Time is on My Side

Time is on my side, yes it is.

Time is on my side, yes it is.

Time is on my side. Or so I thought! But it seems like no matter how hard I try, lately there is not enough time in my day to do all the things I want (and need) to do. Time isn’t waiting for me. It’s passing me by.

I stopped at the grocery store and I became my mother. Then my grandmother, and my mamaw. All of the prominent female influences in my life combined and took over my body and my mind. I find myself looking for the bargains and not buying something I want because it’s too expensive. Or maybe I will buy it and I’ll store the leftovers in the refrigerator and drag them out until there’s not enough for anyone to eat. I’ll find it later, forgotten and green, in a plastic container. Or I’ll look at cookbooks and magazines trying to find something new to try then I’ll get the stuff to make the same old thing I always make. When did I become like that?

I think about my daughter, my beautiful 30 year old daughter, and I wonder how it happened that she is already grown. She doesn’t know it, but she is me. She’s the mom with three little kids trying to juggle all the things she has to do and still find time for her. She’s the one who worries that her kids will do well in school or be liked by their peers. She’s the one who tries to please everyone and is disappointed because it seems she always misses the target. She’s the one who worries that she’s too fat, too gray, too old.

I think about my parents and wonder who they are, because they are little old people now, not the mom and dad I know. I worry about their health, their feelings, their welfare. I hope they remember to take the right medicine and call the doctor if needed. I worry that they will be lonely. I think back to when my grandparents were the old people, the old people we thought we’d never lose. But we did lose them and time still went on.

I think about my life and how my thoughts and opinions and actions have changed over the years. I’m not who I was but I’m not who I’ll be. I think about how fast the days pass now. My newborn baby grandson will be eight years old on his birthday. And I wonder where the time goes. I cherish his hugs and when he asks for me and just wants to be with me, because I’m his Mamye. And I know in a short while it will change. He’ll be busy. Then he’ll be the 30 year old. My daughter will be where I am now and I’ll be my mother.

Finally things will slow down. I’ll become my great grandmother who told me the weekends were the worst. She said she could find things to keep her busy during the week. She had phone calls and visits, her knitting and her soap operas to occupy her time. But Sunday she was usually alone. She would cook enough for two or three but nobody came to share her food. She would sit and wait for anyone to drop by but they never came. She said it was the longest and hardest day of the week.

A friend once told me I was on the downside of life. He said we (because we are the same age) are closer to the end then the beginning. That’s a sobering thought! Lately the notion of retiring has crossed my mind. Once I could never imagine not working. But now I count the days until the weekend, when I can do what I want to do, not what I have to do. The things I have to do get done, but at my own pace. Yes, time is on my side. I’m just not sure which side.

Now you always say

That you want to be free,

But you'll come running back.

You'll come running back.

You'll come running back to me…

How many scarves and shawls are too many for one person? I’ve probably reached the limit. But what happened this cold scarf weather morning when I was looking for just the right one to complement my fashionable ensemble? That’s right. There was none. I’m partial to variegated, as evidenced by the picture, so I have more options.

Still, nothing seemed to work. I could either not find a shirt to match a scarf or not find a scarf to match a shirt. Finally, after multiple wardrobe malfunctions, I found a combination that worked. And as I was searching I was planning more projects to supplement the gaps I noticed. It will only take a little time, right? And time, is on my side. Yes it is.

Well, time is on my side, yes it is.

Time is on my side, yes it is...

Seasons...

And so it goes,

As the wind blows,

The seasons will flow…

The dirt is on the move. Yes, the wind is blowing again today. I look outside and see my neighbor’s yard fly by my house! I invite you in and you can leave me a note on the television, the table, the window sill and even on the floor. There’s dust everywhere! It wouldn’t matter if I rushed around wildly with the Pledge. In a few hours there will be a light powder covering all exposed surfaces.

Dust!!!

Out here things seem to lean. We can tell which way the wind blows most often because the trees slant that way. We just deal with it. You have to put your head down, sunglasses on, and lean into the wind. Our chickens even lean when the wind is blowing. I heard once that if the wind stopped blowing out here for half a minute all the chickens would just fall over!

A tree in the front of the house

Don’t worry about your hair. Just step outside and you’ll get a new hairdo! You’ll get dirt in your eyes and sand up your nose. Keep your mouth closed or your teeth will be gritty. Hang on to your belongings. If the wind gets hold they may end up in the next county! And heed the skirt alert. We don’t all make a pretty picture like Marilyn did!

There’s no ‘cool breeze’ to this wind either. Temperatures are already three digits and it’s not even summer yet. The rainfall, none since October, is in the negative numbers, measuring less than zero. Walking outside is like opening an oven door. Add the sandblast and it’s not a pleasant experience.

June 8 at 6:00pm

Is there any relief in sight? Not until we get a break in the weather. I heard the news call it ‘global weirding’ because of the extremes across the states. While we are hoping for rain others are hoping it will stop. We all just take it, one day at a time.

And so it goes,

As the wind blows.

The seasons will flow,

To help you through your birth,

As you spend your time on earth.

In the wind.

Sometimes summer knitting is a challenge for me. Out here, especially, even a light scarf can make you sweat! I knit in the air conditioning most of the time so the knitting isn’t hot. It’s just the finished projects! I did get some fun yarn on a trip recently. I just don’t know what to make with it!

Thomas Kvist Lambada, 165 yards

Kind of like light ribbon

Mango Moon Chakra, 75 yards

Built in beads...a necklace type thing maybe?

Any ideas?

And so it goes,

As the wind blows.

And so it goes,

As the wind blows…

A B C...

It’s easy as
1 2 3, as simple as
Do Re Mi, A B C, 1 2 3
Baby you and me…

Once upon a time a little girl wanted to learn to knit so her grandmother took her to the store for yarn so she could get started.

Acrylic yarn is what she started with on
Blue Boye needles, size 8 aluminum, 14 inch,
Casting on the long-tail way because in those
Days she didn’t know there was another way so
Everything she started might have to be done more than once if she
Forgot to leave a long enough tail but that was how
Grandmother taught her when they learned together out of a book and it
Helped to have the pictures but also to have someone to show her
In case she wasn’t doing something right because she was
Just learning but Grandmother was reviewing as she already knew how to
Knit but hadn’t in a
Long time and she said it came back easily as she helped her begin to
Make a sweater which wasn’t as hard as it sounds because of the circular
Needles she was using so there were no seams until she got to the
Openings for the arms and had to split the stitches
Putting half of them on a
Queen sized safety pin called a stitch holder so they would be
Ready when it was time to use them and it closed like a safety pin too so the
Stitches wouldn’t slip off and get lost or
Tangled in the yarn
Unless she wasn’t
Very careful and she never
Wanted that to happen because it is sometimes
eXtremely hard to untangle
Yarn and she didn’t want to waste any time because she was ready to
Zip through this project so she could start something new.

A B C it's easy, it's like counting up to 3,

Singing simple melodies.

That's how easy love can be...

Well, that was fun! Honestly, learning to knit was probably easier than trying to write the alphabet story! It really is simple. There are only two stitches, knit and purl. You have to get used to holding the needles and yarn and you’re on the way. Yarn is one of the fun things about knitting. And guess what? My Valentines present came. Yarn!

Yarn p*rn!

Trying to get the vibrancy of the colors. Not working!

Notice the variegated? All of it is!

March seems to be flying by. Knitayear will soon be over. What to do with those strips? I’ll think of something! The only thing wrong with having Friday off is when you have to work Saturday. It’s day 339, March 5, and it’s all good. He has to take a test so I have to be quiet so I take my knitting. There are a lot of people at work so I don’t have to mess with the alarm which is fine by me. I got my car back so that’s good too. Funny but I have to get used to it all over again! I made bacon spaghetti when I got home. It was a pretty good day. I chose a gray and orange ribbon yarn. March 6, day 340 turns out to be a horrible day. That’s all there is to say. I chose a black ribbon with little flags on it. Day 341, March 7, and I’m just worn out. It’s one of those days you’d change whatever you could. But this is how it is. I went to an interesting meeting as part of work. It was one of those I’m new to so I didn’t really know what’s going on. Ah well. Good thing I can fake it! I picked a dark pinkish brown novelty yarn. I don’t have any plans for tonight. I’m going to knit. Something easy as 1 2 3. I'll even teach you. It's simple as Do Re Mi.

A B C, It's easy as

1 2 3, as simple as

Do Re Mi, A B C, 1 2 3 

Baby you and me!

We Don't Need No Education…

We don't need no thought control.

No dark sarcasm in the classroom,

Teacher leave them kids alone.

Hey teacher leave them kids alone!

All in all you’re just another brick in the wall…

Is it just my imagination or are people, especially younger people, a lot dumber than they used to be? The other day I was at the grocery store in the small town where I live. I was waiting to check out. When the checker got off the phone it was my turn. Not the company phone but her personal cell phone. My husband happened to be there as well and he made a comment about no talking on personal phones at work. He got the blank stare. She had absolutely no understanding of what he was referring to.

She started scanning the products then made an unintelligible request on the intercom. Apparently whatever it was she said was funny. To her, anyway. She started cackling and talking about how embarrassing that was. She was so embarrassed. She couldn’t believe she just did that. I wanted to tell her it didn’t matter because nobody understood a word of what was said anyway. When the sacker came to help she went into it again. The funny thing she said? She needed help on three four. She never meant to say three four just three. How embarrassing. Ha ha ha ha ha. Give me a break and scan the rest of the groceries.

Next, as people were lining up behind me, she called for a quick check. A manager type, I presume, because she came out from behind the locked counter where the cigarettes are, went to the next counter to check. A Taylor Swift song came on over the intercom playing the canned music. The ‘manager’ type started singing, loudly, with customers in line. That created another fit of laughter and hysteria from my checker. The sacker grinned some as my husband tried to make a joke out of it. The ‘manager’ type apparently enjoyed the attention because she sang louder and did a little dance.

Finally, after leaving the grocery store twilight zone, the sacker was putting the groceries in the car. They have gone to transparent bags. Are these bags stronger? No. Are they bigger? No. It seems that nobody bothered to tell the sacker. He put ten vegetable cans in one sack, not double bagged. Guess what happened when the groceries were being unloaded at home? He also put the groceries in the bags in odd combinations. This could be a Monkish trait on my part but when I get two bags of frozen corn I want them in the same bag. If not the same bag I want them in the bag with other cold things, not the laundry detergent. At least he didn’t squash the bread.

If you are up on what’s happening in education at all you know that the governor of Texas is trying for a balanced budget. If he realizes his vision through cuts alone, 100,000 teachers could lose their jobs. That’s approximately one third of the teachers employed by Texas public schools. That is not counting the support staff that is essential to the education system who will also be cut. Currently in the budget, schools got $50 billion in state and federal money to teach 4.8 million students. With the cuts the governor proposes to make, Texas schools will be short $10 billion. This includes money that would be necessary to pay for an estimated 160,000 new students expected to enroll over the next two years.

http://dallasdrilling.wordpress.com/2010/12/30/clown-of-the-year-2010-rick-perry/

Texas already has the lowest high school graduation rate in the nation. The shortage in education funds will help make sure that our kids will not only be dumb, they won’t know how to go to work. And if they are lucky enough to get a job they won’t know what to do or how to act after they get there.

http://tinyurl.com/4rct435

They say everything is bigger in Texas. I guess the governor is insuring that we’ll have the highest amount of future citizens who can’t perform. If the scene at the grocery store is any indication, we are well on our way.

We don't need no education,

We don't need no thought control.

No dark sarcasm in the classroom.

Teachers leave them kids alone.

Hey teacher leave us kids alone!

Sorry for the soapbox. I’m off of it now. It just really worries me. These kids are the future. And it’s looking bleak. I’m not too worried about them taking care of me. They won’t know how!

Willow cowl from Ravelry, in progress.

Close up of Willow

Sorry for the soapbox. I’m off of it now. It just really worries me. These kids are the future. And it’s looking bleak. I’m not too worried about them taking care of me. They won’t know how! Day 335, March 1, and I’m taking a mental health day. That’s what I told my boss! He didn’t know how true it was. I’m still pretty upset about Bryce’s car. I know, it was an accident and it could happen to anyone. But he trusted me with it. I know, get over it! I choose a nubby black yarn with off white and blue green puffs on it for this day. Wednesday, day 336, is March 2,hump day, halfway through the work week, and I’m glad. I had to drive the truck to work today. It’s too big for me. And it’s dirty. I hate to get my hands dusty or dirty and even the steering wheel was nasty.. I put in for vacation for spring break. It’s an automatic leave system we have to use now. Interesting, and not hard if you can read. I met some friends and we ate and went to a movie. Ashton Kutchen is nice to look at! I picked an orange and white boucle yarn for today. Day 337, March 3 and I’m looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow so I’ll probably wake up early! Alan comes home tonight. I’m glad. I think a thick blue variegated yarn is a good pick. Friday, day 338, March 4, and I do get to sleep in a little anyway. It’s nice. I don’t have any plans. I just hang out here because I don’t have a vehicle anyway. Hockey game tonight and that should be fun. We meet the kids and they all enjoy it. The only thing is that it’s freezing. I am literally shaking I’m so cold. I used a flag ribbon yarn that is mixed greens, hoping that thinking of summer will make me warmer! I remember when summer was a good thing, a time to rest then renew for the coming school year. It might not be that way this year.

All I can say to my teacher colleagues and friends is hang in there. They, the kids, do need education. I’m just afraid they are going to all find out the hard way.

All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

I'll Have A Blue Christmas…

Without you…
I'll be so blue thinking about you…

I was born in Lubbock. When I was around 3 years old, the family moved to Albuquerque. That’s where I grew up. But we always went ‘back home’, as my parents said, for Christmas. It wasn’t until after I was grown and married that I spent a Christmas in Albuquerque.

Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico and probably at least half of the population of the state lives there. It’s a pretty place. The Sandia Mountains run along the east side of the city, and the Rio Grande River flows through the city, from north to south. The town was originally built in a traditional Spanish village pattern. There is a plaza, located centrally and surrounded by buildings. The buildings were mostly government, then, but now are shops. Then there are homes, and a church. This area has been restored and preserved and is open to the public. It is referred to as "Old Town." The church was constructed in 1793. The church is still open and has regular services for parishioners and visitors.

San Felipe de Neri Church--http://www.itsatrip.org

Every year there is a Luminaria Tour in that area of town. Luminarias are part of a southwestern tradition. They started around the 1500s, when bonfires were lit along roadways to light the way to midnight mass. They were lit to commemorate the journey of Mary and Joseph as they found their way to the stable. They celebrate the birth of Christ. In the 1800s, people discovered it was easier to use a small paper bag rather than start bonfires. And the luminaria as we know it was born.

Luminaria display--http://www.itsatrip.org

It’s easy to make a luminaria. It starts as a brown paper bag, a lunch sack size. The bag is folded down at the top. Then sand is put in to anchor the bag so it won’t blow around. It also holds a small candle that is placed inside the bag. The candles are lit and a peaceful glow emits through the bag. I’ve seen them now, stuck over Christmas lights or made of white sacks with colored bulbs. All are pretty, but nothing beats the beauty of the traditional luminaria.

Paper bag luminaria--http://hubpages.com

When you go on the tour you can walk or drive your car, or you can ride a bus. We chose to ride the bus because it’s the easiest and it’s fun because we could all be together. That Christmas we got tickets and headed out for the tour. All of the lights are off, and the bus travels around 5 or 10 miles per hour. It’s warm and fairly comfortable and enjoyable.

That night, we were all together on one bus. We had an energetic bus driver who started carol singing on the bus. That’s when the kids found out their dad is really a funny fellow. The other day I asked them if they remembered the time dad sang “Blue Christmas” on the luminaria tour. They did. I could tell you the story, but Bryce wrote out his memory for me. He did such a great job I’ll share.

“I was in my Beavis and Butthead phase (thought still in single-digit age, I think) when during an Albuquerque family Christmas, the family decided to get tickets to the Christmas lights/Luminaria tour through the city. This was something I'd wanted to see for most of my life to that point so I was very excited to go. But once we boarded the bus, I was disappointed. This was because I had to take a seat near the back where instead of being arranged in rows, the seats were arranged against the wall, looking out across the bus...like the rental-car shuttle van that most companies use at airports. Just like how kids want to sit as close to the television as possible, I wanted my face as close to the window as possible and it was uncomfortable to contort myself in those seats. Maybe I was older than single digits...maybe I'd already hit my 4th grade fat stage...either way, I wasn't comfortable.

The neighborhoods participating in the light tour are in different parts of town so to keep interest and spirits up while driving between locations, the tour guide on the bus led the whole bus in singing Christmas carols. Now, when you really think about it, there are only about 10 Christmas carols that the majority of the population knows by heart. We made it through the first verse of the old standards like "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Jingle Bells" but the more intricate songs escaped us. On this bus, we couldn't finished "The 12 Days of Christmas" because things fell apart when the dancing ladies threw a laying geese at a leaping lord or something.

The silent night was getting longer and spirits were slumping when Elvis broke into the opening bars of "Blue Christmas" with excellent accompaniment on the harmony.

I'll have a Blue--do doo do doo--Christmas...

In keeping with the bus's established standards of songs, the first verse was the only one we enjoyed but it was met with thunderous applause. During the next stretch of silence, others in the bus were heard muttering, "I want to hear 'Blue Christmas' again" but there was no encore that night. Maybe soon the long-awaited reappearance of Elvis allow us to again entertain some holiday goers looking for a little bit of a boost to keep their spirits up.”

Yes, Alan belted out Blue Christmas. And he did a good job! I’m not sure how much the song boosted the other riders' spirits, but it was fun and a good memory. And I may or may not know who sang the harmony!

And when the blue—do doo do doo--snowflakes start falling,
That's when those blue memories start calling…

December is winding down and when it ends it will be the end of the third strip! It’s kind of weird because this strip seems to be shorter than the other ones. I really haven’t measured, but just looking at them or maybe the feel of this one in particular makes me think so. Day 261, December 17, I go ahead and go to work. They get out early and it always irks me to give a full day up while they only work a little over half, if that much. I’m antsy, though, and ready to get out of there. It’s like a ghost building anyway. There aren’t many people in at all. I chose a turquoise and gray wool that I used as the fat part on a scribble lace. Day 262, December 18, I wake up ready to go. I’m ambitious and thinking positive that I’ll get everything done before Friday. I choose a bright multi color fun fur. It’s all colors going everywhere. That’s how I’ll be until next week. It’s December 19, day 263. I got a lot done yesterday and I’m determined to get even more done today. I have a basket of yarn I used for Christmas scarves beside me and a red, green and white Christmas yarn keeps calling me! It reminds me that there’s just a few days to go. Day 264, December 20 and it’s another busy day. I hate the rush and crowds. I only had 364 days to think about this. But it’s just like it always is. But I’m going to make it. I choose blue ribbon I know because of the funny story I’m thinking. But it’s fitting too. It’s a blue ribbon for the prize of getting everything ready! I just don’t have anyone to give it to me! But I’m pretty sure I’m doing all right. You?

You'll be doing all rightWith your Christmas of white,
But I'll have a blue, blue Christmas...do doo do doo...

Here We Come A-Caroling...

Among the leaves so green!
Here we come a-wandering,
So fair to be seen!

One thing I really like about Christmas is the music. When I was still teaching I would get Christmas CDs and as soon as Thanksgiving vacation was over I started playing them in class. I had every kind, mostly the cheap ones you can get at WalMart and Target and the like. There were a few ‘quality’ ones and then there were even some mixes that were good. Western Auto used to (and maybe they still do, I don’t really know), have a Christmas CD mix every year. It was cheap, like $5.00, so I had many years.

At first the kids would gripe. The ‘cool’ kids especially were irritated. I didn’t cave in. By the end of the first week I would catch them singing or humming along. I’d never let on that I’d caught them but it always made me smile. Some would whistle under their breath without even knowing they were doing it. At that time of year we were usually deep into a final project so it wasn’t a disruption. Soon they were asking for specific CDs to be played. Occasionally I’d hear a song or a whistle in the hall. I wonder now if any of them remember.

I like the traditional carols because I can sing along. I like some of the new or specialty songs that have come out even though I don’t know the words. I don’t really care for some of the improvision that has come about with some of the songs. It especially irritates me for a classic Christmas song to have some new, funky timing or to have a lot of oh-oh-oh-oh’s thrown in where they don’t belong. I was talking to my friend Carlos and he called it vocal gymnastics. He knows a lot about music and studied it in college. He also sang in some pretty impressive local groups. He said it’s a lot harder to hold a pure tone for a long time then to add all of the warbling. That makes me think that maybe some of the newer singers aren’t all that good and they use the warbling to cover up what they can’t do. But I suppose I should just keep quiet since I can’t sing at all!

Have you ever watched people sing Christmas carols? It’s kind of funny. Most everyone knows the first verse. Some know parts of the second but some don’t know any of it. Throw in a third verse and everyone is either mouthing “watermelon” or humming! When the words aren’t known people either make something up or sing what they think they hear. I can sing “Feliz Navidad” along with Jose Feliciano. But after the third “Feliz Navidad”, it says “prospero ano ici ici da.” At least that’s what my mouth says. It blends in well enough but it’s not right.

Someone asked me the other day what my favorite Christmas song is. That’s hard because I like many. So I posted the question on Facebook, just to see what others thought. I’m really fond of “Hard Candy Christmas”, but lots of people wouldn’t even count that as a Christmas song. I tried to think of all my favorites. Between me and my Facebook friends, I came up with a list, but the titles are a little confusing. Can you figure out if your song is there?

 

• Enquiry Of Mutual Auditory Perception
• Personification Fabricated of Compressed Mounds of Minute Crystals
• Altitudinous Celestials Acclaim
• Bantam-Male Percussionist
• Nocturnal Noiselessness
• Array The Corridor
• May The Deity Bestow An Absence Of Fatigue To Mild Male Humans
• Query Regarding Identity Of Descendant
• Give Attention To The Melodious Celestial Beings
• Covert Observation Of Matriarch's Scandalous Osculation
• The Quadruped With The Vermillion Proboscis
• Commencement Of Yuletide Complexion
• Far Off In A Feeder
• Red Man En Route To Borough
• Planetary Jubilance
• Sprightly Venerable Benefactor

Did you find your favorite in my list? Sing it loud!

Love and joy come to you,
And to you glad Christmas too!

It’s getting towards the end of the 9th month of knitayear. I can’t believe I’m still doing it. I know a lot of people who started but gave up. They either got busy or maybe just bored. But I’m going to stick it out. It’s a challenge! And, I like it! It’s interesting to check back and see what I was thinking when I picked a certain color or yarn. Some, I remember exactly why it was the one I chose. Others, I have to look. Day 258, December 14, I’m a bit apprehensive. I have a training today and it could be very uncomfortable, depending on who I have to be around. It’s Cooperative Learning and it’s not that I’m not cooperative. I don’t like touchy/feely things and when it’s with someone I’m not comfortable around it’s torture. In fact, the more I thought about it the closer I came to opting out. But I didn’t and I ended up with a good team. I can’t say I played completely fair on some of the ‘random’ grouping we were required to do. I can dodge fairly well! I chose some red fuzzy yarn. It’s from my novelty yarn days. It’s good in Christmas scarves though! And it seemed to fit. Day 259, December 15, is the second day of the training. Today I was eager to get there. I had the same group as yesterday to start with so it started good then when we changed I ended up with another good group. We had fun with our activities and laughed so much I was afraid the trainer was going to come stand by us. Discipline by proximity! But she never did. It was a great workshop and I wish I’d had the opportunity while I was still in the classroom. But there are still a lot of things that I can use with what I do now. I chose a yarn that is green with a gold thread woven throughout. The gold if the bright spot the teams I was with provided! December 16, day 260 is a finish up day at work. I have some registration things to take care of, some forms to turn in, some arrangements to make and a whole lot of stuff to get up off the floor. I put some boxes on top of the shelf on the desk. All of it went there and it didn’t look as bad or take as long as I thought it would. Maybe, just maybe, when we go back I can clear out the boxes and put the stuff away and not have boxes in the floor! Wishful thinking…we don’t have enough room for the junk we have. Oh well. I was prepared to get it all done and I did. Hooray for me! I chose another novelty yarn, an off white fur with colored bobbles. It reminded me of Christmas ornaments. I’m trying to get in the spirit! The Christmas music will end, soon enough. I’ll miss it. Enjoy your favorites! Feliz Navidad!

And God bless you and send you, A Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year!

On the First Day of Christmas…

My true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree…

Have you ever wondered just how much it would cost if your true love decided to send you the gifts mentioned in “The 12 Days of Christmas?” Maybe not. But I wonder about strange things like that.

First off, you’d be getting a total of 364 gifts. Well, that’s not counting the eggs the six geese laid, the cows the maids were milking, the pipes the pipers were piping or the drums the drummers were drumming. We’ll just consider that it’s a package deal and count those type presents as a unit.

 

It might be a good thing to consider where you live. If you don’t have a place you’d better find somewhere with a barn or an aviary or even a bird sanctuary. You are going to get about 224 animals! Most of them are birds. There will be 12 partridges, 22 turtle doves, 30 French hens, 36 calling birds, 42 geese, 42 swans and 8 cows. If you have a true love who is an environmentalist you might get 40 pheasants (golden ring neck) instead of real golden rings. That will up your total to 264 stinking animals!

It would be a good idea to have a couple of spare bedrooms as well. You’ll be having a lot of company. The milk maids, there will be 40, the 36 dancing ladies, the 30 leaping lords and the musicians, the 22 pipers and the 12 drummers will be needing a place to stay. You’ll probably need an extra pantry as well to hold all the food needed to feed the group.

Now, back to my business ponderings…how much is this fiasco going to cost? According to http://content.pncmc.com/live/pnc/microsite/CPI/2010/index.html#/book, the total price in 2010 will be $23,439.38. The chief economist at PNC decided to figure out how much it would cost to buy each of the gifts in the song. He didn’t know it but he’s started an economic tradition. It’s now called “The Christmas Price Index” and it’s in the twenty-seventh year. The price of each of the 78 gifts in the song is added together to get the total cost of Christmas. Wait, each of the 78 gifts? That’s only the total of the gifts given each day. But in reality the gifts are multiplied because you’re going to get the same thing over and over. Oh my! Who put math in Christmas!!? After all the multiplication and adding, the true cost of Christmas this year is $96,824.29. It’s the most expensive year in the 27 year history of the index and is up 9.2% from last year.

www.pncchristmaspriceindex.com

If your true love were to give you all of this for Christmas, you would certainly feel special. And most likely you’d make the headlines of the local, if not national papers. Then you might make headlines again as you went stark raving mad trying to take care of or get rid of all that mess! As for me, I think I’ll just take the 40 gold rings, keep one or two and trade the others in for something I really want.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me,
Five golden rings,

Knitayear is going on…for the 250th day! December 6 was a somewhat boring day. I hosted a workshop and it was good but when I was trying to follow my computer hung up. It was fast paced so I never caught up. I stayed in there but just had to kind of sit and play like I was interested. I picked a fuzzy blue yarn. Kind of a good, steady color! Day 251, Dec ember 7, was a day spent trying to renew the debit card, take care of canceling the other card and getting a new driver’s license. It’s a frustrating experience. But I did make it! I chose purple eyelash yarn. Purple makes me feel like I accomplished something and in reality, I did. Day 252, December 8, I was feeling a bit rebellious. I went to eat with a friend and we had a good time. Then I got the chance to leave work early so I took it! The highlight of my day was my Secret Santa package from my LSSK group. It’s an online knitting group where I’ve made many friends, silly as that might sound. Anyway, I got a great package! There were two skeins of Mini Mochi in a beautiful green and purple colorway, one skein of Rittratto in a vibrant hot pink with different color sparkles, note cards with my initial, purple stitch markers, a tin that says Merry Christmas full of chocolate goodies and the cutest tissues ever! She even included pattern suggestions for the yarn she gave me! It was the best package ever and I sure needed it today. I picked the hot pink Rittratto to add in. It’s pretty and it sure brightened up my day!

December 9, day 253 I was assiduous (how do you like that word!) and got a lot of things crossed off the to-do list. That always feels good. I chose a Homespun in an off white with multicolor throughout. The countdown to the holiday is on and I’m running out of time and starting to panic. Deep breaths…it will all come about, like it always does. I hope!

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking,
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!