On Stopping and Starting:

I’m back in real time. The ice is still on everything outside but the electricity is staying on for the most part. We spent days not knowing when it would be on or off, or for how long. I do feel bad for all the people that are still without electricity or heat.

I think I almost would have preferred it off the whole time so I wouldn’t have to keep fixing the time on the clocks and other electronics. Or being startled by music, appliances or lights coming back on a number of times a day or night. The only reason it didn’t stay out is the fact we had a few storms in the last years that removed most of the problem trees already.

I have wood stove heat that doesn’t need the power companies help. So I didn’t have to worry about that anyway. My trouble is the water pump needs the power. But we keep a little extra bottled water on hand incase of an outage.

I am suspending the Epitaph Contest for now. The only reason I started it when I did was to give people a chance to get a few extra things as gifts for the holidays if they needed them. But as everyone is so busy. Too busy really to think up or send in any epitaphs. I’ll start it up again in the new year if anyone is interested. Anyone who sent in a contest entry this past week, it will be held until I restart the contest again. In the mean time keep sending in those epitaphs for the Epitaph of the Week spot if you have them.

I still feel like I’ll never catch up after being sick last week. Thou it could be because every time I tried to vacuum around here the lights went out and I couldn’t finish the job until last night.

Today I’m going to sit and knit ‘Kevin’s Mittens’ while waiting for the ice to melt.

On Silly Holiday Dec. the Thirteenth:

Fluffville streets were crowded as the annual Belly Button Lint Festival got underway. Most people were happily visiting the lint museum to see the worlds oldest belly lint or looking over the recycled lint clothing for sale.

Fatty Rotundmen had organized a demonstration because he felt that those folks with outties didn’t get free lint of their own and had to buy all the lint that they used. And Mary Swimmer joined in the rally. She felt the festival was sexist because women didn’t have belly hair to catch more lint like the men did.

To tell the truth most folks just ignored them but the police set up saw horse barriers and caution tape just in case there was a confrontation.

Sally Spinner had the largest ball of ‘Husband Belly Lint’ but that was to be expected as Sam had the hairiest belly anyone in town had ever seen.

Children were having contests in the preschool lint box to see who could build the largest lint bunny.

There were lint artists selling their lint creations in tents in the park.

There was also a diet with pocket lint recipes being offered at the gym but most people were lint snobs and stayed away from it preferring belly button lint to anything else.

Mayor Lynt Morefuzz had a speech all ready. He was wearing his famous coat of many colored lint and a mouse gray lint top hat. But the people never gathered in front of the stage in the school gymnasium to hear him. Which was a shame because he looked so dapper. He even had little lint balls at the tips of his moustache that danced as he pontificated on the loveliness of lint.

The day ended with the lint parade down main street with excess lint from the fabric factory falling like snow from the windows of the buildings above settling on the people down below. Extra lint never goes astray in Fluffville. And the mayor got to ride in and wave from the lint covered car so he was happy once again.

Next year there is going to be group of lint spinners coming from out of town. Won’t that be fun.

On Getting Better:

I woke up to a world covered in a thin layer of glass made from ice yesterday. From the window the pictures didn’t look at all like it was anything more then a rainy day, so I didn’t even go through the trouble of resizing it to post it.

I’m doing much better today. I’m almost completely alive. Yesterday it was a good thing I was up and about because there wasn’t one spoon or bowl left clean for breakfast by then.

After days of sitting around my body didn’t want to exercise either. But once I got going it went better. I’m still a little achy from being sick but the exercise is working out the kinks.

I lost more then a few stories that floated through my head that did not sticking long enough to be written down for those days. So I’ll just tell myself they were fevered ramblings and nothing worth holding on to and move on.

My Writers Club Meeting was last night and I didn’t know if I was going to make it or not. More bad weather came in the afternoon/evening and Mountain Man was still too sick. I’m wasn’t counting on it. (The trials of living on a mountain top. You don‘t leave if you aren‘t sure you can make it back up the hill to get home.)

We are out of eggs and yogurt so a run to the store will have happen some time today. I’m glad Mountain Man is doing better now too. Shaky but better.

How can things so small and insignificant as a germ or virus we can’t even see be so toxic to our bodies and lay us so low? I find it interesting, that’s all I‘m saying.

Tomorrow is ‘Silly the Thirteenth Day’ again.

On Kevin’s Mittens So Far:

We are expecting a winter storm so I am writing this ahead of time and putting it on the timer incase the expected ice does leave me with no electricity for a time.

I have a dial up web connection and only one phone line so I only get on the web a few times a day as is. I try to answer my emails promptly and keep up with what is going on but still I have limits as to the time I can spend with all of you. And Mountain Man has to have his internet time also. So anyway if the mitten total doesn’t move for a few days but my blogs keep on coming that is why. This winter ice storm we are expecting.

I am back to knitting mittens as of yesterday but because I‘m really writing this then I can‘t tell you how far I’ve come by the time you see this. I am feeling much better but I did have to un-knit the honor sweater I was working on because I messed it up so very badly while I was sick. (Why does the mind always go that way when your sick.) And it will sit in the knitting basket until the new year because I’ve started a pair of socks to keep me going as an honor project instead.

I feel like I have mittens to catch up on but I can tell my hands apart now so all is well. Still I was committed to one mitten a day so that would be eight pair as of yesterday and I have gotten ten pair done. I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to knit while I was sick and gotten more done by now.

I have not had any more additions to the Kevin’s Mittens for the needy from others as of writing this. I wish it were otherwise but I know you are all busy or you would have added it to your ‘to do’ box by now. Maybe next month the totals will go up.

The first ten pair I’ve knitted have gone out to charity along with the two that others have given in Kevin’s name. A small start all together but a good one just the same. In the pictures some of them still needed to have their tails tucked. (I don’t have a picture of the mittens donated by the others. They didn’t send me one and I didn‘t ask.) I hope that all of them are already on hands keeping them warm.

By the way Jean at The Scottish Lamb is knitting hats for the homeless also. So if you have an extra hat on your needles you don’t know who to give to she is collecting them for the homeless in New York City and I know she would appreciate it too.

On Coraline:

Okay, so am I the only other one around here who is into the movie version of the book Coraline coming out in February besides Knitty?

Did anyone else go looking for the 50 mystery boxes all over the web?

Has anyone else been collecting the passwords and watching the mini movies about all of this?

Okay, I have made miniatures and dolls and love stop action animation and 3-D movies and knitting. I like to look at the darker side of life and write short horror stories.

But the knitting alone should have caused a stir around here. And the hunt is fun in itself, with all those other bloggers to check out. A mystery game for people who like toys that move by themselves in 3-D.

I’ve found 19 mystery boxes (Every one is different.), 8 passwords (There are Not 50 passwords.) and so far I’ve watched six of the mini movies about it or the people involved. And I’m in bed half the day because I’m sick and have a very s-l-o-w dial up web connection that took hours to download the little videos.

I’m not giving anything away so you can play the game yourself if you like. And there are plenty of places where people are posting what they do know. I’m in love with this movie and it isn’t even out yet.

Yes, I know this is a marketing scheme and a darn good one if you ask me. And I’m glad to pass the word along. I only wish I had gotten a box myself. But even though I didn’t I am enjoying looking on.

Thank you to the bloggers that got boxes and are sharing their good fortune in pictures, descriptions and links with the rest of us. And until the movie is out I’ll take what I can get. I’m having Coraline fun at the moment. How about you?

I know of boxes: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 Knitty, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 22, 23, 24, 29, 33, 34, 37, 39.

I’m still looking for: 3, 4, 9, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 26, 28, 30, 31, 32, 35, 36, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50.

On Being Sick:

I’m still sick but trying not to miss a day posting on my blog. I now have a sinus infection on top of that wonky tummy and head thing that was going around.

I have a folded tissue tucked in my glasses in the side of my face that hurts. First to block the light into my eye because it hurts, second to the keep me from seeing out of it that eye because everything looks blurry and lastly because that side of my face is swollen and looks bad. I would find my pirate patch if I had the energy. Arrruggg.

I have no energy and haven’t knitted any mittens for days. I’m very glad I was ahead of myself there. I sleep or watch, not so good day time TV, hoping to feel better tomorrow. With a ‘this too shall pass’ attitude.

When my head doesn’t hurt too much I turn on the computer and read other peoples blogs, both the ones I look at regularly and new ones I usually find by reading other bloggers links. I love this ‘following’ function on blogger and wish all the people I look in on had a feed. I’ve gotten a few new ideas for things to do with my blogging but they will have to wait until I’m feeling better.

We are having bad weather for the next few days so staying in bed doesn’t sound so bad. See you tomorrow unless you want to come over and do my dishes and clean my house for me. I just looked around and discovered I’m a slob when I’m sick. I gotta’ go water the plants they are wilting from lack of care since I got sick.

And just to let you know, Mountain Man is doing much better then I am. But you knew that already didn’t you. You can’t keep him down for long. Maybe I’ll get him to water the plants and I’ll just go back to bed.

On Sorry for the Confusion:

This is what happened with the Epitaph Contest. It’s all in the timing. And I wasn’t announcing the winner until after they had gotten back to me. (I know that people are busy, but you only have a week to respond. I have a life too.)

First week was Nov. 9 - 15 and on the 16th Sooticas Dreams won, she didn’t get back to me until after week three had started and I announced before then that a random prize had been picked for charity in her name.

Second week was Nov. 16 - 22 and on the 23rd Knotty Mouse won, she was prompt in replying and I announced her win on the 25th I believe.

Third week was Nov. 23 - 29 and on the 30th Black Crow won, she got back to me almost a week later and on Dec 6th I announced it then that she had won.

By this time it was well into Week Four Nov. 30 - Dec. 6 and no one had sent in an entry during that week so on Dec 7th I announced that there was no winner for that week.

From now on I will not wait for the winner to get back to me before announcing the winner of the previous week. I will announce the picked name on Sunday morning along with sending out an email to that winner. And when they get back to me (within the next week) with their choice of prize I’ll announce that on the following weeks Epitaph Sunday.

So, in short, Sunday’s Epitaph Blogs will now go like this:

This weeks prizes offered with picture.
Last weeks Winner announced.
Previous weeks chosen prize announced.

As to the Epitaph of the Week itself? I pick that before the week is up and the winner of the contest is picked, so they don’t often match. Then there is the fact that not everyone entering has been reading the blog since I started the Epitaph of the Week and some have sent me epitaphs that have already had a week on the blog. This does not stop them from being entered into the contest with that epitaph, it just isn’t going to be posted for the weekly epitaph spot again.

For example: Spike Milligan’s ‘I told you I was ill.’ was used the week of Aug 10, 08 by long time reader of my blog and I dare say friend Little Black Crow, and Spike’s epitaph has been retired for the weekly spot but it was the entry that Sooticas won with. (Please don't send that one in again anybody? I see it a lot.)

Lastly not everyone who sends in an epitaph for the weekly posting wants to join the contest. They just send in their epitaph and say they don’t want to join the contest and I don’t add their name to the hat, it only goes in the group for consideration on the blog spot if it has not been already used before.

I hope I explained myself well. I’m still sick. Let me know if I should try to explain it again a different way if I didn't make any sense.

Sincerely, Lady Euphoria Deathwatch