Friday, April 3, 2009

Is "Tump" A Real Word?

Our Thursday Night Knit Group is such a diverse group. Yes, "Tump" is a real word-it's in my dictionary. Unfortunately, around these hills, tump means to fall out of, or off of, something. Like- "Don't lean your chair back like that or you will tump out of the chair." or "When you are paddling through the rapids ahead, don't lean to the right of the canoe or you will tump out of the canoe." In my dictionary "tump" is a chiefly diag Eng meaning a small rise of ground (like a mound).

Also, what is the etiquette for taking pictures of people's headstones? Okay, so it is not normal to take pictures of people's headstones? I was raised by two great-grandmothers and two grandmothers and a grandfather. They were always-always- dragging me to cemeteries. Remember the days of decorating gravestones? Remember the big celebrations of getting together and having HUGE picnics at the cemeteries? Well, I do, and I learned a lot about families and family history this way.

Of course, this is a very Southern thing to do. I remember reading the first page in a book once that summarized with a girl in the back seat of the car going to another cemetery with her mother and aunts. And she talked about the Southern tradition of visiting cemeteries. I had to read that book, because that was me. Only I didn't have aunts, I just had great-aunts and great-great-aunts.

I remember going to Mississippi with my great-grandmother and grandmother one very hot summer to visit relatives. The next Saturday we were heading to a very obscure, rural cemetery that had not been taken care of by the caretakers, so my cousins' church made it a project to clean it up and make it "right". We spent the entire day out there, cutting vines, mowing, trimming around the headstones, and "making it right". My great-grandmother disappeared at some point while we were all inside the chapel building cleaning that and eating our lunch. It was years later that I found out that she had been engaged to a young man that died the night before their wedding of some kind of flu. She went to visit his headstone. Isn't that remarkable? She became a "real person" to me when I heard that. I was too young to understand the day we went to the cemetery, but when I was old enough she gave me his picture to keep.

So with this heritage, that is why my cousin and I went to the cemetery the first thing we got to town last Sunday. He was not raised in the South as I was, but he has a degree in history. He has a connection to the past. My connection is cultural, his is research. But we did enjoy looking at the headstones and reading the inscriptions. He explained the veteran's stones to me. Each war has a different style of monument. So as one looks around the cemetery, one can spot the civil war veterans, the Spanish-American veterans, the WW I, the WWII vets, etc. I am still fascinated by the shuttle on the headstone. I almost want to go and meet this lady.

Anyway, we had a nice group last night at the knitting circle. Tracie is still working on her shadow knit piece. Colleen is working on her sweater. But for the most part, people are bringing in small pieces to work on. It is hard to concentrate with the loud talking, the discussions we have, and the eating. Yes, there were three plates of cookies. I was really good-not one cookie. I have lost 20 lbs on this diet I am on. I messed up big time eating out with my cousin, but I have lost the three lbs I gained in 24 hours!

I have decided to give these socks from Hell to my girlfriend in Kansas for Easter. She just started a new job, and I think she needs something. She won't let me buy any clothes for her, or give her some money for new clothes. So a new pair of socks it is. I finally got started on the second sock after three attempts to get it going. I got high behind Wednesday to finish this one and mailed in time for Easter. So last night I stayed up late to get to the heel flap. I am halfway through the heel flap now. So maybe-just maybe-they will be done next week and washed and blocked and ready to go. I like to make a complete CARE pkg for her with plastic eggs with trinkets and candy. I also have a new dishcloth for her. She always needs a new dishcloth.

I am still chugging along with the Surprise jacket. That's all I am going to say about it. I LOVE the colors that I dyed and it will be pretty. Just heavy.

I listened to Suzy Orman yesterday on Oprah about how to get through the recession. I am really, really, really happy that I was raised by all these older people. They taught me how to do things for myself, and I am always questioning any purchase for frivolous things. Like clothes. I am happy that I know how to knit, sew, and put food away. I also know how to do a lot of my own home repairs, and I have a bunch of power tools I hardly use. My brother gave me the nicest circular saw that I would consider to be a professional model. He is in construction, and he just handed it to me.

I feel sorry for a lot of people that do not know how to give up all the unnecessary things. Yesterday Suzy was helping this one couple cut even more of their expenses. One of the things she cut out was manicures and pedicures. It was a shock that they could save over two hundred dollars a year by just cutting that.

So we are in our April showers/cooler weather pattern. We had a frost this morning. Today is supposed to get up to around 64 degrees. Then more rain this weekend. Then cooler weather for a coupla days. Then more rain. You get the idea. I did get high behind this week and finished out the flower bed in front. I have more seeds in there that I cannot tell you what all I planted. I have horded flower seeds forever, and a friend and I had an exchange of seeds. I have broccoli, spinach, and three kinds of lettuce up in the veggie garden. The spinach is making it's second leaves now. I planted my potatoes, although it is too wet and mucky for them. I couldn't wait any longer. I am waiting for the rest of the veggies to plant. We are supposed to get two cold snaps next week.

My neighbor got the tractor going again, and maybe, just maybe, we can get my dirt pile moved to around back. Then I finish out the front of the house, and be done. Yeah! The back is an ongoing project.

So that's the news of the week. Not a lot going on. Just the normal work that has to get ready for summer, and just my continuous knitting projects. Will get back later.

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