Coyote Ugly

My what big teeth you have, you savage predatory beast of the backyard. Lately, in the middle of the night the howls, yips and screams of the beasts and their prey have awakened me from deep and restless sleep. I jump up to close the dog door and cluch Steezy to my side until the killers move on.

The blood curdling screams are right outside the door and on the other side of the pool wall. I expect to see ravaged carcasses littered around the back acre in the morning as I survey the view with my coffee.

I see nothing.


Then, I saw something. You know how sometimes, for no apparent reason, you look up at just the right moment? Saturday morning at 8:45, I was loading groceries into the freezer in the garage. It was a gorgeous morning and I was in a hurry to get a quick walk in with the dog. She was scampering around my feet. I looked up and lopping down the lane next to the drive was a coyote the size of a large German Shepherd.

Steezy took off after the coyote as I let go of a scream, grabbed a rock and took off running after the two separate breeds of canine. The coyote turned it's head to snap. Calling to Steezy and flailing the rock, I was joined by my neighbor and we both chased and yelled until we got a hold of Steezy's collar. All I could imagine is that I was about to watch my puppy become the breakfast snack of this large and toothy monster. Fortunately, the coyote wanted to run away from the bedlam he had stumbled upon. Danger averted. Walk, aborted. Too early in the morning for a stiff drink!

New Years Diet Woes

It's Raining It's Pouring

-Day Forecast for ZIP Code 92024

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Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
61° F | 49° F	63° F | 50° F	59° F | 49° F	52° F | 47° F	58° F | 45° F
Chance of T-storms 70% chance of precipitation	Rain 80% chance of precipitation	Rain Showers 100% chance of precipitation	Chance of T-storms 70% chance of precipitation	Chance of Rain 40% chance of precipitation
Hourly	Hourly	Hourly	Hourly	Hourly

But the old man - he 's not snoring here! LOL that was a joke. There are some good things about losing 180 pounds of husband. Any ways- it stormed here and the wind and rain was so intense it just made itself at home and came on in. The dog and I were trying to be mellow in our jammies and knitting away when the 2 windows over our heads sprung leaks simultaneously. The dog was so bewildered. I climbed up on the back of the sofa and stuffed towels on the sill. Problem solved. I am so resourceful.

Yesterday was warm and sunny. My legs are aching today from the walk the dog and I took to the mailboxes and back. It is a mile total and uphill both ways. Try it- you will see! It feels like a 90 degree angle to me?

This whole week is supposed to be a deluge, with the net gain of rain equivalent to our usual annual rainfall. That is 4-6 inches this week. Last year we had less than 6" in the whole year. The world is so weird. I can not stop thinking and praying for Haiti. What a tragedy. I wish I could get on a plane and help. I hope to be able to do that kind of relief nursing someday, to be where the need is so great. Looking forward to getting back to school and on the way to reaching goals...

School Break Means Knit Frenzy

I have had a month off from school and will resume Monday, January 25th at 8 am. Algebra and Biology are on my schedule. In school I must manage my time and knitting becomes a backdrop for the life I am leading.

This month following the harrowing holidays, I am knitting like a fiend. Catching up all of the special orders taken at my trunk show, the projects for finishing, and a retail shop order for hats. My fingers are flying whenever my butt is on the couch and not on the keyboard. It looks so non-productive, but I am working baby!

Sometimes the only cash flow I have has been generated from my knitting. So, I guess I am partially subsidizing a living with my yarn and these fingers. Thank God I have a skill that I can fall back on for comfort, fun and sustenance. Go knitting, go yarn, go special orders! Thanks for all of your support.

Passion Play/Work Day

Last Saturday I had the pleasure to attend TNNA in Long Beach, CA. As a former employee of Noble Knits, I continue to be good friends with my boss Heather. Her sister Nancy Queen is the owner and operator of the Noble Knits shop and Designer Yarn sale Yarns. The three of us were a mighty force of nature at our industry trade show. The owner(Nancy), the designer(Heather) and the knitter(Marsha).

The National NeedleArts Association is the wholesale trade show that highlights the new and the standards in fiber products to entice the shop owners to buy, buy, buy! Nancy has many amazing talents. Knowing what to buy, the quantity and the colors that will keep your customers happy and shopping, is a true talent. Her real gift is the memorization of her AMEX number, expiration and secret code included! Nancy was the first QVC sellout for knit crafts and has authored several fab knit and crochet books.

Heather not only designs and sells patterns, she has also been doing commercial design for yarn labels with Plymouth Yarns. Her ideas for updating and energizing the product line will be a refreshing and classy. Watching these two sisters master meetings and generate contracts was inspiring.

I was the "consumer consultant," the one that constantly has yarn running through her fingers. I know what I like and I love learning more. As a knitting instructor, I like to stay current.I want to have familiarity with every manufacturer and product. With millions of options and every price point imaginable, imagine my joy at fingering so much fiber. I never once felt tired or overwhelmed. I know it is hard to imagine how yarn cheers me up! I cannot be in a bad mood surrounded by the lofty beauty of skeins and skeins of yarn pressing in from every booth. Buffalo Gold, Ozark Handspun, Ironstone Yarns, Artyarns silks with beads, Kollage square needles(cool), the color pallet of the Aussie import Pear Tree yarn... oh shivers and thrills.

The other aspect of the show is all of the knitting talent under one roof. The Ravelry group spoke with us during lunch. Cat Bordhi had such a long line of fans to have her book signed, I could not say hello. I had a chat with that crazy Edith Eig from LA. Her French accent is a hoot. I saw so many of my North Coast Knitters Guild friends that work in the industry. Many of the best designers and most of the San Diego area talent was present and seen. This floats my boat and makes me wish that I could make a living with yarn. The flip side of my joy was the realization that I am not able to find a profitable space in the yarn continuum. I will put it out there into the universe and maybe my dreams of yarn will come true one day. Until then, I will ride the coat tails of Nancy and Heather with gratitude.

I Can See Clearly Now

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way... song lyrics from the olden days. Jimmy Cliff was the original artist and the message in the song was the soundtrack for the era. Clarity is always a good thing. Navigating in the fog, rain, or any foul weather is dangerous and difficult. Clarity makes movement easier.

Well, the other shoe has dropped and the Mister has asked for a divorce and confessed he is dating. He has revealed very clearly to me, that if his lips are moving in my direction, he is lying. So sad to have built a life around a truth that never really existed. Regret is a waste of time. I look to the future. I realize that I will have more storm clouds ahead of me. However, the daily marine layer and the fog of deception is beginning to clear.

One of the blogs I like to follow is called Crazy Aunt Purl. The author of that blog wrote a funny book called; Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair. Laurie Perry is a talented and funny writer.


The sub title is the true-life misadventures of a thirty something who learned to knit after he split. I want to offer my rendition; Knitty, Witty, and Fifty with a dusting of Dog hair. By the way she has a simple hat pattern on her site right now that is great. I have knit two in two days for my daughter.

I seem to have the uncanny experience of randomly hearing song lyrics that hit me hard because they are so descriptive and relevant to my life. These encounters with song have left me breathless, panic attacked and some times, comforted. This weekend I went out Palm Desert to spend quiet time with my dear AZ cousin Kim. We ate and drank and talked into the night. It was a gift of time.

On the road, over the mountains, where reception is sketchy at best, I was picking up a country music station. I only heard a snippet, but it was the perfect phrase to describe how I am feeling right now... "it only hurts when I am breathing, my heart only breaks when it is beating, my dreams only die, when I am dreaming."

The dreams of my future are the hardest to let go of. I will have to force myself to stop loving the man I have known for 43 years. I loved him the best I could for 33 of those years. Hate does not come easily to me and I do not think I will get there. I will hate what he did. That I can do. I will knit my way through this with the goal to direct the energy surges into the needles at my fingertips. Productive use of emotions! A new day dawns and it is bright and clear...