Friday, August 31, 2012

Knitters Like to Party!

 This is our newest member of our knitting group!  She was born July 31, and she is such a beautiful baby!  She and her mommy and daddy got lots of nice things.  Our group always makes a blankie for new ones in the group and that was given to her very early on. 
We had so much food it was sickening.  I thought it was nice to bring gooey brownies made with Ghiradelli chocolate, but Tina brought coconut macaroons, and tarts!  Then there was cheese, chips, crackers, cupcakes, fruit, and Molly's surprise.  Something like Maui Wowie-homemade ice cream with Kahlua, macadamia nuts, chocolate drizzled on top with sprinkled nuts, and then she put whipped cream on top of all that.  I did not eat that.  I did not want the sugar overload.  My gosh! 

It was loud, it was fun, and it was more than any baby should sleep through.  But she did!

I took Patty with me, and she was very good.  She nosed around until more and more folks arrived.  She settled under the table and watched me.  At one time she heard the baby making noises, and she looked for that.  But otherwise, quiet and well-behaved.  And she ignored the shop cat, Sasha. 

I did go to the County Fair, and the man actually asked me if I was a senior when I got to the gate. That was nice.  It was senior citizen day and admission was free. I saw a bunch of animals, and I looked over my friends' lovely things in the exhibit hall.  I met lovely Olivia in the sheep barn.  She had her first sheep, and it was a Jacob.  She told me she drove 6 hours to Missouri to find a "show-quality" sheep.  Since she was still a baby sheep, she did not shear her for the show.  I gave her my card.  I found one French angora rabbit and it was for sale.  I emailed a friend who is looking for another rabbit.  It was very lovely and well-groomed, of course.

So Isaac arrived some time last night.  The wind was interesting up to bed time.  I did not think we got any rain, but when I woke up there is a light rain falling steadily.  Hopefully it will be light enough to just soak in.  The frogs have been chirping on the back deck area.  I fed the birds and they are squabbling for food.  So, not a bad day for fiber art indoors.


Noodles pulled the quilt that I am sewing on down and made his own nest.  I need all the help I can get to finish the hand sewing.

So have a good Labor Day weekend.  I am staying home rather than go camping with friends at Mirkwood.  The latest report is that no one knows for sure if the creek has flooded.  I don't really want to drive for miles and find out we have to go somewhere else.



 

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Sure Signs That Summer Is Winding Down!

I saw my first Monarch butterflies trying to find anything to eat.  I don't have butterfly feeders, so the few flowers I have is it. 

I saw Hatch peppers from New Mexico in the grocery store the other day.  They never last long, but I sure like that.  I wish someone locally would buy a roaster and do fresh roasted peppers to go.

I saw a Walking Stick on the screen the other evening.  It was fairly large and had turned itself a beautiful heathery brown color. 

It is really cool in the mornings, but still gets hot during the day.  No more 24 hour a/c needed. 

The college students are back.  They drive like maniacs in Fayetteville. The one day I do go in, I am nervous all the time.

The county fair is happening right now.  I am going today because it is Senior Citizen day and free admission. 

Some of the songbirds are finished with molting and are now growing back feathers that have not filled in everywhere.

There is increased hummingbird feeding and fighting.

The Fall yarns are arriving at LYC.

I hear owls more at night now that I sleep with window open.

And today is my niece and her son's birthdays!    Happy birthday-Happy Birthday!

And an update from previous notes.  My SIL loves her socks and they fit!  Yeah!

Happy end to the misery of a very long, hot summer.  The tropical storm is moving this way. 

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Awww! Rain at Last!



 I finished the wrap/scarf.  I am calling this one Canyon Waterways.  I was so happy to finish.  I did feather/fan pattern across the length instead of the width.  There is yellow and brown which is not easy to see in these photos. 

And I finished the socks.  I have them in the package and ready to mail to my SIL.  I think she will like them.   These are her first hand knit socks.  The first are the best!

Finally we are getting a good rain.  Yesterday was misery with a few little sprinkles, and muggy humidity.  But today-RAIN!  A real soft, easy, steady rain without thunder or lightening.  This is so wonderful to have such a good rain!  I am very grateful!

CJE and AE left for Sulawesi yesterday!  They will be gone for 21/2 weeks.  I hope they have a great and wonderful vacation.  They are away from all responsibilities with the moms and the business.  No cell phones, no Internet connection, no connection to all the things that happen daily here.  Perfect!

I have been spinning today, and I just want to stand on the porch and watch the rain.  My focus is not on the wheel.  I may have to stop and just go out there and sit down and enjoy!

I have started two hats-one is Fair Isle with sheep and the other is a slip stitch mosaic pattern.  Neither is hard, and neither is going to take forever.  I then want to make a few fingerless gloves to put on the website.  I am getting a little bit antsy about starting my winter sweater.  I may do that sooner than later.  I can't decide if I want to make a cardigan or a pullover sweater.  I am leaning towards a cardigan.  I think I will get a lot of use from that.

I am pretty sure my class is going to make at the Arkansas Craft School.  I am getting a little nervous about that.  I know I need to get organized for that, so I will have to spend a coupla days this week getting my thoughts together and down on paper.

Well-Wait, Wait is on NPR.  Gotta go!

Monday, August 20, 2012

I Hate Johnson Grass!

I am cooking some oat groats, and I don't have a lot of time to spend ranting on and on about the weather.  It has been cooler-no a/c.  50's at night!  This is not August weather, but I am not complaining. We have been getting thunder storms-with less than an inch of rain each time.  But water is water.

What I am complaining about is Johnson grass!  I hate it.  I have been digging up and digging up for three years or more, and no progress.  I try and try to get all those damn rhisomes, but every year I dig up more and more and more.  It is almost like it enjoys the digging up, because it spreads it out and gives it more room to grow.  I am sick of this stuff!

Oat groats!  Yes, all my life I have HATED oatmeal, enough that I spit it out as a baby and child when anyone would put it in my mouth.  YUCK!  The slimy taste is more than my little mouth can take.  Then a friend said I should try steel cut oats.  I wasn't convinced.  So last week I bought a little bit in the bulk aisle at the grocery store.  It was 70 cents worth!  So I cooked it, and I liked it.  It had a bold, nutty, chewy flavor and texture.  No slime!  I put raisins in and that was good.  So now I have a cereal I like.  It really fills me up and I am not hungry for a long time.

So off to oat land so I can continue digging that damn stuff up.

Friday, August 17, 2012

The Bizarre Weather Continues!

I think it is totally boring to always talk about the weather.  But the weather is bizarre.  We have been in drought since May-three months.  Suddenly we are getting a Fall-like pattern of thunder storms without a lot of rain.  It certainly isn't a drought-buster with a total of less than an inch.  But a lot of thunder and lightening. 

And the temperatures are cooler.  I mean-whodathunkit-high 50's at night?!?  Perfect camping weather!

I have also begun feeding the songbirds.  I never have done this so early before.  There is very little food for them in the weeds.  The finches have returned, and I have the usual chickadees, titmouses, cardinals, blue jays, wrens, etc.

I saw a show on t.v. about the hummingbirds the other night.  There is concern that the drought will effect their migration pattern.  So people are putting out more food for them all over the place.  I haven't had a lot of activity, but the birds do eat a lot of sugar water.

 I also saw a blurb on t.v. that said butterflies will have a similar problem with their migration.

I am so very close to the end of the shawl/wrap/scarf with feather and fan pattern.  I am ready to be done and move on to the next project.

SIL socks are getting there too.  I have turned the heel and I am in the gusset on sock two.  Once I finish the gusset, the rest is easy-peasy.

CJE loaned a DVD set on Loom Maintenance, and I watched disc 1 last night.  Nothing new.  I am thinking I really had good teachers when I learned to weave a long, long time ago.  There is so much more to weaving than just sitting down at a loom and weaving.  I hope that the students I taught a long, long time ago think I taught them so much more than how to get a good product off the loom.

With the cooler weather, I want to get out in the yard more.  I did pull some weeds this morning early.  I have been cooped up with the a/c for so long this season.  I am ready to get out. I want to take Patty on a long walk in the woods somewhere.

Noodles has adopted Patty's bed, and sleeps in it all the time.  So I guess I will look for another one at the Dollar store next trip.  Patty gets really upset when she sees him in her bed.  Poor little mistreated puppy. 

I am thinking about next projects in my head while I finish up the current ones.  I want to do a Fair Isle hat with the leftover yarn from the sweater vest project.  I also think I will make some fingerless gloves. 

CF just finished her first pair of gloves, and is excited about that.  Gloves are like socks-once you do one pair, you know they are not hard and can continue doing them.  It is getting over the fear part that is hard.

I guess that's it.  Nothing too new.  Just bizarre weather patterns.  The usual household drama going on.     

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Just A Few Notes

- I think it so wrong for that guy to waste water washing the parking lot at the local convenience store.  He was not using a power nozzle or anything.  Just a hose and he was just letting the water run out and wash the lot.  He didn't even have a broom or anything.  My God!  We are in a drought and he is not conserving water!  Enough said!
- There is a major meteor shower this weekend.  Someone said best viewing on the 12th and 13th.
- We had a teeny little cool down.  It was 103 degrees yesterday afternoon, but the nights are cooler.  I am able to turn off the a/c part of the day now.  As soon as heat/humidity climb, on it goes.  There is nothing stickier than wool when the humidity is up there.
-There is a Blue Moon on the 31st.  In a lunar cycle, occasionally you get 4 full moons in a season.  That is the Blue Moon.  There are lots of myths about the name, and I think the "real" reason is lost.  I think maybe the closest I have found is the Middle English word belewe.  It is pronounced "blue" and is interpreted as that, but it can mean betrayal.  Many people felt the moon had betrayed them.  It would be easier if people followed lunar cycles instead of solar cycles.  Then it would not be unusual in any way.
-Back to the first comment.  I heard on CNN that people are so strange.  After the droughts in Texas last year, you would think folks would know they need to conserve water.  As soon as rain came, people were out using water like there would always be water.  Waste, waste, waste.  Now there is a drought, and folks are really unhappy that they have to conserve again. 
-I wish my neighbor well, but he planted his little patch of grass and shrubs along the fence right before the drought hit.  There was a real reason why the garden center put the shrubs on sale at that time.  So he waters all the time with drip hoses.  Because of this, my Bermuda grass along the fence on my side is growing like crazy.  It is hard to mow or weed eat because it is so lush and thick.  Sigh! 
-Patty is bored with being inside all the time.  She is ready to go out and be outside more.  I tell her she can stay out 5-10 mins, but that is hardly enough time for a little dog to get to the neighbor's to check out the back yard.  She would love to find a real treasure of garbage again.  I hope they don't throw anything out like they have done in the past.
-The Tontitown Grape Festival is underway.  The big spaghetti suppers are Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  I am not going.  I hate carnival rides and carnies in general.  I do like Fair Ground type of food, but it is too damn HOT!  I think I will wait for the county fair.
-There is something really wrong when it is 100+ degrees and there are Fall adds on t.v.
-There is really something wrong with Hobby Lobby when there is Christmas stuff all over the store in July.
That's it.  I am going to go back to plying my yarn.  Happy Wednesday!

Friday, August 3, 2012

I Hope I Don't Jinx It!

It is raining.  A light, easy rain.  It smells dusty as I stand in the open kitchen door.  It has been cloudy and thunder has been rumbling for at least two hours.  It appeared to stay northeast of here.  And suddenly, it is RAIN!  Yeah!  I don't have to water today! Yeah!

As I look to the north, I can see lighter sky.  Oh, well, blessings are on us for whatever little bit of rain we get.  The last one was about 3/10ths of an inch.  Enough to water a little bit.

And it is cooler with the clouds-82 degrees!

I am still knitting hexipuffs-14 so far!  And I finished sock number 1.  I am not a very ambitious knitter, am I?

My brother declared his intention to retire on his birthday next Feb.  He has been emailing me, and calling me to talk.  It is really nice that he has really thought this through and planned it right.  I think he is ready.  He will be 68 and wants to do things while he is able to do them.  Smart man!  We never know how long we can enjoy things. 

I finished the camel/merino and I am going to finish up the alpaca so I can ply.  It is really pretty stuff.

Noodles had been on the deck when the rain started, and he is now on the screened porch where he is dry.  We are all enjoying the cooler temps.  Even the birds are chirpling differently.

While I was typing, I noticed the rain has already stopped.  Oh, well, a little bit to clean off the dust on the leaves.

I went to Knitting Group last night.  I haven't been there in three weeks.  It was good to hear everyone's stories again.  I really like my group.  It is more the core group during the summer, and then more will come when the weather is more conducive and people are back from vacations.

I am finally declaring war on the ants invading the hummingbird feeder.  I have tried everything, but they keep on coming.  They drown in the water inside, and then float to the top.  Eventually they taint the water and my little birds are thirsty again.  So now I put sugar water in the feeder, spray the wood and the hanger, and the little birds drink and drink and drink.  I watch regularly and spray again if needed.   I have had multiple feeders out, and they only drink from one feeder.  So I finally called a truce and put out the one feeder.  And the ants keep on coming, no matter what.  I know it seems cruel, but the ants don't have to fly a great distance like my little birds.  I want them to get all ready to depart when their clocks say it time to go.  I was overwhelmed yesterday when one of the little birds hovered in front of the window for a few seconds.  I like "thank you" any way I get it.

So back to spinning alpaca.  Get the apron on, and sit down to my audiobook. 

Oh-oh-rain again!  I am going to enjoy every drop I can get.