Welcome to Dubuque!

My husband and I are now in Dubuque, we have been for about two weeks.  It's been a busy time around here getting moved and unpacked.  Of course my fibro chose now to flare as well so unpacking hasn't been as quick as I would like.

Anyway, we are getting settled gradually.  We have a lot we want to do to the house so that will also slow unpacking as we don't want to unpack some items before the area we are going to put them gets finished.  Pictures of our efforts will be forthcoming as soon as I find where I put the camera cord.  :)  It's in a box somewhere.

Yesterday we had our first of 5 classes for the Distinctively Dubuque program.  It's a program offered by the city of Dubuque to help people new to the area to figure out points of interest in the city, how to get involved in various organizations, how to find various services we might need, and various other things you might want to know about a new city.  It was highly recommended by the HR at my husbands new job and we thought it sounded like fun so we signed up.  I am really glad we did.

There were about 35 in our class.  We had dinner, we were welcomed to the city by the Mayor Pro tem, and had a trolley ride around the downtown area up to the Eagle Point Park area to get a bit of a taste of what is out here.  The trolley ride was quite a bit of fun.  We learned about some interesting things from a local, saw some interesting architecture, almost got hit by a train, got to see the view of the river from Eagle Point Park, and learned about an art show that one of the people in the class was a part of.

Almost got hit by a train?  Did you read that right?  Yes you did!  However, that is an exaggeration, we were never in any real danger.  It was more funny than anything.  We were coming to a train crossing and were probably 10 feet from it when the lights went on.  It was one of those situations where most people would just continue on, but our driver hesitated and stopped.  He stopped with the front wheels on the tracks as the cross arms were coming down so the arm hit the top of the trolley.  He backed up off the tracks, the arm came down, and a bit after that the train came thru.  We gave him a little bit of a teasing and it will probably be a running joke thru the rest of the classes.  Had he not hesitated we would have been across the track way before the cross arms came down.  However he did hesitate so it turned into a funny experience.

After the trolley ride we went back to the meeting room where we first gathered and had a talk by a local architect who is on the historical preservation society.  It was really interesting and cool to see the pictures of some of the old buildings before and after their renovations.  One thing that struck me as very interesting/funny was the story of Cooper Wagon Works.  Legend has it that the owner was approached by both Ford and Studebaker to build cars for them.  He turned them down because he thought automobiles were just a fad.  The business eventually closed because of the auto industry and now in an ironic twist the site of Cooper's home is a parking garage.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening.  Next week we are meeting at the ice center at the Mystique Casino.  I hope we don't have to ice skate, if we do though, I will be sure to show you pictures of my bruises.  :)

Still Moving/I love Cephalopods

We are still working on moving.  Fortunately the bank says we should be able to close on the new house by the end of the month.  Yeah!!!!  We still haven't sold our house yet though.  Hopefully it will sell soon.  I would really like this whole thing to be done with.

In the meantime, a friend of mine shared this video with me and I really like it so I wanted to share it with you.

I love Cephalopods, they are so cool.



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I hope you like it!

Facebook for dogs

I am still working on selling my house.  So far, the St. Joseph statue in my front yard hasn't done me any good.  However, I am still hopeful the house will sell soon.

In the meantime, when we have showings of our house we vacate and take the dog with us.  We don't want to leave the dog alone in the car in this heat so we have been heading to the local dog park almost every time so he can run around while we stroll along behind him.

Watching him run around sniffing, doing his business, and playing has made me come to think of the dog park as Facebook for dogs.  When Spike checks out the scent of the other dogs he is checking his friend's status messages.  When Spike pees or poops he is leaving a status update of his own.  The trash cans for the poop bags are like the newsfeed where you can see lots of status updates all at once.  There is agility equipment for him to play on and other dogs to play with so there are the time wasting games that Facebook is known for.  And of course, there are lots of bugs, both Facebook and the dog park have bugs to annoy you frequently.

Maybe I've put to much thought into this, but considering all the time I personally waste on Facebook that really shouldn't surprise anyone.  Ah well, at least when Spike checks his 'facebook' I get some exercise so it can't be all that bad.  :)

Cracking up here

My husband and I are in the process of selling our house so we can move to Dubuque, IA where he has just started a new job.  As part of the process all of my friends are giving me tips and hints on how to make my house sell better, such as baking bread for a showing, running lemons thru the disposal to make the kitchen smell good, etc...

One of my friends who used to be a realtor told me to bury a St. Joseph statue in front of my house.  I'm really hating the whole 'living in a museum' thing so decided I'm willing to try anything.  I went to the store today to look for a St. Joseph statue.

I asked the woman at the counter if they had any and she handed me a 'St. Joseph Home Sellers Kit'.  When I got the box from the clerk I cracked up.  I never expected to buy a 'saint in a box' and the whole idea is vastly amusing to me.

Here is the box I got.

And here is what was in it.

If you google St. Joseph you'll find hundreds of directions of how to and where to position the statue in your yard.  If I wanted to follow all of them I would have to dig up my entire lawn to have a statue every where the directions say.  So I am just going to follow the directions of my friend who told me about the legend and plant it upside down, facing my house, in the front yard.  I've also promised the statue a spot in my new home if he helps me sell my house.  (According to all of the directions you have to dig up the statue or the property will continue changing hands.)

I haven't buried him yet but a couple hours after I got home from my shopping trip my realtor called and we have a showing for tomorrow morning.  So, St. Joseph or just coincidental timing?  I'm not sure it really matters, but right now, I have a statue to plant.

Away to long

It's been a while since I updated my blog.  All I can say is that a lot has been going on.

My dh got a new job in Dubuque, IA and we are in the process of moving.  Right now we are getting our house ready to sell so we can buy a new one.  We don't have kids, so selling one home and buying another at the same time is one of the most stressful things I've ever gone thru.   This is the second time we've done the sell one/buy another thing and I really don't like it.

We have our first showing tomorrow.  I don't know if the house is 'really' ready for it, but unless you totally move out of a house I guess that is the same for everyone trying to sell a house.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that we get someone thru the house soon who likes it and buys it soon.  If the person seeing the house tomorrow decides to buy it that would be awesome.

Wish us luck!

And a gratuitous bunny picture.  This is my newest rabbit, Pippi.  I got her at a rabbit show in March.  She is a red, satin angora.  Ignore the fur on the floor, she'd just had a litter of babies when I took this picture and that was part of her nest that came out when she jumped out of the nest box.  Unfortunately the kits didn't survive, she was a first time mom and didn't really know what to do.  After we move though I will give her another chance.

One World One Heart 2011

We are a group of bloggers who may never meet in person but are banding together via the internet to help make this world a little smaller by forging more connections between us all.

It's been another year and what a year it has been.  


Last year I had some out of control health issues.  Things still aren't completely under control but they are better and more importantly, my mindset is in a better place.  I've continued to work on my knitting.  I've also learned how to spin and dye fiber.  This year I will be teaching myself how to write knitting patterns as well as increasing my knitting skills by learning enterlac.    I'm sure to have a few interesting experiences with both projects so be sure to check back here and I'll tell you all about them.  :)


For right now though, I am still raising my Angora rabbits, working with glass, painting, and making jewelry in addition to the knitting, spinning, and dyeing.  


I currently have an Angora breeding project going on right now.  Angora rabbits have beautifully soft fur, but Rex rabbits have fur that makes Angora fiber look like a brillo brush.  I wanted to see if I could get the Rex softness to combine with the Angora length.  My first generation was a group of four short furred rabbits with guard hairs that gave them a slight halo appearance.  This was a good sign.  Rex rabbits don't have guard hairs, but without guard hairs Angora fur would tangle and be impossible to groom.  The presence of guard hair in this first generation cross said I could go ahead and breed a second generation.


This second generation had 5 red eyed white bunnies born 12/5/10.  One of the 5 has Angora length fur.  She is amazingly soft and very friendly.  She likes to sit on my shoulder or ride in the hood of my sweatshirt.  Time will tell if her coat stays this soft as an adult and if her children retain this softness.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


Here is a picture of me and my long haired baby.  Because she likes to ride in the pocket of my hood I call her Roo.

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog.  I hope you have enjoyed it and I hope you will subscribe to it (but that is not necessary for the giveaway).  Now, onto the good stuff!!!


Lisa has announced that this will be the last year of One World One Heart.  It has been quite a fun ride taking part in it these past years, so to celebrate that I am going to be giving away this bracelet.  

The blue and teal beads were handmade by me and it is accented with blue seed beads and silver/black round beads.

To enter the giveaway just comment on this blog and be sure you leave me some way to contact you if you should win.  That way I can get your address to send the bracelet to you.  If you are taking part in OWOH be sure to leave a link to your blog so I can stop by and visit you as well.  :)

Thank You,
Heather

The Fifth and Last One World One Heart

Get ready everyone, at the stroke of midnight tomorrow night the fifth and last One World, One Heart will take place.  You will have from Jan 31st to Feb 17th to read and comment on blogs for the chance to win great prizes.  You won't want to miss out!

KnitPicks Interchangeable Needles Now Available - Introductory Pricing!

This introductory special is now closed.  Please join my mailing list by emailing me at heather@squareonebeads.com to get the latest information regarding sales and new items for sale.


I  have just become an authorized reseller for KnitPicks knitting needles and will be offering them for sale in my Etsy shop. As an introductory offer I am going to offer the Zephyr Acrylic interchangeable set for $40, the Options Nickle plated for $50, and the Harmonys for $60. All other multisize needle sets will be $10 off the KnitPicks price.

If you want to order a set email me asap. The sets aren't on my Etsy yet because I don't have them in hand. I will be placing the order on Monday and am trying to gauge interest so I make sure to order enough sets.

FREE SHIPPING DURING THE INTRODUCTORY PERIOD FOR PREPAID ORDERS FOR US ORDERS. I am sorry but International buyers will have to pay for shipping.

Payment can be made via credit card or paypal. Shipping will be $7 for orders that are not prepaid.

If you have any questions or would like to place an order, please email me directly at hhertziger@mac.com. 


If you are unfamiliar with KnitPicks interchangeables and would like to see what the needles are like you can find them on the KnitPicks website here.