For the Love of Fahrvergnügen

 

Rain over the Catalinas - Edited for color because my Android camera SUCKS! 

It's an absolutely gorgeous morning. 81F, clouds abound, birds a-chirpin'. Whilst I loved clouds in Ohio, I don't believe I had THIS level of appreciation for their power and usefulness until moving here. Clouds, here, mean the difference between a bearable, digestable day or outright hellishness until sunset, in the summer months. Winter here is pretty much perfect. 

Meanwhile, back in Ohellio, my husband sent me an update on our former backyard. The new owners are planting TREES!!! YAY!!! :) I'd love to see what they've done to the inside of the house - being the nosy me that I am, but I will have to wait and see if they ever put the house on the market. Until then, I'll just use my imagination. 

Back to Fahrvergnügen, I was sitting here trying to think of cutesy ways to adapt the phrase, "For Fuck's Sake." The term Fahrvergnügen popped in my head, but I couldn't remember what it was, so the Google Machine helped me remember. It's fun getting older. Anywho, what I have devised may end up on a shirt, so I can't share it here, lest someone steal my oh-so-probably-not-original idea, like they did with "Fuqitol." 🤣

In the world of yarn, we have hit a snag. 

Back story: I bought this yarn back during the Covids, when I decided it'd be a good idea to do a Crochet-Along. I chose a host of colors related to Mardi Gras, for whatever reason, and this one matched ALL of the colors, so it was a fourth colorway for squares. Suffice it to say that I got through about week five, and then didn't complete the project. But ONE of the weeks' patterns caught my fancy, called the "Doris Square." It's not only easy, but I just love the texture of the thing. So, my ADHD brain decided it'd be good to do an entire blanket out of this yarn and that square. What I did NOT do was calculate how much MORE of THIS yarn I would need, and then purchase this yarn back THEN. 

Now, some five-ish years later, the yarn is gone. Discontinued, and nowhere to be found in the world of the internets. I haven't yet decided what to do instead, but it's going to mean ripping out all the square I do have, and finding something else to do. Maybe a truncated square that only focuses on the circle part, seen here: 

Or something else simple, that just needs a pop. It's not a durable yarn, meaning I can't really make a beach tote or shopping bag out of it. It would just pull and snag and piss someone off. Maybe a couple throw pillow covers for those who don't have pets of any kind? Maybe a baby something? I don't know. I'm just discouraged at the moment trying to find a way to not let this yarn fall by the wayside. 

Meanwhile, I started the blanket with the other, newer yarn that I bought, but now I'm thinking I better get some more of THAT before it vanishes, because I made the pattern bigger (wider), and what I bought won't cover it. 

Side note: I just got distracted and went and ordered more of the aforementioned yarns. There's at least one problem solved. 

It's out of my comfort zone, color wise - because I've been stuck in this Teal Purgatory for what seems to be centuries now, but I am enjoying it. It looks even better in person, so all is well that ends well, or just sits there in my yarn stash for "someday." 

I don't wanna do "somedays" anymore. We truly do NOT know how much time we have left, unless we are unsubscribing, which I have no plans on doing unless the Zombii Apocalypse happens. I just don't feel like wasting time anymore. 

We live in one of the most fascinating and beautiful locations in this country. I don't want to sit here and let it go by unseen before I'm too old to SEE it, touch it, feel it, and just be a part of it. 

I'm tired of the socials. I'm tired of the non-stop bickerfest that is online. I'm tired of TV, all of it - live, local, streaming - all of it. It's just sheer garbage. The only thing it's good for is background noise whilst I crochet or knit, really. 

I've also discovered that the more I can actually focus on, using brain power, the less time I have to overthink ANYTHING. I haven't played that stupid puzzle game since June 10, and frankly, I don't miss it. I spend that time reading, doing things, or learning new things via the YouTubes. Not going to bullshit you, I still get sucked into True Crime, or commentary vidyas, but most of my watching has been geared towards learning about Arizona, retirement, finances, investing, health, art, making art, etc. 

Which I guess brings us full circle back to Fahrvergnügen. 

The Google Machine says this: 

You're thinking of Fahrvergnügen, a famous marketing term popularized by Volkswagen in 1990. Coined for a U.S. ad campaign, the made-up word is a combination of two German words: fahren (to drive) and Vergnügen (enjoyment/pleasure). [1, 2, 3]

The memorable 1990s campaign used the slogan "It's what makes a car a Volkswagen" and famously featured a stick-figure drawing alongside the term. [1, 2]

Because it was intentionally quirky, the word quickly entered popular culture and was widely parodied. Grateful Dead fans even created a famous, slightly irreverent knock-off bumper sticker that read "Fukengrüven". [1]

 My very loose translation: Find what brings me peace, joy, contentment, awe, wonder, and happiness, and DRIVE to it.