Gotta Love Bongino

I've been watching Dan Bongino on Rumble for awhile now. He cracks me up! Love his sense of humor, love what he has to say. He is a very common sense, down to earth sort of guy and he has a good message every time. He's all about faith and family and the American way of life.

He promotes several products and I purchased the CryoFreeze a few months ago. It is awesome. Really helps my cranky, arthritic ankle. And I just ordered the Relief Band as well. Used his promo code BONGINO and saved $43.99. I have trouble with nausea at times due to sinus drainage, headache, nerve problems with my inner ears and neck. I'm hoping this product will help as well as I think it will. If it helped Dan when he was undergoing chemo it ought to help me as well. If it works, I'll talk to Audrey about getting one for David. He has awful migraines. He actually drove all the way home to Texas from Tennessee with a raging migraine at least once.

This is his podcast from April 9th and I recommend giving it a watch. His shows are roughly an hour long and I watch on the TV via Roku. You can watch on your laptop as well. I suppose it's available for you folks with the Bat Phones as well.

Episode 1496: You've Been Warned, The Second Amendment is Under Attack - The Dan Bongino Show.

If you go to Rumble and sign up for Dan's emails you will get the Show Notes with links to other articles that he mentions in his shows. I like having actual articles to read and I'm glad he gives us the chance to do our own research.

Dan takes no prisoners. He doesn't let the left off the hook. At. All. I like his background of law enforcement and Secret Service. He was an instructor for the Secret Service before being assigned to the White House detail. He puts his money where his mouth is and I'm glad he helped get Rumble up and going. It's too bad that Parler hasn't been a good investment for him. Maybe that will improve. 

I like the way he calls out public figures. I like that he gives credit where credit is due, even with folks from the left when they deserve it. He's big on what he calls, 'Do the do, don't just talk the talk' meaning step up and do something, don't just sit there and complain. I'm looking forward to his radio program starting May 24th.

All Neat and Tidy

 

The lawn crew showed up yesterday at 5:00 pm and made short work of our unruly yard. It didn't take long, less than an hour, and they were headed home for the day. We were last on their list for the day and I didn't expect them for another hour when they arrived.

It''s always fun to see what critters will show up soon after or the next day after mowing. The deer tend to be curious about what is going on but I haven't seen them. This evening our resident Red Shouldered Hawk put in an appearance as the sun was going down. I imagine it's easier to see what is hopping or crawling around now that the grass is down. I haven't see the armadillos in awhile but they will probably show up before long.

I spent some time at my spinning wheel this afternoon, but I've mostly spent the day reading. Brad brought lunch home and there was plenty left over for dinner so I didn't cook tonight. I've managed to stay off the laptop today except for checking my email and Gab twice and then going back to my reading. I'll do a little knitting while we watch the rest of Lone Star Law as soon as I finish this post.

I've been spending too much time online lately and today I was determined to do something else. The problem comes in when I am all caught up with housework and need to put my feet up. That half hour turns into a couple of hours before I know it. In the mornings I check my email and work a crossword and do a word search on Pogo.com. If there is a daily puzzle or game that catches my attention I might save that for in the evening after I check my email again. I go on Gab and MeWe a couple of times a day as well, but it's easy to get too involved on Gab and I'm weary of all the Covid-19 posts. 

We're half-way thru Lone Star Law and it's a new episode so I'm going to finish my post and get back to my knitting.

We're Probably NOT Normal...

 

I'm a throwback. Yep. In today's world, in the good old US of A, I am not considered to be normal, at least to the left-wing, liberal morons who do their best to belittle those of us who actually enjoy, yes! enjoy being housewives/homemakers. 

We are told we don't measure up to their exacting standards, because we don't have jobs outside the home to contribute to 'society', by people who are so bloody damned stupid that they can't see ANY virtue in managing a home, raising children, supporting our husbands who DO earn a living, and basically focus on living a Godly life.

I decided decades ago, at the ripe old age of twenty, that I had had enough of 'college' and had only been biding time until Brad and I could afford to get married. Then, in the fall of 1974, his uncle passed away and someone had to take over the property and livestock he left behind. It fell on us and we were married in March of 1975. We've never looked back. 

Neither one of us ever went further in our education than receiving Associates Degrees from our local community college. Yet, Brad entered law enforcement two years after we were married and retired as the head of CID. He went on to become the Director of the Police Academy at the SAME community college where we both graduated back in the early 70's. 

While he was with Sherman PD he was sent to many classes and courses in management and amazed the instructors with his knowledge and wisdom, even being invited to join a graduate program! His response was, "Well, thank you! But I think I need more than an Associate's Degree before I can do that." It was a jaw dropping moment for the guy who invited him. 

He was looked down on and belittled by the so called academics at the local college who couldn't bear the thought that he didn't have a Masters Degree. If those academics had any idea what his salary was as Director they would have come unglued. Seems that all those years in a civil service law enforcement career actually counted for something when it came to determining what his pay scale would be. He was paid as if he had a Master's Degree, even though he didn't have a Master's Degree. So, no. He's not normal either.

We are not considered normal by 'society' because we don't fit their mold. We don't have degrees. We have no desire to be considered 'experts' in anything. But we are very good at what we do. Even in retirement Brad is active and makes an impact on our community in many ways. We both do our best to be good examples to others on how to live a Godly life, to make better choices and live better lives. And we have a better income in retirement than the snotty little libs at that same college today!

We support our family and are able to be a resource to our daughter, son-in-law, and their children. Together, Brad and I are a team. Our daughter and her husband are a team. Our grand-children are growing up to be intelligent, active members of the family team. 

Their parents are home-schooling them and making sure they are well able to take on the world at some point in their lives. They love living on the family farm where their Grandpa grew up. Audrey loves standing in her kitchen, looking out the same window her Grandmother looked out while doing the dishes and looking out the same back door to check on the kids while they are outdoors. We have continuity in our lives that liberals will never get, never understand, never respect.

Audrey is a stay at home mom. David works his butt off usually six days a week, coming home to kids who are excited to see him, crawling all over him, snuggling them and his baby boy. He has a wife who loves him and puts his needs ahead of her own, just as he puts her needs above his own. They both put the children first. And everyone's needs are met and fulfilled in a manner that the selfish, self-centered, liberal loons can never understand. They don't know what they are missing and they call us abnormal because we don't fit their ideal. 

And here I am, on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, enjoying a Texas Spring day, doing laundry! Yep! That's right. I've got the sheets off of the king size bed in the wash right now, almost ready to go into the dryer. The kitchen is clean. All of our clothes are clean and put away and I have the rest of the day to do with as I wish. Freedom is a wonderful thing.

I'm not wearing a face diaper when I go out. I come and go when I choose, go where I choose, when I choose. I carry a gun if I choose, where it is legal to do so, and no one tells me what to do. Life is great. It's even better when you can grow a spine and stand up for your rights and freedoms.

All Clear

The storm passed quickly last night. No damage. It's cool and clear, sun clearing the tops of the trees. Looks to be a gorgeous Saturday in Texas. 

We didn't get much rain so the guys should be able to mow this evening and all this will be back under control pretty quickly. It's cool enough outside this morning for a jacket and the wind is brisk. We still have the scent of pine tree chips in the air. Smells so clean.

I've got a load of laundry in the washer, switched the heat pump from A/C to heat to get the chill off the house. It's in the 40's outside and it was 67° in the house when I got up a little over an hour ago.

Brad is off to the gun range for the day, I'm catching up on Dan Bongino on Rumble. Time to make some coffee and think about breakfast.

Waiting On A Storm

The weather forecast earlier mentioned a good chance of serious thunder storms beginning at 7:00 pm and going through midnight. I'ts 8:25 pm and no sign of anything near us, thank goodness. Oklahoma is probably getting the brunt of it with damaging winds and a good chance of large hail. Brad brought our flag in just in case.

I don't seem to have any enthusiasm for knitting or spinning the past few days. I think the bipolar weather is making my joints cranky and lowering my energy level. So, I've been goofing around on the laptop and doing a bit of reading.

I came across a gentleman from the UK on Gab a few days ago. He's an author and I downloaded a copy of his book, Titanic Britain, for my Kindle. His name is Joe Cater and he goes by Johan Cater on Gab. So far it is a very good read and I am enjoying his writing style and the subject matter. He is a conservative and does a very good job of taking the left-wing liberals in his country to task for the way they've been destroying the country for the past fifty years. He's also got a wicked sense of humor that appeals to me.

I first noticed him when a post he wrote in response to a Flat Earth nutter popped up on my feed. I started reading and went back and read other things posted by him and the people he was chatting with on the subject of Flat Earth. Yup. You read that correctly. Sigh. These people are serious. They really think the earth is flat. You can't make this crap up. Another person chimed in to inform Joe that he had gotten thrown out of a FB Flat Earth group when he asked if all the social distancing was causing people to fall off the edge of the earth. Good one! Clearly the Flatheads, as Joe calls them, have NO sense of humor or any recognizable intelligence whatever. Still, they can be entertaining. Especially to people like me who are easily entertained.

Brad has stuff going most of tomorrow so I am going to get some more cleaning and laundry done, mostly in his room since he will be outdoors. I hope it will be nice enough to open windows while I dust and run the vacuum. I'd like to make sure the room is aired out well after stirring up the dust bunnies. It's time to swap out the sheets and take one of the blankets off the bed. I should probably just launder all the blankets while I'm at it.

Since I haven't touched my knitting in days I am going to put the laptop up for the day and grab my Ten Stitch Blanket project to work on until time for bed. Perhaps a cup of hot tea would be nice as well. Maybe an episode of Foyle's War on streaming video would be nice while I work on my knitting and sip my tea.

Silence is Golden!

 

At last! A respite from the high winds that have plagued us for the past several days is very welcome indeed. The temps dipped down into the 50's last night as the last of the front passed through, but we will be looking at temps near 80° today so we will switch to A/C shortly.

I got a late start this morning, but I'm enjoying my coffee and thinking about what needs attention around the house. I've got the laundry sorted and I need to strip the king size bed and launder those sheets. Then I need to start thinking about meals for today. Brad has a lunch date but I'd like something nice for dinner this evening. He's going to do the shopping on his way home after lunch so I can focus on the house.

It looks like a lovely day outside and I may see about opening the front door for a bit now that the wind has subsided. There was so much stuff in the air the past few days that we kept the house closed. So far allergy season isn't a huge bother this Spring. The mowers will be here next week for the first time since late last summer. It will be nice to have everything mowed and trimmed and neat.

I need to drop by the farm soon. It's been much too long since I was out to see Audrey and the kids. They've been busy gardening and cleaning up after having a big pine tree taken down. I'm sure she's glad to be done haying the livestock for the season. 

Guess I had better get in gear and make some progress before it's time for lunch later.

Simplifying Life

 

How to simplify life? Start with prayer. Then, begin to look around at what may be getting in the way of your happiness.

Try turning off the News and picking up a good book or spend time on a favorite hobby. Go for a walk. Meet a friend for coffee. Spend an entire day without electronic interference in your life, i.e. TV, cell phone, computer.

Dump Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. There are alternatives like MeWe, Gab, Vero and Rumble, but make a point to limit the time you spend online. 

Read. Fiction, Non-fiction, Biographies, Classics. Leave the political commentaries for another time. We all know the country is going to hell in a hand basket. What we need periodically is to step back from that tension and unrest. Doesn't mean we ignore it, just means we take a step back and focus on other things for awhile.

Have a spa day. Get a massage, manicure, have your hair done. Go somewhere nice for a quiet meal. Go shopping for a new outfit or a pair of shoes. It doesn't have to be a marathon shopping event, just drop in and shop around. Maybe you don't even buy anything. That's OK too. No pressure, no expectations. No disappointments. 

Forgo texting for actually using your phone to call someone and have a conversation for a change. Call or visit a neighbor or someone you haven't heard from in awhile. 

Are you surrounded by clutter? Ask a friend over to help you de-clutter. Sort what you need to keep and what needs a new home. It's a great way to make life more simple.

Focus on positive things, not negative. Is something bugging you? Can you do something about it? Sometimes we need better people in our lives and that can mean distancing ourselves from toxic relationships. 

Look into volunteer work of some sort. A good way to forget one's problems is to focus on other people who need help and do what we can to be of service.

Do you enjoy cooking? Great! Bake for someone else. Bread, casseroles, deserts, whatever. Give of yourself and your talents and you will forget about the stresses of life for awhile.

Bottom line, make time for yourself to relax and recharge without feeling guilty for doing so. Slow down. Enjoy life. Learn to say no. Learn to listen to God for guidance. Create peace in your life with His help.

Chasing Dust Bunnies & Spinning Some Yarn

So, yesterday afternoon I was tiding up the bedroom where I keep my spinning wheels and took a break to finish spinning the bobbin still on the flyer. While I was sitting there, enjoying the view and the breeze thru the open window, I noticed a couple of dust bunnies hiding under the table next to my Sonata.

After I finished the bobbin I grabbed my Swiffer wand and got to work in the bedroom. I still need to run the vacuum but it will wait til this afternoon. I've started the third bobbin that will be plied with the other two. When these bobbins are plied I will have approx. 7.5 oz of 3-ply, fingering weight yarn. I have enough dyed BFL/silk in this colorway for four 7.5 oz skeins. It's a time consuming project and I will probably take breaks and spin something else now and then before I'm done.

 

After I finished in the bedroom I tackled the living room. It's nice to be rid of the dust, but now my allergies are in overdrive. I grabbed an antihistamine and used some saline to flush my nasal passages. Of all the things to be allergic to, house dust is a pain in the butt. I mean, how can you avoid it? It's everywhere! Such is life.

Finding Normal In A Crazy World

 

My family and I are so blessed to be able to live the way we do, away from the city but in easy access of what we need. In this part of Texas the mask police are not in evidence except at TMC Hospital and the clinic associated with it.

We can shop and do pretty much what we need to do sans masks. We don't see in our area what is going on in the major cities in our state and across the country. Small town values still exist and there is a patriotic spirit that can be seen pretty much everywhere we go.

While MLB, Coca Cola, Delta and American Airlines lose their collective minds we sit back and laugh at the silliness, then take a moment to pray for the ordinary people, people like us, who will find themselves out of jobs because of the BS and nonsense. Big corporations deserve what they have coming. The citizens who are impacted by their practices do not.

We've never been to a live major league ball game and we don't watch sports on TV, just isn't our thing. We quit flying over a decade ago. But we can choose to not purchase Coke products, RC Cola tastes just fine tyvm. I've already stopped shopping with anyone who banned Mike's "My Pillow" products and we order direct whenever possible. 

I haven't totally opted out of Amazon but have greatly limited my purchases lately. We don't have Alexa or anything like that. No voice activated anything in our home. And last night we went into the settings apps on both of our laptops, opened the privacy tab and went thru everything listed on the left side of the page and un-checked anything that has to do with tracking, location, etc. We may be stuck with Microsoft on our laptops but there is no need to give Bill "Population Control" Gates any more info than necessary. We both feel better already! 

I don't use Google search, I use Duck Duck Go. I still have an active gmail account but only until I get something done about getting off of Blogger. I've got Protonmail with VPN and just added a VPN to my laptop thru Malwarbytes, so I'm secure.

We live a simple lifestyle, don't spend a ton of money on anything and don't go in for the latest electronics, media or cell phones. We both have flip phones for use when away from home. We get no reliable cell reception at home so there is no need for us to purchase expensive 'Bat phones' as Brad calls them.

Our income is secure and partially dependent on the stock market, but not to a huge extent. Still, it was kind of neat to sit and watch the Dow climb to over 33,600 this morning. Every time it peaks and then dips down before climbing again we make money. We have people managing our funds that know when to buy and when to sell. Mostly they buy. A little bit here and a little bit there. In the long run it does make a difference. I would be bored out of my mind trying to keep up with all of that stuff. Thankfully I don't have to!

Got a late start this morning. Brad woke up before I did and let me sleep in. Neither of us had anything to be on the go for today. It's nice out again. The front door is open and I can hear the neighbor's donkeys braying. Brad spotted a couple of squirrels in the front yard and slipped out to open the side doors to the garage, what I lovingly refer to as the 'squirrel ports', so that he can have a clear shot of the squirrels. He managed to hit one. They do so much damage that we just can't allow them to get comfortable in our yard. 

Now that the pine trees that were on the north side of the house are gone and the gutters have been cleaned out, we have NO pine needles on the roof or in the gutters and the only remaining pine tree doesn't drop that many cones and needles, none of which would land on the roof. Those pine cones are a big draw for the squirrels. 

There is nothing for them on the north side of the house now, just the big tree on the south side near the southeast corner and it won't take much to get that part of the yard cleaned up. The cones from the Loblolly Pine are considerably smaller and thinner than the cones we had from the Slash Pines that were taken down. Some of those things were as big as my entire hand and would dull the blades on a mower in no time. Brad raked and shoveled three 45 gallon leaf bags full of the things for our daughter to use.

It's coming on 1:00 pm and Brad is on his way to Pizza Hut to pick up our lunch. Time for me to get out of the recliner and in motion. I'll be glad when I am finished with this round of antibiotic. The rosacea got out of hand again and I have two more weeks to go. The doc called in a topical gel to keep it all in control and so far so good!

Have a Blessed Day and ignore the craziness as best you can. Create normal surroundings when possible and enjoy life.

Easter Sunday He Is Risen!

 

Holy Saturday

 

Good Friday

 

More Habit Forming Knitting & A Spit-Splice Join

I first cast on for a Ten Stitch Blanket with left-over fingering yarn to see if I liked the pattern. Yes. I like the pattern and wanted to try some thicker yarn so I went stash diving and came up with some DK yarn, six skeins of it. 

I'm coming to the end of the first skein and have another skein wound off and ready to join to the end of the first skein. I like to splice my yarn using a spit splice when possible. 

            Here I have prepared the ends for splicing, separating the 4-ply yarn in two sections of 2-ply.

            Here I have broken off about two inches of one of the 2-ply sections of each yarn end.

Here I have twisted the sections of 2-ply together to form the original 4-ply yarn, slightly overlapping each end and dampening the yarn where the ends will blend in smoothly.

Here I have finished the splice by rubbing the dampened sections between the palms of my hands until they felt together to make a seamless join. 

I wound the last few yards of yarn from the first cake onto the outside of the second cake after finishing the splice and made sure I can tell where the join is by making it the first round on the outside of the second cake of yarn because I want to know how much I can knit from one skein of this yarn. I'd like to have some idea of how large the blanket will be when finished.

Habit Forming Knitting

I love knitting. I've always got something on the needles and I am occasionally surprised at which projects rapidly become my favorites. Socks for example. Back in the 70's sock knitting seemed so intimidating with all of those little pointy needles. Then I started paying attention to my mother-in-law when she was working on a pair of socks. She made it look easy, stitches divided on three needles and knitting with the fourth needle.

So, I dove into knitting socks and loved it. Somewhere in the 80's I saw a photo of a knitter working on a sock, stitches on four needles and knitting with a fifth. Hmm. Of course, I had to give that a try. I liked it much better than working with four needles.

Then, in 2006 I discovered toe-up socks using a long circular needle, having stumbled onto this article on Knitty: Magic cast-on for toe-up socks. I wasn't convinced at first. My fingers were so accustomed to double-pointed needles. I started a sock at the toe with a 36" needle and got as far as finishing the toe increases and went back to the double-pointed needles until I got to the heel and went back to the 36" needle. It occurred to me that I should just stick to it until it felt comfortable and I discovered that I liked the heel flap a lot better using this method. No. More. Gaps. 

So, I finished the first sock and started the second, grabbing a 40" needle instead of the 36" needle. It went much faster than the first sock and I was hooked. I eventually tried Two at a Time on one needle, but it was too clumsy for me. My hands are on the small side and I decided to cast on for one sock, finish the toe increases, and then grab a second needle and cast on for the second sock for my own version of Two at a Time socks. 

I love having a finished pair of socks at once, working on one sock then switching to the other, until I am done. I don't even have to think about the cast-on or the increases, it comes naturally now, and I prefer working with a size 0 needle for a closely knit fabric that is more comfortable on the soles of my feet.

 

I'm Back

Been a bit busy lately, then got sidelined with a migraine. Just now beginning to feel more like myself. Take a bit of advice if you suffer from migraines: Avoid the Ravelry website. They've made some changes that are problematic with quite a few folks. There have been reports of seizures, migraines, nausea and more. 

I haven't had a migraine in over five years and I didn't think I would be one of the people affected, but it seems I was wrong. I kept thinking that it was due to inflammation in my neck combined with sinus problems. Then I realized that the headache started within half an hour of viewing their updated login page. Maybe it was all of the above. In any case, I would avoid clicking on the link in the lower left of the login page that activates the graphic with moving balloons. Try using the middle choice for background which is neither bright white nor dark mode. Dark mode actually made my eyes hurt more.

I was viewing it on a friend's tablet because she wanted to show me how 'nice' the site looks now. Right. Maybe for some people, but not for me.  

Anyway, I'm up and in my recliner, sipping a cup of chicken noodle soup that Brad heated for me. I'll have a go at my knitting in a bit and make sure I keep up with my allergy tablets so the sinus stuff doesn't get out of hand.

We have the house open and there is a wonderful breeze coming in through the living room window, bringing the scent of pine shavings with it. It's a nice, clean scent. 

I have the Roku on and put Pluto channel on. Still had it set on the Midsomer Murders channel and "Blood on the Saddle" is showing. Omg, LOL! This is without doubt one of the corniest episodes. Ever. Brad loves it. The bad guy, dressed in black, is shooting up the western town...in his mind that is...

Oh, well. It's entertainment after all...

 

A/C in March, Gotta Love Texas

It was in the 50's last night and now it's 74° at 5:40 pm. We had the house open for a short time earlier until our lawn crew arrived to clean out the gutters. We closed the house since they were stirring up stuff with the leaf blower and we didn't need to be inhaling anything else. I'm taking allergy pills after dusting and sweeping yesterday and getting well 'dogged' by the Doggo's at the farm yesterday. Actually, I didn't have that much dog hair on me when we left, but I still changed clothes when we got home.

The guys pulled into the drive and were in shock at the sight of the missing pine trees. I thought one of them was going to cry! Seems they loved our trees and talked about how nice it is out here when they come to mow. Wow. They are really great guys and do a wonderful job of anything we need done. It will be a couple of weeks before the grass needs mowing and we still have some clearing up to do in the yard. 

I want to talk to them about building a raised bed garden now that the pines are gone. We need to find out where the phone line is buried since I can't locate the photo I took when it was marked years ago. I know it does run right through the area I want to have beds placed and I'd like to avoid building beds on top of the phone line. This is something like I have in mind, but I don't need that many beds.

 

Brad cut back the last of the largest clump of yuccas before he left to pick up the pizza he ordered from Pizza Hut. My ankle is being cranky again or I would have gotten the garden rake out and cleaned up where he cut those off at the ground. Tomorrow is another day and there is more trimming to do along the south fence anyway.

So, Brad is headed to pick up dinner and I am hiding in the house with the A/C on. In March. It's actually very nice outside, but better safe than sorry after they got the pine needles off the roof and out of the gutters. One of the things that gets my allergies going is mold and mildew. Can't stand the smell of the stuff. Pretty much guaranteed to trigger a nasty headache and even a sinus infection from time to time.

We've got rain in the forecast for tonight into tomorrow so it was nice to get the gutters cleaned and stuff away from the foundation of the house. It's been awhile since the A/C was on and we've got a little of that funky attic smell going on until the system is aired out well. We've got an Accu Clean system in the attic and it will sort out odors pretty quickly.

I didn't get the cozy blocked but I managed to do a couple of loads of laundry and by tomorrow I'll probably have enough for one more load to stay caught up. Brad had ordered some compression stockings for himself and I got them laundered last night and hung up to dry. He still has a little swelling in his lower left leg from a staph infection but it looks a lot better. We need to order a few more pair of those stockings so he can have clean ones if he wants to wear them every day. 

I never thought he'd be so agreeable to wearing the same type of stockings I've been wearing because of my left ankle and my right foot. Mine are pretty damask style and I have five pairs. His are black and come all the way up to his knees. We couldn't find any his size locally so we ended up ordering online. We've done a lot more ordering online the past year because of the Covid nonsense and it's easy to get spoiled to having things delivered.

He's back with pizza. Dinner is served!

French Press Cozy Pattern

I designed a cozy for a French Press coffee maker several years ago and decided it was time to update it and put it online. 

                                          This is the original using DK yarn, Araucania Aysen.

               This is the updated version before blocking and seaming using Cascade 220 worsted.

I'll block and finish it tomorrow and post a finished photo. I changed the size of the blocks in the pattern, knitting fewer rows for each block. I like it better and this yarn has more body to it and will hold it's shape better. It's not superwash and will require hand washing and blocking. The best way to block after washing is to slip it over the coffee press and let it dry to shape.

My Response to the Woke Culture Today

I posted this first on Gab, then on MeWe and decided it would make a good blog post. So, here goes...

 

It has occurred to me that with my ancestry background, i.e. 95% of my ancestors trace back to the British Isles and the other 5% to Europe and Scandinavia, with my ancestors arriving in VA in the early 1600's, I'm not the mutt I thought I was.

In fact, I'm probably more 'British' than the average Brit these days, except I'm not, I'm American. I'm also a perfect example of what the Woke Communist Democrats would label a White Supremacist because my skin is too White.

Does it make it any worse that some of my ancestors had slaves leading up to the Civil War? Yeah, I'm doomed. I'm toast. Except I'm not. No one in my family has owned slaves since the end of the Civil War, so I'm good to go.

So all the little Woke Morons who want to label me "whatever" makes them feel morally superior can bite my Native Texan Butt.

I know who I am and where my people originated and what they passed down to me. I know my character and what is important to me.

I am a middle class American whose ancestors helped defeat the British and establish this Republic, and later helped to settle Texas beginning the year it became a state.

We are land owners, farmers, ranchers, teachers, business owners, police officers, members of the military going all the way back to the American Revolution.

And if anyone thinks they can convince me to hate myself because of the color of my skin they don't know me and they will be very, very disappointed when I laugh in their racist faces.

No Pine Cones!

I dozed off in my recliner yesterday afternoon, late, only to wake up to a yard free of pine cones! Brad spent his time while I slept, slowly and methodically raking up cones and needles and bagging them up. It looks wonderful. We are almost ready for the landscape crew to begin mowing soon. We still have some brush trimmings to clear away from the south fence, a little more trimming along that fence, a couple more clumps of yuccas to clear out and it will be done.

 

What isn't green grass in this photo is wood chips from the branches being shredded after the trees came down. We'll leave some of it for mulch and shovel most of it off the mounds where the trees were standing.

This is one of my favorite views from the house toward the creek. There is a large patch of early wild green onions that grows in that tree grove. There are ash and hickory trees that popped up all on their own decades ago and Brad started mowing around them. It looks like a park when the grass has been freshly mowed.

Brad is off to church, without the grandkids this week. Audrey is trying to get their garden planted and needed the kids to help her so they are busy with farm chores today. She has so much to do at the farm and the kids are a great help with the livestock and whatever is needed in the way of chores.

I'm back on an antibiotic for rosacea, again, and not feeling all that chipper...hence the falling asleep in the recliner yesterday afternoon. I've got a bite to eat and a mug of coffee for now and Brad will bring lunch on his way home from church later. Then, this evening, we will finish off the home made tamales and pinto beans that Audrey sent. She definitely inherited the cooking genes from both sides of the family!

Spring is Here!

 

It's a beautiful day in NE Texas, the first day of Spring. Sun shining, mild breeze, 62°. We don't have anything special planned today, just hanging out at home together. Spring is a real blessing this year after the horrible weather we had in February. 

Our daughter has a dead pine tree out at the farm, every bit as tall as the six we had removed out here. Our tree guy will drop by next week and we will go from there. Audrey has plans for a garden, bee hives, berry plants and more at the farm. We are looking forward to spending time with them and enjoying the nice weather and the grandchildren playing outdoors. It will be nice to sit down with Audrey and David and catch up on things. 

It won't be much longer and we will be seeing the bluebonnets and paintbrush blooming in our area along with the crimson clover.

Fiber Fix!

I ordered 16 oz of combed Merino top from Fat Turkey Farm and it arrived yesterday. They have a group on MeWe and that is how I found out about the fiber. In fact, I was able to message the lady on MeWe and complete the transaction right there online. They are in Upton, Wyoming on the edge of the Black Hills.

This stuff is fabulous! It's bright white and super soft. I am working to finish the bobbin of wool/silk blend on the wheel right now so I can sample this lovely fiber. It was $50.00 for 16 oz and a little over $10.00 for shipping. It came Priority Mail, but was a little late due to some delay or other, which isn't unusual these days.

I wasn't planning on purchasing more fiber, but I saw her post about having some of their combed top left for sale and decided to give it a try. With the cost of shipping it figures out to about $3.75 an ounce which is very reasonable for such nice fiber.

After working mainly with Indie dyed top for so long I kinda like the idea of spinning some lovely un-dyed fiber for a change. It would make a lovely shawl, for starters, and maybe a cowl, scarf, hat, who knows? 

Well, it's now nearly midnight and I couldn't stand it, just had to spin a few yards of this Merino top. Wow! I love it! Did a quick Andean ply for a couple of yds of 2-ply for a sample.

Glad We Got Those Trees Down!

After the storms came thru on Tuesday night it stayed windy and last night the cold front arrived in full force. It's still windy, but not as bad as it was last night. I had to sleep with earplugs! Sure am glad those dying trees are down. Last night would have been risky with the high winds.

The sun is trying to poke out from behind the clouds and we should have a nice afternoon if the wind dies down a bit more.

I've been having problems with my Edge browser and went back to Mozilla Firefox. Much better! I had to update some saved logins and was prompted to change my password on Gab. I chose a computer generated password but something went wonky. Long story short, I couldn't get back on Gab for most of the day yesterday. I emailed twice during the day to Gab support, nothing. Then, last night I tried one more time and bam! Response! I'm back on Gab and joined another group for fibery, thread related interests. I think I'm going to like the group a lot.

I'm glad I took the time to go thru the saved logins on my Firefox browser, delete the ones I no longer need and change the info on some of the links. I'm also keeping a backup file for login info to avoid any future problems.

I'm glad I uninstalled the Microsoft Game apps. I was spending too much time playing solitaire and word games anyway. I have an account on Pogo.com and can play crossword and other things I enjoy once in a while.

Guess I had better make a decision about lunch. Problem is, I'm not hungry and I'm bored with the same old thing. It's a good day for take away, methinks. Specifically, the Tuna Salad Plate from CJ's. And I have a package at the post office to pick up anyway.

Edited: Forgot to add...back to enjoying my spinning corner now that there are NO pine trees keeping the sun from shining in. I no longer need that lamp during the day when I sit down to spin! Yay!

Should be able to finish this bobbin today! My ankle really needs loosening up and this is perfect exercise. Low impact.

Simplifying My Online Experience

Before I get to the rest of my post I wanted to put this up...

And, moving right along...

I've left the big tech sites and started using conservative sites like MeWe, Gab and Rumble. I get my news online from conservative sources. I'm going to drop my gmail soon since I've signed up with Proton mail.

I will eventually have a blog on another platform and probably just delete this one. I'm sick of Google. I can't avoid everything Microsoft as long as I have a laptop with Windows, but I don't have to download the game apps and I've uninstalled a whole list of apps that came installed on my laptop that I neither use nor need, making my life as simple as possible.

On a related subject, I'm not big on boycotts but when big business starts trying to tell me how to live my life and censoring what I am allowed to say or do online, trying to shame me for the color of my skin, then I'll find other sources for better products and let them do whatever they like. I don't have to purchase from Amazon or drink Coke if I don't want to and if I want another set of pillows or sheets from Mike Lindell then I'll order directly from him.

I'm also taking back my personal rights with regard to not wearing a face mask. Seems I qualify to NOT wear the blasted things due to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, specifically the 3/3/2021 update to the ADA. Life just got a whole lot better. I have no intention of being confrontational. I am capable of being low key and courteous. Sometimes I have to take a deep breath first, but it's becoming easier for me as I get older, wiser, and calmer.

I'm listening to Dan Bongino on Rumble as I write this and he is as entertaining as always! You tell 'em, Bongino! And I love the Catturd coffee mug, btw. I may need to order one for myself. Hey! Bongino has a new sponsor! MY PILLOW!!! Good for you, Dan!

We did, finally, get some thunderstorms last night, well early this morning to be more precise. No power outages, no problems, just a nice, slow moving thunderstorm and some much needed rain. We have the front door open and some fresh air flowing thru the house. 

It's time to get back to regularly scheduled knitting and enjoy the rest of the day. God bless!

DST, I Hate It

I've gotten out of bed the past three mornings when my body tells me it's time to get up, only to look at the clock and see it's an hour later than my body says it is. I hate Daylight Saving Time. Sunday and Monday were both pretty much a bust and I haven't done much today either.

However, we did something spontaneous and drove to town to get Chick Fil A for lunch. It was great. As usual. Then we went by the bank and cashed a check and came home, put the trash out, closed up the garage and it's time for showers and feet up in our respective recliners. I shall knit. 

I've made some surprising progress on the DK weight Ten Stitch Blanket by switching to a size 7 needle. The size 6 wasn't working for me and I like the looser gauge much, much better. I also like the way the semi-solid yarn works in the pattern. Edited: This is Araucania Nature Wool from Chile.

I've been concerned about our Redbud tree on the east side of the house because of the unbelievable cold last month, especially since we lost all those pines. But, it's blooming! It's also got signs of borers around the trunk. I'll have to look into that to see if we can salvage the tree. I know nothing of such things. But I will learn.

      The daffodils are still blooming and we have grape hyacinths popping up in the yard as well.

Still No Storms!

Once again, the storms missed us. We got a little rain, but no downpours, and it's soaking in nicely. It's greening up quickly and I need to check the redbud tree and see if it's putting out buds now, really hoping it's not dying. I noticed several redbud trees budding as I went to town to pick up take-away for our lunch today. 

Brad stayed home from church due to needing to keep his feet up. He may have gotten into some green briars last week and now he's got an infection in his lower left leg and taking antibiotics for it. I made him a salve with tea tree oil and coconut oil and it's helping a lot. He sees the doc again in the morning to follow up from last week.

I've been catching up with Bongino's shows while doing some knitting, on my third show now and one more to go to be caught up. He's on about the 'porkulus' bill, which is what he calls the so-called stimulus bill. He's right. There's so much pork in that thing every man, woman and child in this country would be set with bacon for the rest of our lives!

I wanted to try the Ten Stitch Blanket pattern using the different join to the one I'm using with the sock yarn. You can see the difference...

                                                   Notice the chain stitch on top...

This gives a slight bumpy ridge on top instead of the chain affect in the other project. I had thought of using this DK yarn for a sweater but decided a throw with a semi-solid yarn might be nice instead. I have several skeins. I'm wondering if I should rip this out and go to a larger needle, though. Yeah, I think I should. 

No Storms Yet

It's pretty quiet today, some big puffy clouds in a gorgeous blue sky, still humid. No storms in sight as yet but we have stayed in all day. Neither one of us feels up to doing much, nothing serious, just a case of the blahs.

We've both puttered online a bit and napped and now we're re-watching a show on Hershey and Mars candies. Neither of us is very hungry and we may just have sandwiches for dinner in a bit.

Guess I'll do a bit of knitting and then read before bedtime. I should have done a load of laundry but it can wait. I think the weather has got us both down.

Storms A Comin'

We have thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow night into Sunday and it is almost humid enough outside to drown frogs right now in NE Texas. We went from the emergency heat setting one day, to heat pump heat setting the following day, to NO heat of any kind and the house open the next day, to A/C on yesterday and today. Yup, all courtesy of our bi-polar Texas weather.

So, I'll stay indoors and not subject my lungs to air that is almost too thick to breathe. I've got plenty to keep me busy. And I think I hear Brad returning with lunch. Fish sandwiches from Whataburger. Yup. That's him pulling into the garage now.

I've been attempting to enjoy being active on Gab and there are some good groups and nice individuals that I have connected with but...the thing I dislike about Gab is the number of so called patriots who live to harvest followers because they are trying to regain the ridiculous number of followers they had on Twitter before they got booted or just got tired of being censored and left.

I mean, seriously? Do they even know who those people are? "Follow me! I followed you, now you have to follow me back if you're a patriot!" Give me a break.

I mentioned this in a chat room on MeWe earlier and one of the ladies explained that there are 'social media influencers' who live for this stuff. Sigh. Again, seriously? Well, bless their hearts. Personally, I've never felt the need to 'influence' anyone. But, I'm just a Baby Boomer after all and that nonsense just sails right over my head.

So. I spent the better part of an hour on Gab blocking the more vocal members of one group who keep getting their posts shared by other people and so it shows up on my feed. Too bad you can't just block an entire group. Oh, well. Such is life. 

I'm on social media, MeWe and Gab, to keep up with conservative news and views and to connect with people who enjoy my interests and so far I'm really enjoying it. I've even read a number of posts of well stated, albeit opposing, views that weren't over the top with regard to the usual liberal nonsense. I miss the real, actual liberals of yesteryear. The well meaning, God fearing folk who fought for the underdog, did their best to address social inequality, etc. and managed to affect change for the better in our society.

Sadly, they are few and far between these days. I've had several actual, real life friends whose views were very different from mine, but we were always able to sit and enjoy one another's company and discuss the things we had in common. I've lost track with most of them over the years and these days I tend to keep myself to myself so to speak. Especially since Brad retired and we mostly spend our days together. It's great after all those decades of him being away all day, and often at night as well. 

We are basically a couple of hermits enjoying life in the boondocks, only going to town when absolutely necessary or out to the farm to visit family. And I wouldn't change it for the world.

Speaking of the farm, these are a few of Audrey's calves from Feb of last year. She seems to have a healthy crop of bull calves from Grover, a registered Charolais, and a market for any of her bull calves at a sale barn nearby. See photo below of said bull...

Good Morning!

Well, it seems that all that fresh air, sunshine and exercise isn't going to kill me after all. I'm sleeping better and waking up earlier each day. Brad is off to an early appointment with the dermatologist. We just grabbed our Breakfast Cookies that he brought home from the coffee shop yesterday and heated water for some hot tea. 

There wasn't time for our regular breakfast, so this First Breakfast will tide us over until he gets home and we have Second Breakfast. He'll brew coffee and we'll probably have toasted English muffins and yogurt.

It's overcast, 69° and it's beginning to mist rain very slightly. We aren't due for any real rain until the weekend so we can probably get a little more work done in the yard before then.

I went out to the side garage door with my camera hoping to get a good 'morning' shot of something or other and spied this little guy up in the top of one of the ash trees. He sat there preening for the longest time. I didn't have the tripod with me and it was tricky trying to hold the camera steady waiting for the right moment with the zoom adjustment on. But, I did it. Wish it was a bit clearer, but it will do.

I'm going to finish my tea and work on my knitting for a bit and then I'll put up clean dishes and load the dirty dishes and start a load of laundry.

Stumps Are Gone!

The stumps are gone and we have lots more mulch. Still have pine cones to pick up. Brad and I worked on cleaning up around the old yucca plants. One clump was too close to the drive where he goes in and out of the garage in the pickup. It will require him doing more digging with the grubbing hoe to get as much of the tubers out as he can. It will do for now, but we want it where the landscape guys can mow over it and not damage their mowers.

Speaking of the landscapers, they are going to love mowing now that the pines are gone! We just cut their weed eating time by a third. I think we need to haul off most of the mulch on top of the holes where the stumps were and fill them in with dirt. Audrey can use the mulch and the logs, she says. It'll take some work and they'll need to bring the stock trailer out, most likely. Anyway, the mulch and the logs aren't going anywhere soon!

We have one more clump of yuccas near the drive to clear out. We've had problems with tiny little beetles all over those yuccas for years. This is our chance to cut them all back to the ground and clean out around the sprouts and they come up. I want to get Terminex to spray those clumps when they come out the next time. If we can get the beetles dealt with those will become lovely clumps of yuccas that we can be proud of and enjoy.

It's 72° outside at 5:15 pm, both doors are open as well as the living room window. There's a 20 mph wind blowing and we may not hear it coming thru pine trees anymore, but we can hear it blowing thru the ash trees just fine!

I'm hungry and I know Brad must be after all the yard work he has done today. Guess I had better get in the kitchen and think about food for the two of us. We had breakfast croissants from the coffee shop this morning and hotdogs for lunch. It might be time for soup and sandwich.

Today Is The Day! Tree Removal!

The guys got here at 8:45 this morning and they are averaging a tree down, limbed and the trunk cut up every hour. These guys are amazing. They work so well together, no swearing, no yelling, no grab-assing around. They just know what needs to be done and when. They are quick and efficient and clean up as they go. Love their motto:

                                             Six yard truck, eight trips to dump mulch.

                                                               I love these guys! LOL

            The stumps will be ground tomorrow and we can start planning flower beds for Spring.

                                            This one and the one above were 40 yrs old.

                                                           This one was over 22 yrs old.

Now there is room for flower beds where the pine trees stood and we can put a deck on the side of the garage.

              This is all that's left of six pine trees all over 60' tall. The pile of mulch is nearly 50 yds.