September 17

I feel like I've been away forever! I've been busy… DS going back to college the first week in August, my birthday was August 8 - and I treated myself to an Offhand Designs Zelda Grand in Pansy. Love it!

My sister is hanging on, with her husband home. I think they've now realized how long this recovery process is going to be. Basically it's a lifestyle change. Things will never be the way they were. They did get to the Redskins game though, - twice! They are season ticket holders and die-hard 'Skins fans, so this was a milestone of sorts - getting back to tailgating and the game. And some of his colleagues have been picking him up and taking him to a few board meetings in the evenings. All of these things show what remarkable progress he has made, but he still needs the wheelchair, and his eyes still won't open. So we hang on.

I've been sewing - making tote bags to add to my etsy shop.



This one I'm keeping for myself.

I've also made progress on three of the projects I had hoped to finish during the Olympics. Flirty Tank ran into some pattern issues - my pattern was missing 6 rows of instruction. I was set back a couple of weeks as I attempted to get in touch with Y2Knit. That got resolved finally with my calling them on the phone. Pattern fixed.

28Thirty now has sleeves. I'm knitting them using the two circular method. I may even finish that one and be able to wear it soon. What a concept!

And the little Everlasting Bagstopper is maybe 3/4 finished. That one resides in my Emergency Knitting Bag by Illiane. It's a good "sit at the field hockey game" project.

DD finished her driving "Behind the Wheel" course in mid August. Which means she now has her license to drive. We managed to put her off til now to add her to our policy, which meant we didn't let her drive by herself until two nights ago. I think we may allow her to drive to field hockey practices (two miles away at the school) a few times a week. She's a good, careful driver, but people here in the DC area are crazy behind the wheel. I'm in no hurry to have her on any kind or highway.

We did buy a little black used VW Bug so she won't be driving my car. DH bought a used silver one a year and a half ago to commute in (attempt to save gas). We now have a fleet of two. They're cute!

And on the cycling front - I have two rides coming up real soon - the Rappahannock River Ride in Tidewater Virginia on the 26th and the Seagull Century in Salisbury MD on the 4th of October. Both are long ones - although I think I'll opt for the 65 mile route in Tidewater. As opposed to the 124 mile option. Just don't think I want to do two hundred milers on back-to-back weekends. I am looking forward to the "girl's weekend" aspect of both, though. We always have a great time.

The Fall craft show season in here again, and I think I may get back in to it. I sell my beaded jewelry at them. I didn't go to any last year. We were going to see DS run in his cross-country races and they inevitably fell on the dates of the shows. So I didn't sell many earrings last year. I kind of missed it.

I really don't know where August and September have gone… maybe it had to do with the fact that DD started Field Hockey with two-a-day practices on August 5. That was pretty much like going back to school already. And we didn't go to the beach this year. We spent a good amount putting in the new windows, but it was primarily a schedule issue. DD could not be away from the field hockey thing. Ahhh - high school sports…

Anyway, I am now looking forward to the fall, and knitting, and riding in cooler weather, and routine.