Fiberaddict's Fiber Fumblings

Herself is HOME. I missed her - and she missed us. Obviously - she simply WILL NOT SHUT UP. :lol: (For an Aspie, that's HUGE. She has been babbling non-stop. :rofl:)

SG got a shock today. I had been on him to call the flooring company to find out if we could use a steam mop on the new floors. (No, we can't). He finally did; not only are steam mops right out, so are his beloved Swiffer Wet Wipes. :snicker: (That's been a bone of contention for YEARS. I hate those things; I was told that by not using them I was promoting a dirty house. Whatever....)I am laughing.......all I am supposed to use on these lovely, lovely floors are vinegar/water or ammonia/water, or the $$$ cleaning solution that they manufacture. Yeah....I'll stick with vinegar or ammonia and water, thank you very much!

Almost done with the current hat...then it's on to probably another one. Stress-knitting at it's finest, folks! :lol:

Oh! The piano was delivered yesterday...it's nice, it's lovely - and it's bigger than SG realized (I KNEW it was going to take up most of the game/music room - it's a baby grand, for heaven's sake! He, however, thought it would be the same size as the old spinet we had. Um.....no. Not even close. :sigh:) He's a little freaked about how much space he has "lost" in there.....:sigh: I have to find a piano tutor now....Himself is the only one of us who can play even a little, and he's self-taught. It's time for lessons, I think. (Prediction: SG will take lessons for a few months, maybe, then drop it. I will take them until I can play - maybe not perfectly, but until I can read both clefs at the same time and both hands can play independently. Himself doesn't want actual lessons, but wants me to show him what I learn.)

Off to do History now - laters!

It's hotter than...well, Hell out there. 100* at 11:45 today....no clouds. Very little breeze, so the heat just sits and smothers you. Our pastures look like something in the desert - sand, with NO grass; just a bunch of wee mesquite trees and scrub weeds. :sigh: And it's only July. :bigger sigh:

Major battle yesterday with Herself over her Science test. Won't go into it - but it wasn't pretty. She chose her hill, and she died on it - I can out-stubborn a 14-year old. :sigh:

Weird dreams lately - when I do sleep. Bad stuff happening all over....but we're OK. I hope it's true...because the stuff in my dreams is BAD. (Which....IS coming. No question.)

Watched Dawn Treader yesterday...it was OK. Good, if you didn't know what was *supposed* to happen; they changed a LOT from the book. Some of it was good....most, wasn't. Typical, right? :grin:

New violin has a sweet, round tone. It'll get even better the more it's played...or I could do a cheat. See, on any instrument with a sound board (ie, harp, violin, viola, etc), the vibrations of playing it cause it to "open up" and reach it's full potential. This usually takes YEARS of playing......a harpist told me a secret to speed that up. With a small instrument (violin/viola), put them in a sound booth (I use the entertainment center), put on classical music, and let 'er rip. (The shelf with our CD player/boom box is large enough for a full-size violin to sit in front of the player). For a larger instrument (like, say, my floor harp), you put it near the TV or radio (IF you play the radio a lot, that is), and, again, let 'er rip. The vibrations work the same as playing it, and the instrument will reach it's full potential a lot faster.

It works on ANY stringed instrument; the results depend on the quality of said instrument. The cheap import violins won't sound like a Strad, of course, but it WILL help them. (I have proof - 3 crap-instruments that don't sound so...well, cheap.) (And....I have those 3 up for sale. Need to get 'em on CL pretty soon....2 of them aren't horrid. The 3rd....will probably end up as firewood. :sigh:)

Not much going on - we're all trying to stay cool. Kinda hard in 100+ temps, but....we're trying. :sigh:

but not lunch date day - Sweet Geek has a violin lesson today at lunch. :grin: All the help he can get....actually, he's NOT that bad. In fact, for a beginner, he's really good - we'll see how it progresses. The kids...not so much. :ahem:

The pool was perfect last night - the perfect temp when compared to the weather. It was *wonderful*.

Scottish Monkey #1 is DONE, and #2 is begun. Just finished the cuff and am on the first pattern repeat....Monkey goes fast. And looks cool. It'll never be my "go-to" sock pattern - I like it, but not enough to have a drawer full - but it's a nice, quick, easy pattern to whip out.

Not much else to report......


Oh, wait - anyone have any experience with Open Office? They have a Mac version, it's FREE, and they claim they can read/write XL and WP files. Any advice?

Let's see...

Mom: sat up a bit this AM. Still not on solids - I asked the nurse, who took 15 minutes to tell me that she would call the doctor (who said she would start solids on WEDNESDAY. :bangs head: People wonder why I don't go to my local doc/hospital). :sigh: Haven't heard anything this AM, but if she's supposed to be discharged tomorrow, they'd better get their act together - she can't leave if the pipes aren't working!

Kids: Herself is *overjoyed* with the stuff I brought her. I laid out the deal: I bought this for her, in exchange I will get 5 more pairs of earrings. From this point, IF she wants to try to sell jewelry, she will have to pay the listing fees (both etsy and ebay charge small fees) AND the paypal fees (minimal, but still), AND pay me $1.00 each to take the photos, write up the copy, and actually do the work to upload and list them. The rest of the funds are hers to do with what she wants - BUT. She'll have to purchase any supplies she needs from this point on, out of HER money. She's cool with that...we'll see. I didn't tell her, but I am planning on keeping her fees down to $2 - so I might not be getting $1/item. Oh, well - she needs to know that nothing in life is free. And, if she chooses to just make stuff for gifts, that's OK - we'll negotiate supplies later.

Not to leave Himself out, I found (and printed off) some instructons for an origami x-wing. He's made 3...and asked for more directions. I've found a tie-fighter and the Enterprize...we'll see if this keeps him happy. :lol:

Both are tolerating school. For the moment. :snicker:

No violin lessons so far this week....we need to work on that. But, between work/school, swimming, hospital visits, critter care and arbitrary bedtimes, it's just not working. Once mom is home that'll change...but for now they had to go by the wayside. We WILL be picking them back up, though. I am determined that they WILL learn to read music, at least. Actual playing ability is secondary. :lol:

Off to hunt for more jewelry ideas for Herself - I'd like some peacock earrings, and she "can't quite visualize them." :snicker:

Let's see....the house is pretty much CLEAN. Even the kids' rooms - although they still need a little work.

Piano: Had a guy come out to tune it yesterday - FAIL. Seems this one is good as an ornament only - it'll hold a tune, yes, but the felts are gone, the...horizontal something is bad, the...you know, I don't know what all was wrong, but it would be about $1500 to repair. Just as I was getting ready for the hose job, the guy said, "But - we buy a lot of pianos sight unseen, and we have 5 ready to go now. I can sell you one in good, playable condition - like what you need - for...let's see....the cost of a tuning." :blink: So, for $200 (because we are paying $80 to bring it here), we get a ready-to-play, in tune piano. NOT the snow-job I expected. Now, we just gotta move the parlor-decoration out....

Hair: Did a Marilyn treatment yesterday, and have the last of the jar on my head right now. My hair is so soft, it's not funny. Sweet Geek LOVES the smell of the Godiva shampoo with the Vegen..whatever conditioner. :grin: So..that's good.

Baked a loaf of French bread yesterday - it failed, again. I just can't make a decent loaf of that to save my life. I have a loaf of Pain de Champagne in the machine now...we're see how it turns out.

School starts tomorrow - sucky timing, since that's mom's surgery. Keep us in mind all morning please - we have to have her at the hospital at 6 AM.

so, at least it has that going for it.

Let's see....we are now a 4 stop-light town. :sigh: I love my little hamlet; I moved here because it had only 3 lights. Very small-town feeling. Now, we have 4 - they finally put one in at the freeway intersection. Yes, we needed it....No, I don't like it. Ah, well - progress, right?

String supplies: If you or someone you know plays a stringed-instrument (specifically in the violin-family), I can HIGHLY recommend Quinn Violins. Good prices, not necessisarily the lowest, but their customer service is Outstanding. Example: On July 10, I ordered a Tabary composite bow. I had been researching for weeks, and had decided that this was what I needed....so I began the low-price search. Everyone had it listed at $99.99 or UP, except for Quinn, who lists it at $59.99. :boggle: I called to verify; yes, that IS the going price, and YES, it IS a good deal.

Now, it says on the website that there is a 7-10 day wait on this bow. The salesman I talked to reiterated this; no biggie - I can wait 2 weeks to get my new bow. So, I went thru their shopping cart, entered my CC info, and hit Buy. And prepared to wait.

On July 12, the charge hit my account. Cool - I started the countdown. On July 20, I emailed to check on it, and was told it should be in any time. Okey-dokey, then. On Aug 8, I emailed again, very nicely, and said "Hey, just wanted to check on this order, the charge hit July 12 and I haven't seen anything, do ya think my PO lost it?"

The OWNER emailed me back. "Oh, no", he said "You should NOT have been charged until the bow shipped. It comes direct from the manufacturer - that's why our prices are so low. I checked - they are on backorder; won't be in for 2 weeks. I can offer you a comparable bow, I can let you wait, or I can refund the $$ - your call." :hmmmm: I emailed back asking for bow recommendations; he replied that he would go with the Glasser Composite. I went and looked...nice bow, good reviews..but they had it listed at $79.99. :sigh: So, once again I emailed "OK. I like the Glasser, but I don't have any spare $$ until the 15th, so I guess I'll wait and upgrade it next week."

I hadn't even navigated off of my sent mail screen when the owner replied "No, you misunderstood - there will be NO CHARGE for the upgrade, since we screwed up. Our goal is happy customers - enjoy the new bow!"

I got it last night. It is.....very nice. I like it, what little I played with it anyway. It needs more rosin before I can make a definate statement, but it was very responsive, pulled a nice tone, and....believe it or not I had very few squeaks on the "E".

I WILL be ordering from them again - I need to change strings again. The Evahs I have on my violin now are irritating me - they are TOO bright for my taste. (Go figure - I wanted something brighter than the old Dominants...these are, but I HATE them. Too twinkly and chirpy. I want to go back to gut...but they are too expensive and don't last. I'm leaning towards Obligatos....that's what 2 people have recommended to me, one being the luthier that worked on my violin. So...yeah. Obligatos it is)

Still need to find a piano tuner....

Lack of sleep does not make for a happy Fiberaddict. Ah, well - S'bux to the rescue. We'll see if it works....

Lesson last night went well. I had told Sweet Geek that I was willing to teach him, but he'd probably want to see a "real" teacher a few times to make sure I had him on the right track. I do - Lew (the teacher) was very pleased with where he was, pointed out a few things for me to help him with (I am NOT a teacher - I can play, and I can advise, but I am not good at pre-emptive help.) He covered a lot of ground in the hour - not much playing was done, actually, but I could hear a difference at the end of the hour.

Sweet Geek also bought me some music :hugs: Vivaldi's Concerto in D Major. It's....wow. Fun isn't the word for it. I suck, but I'll get better. (OK, so "suck" is too strong of a word. The problem is, I *know* what I'm supposed to do, I try to do it, but my left hand is so weak that the speed is *gone*. I can't trill - no strength. I can't bounce my 8th notes (although that *is* getting better).....but I'm still pretty accurate on pitch. I will *never* be back to where I was, but I can play for an audience now without being too embarrassed. Not that I'm planning on doing *that* :lol:)

Piano: There are NO tuners listed in the local phone book. Nor are there any piano teachers. Sweet Geek called the High School (the thinking being "The HS MUST have a choir; they'd have a piano. It needs tuning, therefore - I can get the number from them and we're good to go!")...the lady put her hand over the phone and hollered "We have a PIANO here? Really?? I didn't know that! Who do I transfer this guy to??" :bangs head: Although I figured something like this - they don't have an orchestra, the choir doesn't have a webpage (but the band does - linked to the football SITE, of course!)....it's still funny.

Knitting: Still no mo-jo, but I got the heel of FF sock #2 finished last night at the lesson (well, up to the kitchnering; couldn't do that without a pair of scissors. Figured it wasn't a good idea to bring scissors into a music shop. With a hardwood floor. During a lesson. :snicker:)

Left wrist is all stiff this AM..not surprised, since I knit and practised my new Vivaldi. Hopefully I can hit the pool tonight - that should help. So would sleep...wonder if I can take a quick nap?

The plumber should be out at 8 with my hot water. I need a shower. I tried to take one last night, after we got out of the pool......BIG mistake. I froze. I just can't handle cold water - At All. My dear, sweet Marine laughed at me - told me I should have been in Korea in the winter. 2 minute showers, all cold - I'd get used to them. :pbbbbbbbbbbbt: Nope, said I - I'd have made friends with either the commander or the laundry service and gotten HOT water. I'm not stupid enough to be a Marine. :lol: (He knows I'm joking - I'm very proud of my Devil-Dog!)

Got the piano - it's a Lester Betsy Ross Spinet, probably from the '30s or '40s. Needs to be tuned and a few keys fixed...but that's not a problem. It wasn't the Free one, though - those folks didn't contact us again. But it was only $100, with the bench, so....it's cool. It's also pretty...looks good in the music/game room. (That's what counts, right? :lol:)

Need to tackle the weaving studio - then most of the house will be clean. It's a disaster.......but it shouldn't take long. Most of it is loom, anyway - that's why it's such a mess; everything is shoved around it. I think most of the stuff will be tossed, anyway...we'll see.

Gotta go find a piano tuner....laters!

Wish I could share our sunrise - it's all pink and purple and blue and orange and GORGEOUS. Unfortunately, the camera is in the bedroom, and Sweet Geek is sleeping. He didn't sleep at ALL last night, so I made him lay back down. He might go to work...IF I remember to wake him up. :grin:

Yep, I'm home today - Mom has a doc appointment. We'll find out what the biopsy said (biopsies? biopsys? Whatever...) Then we'll get the schedule. Fun stuff...

The hens love the new coop, but don't use the roost - they'd rather cram all 29 of themselves into 10 nesting boxes. Well, ONTO also - they were crammed in, on the perches, and on top of it when I went out to see how they were doing the other morning. Too, too funny - Sweet Geek suggested we rip out the perches and replace them with another set of nesting boxes. Sounds good to me!

How humbling is it to be looking for sheet music of a Vivaldi piece you played in HS, only to find a recording of Ithzak Perlman playing the same piece with the Israeli Symphony? All I can say is I suck. :lol: I was good, once upon a time......now, not so much.

Need to go clean something...the appt. is at 10, and I'm just at loose ends.

it's been storming all day - but now, NOW, we have a double rainbow over our backyard - a FULL double rainbow. It's...gorgeous. Sweet Geek got some photos - and he WILL be sharing them with me. :grin:

Picked up the kids....ANDran to an orchestra director's house and got each of them a violin. Or...violin-shaped object. :lol: Himself is a bit smaller than I thought - he needed a 1/2 size; Herself needed (of course) a 4/4 size. They...are cheap chinese imports, but they don't sound horrid, and the kids can bang 'em around without me freaking out. :shrug: They'll do for now.

Have to take Mom to the doc next Thursday.....more on that later.

Gotta run - Star Wars Ep. I is on. Priorities, people - I have priorities! :lol: