Convention report

I'm back from our AFSCME Council 24 convention. I'm exhausted. Paulette won the election and is now the Vice President of AFSCME Council 24. Woo hoo!

Our banquet last night had a Mardi Gras theme. Here's a picture of us at the banquet-our president, Bob, is lying in the front:





I even got to knit for a while when I was waiting for the day to start yesterday.

I'm glad to be home and so is Billy. Billy had a pretty good time at the Holiday Inn. He's an okay car rider, except today on the way home he did get carsick. Poor kitty. At least I had two towels in his cage so that I could just remove the top one.

Busyness

Later today I have to drive to Green Bay to attend the AFSCME Council 24 annual convention until Friday. Churchill the cat will be my escort for the event (well, at least in the hotel). Jeffy is staying home and his friendly cat sitter will be stopping by to visit with him and feed him. Jeffy isn't a good car rider and face it, he's an old guy who probably is happier staying at home (he's 14 1/2 now).

Unfortunately, this keeps both Paulette and I from knit night, which we are sad about. I'll be there next week! Paulette will be in San Francisco next week, at the AFSCME International annual convention.

Speaking of knit night, even the Starbucks employees are getting into the act:

This is Jane, with the beginnings of her very first sock. She was excited to show it to me, as you can tell.

Rain, rain go away....PLEASE!

It's raining massively outside again. Could it stop now please? I don't mind a little to water the garden, but this is getting really ridiculous this summer.

On the weekend Paulette and I went to the art fair at the Paine Art Center. Here's what I bought for at home:

It's currently residing in the bathroom.

Here's a print I bought for my office in the Music Library:

Not much else to report here. It's knit night tonight--if it isn't flooded out, that is. That better not happen.

It's been a busy time!

I've been so busy, I haven't really had time to blog. The week of July 4 was nutso. Last week, being the second week of the month where I have lots of meetings in the evening, was also not condusive to blogging.

So, here we are.

The blankety-blanking rodents in the garage built yet another nest in my heater fan and duct in my car right after I cleaned it the last time. So, I ended up doing that again on July 6. And then my back hurt me for over a week after since to reach the fan one must pretzel-ize themselves under the passenger side dash. I honestly don't know how men fit under there to do this. I barely do. Paulette now has rodent repellent in the garage that seems to be keeping them away. I don't want to put poison in there because then one of them will probably crawl up into my fan and die in there. That's much more disgusting than cleaning out their nesting materials.

Let's move on to happier thoughts. Paulette and I went up to Iris to the Penny Straker trunk sale. I went to find yarn for the Jennifer cardigan pattern. I found 8 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed in a lovely plum shade:

I am still working on my lace shawl. I have 24 rows left on the body of the shawl and then I can start the edging, which I've heard seems to take forever.

After I'm done with that (or if I'm not done with my shawl by Aug. 1), I'm going to start this sweater, so that I can get some wear out of it yet this year:

Click here to see the pattern on elann.com: free pattern

Perhaps then I'll start the cardigan--or the other shawl I want to make--or the lace scarf from "Victorian Lace Today". Who knows?

Our garden is looking just lovely: