One question: is that evil green sweater still in the house?

Lovely entry as always, thanks for the diversion.

Now I'll go make dpns from scratch

Yup. I had a stellar weekend. Today, our email is down at work. My boss is on a rampage, and everyone except me hid in time. Guess who got dumped a ton of excess work? Can I go home, now? Oh yeah, it's pouring rain.

Mmmmmmmm. Alan Doyle.

I'm hoping the flood of rain we had last night will kill off the ant colony that's migrated into my kitchen. I will put up with the leaking flat roof if it means there are fewer ants to be had.

Oh, Steph! Having grown up in the rainy "Pacific Northwet" as we call it, I can imagine all too well how wet you were. I am so very sorry about the flooding basement. Dare I ask if Mr. Washie will be okay?
Perhaps Monday is for spinning. I imagine that the turning of the wheel will help all this bad luck to spin off into nothingness. Maybe you could spin some of Joe's Gansey to placate the goddesses?
If all else fails, any of that Cabernet left?

Wow, I think the universe's balancing act for you is spilling over to me. Now I know who to blame for the bad stuff.

Thanks a lot.

Dare I ask? Why can't Megan take a bus to school? Please don't mentally beat me up should the answer be that there is not a bus that goes that route...LOL. BTW, doesn't tencel make yarn feel more like string than wool? I hope your universe is back in balance or at least that it will now go on the upswing for you.

Oh, Stephanie, I do love you. . .

Sometimes I hate balance! Sounds like your weekend was wonderful. It's raining here now too, maybe it will be done before you have to pick up Meg.

I am so sorry. Not because you got wet, but because I laughed so hard because you got wet. The kind of laughing that makes one snort, to be exact. The aching question is, are you going to wear the same now clean clothes to go pick her up, and how happy is your daughter going to be to ride home in that rain? Teenagers are made of sugar and would for sure dissolve immediately, you know.

Why is it that no matter how many things I put in the LRPD box, there is never anything in it in December?

The weekend sounds glorious. You could have just stopped writing at that point.

Oh, dear, I had a lovely weekend too. I think I'll go check the basement.

Your crush on Alan Doyle is completely and utterly justified. I had the good fortune to be the Great Big Sea's publicist for a time, and in addition to being a great band, they are lovely people. I'm sorry about all the rest of it. You have an amazing knack for turning awful events into hilarious prose (sort of like spinning straw into gold, hmmmm?), so thank you for sharing.

Girl, go back to bed!!! Don't try to knit lace today, or eat anything peculiar... stay inside, and don't look out the windows. lol!!

What you need is a nice bubble bath, a nap, a coffee and an exciting new project.

Oh, sweetie. Big hugs to you.

Great Big Sea is great. I always sorta liked Sean McCann myself.

I think balance has been achieved. Any more would be cruel and unusual.

Maybe if you spilled some coffee on your knitting, the rain would stop. Be sure to make it look like an accident though.

I must go home to hide now - I not only had a great weekend, but the whole week proceeding it was pretty wonderful too (my birthday was in there - I got home made stuff). Swarms of locust & the work fairy are looking for me right now, I can feel it. I hope your day gets better - and I'm sure Meg will change her mind (at least 2 or 13 times) and you won't have to go with her.

I suspect the balance thing will be on an upswing after the nine-car-splash morning. It has to be, even with a lovely weekend - you've overpaid in that department.

Oh, dear. Do you have a sump pump for the basement? If you don't, have Joe go pick one up at the hardware store (once he manages to get himself into his truck). You can hook it up to a hose, run the hose out the basement window, and it will whisk the water out for you.

I think you have earned the right to toss something alcoholic in all those great many cups of coffee.

Oh Dear. And I just tried to burn the house down with an oven fire. (Not to worry, I got the fire out. Pretty quickly even.) Wishing balance on your way cross the little pond that is Lake Ontario.

Would it comfort you to know that in just a few days (!!!) you'll be in Oklahoma City where the temperature will be 947 degrees and we are (so far) 12" behind in rainfall? Bring deodorant.

I second Erika in saying Mmmmm....Alan Doyle. Also love Shawn and have decided that Bobby sounds like a Pirate (Mmmmmmmmm...) Wish they would give Murray more to do - Like "Excursion around the Bay" perhaps???? Agree with you 1 million % that it was a GREAT show (aim to post pics on my blog tonight) and yes, the universe IS seeking retribution. I'm not sure my day was QUITE as bad as yours, but will agree that misery loves company. Go crawl under the covers and take some chocolate with you. Sending hugs :)

How would you feel though if you could sleep and accidentally moved the time up on your clock so you woke up at 4:00 instead of 6 and then you didn't even figure it out until you were already showered and dressed for the day? Hope Tuesday is much better for you. I'd go back to bed and call it a day. :)

Oh Lord, Stephanie, I'm so sorry for that crappy Monday (already!). I'm even more sorry that I actually laughed out loud about the cars splashing you. Please forgive me, as it wasn't the actual event that made me laugh, but your telling of it.

It's blissful, though, how a bad day isn't nearly as bad after a good weekend. Like how I got pulled over for speeding (egregiously, but completely by accident) after a wonderful weekend visiting a friend, and practically chirped a cheerful "Howdy!" to the officer. (Still got a ticket, still didn't care.)

I hope Tuesday is much, MUCH better.

Man, I hear you on the lack of sleep. Over the weekend my son averaged waking up every three hours. The husband heard nothing, not once. Thy boy is getting tooth #7, and it apparently hurts much worse than teeth #1-6. Either that, or the mosquitoes are eating him alive again, and he's too little to know how to scratch.
It's a good thing you don't wear a bra, or your unerwire would have broken, as mine did.

Why is it that the universe's balancing act can make one feel so unbalanced?

Yeah! Great Big Sea!!!! We saw them recently when they played at the House of Blues here in Cleveland. They are so amazing and I am sorry but Alan Doyle is MINE!!!!

;-}

As always...very entertaining! You keep me laughing on these AWFUL Monday mornings!

Awesomely organized entry. If there's one thing the gays love, it's cleanliness alongside blogginess.

We worship you.

And yay for nice weather! Fingers crossed that Mother Nature doesn't turn ugly too fast.

Isn't commuting on a bike FUN? (insert sarcasm.) I feel your pain. Between bad weather and bad drivers, riding your bik in an urban setting can be the most dangerous and infuriating thing ever done. I'm continually amazed by the fact that it is illegal for me to ride my bike on the sidewalk, but at the same time its apparently totally legal to drive a car while not paying attention at all to where you're going or who might be in your path.

Two words for you: Mercury retrograde.

Welcome to three weeks of "balancing". ;)

OK--time for your luck to change back. Sounds like you need to cast on a new project to find your balance again.

And I thought I had a bad weekend fighting with the cable company which I have now decided totally pales in comparision.

Just got your book and am looking forward to it arriving. Since I love your blog, I know I will love your book :-)

Hope everything gets better.

Well, at least you know all the pretty, pretty yarn at Lettuce Knit is safe and warm and dry today. That's gotta help a little, right?

Funny you should mention loving summer. Hold on to that thought. Being from Austin, TX where you're scheduled to be at the end of July--and may I say that I am absolutely thrilled that you are coming to our part of the world--it strikes me that Austin is exactly the opposite: we have 307 days of summer and 58 days of something akin to a Toronto autumn. (It couldn't possibly be classified as a winter by Canadian measures since it never drops below 20 degrees F.) It's likely to be 100+ degrees F around here in late July!

I love me some Great Big Sea - a friend from college who was from Newfoundland turned me onto them long ago. Thanks for reminding me to pull out my GBS CD and have a listen!

Bless your heart you had a hell of a Monday. At least the weekend was shiny!

Sounds like a fun weekend. Probably worth the getting-drenched part.
Hey, did you know that Great Big Sea is going to be at Bumbershoot in Seattle? I think that they are there on Sunday, in the evening.

Well, at least the items on the good list were colorful, warm, cherishable memories that you can repeat to yourself like a mantra while you bail water and kill ants.
I'd blame all the bad items on the Evil Monster Known As Grenyrn. Perhaps an epic poem is in order... Harlot slaying the Grenyrn...

Disaster makes for better stories. The sad lot of a storyteller....

I love your storytelling... and I love how you can bring humour to the most cranky-making days. Most people can see the smile eventually, but you can see it before the day's even over. What an amazing gift! Or is it a learned skill?

I feel your pain at the drivers... Hopefully none of them were actively trying to kill you today, it was all just accidental.

Good job on the socks, you're going to make us all look bad (worse?) with having stuff in your LRPD box.

Just remember - "Nothing's as bad as it seems" ;).

Great Big Sea... sigh. During the East Coast Music Awards we like to call them "Great Big Disappointment" - 'cause if your favourite band is running against them in a category, you're sure to be disappointed b/c they'll almost always win. But darn if they can't make a crowd happy.

Sorry 'bout the universe seeking balance. I'd like to help you out, but the universe is currently kicking the shit out of me.

Bike riding in sodden clothes is just about the worst feeling ever. And you totally have my support if Meg complains about the wet ride home and you "accidentally" push her into a puddle.

The picures of the cherries make me want to tell my boss I have to go home because I need to bake something!

Awww. The universe does love it's little jokes, doesn't it? You had a Douglas Adams-type day. Completely hilarious to those hearing about it, absolutely miserable for those living it.

You're making me nervous. I had a wonderful weekend. I, the almost professional insomniac have had several days of good, solid sleep. I have a box of Sundara yarn waiting for me at the post office. I finished one sock and it looks good. The cast on and first inch of the second has gone well. I'm sewing a summer dress and it's going well too (no extra unexplained pieces so far). Well, the kitten has proved himself determined to do liquid poop in the far corner of the bedroom, even after hubby cleaned the rug. Dare I step outside the door? Is the Universe giving the Doormat of the World a Big Shake?

Well, since the plant is finally balancing things out maybe I'll have something good come my way right? Right?!?!? I need something nice to happen. This weekend was pretty bad and included a pretty bad panic attack, my rice pot exploding rice, depression... oh and ever since my roommate touched my Kiri shawl in KidSilk Haze the stitch count has been off and I've had to backtrack 5 rows and it's still not fixed! >.<

Also: I feel your pain about the drivers.

On my way home from work, I really enjoy straddling my bike in the middle of a busy street with my arm oustretched, signalling my intention to turn left... while cars whiz past me and around me and crazy passengers tell me to get the $%^*&# off the road. Ah, good times.

I'm often tempted to make the universal "You're number one" sign instead of the turn signal.

Oh, you poor thing! I think drivers should absolutely be required to yield to pedestrians and bike riders, especially in the rain.

I hear you on the stresses of teenage parenting, too. One day they're 20, the next one they're 9.

Put cherries in your socks!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bowerbirdknits/184209382/

All the (non-)cool kids are doing it. I'm convinced they make life better.

As long as you remember to take *all* of them out before you put the socks away.

OOh ow. I hope Mr washie comes out ok, they don't swim well at all. My sympathy on the teenager who has turned clingy all of a sudden. About the time you think you will have them off your butt with just a wee bit more manuvering...and of course yes she will melt, simply melt, if touched by the least bit of rain.
everything is always better with a good stiff cup of tea, and if you can dehydrate the cherries they make the most wonderful addititons to chocolate chip cookies you ever heard or thought of.

You're going to have to get a lot wetter than that to make up for seeing Alan Doyle.

whaaaaaa...! That sounds perfectly awful.

I presume you have considered the effects of too much coffe on your ability to sleep and that you know what you are doing when you say you will spend the afternoon drinking lots of it.

Hey! How come your universe always evens out from the good to the bad? Does it ever go the other way? As in, you had a really crappy week so now the universe is going to give you a totally terrific weekend. I hope so.

Also, do you keep score somewhere?

ooooooooh, what beautiful cherries, and socks, and new yarn, and lovely (they truly are) in-G.H.U.s.
But yes, the balancing act of the universe. Do you have a covered porch? to like sit out on with your new yarn? knit a bit and hum a happy little ditty to the universe? (sometimes it can throw it 'off', you know). Be dauntless. 56 days.

Thanks for the tip on the yarn. I can never have enough. I am stockpiling for vacation. We have a 10 hour ride in the car so I usually do lots of knitting then. cecilia

If you want to avoid the lightning, do NOT not with metal needles...

I'm feeling the same way--cranky kids, bike ride in the rain, leaking house (every frickin floor has a leak--how does that happen?) and I can't concentrate on my work at all.

Let's just have a do-over okay?

Oh God...I can't imagine what the world has in store for me for the next few days. I've been having a string of relatively awesome lately.

That ying and yang thing.....not really a good thing, is it?

I'm sorry, Steph. It's probably all because I'm having a good day here with a Snowball from hell?

Great Big Sea is on their way here to play at our airport. I am dying of anticipation. Well, I may survive, who knows.

The universe is big on the balancing out thing. Glad you had a great weekend, mine blew, but I got a parcel from my SP8 pal this morning and a good sleep last night so things are looking up for me.

Hope the rain quits before it's time to go pick up Megan and Joe doesn't have to pay a fortune to get his keys out of the car.

yeah, balance - it's cosmic, as I, too am in the deep in of the S*** pool. It will get better, right? I'm asking the dr to up the happy pill prescrip!!!

Oh, Steph. I'm so sorry. But your Monday makes me feel better for the (no-where-near-as) rotten Monday I thought I was having when I had to void 2 paychecks AFTER I'd called in the taxes (and overpaid them of course...better than underpaid, but that's easier to correct).
Your Monday is far worse than mine.
Thank you for the laugh and for helping me appreciate how easy my Monday has been...
((((hugs))))
You've probably had too much caffeine to go back to bed, now, huh?

Please tell me the balancing will be over by Wednesday. I need the greatness vibes, not the nine-f*ing-cars?!? trend.

Got any tips about knitting while on Percoset?

I've never heard of Great Big Sea, but now I kind of have to have an album. And go back to listening to my Tri Yann, and find that album by the Montréal band Solstice. You can't feel like the universe sucks when you listen to The Belle of Belfast City.

I laugh at your pain, which means the universe is coming after me next. Thanks.

Oof. I am sorry about what a horrid day you are having. If it makes you feel any better, I had a bad weekend. Wish we could balance each other out. (lol) I spent an entire day at an "art market" with roughly $6000 of my jewelry on display and EVERY homeless person within a 20 mile radius of Washington DC was at my booth touching my jewelry at some point. The best part...the best part was the woman with wet AND dry feces and urine all over her PINK pants who insisted on looking at the price of every piece and making a kind of snortish guffaw at every one.

At least it's not snowing.

The universe truly does seek balance. I learned this all too well when I decided one day to try to lose the extra 10 pounds I had gained after having a baby 4 years ago. My mom had always told me that the planet seeks to be at a constant weight, so that if one person loses weight, another will gain etc. This must be true, because although I decreased my calories and increased my exercise, nothing happened. Then a few weeks later I randomly lost a few pounds. Clearly my 'weight counterpart' had put on a few pounds and that allowed me to lose some finally which in turn balanced out the weight of the planet to restore everything to equillibrium.

Makes my weekend of painting walls and packing boxes seem positively lame.

Ah, Alan Doyle. I share your love for him. I try to catch GBS whenver they are in Chicago. (I'm starting to believe that I was born to be a Canadian but somehow I got deposited south of the border.) Sound like a great weekend. Too bad the universe slapped you with an ugly Monday morning.

Uh-oh! Somebody's got a case of the MONDAYS...:(

(this is only funny if you've seen and enjoyed Office Space. And even then, maybe not.)

But... but... you got to see Great Big Sea! So you're still coming out ahead. Are they amazing live, or what? :-)

Sorry to hear about the basement and getting soaked. The sock yarn is very pretty.

Oh My God! I have a leak in my basement today, too. I'm sitting around waiting for the plumber as I type! The only problem is...my weekend wasn't all that great.

Well, crap.

At least there's still yarn and coffee.

Oh dear. I don't know what to say and I'm sorry for laughing - I couldn't help it. Maybe the universe is going too far in the balance and you will have the rest of the week to live in bliss.

Sounds like a perfect summer weekend! And yeah, equilibrium is a double-edged sword, huh?

Mercury is in retrograde?!? Nooooo! I'm haveing the great de-crapification sale this weekend. I may be standing out in my yard getting wet while trying to cover hundreds of cross-stitch and music books. Think of me.

I was commiserating and sympathizing through the entire thing, but that last line? "Joe had a pretty great weekend too....and now he's locked his keys in the truck," just made me laugh. The irony, the irony!

Sometimes drivers can be so spiteful and mean to bicyclists for whatever reason; I got yelled at a couple times this weekend (I don't know what they said exactly, but their gestures and tone led me to believe they were not nice things.)

Good luck with your basement! At least you're due for a good luck upswing again. Maybe the water will drown the ants and then recede on its own.

Perhaps you ought to have a lie-down and start this interesting day all over again in an hour....

The universe truly does seek balance- Mercury went retrograde last Tuesday, so only two more weeks of this "balance" nonsense.

So far in the last week I have replaced my hard drive AND my dsl modem. I hope your basement and Mr. Washie survive. And you.

"Balance" is greatly overrated.

Ah, Great Big Sea... loverly lads from The Rock! I'm so envious, I've never gotten to hear them in person.

As to the drowning, I can empathize. Try getting drenched while wearing full Elizabethan garb (including 8 yards of upholstery fabric - as the outer layer of six...)

You definitely deserve lots of chocolate and Screech.

Your Trekking socks are gorgeous! I have just started REREADING Knitting Rules and enjoying it again. I've already read your first book twice, BTW. Anyway, I have some Trekking in my stash, from a sock club I used to belong to, but it is the most boring blues. I wish I had some that was so nice and multicolored like the rest of the world! Oh, well, complain, complain. At least I have a stash...

I was just mentioning this on the comments of another 'blog, but instead of balance, I like to think of it as pendulum swings. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, it keeps you on your toes! Good luck!

As a commedian once said, "You just can't make this sh!t up".

Try to get dry.
Make Joe go stand outside with a locksmith.

Oh, dear. I had a sort of meh weekend, so perhaps I should be grateful for it.

Your kids have math homework? In the summer?

Aww, poor Harlot.

It's days like these that make chocolate and alcohol seem extra nice...

Dear Steph
Sounds like you need a stiff shot of Screech to mix with a cup of coffee, then a wee lie-down. Snooze a bit and maybe things will be better when you wake.

My husband has come up with a great ant solution *groan, chemists' pun*. Take a big pinch of boric acid, a big pinch of sugar and dissolve them in about a tablespoon of hot water. Place in a shallow vessel, even a jar lid is good, and place it near the ants. They go for the sugar, take the boric acid with them back to the nest, and bye-bye to ant colony in a few days. Works, and is relatively non-toxic to mammals.

You were using your "Artist License" when you put in the part about the teenage girl deciding she had on to much makeup, right? That was a weee stretch of the truth to help illustrate the perfectness of the weekend, right? Because I have a teenage daughter, and I know that could never, ever, possibly happen. Ever. But it's ok. My disbelief can be suspended for a bit so that you can make your point. :)

Nice socks, by the way!

OOOOOH!! The GBS show!!! I totally forgot all about it! I'm sure it was smashing!

Did I ever tell you I met Alan? I was suprised that he's a bit shorter then me. I also met Murray back when I used to follow Moxy Fruvous around Western New York. (My sister said I "stalked" I don't stalk, I admire.)

Oh Steph, I feel your pain. I have BEEN on that bike, on that corner, in that downpour. There is no wetter wet than getting doused by Mother Nature, rude drivers and pavement run-off in the city while on a bicycle. It's not AT ALL like getting gently showered upon in the country ... and, as a free bonus, the huge gouts of car backsplash give you these weird unidentifiable grey stains on your clothing.

It's especially awful riding a bike in the rain if you are wearing eyeglasses.

Oh dear. You WERE wearing glasses, weren't you?

At least you are not in Baton Rouge, where the drivers would add insult to injury by running right over your poor saturated arse, and you would be like some poor cat or raccoon, just stuck to the sizzling pavement with bits of hair flapping in the breeze whenever another car whizzes by your poor, shredded remains.

Not a pretty picture but, I know, but it could have incredible guilt value for the escort-needy child in question. :-)

If you do like the heat though, please come to Baton Rouge, but leave your bike behind. I do want you to survive the visit. We have 290 days of roaring summer here, ten days of glorious spring, and 65 days of "fall and winter," which means that we have an excuse to wear sweaters.

Exactly what do you call "hot" up there anyway? You don't have to convert to Fahrenheit, I'm bi-measureable.

Hugs,

Dez, who thinks you deserve a big honkin' piece of cherry upside down cake and some SCREECH.

Stephanie
Love your posts. I always end up with a smile on my face after reading them, despite your soaky wet clothes! Love the socks; especially since you did not feel the need to totally make them matching!!!!
Diane

Well, I had an awful weekend. My son-in-law was killed in a car accident Friday evening and we have been dealing with the fallout from that ever since. I wish I could stand in the falling rain getting splashed by mud. Just a little perspective.

Steph, as soon as I saw the words "as bad as they could be" I knew you were in trouble. Very bad trouble. I am SO sorry. One of the lessons learned many years ago (when the eldest was a baby, with colic, allergies to diapers and milk) was that you never, never say "as bad as they could be." Fate always smites you. Here's hoping that tomorrow improves.

What a lovely weekend. Your Monday reminds me of... this movie I watched this weekend, "Me and You and Everyone We Know". One of the main characters is a shoe salesman, who gives his neighbor the family discount. When his coworker asks him about it, he says, "Yeah. She's my neighbor, and I'm trying to work on my karma. Do you know what karma means? It means that she owes me one."

Did you get rid of the ants? Were they after the cherries?

Did you get rid of the ants? Were they after the cherries?

Lucy's sock yarn, yum. I've got two skeins of it in red and black that I'm turning into a Cat Bordhi magical mobius lace shawl. Totally awesome stuff. Everybody should go buy it from the Etsy shop right now so she'll dye more for me to go paw at.

I had a pretty great weekend too and now I've lost one of my number 7 wooden needles. These are one of two sets of wooden needles that I own and they are my favorites. They are just the right length and are used to knit my ballband dishclothes. I love them. I am hoping one of them is under the couch. I hope Tuesday is better for you but I'm happy a good weekend preceded the crap.

Entry for Monday, July 10th in The Old Farmer's Almanac calendar:

"When deer are developing their new antlers, it is the time of the Full Buck Moon. It was also called the Full Thunder Moon, as thunderstorms became frequent".

Full moon, Steph. I couldn't sleep last night either (and I took Tylenol PM which usually knocks me on my tush) until well past 4:00AM (I refused to even look at the clock after that.) Also consuming vast amounts of cofee today which will more than likely keep me up again tonight.

The clouds are building up. The ants are crawling ALL OVER the outside of the house (as noticed when cleaning the rain gutters this weekend). This is probably due to the 13 inches of rain our area received a couple of weeks ago. Apparently ants do not appreciate flooding any more than we do.

The only thing that kep me from having a flooded basement is the fact that I don't have a basement. ;)

Forget the coffee - you should have opened a bottle of wine!

You did make me chuckle though...

Hope you've dried out!

Wow, I wish I had even one bowl of cherries! We've discovered a fig tree outside our apartment building. The balance in this situation is that I'm about to move out.

I've never seen that color of Trekking, it's lovely. I've just finished a pair in purple/brown/maroon. #76.

welcome to mercury retrograde.

Stephanie? I clicked on the link that led to your book on Amazon, and they've put a different person on the cover. Is that you and they just stretched you till your face is no longer there, or did they replace you? I had a nice weekend too, and now I'm worried that I'm hallucinating.

Yep, been there, had those moments. And those moments are when I know there is a God, and she has an ironic sense of humor.

She got me good not too long ago on a business trip to Dallas. I drove around lost and frustrated for four hours looking for my hotel and an ATM (seriously, just outside Dallas, they hide their ATMs). When I finally got to my hotel, there was an ATM next door.

I just noticed the different cover on Amazon as well. I'm looking at my copy of Knitting Rules and see your smiling face. What's going on?

The eternal optimist in me can't help but remind you that you will sleep like a baby tonight. And it will be good!
~nod

And I thought I was having a bad day today because I had to go to the dentist. My day was a vacation in Hawaii compared to yours!

I'm with you on the teenage contrasts. I have 2 teens of my own and my daughter wants to go to rock concerts alone with her friends but still won't pay for something at a store herself. What is up with that?????

Sorry about the rain! that happens alot done here in IL too.

hmmm.. sounds like alot of the days I ride my bike to work. Perhaps I should expect pouring rain tonite since yesterdays ride went without a hitch?? hmmm

glad you had such a gorgeous weekend. Don't make a lot of noise and perhaps the universe will forget you are there.

very jelous over the GBS concert. I haven't seen them in yrs. *sigh

You know, rainy days and Mondays always get us down. I've been envying your lovely cherries and have another use for them: Guignolet. My recipe comes from "Aperitif" by Georgeanne Brennan, and I've made it three times with great success. Have children collect 60 leaves from your Montmorency tree, rinse and dry. Put them in a glass jar with 10 cherries, with pits (save your dpns), 3/4 cup vodka, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and a 750 ml bottle of dry red wine (Zinfandel, Merlot, Pinoit Noir or Burgundy). Cover and let stand in a cool dark place for 15 days. Then strain the wine into a clean jar (keep the cherries for ice cream!). Bottle it up or keep in the fridge. Mine never lasted more than a week until I started multiplying the recipe and properly bottling it. Now I can keep a bottle hidden until winter! Enjoy!

Poor thing! When it rains, it...erm... pours. So it would seem.

I love, love Great Big Sea. Wish they came down stateside more often. :) I locked my keys in the car today, too. Thanks for making me smile!

Okay Stephanie, I'd say you've earned a night of peaceful relaxation. Lock the children in their rooms (it's up to you whether you lock up Joe too or keep him around till later). Then, bubble bath tub, candlelight, chocolate and wine, soft music -- followed by settling in with a good movie and a nice visit with Mr. Sock.

Heck yes it's Mercury Retrograde. Thanks everyone for reminding me -- I was trying to forget. But work, car, family and the taxman won't let me!

Great Big Sea? Tri Yann? Solstice? Forgive the ignorant Yank, who pleads for mercy based on the fact that she has no radio stations around that play anything but pop and rap and mainstream rock -- but what type of music do they play?

Wow, that is an awful lot of balancing of the universe. I'd say you're due some good luck and pleasant experiences about now.

what is happening with all these Ants this year ?
i swear they're doing a good job at taking over the world this year. Ants all the time.
And their other insect-friends are not far behind them. I don't like having nature inside of my house. And it's trying to take down the outside now.

You know how I know it was really, really good and then really, really bad? Lots of pics = good. No pics of ants, basement, truck, rain = r/r bad. Maybe there's a wee bit of Cab left? No? A shame. Call a taxi to pick up Meg. Charge it to the universe.

The contrasts of teenagers. It is SO exhausting. I totally empathize, and with the flooding and the rest of it. I know your wool is dry though.....

Ditch the coffee and find something harder. Or, on further reflection, pour something harder into said coffee. (Maybe this should wait until after Megan has been picked up...)

I'm so sorry! Wow, I know God likes to remind us that life is not fair and never was meant to be, but man almighty! what a reminder!

You deserve chocolate. And a tall slug of gin!

Saw GBS in Washington, D.C. this year. Great concert, and met Alan and Bob after the show. Now I have to figure out how to dl the photos from the telephone.

Truly after seeing how beautiful the Trekking socks are and the elegant colors in the Minds Eye Yarn, and lets not forget the beauty of the cherriese! It can't be THAT bad to get all wet.

oh yes, for those of you not in the G(reater) T(oronto) A(rea)... believe it! the skies opened in upon themselves today and wreaked havoc on all things on heaven and earth with an unholy fury of wetness!! of course, it would happen to be the week when both kids begin swim lessons (outdoor pool) AND tennis camp (outdoor court) after days and days of endless (not too hot nor too cloudy) perfect summer weather. sigh ..........

Gosh, Stephanie, and I thought we had the most rain here in Ireland! In fact that's the real reason for the invention of our oiled-yarn Aran sweaters. They do hold the rain off - until you can make it to the nearest pub, that is. And having a 58-day summer - consider yourself lucky! Half a day in May to get you excited, another three quarters of an hour in August, and then we're into autumn with the water table well above average. I wonder if I'll see a hosepipe ban before I die?

Murphy often has his way with my life as well, so I totally sympathize...but I did get to see GBS in D.C. as they were kind enough to come STRAIGHT TO MY SCHOOL and understand that one of their concerts is enough euphoria and adrenaline to last for at least a few days. Especially if you sing along at the top of your lungs.

Hope you, your basement, and your family dry off and karma rights itself again.

Oh, eep....if it's any consolation, a trip through your archives and several hours spent lingering over your obvious love of lace has inspired me to try the snowdrop pattern. So even though things are damp and sucky now, you're still an international influence on knitters. Plus, you've snagged my non-knitting sister into your fascinating world of bloggy goodness. Even non-knitters know your nifty! (Say that three times fast!)

For Ants --------- a Magic Word ----------Borax! Do you have any Borax? The laundry variety is fine ------- sprinkle Borax Thickly along all cracks like along where your counter meets the wall. Push it into the crack really well (you don't want Borax in your food). And, sprinkle it and sweep it into cracks on either side of your exterior doorways. Ants, in particular, are not happy with Borax. Around any radiator openings by the radiator legs is an excellent idea, too, if you have radiators!

I truly feel for you in your time of basement leakage. My basement started leaking (for the first time ever) two weeks ago after the 100 year storm that hit the mid-atlantic. Believe it or not, a neighbor had a hole in the ground that led straight to my basement! I have vacuumed at least 100 gallons per day for over two weeks now...even though they had the problem fixed last week. I've been told that the ground is so saturated that I will have to keep this up untill all of the water has come in. Wet basements suck.

Aww, Steph... I totally feel your pain...this morning my son, who frequently begs to 'just have a day to relax' informed me that his summer of karate lessons, waterpark season passes and once a weekend (at least) to the movies with his father was 'sort of a boring vacation'... I found myself lapsing into the 'when I was a kid the only pool I got to go to was at my best friend's house and I had to ride my bike 4 miles in the 105 degree heat to get there' speech before I just told him to go away and play video games or something...

I know what you mean. Thursday was hell. Plane flight canceled, arrived late, hotel desk closed, searching for new hotel at midnight. Friday I got to watch my teenager do freshman orientation at college. She was in heaven. Saturday we flew home and she cuddled up to me like a child all the way. Sunday I had a peaceful day with my husband. Today - today I discovered that some rodent has been chewing on my car's fuel line and I will be carless for the rest of the week. Joy!

Hmm I like Kelly's idea.. alot of things have happened since that evil green sweater.. I'm still small!!
heheh..
go have some more coffee.. and a nice nap!

Great. Big. Sea.

*sigh*

They come here aobut once a year and I never miss them. Alan. *swoon* Soft spot for Bobby too. Did they close with 12 Apostles again?

Sorry you're having such a severe case of the Monday. Turn up the music and dance!

It's always something, isn't it? Please send us some of your rain! We apparently need it a lot more than you.

I've spent the last three days working in an un-airconditioned storage shed in 100F degree weather with a ridiculous amount of yarn. The plus side is that said shed is filled with yarn. But Eeeeww.

Sorry your Monday was so bad but you did get to see Great Big Sea.

I'm going to see them in October. My GBS crush is Murray. . . :-)

That is not Murphy's Law at work...it is McPhee's law!

I just wanted to mention: that upside down sour cherry cake? it's absolutely fantastic with half sour cherries and half blueberries (makes it look real purty). And it's delicious for breakfast with some coffee or tea. Yum!

[my mil makes it pretty regularly... I have seen my husband and his brother each eat an ENTIRE cake worth. luckily mil saves some for us girls.]

Ok... what it is w/ underwire bras breaking- mine did and my boss thought I had lost it till I explained, that at 6:30 a.m.- ( i get off work at 5:40 p.m... typical Monday- brakes squeek, daughter (married 1 + 1 on way) called and was whining, harmones.. they don't get better.. one minute mad at me for not answering the phone on the first ring.. then later asking why I was calling & checking on her.. grrrrr. Knitted 14 rows wrong- (don't even ask.. {had the pattern upside down}) Everyone in a bad mood, forgot to get cash for pop machine,, had to use an atm card for a .60 purchase. gezzzz, and now,, walked into home, and cat had hair ball attack.. thank goodness the wool was safe.. hugs.. Monday only lasts 24hours a week... it just seems longer...

ahhhhh Steph, I am so sorry. What a sucky day for you. You do make it sound funny though and that is true talent. Umm wait, does that make me twisted? to laugh at someone else sodden misery seems terribly mean spirited.
Hugs to you and try some warm brandy in place of the coffee.

I got absolutely totally and completely drenched on my way to work a few weeks ago. Getting absolutely totally and completely drenched on the way home isn't so bad because then I can change into dry clothes. When it happens on the way to work... Well, I had a jacket on, but with that much rain, it was hopeless. My coolmax shirt dried fairly soon. But my skort was still soggy for hours. And my shoes...squish squish squish...all day. They were still soaked when I got home.

I love Great Big Sea, but I've never seen them, only heard them. Sounds like I've been missing something.

Seems to me like a bad bout of Murphy's Luck/Murphy's Law. Sorry!

Send those ANTS packing by sprinkling fresh ground CINNAMON behind things, around things, under things, along the baseboards, doorways in your kitchen and the sugar addicts will get confused noses ( ??) and go next door. Works loads better than the pest spray man who charges too much. When summer gets quite dry, they want water so don't leave out wet dishtowels or water in your coffee maker or you'll find a large family reunion where you don't want one.

Oh my...but I suppose the converse is true, too. I had a really good day today, but yesterday....well, not so much.

Hope tomorrow is better for you.

Okay.. so I had nothing original to say, but I finally have a blog of my own and I was just sort of dying to post my url... chin up, though...you have summer rain, and I've got to tell you that from where I live, that's as exotic as wool-spinning silk worms...

this affliction is what I refer to as the contrast to positive thinking. Oh, and the lightning thing, I take that kinda personal.

Tell me about it--the past week has been fantastic. Today I had to work 2 hours over time, I found a roach leg in my pre-packaged salad at lunch (shudder), my mail was delivered to my neighbor, and I just stabbed myself under the thumbnail with a serrated knife while doing dishes. Curse you, Mercury!

Thanks for sharing your trauma--I hope it didn't get any worse!

I too am in cherry heaven/hell. It's a love-hate thing. It must have been a very good year for them. Has anyone else noticed how long it takes to pit them? I come from a long line of cherry pickers/pie-bakers/eaters. The best way we've found is to use a very very sharp paring knife with narrow blade, such as a chicago cutlery. cut the cherry nearly in half and scoop pit, repeat. Repeat. Repeat..... I love to have others pitch in, seems like less drudgery.

I'm so jealous you got to see Great Big Sea! They're a staple of listening in the theatre department I work in, all the way in Kansas!

...and on a more knitterly note, I LOVE the new yarn. I can't wait to see the socks that come of it.

Glad your weekend was good- LOVE the new YARN! Trekking socks look soooo comfortable!!
By the way- Does Joan still make her "sock in progress" needle holders? I keep getting a return e-mail.
Love the blog- makes my day!!!!

Great Big Sea is awesome, the sock seems like a big fan. Hope tomorrow is better.

I am so thrilled you are coming to OKC this month. Sorry about your miserable experience, and I am almost envious about your summer as the heat index was 110 today in Tulsa, OK and I could not ride due to the heat. Stephanie, you are priceless!

How do you do it? My kids are 10 months and 4.5 years and I am so witless I think I will never recover. My bike (virtually unridden for 4.5 years) is at the bike joint and I may never get it back after the phone call from them shamed me "which tire is flat exactly and you 'think' you have a gear problem?" My 'knitting' is waiting for me to find it after moving last year. No cherry tree. No baking of any kind in fact. Forza Italia making my life a scary misery over the weekend. You are so strong! Your kids are so good and smart and beautiful. You ride your bike everywhere! I could go on but I won't. Enjoy the summer.

Now you've gone and done it. Two years in Japan had dulled my anguish at not being able to have Alan Doyle all to myself. From my first GBS concert, I must admit to harboring quite a fantasy. Heck, I am Old Brown's Daughter afterall!

Thanks for fueling the flames of desire once again! Under a month until I'm back in North America again. I wonder how far my DH will let me drive to go see them in concert?

But wasn't it nice that your cat took time out of her busy schedule to entertain you in the wee small hours of the morning?

And perfectly understandable that one needs complete autonomy from parental authority but an escort to school. If you're a teenager.

Nice socks!

Mercury can be blamed for the balance trouble but the contrary teenager is the stuff that separates parental wanna bees from the real thing. It takes fortitude. And coffee. And some knitting buddies to lean on and laugh with.

Poor, poor Harlot!

I am planning a few days away from my family, devoted to sleeping, reading, knitting, and prowling book and yarn shops.......wanna come with???

I think you need it!

Great Big Sea = yum. I saw them last year at Wolf Trap (cool outdoor venue outside of Washington, DC; America's National Park for the Performing Arts)and had a great time. Missed them in DC this April, but hopefully I'll get another chance!

Oh, and I finished my Artfibers Chai sweater and I ironed it, just like you said to. It's amazing.

I really hope that your July isn't going to be like my June... which started with a friend in the hospital after being hit by a car while he was biking home (so be careful!) He had a skull fracture, two brain bleeds, and dysphasia 4 days before he and his fiance were supposed to move to Chicago so she can go to med school. (He's doing much better. Hardly any trouble remembering the names of things anymore, and he's rapidly teaching himself to read and write again).

June also included a trip to the hospital myself after I slipped at work and whacked the bejeebus out of my knee, my boyfriend interviewing for the job he's had for over a year and LOSING the job because he didn't say in the interview often enough that he already had the job, and another friend having a pretty bad motorcycle wreck.

I'm so glad it's not June anymore. Wear a helmet. And rain gear. And maybe one of those armored jackets that motorcycle guys wear. And carry a big pointy stick or two, just as a precaution.

Ants, I would probably like the ants as compared to the earwigs I have now with all the moisture. And what, no hail? We had hail. See, your week is actually looking up. No earwigs or hail!

OH HUN!!! You need a really HUGE hug...and a fluffy towel. *Hands you her favorite fuzzy huge orange bath blankie*

Yeah, what gives with the new cover on Knitting Rules!? Did you ask them to use a stand in for the second printing? Is it a game of "One of these things is not like the other"? Because that is not you.

Oh, I'm so jealous. Mmmm love me some Alan Doyle too. They haven't been to California for a while. Maybe you can work out a tour stop in LA, you could open for them, I'm sure there's some crossover, just look at your comments! A little book, a little GBS, what more could one want!

I can soooooo commiserate with you on the water in the basement thing. We had storms here a week ago and my (up-til-now) 'certified dry' basement, took on water. At one point there was about 2 inches. And I keep stuff for work there! Needless to say, every spare towel and even some dirty laundry was used to build a little wall between the water and the stuff that needed to be saved.

I also have a little dog (much the size of a cat) that likes to dance on my head in the mornings too.

Now, I do have a question. Is that gorgeous sock yarn from Minds Eye fingering weight? Or closer to sport?

I should also say that you are a good mom, but she's going to want you to 'ride' with her even into her 30's. I know I often still want MY mommy, don't you?

Poor you!

But, hahaha, seriously, you crack me up!

ay, chica. Maybe we should hold off getting together for, oh, say 5 years, give or take a few? heh. actually, maybe I better bring the whole damned bottle of screech over to your house. It won't dry the basement but I guar-on-tie you really won't give a rat's ass about it any more. ack. When you surface, give a shout. If not, I'll catch up with you next trip, probably in September. big hug.

I have to admit, I have a not so secret crush on Alan Doyle myself. He's a cutey.

I will volunteer to ride in the mud and rain if it means my daughter will do her math without being asked! (Can you get her to do it without crying?)

Must say your post reminds me of Erma Bombeck -- look at those bowls of cherries!

OMG. Hilarious post. You are a really great writer.

I have been on bike rides similar to yours and the sensations came flooding back (pardon my wording) when I read this.

Glad that before it all went south you had a great time.

Can you post a pic of the cherry upside down cake?

As I sit here contemplating my own current "bad phase of balance," at least your post got a little giggle out of me. Hopefully, that good phase will soon be returning, for both of us! Cherry upside down cake? Now, that sounds delicious! And, I currently have the "best" of both worlds....I have a raging, sensitive, lunatic teenager AND a toddler, both at the same time! Woo hoo! LOL

HA HA HA AHA AHAAAH HAAAAR.......Sorry !!....Ha hhhaaa haaha hhaa haaaa haaa ... I cant help myself !! Haaa haaaeee heeeee hAAA.

Oh my, I just must become 178 to add that Lucy's colorway is faaaaaabulous. Have you used her yarn before? It's lovely.

Oh; Alan Doyle... Sigh... Wish GBS would come back to the UK sometime!

I just had to add a comment about the ants. I have them in my kitchen this year for the first time. I tried the cinnamon but they didn't seem to mind it. However, I have a Labrador retriever and he loves eating them. Its one of the big moments of his day to see one crawling across the floor. He gobbles them down, then has a big drink of water. Yesterday I didn't see any ants at all. Guess he took care of the problem.

Can I just say that Joe Sr. is a real cutie??

I accept that I'm going to hell because your tale of woe made me laugh. Obviously, I cannot be a good person because of this.

We're in the middle of a rip-snorter of a thunderstorm here and one of my dogs, who is terrified of thunderstorms, has managed to wedge himself under my desk, between my legs. He is panting in distress and trembling. He is also damp. I am in shorts. I'm not sure what this is karmic payback for, but whatever it is I am Very Sorry.

At least it was warm rain. And you just know the people in those nice dry cars are thinking "Why is that idiot riding a bike in the rain" right before they plow through that muddy puddle that splashes all over you like a wave at the beach. Like being wet isn't enough. They have to add the mud. If you'd soaped up before you left the house, you wouldn't have had to bother with a shower. :-)

I hope the rest of your week is better. I also picked cherries of the weekend. Now I am drying them. Running 3 dehydrators simulateously is a good way to heat a house. If only there was something to dry in the middle of winter.

Our universe balanced a relatively easy long distance move with my husband tearing his biceps tendon.

Enjoy your day.

I tried not to laugh cause I don't need to upset the balance here anymore than it already is. It is so hot here its making my hands swell and its too painful to knit......socks! What am I to do?
I am hoping when we leave to drive 1600km on holiday being in an air-conditioned car will help, if not I might need to take up crochet on holiday.

It is good that you had a great weekend.

I don't bike (my butt is way too big for that) but I do walk and have often thought that drivers can be horribly rude to those of us who are standing or biking in the rain/snow/hail when they are safely ensconsed in their vehicles.

I sleep like you do. Usually, no matter when I go to bed, when my head hits the pillow, my brain knows that it is time to sleep. But occasionally I have those days when every click of the clock makes the whole sleep thing a difficult concept.

Hope the rest of the day got better!

U poor thing :) You're my hero!! lol

The good, the bad and the ugly ... life has 'em all eh? I hope the good shines through for you. :)

What's that saying? "If like is like a bowl of cherries what am I doing in the pits?"

So did the flood in the basement damage any of the yarn in your "office"?

I am visiting TO for the first time in years, and whew! It rained no harder than it does at home, but here there is nowhere for the damned stuff to go!

And to whomever it was that was talking about the dry part of the summer? There is no such thing as dry here in Southwestern Ontario. Ever heard the saying 't's not the heat, its the humidity?' The floors themselves sweat.

That was an exceptionally-well-written rendition of your last several days. Great job, Stephanie. It is SO important to keep your sense of humour in the face of overwhelming Monday-ness.

Now you've got me nervous--not only did I have a great weekend, yesterday was pretty good, too. So what's going to happen today, I wonder?...

You always bring a huge laugh to my day when i read your blog.

Love all your work and books.
I read all 3 in the last 4 weeks

LOL - well, my eight year old thinks she's old enough to babysit the other three now. "When are you going to let me DO THINGS?!"

Followed, naturally, by "I can't make my own sandwich! What if I cut myself?"

With a butter knife? C'mon, kid. You think you can babysit three small children, but you can't handle a BUTTER KNIFE?!

I hear you about the balancing thing. We had a great week last week, very peaceful and productive, so naturally this weekend was nuts. A houseguest called and announced he was arriving Thursday for the weekend (whaaaaaat?), my two year old got into my knitting and not only tore out most of the almost-finished sweater body but strung the yarn all over the room while I was out running errands. Where was his father? Glad you asked. Playing his video game and/or watching Ultimate Fighter.

I was grateful to return to work. Nice, safe, quiet, nobody-ripping-out-my-knitting work...

When my now 9-year old was about 4 or 5 she saw GBS for the first time (we've seen them several times since). When asked by her Dad which of the members she liked best she, referencing one of Alan's best features, said "Oh Papa, I like the one in the red pants." Of course. Katie, me, every woman in the park. If his charm works like that at 250 yards on a 5 year old,....imagine what it's like up close and personal. ; )

This is the first time I've envied your travelling sock....

Coffee?? Coffee??? you are going to drink coffee??? hell woman, crack the cork on another bottle of Cabernet, and send a cab to pick up Meg.

I'm with you. July 10 (my birthday) was supposed to be a lovely day w. my 3 children at Centre Island. The rain took that away. We thought we'd try the museum - but according to the ROM site, the dinosaur and numerous other exhibits were closed. So off to the Science Centre - 20 minutes waiting to get out of the car because of the horrible rain. Then at least a km. long line-up inside. Decide to head home - but running to the car, second son trips and falls in a puddle and badly scrapes elbow, knee, etc. Just not our day. Then today - lost one of my favourite earrings. The one that reads "Love what you do". Fortunately, I still have "Do what you love." I hope tomorrow is better!

GBS is just full of men who are both fantastic musicians and wonderfully crushable. I'm a Sean girl, myself.

Maybe it's time to rant and roar like a true Torontoian, rant and roar on deck and below?

Maybe the lack of balance is a result of so many knitters with little hats hoping you'll post the California address.
My little tomatoes are ready to go in the mail.

Oh, dear. Sometimes life just happens and it's not karmic retribution; it's just life. I like to blame myself, though, because if I caused it, I may be able to change it. And guilt is the gift that keeps on giving.

I found a great way to gently get rid of ants. I took a cup of plain white sugar outside my house and to the garage, which is about twenty meters from the house and has no door. I poured the sugar on the garage's dirt floor (no fancy incantations needed) and went back inside to knit. The ants left my house.

For the next month or more, a huge number of species of ants feasted on the sugar (and, unfortunately enough, occasionally on some of their smaller cousins; there was a Roman Coliseum feel to the spectacle some days)and left me alone. I haven't checked with the neighbors, but I suspect they were not visited by (many) ants last summer, either.

Ya know what "they" say: when it rains, it pours! You just got it in more ways than one! The weekend sounded fab though! (Never say: it cannot get any worse because it always does.)

Hysterical...as always! I will be chuckling all day (until my balancing Gods flip my switch).

Instant Karma!!!

I'm not so sure your insomnia was inexplicable. I've learned to expect that for three days around the full moon, sleep is only for daytime. I think people who have sensitive personalities (no, I don't mean just women) are more susceptible, although I'm not sure which is cause and which is effect. I would be interesting to know how many Harlot groupies have light or little sleep at that time. My husband could sleep through a train wreck any time, but my sons would chat with me and each other off and on throughout the night.

The big question: Will you be at Stitches East in Baltimore in November? We loved you at the Banquet last year...sure hope to see you again.

Great Big Sea will be at Bumpershoot the same day you will be, while in Seattle. :) You + GBS = me going to Bumpershoot for the first time!

Love your wit and your site...love the comments. I just started my blog and would love to chat with other knitters and crafters. I have been getting a good laugh with all the jokes and I just have to add mine. Now that you're considered old, I hope you like it.

Old Tom was walking down the hall in his nursing home.
He stopped Mary who was going the other way.
"How old do you think I am Mary?"
"Well I don't know", she says
I'm 92
Tom goes further down the hall and meets Jane
"How hold do you think I am Jane?"
"Well, let me see", she says
She pulls down his zipper and takes "it" out and plays with it a bit.
"You're 92", she says
"Wow!!, how did you know that", says Tom
"I heard you tell Mary down the hall".

sorry...the devil made me do it

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