kmkat and her kneedles

No pictures. Let's talk books.

Still on vacation. Weather beautiful. Drove through Glacier NP yesterday; glaciers not impressive. Global warming triumphing.

The laptop that might allow me to post photos is working again (yay, Smokey!) but refuses to accept photos from my camera (boo, Microsoft!) or to go online (boo, generally!). I'm typing this two-fingered on Smokey's netbook, sitting at a table on the patio of the campground office and taking advantage of their wi-fi. If you are really, really good I'll post a photo someday of how picturesque this spot is.

Instead, I'm going to tell you about the books I brought along. A couple of you asked about them; I deliver :)

The Missing by Tim Gautreaux. I was reading this before I left but was not finding it terribly interesting. It's not a bad book, and it is well-written; no idea why I was so lukewarm. Once I gave up on it, the pace of my reading picked up.
Nemesis by Jo Nesbo. Police procedural translated from the Norwegian. Coincidentally, the NYTimes book review mentioned this author in its recent article about publishers' mad scramble to find more Scandinavian mysteries to follow up on Steig Larsson's three best-sellers. This one was okay, a bit depressing, 2-1/2 stars out of 5.
Black Water Rising by Attica Locke. Another ho-hum murder mystery, 2-1/2 stars. I tend to agree with the Washington Post review at the linked Amazon page.
The Last Child by John Hart. Another 2-1/2 stars; I had to read the Amazon synopsis to remember it, even though I read it last week. The 13-yo protagonist was not believable to me.
The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston. Started it, decided I didn't want to read a novel whose narrator is such a loser. But it did seem entertaining; I may try this one again.

Those are the ones I read, or at least tried to read. Still TBR:
Just Kids by Patti Smith. Memoir.
The Innocent by Harlan Coben. Coben's books are always good.
Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA by Maryn McKenna.
Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn. Murder mystery set in South Africa in the 1950s.
The Odds by Kathleen George.
The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
Muse and Reverie by Charles de Lint  I am just starting this author's books. (Thanks, Chris!) I like his writing  -- urban fantasy at its best.
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher.

A couple books to help out the vacation knitting:
Knit One Below by Elise Duvekot.
Knitting from the Top by Barbara Walker.

And finally, just for fun -- not. I am the chair of the governing committee for the county-owned nursing home, and I felt the need to learn as much as I can.
Planning for Long-Term Care by United Seniors Health Council
The Complete Legal Guide to Senior Care: A Plain English Guide to Making Sense of the Residential, Financial, and Medical Maze by Brett McWhorter Sember
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Long-Term Care Planning by Merilee Driscoll

There you have it. Now it is time to stop writing about books and go read them*. TTFN!

* For those of you at home keeping score, we have been on vacation for ~3 weeks and have 1 week left. I brought along 18 books and have read 5. What is wrong with this picture?

Drive-by posting.

We have left Wyoming and the Big Horns behind and are now camped just outside Glacier National Park in Montana. When Smokey fixes the computer that shot sparks (of course he has  all the parts he needs with him) I'll be able to catch you all up with photos. TTFN!

We wimp out.

Sometimes the great outdoors is just too... outdoors-ish. After nice weather for the first half of the week, on Thursday it turned rainy and cold.

The last straw was when it snowed on Saturday.

I proposed that we check into the Super 8 motel in Buffalo for one night. Sleep in real beds (one each!) and take showers and enjoy the free wi-fi. After some discussion and a check of the weather forecast -- Sunday looked even worse than Saturday -- we decided to endure Saturday night in the camper in the cold/snow/rain and check into the motel as early as possible on Sunday.

So here I am, sitting in a real chair typing this blog post. Sadly, we managed to break the aged laptop I had been using (bought for Andrew when he went away to college in 2003) -- there were even some sparks! I am typing on Smokey's netbook. Keyboard is too small for effective touch typing -- although I keep trying -- and it doesn't recognize my camera, so no pictures today. But it IS internet access and I won't whine.

Speaking of internet access, we have found a surprising number of *hot spots*, some intentional, like in restaurants, and some not, like in the parking lot of the Family Dollar store. My little iPod Touch is getting a workout :)

Now it is time for me to take advantage of the shower and for Smokey to get out his tools and repair some laptops. Maybe there will be photos tomorrow. Knitting, a rodeo, other notable sights...

Wyoming!

 We are here.The knitting has commenced.

 

Yarn: Valley Superwash DK (100% superwash merino). Navy, plus stripes (from the top) in maroon (no longer available), teal, biscuit, grass, wild rose, forest, misty lilac, and navy.
Needles: Addi Turbo US#5 (3.75mm) circ.
Size: L
Pattern: Pattern? I don' need no steekin' pattern! Cast on 102 st in navy; join. Purl 6 rounds. Knit 4 rounds. Change to lilac; purl 6 rounds. Knit 4 rounds navy. Purl 6 rounds forest. Continue in color pattern as established, end purl 6 rounds maroon. Knit 1 round navy. Decrease for top in usual manner.

That is a chemo hat for a local Relay for Life later this month. The hats will be judged on originality, craftsmanship, overall appeal, etc. Winner(s) will get gift basket(s) from the LYS that is sponsoring the contest. All hats will go into a silent auction, proceeds to the Relay.

I started this hat in April. Why it took me until June 9th to finish it is a total mystery, but it may be related to my inability to count. I will drop the hat into the mail today and hope that it makes it to Wisconsin by the deadline on the 12th.

* * * * *

Others may vacation with/for the wine, women, and song. I do it with/for the wine, books, and yarn.

 

* * * * *

Observe, the majestic moose:

Frankly, this moose is more mangy than majestic. His coat is scraggly because he is shedding his winter coat, his ribs are showing because the grass is just greening up, and he is (I think) a yearling so is gangly and awkward. But he will be majestic...someday.

Enough with the majestic potential. Now for the cute.

Hey, you lookin' at me?

Never mind. I've got another idea...

 

Mama!

The itch factory is closed.

Yay! The dermatologist (Dr. Anastasios Pappas from South Dakota!) had a miracle cure.

First, he prescribed Predisone but pretty much told me not to take it. Check.

Then he described the cortisone cream I had been using as "baby stuff" and prescribed a stronger one. Check.

Then he told me about a time-consuming, putzy procedure that was guaranteed to work. O-kay...

Step one: apply a minimal dose of the cream to the affected area.

Step two: apply a thin layer of a particular over-the-counter ointment; in this case, Lubriderm Extra Special Super-Duper Skin Healing Ointment (not the exact title).

Step three: cover the area with tight-fitting wet cloth -- long johns, whatever works.

Step four: encase the area in a waterproof covering -- a windbreaker, a plastic bag, whatever works.

Step five: Leave this in place for an hour.

Step six: Do it twice a day.

Check!

 

The first time I did it, I couldn't stand more than 45 minutes because the skin started itching. I ripped off the coverings and scratched. It was the most orgasmic, non-sexual sensation I have ever felt. Srsly.

Ahem.

The second time was a bit better, and I was able to leave the wrappings on for the full hour. After two treatments my skin was much, much better. Still a bit itchy, but nearly normal-looking on the upper arms.

In fact, it was so much better that during the couple days we spent packing and running errands and stopping the mail and tying up loose ends before the trip, I only did it once a day.

Whew. We were both afraid that we might have to cancel the trip, or, potentially worse, endure the itchy agony for the entire vacation.

* * * * *

Laundromat trip one day this week (that's five baskets; one is hiding behind the other four):

 

Washing machine still broken and will stay that way until we get home.

Dishwasher has decided not to drain. Ditto.

Sock yarn!

I got some new sock yarn recently.

 

I bought it on Etsy from Rabbitch.

 

I bought it because I liked the name of the colo[u]rway, which of course I no longer remember exactly.

 

It was something like Blankety-Blank Bruise Blankety.

 

A perfectly descriptive name, don't you agree?

If you want some yourself, go here. (Even if you don't want some, go there and read her copy. It's worth it.)

New toy.

When Matthew came up a couple weeks ago he had just gotten himself a new iPad Touch. It was awesome. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

eBay to the rescue!

The first picture above is the first screen, showing the basic apps that come with it. The second screen is games and other stuff, the third screen is primarily news apps; they were all free. (I did pay $1.99 for a downloadable book to read in the Kindle app.) The gadget has wireless internet access which is a trip in itself. It does pretty much everything an iPhone can do except make phone calls.

This is fun. I have been wanting a snazzy handheld gadget that could access the internet, but I couldn't justify the ongoing expense of a smart phone, especially since cell phone service here is rather limited. Not to mention that I really didn't NEED it; my Tracfone serves my needs perfectly well for <$50/year. Now I have exactly what I lusted for, but much cheaper.

Exams.

#1 Son is in the midst of studying for the Step 1 exam, which is given after the second year of medical school. He says he is studying 10 - 12 hours a day and working harder than he ever has in his life.

I sent this to him. Because I am weird like that.

 

Note: this is actually more applicable the the exams in his courses than the Step 1, I think (I hope, for his sake); his professors often seem to delight in asking ridiculously complicated questions. This is proved by the fact that sometimes the curve yields a 40% as a passing grade. But the Step 1 is a standard national exam taken by all medical students so is [probably] not subject to the quirks of individual professors.

Let's all keep our fingers crossed for him, m'kay? The exam is Monday, June 21.