Click Clack Go The Needles

I would be lost without knitting. I try to work things out on my needles. It helps w/my anxiety.

My mantra these days is "Heal, heal, calm, calm." It really is effective with a K2P2 (knit 2, purl 2) ribbing combination. :)

I wish my father knitted. He could use some of that productive, calming methodology in his life. I think he's been bamboozled by retirement and his health. I think he's a little lost.

His best friend died at 55 years old after 7 year fight with cancer. He was at peace at the end. I think this helps my father grieve. He is giving a speech at the service today. I called him to let him know I was thinking of him and his BFF. I told my father I loved him and to stay strong. I could hear him fighting the tears. I quickly got off the phone.

Sometimes when I try to help I think I do more harm.

Click Clack go the needles. I can hear them now, "Heal, heal, calm, calm, knit, knit, purl, purl."

I had an appointment out in a part of town I am not usually by. I managed my anxiety with a little knitting while waiting around. I'm such a chicken. If tuna is the chicken of the sea, then I'm chicken of the life. ha! Anyways, I had to get strategic the night before about what to bring with me. Aidez requires too much thought. The diaper pants are in a weird place without the correct needles. And the Wonder Blanket aka The Monster is just too mighty to be towing about. Naturally this means a new project must be created.

Hence, Holiday Koffee Klatch Hat numero trois (yes, I see the contradiction).

 

 It's just the beginning. Yes, more ribbing :) But we're going places I tell you.

After my appointment, there is a little yarn shop Atelier around the corner.  Such a cute store, with lovely people and of course lovely yarn. 

I was just going for those US 6 16 inchers you know ... but look what I walked out with!

Venice Hand Painted -- gotta check the tags again.

Oh happy days!

I have some holiday knitting plans for these two. They gave me a pattern for a lovely cowl and the kind owner let me take a picture of the other colors, so I can decide what to make for myself down the line. 

The yarn makes me smile. I decided to ride that feeling so I picked up The Kid early for an afternoon feast. (I also hadn't eaten all day out of anxiety so win win) 

Root Beer Float & Library Books



Sisters

One word header today. Makes me want to center the paragraphs and breakout in haiku.

Fear not.

I met my sister today for lunch.

It's weird how much I can miss her when I see her. Laughing and eating. That is probably our favorite. And not that we don't love our kids, since we talk about them quite a bit when we are together, it was nice to see her ... alone. Just us, no distractions or interruptions.

We get along really well. Why? Because we genuinely like each other, and also it helps to have 3 decades of familiar with someone else's kind of crazy.

Also for the most part we have found "our rhythms".

She would say I am easily defensive and chatty.

I would say she is sensitive and prone to sulking.

We'd both we be right.

Family Quotes & Scenarios

"Be good to your mother. You know what she is right?"
"Your sister."
"That's right. So you mess with my sister, you mess with me."

(On disciplining my nephew who loves to push his Mom's buttons. No-one else's like that, just hers. It's a special relationship it is.)

Teaching Independence ...

I bribed my child to stand on the sidewalk outside of Bi-Rite while I did some quick grocery shopping with Creamery twisted soft serve purchased across the street. It was a nice day in the Mission ... I threw in for crushed Newman O's on the top. It went well, we were a team. The kid ate a treat and self-edited. He stopped himself on his own at a very reasonable amount of ice cream. He only had a minor chocolate moustache instead of the full-on beard. I shopped quickly and did not earn any whinging about taking FOR-EH-VERRR.

(first step to independence is personal responsibility -- oo that sounds smart)

Well ice cream makes you thirsty. We weren't smart enough to bring a water bottle to the park that day. I agreed to buy him a small bottle of water. I agreed to buy him a mineral water.

I put my foot down when it comes time to open up. "No, I will not open your water."

"I'm not very good at opening them. These are really hard for me Mom."

"I understand that, however, you have to try."

I pause here for dramatic purposes. I'm really good at dramatic purposes or at least drama.

"Okay let's pretend." I hear that imagination is a helpful tool in parenting and relating to your child ...

"Let's pretend we are in the desert. And ... I'm dead. This is your bottle of water."

He tried. Dear, sweet boy tried. Regardless of my ghost-like existence in this scenario I tried to help him with technique. Stabilize with one hand, twist with the other. Hmm, maybe try twisting in the other direction? Those skinny Minnie arms struggled.

"Well that was a good try. I'm glad you tried a few different things. You almost had it."

When I opened it, it was really lose, the plastic just needed to come off.

"You should've tried a little more." I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. I hand him the water and he says, thank you and we start walking down the street again.

"Well, I guess we are both dead in the desert." And be both started laughing.

First there was a whole turkey and now there is only some.

The Manfriend's turkey was/is not just impressive but tasty. I admit, my eyeballs sort of bugged out when he brought home all eighteen pounds of it. I made some serious magic in the fridge to accommodate it's behemoth size.

Brined by The Chonicle technique, not stuffed. (He made classical stuffing two ways: 1- with apples and 1 - without apples. Creamy mashed potatoes, (so glad he took my "more butter" advice), and there were sauteed green beans and roasted asparagus.

There was also some wine involved that involved yesterday being a bit of a tired haze. However I went out and about, had my meeting at the bank wore my new boots downtown on black Friday and had lunch with The Kid and The Nephew and the parents. They found a new lunch shop in Chinatown. I had soup with chicken and leek dumplings. I want to try the Bun Bo Hue, which is the El Dorado of eating soup out for me. So hard to find a good one, which makes me so tentative to order it. I saw my sister order "the wrong soup" and her food envy. Very sad business.

Yesterday I got hungry again around 4pm. So we took the little boys to Super Duper where my little country mouse nephew was chatty. (Look at the people! Is this the MUNI?) They were happy for a snack for fries. Little one ate half a mini burger and ""saved the rest for later".

Yet somehow, 2 hrs later when we had reheated "The Day After Thanksgiving", I still managed to put another plate down my gullet. ha!

Half the family stayed in the living room with me while I weaved in those annoying ends on the baby blanket and worked on my sweater. The other half played a relentless game of 5 card draw poker in the kitchen table. I think the little one still requires a little family assistance, but seeing how he's just turned 5, we'll cut him some slack.

Hierarchy

I'm thinking if I just don't acknowledge it, the truth will never have to be known.

It's a way of life.

Today after dropping off Prodigal Son at school, The Manfriend and I walked down the hill together, prepping out the schedule for the day/week. Somehow "the hierarchy" question came up.

I felt uncomfortable and tried to change the subject. He joked and tried to reorder the hierarchy.

I chuckled nervously, and tried redirection.

Was his joke a joke? Is the restless answer in my mind a joke?

The Hierarchy according to Manfriend:

1) Knitting
2) Zumba
3) The Kid
4) Maybe The Manfriend

The clarification/joke - What's first Knitting or Zumba?

The redirection - "Oh honey, don't make me choose!!"

The truth - it just depends on the day of the week.