have I learned to check HOW MUCH of each shade I'll need when using threads from my stash? Also no.
Floss toss to confirm I still like the colors:
The first few stitches.
First project to clear off the backlog: 1960s mod lady for the cover of my sewing notebook. There will be text "Sewing Notes" vertically in the blank area on the right. I did the French knots for the eyes a while ago and they have gone horribly wrong - the knots have both pulled through to the back! Lesson learned, don't do french knots as part of a tour of traveling backstitch. I am just going to do new knots over the top of them.
Bonus, I found the missing small Permin kit tucked away in the folder with the mod fashion lady! I guess this was my emergency backup stitching when we moved. Way to go, Past Diane! You put it in a safe place all right.
New project: Upon A Star by PigeonCoop Designs from the book Cross Stitch In The Forest.
Have I learned my lesson about dark Aida, many similar shades of one colour, and fractional stitches? No. Have I learned to check HOW MUCH of each shade I'll need when using threads from my stash? Also no.
Floss toss to confirm I still like the colors:
The first few stitches.
First project to clear off the backlog: 1960s mod lady for the cover of my sewing notebook. There will be text "Sewing Notes" vertically in the blank area on the right. I did the French knots for the eyes a while ago and they have gone horribly wrong - the knots have both pulled through to the back! Lesson learned, don't do french knots as part of a tour of traveling backstitch. I am just going to do new knots over the top of them.
Bonus, I found the missing small Permin kit tucked away in the folder with the mod fashion lady! I guess this was my emergency backup stitching when we moved. Way to go, Past Diane! You put it in a safe place all right.
Deer Trail is finished!
Jun. 1st, 2025 04:23 pm
Pattern is from the book Cross Stitch In The Forest. I foolishly thought, “This is just 4 colors! It should be simple. And I can use threads from my stash!”
Dear reader, it was not so. One 123stitch order for DMC 988 and more 989, hours of eyestrain from working on dark fabric, and about a billion three-quarter stitches later, I can confidently state that I HAVE NOT LEARNED A THING and intend to start Upon A Star (the one with the wolf and the moon) pretty much any second now.
Here's a brand new sentence
May. 28th, 2025 07:45 pmI just made a spreadsheet of all of my cross stitch works in progress that I can think of, and sorted them by "joy quotient" and then by effort remaining. Ta dahh! I have prioritized my backlog.
I gave each WIP two numbers from 1-10: How satisfying would it be to finish this (higher number is good), and how much effort remains (lower number is good). "Joy quotient" is satisfaction divided by effort.
I should probably do something similar with my spreadsheet of planned projects, although "planned" is really too strong a word. Yes, I have separate sheets for kits and charts. No, I have not catalogued every chart I own (we would be here until the heat death of the universe and probably also crash Excel); just the ones I have formed some vague intention of doing and/or have purchased materials for.
Parting thought, any kits I bought before about 1995 should almost certainly get yeeted. (Yotted? Yeeten?)
Edited to add: I did this for my backlog of charts and it came out sorted perfectly by effort (easiest at the top of the list). Hahahahaha.
I made the list of kits from memory and I have a terrible feeling that in reality I have tons more than I think I do. This is already discounting things like the pile of beginner kits I bought to teach my coworkers at game night in 2020 (RIP).
Edit edit: Strictly speaking these are UFOs (UnFinished Objects) rather than true WIPs. My one actual work in progress is Deer Trail and that's nearly done.
I gave each WIP two numbers from 1-10: How satisfying would it be to finish this (higher number is good), and how much effort remains (lower number is good). "Joy quotient" is satisfaction divided by effort.
I should probably do something similar with my spreadsheet of planned projects, although "planned" is really too strong a word. Yes, I have separate sheets for kits and charts. No, I have not catalogued every chart I own (we would be here until the heat death of the universe and probably also crash Excel); just the ones I have formed some vague intention of doing and/or have purchased materials for.
Parting thought, any kits I bought before about 1995 should almost certainly get yeeted. (Yotted? Yeeten?)
Edited to add: I did this for my backlog of charts and it came out sorted perfectly by effort (easiest at the top of the list). Hahahahaha.
I made the list of kits from memory and I have a terrible feeling that in reality I have tons more than I think I do. This is already discounting things like the pile of beginner kits I bought to teach my coworkers at game night in 2020 (RIP).
Edit edit: Strictly speaking these are UFOs (UnFinished Objects) rather than true WIPs. My one actual work in progress is Deer Trail and that's nearly done.
A fun weekend
May. 19th, 2025 08:58 pmI got to drive with the sunroof open for the first time this year!!
Took Friday off, drove a few hours, did a ton of shopping, then went to the Celebration of Needlework. Did some stitching, hung out with an old friend and some new friends, got lots of walking and fresh air and good food. Oh and did more shopping. Because I need more projects!
Best of all, I have achieved PANTS.
Took Friday off, drove a few hours, did a ton of shopping, then went to the Celebration of Needlework. Did some stitching, hung out with an old friend and some new friends, got lots of walking and fresh air and good food. Oh and did more shopping. Because I need more projects!
Best of all, I have achieved PANTS.
A few Hawaii pics
May. 11th, 2025 08:22 pmMom's cat George is very photogenic:
Fabric haul from Hawaii Fabric Mart and Aloha Fabrics, plus quilt squares from some random vendor at the swap meet:
Fabric haul from Hawaii Fabric Mart and Aloha Fabrics, plus quilt squares from some random vendor at the swap meet:
