Egads and Little Fishes!

Finally I get a break and get to catch up on my life.

I'm done with softball except for the next 4 weekends with tournaments and my volleyball class is finished with everyone passing with flying colors (I'm so proud of them!). I'm not babysitting right now because my niece was laid off from her job but I still get to see my 2 local great nieces whenever I want. High school volleyball starts really soon and I am itching to get back on the court and officiate. Plus, in September, I will get to see my long-distance great niece and great nephew (he was born a week ago). Time to spoil them rotten so Aunt Dodi is knitting up a storm.

Speaking of knitting - I have learned how to make socks. My first pair were for myself and they are hideous!! But I made them! I'm going to try a baby sweater for my new great nephew next. I'll post pictures soon.

I'm back again....

Sorry I haven't been here in a while but I haven't been spending much time online doing "fun" stuff. I have been busy doing transcription work (read that as volunteering) for FamilySearch.org and I learned how to knit! I can knit, purl and yarn-over now. My last knitting class is this week and I am already looking at starting another one if my budget will allow. I have noticed that I have been much calmer since I started knitting and I am really enjoying myself. It was tough at first and I did contemplate giving up but I stuck with it and I am making some really cute things now. I'll have to take some pictures to post here.

I will be participating in 2 charities - one in Columbus call "Under the Bridges" that knits hats, scarves, gloves, mittens and socks for the homeless and another that is based in Boston that uses knitted or crocheted 9 x 9 squares to make make blankets. The finished blankets are then given to the formerly homeless that are moving on to a home program. 9 x 9 squares are easy to do and it's a good way to use up all those scrap balls that you never know what to with once you are done with a project.

I'm going to approach my pastor about starting a knitting/crocheting/loom knitting group at our church. It's a good way to fellowship with others and to benefit those in need. It doesn't have to be just knitting for the homeless but we could do prayers shawls and lap blankets also.

My schedule for my busy months will be starting really soon. I'll have rec softball on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Christian softball on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Filming city council on Mondays and the third Tuesday of the month. Plus I will be babysitting for 2 of my great nieces 3 to 5 days a week. In July, I will be starting my volleyball class for new officials and high school volleyball will start in late August and end in mid-October with possible tournament assignments till mid-November. Plus I will still be volunteering for the Marion County Historical Society/Heritage Hall, Celebrate Marion, the Marion County Fair and a few political candidates.

Speaking of Celebrate Marion - we are going to be doing something a bit new this year - a cake silent auction/contest. It will be open to anyone. Just think "Ace of Cakes" & "Cake Boss" but on a smaller scale. There will be 2 trophies - Judges Choice and People's Choice. Plus you will be able to put it a bid on your favorite cake to take home and eat. All proceeds will be going to Turning Point, a domestic violence shelter in Marion County that serves a 6 county area. They lost over $150,000 in state and federal funding, so any little bit of money helps people with keeping their jobs.If you are in Marion County and love to decorate cakes contact me at dodirt@gmail.com for more information.

Peeved

I'm a bit peeved. Ok - not a bit - alot peeved. On March 18 the fuel pump in my beloved 1999 Bonneville decided to die on me. No fuel pump means no gas to the engine and it is located above the fuel tank and I couldn't change it in the grocery store parking lot. So I called my darling hubby and a tow truck. Took it to a mechanic that I have been using for years. Well, today is March 27th and I still don't have my car!!! As of the 25th it still hadn't been worked on. I am not a happy camper at all. I live too far out in the country to walk into town - well, I could walk in but it would take a couple of hours just to get to the corporation limit - and I am tired of having to borrow my hubby's truck or my step-sons cars. I want my car back!!!!!!!!!!

I have also been busy with several other things too. I'm learning how to knit (that has been an adventure!), going back and forth between the dentist and oral surgeon and my health and dental insurance about pulling a tooth, re-aligning one side of my jaw, and tongue reduction surgery (more on this one shortly). Plus, I have been doing my regular volunteer stuff with Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness

Now about the tongue - I have a tongue that is actually too big for my mouth. A normal tongue will sit between your lower teeth but mine literally fills the whole bottom of my mouth. I have always been this way - since birth. There are perfect impressions of the teeth in the sides of my tongue. One night, while at work, I bit my tongue so badly that I had to go to the ER and get a few stitches. The ER made an appointment for me with an oral surgeon to see what could be done to help prevent this. Lo and behold, a Dr. Allison from Ohio State University School of Dentistry, had developed the surgery I need and the oral surgeon was one of his students. Here comes the fun part - my health/dental insurance denied the claim as "pre-existing". Of course it's pre-existing - I WAS BORN THIS WAY!!!!!! It took a bit of arguing with them but now they are going to cover it and my jaw re-alignment. The only problem? They want each surgery done separately. The tongue means wired shut for 6 to 8 weeks. The jaw is in 2 parts and each will require being wired shut for 8 weeks. That means being wired shut for almost 6 months!!!!!! The good thing is that I will finally lose that last 75 pounds that I haven't been able to lose in 19 years. The bad thing is that I have to have 3 1/2 months with no wires during volleyball season (I'm an official for middle school and high school). So that means I'll be wired shut during Thanksgiving and Christmas :(

A long couple of days

I have managed to survive 3 funerals in 5 days - my godfather, a friends mom and a great-aunt. All three passed away after a long bout with Alzheimer's.

The past 2 days have been spent at our local museum, where I am a docent, doing our yearly big clean. I didn't participate last year due to my darling hubby having knee surgery a few weeks prior and he still couldn't bear any weight on his right leg, so I was at home playing hand maiden.

This year I was asked to clean our soda fountain back bar. I could tell that no one had touched it since I cleaned it 2 years ago. It was disgustingly filthy. I decided to look it over really well before I did anything except brush dust off with a soft paint brush. I found a few places that we need to have repairs done and I also talked with a furniture restorer on the best way to clean it. I knew enough that I needed to leave the "old" dirt. I just wanted to get the "new" dirt off. So I went a bought a bottle of lemon oil and spent 5 hours "painting" on the oil, letting it sit for a few minutes, then wiping it off. Well worth the time I spent (and the sore back and knees - size 11 feet don't fit well on step ladders). It looks absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!!!!! Our director and I have decided that I am going to do this once a month (I'll just use a soft cloth instead of the paint brush) to keep it looking pretty.

Not a good couple of days. Found out my godfather passed away last Tuesday and a friends mother passed away on Friday then my great aunt passed away this morning. The only good thing about all this is relief for the families as Alzheimers was involved with all three.

My godfathers Catholic high mass funeral was Saturday. My friends mom's Lutheran funeral will be tomorrow and my great aunt's Methodist funeral will be later this week.

Aimless Ramblings

About my blog name - it's really simple - it's my first name (Dodi) with my middle initial and the first letter of my maiden name - so you get Dodirt. It is also the first screen name I ever had on the internet and I have stuck with it since 1996.


My darling hubby decided to take a vacation day today. Unfortunately, it was my errand day so he was home with the dog, Hank the Wonder Dog, and two cats, Psymon the Psyco and Des the Loudmouth while I went on my errands.

I did spend a couple of hours talking about yarn and knitting with a wonderful lady today. She was fascinated with the knitting looms and boards I use instead of crochet hooks and knitting needles. I'll post pictures of a few of the things I have made eventually.

Today hasn't been too bad of a day. I'm just glad that this snow has stopped. If I wanted this much snow I would have stayed in Germany!

New at this

I am new at this even tho I do read a few blogs occasionally. There are times when my life is calm and somewhat normal BUT there are times when I swear someone up there doesn't really like me and decided that I need to have endless bouts of insomnia and and the inability to eat (not that not eating is going to hurt me any!).

Ever felt like no one gives a hoot as to whether you even exist? I have and have problems dealing with it.

Know what it is like to never have a long-time close friend? Been there and done that and still dealing with it.

In general, I am a happy person. My husband is my best friend EVER! My ex was never my friend. But he did give me three wonderful children who drive me batty. My husband gave me two more sons, that I didn't have to give birth to either, and they are just like my own. My five children are all adults now but are still a joy in my life.

I am going to stop here before I ramble off into the stratosphere and I'll post more later.