Satellites, Bears and Knitting

My Internet has been down since April 6 when the Internet satellite I use suddenly quit working. First someone from Florida called to make an apt to fix it. The next day someone from VA called to make apt and then someone from Iowa. WHAT? I live in SC, did anyone tell them that? or do they have an atlas or globe? Finally after calling day after day and threatening to go with another satellite company, the guy came. It took until Tuesday the 14th to get someone out here. He moved the dish closer to the house, said he didn't know how it ever worked as far away as it was originally installed. Well, it was put in January 2006 and its worked pretty good although not as fast as cable or DSL but 4 times faster than dial up so we were happy. As soon as the guy left, the thing went back to its shenanigans, on again, off again. Over and over, so that it was impossible to get on and stay on. Yesterday it finally locked on for longer periods and today its still on for longer periods although I don't dare say too much for fear it will hear me and quit again. XX fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, since I couldn't get on the Internet I started hand knitting my wonderful circle cardigan, Nigella. The pattern is written so that you start with a long straight piece of lace, almost 900 rows of it. Funny, I'm not a very patient person but when it comes to knitting, I can knit and tear out and start over as long as it takes to figure something out. After a couple of mis-starts I decided to study what I was doing each row so that if I made a mistake I could quickly fix it. That worked until I was up to 96 rows when I saw an error down the line and ripped back out once again but now I'm back up to row 46 and seem to be doing OK with it, its just a matter of concentration now (hard as patience for me but....) I tried to upload a picture of what I have done so far but the satellite, although its working won't let me upload anything. Bah Humbug! The pictures in the book and on the internet sure don't look like lace but lace it is. The yarn is 50% cotton and 50% rayon. the straight piece will be turned sideways and I'll be picking up stitches over those 900 or so rows, to start the circle. Its intriging to knit this thing, I am so anxious to finish it but not anxious enough to put it on the knitting machine although it would make those 900 rows go sooooo much faster. Maybe after I finish it I'll give it a try on the machine, the lace might be the part that can't be duplicated but where there's a will, there's a way, right?

Meanwhile, the other night, I was exhausted and went to bed before one of my favorite TV shows comes on (forget what it was, but I have DVR and recorded it). About 30 minutes after I hit the hay---the dog started to bark furiously. Good Grief, what now? I laid there and waited to see if he'd shut up but he wasn't shutting up, he was running around the living room like a maniac. Suddenly the motion light on my garage door went on and so of course, I was terrified, thinking there was a burglar. We've neve rhad anyone bother us before because we live on a very dark road in the mountains, what idiot would come up here and bother anyone? I peeked out of the curtains and there, in front of the garage, about 10 feet from my window, was a bear. A large bear. Now--DNR assures me that one doesn't need to be afraid of a bear here in SC. Just leave him alone, the dog barking will make him leave because bears don't want to be messing with people or dogs. Great! I watched and wished I had my camera close by but anyway, he left, going between garage and woods and heading for the "bear camp" next door which gave me a chuckle. I hope he left tracks, those bear hunters will croak when they see a bear actually came all the way to their cabin. Dog kept barking though until I knew it was safe enough to show him there wasn't anything in the yard. I opened the front door and held him up so that he could see through the screen that all was quiet and no one was there. Poor little dog slept the rest of the night in the bay window, watching I guess, just in case that guy came back.

Last night the same thing happened again only I don't know what it was he was barking at. The neighbor's 2 dogs were barking furiously all evening and well into the night and then mine started in again. This morning I went out to look and found tracks that resemble dog tracks in the mulch around my flowers. Doggone it, I don't want anything tramping through my flowers, I've put way too much work into them. I suspect it was a coyote which I've heard are coming closer and closer to our houses here in Pickens and can cause a bigger problem than a bear because coyote's can kill pets. I know I don't want to come in contact with one and I sure don't want Biscuit to meet one face to face because Biscuit thinks he's a lion.

Well, as soon as I can successfully upload some pictures, I will. I'm anxious to show off my azaleas, my new rocks and edging, all the work the landscaper did for me to pretty up the yard and of course, my knitting. Patience, my dear, patience--as my mother used to say to me, or was it the nuns in school?????