Doings

The furries are all outside playing in the evening sun. It's cool enough that I can open up the house to get the stale air out of it. It's Friday; it's payday; it's the end of the month end brouhaha and the beginning of a vacation week. And I'm almost ready to start the front and back separate sections of the Rogue.

After the last week or so, I'm ready for some time away from the office. I'm hosting a gathering of fellow GLBT-Knit knitters the first weekend of October and I must get this house in order. I have clutter *everywhere* not to mention my stash and wheels and books. The house is small -- the main floor is 1100 square feet with two bedrooms and a narrow bathroom -- and one of the bedrooms has been the catchall of previous cleanings. The house was built in 1913 so it has no storage to speak of. In the past I've simply let things lie around or created make-do shelves but it's to the point where I can't stand the mess anymore. So my vacation week will be to clean up the house and do something with the clutter.

Lowe's had a sale last week so I was able to pick up three sets of these shelves for setting up in the spare bedroom. They're very utilitarian but strong enough to handle the weight of clutter. They will be used to handle the stash, tools, and other items that need to be taken out of the main room and stored away. With the clutter moved out I can clean up dust and fur and cobwebs that have taken up residence. I may end up wheezy at the end of the week but it will be so nice to be in a clean house. And if I finish before the end of the week, I'll treat myself to a day downtown.

The Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival (aka OFFF) is coming up in a couple of weeks. A bunch of us from the PDX Bloggers and a few GLBT Knitsters will be heading over to Canby to fondle fiber and spend the day comparing purchases. I have plans to visit the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth to see if I can find some Socks That Rock yarn that lures me with their siren call. I may find some that will work for the Brother Amos socks that Brenda Dayne has put up on the Cast -On website. Of course I'll visit Interlacements Yarns and follow up with Judy Ditmore on what I'm doing with the yarn I have (um......nothing. But I have a bunch of ideas!). I'll also be toting the Suzie to sell or swap.

I won't compare my cats to children. They don't have the same level of responsibility required for their care. But they are my kids and definitely have their foibles and demands. This week, Sammy's teeth needed my attention. It turned out she had four teeth needing extraction and after a day at the vet returned home with that particular smell they get from the vet's office. I brought her home and let her out of the carrier, then went to visit my friend Ruth who had returned from dealing with the death of her aunt in North Carolina. After a couple of hours of sisterlike commiserating and a gift of chocolate truffles (the aunt was a cranky old witch), I returned to the house to find Buster sitting warily in a protected corner, Sammy trying to be friendly with Maisie, and Maisie hissing like a leaky steam piston. Maisie still remembers the awful visit to the vet when her teeth needed work and the smell just brings back nasties like you wouldn't believe. One sniff at Sammy and hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss she would go while running away. Poor Sammy was left looking bewildered. Maisie spent the night in the basement. This was Wednesday; things have calmed down since then.

Tomorrow I'll be heading off to Les Schwab for new tires. One already has a leak; I think the other back tire has a slow leak; and the penny test shows that I'm due. It's a good thing they're having a sale. Best to prepare now before the weather gets nasty. The drive on I-5 to Salem is nasty enough as it is without worrying if I'm going to start hydroplaning. I better get some patterns written up.