I had a marvelous time in Kansas despite the heat, the wind, and the dust blowing all over me! I have always said I could never be a pioneer woman living in a soddy. My girlfriend, GK, told me her workplace (Red Cross) showed them a documentary about the Dust Bowl. The Red Cross evidently handed out thousands of masks for people to wear to keep the dust out of your nose and mouth. I showed how women were tearing up any kind of fabric and stuffing all around doors and windows to keep dust out of the cracks. One lady woke up and her baby was buried under a pile of dust in its crib.
Anyway, stupidly I took my knitting bag, my IPod loaded with podcasts, and a book. I never had any down time. My girlfriend was eager to talk and share and do. So we did all those things. She gave me her weaving loom, because she said it was just buried under stuff in the basement. Well, it was. OMG! She moved into her husband's house, and things just got piled up and tossed into her work space. It started with just looking for the shuttles and sleying hook. So we had to open boxes, sacks, and go through piles of stuff. Finally I told her we had to stop to eat.
Sunday we spent all afternoon going through stuff. I started just opening sacks and boxes and piling fabric up onto the shelves. That was the only system I could do right then. Just get it out into the open. I managed to get the loom and stand upstairs. I got the warping board upstairs. I got some yarn and books upstairs. I then started unearthing her sewing machine, her cutting table, and moving her ironing board. We were able to move stuff to the edges of the room, and give her a wide path to move around in. Whew!
And the shuttles and sley hook were sitting on a shelf by the door, and it took all afternoon to see that.
Next time I go, I will start organizing her stash of fabric. I finally remembered that a long time ago (10+ years ago) she had decided she was going to buy everything she needed for later in life. That when she retired or reached her 60's, she would have everything she needed. She would be able to live on a limited income without wanting. I told her she could not buy anything else for a while.
The roads were awful. It is apparent that the Federal interstates are in bad repair. In Oklahoma there were places that were not even mowed. This is okay in my eyes, since I have huge weed patches here too for the birds and wildlife. I am guessing that Tulsa must have gotten some stimulus money, because they are busy trying to improve roads and making a big mess. I had to detour through "God only knows where I am". I finally decided the truck in front of me was going the same direction I was, so I followed him.
I stopped at the produce stand on the way home, and no more corn. Corn is very hard to find this year. I got more peaches and some crowder peas. So as tired as I was, I put peaches up in the freezer and cooked the peas. They are now in the freezer. I haven't been putting as much food up as I normally do every summer.
Yesterday I ran into town for errands while waiting until the yard dried enough to mow. So last night late, I mowed with the riding mower. Now I have to mow with the push mower to do the trim and cut over the rocky areas.
I did not get the cabled sweater finished for The Baby. But it is big and she will get it before the baby is born. It probably will be okay for her Easter sweater next year.
My friend and I went to two yarn shops and two quilt shops while I was there. I did buy more sock yarn, but just enjoyed looking at the shops. I like to get the feel of the layout of stores, and I like to see what is popular in different regions.
I also have been lurking around on blogs reading about the Sock Summit. I know I would have been dead on my feet. That much stimulus and the HIGH ENERGY of everyone there would wear anyone out. It did at Madrona in Tacoma in February. And it was small compared to this.
Well, I guess I will try to get some work done. I didn't mention that my girlfriend has never, ever used her weaving loom. It still had the plastic covering on the reed. So I am trying to make sure that I put it together correctly, and some of the instructions are not making sense. I sit down and study it and look at it and try to figure it out.
I did tidy up the house before I left-vacuum, clean the bathrooms, and clean up the kitchen. So that was nice to come home to. But it needs to be done again. Sigh! Can't I just play?
And the yard needs attention. The most I did this morning was pick marigold flowers to stick into the freezer for dye.
So next time, I will post pictures. I now have a knitting and weaving room.
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