It's my birthday!

And so we celebrated it yesterday with homemade ice cream cake (1st DDIL made it. Scrumptious!) and presents.

I hated cropping the grandkids out of this picture. They LOVE birthdays and they LOVE blowing out candles but their mom & dad don't like their pictures on the web so you'll have to imagine a very excited 5 yr old boy, 6 yr old girl and 2 yr old girl, all with brown hair and brown eyes and big smiles helping Gramma blow out the candles and open a package or two. It was FUN!

This isn't a birthday picture but I love it and since it's my birthday and I want to, I'm adding it too. It's me and my older sister...can't you just see the love?

Have a wonderful day everyone! I hope your day is as good as mine.

Sometimes I wish

that I was a cat! Who wouldn't want to be so adorable and cuddly?

Demo Derby Days

Yup, I'm still around...just couldn't think of anything to say!

So while trying to find a picture for a post, (the weather is dull, the knitting nonexistent and the cats aren't particularly interesting right now either) I found 1st DS's first demolition derby car. I thought it might make an interesting post and that it is summer with all the lush green grass probably doesn't hurt either!

These pictures are after the derby. It didn't look great going in but not this bad!

Right after college 1st DS got a job in a town in NE North Dakota and met new people and made good friends. One of those friends was into demo derbies. And so they concocted the idea to get a car ready for a derby.

It takes quite a lot of time, planning and effort. Certain cars are more desired than others and there are some that are not allowed because they are so durable and heavy duty.

The gas tank was removed and the plumbing redone so there was just a small gas can inside the car. Some people screwed the tires to the wheels so they couldn't go flat. The trunk was screwed to the body. All the doors were welded shut. All glass was removed. And there were probably some super secret things that each contestant did that they thought was the best way to reinforce their cars.

The fun part was deciding what paint job to give it. One of the harder things was getting sponsors to give you money so you could afford to do a derby car at all.

The derbys were held in an open field that had high dirt barriers pushed up around the area where the cars bashed into each other.

There was usually some seating provided but mostly people arrived in their pickups, backed up to the ring and sat in lawn chairs in the back end of the pickup. There was also usually an organization selling food as a fund raiser but lots of people brought their own.

The cars were inspected before anything started to make sure they had done everything they were supposed to and to have not done anything against the rules.

They were required to wear a helmet, a long sleeved shirt and have a fire extinguisher inside the car during the derby. There were several heats and if you could survive your first you could work on your car until it was your turn again. And so they always took a pickup loaded with tools, air compressor and a generator for power. It helps to be a farm boy with access to dad's shop!

But one of the most important things to bring is this:

Yea, it was a bit nerve wracking but all 3 of our boys are excellent drivers and have enough common sense to get them by and so I relaxed and enjoyed the shows. Yes. This was the 1st of...if I remember correctly...3 derby cars!

WIP, Reading and a Window Visitor

Look at all that! Looks like I've had a case of cast-on-itis. There sure is good choice to pick from for whatever knitting whimsy strikes.

I'm about 11% (what can I say...it is how Kindle tells you where you are) into this book. It's good. And it is the winter that we aren't getting this year. Shh, don't tell anyone but I kinda am missing our regular type winter.

And while I was taking pictures by the best light source this time of year (patio door), look who showed up.

The bold cheeky little critter. I got a couple mug shots of him.

Front view.

Side view.

And when the kitties discovered him he ran so fast I didn't even get the thought put together to take a picture much less press the shutter.

But the kitties knew what was up. Up a tree!

The cold from H E double toothpicks

All along this winter I have been smugly thinking that I haven't had a cold for such a very very long time.

The smugness god has risen it's ugly head and bit me.

Spontaneous eye tearing and nose dripping. Swollen painful sinuses. Headache. Sore jaw from too many days of mouth breathing. Itchy sinuses with the need to sneeze. Augh! And then when you do actually sneeze...it's many times in a row...but it feels wonderful. Sneeze = an exposive sinus scratch.

And so I thought I'd do some reading or knitting but my reading glasses seem to set off some kind of pressure reaction from them just sitting on my nose!

If I could unscrew my head from my shoulders and put it on a shelf for a couple days, I'd be a really happy person.

I'll be ok. I think I'm feeling better today. I just really needed to complain a little.

Are you ready...

for some FOOTBALL?!?

A new shawl and checking in with the kitties

The yarn is a Christmas gift from 2nd DS & DDIL. It's Misty Alpaca Hand Paint Sock yarn. I have to say it is durable...I've started 2 other patterns and ripped them out and it has withstood all that abuse. Seriously though, it seems soft and aren't the colors pretty?

I searched and searched for a pattern to make me happy. I think I've spent enough on patterns that I could have bought another skein of yarn instead but sometimes it's part of the process.

What I came up with is TGV*. Just what I was looking for. Garter stitch so I don't have to really think much and actually as busy as the yarn is I didn't want any lace. So this is perfect...except for the little fact that I don't really like ribbing. But I'll have to deal with that later.

And I just had to share the kitties. They have their moments when they are growling and rolling on the floor in an all out fight but look at this. They love each other too. Oh, so sweet!

If you can tell where one starts and the other stops, you are better than me! It's just a mess of kitty!

*I can't get the linkie thing to work. It's a Susan Ashcroft pattern if you want to look it up on Ravelry.