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FEBRUARY 2007

FEBRUARY 27--New blanket pictures! Yeah! Also thanks to Diane and the gang from Canyon Villas-- two new boxes arrived today. I also want to thank someone from downstate Michigan with the last name initial of K WHO SENT ME AN ENTIRE BOX AND WHOSE ADDRESS I LOST! They are beautiful; and I am so sorry I lost your address. I will scour my office one more time! I remove addresses from any Close Knit Hugs boxes, as I did so with this one, and completely spaced out where I put it. The name was easy to remember because we have an accountant and a former county prosecutor with the same last name in Lewiston.

Boy did we get wind and snow over the weekend. I also had one of my usual disasters--which isn't a disaster so much as a lesson learned and just part of living. I ordered four counter stools; they arrived Sunday from a contracted Fed Ex carrier. He stacked them in the garage, leaving little room to get out the door. I opened the first box and noticed it read on the carton in clear, large print--DO NOT STACK BOXES. This should have been my first clue to the impending situation. I hauled the first chair into the house, put it together and awaited my husband's wrench and tightening abilities. They came in two pieces because they swivel. He performed the task, we liked the chair (and our work) and moved on to the the next three. I pulled them all out and collapsed the large, diswasher-size boxes. Hauling the new chairs inside, putting our old ones in the garage attic for the spring animal shelter garage sale, I wondered if any were damaged. Lo and behold, all three were. Could it have been because they were stacked? I called the company--and yes, these were U.S. made furniture--and the woman was pleasant and asked if I wanted three new ones. Of course, I did. However as she keyed in the order, what came up on her computer screen--the items were out of stock and discontinued. I would have to send all four chairs back, reconstruct the boxes, etc. Lesson: Check the pieces carefully! I will get a full refund , free shipping, .etc--but the hassle is huge! And my garage is packed until the chairs are picked up!

And another funny story--I took my mother to the doctor in Traverse City this past week. It's an hour and a half drive. I got mom in the car, put her walker in the back of the car as I went to empty her trash. Done with the garbage, I jumped in the car and drove to the doctor's. Once there, I opened Mom's door, went to the back of the car to get her walker, and guess what--I lhad eft it in the driveway in Lewiston. Luckily, there were some wheelchairs available. Mother and I laughed and laughed. She remarked in a wheelchair we were making some "good time" as I wheeled her in and out of elevators and offices.

More reasons to knit to forget! Enjoy the pictures. Email me any questions. An old friend sent me postage for our spring shipment! Thanks Pat!

FEBRUARY 15, 2007-- A belated Valentine's Day ! I had all good intentions of getting this update posted yesterday, but there were not enough hours in the day! And I thought it was cold last week!!!! This morning at 5:30 the thermometer read -15 degrees Fahrenheit. Since my husband put a satellite weather station in the kitchen window, some mornings I know more information than I want to.

My thoughts go out to our friends through the middle of the country and out East who have had one heck of week with snow, wind and blizzard-like conditions as well as the people in Louisiana who were just hit with a tornado. So many sad stories weather-related this week. And then the news that a well known insurance company has decided not to insure anymore homes in Mississippi--wow. . . .Nevertheless, you all certainly have heard my plea about some patterns and solid colors for our squares. I received a huge box from a lady near Detroit with some beautiful knitted squares as well as a couple packages from my friend Nan. She has been sending a variety of sizes--Thanks so much. I think I can now get one of the bigger square blankets completed.

Life has been fairly quiet here this week. People are a bit stir-crazy, but by February, this is fairly normal. Our fingers are chapped and cracking, we have put yet another coat of waterproofing on the boots, and we have dreams of green grass and the May arrival of Orioles. With all the seed catalogues arriving, we're all getting itchy to see soil but realize that's a long ways off! Our animal shelter group is getting ready for another cat spay and neuter campaign in March. We received a grant, and we're going to be charging a flat rate of $25.00 for the procedures. We're hoping to curb spring litters. At any rate, my second phone is at the ready for cat calls (pun intended); my friend Sally has volunteered her office for one "clinic" on St. Patrick's Day. The vet comes from about an hour and a half away, and his wife, a lovely woman, sensible and smart, refuses to get in the truck with him if it's snowing. Pray March 17th will be unseasonably warm, or Sal and I may find ourselves holding scalpels.

As promised I have taken new pictures of completed blankets; they're in my cousin's expert hands, and by this time next week, some new pictures should grace this page. Let me hear from you all--and Kathy in New York--I promise the box will go out--Friday--the 16th! Also thank you Carroll and Ruth--your hard work inspires me.

FEBRUARY 5, 2007 --BRRRR. . . IT'S COLD--Our thermometer read -8 last night with wind chill of -15 degrees. The cats, Bob and Betsy, who are outside most of the time, have been in and out , in and out, and in. The dogs--three rottweilers, Ozzie, Charlie and Frank, go out, come in and don't argue if we decide it's too cold for too long a walk. In fact there have been some interesting chases in a figure-eight pattern from our family room to the living room, around the couch out the living room door's second entranceway, around the dining room table and then back into the living room. The cats have finally figured out that they can hide under the couch and watch the dogs go around and around or make a quick exit up the stairs, leaving the big boys looking at one another as they wonder, "Where did they go?" All my grandmother's breakable items are secured--believe me!

I spent Friday night piecing together blankets; I had done so in late November, and my bags of quilts to put together had dwindled as we completed more. So I hauled all the squares out and began sorting. The dining room table has been extended since the holidays, and I made use of the extra leaves. Believe it or not, with all your squares, I have twenty bags with blankets ready to complete. (That's 750 squares!) I think I have explained this before, but I arrange by color and patterns and sizes and then lay out a blanket row by row, bagging the squares in the order they need to be crocheted togther,and numbering a ZIPLOCK™ bag for each row from 1-7. I then put the seven bags in some large plastic bags from various shops to hold each blanket. Recently, however as the bags are getting a bit tired, it dawned on me my other cousin gave the entire family canvas bags one year--about seven to each of us and all labelled with our initials as well as a heart he drew. We can always count on him to be creative. (This was the same year he gave us all earplugs.) He imagined we would use them to hold items in the car or perhaps the boys would use them to stash--whatever, but now I am using them for the blankets. I put seven ZIPLOCK™ bags of squares in each canvas bag. It makes it easy to just grab it as well as sending any along to my helpers. At any rate, we have lots to work to do in the next two months--some blankets are headed to my cousin in St. Louis for completion.

I have a request for anyone helping us--how about some solid colors on the squares in all sizes? I have two laundry baskets filled with squares that are gorgeous but need some solid colors to make them fit into a blanket--Stripes are also good as well as the different knitted or crocheted patterns. We can make just about anything work!

In case anyone is interested, here's a link to information on Operation Helping Hands, where volunteeers from across the country can go to New Orleans and help gut homes.

I promise new pictures of completed blankets within the next seven days! Stay safe and warm, and thanks to all of you still helping. There's plenty of reasons to do so!

FEBRUARY 1, 2007--Well, the gang from Canyon Villas in California have done it again! What a terrific way to begin February with two boxes and quite a few squares from new friends --thanks Joanne in Illinois and also to Marie from the College Avenue Community Adult Center.

I spent last night (after getting my online teaching duties completed) putting together a blanket which is made up of some beautiful knitted and crocheted squares. As I did so, I wondered if anyone was knitting or crocheting for the project across the country at this particular moment too. After the holidays are over, we are often left tired, resolute in New Year promises to ourselves and our families. But last night as I was watching Medium and Top Chef, crocheting, I decided I needed to get my act together. If you have listened to reports coming out of the Gulf States, you'll know that there are still people who are homeless, living in trailers which in many parishes are going to need special permits after March 1. As a volunteer wrote in an interview on MSNBC.COM:"For his part, Zeiderman says he urges departing volunteers to even higher levels of involvement. 'I always send them home with the message ‘Your work is not done.’ You need to spread the word to local newspapers and television stations … '".

It is volunteers who are rebuilding the Gulf States--our blankets can be one of the finishing touches in these efforts.

Think back to Fall 2005 and the horror and terror and disbelief we all experienced watching what happened to the Gulf States unfold. We cannot forget these memories, folks. A year and a half does not rebuild the area or mend survivors' lives--projects have been closed, websites have been shut down, but the words keep being repeated on BLOGS and in message boards--"We still need a lot of help."

So keep working contributors!

It's going to be very cold here this weekend--the weather service says -30 wind chill factor--so I will be putting blankets together. I hope you will also be helping me this month with your squares and help!