Geography Knowledge vs Typing skills

Here's how I did. I had a few more but my typing left something to be desired. I lost about 45 seconds in typos!! I also couldn't spell some of the former Soviet republics!

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Friday Five on Saturday

1. What is the thermometer reading at your house this morning?

It's 13° here in my corner of NH. I hate the cold.

2. Snow—love it or hate it?

I like snow, sort of. It's beautiful, especially from inside a cozy warm room. I hate driving in it though. I'd miss it however, if we didnt' get any. The winters that are snowless are long and ugly.

3. What is winter like where you are?

This year we've had lots of snow. December was a record month for snowfall. It makes up for an almost snowless couple of last winters. Right now there's about 2 feet of snow on the level, but we haven't had measurable snow in a couple of weeks. We do miss school when there's more than a 3-4 inches of snow, depending on the timing. So far, we've only had 2 snow days, and both times we received 10-14 inches of snow.

4. Do you like winter sports? Any good stories?

I used to ice skate and cross country ski. I don't any more. As a kid I loved sledding. Now I hate getting cold and wet! I think I'd still enjoy all those sports if I had time and didn't hate the "side effects". I'm also more nervous about breaking bones!

5. What is your favorite season, and why?
I really like summer because of the freedom and long days of light, but I hate hot humid weather. I think I love either late spring or early fall-- warm, even hot, days but cool nights.. . .

Bonus: Share a favorite winter pick-me-up. A recipe, an activity, or whatever.

A trip to a tropical island???

Hmm

I took this quiz --- I actually drink mostly reds, and I especially enjoy Spanish reds, right now anyway. Chardonnay doesn't usually make my list of favorite whites.

You Are Chardonnay

Fresh, spirited, and classic - you have many facets to your personality. You can be sweet and light. Or deep and complex. You have a little bit of something to offer everyone... no wonder you're so popular. Approachable and never smug, you are easy to get to know (and love!). Deep down you are: Dependable and modest Your partying style: Understated and polite Your company is enjoyed best with: Cold or wild meat

What Kind of Wine Are You?

2008 Books

I've been reading a lot of "brain candy" so far this year. I'm in the "fluff" part of my reading cycle. Over the holidays I read some thought-provoking, more serious, materials, and now I'm in the dessert section! I'm tracking my reading and taking up the challenge of reading 50 books this year. This challenge would not have been a problem in the past as until recently I have been a voracious reader. But over the past couple of years, I've taken up knitting pretty obsessively and my reading time is what has suffered! And I've also spent an awful lot of time reading blogs instead of books! So this should be an interesting challenge for me this year.

One great book I can recommend, though I finished it in the waning days of 2007, is Three Cups of Tea. It's a terrific true story of Greg Mortenson, a former mountain climber, who is building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan as a way to promote peace. My sister sent a copy to each of my adult sons as a Christmas gift and told them that everyone under 30 should read it. I think EVERYONE should read it, no matter your age.

Take the quiz!

This presidential preference quiz captured my preferences almost exactly! As you can imagine I wasn't happy with the primary results in my state.

90% Dennis Kucinich
89% Barack Obama
88% John Edwards
88% Mike Gravel
86% Hillary Clinton
86% Chris Dodd
82% Bill Richardson
79% Joe Biden
37% Rudy Giuliani
30% John McCain
22% Mike Huckabee
22% Mitt Romney
21% Tom Tancredo
19% Ron Paul
11% Fred Thompson

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

New WIP

This is my newest project. It's called "Cable Vision" and its from Family Circle Easy Plus Size Knits. I'm using Northampton from Valley Yarns in Fawn, and I am having so much fun with the cables. I did have a bit of a puzzle at first, because there's a major error in the published directions. The chart that's given doesn't begin to match up with the pattern! But thanks to several folks on Knitlist, I got the correct chart. The yarn is wonderful too! I haven't finished the first repeat of the pattern yet, and at the rate I'm going, I probably won't be wearing it til next fall. But it's fun!

Changes

I went to a meeting at church Thursday night - actually it was 2 meetings, back to back. I'm the co-coordinator of a ministry team, and have been for a long time. At both meetings I publicly announced that it was time for me to step down from this leadership role. I agreed to stay on for a couple of months more, until a new leader could be found. This is a HUGE step for me. One of the blessings (yes, really!) of having been stopped in my tracks with pneumonia is that I finally admitted to myself what I'd been denying so long -- I'm at the burnout point. Matters came to a head a few days before Christmas when I was asked to provide the names of the folks who would be participating in the lay-led Christmas Eve service. I had a major meltdown. I had been "out of commission" since 11/28, had not gone to the Dec. 6th meeting where the service was discussed, and had assumed that it was all taken care of. And of course, folks at the meeting assumed that by the time the service details needed to be etched out I would have been back in the swing of things. It was one of those times that was nobody's fault, and it was everybody's fault - we all made false assumptions, and with the hecticness of life and the fact that we're all overburdened, nobody had double checked. I am deeply grateful for my co-coordinator! When I called her, crying, she took right over and fixed everything. But it was a good lesson for me, and I realized that I needed not to be in charge anymore. I need to stop and be nourished and nurtured for a change. I needed to be the receiver, and not the doer. I've been feeling pretty empty spiritually and I realized that it's because I never stop and just be. So, while I don't make resolutions, I am making changes. I am going to BE for a while, so that so that I can take the time I need to listen to the Spirit, to be filled up and refreshed from the Well.

Swan Lake Photos

Here are some photos of my finished Swan Lake stole - formerly known as the Mystery Stole 3. I knit it in Valley Yarns 2/14 hand-dyed Alpaca Silk. The color is called Stormcloud. I used black and silver beads on it.

Swan Lake blocking

 

It's blocking at last!