Falling Rocks

This is a reprint of an essay (rant?) I posted to to my social group back in 2006, referring to events in a different group.

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Most groups, no matter how focused, end up with personal tidbits thrown in. Often, it’s bad things that have happened, sometimes bad things that might get worse. Good things don’t have the same urge to be shared.

Sharing of bad news is perfectly understandable. There’s a rock over your head, hanging by a thread. It’s pretty hard to ignore. Even when you’re taking a break, especially in a group where where you’re comfortable, you end up mentioning it.

And, our hearts drop. We respond, usually with hugs and chicken soup. Sometimes with helpful advice and comments, sometimes with stuff that’s intended to be helpful but isn’t. And a part of our hearts is committed to the cause, to making that rock just a little bit lighter, to deflecting it just that tiny bit and make the situation bearable.

I don’t mind being shown the falling rock, or being asked for a hug or support or time off, or whatever it is you need. I offer my that part of my heart freely, knowing that someone will do the same for me. This rant isn’t about being shown the rocks.

It’s about the next weeks and months. We walk carefully around you. We don’t want to ask and open bad memories. We want to respect your privacy.

But meanwhile, there’s a part of our heart missing, a part that we can neither reclaim nor mourn.

For you, the rock has landed and rolled away. Life moves on.

But the rock is left hanging over a piece of my heart.

Weekly Virtues: Cleanliness Recap, Tranquility Preparation

Still working through Ben Franklin’s 13 virtus. This week was Cleanliness.

Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.

This was the worst week in a long time for cleaning the kitchen first thing in the morning. It often waited until the kids got home from school. Not good. The rest of the house is about average.

Husband has been awesome. He cleaned the box graveyard in the basement and moved shelves around so we have better aisles. He also supervised cleaning the dresser in the front hall and selection of winter woolies.

I started a new habit related to cleanliness. Most times I do the dishes, when I have nice hot soapy water handy, I now spend about five minutes cleaning something irregular. The habit started last week. In that time I’ve cleaned the counter, microwave inside and out, toaster oven, fruit and vitamin baskets (we have stacking baskets), and most of the fridge. Only one or two fridge shelves at a time. So far it’s working.

The goal is to add five minutes to several routine cleaning tasks. The bathroom counter and toilet already get wiped daily (guess when), so I added an extra five to that time. So far I’ve cleaned the toothbrush tray and window frames.

With twelve rooms, five minutes a day in each is an unrealistic two hours. Also, although five minutes works surprising well for most tasks (the trick is to break them down), some need more. For now, though, I’ll add an extra irregular clean to another regular task every week or so, and see how it goes. The trick is to make it routine.

So, one step back, one step forward, and one ladder in position.

Next week is Tranquility.

Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

Otherwise known as “Saving my blood pressure.” All sorts of quotes come to mind, including spend energy on things you can do something about rather than on worry.

It’s good timing. I’ve been jittery and excitable the last few days. Twice there was a delay in a checkout line. I remembered my usual quote as others started fidgeting. “Someone is telling me to spend a few minutes relaxing.” It took a conscious effort to relax. I wasn’t anxious or rushed, just jittery. It was nice to focus on calming.

Over at Jane’s blog I overdid it (they’re getting used to me) justifying why we weren’t fighting the teacher who was insisting our son slow down to stay with the class. Waste of good blood pressure, since they don’t care except in a general sense. Ironically, the justification I was all het up over boils down to the best choice is not to get upset by it. (Yes, we’re doing other things to keep him challenged.)

As always, visitor comments are encouraged.

Weekly Virtues. Moderation Recap, Cleanliness Preparation

This week’s virtue was Moderation.

Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

Hmmm, I suppose 10 hours on Dad’s site was excessive, especially since it included research and experiments into neat things about the program that won’t go on his site. Spending all of yesterday reading also counts. On the other hand, I didn’t knit too much on the shoe covers for the bazaar — extreme avoidance!

Overall, though, I didn’t improve in moderation, since I rarely thought about it.

Yes, I avoided talking about earlier injuries and lessons learned from them, unless you include starting physio for a wonky shoulder. Time to get the nerves working correctly again, so the muscles work properly to avoid further injury.

Next week is Cleanliness.

Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.

Love Ben’s spelling.

I guess this means not to let the housework slide this week. I’m pretty happy with the level of cleanliness. Yes, it could be better, but it’s about the same as other homes around here. It’s a bad week for this virtue, since I have so many deadlines. I usually let the rotation slip a bit when I have deadlines.

The kids have slid (slod? slidden?). They aren’t putting away their clean clothes, and daughter still leaves her worn clothes in one unsorted pile on the floor. Before afternoon snack would be best, but some days they need a break more than they need another thing to do.

That’s about it for this week.

Testing WordPress.com and Twitter

Twitter should say something about this post.

Shameless Familial Promotion — Treetop Circuits

Dad has finally started a revenue-neutral hobby doing what he used to do for years as an employee. He’s an electrical design engineer, with an interest in amateur radio, especially old Collins equipment. Thousands of Collins radios were built and used in the war, and, as often happens, were grabbed up by the hobbiests. Then technology changed.

In Dad’s words:

In the late 1950’s, a newer technique known as single-sideband (SSB) was introduced, and became the de facto standard for amateur radio, military, and commercial service, although AM continues to be used worldwide for broadcast services.

Some receivers from the pre-SSB era, including the Collins R-388/51J series, have become collectors’ items. Their stability, reliability, and overall performance are considered excellent even by modern standards. They will work with SSB signals, but their performance in this mode falls far short of that attained by receivers designed for SSB service.

Dad’s device fits into the radio and improves the reception, or something.

Plug this into amateur radios for better SSB performance.

So far it’s revenue-negative. He’s spent about $1000 on startup costs, including a small run of printed circuit boards, better light and magnifying glass for Mom (who does the fiddly bits of assembly), business registration, and — here’s where I come in — a website.

www.treetopcircuits.com

The site is still almost empty. Two directories with index files and one css page. It’s enough to justify his signature line in all the radio groups and on his business card. The plan is only 4 pages for the site, so a wiki is overkill. Server side includes for the skin would work just fine. I don’t think Dad will be fiddling with it, so that won’t sway the decision. He’s capable of learning HTML, but just not interested. (Yes, I’ve sent him to www.htmldog.com and ww.w3schools.com for lessons. I think he’ll be happier with HTML mode than wysiwyg. EBay decided his descriptive text is actually an anchor to a file on his computer. ) If in doubt, though, do the extra work so the project can be scaled up. I haven’t touched my own website in over a year, so I spent a few hours refreshing my memory and upgrading the pmwiki installation.

One of the concerns was EBay’s rules. Most people wanting this device will want the manual first, and EBay doesn’t have a place to put that up (at least not that we can find). They also don’t want you to link to your own website and cut them out of a sales fee. We set up www.treetopcircuits.com/docs/ for that. No links from there to anywhere else on the site. We’ll pretend people can’t google Treetop Circuits or decode the URL.

The file format for the manual took some thinking. Most of the clients will want a printed copy. Trust me, you don’t want to have a computer anywhere close when one of the radios is open and you’re trying to solder, even if the table were large enough. PDF makes sense for that. The only question was whether any of his generation still couldn’t read PDF. Eventually, though, the time to create a proper HTML version decided the question.

Still thinking about a logo. The sign to their cottage, named Treetop Cottage, is a silhouette of a lonely, wind-caressed white pine — think Tom Thompson — on a white background. Not sure whether the background should be white or transparent. Also not sure about a border or top of a hill. Pixellated or textured like a circuit board or otherwise tying in to circuit design is also a question, but I suspect it would be easier to do poorly than to do well. Monochrome is more versatile. Also a favicon. I’ve used favicon creators enough to know that shrinking a larger image doesn’t always work. Stuff to think about, but easy enough to design something that will work both with and without.

As always, comments and critiques encouraged.

Weekly Virtues Rebooted, again. Justice Recap. Prepare for Moderation.

I think I’m procrastinating, but seeing as the last virtue was Justice, and the next is Moderation, neither of which talk about procrastination, I’m good.

The plan for these posts is to discuss how a virtue applied in the previous week, maybe talk about what various great minds say about it, then start thinking about the next one.

Fellow travelers are welcome. Comment here, or link to your own blog, or do something creative.

After we finish Ben’s list, I’ll pick a new one. Suggestions welcome. That way, virtues that many feel are important get done often, and the more obscure ones still get a turn.

Over a year ago, I set myself a goal similar to Ben Franklin’s. Each week, concentrate on a different virtue. These days, concentrate often translates to “blog about”. Not a bad thing, given the sparsity of my blog entries.

Rather than start from the beginning again, I’ll start where I left off.

The last goal was Justice. In Ben’s words:

Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

I’d say the last week was pretty good. I was fairly patient, and did a good-enough job at all my responsibilities. I wish I’d sent out the agenda, such as it is, for a meeting earlier, but all went well anyways.

I’ve been a bit fast with the kids’ bickering. Most of the time I can tell who’se earned less TV time quickly, but twice this week more information has come up later, so I had to re-evaluate things.

I got an email from a member of a trading group I used to moderate, call him Bob. Bob was supposed to pick up an item from Ash, but had an emergency and didn’t. Ash wrote Bob a letter threatening to report Bob. I think I handled it well. I’ve encountered Ash before, and don’t enjoy contact with him. I calmed Bob down, advised him to totally ignore the tone of the letter — better still, ignore the entire letter — and write the apology he would have written anyways, then end the contact. Also, a strike is a strike, and he’d earned one; Ash was right to report Bob for the no-show, since the group is trying to crack down on them and has a 3-strikes system. As for the tone of the letter, Ash isn’t going to change. Reporting it to the moderators would put the moderators in an awkward position, since tone isn’t cut-and-dried.

Without knowing more, it was the best I could do. I don’t want to know more. So, I was as just as I could be.

I have three stories in the queue for telling. I want to do each of them well, “Do them justice.” (Is that stretching it?) I set out a study schedule with lots of extra time, and have stuck to it so far.

We’ve been pro-active every night, so mornings have been good. Keeping on top of that is doing my duty to the family. Need to get better at going upstairs on time to tell Dtr it’s time to stop reading.

Next week’s goal is Moderation.

Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

Interesting pairing. I would have made the second bit a separate virtue, something about not holding a grudge.

Looking ahead, I don’t see any red flags. I have several projects that need many small sessions. Usually when I have a lot to do, I go gung-ho on the entire list, including housework, even though housework should slide a bit on busy weeks. So moderation in the housework. Prioritize, and let the rest slide.

I’m not aware of resenting any injuries. Have to remember, though, to stop talking about the lessons learned from some of them.

Looking further ahead, the virtue starting November 4 is “Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.”

As I said earlier, my goal is a small community. React to my words, or reflect on how the virtue applies to your own life.

Too Much To Do

I did another Todo list this morning, with deadlines. Many of them require several working sessions.

Long Term, Firm Deadline

• Story: Gunga Din, Rehearsal Nov 4 (4×15), perform Nov 11 (2×15)
• Story: LBMan, Rehearsal Nov 4 (10×15), perform Nov 6 and 11 (2×15 for Nov 6, 1×15 for Nov 11)
• Story: RAng, Rehearsal Nov 15 (10×15), perform Dec 4 and 9 (3×15 for Dec 4, 1×15 for Dec 9)

(4×15 means I expect 4 sessions of 15 minutes each, to either learn it or to not forget it.)

• Dad’s website: Something up Oct 20 (2 hrs), Mostly done Nov 1 (3 hrs).
• My site: Tech update Oct 19 (2 hrs)
• Bird Scramble mail Nov 1 (8 hrs)
• Halloween costumes for kids, Oct 26. (Take them to store weekend of 24th and hope they find something.)
• Shoe covers and leg warmers for bazaar, Dec 10 (includes delivery time). 6 prs shoe covers, 3 single legwarmer samples. (5hrs/pair. Goal: One pair per week.)

Finish by end of October to meet housekeeping goals:
Any without times are 15-30 minutes deep cleaning.

• Bills, Oct 20 (30)
• Pile of low-priority from desk, currently in file labelled “summer paperwork”. Nov 3. Should have been last month, but,…
• Similar pile labelled “September paperwork”. Nov 5.
• Household accounting and budget. (2 hrs) Nov 6.
• Call consignment shop for appointment,…
• Front porch / Back deck
• Clean car
• My corner
• Garage
• Upper Storage
• Lower Basement

Finish by end of week to meet housekeeping goals:

• Strip and wash beds. (15) (Remake them, too.)
• Clean fish tank. (30)
• Deal with email build-up. (30)

Finish by end of day to meet housekeeping goals:

• Fold and put away laundry, including today’s load.
• Dishes.
• Hotspots.
• Email Guelph Guild times for last night’ performance. (15)

Other things which have been on the list forever:

• Review digital photos since 2004. Print several. Mail some. Put others in album.
• Clean email archives since 2007.
• Purge recursive backups since forever.
• Final pass (yet another) on Starlight: At School and post. Add more “in their heads” to some scenes. Add more interaction with classmates. Read all comments from 4 years of BScramble and decide what to do with them.

Now, to work!

Baden Guild of Storytellers

A friend’s site is way too low on Google. Events from last year are still rating higher than her very active group. This is my contribution.

http://thestorybarn.ca/ is run by Mary-Eileen McClear, and located just west of Kitchener-Waterloo. She is an awesome storyteller. She also leads (as much as we can be led) the Baden Storytellers’ Guild.

The first Friday of every month, except summer, tellers and listeners gather for an open telling. The guild meets the third Friday. Members range from beginners to well-known national tellers. Great group to try it out and to hone your skills.

Finished Objects

I just blocked my MIL’s shawl, and decided it was time to brag properly. I’ve been really good at taking pictures of things as I finish them, but terrible about posting the pictures.

So, without further ado, in order the pictures were taken, which bears little resemblance to the order of finishing, the last few months of finished objects. Click on the image to enlarge.

Son’s gift to teacher’s new baby.

Gauge swatch for daughter’s blanket

Gauge swatch for daughter’s blanket

My socks

Son’s socks

MIL’s shawl

MIL’s shawl

The first is a butterfly my son made for his teacher’s new baby, due to arrive early summer. I created the pattern, and really should have planned it better. He did the sewing on the machine and stuffed it, then I finished closing it.

The next two are the gauge swatch for my daughter’s blanket. She hopes to go to sleep-away camp next year. I worked for years as a counselor, and have firm opinions about what’s appropriate for a comfort object. Small enough to pack easily. Large enough not to get lost. Rugged. I think this will do nicely.

She chose the yarn (Berroco Sox Metallic) and wanted the same pattern as the socks in the next bin, so I stole the lace pattern (Cookie A.’s Monkey Socks), did it centre out, increasing every other row at each corner with yo,k,yo, and knitting any stitch that wasn’t otherwise claimed. I tried lifted and M1 increases, but the corner needs a bit more stretch than those give. Next time I might try R1:yo ; R2:twist.

When I ran out of yarn, I frogged back to the last solid K row and did several rows of garter. The almost-finished blanket sitting in the “almost finished” pile now. I want to block it before sewing in the ends. I have no clue how the edge will look. It’s too loose and ruffly now, but the blanket will block big.

I’ll block that sometime after the blocking set-up is free.

Then we have two pairs of socks. I didn’t bother with a swatch for the first, and it was a man’s pattern. (Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s Earl Grey) So, they slouch. The yarn is Lana Grossa Meilenweit 100 Fantasy. Very nice, and fun to watch the patterns grow. The first sock took 3.05 repeats, so I have a small ball of 0.95 repeats in my stash. I think I mis-counted “repeat for 14 rows, times 3″ for the second foot, since it’s longer, or it might be a gauge issue. They stopped matching as early as the heel, though, when the pattern was easier to count, so I think it’s either a gauge thing, or the yarn isn’t consistent. I much prefer doing two socks on the same needles, since my gauge varies with day, but didn’t have the right size circ and wasn’t sure if this pattern would divide well over two rather than three needles.

My son’s socks (he loves them, and insists on black, and with the inexperienced teacher and challenging class this year he’ll need all the little love reminders he can get, but he insists on black) were a mix of three toe-up recipes. Cast on from one, increases from another, and heel from a third. The instep and leg is a rib, not sure what it’s called, over five stitches. Three st of stst, then 2 of seed. I liked that the toe was actually the gauge — just keep increasing till it’s big enough.

I messed up the length of the foot, so had to undo the toe and knit down. For the solid part I did k4p1, with the p1 centred over the seed stitch. (When you knit in the other direction, it’s offset by half a stitch.)

Done two at a time with magic loop, except for an inch on the leg where I tried dpns. Dpns feel faster, but I like things even!

The only black yarn they had was Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine. Yes, alpaca for boy’s socks. Wonderful feel, but with black and a bit fuzzy, very hard to read the stitches. I did combined, so the P were twisted on the needle (and untwisted as I knit them), so it was easy enough when knitting, but a pain to fix anything. Very soft and comfortable to wear. Yeah, I know, the picture doesn’t show the rib details very well.

Lastly we have the item that inspired me to get this batch of pictures up, my MIL’s shawl, started ages ago. Stonewall, by Anne Hanson, done in Stylecraft Pure Luxury Merino DK. I should have listened to the yarn store owner and gone with one step finer yarn, but I didn’t trust it to be warm enough. Since then, Beve has shown me some of her shawls, and I think fingering or even finer would have been fine. Ah, well, it was a fast knit. It blocked to two feet by eight, but will relax a bit, and Oma wants six or eight inches of fringe added.

Pay special note to the blocking wires. Unwilling to pay for the shipping from Knit Picks, and not seeing them in the LYS, I asked Dad. They’re bronze weld rods. Very carefully cleaned with steel wool and good-quality green scrubby. The ends were shaped on the belt sander, and polished with the green scrubby. The bronze is soft enough that the scrubby works well. I only needed pins every foot, which is nicer than the every six inches the online ones recommend, and way better than every two inches without blocking wires. The mats are Canadian Tire exercise mats, bought last year to stand on while washing dishes and keep husband’s feet warm under his desk in the basement.

Go me!

Vote on my next large knitting project….

I finished son’s socks. I’m almost done daughter’s blanket. Tomorrow, assuming daughter isn’t sick, I have enough time between singing lesson and picking the kids up to visit the local yarn shop.

I’ve already decided on the next pair of socks: The Sock Knitters Anonymous September pattern by Nancy Bush.
No, I don’t think I’ll do yellow.

Yes, you need to be a Ravelry member to see the links. Nothing I can do about that.

For my other project I want to knit a round lace shawl and/or table cloth. Not the same 12-row pattern for rounds and rounds. Probably use a kettle-dyed, something with subtle colour changes that will let the pattern show nicely, but not a solid.

Your vote?

Choice:

Rona Lace Shawl
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rona-lace-shawl

Secret Garden
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/secret-garden-3

Girasole
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/girasole

Mandala
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mandala-3

Forest Path
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/forest-path-stole
(Yes, not round, but it fits the rest of the criteria, and keeps floating to the top.)

Egeblad Extension
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-egeblad-extension-pattern

SunStar

Fine print: This is a non-binding vote.