Stories and Memories

I really believe in stories.  Everything we do every day is a story just waiting to be told.  Maybe you are like me and not really sociable. So write down the story.

Memories are there all the time.  This time of year is always filled for memories.  Memories of friends and family and past Christmases.  And wondering about what someone you know is doing this year.  Memories.

It's funny.  I think this leads to the same discussion I have had about dreams.  People tell me all the time they don't dream.  Everyone dreams.  Our pitiful human brains that we think are so marvelous have to have "down time".  Unfortunately neurologists have found that our brains don't really "rest".  It just processes everything that has gone on during the awake time since the last sleep time. 

Some of us do have fabulous dreams.  I remember dreams and I write them down.  I participated in a "dream study" 40+ years ago when I worked in an emergency room.  The researchers were studying people who work in stressful emergency situations-ER personnel, ambulance drivers, policemen, firemen, etc.   Everyone volunteered me. 

I remember that they only wanted to know the emotion of a dream, not the actual content of the dream.  It lasted six months.  I kept my faithful diary, and I think I was the most active participant.  One of the researchers would meet with us monthly, collect the diaries, and give us new diaries.  After three months it became clear that mine was different from the others. 

I met with the doctors that were conducting the research.  They would ask me specific questions about my diaries.  I think they were amazed that I could actually remember details the dreams.  Finally one of them said my dreams were cyclical.  It was a female researcher who said she thought my dreams were in sync with the moon cycles.  They followed up with that and it was. 

See-another memory.  I know it has nothing to do with the season, but a memory that came out into a story.

I listen to audio books while I spin and knit.  I don't like a complicated story that I have to pay that much attention to.  So a story is spun into the yarn or knitted into the fabric.  Not just my story of it's life history, but from words being read to it. 

Speaking of knitting, my handspun project is on the verge of being frogged.  I ran out of blue handspun.  I ordered some yarn that I was hoping would be close.  It isn't.  It leaves a definite stripe that would be fine if I had enough of the original blue to finish out the second front piece.  I don't.  Ugh.  I guess I will try to make a pillow out of the back.  Or frog the whole damn thing.  I don't know yet.

I have finished 12 hexagons of Persian Dreams.  I am now going to start putting some together.  I want to see how it looks.  I need a little break and that would be a nice thing to do. 

I am spinning yak/silk and it is wonderful.  I am thinking happy thoughts about this bit of nice yarn.  I don't know what it will be, but it feels nice.

The afghan is growing, but I only work on it occasionally.  Maybe I just need to focus on it for a while and get it done.  Maybe.

We have had a nice two weeks of a warm up in the weather.  There has been a bit of rain, and lots of grayish clouds.  Out of the two weeks maybe two or three full days of sun.  It is just so nice to not have cold, freezing rain, or snow.  I think they predict another one of those artic fronts to head south by the middle of next week.  Sigh!  The cold is so miserable.

Well, I guess the year is at an end.  We are heading to a new year by next Sunday.  I know my year is different than the calendar year, but it is still a contemplative time.  One must focus some on plans for the next year.  I have some serious thinking to do in 2017.  It will be my 69th year in this lifetime. I must think of how I want to spend my next decade. 

Helen Mirren said that 2016 has been a pretty shitty year all around.  We lost a lot of our artists and we elected a new president.  Things will only be interesting from this time forward with him.  We have lost a few of our scientists, too, and their loss will be felt. 

Happy New Year-and on to 2017.

Christmas Week!

Isn't it amazing how some people actually count down from June to Christmas?  I really don't do that any more.  It used to be such an ordeal to think of presents and wrapping and decorating and cooking. Now it is just another day. 

I really like to celebrate Solstice instead.  I love the idea of this day being the turning point for the return of light to our lives.  I intellectually know that every day there is a teeny bit more light added to each day until June 21.  Unfortunately my primitive brain takes over in late February and March.  I am screaming for more light, more warmth, and Spring to hurry up and come.

I love that thousands and thousands of years ago, my ancestors were sitting around fires and telling stories, and probably drinking a lot to get through the dark nights.  There is nothing romantic about it. They are dirty and smelly and die young.  They just know that on that day it is a day to celebrate the return of the light.

I do bake cookies for the mailman.  I put them in the mailbox with a note of thanks.  I try to do a few other gratitude things.  Otherwise, this is just another week. 

We finally have a winter day today.  It was 4 degrees at 7 am.  It snowed last night.  It is only a covering, but it is pretty.  It is the kind of snow that sparkles in the sun.  Oh-yeah!  We have sunshine today.  I am beyond ecstatic. Yesterday I did go around and replace light bulbs. It helps some.

I am now on my 12th hexagon.  They are fun to knit, but I do give myself a break in between them.  I somehow thought 3 days a good time for a break. 

I had to put my handspun project on hold.  I realize I am not going to have enough of the blue yarn.  I am spinning some more yarn that I hope can be blended in.  It is merino and the yarn I have been using is targhee.  The targhee takes the dye differently.  We will see.  If it doesn't look right to me, I will have to take everything out and reblock it for another project.  Oh, well. 

I am still knitting on the afghan in stripes.  It is probably 1/3 the way done.  I will see how far the yarn goes and stop.

Otherwise, I decided to spin up the yak/silk blend I have been hoarding for a while.  It is really luscious.  It spins so easily.  It is a brown mix.  I would recommend this for anyone.

I also have been weaving a bit on my ribbon tapestry.  Not going very fast, but getting it going is important.

I have two receiving blankets cut out for my neighbor's project for ACH.  Just need to sew, wash, and press.

So not a lot going on, but I am making steady progress on projects.

Most of my day has been making sure the bird feeders are filled and there is water for them to drink.

Hopefully your Christmas week will not be so hectic that you can't enjoy the season.  Enjoy the sun and light when we get it.  After Wednesday it will be a little lighter each day! 

Almost All Chores Completed

I am strong enough this year to do my Fall chores.  Thank God(dess) that the doctor took me off the statins.  I have only one or two things to do yet, but it isn't as if they are pressing.  Today I got the fuel stabilizer in the riding mower and she is draped with her cover and ready for a winter's nap.

I am on my 7th hexagon now, and it is interesting to see how these colors play out.  Here are the first six.  That last one-lime and turquoise and purple- started with some handspun for the white part.  I had just a little teeny ball and wanted to experiment.  Close up it is obviously not the smooth worsted spun mill yarn.

 

 

 

I can't seem to get Blogger to work right.  For some reason it started out in the center of the line.

 

This morning I heard a white-throated sparrow.  This is always an indicator of changing seasons.  I just kept on filling up feeders and water stations.  For some reason the birds like the dog watering bowl on the deck instead of the official bird bath.  I also put a shallow dish my friend CF made a long, long, long time ago out front.  I see birds bathing in that a lot, and sometimes I see squirrels and chipmunks drinking. 

 

See how it is doing this crazy thing.

 

We have had 80's for a number of days.  It was fine the day that it was gusting 40 mph winds.  But yesterday and today it is HOT and HUMID!  I hate being all hot and sticky in mid-October.  I know that I absolutely hate cold that lasts and lasts.  But I don't want to be hot and sticky in October. 

 

I have been revisiting some books that I am not sure if I have read on the library audiobook selections. If it turns out I have read them a while back, I will still listen.  If for some reason I remember how the mystery turns out, I return it.  It is amazing to me how listening to a book makes it a different book than one that I have actually read.  I guess our imaginations really do fill in gaps as we read.  I like that part of reading.  I just find it entertaining to listen when I work.

 

Supposedly a front is coming in with cooler temps and rain.  We have occasional clouds moving overhead.  A frog was singing for rain earlier. 

 

I have pulled out all my cat fabrics and I am amazed at the amount that I have.  I didn't even count the smaller pieces from my cat quilt.  I think it is time to make a child's quilt for my neighbor's charity.

 

Noodles has been really busy killing rodents.  His teeth are so bad that he can't quite eat them like he used to.  But he can still KILL the darn things.  It is gross, but it is nature.

 

I am knitting a jacket finally.  I am using my blue handspun that is larger than my normal handspun.  It is soft and squishy and I am really liking it.  It is simply large mitered squares.  The first row is a triangle, a square, and a half-square.  The second row is three squares.  I am on the middle row.  Then the third row is a square, a half-square, and a triangle.  It is fascinating to see how it coming out.

 

I am also still knitting on the stripe-y blanket.  I love the colors in this one.  Not sure who it will go to.  I am sure I will find a deserving home somewhere.  I always find a good home.

 

So I am now making myself a toasted cheese sandwich.  I am a tad bit hungry.  Have a good rest of the week and a good weekend.  Just not 80 degrees, please.

It's Been A While

I am no longer a regular writer on this blog.  It doesn't really interest me as it once did. 

Yes, I am a hermit, a curmudgeon, and I like living in a peaceful routine of my own choosing.

Sometimes I am pulled away by others.  Sometimes I am pulled away by things I read or see or hear. 

For the most part Noodles and I are peacefully co-existing in our lives together.  (He is in my lap now as I type).

I have a friend that is a little off center.  She has had a very traumatized life and she does not deal with it well.  She and I met some friends yesterday, and today she has built a part of the conversation into a conspiracy to prevent her from learning something or getting something - or something.  She called this a.m. to discuss her feelings.  It took quite some time for me to understand what she was talking about.  I clarified what I heard in the conversation. 

It also made me realize that my life is simple, peaceful, and not quite so dramatic. For that I am most grateful.

I am presently knitting Persian Dreams.  It is a series of hexagons that are knit in color work.  Each is different.  Each is designed to represent Persian tiles.  My hex's don't look like tiles.  They are just pretty.  I have completed six, and #7 is on the needles.

I have also started a jacket made with handspun.  I like it.  It is squishy and soft and rather pretty.  I am not sure it would make anyone else happy, but it is making me happy making it.

I am also knitting a ripple blanket using six colors.  I also like it.  I don't know who sill get it when it is done.  Of course, I spent a long time the other night un-knitting (tinking) six rows to find a mistake.  I never found the mistake, but my numbers were right.  So I started knitting again.  It is coming out correct this time.  I have made up the part that I tinked.

I have also discovered some pretty purple-ly merino that I had in the drawer.  After I divided it out, I have spun and plied one skein.  It is time to get to the next bit so I can finish out the roving.  I love the colors in this one.

I have listed to several books on tape while I have knit, spun, and rested my eyes with a warm compress.  I am into some of the J.A. Jance books I haven't read.  I also have a new Hamish McBeth mystery audiobook on Hold at the library.  When I checked tonight I am next on the list.  It has been two months since I placed it on hold.  I continue to read my Kindle at night before bed.

I have been preparing for winter, and today was "drying apples" day.  I like to snack on the dried apples, but they are also good in oatmeal.  I have made apple butter.  Applesausce is next.  I think I still have one container in the freezer that needs to be eaten soon.

I have been cleaning gutters, trimming trees away from the house, and trying to get things done that have to get done before cold.  I did get the furnace checked and ready.  I still have to put the stuff in the gas tanks of the mowers that keeps them from separating and the water freezing.  Whatever that is called.  There are some plants I need to transplant.  Nothing urgent now.  Just a few chores.

I guess I can say that my life is moving slowly and steadily.  Nothing earth shaking going on.  I still don't know exactly what the phone call was about this a.m.  I just listened and didn't try to stir the pot too much. 

I found a light blue cashmere scarf at a thrift store, and I am studying it.  I think I need to dye it somehow.  Don't know yet.

My neighbor has started some of us making quilts for the new children's hospital scheduled to open next year.  I pulled out my "cat prints" and I have tons.  I think I can make at least one, maybe two.  I am going to make courthouse steps quilt as you go.  It is easy once the pieces are cut and prepped. 

So sorry I haven't care enough to write.  Really there is nothing exciting going on.  Just routine chores and knitting and spinning, and sewing going on.  I will say it is time to prepare for winter, although it is 80 degrees outside tomorrow.  It won't last.

Happy Full Moon.  Enjoy the moonlight and thank Grandmother Moon for blessing us tonight.

Every Day Is Earth Day!

 My new pedestal sink in the hall bathroom.  Perfect size!

 The new flooring in the hall bathroom!  Perfect!

The bedroom flooring.  Perfect!

And now there is a match of the flooring in the bedroom and bathroom.  No more carpet and linoleum!  That was pretty gross!  Now it is perfect!

My neighbors wanted to get new flooring.  She had already replaced one room-the family room-and she wanted all of it to match!  Of course, I don't understand the matching stuff, but I was the recipient of their old flooring.  What a wonderful gift and a wonderful way to recycle the old. 

We had some major hiccoughs along the way with the contractor company.  What was going to be a two day job at their house and a two day job at my house turned into three weeks.  I will not go into that ordeal.  It will ruin the good feelings I have for my clean new flooring.  I am so happy to have that nasty carpeting up. 

So recycled flooring is in.  I have a bit of work to complete everything.  I need to caulk the baseboards and paint them.  Eventually.  Today I am tired and I am just going to look at the pretty new floor.

I am on the toe of the first sock for my friend OSM.  Her house burned and I can't go to California to help.  I can knit socks.  So I am making the prettiest purple socks that can be found anywhere.  The color is gradated subtle-y from deep purple to a dark burgundy purple to purple to lilac to pinky purple.  Really nice dye job.  The colors are in short stripes that make dashes around the foot instead of stripes.  I love it.

I also started knitting a blanket in a striped chevron pattern.  I like it too. 

So maybe my knitting blahs are abating.  I did get the pattern booklet from Shetland for The Fair Isle Fisherman's Kep Pattern.  I am kinda getting excited to start that.  I want to finish the socks first.  Of course, I am thinking of colors and imagining the colors I want to use.  When I get to actual color choosing, it will all be different anyway.  I am thinking I want it made with handspun.  I don't know, tho', I have a whole lot of Shetland Spindrift.  Hmm.....  See how this works.  A lot of thinking and thinking to do. 

I mowed the yard last evening.  This is the period I call creative mowing.  This year I have left patches of bachelor buttons, but they are few and far between.  I don't know why that is.  Some of them have spindly stalks and look sad.  So I guess attrition has reached that population.  The hollyhocks are not doing so well, either.  I don't know why.  The Solomon's seal is doing great!  The irises haven't bloomed yet.  The comfrey is doing exceptionally well where I moved it last year.  It is quite happy.  I noticed the catnip has a bunch of little black bugs on it, and it is also covered with lady bugs.  I can't spray it with the lady bugs there and Noodles eats the leaves regularly.  The tansy is now officially gone feral.  The mugwort is not as thick as it has been in the past.  The lamb's ears I got last year are exceptionally happy.  The Echinacea and the coreopsis are slowly growing along.  I haven't seen my milkweed this year. I don't seem to do well with that.  I had an exceptionally pretty display from all the violets this year.  I know that a list of all the plants would bore anyone to death. 

It is such an odd Spring this year.  I don't know yet how that has affected the plant population. I have something new in the weed world this year growing in the back yard.  It grows thickly and quickly.  When I mowed it last evening, my eyes burned and tears streamed down my face.  My mucus membranes were telling me pepper plants of some kind.  You know that feeling you get when you are processing hot peppers and want to get the seeds out?  That's how my eyes were feeling.

I have gotten about two-thirds done on the second bobbin on the spinning wheel.  I am spinning some pretty blue targhee.  I will probably have enough to do something with when I complete it all.  I think there is close to eleven or twelve ounces of wool to begin with.  I divided it into 6 balls to make three skeins all total.  I'll see how it turns out.  While I was sitting patiently (not) during the flooring ordeal I was able to spin and listen to an audiobook. 

I have a new phone.  So great!  Another computer to deal with.  It is amazing what one can do with a phone!  Mine is just an entry level phone, but it is more than I can deal with most of the time.  I haven't figured out how to access voicemail.  That's the only glitch-so far.

Well-off to knit a toe.  I am taking it somewhat easy today.  I had a restless night, and I awoke tired.  Noodles is so insistent that I feed him and open the damn door-right now!  It is almost time to think about some lunch.  I am eating a lot lately.

Oh-I had the echocardiogram this past week.  I will have to wait until I go to cardiologist to find out the results.  Since he took me off statins, I have been feeling really energetic and almost normal.  Yay!

I am still walking on the treadmill daily-except on the days I do a LOT of yardwork. 

So lunchtime.  Yum!  A piece of chicken is waiting on me.

Valentine's Day

It seems to me that the holidays-like Valentines Day- are super hyped these days.  I bet the stores already have green shamrocks and little people pasted on the walls.  It boggles the mind.

This week I had a bit of a scare.  My blood pressure read 196/97.  It never came down below 165, and I was really worried.  I went to the clinic, and I am now on bp meds and the doc put me back on cholesterol meds.  I am monitoring my bp daily and will return to the doctor next Wednesday.

So maybe I have an active imagination, but I feel more energized and want to get a lot done in a day.
I have sheets out on the line, dog beds in the washer, and bread is rising.  I have swept the floors-I am not going to mop today- and I am really ready to just sit down a while and rest.

I finished my sweater.  I slogged through the stockinette row after row after row.  It is really pretty.  I found the cutest yellow buttons that are vintage, and I need to sew those on today.  I finished the little blue hat for Max's birthday.  I don't see how this thing will fit him.  He is one big boy.

I just put the dog beds in the dryer to get rid of some of the hair.  Then I will put it outside to finish drying.  Noodles is lying on the top of the dryer in a sunny spot.  I had a memory of standing next to the shaking washing machine and dryer as a kid.  We thought it could jiggle away our fat.  Too funny, eh?

The bread is beginning to smell yeasty.  I love the smell of rising bread.

I have had a lot of trouble going to sleep lately.  Just as I settle and find a comfy spot, my brain engages.  I think about the stories I am writing right now.  I think of where they are going and how I am going to bring them to that spot.  How does one just turn off one's brain?  Just as I relax, I have to get up and go to the bathroom. Sigh!

Today is an absolutely gorgeous day!  The sun is shining, the sky is blue, a bit of wind.  According to the weather guy, this evening the wind will shift from the north.  This will herald in our newest cold front from the artic.  UGH!  I hate cold.  It could be just like today forever.  Tomorrow the temp is supposed to plummet.  Then snow/freezing rain/and or ice will move in.  UGH!  That is why I am preparing everything today for the event.

I don't know what I will knit next.  I finally put a pair of socks on the needles.  I also started a zigzag afghan.  It is one of those ten stitch patterns.  Both are quite simple to do, and I am up for something for a challenge.  I just don't know what.

I am almost finished spinning the second bobbin of orange mutli merino, and then I will ply that.  I think it is quite pretty.  Unspun the orange is rather dominant.  Blended in while spinning, it is not as prominent.  Yes, it is orange, but more of an earthy, Fall leaves kind of orange.  I like it a lot.

Patty is snoring right next to me.  Poor little thing.  She is so confused why I am so active.  She has to be right under my feet at all times, and it does discombobulate her teeny brain.  She is happy most of the time and doesn't seem to be in any kind of distress most of the time.  I can be thankful for that.

So back to work.  It has been a good sit down and a bit of a rest.  I have some things I want to do before lunch.  Whew!  I don't know where the energy came from, but I am taking advantage of it.

Keep safe, keep warm, and stay off the roads on Monday morning.  Next time.

It's Finally May!

As usual the first of May is coolish.  I am still wearing sweaters.  Some idiots are wearing short sleeves, flip-flops, and occasionally I see a silly little girl in shorts; I am still wearing sweaters.

The weatherman is promising 70's by this weekend.  Be still my heart.  I will be sitting outside in the sunshine for sure.

Today is chaos.  The men are here installing a shower in the hall bathroom.  It is not a big job, but one that does require some skill.  I am not very good at plumbing.  They have their cloths laid out on the floor, and the work has commenced.

I spent my May Day (yesterday) with a friend who had oral surgery.  I couldn't help but compare his experience with mine.  I felt as if I was in a factory.  The workers were well organized, scripts were memorized, and the doctor was quick and efficient and on his way to another patient.  I barely understood all the instructions he gave.  It is helpful that I know what meds are what and how they are utilized.

Afterwards I was able to get my friend into his pharmacy and drugs purchased.  Then on the way home I pulled through Sonic to buy him a milkshake.  My surgery team gave me a free coupon for ice cream, his did not.  I know it is pure sugar, but I thought my friend looked a little bit shocky.  After eating the ice cream and some cold tomato soup I brought for him, he slept until 5 pm. 

I was able to get the dogs walked twice, checked on the horses, and I got a lot of knitting done.  My friend does not have t.v. or internet, so knitting it was going to be.  I got him up at a little after 5 pm and got two cups of warmed broth from the soup I made for him.  I left him a huge container of soup and some soba noodles for today. He was rearranging the horses in different grass eating places when I left.

Today he reported to me he feels fine and normal.  There is minimum swelling, and he is going to do some of his errands as planned.  He is telling me there is minimum pain.  So I guess he will not need the narcotics that the doctor ordered.

I am spinning some very lovely BFL in small quantities.  I find my attention span is limited to small batches right now.  The color is called oatmeal, and is a blend of two light browns of natural color.  Very pretty.  BFL has become my macaroni and cheese spinning.  It is comfort spinning.

I began knitting a square for the Barn Raising afghan.  I found the cast on very fidgety and had some difficulty keeping the stitches from falling off as I knit around in the beginning.  So after blocking it, the laddering is so apparent to me.  I don't like the way it looks.  I tried again to start a second square, and just had the same experience of loosing stitches as I began the knitting.  So I ripped it out and started crocheting a giant Granny Square afghan.  I like the way it looks and the mistakes I make are not so apparent.  It seems to suit the yarn better.  I am using Noro's Taiyo sock yarn.  The colorways are nice.

I have sewing on the mind, but my attention span is limited to short time at the machine.  I have a project or two going and I can't seem to finish anything.  Oh, well, when the summer heat arrives, I like to spend more time sewing than knitting.

I managed to get the riding mowing part of the yard work done this week.  It was rather silly to see me in a jacket and a knit cap out mowing the yard.  I knew I would lose yesterday and the men were coming today for the bathroom.  Then it's the weekend, and another week has gone by.  So to help control the weeds, I did the major mow job.  I still haven't gotten the trim work or the weed eating work done.  I don't feel compelled to run out in the wind and do it.

Patty is feeling rather clingy today.  She felt so totally abandoned yesterday that she is not letting me out of sight.  Noodles was somewhat following me around this morning, but he is off to his hunting routine at the moment.

I finished the red sockies, and they should be in Holly's hands today.

CJE and AE are home from their trip to Peru.  She is happy to be home.  I think she learned some valued lessons on this trip about caring for herself.  She needs a vacation from the vacation.

I guess that is all the catching up I can do.  I want to get the hummingbird feeder cleaned and restocked. 

Hopefully the news continues to be good news.  It is time for warmth and sunshine and happy days.

Patterns of Life

Sometimes I am sad.  Sometimes I am okay.  Sometimes I am happy.  I don't know what regulates all that.  I know that Patty and Noodles are happy most of the time that I am home and on our regular schedules.  Schedules are important to them. 

Today when I woke Patty was smacking her mouth getting her mouth wet after drooling all night.  Noodles was yelling.  I was dreaming a sad dream about my friend that died in January.  So up we go, out the door into the rain, potty time completed for the two of them, and then BREAKFAST!  Food is very important to them.

It is so strange since Noodles can come and go as he wishes with the cat door.  Every night and every day he goes for the first walk with us and the last walk at night.  The rest of the time is his own imaginary free time, until 3 pm.  That's dinner time for the two of them.  Of course, they have to beg for shares of my dinner, but please do not go over the 3 pm time for them.

I also now have wild birds in the mix of schedules.  I cleaned the sugar water for the hummingbirds as scheduled.  I threw out more ground seeds and filled the big feeder.  I have one woodpecker that will "talk" to me if there isn't enough seed.

So I made a promise over the weekend that I will get the sleeve going on my stranded sweater.  It has languished long enough.  I made a commitment to myself to finish this before the heat is on.  Yesterday was a struggle.  I picked up and knitted 131 stitches around the sleeve hole. I counted at least six times, and I got six different numbers.  I finally put a stick in between stitches once 50 was counted twice.  That worked.  I was able to do the first row fine, but the second row had to be completely unknitted.  Sigh!  I finally got the second row finished.  But somehow now the third row is not working.  Double Sigh!

So today after everyone was fed and watered and I finished my emails, I said out loud to myself," Today we are going to get this set up finished and the sleeve moving along."  Here I sit typing instead of sitting in my knitting chair and knitting.

I notice that I have a lot of bumblebees.  I haven't seen as many honeybees as usual.  Some of my etnobotany friends say that is good.  The honeybees are invaders of the bumblebee territory anyway.

Oh, well.

I am turning the heel on the second sock that is commissioned.  I am so over socks right now.  I did decide that my easy-peasy summer project is going to be a barn raising afghan.  It is knitted in squares.  I am using Noro Taiyo sock yarn.  I like the two colorways I chose.  It is begun in the center, and for some reason it took three tries to get the stupid circle to close.  I am real close to done on the first one.

I finally remembered that seeds have to be in the ground by Good Friday!  I remembered on Good Friday.  I know that is not a real rule, but it was my grandmother's rule.  So I seeded some perennials and some sunflowers.  I never get a good crop, but the few sunflowers I get are loved by the finches, chickadees, and nuthatches.  I did plant some dye flowers, but I think my seed was old.  We will see.

Today is a nice soft rain day.  It was going good for a while, but has stopped momentarily.  I think we still need rain.  It hasn't been a bad April, but this is usually a rain month for us.  Weather is so unpredictable any more.  No patterns to follow.

So keep on knitting through the frustrations and keep on trying.  My new motto.  See ya next time.

The Year of Christmas Disasters

Mom-The birds are driving me nuts!

I finished a beautiful afghan for R and H for their Christmas present.  It was something that would remind him of my grandmother, which he knew and loved.  I finished it, and I washed it.  When I laid it out to block it, two nice size holes appeared right near the middle where the yarn gave way.  SIGH!  A disaster.  Yes, I did repair it.  Even if it doesn't look too awful, I just can't in good faith give them a gift that may fall apart again when they wash it.  So I just grabbed a quilt from the pile, wrote an apology note and explained the situation, added all the embroidered pillowcases I had left from my "hope chest", and shipped it off. If they still want the afghan, they can have it with full warning that it may not last long.  SIGH! 

So after Noodles and I watched the birds for a while, I knit this little elephant.  Isn't she cute?  A little wonky, but still cute.  The wool was from something I had frogged, and I even made her a little scarf to wear.

I am getting geared down for hibernation.  I took on a massive project for someone to knit a traditional Fair Isle vest.  We finally picked the six colors last weekend, and I ordered one skein of the yarn to knit a swatch.  If the swatch is right and accepted, then that will be my winter challenge.  I am insane for doing this, but it will be a challenge for the wintry months when I can't get out to do much.

We have had a lot of rain this month, and only that one little snowfall.  The weather is fluctuating up and down, and we even had thunder and lightening last night.  I just can't get too excited about all this.

Somehow a bad person picked up a cookie from me and tried to scam some money.  The difference in this phishing is it was a fake email from a yarn company in Washington.  It was something about my paypal account did not go through, and could I go to this link and check the account, etc.  So I deleted it and went to the real website.  I checked my account since I knew I had not made any orders.  I emailed them to let them know that someone picked up their website info, etc.  I guess knitters are fair game to bad people now.

AE and CJE had their annual Wild Foods Party.  It seemed much calmer and not as wild as in the past.  My friend GO drove us to the party, and we left early.  There were lots of people leaving, and he noted that people are getting older and tamer.  I guess it is good to not be so feral as some of us have been in the past.  It seemed that there was not as much drinking as I have seen this group do in the 20+ years I have known them.

My brother sent me a link to a video my niece, Shelley King, did for the Austin Chamber of Commerce.  She is a singer/songwriter in Austin, so it was good to see her do something like this. 

I expect my neighbors will leave after Christmas to get away for the winter.  It will be nice to just let Patty go out on her own for as long as she wants.  When I do now, she heads straight to their thrown-away food in the woods.  Then she gets sick and that is not so pleasant. 

Well, I guess that catches us up on news.  Sixteen and one-half days until the New Year.  Isn't that hard to believe?  This year has gone fast.  It is hard to believe Christmas is only a week away.  Well, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.

New Family Member

I have adopted a new family member. Her name is Patty (actually Peppermint Patty), but Miss Patty by some folks. She is a miniature Schnauzer. She is 5 years old, and is a rescue from a puppy mill. I don't know a lot of her history, but I don't want to know it all. I do know that she has rather large mammaries, and some big nipples. She had such horrible dental issues that the vet ended up pulling her teeth. Her tongue hangs out the side because of this.

Miss Patty has been with our family for one week today. She is compared to a special needs child. She is learning to integrate into the family pretty quickly. Today I took her to the groomer to get pretty. She has a nice short summer cut now. I had them cut off her "beard" because it was really long, smelly due to drooling and tongue hanging out, and she was scratching it a lot. So they very carefully snipped off that mess with scissors.

I did a lot of house stuff before Miss Patty came to live with us. I have cleaned out my closet and drawers completely. I do not have a lot of clothes now. But that is okay with me. I find I don't need a lot of clothes. I rearranged my bedroom furniture, and I cleaned the carpeting. It was awful.

After that and after Miss Patty came to live with us, I found that I was tired and would just sit and watch mindless t.v. I also was depressed with all the rain. I did not knit a thing for several days. I did not finish the projects I gave myself goals to complete.

Last Wednesday I took Miss Patty with me to Oklahoma to Lake Tenkiller. I have a friend there that has a cabin that she visits a few times a year. So we spent the day with her and her two dogs and sitting by the lake all afternoon.

So Friday I got high behind to set some more goals in the fiber world around me. I decided I wanted to make the giant granny square afghan. Two other people in our Knit Nite have made them, and TR is making another one. I decided I have enough yarn from the Lifetime Blanket to start one. It has grown to small kitty size already. Baby can lay across it diagonally. It is truly addictive. It grows rapidly and easily. I can see progress already. Yeah!

I also decided that I will finish the latest section on the Lifetime Blanket and call it done. If I decide to add onto it in the future, I will at that time. So soon I will be finished with that. Yeah!

Sigh! I laid out my sewing yesterday. Then I got distracted and decided I would just crochet on the granny square instead.

Today I got a lot of my yard mowed while Patty was at the groomer. I just finished that chore. It has really grown with all the rain.

This rain has been super weird. It is not unusual to get a stormy start to May, but usually by this time it begins to taper off. The tornadoes have been around us, but nothing here so far. I did lose my Internet service for three days due to a lightening strike. I finally got that back on Saturday. It turns out that the lightening strike that I thought was on top of us was actually in my neighbor's tree in the front yard. Bark flew everywhere as the lightening went down the tree into the ground. Poor tree!

So Happy Monday! I hope this week will be productive for you. We actually have two days without rain scheduled this week! Yeah! Time to get the yard work completed and ready for the next time around.