Portland here I come . . . and stuff . . .

Well, the trip to Portland will happen on Monday! With some help from friends, I have rented a car and reserved my motel room. I will pick up the car Monday morning by 10 and head north. The appointment is on Tuesday morning at 8. I have no idea how long it will take - shouldn't be long since all they have to do is take a picture and fingerprints.

I'm going to head home as soon as it's over and hopefully be able to stop to enjoy the scenery along the way. I just don't know when it will be over!

Maybe another way home, besides I-5, would be in order. I could cut over to Hwy 97, but that is also a long boring drive! There just aren't that many ways over the Cascades, and I've been on most of them already.

On to better and happier subjects - - -

I'm puppy sitting for Dale's Blue Healer - is that really spelled 'healer' since basically they 'heel' when trying to move herds along? I'll have to look that up.

His name is Chaps, and he weighs in at around 80 lbs.!!! Normal should be about 55-60. Dale & his wife went to a Black Powder Shoot. Chaps isn't normally afraid of gunfire, and there will be plenty, but he would be in camp by himself most of the time, and he's a whiner.



I'd love to have gone, but SueAnn would have apoplexy!!!! Since my room mate moved, I don't have anyone to watch her, so I puppy sit. It's OK, he's a good dog.

Not much crafting going on, but I am still knitting the "Feathers and Fans" dishcloths. I have about a dozen now - it relaxes me before bedtime. I'm also experimenting with other patterns, but like that one the best so far.



The blue and green dishcloth above has the ridge in the pattern which I really like compared to the red and white dishcloth below. The one below has no ridge and to me it seems kind of boring. The ridges also help scrub the dishes better.

The camo cloth above is a basic basket weave and the yellow and green below is a basket rib.



I was introduced to the "Feather & Fan" by reading "miss woolly knits" from BC Canada. She is mostly housebound and has knit over 550 dishcloths. Her cloths are knit without the ridge and look just beautiful, I wonder why mine don't? The latest batch on her blog are in the most fantastic bright summer colors, just ready to eat!!!

Have a great weekend and I hope the weather is good for all of you.

Tidbits . . .

I never got to post more pictures of the Lilacs and Iris. We have had horrendous thunderstorms for the last week, and they beat my flowers all to bits.

We went camping last weekend and took up almost half the campground with friends and family. It is a small campground - only about 11-12 spaces - but it is so perfect for us. There are pit toilets, fishing dock and boat dock. That's it, no more. The road and spaces are paved, but the rest is left natural. There are picnic tables and fire pits at each campsite. They are dog friendly and there is an area outside the fence for doggy duty.

My dog, SueAnn, is the biggest "fraidy cat" when it comes to thunderstorms and she did pretty well. There were so many people milling around and we all ignored her, so her wigging out was ignored even though I did keep an eye on her. Aside from the bit of thunder and rain in the late afternoons, the weather was nice - in the 70's during the day and around 35-40 at night.

After we got home the storms continued and got a lot worse. Monday night I literally had to hold SueAnn by the collar to keep her from tearing up my house. She wants to hide in the smallest nook or cranny she can find. Well that just doesn't work when you weigh 60 lbs.! I finally had a "duh" moment - go get the kennel! I brought it in and when she started to feel the storm, I led her to the kennel and she went right in. I have put it in my soon-to-be craft room and drawn the curtains so it's dark, closed the door to kitty width, and left her alone. When the storm is over she comes out with her tail wagging and all is good!

I went to get my driver's license renewed on Tuesday and you now have to have a ton of proof of who you are, where you live and that you are in the US legally. I am a legal permanent resident and have a "green card". Well, the green card is no good any more. Huh?? There is no expiration date on it as it is one of the older versions. OK, but I thought that it was fine . . . laws have passed that you need to renew every ten years. Great, OK I will do that. What a shock - $370. to renew and I have to go to Portland, 300 miles away, to have my fingerprints taken and a picture! That's it, they don't need me for anything else. I don't have a rig that I feel comfortable driving that many miles over the Cascades and up I-5. I will find a way to get there.

I submitted the application on Wednesday and in 4-6 weeks they will let me know when I have to be there. I have absolutely no say in the date and time. I have no idea how much lead time I will get. So in essence I drop what I'm doing and go. What a great use of my time and money . . . It will be an overnight trip, so there is gas, food and a motel room to pay for, to have my fingerprints and photo taken.... go figure.

I realize this is to thin out the illegal population, but I have been here since 1956, and they know it! Oh well, go with the flow . . . but why can't they accept certified fingerprints and a photo taken by the local Police, Sheriff or State Patrol? These departments are not in cahoots with the illegal population!

OK, I'm done ranting. I know I am feeling sorry for myself over these expenses, but I am a 62 year old grandmother on Social Security and this money could cover a lot of other expenses during a month . . .

Next time I post it will be a happy post - I promise! I just needed to sniffle a bit.

I should take my own advice - Life is a journey, enjoy the ride.

Hugs to all.