happy valentine's day

morning all

it is almost 4am

i am up

stoking the stove but also i just can't sleep

i been reading this wonderful book about a member of my family

and between that and worry about my sheep and goat

i just can't sleep



the cats are keeping me company



we went to nazareth yesterday

our favorite used book store has changed owners

i don't really like the change



then we went to the yarn store



i ironically heard about my sheep ....or one of my sheep at the yarn store

from someone i have never met!



i got some of that 'knitted in panels and dyed to be unwound and knitted into socks' sock yarn



we are to go to the new yarn store up in mount pocono this weekend ...... but really more and more i found that i am shopping on the net

when i am shopping at all



the red boots are felted and need moderate cuff surgery......that will be done as soon as they dry

and i cast on for the blue boots

(just a test of another pattern)

plus received the gray yarn in the mail.....thank you karen



bernie's sister, my very favorite sister in law called last night

that is the one from galveston

they finally got a FEMA trailer set up so they are now out of the hotel

they have one of their houses almost livable ( they couldn't find contractors, so they are doing all the work themselves)



they had several houses, one they lived in, and the others that they had bought, lived in while fixing up, and then had rented while they moved onto the next fixer-upper, she did all this while working full time and raising 4 kids, plus taking care of her husband's parents

all of which were total loses during this hurricane, and the insurance company devalued EVERYTHING before they would give them a check......what they thought was full coverage, turned out to be about 40% of what the value was.

then, my brother in law got laid off one month after IKE

they are struggling to fix the houses to have somewhere to live and to get their renters back

as galveston has a shortage now of liveable homes



she is another person that started from nothing and worked hard

and then lost it all through an 'act of god'

she is working again so hard.......

she supports them all now by herself as her husband is laid off and in any spare time is working like a man to fix these houses up



i swear i love this sister in law so much

i was so worried about her when IKE happened

she is an inspiration to everyone who knows her, she has come back from the brink so many times



i heard from my friend jeanie in the fire area of oz

she is ok for the moment.......

she lost some neighbors and some friends to these fires

and they are watching the winds

if they shift

she is got to evacuate



i was so worried about her and another friend over there



they are both ok

for the moment



now my friend carol from the canning list

please everyone give up a good thought for her

in her fight against this breast cancer

the new chemo is a nightmare

she was in the hospital emergency ward again

i ordered pink mohair to knit her an 'ice queen' with pale celery green beads

i don't know what to do to perk her up

she said i make her laugh though ( hey i can always make her laugh.......thank goodness)

i wish i could do more

i can't wait for her cancer free three month and so on check up

another person who is just so inspirering



i swear ....if that were me i would be in bed with the covers over my head

but not carol

she taught herself to knit

to can

and to do embroidery

she is learning to cook

to garden

all this and she is a gramma.............

but you wouldn't ever know it to talk to her

or to meet her

she has sort of taken the cancer and most of the chemo in stride

even the coming mastectomy hasn't fazed her

she keeps going going going...



this new chemo however, is a nightmare

i don't know what is worse..........this chemo or the cancer

this chemo alone has damn near almost killed her a few times now

i am hoping she survives the treatment....but her tumors at the start of this new round were at 50% what they started out with



now on a final note



happy birthday kacey



consider me singing to you

watch the doggies cover their ears and yowl............



we love you kacey

and the world is a better place for you being in it

and even though people don't understand

you are you BECAUSE you care so very much....... that's why you work in hospice dear
and THANK GOODNESS you do......... while you don't realize it, you truly are an unsung hero.

well this blog post it would seem is dedicated to amazing and wonderful people that i have been so lucky to have met in my life
i thank you all
my life is so much richer because of you all
and watching you all go through so much adversity and still not losing your compassion nor your drive is such an a life lesson




have a wonderful day of romance and love everyone

hugs and kisses i hope are in your day today and everyday

















hearing her voice made me so happy yesterday

she is like having a cool drink of water on a hot day