Friday, February 26, 2016

Five grouches on Friday






Amy at Love Made My Home hosts Five on Friday every week.  She is so wonderful to do so and every week people join in and celebrate something great about their lives and their week. I seem to have come up with five very random photos to share as my thoughts are random and not so positive at the moment.

It seems as I get older something will set me off and I have a hard time letting it go.  This week I received a letter in the mail from our Home Owners Association about installing cameras at our entrance and exit gates.  I wrote to the woman at the agency who sent the letter stating my displeasure with the idea and gave her the reasons I felt were an appropriate in response to the reasons stated for having the cameras.  She forwarded the email to the president of the association who wrote me back about his opinions on the matter.  I felt such anger at her for forwarding an email sent directly to her without my permission.  When I stated as much she said it should be assumed she would do so.  I wrote back to the president in response to his email stating it was a privacy issue and he should not have received my email, nor commented on it. I also wrote that he should make sure each letter that goes out from the agency states that he will receive emails sent to the agency even though it states to send the emails to the agents specific email address.  Does any of that make sense?  Such a little issue, but it got me very worked up none the less.

Pollen.  Well I just can't say enough against it.  I live near a very wooded area and the pollen from the trees covers everything outside in a thick blanket of green.  Finally when it is nice enough to have your windows open you can't because everything inside will turn green, too.  I have to wipe down my outside area 3 or 4 times a week, and it still doesn't seem to clean up, the pollen just gets moved around, and around, and around.  I have at least 5 more weeks of this, yuck!

I am not sure why I seem to wake up extra early with a headache almost every Friday.  Friday is my day off so it is not a fun way to start the day.

I went to a new to me yarn store south of where I live but near one of the medical foster homes I visit.  The ladies were so lovely, very kind and friendly, but I felt their inventory was a mesh of everyone's old stash.  There were price tags on things that seemed to be years old, and I have to say, as cute as the store was it smelled like old yarn.  I won't be going back anytime soon that is for sure.  My LYS is closing, the owner is retiring, that does not make me happy at all.

I have gone up a pants/shorts/skirt size and I am not happy about it.  My weight is the same, and yes I need to exercise more, but that bigger number really irritates me.

Oh and I need more, time to knit, I know that is six but so be it!

On another note, several of you have asked what a medical foster home is.  Here in the United States we have a foster care system for children who cannot be with their families for various reasons. Medical foster families have had extensive training with complex, medically involved children in need of a home.  These children have been separated from their parents for various reasons, some may go up for adoption, (Little Buddy is an example) and some will be reunited with their families when their case plan has been approved.  In rare cases the family cannot take care of their child due to the distance they live away from the hospital, but they are still very much involved in the child's life.  I have seen many of the kids I work with be adopted into new homes, some going to live with a family member but not their birth parents, and some returning to their parents after much training and monitoring.  These medical foster families take on very complex children and give them the love and care they need to flourish, they also make sure they get all services needed to help them develop at the best rate possible.   Little Buddy's medical foster family is still very much involved in his life as they love him so much, and because I am at their home 4 - 8 hours per week working on their own adopted children, and the children they have in care.  They worked so hard to help him, and their stable love helped make the transition to our home as easy and smooth as possible. 


Knitting, I am looking at you!  You and I are going to find some much needed time to be together today.

Happy Weekend!

34 comments:

kathy b said...

Headaches are no fun. Sizes going up make me very crabby. LYS issues downright sad.
I LOVE the color way of your current WIP.
Wishing you are better second half of your Friday Mere. Hugs
Remember you are still grieving...it is hard

linda said...

I'm glad i'm not the only one Meredith everyone seems to write about happy things but I always seem to be moaning, I can empathise with all that you have said and agree wholeheartedly about the e-mail. I remember a private letter was sent to me at my place of work from an insurance firm, I don't even know how they got the address I never ask for private mail to be sent there, anyway the secretary had opened it, read it, left the letter out of the envelope and asked a passing care assistant to pass it on to me in my department. I was furious! but when I confronted the secretary she said I had no right to have mail delivered to work and she had every right to open the letter and read the contents! I still get angry when I think about it. Do you sleep a little longer on your day off meredith I find that when I do I have a headache and try to get up as soon as I wake even on my days off. I hope you find some quality knitting time this weekend. :) xx

Bridget said...

Oh wow, I can identify with you on so many of these, particularly the privacy and the pollen!

And frankly, I'm surprised it only sets you off for a day - I usually have to hold on for a few ...

Love the yarn in the photo! It looks like a spring day.

Have a good weekend - here's hoping we both get rid of our headaches!

mamasmercantile said...

Bless you, hope your headache clears quickly. There is nothing worse than having the disappointment of a horrible yarn shop, there isn't anything decent where I am, I have to drive a fair way to shop. I use it as an excuse to over buy. Hope you manage to catch up with your knitting.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

I have a big case of the grumpies! I can't seem to get in a happy mood but for short periods of time. Oh well, it will pass. Hugs to you and Little Buddy.

Linda

Unknown said...

Here's to a GREAT weekend of relaxing, pollen lessening, new yarn shops opening up (we had TWO open when my old favorite closed!), summer activity that helps you go back to your previous size, a solution to the headaches (we had a snow day yesterday and my body woke me at 6 AM!), calming of your frustrations at the association (I totally feel your pain) and LOTS and LOTS of time for knitting!!

Unknown said...

And PS - LOVE the colorway of your current WIP!

Toni said...

Oh no--what a not good day! I suppose they have to happen once in a while, but why on Friday? Hope there's something truly wonderful ahead in your weekend to make up for it. :)

Anonymous said...

Oh no ...... another shop closing? Which one is it?

What was the other LYS you went to. I hadn't heard of another one opening and since we will be over there in a couple of weeks.......

Still hoping to see you then. Hope you have a good weekend.

Hugs!

gigi knits said...

Waking up with headache is the worst..
Can I ask which LYS is closing. Hoping it's not the one in Odessy .

gigi knits said...

PS: loving the color of your yarn .

Janet said...

Let it all out. It's good to give voice to our grievances, even if we think they are petty.
The medical foster family sounds such a wonderful thing. What excellent work they do and it's great that Little Buddy's medical foster family are still a part of his life.
I hope you and your knitting have plenty of quality time together this weekend. Love to you Meredith. X

Gracie Saylor said...

While the six plus hugs I am typing to you will not change your negative circumstances, I hope they will help love you through those negative circumstances. [I love your photos and the colorway of your knitting, too]

In my last post I showed three photos of a new tea shop Grantie took me to to celebrate my birthday. I called it a sweet shop, and it was, but what I didn't tell you was that we arrived 30 minutes before closing. Our proper little server girl informed us of this before we ordered our tea. Grantie had called ahead and knew that the menu included salad which we had planned to order, but we were not allowed to because it was too close to closing. We asked for gluten free scones which Grantie had been told on the phone that they had but our server told us they did not have any. However, she went back to check [precious time wasted]. When she eventually served us our tea and scones and pralines, she informed us that we could have take out boxes to take them with us. By this time Grantie was getting a little flustered and I was trying not to burst out laughing. We proceeded to consume our ok-dry scones and yummy pralines and tea when our proper little server girl appeared with our bill...and stood there.... I asked if she happened to have a hot to go cup for the rest of my tea and while she went to fetch one we wolfed down the last bites of sweets with me trying not to choke while laughing. Poor Grantie. I took her out for salad for dinner at a restaurant where we sat by a fireplace to eat yummy crab salads and happily chat at our leisure until it was dark out :) Life! xxxxxxx

CJ said...

England. That's where you need to be Meredith. No cameras, no pollen and if you come and live near me there is a lovely yarn shop that I know you will LOVE. Well, I may be exaggerating slightly when I say no cameras and no pollen, but it's not as much. And you will drop at least one dress size and have four extra hours a day to knit I'm certain of it. Sorry about the email being forwarded, that's not nice. And the pollen must be so frustrating. I do hope you have a lovely weekend to make up for it all. CJ xx

Blondie's Journal said...

I smiled when I read your post title, Mere---no, no, no. I'm not happy abut your grievances but rather I so identify with this stuff. In fact...it happene to me at least 5 times a day! If you can't vent a little on your blog, well, do it anyway! lol! One thing I have learned (as with something somewhat like what occurred with your HOA), that if you can shake it off by turning your attention to other things, really focusing on something else, the problem won't change but your mind will very likely calm down to the point where you might later wonder why you let it get to you. I know...easier said then done and believe me, I have conversations in my head 24/7 about what I should have said or written or ranted! But we only hurt ourselves letting it linger once we've done all we can do. Does that help a little?

Pollen. Ugh. Mold and pollen are huge on my allergy list. I had a doctor tell me to never open my windows until after 1:00 pm as pollen is at it's highest count in the morning. But this is Illinois so I don't know if that applies to you. As far as your headaches, I wonder if you could pop an Advil or Tylenol a couple of hours before you have to get up. I'm up and down all night with insomnia so it would be no problem for me. At least to start your day off right. Or you could try to find a 12 hour pain reliever to take before bed. Who knows--maybe you don't like meds. I'm very grumpy in the morning. Once I actually get out of bed and moving I totally snap out of it. Someone told me to lie in bed and tell myself, "This is going to be a great day!". So far it's working! Do you have a lot of stuff packed in on your day off?

Okay...I'm done being a psychoanalyst!!!

Thanks for your visit. Can you believe those boots were only $19.99? And suede!!! Totally not practical here in February but I nearly lost it when I saw that price tag!

Have a good weekend. Find some time to knit girl!! :)

Jane

A Whole Lotta Magic said...

Well Meredith, this is refreshing. Real life is not always sunshine and butterflies; we should all just get real and tell it like it is.

Good for you. I hope you got some knitting done.

Shortbread and Ginger said...

Love the colours in your knitting. Look forward to seeing the finished article.
Liz

Christina said...

Oh dear Meredith, I am sorry life is not treating you nicely at the moment. I would second CJ's advice (well, almost): Scotland, near me. Definitely no pollen or cameras where I live and the yarn shop is delightful, serves coffee and cake and hosts knit nights. It may not be the best for your trouser size :-) I am sorry your letter has been forwarded without your consent, this would anger me, too. We recently experienced the opposite, it transpired that the social work department dealing with our letterbox contact has not forwarded letters to James' and Alistair's birth parents. I don't know how long for but the birth mum was desperate enough to seek out Richard via FB and ask. I feel awful to think that our six monthly letters have been sitting in a desk drawer for all that time.
Wishing you a restful weekend and I do hope you'll have time to pick that knitting up. Lots of love. Cx

Babajeza said...

I wish you to find time for knitting. It seems that we get headaches on our days off (same with gettin sick) because on other days there is no time for such "nuissances". My mother used to have headaches on Sundays. Enjoy your weekend. Hugs, Regula

Jo said...

I totally agree about the email, in these times so much emphasis is put on privacy issues, that's really bad. I love the photo of the tulips, aren't they gorgeous when they've opened out like that and they seem to change colour at that time too.

riitta k said...

The rose is fascinating!

Mac n' Janet said...

You're absolutely right about the e-mail, you should have been informed before it was forwarded anywhere.
I live here in the States and I'd never heard of medical foster homes before, how interesting.
Love the color of your project.

tattoo thoughts said...

Excellent site I have bookmarked your site..

Acorn to Oak said...

Oh, homeowner associations! I understand your frustration! Ours has made me so angry at times. I guess the idea of them is good but the execution often sucks! Good luck!

Wow! That's a LOT of pollen!

That's interesting to read that you get headaches on Fridays. I swear I get headaches on Thursdays more than any other day. It seems crazy and I've tried to figure out why but just can't! Crazy! I hope you're feeling better!

That yarn store sounds disappointing. I've been in some like that. Seems like yarn shops are slowly disappearing and it's hard to find good ones. We don't have any local yarn shops any more. I have to drive 30 minutes to an hour to the closest shops and I don't love any of them. :(

I need more knitting time too! Seems like about the only time I ever knit these days is at our weekly stitch gathering. Sigh!

Thanks for trying to answer the question about medical foster families. So, you are a foster family for Little Buddy? I thought he was your son. You love him and treat him as if he were. :-)

I hope you have a good weekend with lots of relaxing knit time! :-)

Pondside said...

I'm not fond of pollen either - it stains the car, gets tracked into the house and in a really bad season it clogs the eaves troughs.
I have to say that I am in agreement with you regarding the forwarding of the email.

Wainwright and Wright.Co said...

Sorry to hear you have a headache every Friday, that is really annoying. I can see why the other issues annoy you too, feel free to air any grumps here, this is what blogging is about, both good moments and bad moments. Hope you and your knitting are managing to spend some time together!
Caz xx

Teresa Kasner said...

Hey Mere.. I can so relate to those hiccups in life. I can say that I don't suffer from pollen.. you pour thing. I do have a guy in one of my groups that has made me crazy miserable for 10 years now.. always criticizing me for this or that.. I'd like to put a hit out on him.. LOL! I hope you have a good weekend though.. your HH has encouraged me to pick mine up again. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Caffeine Girl said...

Of course you wake up with a headache on Friday -- it's because you've worked so hard for the previous four days! Still, it would be nice if those headaches would leave you alone.
I don't have a homeowner's group and hope I never do. I get frustrated enough dealing with the city. One more layer of bureaucracy would make me crazy.
And I'm so sorry your LYS is closing. One of ours closed recently, but we are lucky to have quite a few so I can't complain.

Vicki Boster said...

Grouch on sister--- I'm behind you and totally approve of your grouches-- all of them. The privacy thing especially-- you are right -- there should be a public disclaimer if letters are to be forwarded and shared.

I'm sorry your yarn store is closing-- that's such a bummer. So the search is on for a new one... don't go back to the drab one.

Oh yes-- the clothes issue.... I can only just say that for me it's a constant battle. And the older I get- the harder it is to stay fit and trim:(
I'm taking this issue seriously and have buffed up my exercise regimen- I hired a personal trainer. Will see how that goes!!
Vicki

handmade by amalia said...

I've long known that some people live and some things exist simply to annoy me :-)
Hope you're feeling better, poor you.
Amalia
xo

Lynne said...

The pollen is a nightmare - that alone would be giving me a headache. You need a big group hug xxxxxx! That's what we are here for :)
Sometimes it feels like the universe is conspiring against us. You sound like a worn out mama who needs some down time. Hope your weekend has some for you :)

Judy S. said...

Sure am glad we don't have a Homeowner's Assn.! Hope by now you've cheered up though and had time to do a lot of your lovely knitting. That is one gorgeous rose you photographed. I just pruned our roses, so it'll be a long time till we get any blossoms. The daffodils and crocuses are outh though.

elns said...

I'm glad you explained medical foster family for everyone. I'm still just so grateful for the people in the world that foster and nurture kids (and their whole families) that need it in whatever capacity. We have a charity here that is run by the Social Workers for foster kids and all the funds go directly to the services these kids can't necessarily get from the system -- those extra pieces of sports and activities fees, camp opportunities. Since it's run by the Social Workers that donate their time, the monies go directly to these services opposed to a lot of Administration. Anyways, I dunno, I've always have a soft sport for people that have are in the system, client or service provider, worker in social services.

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Yep, I hear you on the size thing. My weight is the same but my clothes are fitting quite different. Our friends in Sri Lanka said I look great, but they could tell I had a little weight in my stomach, which is exactly where I seem to be spreading. Nothing seems to be in the right place so I've got to work a little harder at toning up. Emails are a tricky business. When we send something, we never know what the person on the other end will do with it. The important thing is you got your point across.