Well, it's October

Every single year in October, I get pregnancy symptoms. I'm nauseated. My boobs hurt. I'm exhausted. Every single year. More than once, I've bought a pregnancy test because I was convinced that I must be pregnant.

This year, I watched my fertility signs and I'm almost convinced I ovulated at least twice, maybe three times. I'm only almost convinced because I'm just going off cervical mucus, I didn't chart temps, etc.

Now, I wonder if I don't do this every year. Each released egg leaves behind a follicle which releases progesterone. Pregnancy symptoms are caused by an increase in progesterone. So now I'm left wondering if I were to get pregnant in October, if I would conceive twins.

So now, even though I know I'm not pregnant, I'll still wonder. By my calculations, I ovulated the first time 2 weeks ago on Friday, the last time 2 weeks ago come Thursday. So, if no period by Thursday, I'll be stressed thinking I must be pregnant.

Sigh

I finally start getting some nice clothes and the dryer starts to destroy them. My only cami, the one I need to go under my pink sweater and my tunic, now has a majorly stretched out strap. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I took it apart (just the one strap). I figure I wear it under things, not by itself, so I'm painstakingly fixing the strap. I joined the ends under the arm (which didn't get stretched out) to be the new strap over the shoulder. I'll sew the stretched out ends under the arm. If it looks bad? I'll tear it apart, and the other one too and find some ribbon that matches and sew it on. Then I can wear it by itself (if I get a wide enough ribbon).

This, this is why I don't use the dryer. I got sucked into by DH. This was my reminder - the dryer is evil.

I also planted my fall/winter garden today. Carrots, radishes, lettuce, bok choi, arugula, spinach, and kale. Wonderful foods that we love and use this time of year. Now I just need to remember to water them every day until they sprout and get established.

This week in Bug Hill

So, the Mayor's daughter is no longer pregnant. The rumor, of course, is that she had an abortion. I don't know if that's true, but as far as I know, she didn't leave town, and there's no way you're getting an abortion anywhere local.

The preacher's wife is soooo sick. Her OB sent her for an ultrasound to "date the pregnancy". Yeah, you see where this is going. She's having twins. I'd already finished 2 pairs of baby socks for the Mayor's daughter, so now I'm making more for the twins. Twins! Wow.

Susan Adams is moving out of town. She got a job in "the city". We're all excited for her. Well, okay, we're all just a tad bit jealous, but at the same time feel like she thinks she's better than us. Any of us could move, if we wanted to. Many of us have moved and then came back. Sure, living in the city is fun. I mean, if you want, for instance, Indian food, it's just a short-ish drive away. If you want it here? Yeah, it's at least an hour's drive. But in the end, we missed knowing our neighbors, and our neighbors' business.

Today, I started learning to darn socks. The pair I picked probably weren't the best. The yarn in them is very fine. So my darning looks pretty bad, but at least my toes no longer poke out. It's another way to a sustainable life.

DH made me a garden bed today. I'll plant some kale, spinach, lettuce and bok choi this week. It was cool this weekend, so I made a huge pot of beans and we had beans and cornbread for supper. DH spent the cool time doing yard work. It's a switch of roles for us, usually I do the yardwork and he does the cooking.

Small town life

I live in a small town. The kind with a gas station, a grocery store, a Sonic and about 5 churches (Catholic, Southern Baptist, Methodist, "Holiness" and Church of Christ - not to be confused with UCC).

Now I know a lot of people think living in a small town is dull. And I suppose it could be. But the truth is that I find more excitement living in a small town than I did in a large city (metroplex of 1,000,000+).

This week Doc Wilson got a new car. Now I know, that sounds dull, right? In a large city, people get new cars everyday. But you don't know about it unless you work with them or live on the same block, or maybe if you go to the same church. In a small town? We all knew about it. We all made appointments with Doc Wilson or found other excuses so we could go check it out.

It's a cute little car. He says it won't work for long trips, but it's sure fun to drive. It's an "upscale" sportscar. More of an old person's sports car. Not a ferrari, not a miata. Naw, it's really only a sportscar when you compare it to the Lincoln continentals normally driven by the more elite in our town. But it is cute.

Of course, going to see the car allowed us to catch up on all the other gossip in town. Mayor Zebrowski's daughter is going to have a baby. No one is quite sure who the father is, but we're sure he'll turn up before the baby is due. There's just not that many men in town. We've already divvied up the knitting tasks. Since I've recently learned to make baby socks, I get to make all the socks the baby could need to get it through a winter (yeah, our winter is nonexistent, but details!).

The Southern Baptist Preacher and his wife are expecting another bundle of joy. This makes eight. She claims to be "quiverful". No one is quite sure how many kids are in a quiver, but we're just all glad it's her and not us. Not that the kids aren't well behaved, for kids, but 8 kids under the age of 12 scares us. She's talking about homeschooling them, but always says "as soon as the baby is a little older". Of course, by the time the baby gets a "little older", she is pregnant with the next one. One of the less charitable women asked her how the southern baptist's felt about her teaching her male children, given their belief that women should not teach men. She ignored the woman. Of course, I thought it was a good point, but I would since that's why I'm no longer Southern Baptist.

Thanksgiving

I haven't done a thanksgiving post in a while.

In my life, I'm thankful for:

1) our continued good health

2) the wonderful weather we're having, even if it did rain out the game today, rain is good

3) the grapefruit tree in the backyard laden with fruit ready to ripen in a month or so

4) a wonderful dh

5) relative prosperity and a wonderful dh who agrees how to manage it

6) the fact that we didn't get snow here

7) a very intelligent child, who doesn't fully understand how intelligent he is (so that he's not full of himself)

8) a strong child - even if he is giving me gray hairs, at least I can count on him not to go along with his friends just because

9) good jobs with flexibility

10) good public schools for our kids

11) good friends

Grown up life?

I know that what I'm doing now is not really what I want to do for the rest of my life. It isn't that I don't like what I'm doing. I do. But there are parts I really don't like and it doesn't quite reach the level of "making a difference" that I'd like.

DH's suggestion is to develop my forestry skills and become a certified arborist and then use my skills to help people with their trees.

He suggests being a consulting arborist. This sounds good, in theory. But I'd be self employed, which means I'd have to market myself. I'd also have to follow through on things. I'm not the best at self-motivating, which this would require.

I don't need to decide right now. And even if I do decide to do it, it will take some time to act. I would need to find a certified arborist test date, study for the test and pass the test. Then I would need to study more. I'd probably spend quite a bit of time with DH testing my skills. This is what he does, so he would be able to train me.

The boys are old enough to spend afternoons at the boys and girls club. Which is just a drop in, come when you want program. I could work my regular hours at my regular job and then if I have an appointment to consult on trees, I could drop them off to do their homework and then play with the other kids while I took care of my appointment.

I'm still thinking about it, but I think I've decided to at least give it a go.

Baby sock pattern?

So, I finished the baby blanket and now I'm looking for a good baby sock pattern. The problem is that I have promised not to buy new supplies, so I'm stuck with heavy weight yarn and dpn (double pointed needles) that are just a tad too large. I need a baby sock knitted in the round that has no more than 20 stitches. I can find that on 2 needles but I'm not interested in sewing a seam.

I'm experimenting some and hope that the 24 stitch sock will work. If not, I have toddlers I can give them too, but I hate to give a toddler man-made fiber socks. Socks should be natural fibers so that they don't overheat little tootsies too much and so they stand up to wear a little better.

Wow, October already!

When did that happen? I had such plans for September and didn't accomplish any of them. I seriously need to get out there and plan my fall garden and get it in. We still have plenty of time (I could call it a winter garden, I suppose).

I've been knitting again. It started by visiting the evil Wal-Mart (we had to have soccer socks and Target was out) where I came across the most sumptious yarn on sale. My cousin had a baby recently and I've been meaning to start on a blanket for her, but had no yarn.

I enjoy knitting. It's a nice, old-fashioned, sustainable thing to do. What I don't enjoy is the yarn I can afford - non-natural fibers. Maybe by this time next year we can afford the good stuff.