I Have to Take a Knit

chaos theory and evolution

2006-09-02T01:16:00.000-07:00

I am a creature of chaos. I have learned to acknowledge this and embrace it rather than fight it, although sometimes this makes me do strange things, like when I just decided to delete my entire blog a bit back (WTF?). And you know, this blog just hasn't been the same since I tried to resurrect it. I haven't put back my free patterns, the posts have been infrequent and half-assed, etc. So, I thought for awhile about what to do. I still wanted to continue blogging, but I also felt the need to move on. It's sort of like when you have lived in the same place for a long time and need to move the furniture, paint some walls, remodel something... or just move altogether. This all essentially comes from the fact that I crave change, excitement, chaos... and therefore I evolve pretty rapidly(Or maybe I am just a bit crazy. Either way, it works for me.). I realized that I have sort of changed a bit since this blog's inception, and that I need my surroundings to represent that. So, I have started a new blog, entitled "a strand in the hand"... so far, I like it. I know that it will be a good place for my inner knitter/spinner/wannabe Fiber Goddess to live now that I have moved on a bit. If you would like to come and visit, just click your little mousie right here. Thanks to all of you who have stopped here and left so many kind words. Oh, and Bezzie, I swear I will send you that sticker soon. I promise. Don't hate me 'cause I'm flaky... it's just my usual level of chaos ;-)

whew!

2006-08-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

So, life with teenagers is not as bad as I thought it would be... in fact, it has been pretty glorious. Yeah, glorious, as in kick-ass, awesome... you get the picture. They have adjusted to the remote setting of Kodiak well- no, better than well: they are thriving.

Both have caught their first Alaskan salmon. Here is The Boy, holding his first AK fish- a 11 pound Dog Salmon caught in the American River. He's a sweetie, just like his pa.

There has also been sea kayaking going on- this is across the street in Mill Bay.

And, we went digging for fossils in a place called Fossil Beach about 45 min away. There are loads of marine fossils... the kids found some very cool snails and such. Here is The Dog helping The Boy dig for said fossils.

And, I taught The Girl how to knit. And she loves it. And she has great color sense. She is working on a striped scarf using Lamb's Pride Bulky on Size 11 needles. It's almost done. Awesome. As proof that she in one of the converted, I present a picture of her fishing (my other fave pastime) with her knitting in the pocket of her sweatshirt. That rocks. SHe is a sweetie too.

So, on the same day that we went fossil digging, we drove to a little community called Pasagshak to fish. There are ranchers in those parts who raise buffalo for meat (as they are able to defend themselves better against bears than cattle). Sometimes these buffalo come down by the cabins and the ranchers come to drive them back. So, we saw bonafide cowboys (in Kodiak!) drive these massive beasts across the river. Check this out:

OMFG! OMFG! OMFG! How kewl is that???

Well all that and am working on more projects. Rick's blankie and the mock cable sock are both WIP's, mainly because The Girl saw my Felt Clogs and loved them. I had her pick out some yarn so I could make her a pair too:

Doesn't she have killer color sense? Theya re being knit with Cascade 220, and around the cuff I included a strand of Skacel Gatto for soft furry goodness.

I also finally bought some Noro chenille that has been for sale at the LYS forever. I thought a chenille scarf would be nice and it makes for a good portable mindless project.

OK that's it. Time to breath and continue to marvel at the tenacity of people who are parents of teenagers All The Time. Damn, you guys deserve medals.

oh yeah, all that and I knit too...

2006-08-08T16:38:00.000-07:00

I figured that I should include some knitting content, considering my last entry was just one big vent. So, nothing too exciting, but here goes:

Still plugging away on Rick's blanket. It's reached stole size now (hmm... maybe he would wear a stole? No, I better just keep knitting.). His condition seems to be improving, but he has a long, crappy road ahead :-( I'll be able to give him the blanket in person when I travel down to the NW in September... the parents and I will take a road trip from Portland, OR (my hometown) up to Spokane, WA where Rick is. Wow, I never thought I would have to endure another long road trip with my folks (OK, so it's only like 7 hours, and they are wonderful, but you know) but it is for a good cause.

Also am making a pair of mock cable socks of my own design. In what seems to be a them of me using cheap-ass yarn for stuff, I'm working these up in Caron Simply Soft. For an acrylic yarn, it's pretty OK... would have never thought to use it, but a lady came into the LYS for sock help and that is what she was using. I liked the result, so here I am. Also, I like the notion of giving people something that is machine washable/dryable so that they do not end up with baby booties after throwing lovely wool socks in the washer/dryer.

And, the fireweed is blooming. This is a sad time in Alaska, as the advent of fireweed blossoms means that summer is waning. And yes, this does pertain to the fiber arts... the woody stems can be harvested in late summer/early fall and retted to make twine. Also, the downy seeds are a very cool fiber (hmmm... maybe I'll card some up wth some wool. That could be cool.)

So, that's it in me casa. I also have to say RIP to You Knit What? That's just sad- hopefully someone will take it over, as there is no shortage of terrible knitwear designs. Which leads me to my next topic. I will buy any knitting magazine I see at the supermarket. Usually, there is at least one intereting article and/or cool design that makes me justify buying it. So, when I purchased the latest issue of Creative Knitting (talk about a f--king misnomer there), I did not have high hopes (I mean, it is Creative Knitting) but I figured there would be some redeeming value. Guess what? Nothing. Not one damn design that I could be excited about. Fug, fug and more fug abounds in this issue, which also containes book reviews of things that have been out for a while (uhhh yeah, I think we all know that Mason-Dixon Knitting kicks ass). The only good thing were some cool scarf patts to promote breast cancer awareness (but umm... I'm pretty sure Knitty did that already). I mean, I just don't get it. How can someone actually take the time to design and hand knit a garment that looks like shit? More puzzling is the fact that this shit gets published and that these people actually get paid for their designs. There really should be a law...

Dude, where's my blog?

2006-08-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been two weeks. Damn, that's a long time. Here is part of the reason I haven't been posting. Crappy pic, I know, but it is to prove a point: that's the view from where the computer is. I would just rather stare at blue skies and seas rather than a screen...

Nice weather... we almost hit 80 yesterday. Have been out fishin', smokin' said fish, still workin' at the park and LYS, and all that jazz. All that and the BF's kids are coming in tonight for two weeks. This is the first time we will have met, and we will be cohabitating besides. Oh, and they are teenagers. I just don't know if this 27-year-old crazy ass Cascadian/Alaskan reformed hippie chick is ready to be The Wicked Stepmother just yet. But, despite my nervousness, I just know that we will have a blast! I can''t wait to show them that there is more to the world than the Internet... they are fairly urbanized people, so Kodiak should be quite an education. They are going to shit when they catch their first salmon.

And, speaking of edumication, I'm teaching a three-part knitting class at The Rookery that starts tomorrow night! People have actually paid me money to teach them how to knit!!!!!!!! I'm going beyong what most knitting classes do, I think. They will be making a scarf, but in seed stitch rather than just garter. Also, we'll talk about fiber choices (I have have little cards with raw fiber samples on them), color theory, increasing/decreasing, and even get them acquainted with cables, colorwork, and lace.

I have faith- it's all ladies in the class, and hey, if we can work, keep a house, give birth, raise the resulting spawn, look beautiful, keep a partner happy, then we can certainly conquer the world of knitting... and not have to be content with a stupid garter-stitch scarf ;-)

OK, now it's really fixed

2006-07-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

I thought that I fixed my comment settings to enable anyone to ramble... seems I restricted it even more! Anyhoo, now it's really fixed! Comment away!

giving kicks ass (and so does receiving!)

2006-07-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

First thing: my darling mum informed me that I did not have my comments settings enabled to allow anonymous or non-Blogger user comments. This has since been fixed... comment away!

Speaking of the ladies of my familia, my grandmother has a birthday coming up soon. She will be 85 years of age, and I hope that I age half as gracefully as she does. She is my namesake and one of my best friends. Whenever I am down in my hometown of Portland, OR, we always get together for at least one night of wine drinking (our average is one bottle each), watching Jane Austen flicks, sharing secrets (which seems to increase as more wine is consumed) and bashing on the current mess of political affairs in these United States. My grandmother is an elegant woman, raised by English parents and she taught me all about being a refined lady and a strong woman at the same time. She is also an avid crocheter and is always making something for a friend- everything from baby blankets to heirloom doilies. So, I put together a little care package for her:

That's 3 skeins of Cotton Comfort from Green Mountain Spinnery, a skein of my handspun Mountain Mist, a crochet hook case from Lantern Moon, and some loose Earl Grey tea (her favorite!) Hope she likes it!

Well, I was also the lucky recipient of gifts today. My friend Dave, easily one the best fly fishermen on the island, hooked a sister up with 12 sockeye salmon. Well, there is a catch... I get to keep 6 of said fish in exchange for smoking up the other half and giving them back to him- that's like, 20 lbs (at least) of filets. This is a small price to pay for yummy, yummy sockeyes. Seems he tried to smoke some up last week and the results were "interesting" to say the least. Since he has always enjoyed my smoked fish, he honored me with asking if I would do this for him- that's like two gifts in one!!!

But, the hits just keep coming... Dave also made us this cool shelf for the cabin we are intending on building in the near future in a remote part of Kodiak Island. Dogs and salmon... he know that those are two of our favorite things!!!

So, I am a very happy camper right now... I may even have some fiber content in my next post ;-)

lazy Saturdays...

2006-07-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well, kind of. Woke up to more of this:

Which seems to lead to days like this:

That's the BF nestled under the covers, with The Dog and Cat comfortably sharing space at the foot of the bed. I love that they are mortal enemies- save for when it comes to sleeping on the bed with one or both of their parents.

I finished Steve's Swirly Hat the day before yesterday. I would have a picture of me modeling it, but as you can see from the above pic, no one is available to photograph me.

This is a modification of the Swirls Hat pattern by Carolyn Doe for Fiber Trends. I added a second band of swirls around the body of the hat, as well as the corrugated rib. I also played with using seed stitch to break up the areas of colorwork... I like how the interplay of knit and purl stitches when changing colors every round makes it look like you did something more complicated than it really is.

Have another spinning project on the horizon. When I was fileting pink salmon this past week, I was again reminded how Mother Nature really has the best color sense around. So, I created these two batts the celebrate the beauty of silvery gray and
salmon pink... they did come out pretty close to the colors of pink salmon filets.

Both batts are a blend of various shades of combed Corriedale roving. The grey is just that, with some teal, green, and periwinkle blended in, as well as some Silver Hologram Angelina to give it some sparkle. The salmon color is primarily a blend of pink and light orange, with bits of red, magenta, and fuchsia in there too. I was terrifically unscientific about deciding what proportions of colors to blend together- and I think they came out great! Had I have tried to be more precise, I am sure the blends would have been a disaster. I think that sums up my general approach to all things creative...

On an unrelated note, I am playing with the whole socks on 2 circs thing (yeah, I'm a little slow- I hate to do something just 'cause everyone else is doing it). I have to say, I'm digging the technique, although it takes some getting used to. And speaking of socks, I was going to knit some Argyles for my dad like, way back in the day and got frustrated. I must give a shout out to this kind blogstress for giving me renewed hope in my ability to make Argyles, which I will hopefully have cast on today... or maybe I'll just go join the animals in bed ;-)

heat wave?

2006-07-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

If everyone else's blogs are correct, apparently there is some sort of warm spell in the Lower 48 right now. This has, in no way, shape, or form, come close to Kodiak. This morning I was greeted with 30 mph winds (gusts up to 55!) and the sideways rain/stormy seas which accompany such a storm. Oh, and it's 50 degrees F. Nice. I mean, I'm down with the fact that Kodiak only gets 55 bonafide sunny days per year, and that we get twice as much precip as Seattle (about 75"/year). That's fine... keeps other folks from moving here who aren't dedicated, you know. But this is about enough. It's July, Mama Nature... JULY!!!!! I know that you are not here for me, that rather I am here to serve you, Ms. Nature, but WTF bitch? Can't we just meet a little bit halfway? Anything you do would be ever so appreciated!

Naiads and such

2006-07-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

Some progress on things. Steve's Swirly Hat is still in the same spot... but that should be done either tomorrow or the next day. Here is the progress on Rick's Blankie...

Ahhh... mindless seed stitch- makes it easy to think good thoughts for him as I knit. No real change for the better, BTW, but miracles do happen or something.

And, I started this shawl...

I was intrigued by the idea of freeform knitting, but kind of put off by the fact that it can be SO random... I am a linear thinker, but I do like things that look organic and straight from Nature. So, I decided to do a triangular shawl in which I chose colors based upon a skein of Noro Kureyon # 150 and in which fringe is created when I change yarn. About 1/2 of the yarn is my handspun.

When it is done, I'll attach little rock oyster shells in random places (the little white thing is one of said shells). I'm thinking that the shawl will look like something that a naiad and/or mermaid would wear.

Also caught another fish. Now this is BIG for a pink... this is next to my Size 8 shoe. He is currently in the smoker.
Had a treat last night- made some sushi using the sockeye that my friend Dave gave us. I'll leave you with this yummy parting shot:

Back to my roots

2006-07-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

Many months ago, when I first started this blog, I kicked things off with a post that still brings a smile to my face. This piece was composed prior to beginning this blog, and was the genesis for it. Since I so stupidly deleted this blog last month, I thought I would cheat on my blog a little today and post this entry, which fortunately I saved. Hope this makes you smile too...

January 10, 2006
As I was taking my first poo of the day and reading one of my ubiquitous knitting books, I came to one of my sharpest realizations: knitting and pooping are very similar. When I am knitting, I am often mystified by the process, sometimes dumbfounded at the little miracle I am creating. Sometimes knitting is painful and frustrating, sometimes it is smooth and uncomplicated. Sometimes I wonder, "Where the hell did that come from?" My boyfriend is often amazed at the things that I knit, although he pretends he does not care. Every now and then, some really interesting color patterns pop up in my knitting, depending on the materials used. Sometimes I just have to clench my teeth and know that it will all be over soon if I just stick with it. Sometimes knitting makes me cry, but more often than not, it brings me joy.

So, if you take the above paragraph, and replace "knit" with "shit", I think most of you will know what I am talking about. With both knitting and shitting, you start out with a given set of materials that totally change form as they pass through your hands or GI tract. And, whether knitting or shitting, no matter how much the finished project may stink, there is always that nice final sense of satisfaction, because you made it yourself.

What's fuzzy and smells like fish?

2006-07-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

My yarn, that's what! I took this pic of my latest creation, then ended up leaving it on the deck next to the smoker, in which I was smoking the first pink salmon of the year. I've heard of those so-called "aromatherapy" yarns that are infused with scent, but somehow I don't think "smoked salmon" would be a popular aroma.

90 yds... combed Corriedale with some Angelina sparklies

Oh well, I don't mind the smoky goodness of this yarn, and I am sure the scent will come out after washing. I like this skein... it makes me realize what Kureyon would look like if it smoked crack.

And, here is a gratuitous shot of me with one of the fish that went in the smoker. That's REALLY small, even for a pink salmon, but we are going out again tonight, so I will show more pics that prove I have "stream cred" in the near future. You should have seen the one that got away 10 min before I got this one. No, seriously! Also, I have to give a shout out to my friend Dave, who gave us a buttload of sockeye filets today! Although I think all salmon is good, sockeye is the best! They have a planktivorous diet, which makes the meat more rich.

It's funny though, there are so many people in Kodiak that disdain anything other than sockeyes, cohos, or kings for eating... many people here think that keeping a pink salmon is below them. I call them "fish snobs". Whateves, after growing up around the depleted salmon runs of the Pacific NW, I'm just happy to be able to catch and eat WILD salmon all the time... just another reason why I feel so blessed to be here ;-)

fiberglass

2006-07-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Despite the ranting of my last post, I have not been hiding out in a bomb shelter... have just been super-busy. Not too much time for fiber stuff, but here is what I've been working on:

Here is the progress on Steve's Swirly Hat:

I'm at the crown-shaping point, which is always my favorite part- it's all less stitches per round from here!

And, I started a blanket. My cousin (well technically second cousin, but we are closer than my other cousins, so you know) crashed his motorcycle the other day. It's a bad scene, as in he is still in very critical condition and may be a quadriplegic if he does pull through. He is a wonderful man, always full of jokes, loves to make people smile, and would give you the shirt off his back. Why does stuff like this only happen to people who do not deserve it? Anyway, I'm making him a blankie, 'cause that's all I could really think of to do right now.

Recognize the yarn? Yes kids, that's right, it's Lion Brand Homespun. Hooomespuuun... not my lovely handspun, but lovely acrylic Homespun. Usually I wouldn't let this yarn touch my Addis, but I do like how it knits up in seed stitch, and well, it's machine washable/dryable, which will be good in case my cousin pisses and/or shits on it. (He has a very crude sense of humor like moi, so he will appreciate the joke at his expense.)

So, other than yarny things, I have been making glass stuff, which I am selling at the store next door to the LYS. My other pics turned out like crap, but this one didn't, which is good, 'cause it's the one thing I really wanted to show off.

That's a horned puffin, my own design. I am tempted to keep it, but frankly folks, I need the money and am therefore whoring out my creativity (I initally wrote, "whoring myself out creatively", then realized how that sounded). Oh well, selling beautful stained glass that I would rather keep certainly beats working at the docks...

I'm watching Team America, again...

2006-07-05T03:10:00.001-07:00

... just to make me feel better about the whole N. Korea thing. I mean, you know, ummm... parts of AK were SOOO occupied by the Japanese during WWII and the scuttlebutt in these parts is all about how a N. Korean missile could strike here. Fuck. I mean, I'm not one to get all paranoid when the "alert (AKA 'hysteria')" level goes up in the US, but fucking A...

It's just so sad... the peeps in North Korea are so oppressed and starving and you know, executed for speaking against that potbellied lil' douche bag Kim-Jong Ill. The thing that cracks me up is that the US has FUCKING KNOWN that they have had the WMD's for some time, and that the people are living in squallor and under an "evil regime", but you know, they aint got no oil, so we haven't stuck our noses in it and shit. I am such a pacifist at heart, but ummmm... I think it's time we stick our noses in... just a little bit. I also just love how they have done this when our military and our treasury are both severely depleted. Happy fourth of July!

Proof

2006-06-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

Yes folks, I have been actually working on stuff...

I've been doing some spinning:

Random llama skeins... about 7 w.p.i., 150 yds black, 75 yds brown

Mountain Mist... not my name for it, but that is the name of the roving from which this skein came. SO can't remember the name of the company, but this fiber is HEAVEN... there's some silk, alpaca, angora and way too many other yummy things to name. This skein is about 200 yds, 8 wpi, and I'm only 1/3 through the Mountain Mist! I see a smoke ring in my future...

"Woodland Walk"... Corriedale blended with Angelina fibers and plied with Kona Bay's Razzle Dazzle yarn. 60 yds, 3 wpi. Inspired by the colors and textures of Kodiak's Sitka forests on a sunny day.

And, I've been doing some knitting:

Made this honkin' huge felted bag out of Lamb's Pride Bulky. I like how the bag turned out, but I won't be felting this stuff again. My head knew better... that the 15% mohair that is in this stuff would make for a furry felted product. But, my heart just LOVED the colors. So, after it was done felting, I busted out the hair clippers and shaved it like it was an Olympic swimmer. Now it's perfect and I use it everyday for carting around my many knitting/spinning projects. I just sorta made up the patt as I went along, and no, I didn't write it down. Sometimes I just like to make something with the knowledge that it is truly one-of-a-kind...

...like with this. This is a hat for a friend of me mum's who was recently diagnosed with cancer. I don't know the guy, but he is special to her, which makes him special to me and all that stuff. I'm using Cascade 220 Heathers (talk about perfect guy colors) on 4mm needles and an adaptation of the Fiber Trends "Swirls Hat" pattern (mostly just for the chart... my hat is definitely different from the one prescribed!). Today's lesson: Never underestimate the power of a wild hat, especially when it is made with love and prayers.

My little adventure

2006-06-29T00:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the kind words all... I promise to have some fiber content soon! But, in the meantime, I have something even better. I made it over to the Katmai coast this weekend, where we stayed the night. Here is a synopsis of the trip:

For those of you who do not know, I had the great privilege to fly over to the Katmai coast to film bears with a friend who is doing a documentary- we had a wonderful experience! I am a different person now- and I changed over the course of less than two days…

We flew out on Sunday, June 25 with Dave Hilty of BearQuest Aviation- easily one of the best pilots on the island.

We flew along the west side of Afognak Island, where Dave showed us some bear dens… before I knew it, we were approaching the Katmai coast. I didn’t know what to expect, but I certainly did not expect to see 35 bears dotted along the coastline of Hallo Bay, where we set up camp.

We landed safely and set up camp in the south part of the bay. The backdrop was jagged peaks, the magnificent Hallo Bay Glacier, and one bonafide volcano. About 300 yards west of camp were a few bears… we snapped many pics of these distant ones, not knowing what was to come.

Setting out Sunday afternoon, with cameras and such in tow, we made our way along the meadows in between the mountains and the ocean. It wasn’t long before we started seeing bears up close. The “mom and cub” picture happened when we set up the video camera at a safe distance from a few bears. This mother and her 2-yr-old cub were in the vicinity and started to head our way. They eventually skirted around us at a distance of about 40 feet. It was evident that mama was teaching her cub about humans… for the most part, these bears just want to steer clear of us. The cub was adorable… we often spotted him scampering about, and in an anthropocentric way, I could just imagine the mother’s thoughts… the cub also looked behind him at Mama frequently.

Before I go further… it’s interesting what I felt when out there. There were a few moments when I was fearful, but for the most part, there was an extraordinary calm that settled over us. We would pass by a bear who would acknowledge us by looking at us, then go back down to grazing on sedges, which is what they are eating right now (no fish yet!). They almost seemed like buffalo with their heads bowed to the ground eating. There was one point when we had about 7 bears all around us, the closet being about 75 feet away. Yet, there was no sense of being threatened- on either side. We were able to read the bear’s body language as they were reading ours. When we “met” a new bear, we asked one another. “Have we met this one yet?” The most stressful part was during that initial encounter. Some bears ran off when they saw us, some stayed put… and well, some wanted to come in for a closer look.

After seeing the mom and cub, a subadult (about 4-5 years of age) started coming steadily closer. When it reached about 25 feet from us, we began to make some noise. Although he was not threatening us, he was not stopping. 20 feet, then 15… finally my friend Amy gave a loud two-fingered whistle, as which point it took a large poo and ran off (I like to think the whistle scared the crap outta him). The two pics that have “sub” in the title are of this guy. Subadults are the bears that are the most likely to “cause trouble”.

We had another scare when two boars were having an interaction on a beach below us… one came up running right toward us! But, we just scooted outta the way and all was well. Mark (the fella doing the filming) put things in perspective, saying that they regard humans as they do ravens or foxes… yeah we’re here, but if we’re not in the way, then they really just couldn’t give a rip.

Saw lotsa bear sex… had the chance to see two sets of bears getting’ busy. Very cool!

Well, we camped out Sunday within the confines of our electric fence. I slept under the stars and woke up to a view of a mom and her VERY small cubs about 300 yards away. AMAZING!

There is so much more to tell- and so much that cannot be conveyed in words. Dave came and got us Monday evening… as we were flying over Hallo Bay, I felt the greatest upwelling of Emotion I have ever experienced. It was too great to describe with words like “love” or “joy”… it is the sense of seeing something, being a part of something so exquisite that it makes you hurt. Likewise, there are no words to describe this place where we shared habitat with these amazing beings for a night- “beautiful”, “magical”, and “sacred” barely scrape the surface. I will be going back.

Here are some of my fave pics out of the 200+ that I took:

mom and her cub (probably about 2 yrs old):

some pics of a subadult (3-5 years old) who got verrrrry close:

love is in the air...

just kickin' it with my homie on the west side (Katmai being west of Kodiak, tee-hee):

a sweet parting shot:

The only sad thing is that I found no bear hair for spinning... but I suppose I still had only the most amazing experience of my life. I have been doing lotsa spinning and stuff and will get the pics posted soon. WTF was I thinking just up and deleting my blog? I am such a dipshit...

Why do I drink whiskey?

2006-06-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

The five people who read this may be wondering where I've been... no, I wasn't eaten by a bear on my Katmai trip (it didn't happen due to rain/fog). You see, one day I was getting depressed over the hold that the Internet has on our culture. Then, I thought that I was being a hypocrite for being so immersed in said Internet via this blog. Next, I may have had some cocktails and got a hair up my ass just to delete it.

Well, the siren song of blogging called to me... I realized how much I like having my sounding board and how much I enjoyed the people I "met" on here. So, I'll be rebuiling the blog over the next couple of weeks... please bear with me.