QuilterSal's Pieceful Harbor

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-24T16:37:00.002-06:00

This week's Ten on Tuesday sounds as though it would be easy. But I found it hard to come up with 10 Movies I Have to See NOW!

Here goes:
1. One for the Money. I love all the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. While I really didn't see Katherine Heigl as the main character, I always saw Sheri Shepherd as Lula. Can't wait to see this one!
2. War Horse. I'm not entirely sure why I want to see this one. I really don't care of horse movies but this one intrigues me.
3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I think anyone who was aware of what was going on during the 9/11 era is going to want to see this movie with Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks...
4. Sherlock Holmes 2 - Robert Downey Jr is not my favorite actor but he totally owns this role. I loved the first movie and am looking forward to seeing the sequel.
5. Iron Lady . One name - Meryl Streep. 'Nuff said.
6. Bloodfare. Independent writer/director/actor J. A. Steel is a friend and I am looking forward to her newest offering of horror. (And besides, my son has a speaking role in the movie!)
7. Breaking Dawn, part 1 - I'm probably going to have to wait for the DVD to come out since there isn't anyone I can go with and I don't see the need to drive 30 miles each way to see a movie by myself.
8. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - I enjoyed the books so the movie is something that I'd like to compare it to.
9. Joyful Noise - I like Queen Latifah and the thought of her and Dolly Parton in the same movie makes me smile.
10. I simply cannot think of another movie I'm dying to see. So we will leave this one blank.

Thanks for stopping by.

TEN ON TUESDAY

2012-01-10T21:21:00.003-06:00

This week our Ten on Tuesday subject is one that I can definitely get behind.

10 Soups You Like to Eat:

1. Homemade Chicken Soup - my wonderful husband makes the absolute best chicken soup. He puts in chicken pieces from the chickens that he grows. Yum!
2. Tomato soup - this is my comfort food. Along with a grilled cheese sandwich or with cheese slices cut into stars and put in the bottom of the bowl so it melts when the hot soup is poured over it.
3. Cream of broccoli soup.
4. Potato Cheese soup. I've got a marvelous recipe for this soup made in the crock pot.
5. Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup - this is the kind that comes in an envelope and has millions of little noodles in it...I haven't had this in years and it still makes my heart flutter to think about it.
6. Chili - I know, it's not really soup, but it is really good and, let's face it, this is my list and I can put whatever I want on it.
7. Portuguese Soup - I got this recipe from a lady who had a small diner in Rhode Island when we lived there. We ate there each Friday nite. Made with chorize and beans...truly a wonderful winter soup.
8. Bean with Bacon soup.
9. Cream of Asparagus soup.
10. Cream of Mushroom soup. Now I don't like this all by itself, but I sure do like to use it when I'm cooking...included in a tuna casserole or on top of a roast, it is definitely a kitchen necessity.

What kind of soup makes your heart sing?

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Birthday to John!

2011-12-18T17:46:00.002-06:00

Last weekend, John celebrated his 60th birthday. And what a birthday it was!

John III, along with Jill and Hewston, flew in secretly to surprise John at his office on Thursday. That was so cool to see his face when he thought I was walking in so we could go to dinner together...instead, John and Jill walked in with me following holding Hewston. We all went to dinner and John was so happy to see them.

Then, on Friday, we all went to Silver Dollar City for the day. Oh, my goodness, was it cold! Luckily, they'd brought a camo snowsuit for Hewston. He looked like a Yeti but he was warm!

On Saturday morning, John III took his dad to the movies since Jill and I had 'girl' things to do. Little did Big John know that we were setting up for his surprise birthday party that afternoon. They got home to a houseful of his friends wishing him a happy birthday.

I gave him a 2012 Kawasaki Mule for the farm. I must say, in the 40 years I've known him, I've never seen him speechless - till that day. It took him a full minute to understand that the Mule on the front lawn was his.

All-in-all, the weekend was a continuous surprise for Mr. Wonderful.

I love you, John. You are my hero...

Knitters!

2011-11-10T21:18:00.002-06:00

I have been teaching beginning knitting at the library since this past spring. I've taught 2 classes of beginners, 1 hat class (to learn knitting in the round) and one sock class. My friend, Meggie, offered to design a simple pair of anklets so my students wouldn't have to knit that interminable leg...let's face it, once you start knitting in the round, that leg goes on forever. And the idea of knitting socks is to learn the anatomy of a sock. So she designed The Two Wild Redheads Simply Vanilla Ankle Sock pattern for me to teach with. I cast on for the sock using Spunky Eclectic sport yarn in Attack of the Killer Tomatoes colourway. I finished my pair last night.The director of the library is a new knitter. She took my beginning knitting class, my hat class, and the sock class. She finished her first sock last week and here it is! She did an amazing job and has already cast on for another pair. She's an avid sock knitter now.

Finally, I began another session of Beginning Knitting yesterday. I've got 7 ladies in that class and when they left at the end of the first 2 hour class, they were all KNITTERS! They have homework to complete by next Wednesday and every single one of them are so enthusiastic!

I love my job!

Thanks for stopping by!

Farewell Mom!

2011-10-30T15:22:00.002-05:00

So yesterday John and I drove Mom to the Branson Airport so she could fly home. We spent an amazingly lovely 4 weeks with her before we had to send her home. This year we went to a show in Branson, painted pottery a couple of times at Firehouse Pottery in Springfield, went to the movies twice, had lunch in town with John a couple of times, and spent so much time talking and knitting. And the Ozarks put on a lovely show of colours for her this year.
When we got to the airport, Mom was met with a wheelchair to take her to her gate. Drew was her driver and we were so happy to see him. You see, Drew was also her driver when she arrived here 4 weeks ago! He remembered her and promised me he would take special care with her and make sure she got on her plane without incident. There they are awaiting Security clearance.
When we left the airport, John and I decided to take advantage of the fact that we were near the Outlets in Branson and do a bit of shopping. We went to the Chicago Cutlery store and got John a knife for chicken processing. Then we went to the Harry & David store - oh, my goodness! Such yummy concoctions they have there. We got several bags of soup mixes and some yogurt pretzels and a jar of Pear & Cranberry pie filling. I made the pie this morning....here it is! It smells great and I hope it tastes just as good when we cut into it this evening.Mom called yesterday to let us know that she had arrived and that my youngest brother had met her at the airport and they were on their way up the mountain to her house. John and I agreed last night that the house feels so empty now...we sure do miss you, Mom!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Mommy and Me Class

2011-10-21T20:18:00.003-05:00

So Mom is still visiting. I can't believe it's been 3 weeks already. She goes home next Saturday and I really don't want her to go. But she has several things planned for when she gets home and I wouldn't want her to miss them. She is so excited cause she is having cataract surgery on her eyes next month, the first one 3 days after she gets back.

In the meantime, we've been having such a great time. My previous post showed you the pictures of our evening in Branson with Ann-Margaret and the Lennons. We have also gone to Firehouse Pottery in Springfield 2 times to paint pottery. I'll post pictures of the pieces we've done when they are finished being fired and glazed. And last weekend we began classes in Beginning Crochet. Both of us can make a chain but neither of us really know how to crochet. The library was offering a series of 3 beginner classes and we decided to enroll. We both struggled a bit during the class (I really think there were too many people enrolled and the teacher wasn't as prepared as she should have been) but we didn't give up. We came home and on Sunday, in the quiet of my studio, we both worked on another square. Here is the result of our efforts. Mom has smaller hands than mine and, while I could use the larger hook that the teacher recommended, Mom needed a smaller hook to be able to manipulate the yarn. Didn't she do great?
Sorry there's not more to tell. Will try to tell you more next time. Thanks for stopping by.

Monday Visit with Mom

2011-10-11T15:46:00.008-05:00

Mom and I are having such a great time catching up and talking and laughing. I can't believe she has been here a week and a half already. Only 2 and a half weeks left till we have to send her home. Yesterday, Columbus Day, Mom and I drove down to Branson to see a show. We had a light supper at the Moon River Grill and a lovely rainbow appeared out the window while we were waiting for our table.

We finished our supper and walked across the street to the theater. This is the curtain on the stage. All along the top of the screen are moons in various phases. Really pretty.
We were supposed to see Andy Williams with Ann-Margaret but on Saturday I got a call from the booking agent telling me that Andy is ill and has cancelled all his shows for this coming week. However, Ann-Margaret was still going to perform and they had brought in the Lennon Sisters and the Lennon Brothers to make up the other half of the show. Would I like to go anyway? Well, sure I would! So we sit down, in the 2nd row!, and the show begins. Two of the original sisters are still performing and their baby sister makes up the trio. Janet, Kathy and Mimi did a wonderful show! They did a number from the 40's and wore white carnations in their hair. At the end of the show, they threw their flowers into the audience. I caught Kathy's flower - a fragrant white carnation!

Ann-Margaret puts on a lovely show. She is still quite beautiful at 71 years of age. She's vibrant, and funny, and has an amazing attitude. Mom and I had a lovely date with Ann-Margaret and the Lennon Sisters and the Lennon Brothers providing the entertainment.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-10-10T12:05:00.005-05:00

This week's Ten on Tuesday is 10 Things You Did This Weekend.

Since the weekend started on Friday and went thru Monday, Columbus Day, I'm including that day:

1. Watched Harry Potter 7.1 with my Mom who hadn't seen it yet.

2. Worked 4 hours at the library on Saturday.

3. Knit.

4. Laundry.

5. Knit.

6. Took Mom to see Harry Potter 7.2 at the theater.

7. Knit.

8. Photography a Wee Tiny Sock test knit.

9. Went to Branson to see Ann-Margaret and the Lennon Sisters.

10. Knit.

I suppose you can see a trend here with all the knitting. But I look at it as keeping me off the streets and mostly out of trouble. That should count for something, shouldn't it?

Thanks for stopping by.

TEN ON TUESDAY

2011-09-27T16:26:00.003-05:00

Today's topic for 10 on Tuesday is 10 Things I Do Everyday:

Here goes:

1. Drink one cup of coffee.

2. Take my medications.

3. Check my email, catch up on Facebook, Ravelry, and Twitter.

4. Play several of my FaceBook games( I know, it's a huge time waster - so sue me!).

5. Get the mail at the mailbox.

6. Talk on the phone to my friend, Meggie. Yes, every single day, sometimes more than once a day.

7. Knit...not a day goes by without at least one row of stitches being done on any given project.

8. Pet the cat - he demands attention each afternoon around 4:00 p.m.

9. Talk to the dogs...they also demand attention, just not on my lap.

10. Tell my darling husband I love him...I don't miss a day...at least once a day and most of the time, I tell him several times a day. It's a good thing!

September 2011

2011-09-18T13:37:00.003-05:00

Our son and daughter-in-law mentioned that they thought I was becoming a bit reclusive lately. They probably were right. I'm a tad bit reclusive since we moved to Missouri. I had tons of friends and lot of things to go see and do when we lived in California and New England. Since moving to southwest Missouri, and living at the end of a gravel road 7 miles outside a town that has a population of less than 6000 people, I've found it hard to make friends and find things that I like to do. Add to that mix, the fact that I have chronic depression in my family chain, and you have a dangerous mix, to be sure. So I thought and thought and finally decided that since there weren't a ton of people banging on the door asking to be my friend, I needed to step outside my comfort zone and try to make some friends on my own. I made a list of people that I knew, added in a few names of people that I wanted to get to know better, and sent out invitations to a Bunco party. This past Thursday nite I entertained 11 women at my own home and we had a BLAST! Some of them were Bunco Virgins - scared about learning a new game - I assured them it took no skill or strategy and only required the ability to throw three dice and count the dots once they stopped rolling. We all agreed to meet once a month for Bunco! I had a marvelous time with those women and I made some new friends. Don't worry about me anymore, John and Jill - I think I'm getting my groove back!
Autumn is starting here in the Ozarks. John and I went with his sister and her husband to the opening day of the National Harvest Festival at Silver Dollar City last weekend. This festival is one of our 2 favorite ones each year. Wood carvers, spinning, basket weaving, quilting, candle-making, old-fashioned sorghum making, ironworkers. It's one big craft fair that lasts 6 weeks. The leaves have begun to change. They don't appear anywhere near the vibrant colours of New England, but they are lovely nonetheless. The weather has cooled considerably and today we have tons of rain (which the grounds need desperately), and lots of thunder and lightning.

Thank so much for stopping by. Till next time.

They Called Her Unsinkable

2011-08-30T18:07:00.003-05:00

I was able to finish another of the test knits for my friend in New York this past weekend. This is another of the Women of Substance series shawls - The Unsinkable Molly Brown. I used a Wollmeise superwash merino yarn and it was a delight to handle. No splitting, soft to the touch. This shawl is a long one, with a gentle swoop along the neckline. The bottom lace represents the waves in the sea when the ship sank.

Again, I'm really proud of this one. And the designer is pleased as well. There has been a lot of chatter on the boards about this one.

We have some clouds appearing in the sky tonight...John is out mowing while he can. Thank goodness he doesn't have to mow the entire 10 acres any more...4 acres is more than enough to have to mow on a regular basis. And then, come October, he can put the mower under the house for the winter. In March he will start mowing again. Growing up in California and Arizona, I never thought about having mowing seasons. But that's part of life here in the Ozarks.

Thanks again for stopping by.

2011-08-26T17:49:00.003-05:00

I've been knitting a test knit for my friend in New York for the last month. I've never knit a shawl before and this one is a delightful knit. I used approximately 1000 yards of yarn and 1600 beads. The shawl is Mary Magdalene - the third in her Women of Substance series. Money collected from this series will be used to sponsor scholarships for women studying service industries in 2012.

.I enjoyed knitting this shawl so much that I have another in the series almost ready to bind off. The Unsinkable Molly Brown will be off the needles and going into a lukewarm bath and then a gentle stretch this weekend and I will post pictures once she's ready and the designer gives me the Okey Dokey to do so.

If you wish to purchase this pattern or any of her other ones, please follow this link Meggie's Patterns . This will allow you to purchase any of the Women of Substance patterns, even future ones that haven't been released yet. For a list of the patterns she is going to release, check them out here. If you wish to purchase this pattern, the cost is $9.00 until it goes live, then the price goes up to $12.00. September 10th is the day the pattern goes live so you've got a few days to mull it over.

It's finally cooling off here in the Ozarks. I feel autumn in the air when I get off work. Thank goodness! The heat and humidity has been really wicked this year and I can't wait for autumn to finally settle in. Not that I'm looking forward to winter - I really don't mind the cold, I just dislike ice and snow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Just Checking In

2011-07-26T09:08:00.002-05:00

It's been so long since I wrote on this blog and there simply is no excuse. So we'll just leave it at that.

I've been knitting, knitting, knitting. It seems like forever. I belong to a swap group on Ravelry that focuses on Fairy Tales and legends. Each swapper makes a wee tiny sock, and includes other items to represent the theme. This month's theme is Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves. I didn't really know the story. So I went to my online resource: Wikipedia. The story of Ali Baba come from the Tales of the Arabian Nights. My wee tiny sock represents the booty that Ali Baba's brother, Cassim, stole from the cave belonging to the thieves.
In addition to the wee tiny sock, I sent along a little plastic basket, a small sewing kit, a mini notebook and pencil, a lighted keychain, glittery nail polish, and a small, portable quilted pad that turns into a basket. My swap partner lives in Scotland so it will be a while before she gets it. I can't wait to see what she is sending to me.

On the knitting front, I'm knitting a beautiful shawl as a test knit for my designer friend. She is quite the designer, is our Meggie. Meagheen Ryan designs socks, hats, scarfs, shawls, children's' cardigans. She is doing a series of shawls called Women of Substance. Women who have made a difference in the world. There are 40 shawls in the series, plus 12 in a Knit-A-Long that are being brought out once a month for a fee. The money collected from the Knit-A-Long will go to scholarships for women going to school with a focus on service. July 31 will see the first shawl in the KAL - Eleanor Roosevelt. I am testing the pattern for the September 30 KAL - Mary Magdalene. I can't show you the whole thing yet...but here is part of it. It will have over 1500 beads once I'm done. I love knitting this shawl. I'm also testing the Unsinkable Molly Brown for her.
Like everywhere else in the U.S., we are living thru the heatwave. John went to Utah from the 30th of June to the 10th of July. He had a blast! Me? Well, I lived in a blast furnace most of the time he was gone. You see, 2 hours after he left, the air conditioner died....I mean DIED! On a holiday weekend, I lose a/c. I called John and, from Utah, he arranged for a repair man to come out...it seems the motor finally went to the big motor graveyard in the sky. Well, that's fine, but it's darned hot here in Marshfield, Missouri. And the humidity is a killer! The motor had to be ordered, and overnighted and then installed. For 5 days, I lived in misery. The temperature inside the house got to 89 degrees during the day and down to 85 at night. When the repairs were done, 5 days later, I hugged the repairman! I told John he is NEVER allowed to go away on vacation, even to see the Grands, ever! Something always breaks when he leaves.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tour de Fleece Begins July 2nd

2011-07-01T13:17:00.008-05:00

Yes, folks, the Tour De Fleece 2011 begins today!....now there are a lot of folks out there who are scratching their heads and wondering what the heck that is, and why is Sally so excited? Well, pull up a chair and I can tell you about it.

The Tour de Fleece was thought up several years ago as a way for spinners (of yarn, not tales) to process all the fiber they have sitting in bags in the closets, just waiting to be spun.

Based on the Annual Tour de France bicycle race, this version uses spinning wheels, drop spindles, and anything else that can be used to spin fleeces into yarn. Well, fine, you say...but Sally doesn't spin...she doesn't own a spinning wheel or any of those spindle things...why is she so excited?

I've been thinking about learning to spin...but the cost of buying even a beginner's wheel is so high that it's stopped me from proceeding. Then a friend suggested a drop spindle. Those are really inexpensive and can even be made from a dowel, a cup hook, and a cd disc... so I got an inexpensive spindle and some fiber and allowed myself to be talked into competing in this year's Tour de Fleece. Each spinner spins each day that the race goes on, with one of the days to be a challenge day (that's the day the bicyclists go up the hills in their race) and there are 2 days that we don't have to spin at all cause they are resting days. I've committed to spinning 10 minutes each day...I figure if I spin more than than, fine; if I only spin 10 minutes each day, then my spinning will improve slower, but I'll not put any pressure on myself...heaven knows, I don't need any more self-inposed pressure.

John left on Thursday night to spend 10 days with the grands in Salt Lake City. As usual, something happened about 2 hours after he left - the a/c unit stopped working in the house. I noticed it was getting a bit warm in the studio - it's the warmest room in the house but it got really warm. I looked a the thermometer and it read 79°...not what we normallyhave in the house. I walked down the hallway and checked the thermostat - 75° and it was set to turn on at 70°...did all the standard checks and nothing happened. Called John on his cell phone and he gave me some ideas to check and then I called the repair man - at 10:00 at night and on the start of a holiday weekend. Got the ceiling fans going....and hoped the guy could get it fixed the next morning. Here we are now on Saturday - still no a/c! That guy spent all day trying to get it fixed and gave up on Friday nite around 8:00...we called someone else from Springfield (45 miles away) and that blessed man came out last night at 10:45 to see if he could figure it out. Evidently, the circuit board wasn't bad, as was first thought, it was the motor...an $1100.00 motor! AND he can't get the part till Wednesday. In the meantime, it is sweltering in the house...this morning it was only 84° which was down from the 89° temperature from last night. Fortunately, today is the last day of 100° heat so we might get a bit of relief between now and Wednesday. Will be spending the next 3 days of my holiday in very short shorts, a tank top, and no bra....so beware if you come to visit. It's hot and so am I!!!

Wishing you all a wonderful Fourth of July Holiday....Thank you to all military members and veterans, police officers, firemen and women, farmers, and anyone I might have forgotten to mention who is responsible for making and keeping this country the great country it is.

God Bless America !

Aftermath

2011-05-26T11:45:00.004-05:00

Just checking in with all of you folks...some of you have emailed me directly, some have called, some have just prayed for us. Thank you to everyone! We live about an hour east of Joplin, Missouri, along the I-44. While we had horrendous winds, vicious rains, and large hail, we had no damage. This is what I encountered on my way to work on Monday.
Wicked black low clouds. Rain and wind. And that's what we've had each day this week. Today, Thursday, we have low clouds still but no rain. Hopefully by the weekend, we will see that blazing yellow ball in the sky once more.

Shortly after the news of the Joplin tornado, I looked outside and saw this.

Right off the back deck, a double rainbow. While the tornadoes this week are reminders that we are not in charge, this double rainbow reminds us of exactly Who is in charge.

Thanks for checking on us, praying for us, and caring about us. And thanks for stopping by.

Two of My Favorite Men and a Sock

2011-05-17T11:43:00.003-05:00

I cast on and finished this Wee Tiny Sock on Sunday nite. "Orla is Stressed" is a lovely and fast little knit. It's a bit scary to drop stitches at first but once you get over the initial fear, it is fun to release all your stress by dropping stitches deliberately.

John called me last evening, as he usually does around 5:00, to tell me that he was on his way home from work. He also said that he'd gotten a phone call from our son. It seems our son was on a business trip in Kansas City (3 1/2 hours north of us) and wondered if we would like to drive north and meet him halfway. We left home at 6:00 last evening and got to our meeting point at 10 minutes till 8:00. Young John arrived about 5 minutes behind us. We hadn't eaten dinner so our meeting took place at a Chinese buffet. We hadn't seen John since Christmas and that hour and a quarter we got to spend with him was a true gift! Thanks, Son, for thinking of this lovely treat for us. We love you!
Sorry there's not much content to this posting...I just wanted to share a bit of the joy we felt yesterday at getting to see our son....Utah is so very far away from Missouri....

Thanks for stopping by.

May 2011

2011-05-14T15:51:00.003-05:00

Wow, it's been so long since I last posted. Saying I was busy sounds so lame, but I swear it's true. I've been knitting up a storm...nothing to show for it right now...am working on a test knit for my friend in New York. She has designed a lovely series of shawls to commemorate historical women. Rosie the Riveter, Rosa Parks, Emma Pankhurst, and the Unsinkable Molly Brown. I'm testing Molly Brown for her. It's my very first shawl and I must say, it's quite lovely. I'm knitting it in a Wollmeise fingering weight yarn in Lila Ludmilla (violet). I promise I'll take a picture once it's done and post it here. Promise!

In the meantime, here's a Wee Tiny Sock I knit last night. My friend in New York comes from a really large family - 26 children in all (no adoptions, one set of twins!) and they all knit, even the men! There are several doctors in the family and they all work with Doctors Without Borders. This family is involved with a lot of charities, and they encourage all their friends to help when they can. My friend designs socks and shawls and hats and wee tiny socks and sells them with all the proceeds going to charity. Recently, 3 of the brothers, all doctors, heard that the Doctors Without Borders group was still working in Haiti but was running out of money for that area. They decided to tap in to their sister's network and designed a set of 3 Wee Tiny Socks, placed them in kits with yarns and patterns, and sold them thru their sister's Ravelry Shop online with the understanding that all proceeds would go to DWB and used toward Haiti relief. I bought the

set and it has sat here awaiting me for several weeks. Last night I had some time, not enough to work on the shawl but enough to devote to a WTS...I cast on the first sock in the Healer series. This one is called Let Them Be Children. I love how it came out...

Missouri in Spring is quite lovely. So green and fresh. It won't be long before the humidity sets in and then it will get miserable. Until then, John is taking advantage of the nice weather and putting in a second garden bed. Last year he only had one bed...we had 11 tomato plants and several herb plants. Last week I went with him to the Marshfield Greenhouse and we picked up some basil, rosemary, chives, oregano, and sage. We also go 3 roma tomato plants, 2 Brandywine tomatoes for cutting tomatoes, a broccoli plant, and 4 pepper plants (yellow, orange, green, and red). One of the girls at work gave us some small brussels sprouts plants and 4 Carolina Gold tomatoes along with 4 Cherokee purple tomato plants. John wants the tomatoes in a different bed from last year so he is building a new bed. He planted all the herbs and the other vegetables last weekend. This weekend he hopes to get the new bed done so he can get the tomato plants in the ground. He is racing against the rain....clouds are building up as I write this.

Some sad news to report...we lost our 2 year old cow, Dolly, a couple of weeks ago...she was unable to give birth to the calf she was carrying and both she and the calf died. While they say that you can't have livestock without occasionally losing some, and it is part of nature, it still is a sad thing to happen. And life goes on!

I will try to post more often in future. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by.

Soul Stud!

2011-04-08T18:07:00.002-05:00

Several yarn shops in this area are sponsoring a Yarn Crawl and I decided to check them out. I usually only go to one yarn shop - my favorite One City Market (Hi, Lisa!) but the opportunity to check out other shops was just too much. Included in the knitter's version of a shop hop is the White River Alpaca Farm. Stacy and her husband have some really darling alpacas...I got to meet Soul Stud - he's a really lady's man! And his fur is so soft..poor baby was so hot and he is not scheduled for sheering till next week. His eyes are huge and so soulful.

This past weekend, John and I went to the commissary at Fort Leonard Wood...first time since the beginning of January. Once John brought all the bags in, our Gilligan decided he needed to make sure that black bag didn't levitate off the counter. I recall a friend saying that cats are either "up" cats or "down" cats....Gilligan is definitely an "Up" cat!

Finished the Shop Hop today with my friend Peggy...had a lovely time visiting a couple more shops and then got some Chinese food for lunch. Am now home and about to continue knitting the Round 3 socks for Sock Madness....Will post a picture once I get a bit further along...in the meantime, please keep good thoughts winging their way toward me and my fingers....there are only 25 people from my team going on the Round 4.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hay, Man!

2011-04-02T15:28:00.002-05:00

Today was one of the first days that the air outside wasn't frigid and breezy. A beautiful spring day. One of our friends stopped by to deliver hay for our cows. It's amazing how excited John gets when the HayMan stops by! And the cows get a bit excited about it, too. Now they've got enough to last till the grass starts growing in the south and north fields.

Sock Madness 5 is in full force. I made it into the 2nd Round and began the pattern for Nornir. It's a deceptively simple pattern...I say deceptive cause it looks quite easy and simple. While it really is easy and simple, it takes forever to knit. I began to think that someone came in each night and unraveled everything I did the day before....it felt as though I'd never get done with them. I finally finished, sent my email to the organizers along with the required picture, and snagged spot #29 out of 37 to get into Round 3. Here are the socks I have since named Groundhog Day Socks! Knit with a lovely yarn by Pagewood Farms with the colour name of Army Girl.

I've no idea when Round 3 starts, probably sometime during this next week. Will have to post once I've got those socks finished.

I'm knitting Easter Socks at the moment...will post once they are done.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Madness Begins!

2011-03-05T18:08:00.002-06:00

Remember last year when Sock Madness IV began? I made it much further last year than I'd expected to. Well, the Madness has begun again. Yesterday the moderators of the competition surprised us with the release of the first pattern. Entitled Supporter's Socks, the pattern makes use of two different colours, in my case, black with a slime green and purple variegated yarn. It's hard to see from this picture, but the ribbing is offset in the black stripe. And there is evidently a different kind of heel on this pattern. I haven't gotten to the heel yet so will have to reserve judgment for a while. I stopped at the heel on this sock and have cast on for the 2nd sock. Once I get to the heel on the 2nd sock, I will knit each sock's heel, then each sock's foot, and, finally, each sock's toe. Each competitor has 2 weeks to complete a pair of socks in order to go on to the 2nd Round. I'll post the finished pair once I'm done.

John just came in and grabbed the camera....it seems there's some cuteness going on in the great room....It's really cold here today (32 degrees) and the dogs spent a while outside and then came in to get warm...even Gilligan got in on the warming. Wish I could teach them to pick up their toys when they're done with them!

I'll keep you posted here on my progress in Sock Madness V.

Thanks for stopping by.

The Madness is a-Comin'

2011-02-22T12:14:00.002-06:00

Around here, March means Madness. No, not basketball - SOCKS! The 5th Annual Sock Madness begins sometime between the 1st and the 15th of March. Knitters from all over the world are sharpening their knitting skills, stocking up on freezer meals, choosing yarns, and generally getting pumped for the game! We haven't been told yet exactly when the game starts. But the moderators have given us a tentative listing of the yarns used by both the designers and the test-knitters. Given that list, I've pulled yarns from my own stash and will hopefully stick with my original choices once the patterns are released. 5 of the socks are single yarn socks - YEAH! 3 of them are multi-colour socks. Multi-colour socks present a problem - mainlyof tension when changing colours- but I've done several pairs of competition socks using more than one colour so it doesn't scare me much anymore.

Starting at the bottom left and working clockwise we have a variegated pink/grey/white. Then a variegated blue/green/yellow/white. That reddish one at the top left is called Killer Tomatoes - variegated red/green/yellow/orange. Then there is a set of pond scum green teamed with purple/orange/black/white. In the top right we have a semi-solid in Spring Green, under that is a semi-solid in Ginger and a variegated in Popsicle. In the middle bottom is a denim blue paired with a variegated blue/green/pale yellow. Finally, in the middle is a lovely yarn called Army Girl - a camouflage with a bit of pink sneaked in. All-in-all, I'm pretty pleased with my choices and hope I can stick with these once the patterns are released.

Will keep you posted once the Madness starts.

In the meantime, thanks for stopping by.

A Sale and a Tam-O-Shanter

2011-02-19T16:46:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure if everyone has heard but one of the major bookstores here in the U.S. has filed for bankruptcy and is closing 200 of its many stores throughout the country. I got an email this morning, telling me that the store in Springfield (the nearest big city to us) is closing and that everything in the store, with few exceptions, is on sale at a nice discount. Since I recieved a gift card from them at Christmas and hadn't used it yet, I thought I'd drive into town and see if I could find anything to spend it on. I asked John if he'd like to come with me - the idea was that he could go to the Man Store and I could go to the bookstore and then we could have a nice lunch out. Firstly, it's a good thing he was planning on dropping me off and then driving across the street to the Man Store (Lowe's) - there was not one single parking place in the area of the bookstore. I told him that I knew exactly what I wanted and that he should hurry at his errand and come pick me up. And off we went in our two directions. Immediately upon entering the store, I realized that I shoudl call him and let him off the hook for hurrying. I went thru the store and picked up everything I wanted, then got in line and called him. Here is a bit of the conversation:

Me: Hi, Honey...just wanted to tell you that I'm in line. You probably ought to take your time coming to get me...I think there's probably an hour and a half till I get to the register.
John: Are you serious? I can take my time at the Man Store?
Me: Yeah, I'll call you if I get done any faster.

I was standing at the very back of the store, at the back of the line, looking toward the entrance. You can see from the picture that there were literally hundreds of people in front of me - IN LINE! I think it probably took about an hour to get to the serpentine part of the line at the front near the registers. I called John almost exactly an hour later and told him I was 5 people from the front of the line and he might want to consider starting to drive over to get me. He was actually arriving at the store as we spoke. We then went to a lovely restaurant and had lunch at 2:30 in the afternoon. We both deserved it!

On a cheerier note, I've been knitting on a year-long Knit-a-long project since the beginning of January. The finished project will be a hooded celtic cape, telling the story of an Irish girl and her country. Along with the monthly distributions of the next parts of the cape, the designer has included accessories - socks, mittens, gauntlets, hat, shawl, elbow-length gloves, and a tam. I've never knit a tam before and decided to try one. I love this tam!

The pattern is really easy and intuitive....a lovely knit!

You know, they say that some folks have heads made for hats and some don't. I honestly don't know if I have a head made for hats but I really like this hat.

Thanks to my Mr. Wonderful for the photos....

And thanks to you for stopping by.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-02-08T17:28:00.002-06:00

This week's challenge was to name our top ten Oscar winning movies....here goes:

1. 1961 - West Side Story - A wonderful remake of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.

2. 1964 - My Fair Lady - I'd love to see if the rain in Spain really does fall mainly on the plain!

3. 1965 - The Sound of Music - didn't every little girl fall in love with Julie Andrews? I did!

4. 1968 - Oliver - "Please sir, I'd like some more".

5. 1958 - Gigi - Louis Jordan at his most musical.

6. 1951 - An American in Paris - my 2nd favorite city in the world.

7. 1994 - Forrest Gump - If life is like a box of chocolates, why did mine only get nuts?

8. 1957 - Bridge on the River Kwai - watched this the first time with my Dad - have love it since.

9. 1990 - Dances with Wolves - Not normally a lover of western movies but this one got to me.

10 1939 - Gone With the Wind - "Oh, Miss Scarlett, I don't know nothn' 'bout birthin' no babies."

It was hard to cut it off at 10 so here are another 3 that really should have been included...as above, no real order to these.

11. 1995 - Braveheart - love me some early-years Mel Gibson.

12. 1989 - Driving Miss Daisy - Anything with Morgan Freeman or Jessica Tandy.

13. 1952 - The Greatest Show on Earth - 2 words - Charlton Heston!

Thanks for stopping by.

Close Call

2011-02-05T18:52:00.004-06:00

You've probably seen on the news that we're having some challenging weather the past week or so. Tuesday and Wednesday, the library was closed and John didn't even go to work. He made it to work on Thursday but the library remained closed. We both went to work on Friday. And therein lies the problem!

Roads had been somewhat cleared of snow all the way into town. I drove in with no problems in the morning. Got off work at 3:00 and headed, carefully, toward home. The road home is mostly paved, with the final mile and a half gravel. Once I'd turned onto the gravel road, there was only one more obstacle before I felt I'd made it home fine.

There is a little knoll about 50 feet before the final turn onto our road. Not a steep hill but one that commands respect from all drivers in winter weather. I got to the top of the knoll and slowed down - a lot- and began my descent...a bit faster, a bit faster....tapped the brakes and began the slide! Crap!!! Still not too fast, so decided I could make the turn onto our road. NOT! Should have just straightened the wheel and gone on past the road and let the straight part slow me down, then backed up to the turn. Instead, I began to slide across the road into a stand of trees. Yanked the wheel to the right to miss the trees and went sideways. And stopped! Once I'd caught my breath and made sure my heart was still beating, I put the car into gear and tried to back out - not happening. Okay, how about forward? Yeah, that works - for about 10 feet until I got stuck in a drift of snow. No backing out, no going forward. AND the car is tipped a bit sideways.

Called John and he left work immediately to come rescue me and the car. It takes him about 45 minutes to get home and it was getting cold and starting to snow again. One of our neighbors was about 5 houses down from where I was so I called her to come get me and take me home. God Bless her!!! John got home and went to dig out the car, having called our other neighbor (my office partner, John ) who came with his tractor to help dig me out. Less than 1/2 hour later, the car was in the garage- none the worse for wear.

Lesson learned - slow up before going down the knoll in the winter, go straight and then back up to turn onto our road, wear sturdier shoes so you can walk home if necessary!

We are expecting even more snowy weather tomorrow thru Tuesday - Yeah (she said weakly and with dripping sarcasm).

Thanks for stopping by.

Blizzard!

2011-02-01T11:34:00.005-06:00

That's what the weathercasters are calling it. They said they checked the archives and they've never used that word for winter weather here in the Ozarks-EVER! They used the word yesterday. The library is closed today but it's my day off anyway. John did not go into work today. We are not sure if we can either of us get to work tomorrow. They are telling us that we might get as much as 20" of snow. I took pictures this morning, before the really heavy snow started. The first one is just outside the front door - see the front walkway there? Next you have the view outside the morning room window. The cows are at the hay ring, loading up on energy to keep themselves warm. Just after I took that picture, they made their way to the barn. John and our neighbor put extra hay out for them on Sunday nite. And finally, the back deck.

John just came in and the snow is coming down in huge flakes. And really fast. And it's so very cold! They tell us that our high tomorrow will be 13 degrees with a windchilll of -3...brrrrrr.

We've got plenty of milk, soda, beer, food, warmth, batteries, dvd's, and knitting to keep us happy here. But I sure do miss California weather...

Thanks for stopping by.

Mail Call

2011-01-31T20:21:00.005-06:00

We recently got a Christmas card from a former commanding officer and his family. They said they were still stationed in Germany (which I'd forgotten) and would be transferring back to the States this summer. I emailed her to catch up on family and during the course of our emails, I mentioned a particularly difficult-to-find knitting yarn that seems to be plentiful in Germany - where it's made- but almost impossible to get here. Tanya asked me the name and location of the shop that sells it - yes, I said Shop - there is only one shop that sells this particular yarn. I sent her a link to the shop's website. She sent me an email a week later with the following info - Yarn Found!

Tanya the Terrific managed to pick up 2 skeins of sock yarn and one of laceweight yarn. Then she sent me an email telling me that she'd mailed it. I practically stalked the mailman till the box arrived this last Saturday...Below you see the bounty the box contained.

The large skein is laceweight yarn in "Lavendel" - the picture simply does NOT do the colour justice. It is the most amazing violet! Next to it is sock yarn in colour"Pitahaya" - Dragonfruit. My colours for sure. Red and green and gold and orange and pink. Yummy. and finally is"Die Auster" - translated to The Oyster. It's a beautiful green-blue.

And then, Tanya told me that she would be going back there at least once more before they leave. I've been writing down the colours I want. I may need to get another job just to pay for the Wollemeise sock yarn!

We are expecting a major storm here tonight. Rain all day today, turning to sleet and a bit of ice and then snow after midnight. They are telling us that we should expect between 9 and 14 inches of snow before the storm is over. I don't have to go to work tomorrow and my doctor called to cancel my annual appointment for tomorrow so I'm all set. John may have to go in to work but we will have to wait to hear closser to when he leaves for work in the morning.

Thanks for stopping by.

I Have Not Forgotten You!

2011-01-27T14:07:00.004-06:00

I promise, I have not forgotten you. I've been working on some stuff and my plan is to get a posting up this weekend, with pictures.

Check out my new (additional) blog...become a following and come along with me on my newest journey!

http://www.celticsal.blogspot.com

Snow Day

2011-01-10T19:31:00.002-06:00

Today we had some snow...not much, but enough to cover the streets and sidewalks...It's wicked cold outside...with more snow predicted overnight.

I'm finally recovering from the illness I started the holiday season with. The doctor found that I had 2 ear infections and a sinus infection...not fun when traveling over the Rocky Mountains to get home from Utah! Thanks to modern chemistry, I'm on the road to recovery!

Sock Scrimmage 2011 started on the day we got home. I was so sick I didn't even start my sock-weapon till a couple of days later. I finished my own offering and mailed it to my partner on Friday. I got hers today and did my own part in the knitting. Only one more item to include and I can mail this sock to my target. No real advantage to winning except for bragging rights for the next year. Wish us luck!

Sorry for the short missive...hope to add more next time.

Thanks for stopping by!

10 on Tuesday

2010-12-27T20:51:00.002-06:00

John and I are having a wonderful time in Utah with John, Jill, and the Grands. The weather was definitely with us on our 2-day drive. Christmas Day was a festival of toys, ripped wrapping paper, food, and family. Each day is a party around here!!!

Ten on Tuesday: This will be the final 10 on Tuesday post: And the title for this one is:

10 Things to Change in the New Year

1. Spend more time with my John...we tend to watch our own programs on different TV's in the house and not in the same room.

2. Try to do housework more often...I would rather knit or sew than go anywhere near the vacuum or a dustrag.

3. Be more diligent about sending birthday cards.

4. Knit one pair of socks each month from the sets I've made up in the studio.

5. Learn how to spin with a drop spindle.

6. Watch the Yoga dvd and start doing yoga at least once a week.

7. Start using the Magic Bullet at least once a week.

8. Make plans to take a short trip to Rhode Island in 2011.

9. Make the doll clothes for my granddaughters that they've requested.

10. Write in my journal 5 minutes each day

These 10 things reguire an attitude change in me for them to be effective. So I'm adding an 11th thing to the list - CHANGE MY ATTITUDE!

Let's see how well I do...If anyone has an hints as to how I can effect these changes, please comment.

Happy New Year to everyone...I am so thankful to all of you for your friendship and continued support of this blog.

Until next time...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2010-11-25T14:49:00.002-06:00

John and I were supposed to drive to his sister's house for Thanksgiving today. The weather changed our plans. Our high today was 31 degrees and that was at 9:30 this morning....it went down to 25 degrees by 11:00 a.m. Add the rain and sleet, and you have icy conditions. John and I agreed that we wouldn't drive to Theresa's house, rather we would stay home, safe and warm and dry. Sad to miss this family get-together but glad we will have a chance to do it another time. ICE ON THE TREE OUTSIDE MY STUDIO WINDOW.

CLOSER TO THE TREE - YES THAT GRASS IS GREEN. GO FIGURE!

ICE BEGINS TO GATHER ON THE BACK DECK.

THAT'S ABOUT ALL THE SNOW WE GOT!

The roads are still icy so we won't be going anywhere today. That's fine....we have food in the freezer and we have each other.

Wishing all our friends a Happy Thanksgiving. Our grateful prayer are with you all.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-11-16T12:19:00.003-06:00

This week's 10 on Tuesday is 10 Movies you want to see at the Theater. We don't usually go to the movies in town, rather we wait till the movie comes out on DVD and are able to sit in our easy chairs and eat popcorn while watching. And we can hit the pause button if we need to make a bathroom break. But if I had unlimited time and money, these are the movies I'd want to see at the theater:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2. ( I know, I need to wait till May of next year for this one)
3. Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
4. One for the Money (It comes out next year. This is the money made from Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series of books.)
5. Blood Fare (It also comes out next year - not sure if it will be in the theatres or go directly to DVD but our son is in this one so we will definitely see it!)
6. Red - what can I say? I love Helen Mirren!
7. Secretariat - I've only seen the promos but it looks interesting.
8. Unstoppable - I'm not normally interested in an action film but the promos grabbed me.
9. Fair Game - I wonder how Hollywood is going to treat the Valerie Plame issue.
10. The Next 3 Days - again, I really don't care of Russell Crowe, but the story intrigues me.

What's on your list?

Thanks for stopping by.

OUCHIE, OUCHIE!

2010-11-13T14:10:00.003-06:00

Picture this: Late afternoon on a Friday, 2 men working diligently to dig a hole thru rock and clay (they've spent the last 2 weekends pouring water into the hole to loosen the clay). Finally, they think they have it deep enough to sink a post and cement it in place. Now, picture one of the 2 men pounding the new post into the ground...pound, pound, pound....smash! It happened so fast, yet, he tells me he knew it was coming as it was happening and was powerless to stop it. This is his thumb, shortly after it happened - it's almost twice that size this morning. No, it's not broken, just bloody and swollen. Poor baby can't do much with his left hand. Makes one understand why we were given oposable thumbs! Poor John....he is NOT used to being unoccupied...thank goodness we've got a lot of movies on DVD and plenty of beer and coffee!

Until next time!

Ten on Tuesday

2010-11-08T17:38:00.005-06:00

This week's Ten on Tuesday blog post is supposed to be about 10 Dream Vacations. Let's see how far I can get.....

1. Anywhere my son and his family are - mostly in Utah.

2. Ireland - I've always wanted to go there.

3. Paris - My second favorite city in the entire world.

4. Hong Kong - my very favorite city of the ones I've visited.

5. Australia - just saying the name of the country makes me smile!

6. England and Scotland - I visited both places and would love to go back.

7. Maine - I absolutely adore Maine - especially the Casco Bay area and the tiny island of Little Diamond.

8. Rhode Island - where I believe my heart really lies.

9. New Hampshire - especially in the peak of autumn...those leaves have to be seen to be believed.

10. Alaska - I've always had a desire to see Alaska.

Wow! I came up with 10 places to go on vacation! There isn't one of them that takes precedence over another...no particular order, except for seeing my grandchildren and their mom and dad.

What's on your list?

Thanks for stopping by.

KoolAid Dyeing 101

2010-10-24T12:19:00.004-05:00

Mom and I decided to dye some mini skeins of yarn with KoolAid. I've never done this before but it turned out really, really easy! And we had a blast. First, we wound about 20 yards of undyed sock yarn and placed them into a shallow bowl of warm water with a dab of dishwashing liquid . Let that sit for about 30 minutes to 'open' the yarn. While the yarn was soaking, we added one pouch of sugarless KoolAid to 8 oz. of water and stirred till it was dissolved.

We are now ready to experiment!

We put plastic wrap in a shallow microwave plate (I used a pie plate) and made a 'bumper' along the center so I could do two sections of yarn at a time. Squeeze (gently) the soaked yarn and place in the well of the plastic wrap. We spooned dye randomly onto the yarn using whatever colours we wanted. Place the pie plate into the microwave and nuke it on high for 2 minutes. Let it sit for 2 minutes and nuke again if the liquid in the plate hasn't turned clear or slightly 'foggy'. I only nuked this set for 2 minutes and decided it was done. Let it cool entirely - there must be no heat left in the yarn OR the plate. Rinse with tap water the same temperature as the yarn - heat or cold will shock the yarn and cause it to begin felting.

After squeezing out as much liquid as you can, without twisting -it causes felting - hang the hanks up to dry - our hanks were so small that they dried overnight.

Here you have my 4 mini skeins of 20 yards - we used orange, blue, green, and orange. I totally forgot to buy red or yellow KoolAid.

And here are Mom's 4 skeins. They turned out so entirely cool! This is one easy, fast, and fun method to dye your own yarns...it can be done with larger skeins, you might need more than 1 package of KoolAid for each colour, though.

Thanks for stopping by.

Crafty Ladies

2010-10-17T15:38:00.002-05:00

Mom and I spent this morning working on some folded iris cards. She'd never heard of them and said she'd try them for me. This is the one she made....her very first iris folded card. I think she's hooked! Then she made the card on the left....using grosgrain ribbons as her paper strips and paper punching the dots on the planter. It's too cute! I made the card on the right - using various ribbons and alternating the colors so it stripes. I'm quite pleased with that one, too.

Finally, here is a Halloween cauldron whose pattern I got from the internet. I'm going to use this card as a giveaway for my class tomorrow.

More soon. Thanks for stopping by.

Utah Visits Missouri

2010-10-17T14:50:00.009-05:00

The Utah family visited us for a week recently. What a wonderful experience for us all. My mom flew in from Arizona for a 3 week visit right after the kids got here and she got to meet her newest great-grandson, Hewston.

Emily did some homework in my studio while I knitted, then we made dessert together.

We went to Silver Dollar City for the day and then spent the night at one of the timeshares in Branson. Had dinner at Mel's Hard Luck Diner. If you even get a chance to go there, don't hesitate. The wait staff all sing and the food is awesome. We got there 5 minutes before they closed the doors (didn't realize they were getting ready to close and they never told us). We were the last to leave, of course. But the staff was gracious and the service was superb! The kids loved it. One of the waiters sang a lovely song and Charlotte was mesmerized! He saw that she was focused on him and began to sing directly to her - I think she's in love!

The next day we left Branson and began making our way home...stopping at my friend's farm so the kids could ride her horses. William was happy to sit on the horse and let Papa lead Summer around the paddock, and Charlotte and Emily took turns on Sydney, with their dad leading the horse. Mom, Jill, Hewston, and I sat in the shade of the barn watching....what a delightful afternoon we had!

And Papa John spent quite a bit of time holding that lovely little bundle. We all did, actually.

On their last day here, William asked Papa, "Will you take me for a ride on your Grasshopper, Papa?". They got their shoes on and spent an hour outside, riding with Papa....Everybody took a turn. What fun!

The kids loaded up the rental van and headed back to finish the day in St. Louis, then flew home early the next day. We surely do miss them, but we will spend Christmas with them in Utah so that will sustain us.

That's about all for now. Thanks for stopping by.

Roosters

2010-09-24T15:55:00.003-05:00

Ha! You thought I meant chickens, didn't you! Nope, these turkeys have decided to roost on top of the fencing near the barn. That's where John finds them each night, waiting for him to put them in the barn for the night. We had one turkey lost due to an incident with a feral cat, but the rest of them are faring quite well. They sure can fly, too. That grey-ish white one on the right flew over 200 feet the other day when I let the dogs out into the run and didn't see the turkeys were out there. They scattered like the wind.

Autumn has arrived here. The temperature has fallen to the mid 70's during the day and the humidity is no higher than my age. Temps at night are into the 50's. Looking forward to some lovely days ahead.

Stay tuned. I'll have some grandkid pics soon - they are coming for a visit in a bit over a week....yeah!

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Grandparents Day!

2010-09-12T11:46:00.002-05:00

Today is Grandparents Day in the U.S. I have only one grandparent left, my grandfather's wife, Carol. I only met Carol once, in the summer of 1959 when my mom, my brothers and I spent most of the summer at my maternal grandparents' farm in Ohio. We went up to Michigan for a week and saw my paternal grandfather and his wife. Carol was a librarian and she must have inspired my love for books. She gave my grandfather another 4 boys in addition to my own father. All of my grandparents are gone except Carol. I hear from her every year at Christmastime. And a couple of years ago, we had a tornado set down here in Marshfield and evidently it made the news cause I got a call from her to make sure we were ok. Although I've not seen her in over 50 years, Carol is still in my life. Happy Grandparents Day, Carol!

When our son was small, I had made Christmas stockings for each of us - felted, beaded, sequins galore. Those stockings have been used for over 30 years. Mine was eaten by one of the previous dogs a couple of years ago and I made a new one for me but John and John both still use their original ones.

When John III became engaged to Jill, he called me and asked me to make a stocking for Jill and one for her daughter, Emily. He picked out the patterns and sent them to me. The one for Emily had 137 pieces ! And he asked me to make them in - get this - October! In time for THIS Christmas? Yes, Mom, please??? Well, I got them done and they are still used. And for each of the grandchildren, as they come along, I make a Christmas stocking as well.

I spent yesterday putting the finishing touches to a Christmas stocking for our newest grandson. Hewston was born at the end of May. This one is blue and white, mostly, with touches of purple. There are a ton of sequins on this one. It finally was finished yesterday. Happy First Christmas, Hewston!

Thanks for stopping by.

Baby Turkey Talk

2010-09-03T17:13:00.004-05:00

They don't exactly cluck, and they don't exactly gobble, and they don't exactly whistle....just baby turkey talk....cute, huh?

Why Did the Turkeys Cross the Driveway?

2010-09-03T15:53:00.004-05:00

I recently told you about our turkeys....they are now old enough to be let out during the day to roam the property and they then, all by themselves, go back to the barn for the night. John shuts the door so no nighttime critters can get the birds. This is what I came home to this afternoon. I'm not sure they've ventured this far before.

The first picture was taken just after I pulled into the left wing of the circle drive...they were going from the far western side of our property, across the driveway and heading over in front of the house. The second picture was taken just outside the front door, in the shade of the old elm tree in front of my studio windows. They were all working their way toward the barn. They were quietly making little turkey noises - not quite clucks, not quite gobbles...will try to get a video up (if I can figure out how to do it) for later.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, all of you, whether you celebrate Labor Day as we do in the USA or not.

Thanks for stopping by.

TRENCHING PROGRESS

2010-08-22T15:00:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went with John to our local Man Store to get the rest of the piping and fittings for the drainage in the front yard. He had called a local guy to come out and dig out the ditches again, and bigger, yesterday morning. During that time, the guy had cut the electrical wires to the well pump with his digger. John fixed that this morning, then got to work fitting all the pipes together for the drainage. Now he needs to lift it all up, place 2 inches of gravel in the bottom of the ditch, then lay the pipes again, this time for real, and put another 8 inches of gravel on top of that. Then push all the dirt back. The next procedure is laying the blocks to define the front gardens and separate them from the circle driveway.

I am so proud of John....he has done a wonderful job of this drainage project.

Thanks for stopping by!

Canning Tomatoes

2010-08-17T18:12:00.004-05:00

John is growing tomatoes this summer....many, many tomatoes. He has 11 plants of Romas and each weekend he brings in around 20 pounds of tomatoes. We spent one weekend, blanching tomatoes to get the skin off, and then freezing them. Got 4 one gallon freezer bags full. Last weekend we decided to can the tomatoes. 20 pounds of tomatoes will give you 7 quarts of canned tomatoes. I am not sure if we will freeze or can this next weekend....will keep you updated.

Thanks for stopping by.

Plea!

2010-08-15T10:10:00.002-05:00

I know there are a few folks who read my blog who quilt. I have a special request. I've got an idea for a small quilt and I want to use Hawaiian print fabrics. My stash of Hawaiian prints is incredibly small (as in a handful!). If any of you have any scraps that are no smaller than 3" by 7", and you don't have plans for them, I'd be happy to take them off your hands. Send me a note and I can give you my snail address.

Thanks for stopping by!

New Quilt, New Foal, and a New Computer!

2010-08-11T11:21:00.003-05:00

00Our neighbors to the south of us have several horses in the pasture. I certainly don't pay a lot of attention to them on a regular basis, as evidenced by the fact that a new baby was born last week and I never even noticed that the mare was pregnant! I came home from work on Wednesday and this is what I saw - it wasn't there when I left for work at 11:00 that morning! Not sure if it's a boy or girl - doesn't matter really. Our grandson, William, is nuts about horses so I sent him an email with pictures of the baby. He's even more excited about coming to visit Nana and Papa now that we have horses in the fields next door!

And about 18 months ago Jill asked me to make a quilt for the downstairs family room. Of course, I can't say no to my daughter-in-law! It took me till now to get in gear and make the quilt. I'm quite proud of the way it came out, my quilter did a fantastic job on the quilting. Jill got it just after her birthday! We're all happy now!

John's been toying with the idea of getting me a laptop computer for a while now. In fact, he admitted that he was going to get me one for our anniversary last month. We talked last week and finally decided to bite the bullet and get one. It should arrive today if the tracking is correct. I can't wait to get my programs loaded and the LAN set up so I can access all my documents from the studio instead of stopping what I'm doing and going to the other side of the house where the office is located. Thanks, John....you're still proving that you are my HERO!

Thanks for stopping by.

Trenching 2010

2010-08-01T10:28:00.007-05:00

We've lived here for 7 years now. And all that time, there has been no landscaping done at all. Other things have taken a front seat, I understand that. I am NOT a person to go outside and garden...outside creeps me out...I can't explain it. And my family knows that I don't do outside. So things like landscaping and outdoor decorations have needed to wait till more important things, like fencing and haying and cows, chickens, turkeys, and pigs were all situated and well-established. This past weekend was the time! My front 'yard' is finally in the beginning stages.

First up - trenching for drainage. This first picture shows how John marked for where the drainage lines are going. This is the ONLY one that didn't get done in the time he had left on the rental trencher....not bad!

Next we have the front trench going out toward the south pasture. That's the main trench that all the other ones will drain toward. And the next picture shows John and John, our neighbor, who spent all day in the blistering heat and humidty digging the trenches.

Here's a closeup of one of the trenches.

Now for some statistics for all you out there who like that kind of stuff:

143 linear feet dug, 2 feet deep and 6 inches wide. The last trench that didn't get dug is 23 feet long and John plans on digging that by hand - but not today. He's doing some cleanup of the trenches today, and maybe watch a John Wayne movie as a reward for all his hard work!

Next time, The Great Chicken Massacre!

Thanks for stopping by.

Wedding Anniversary

2010-07-28T20:09:00.002-05:00

This is really late....John and I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary last week. I absolutely can not believe it's been 37 years. We've both got a lot of miles on us and, hopefully, a lot more to come. John took me out to dinner the day after our special day - he helped a friend with some haying on "the day" -- golly, it's been a long time since we've been out for a nice dinner. We dined at the Gallery Bistro in downtown Springfield - all I can say is that the food was yummy and the service was beyond wonderful! Well worth the large money it cost.

I love you, John...you have made my life very full - full of love, full of adventure, full of memories.

Hey, thanks for stopping by folks!

County Fair and other Stuff

2010-07-19T18:15:00.004-05:00

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so our daughter-in-law, Jill ought to be seriously flattered! She made these really cool plant stakes for their garden in Utah and I saw them when I visited in April and June...decided I needed to make them for Mr. Wonderful's garden. Here they are. He just needs to attach the stakes to them and they are ready for the Pieceful Harbor Garden .

Our County Fair is held in July each year. The middle week, in fact. And I try to enter something each year. This year, I entered 2 knitted items and one quilted item. Here you have "Charlotte Visits Giraffic Park". I began this quilt when Charlotte was born - 5 years ago. It seems only fitting that I should finish it right about the time she starts school. This little lovely took 2nd place in its division.

Next we have the knee socks with celtic designs along each outside calf. I started them when I was in Utah - for a competition - and asked Jill if she'd like to have them when I got them done. She said she would. It's hard to see the celtic design but, believe me, it's there!

And I entered my very first piece of lace - a scarf - rather proud of that one, too. You will note that both the socks and the scarf took 1st place ribbons.

I'm trying to decide what to enter next year....will have to work on several other quilts to get them finished in time for next year's Fair - thank goodness I've got a whole year to get them done.

In chicken news, I will probably be posting some of the pictures taken during the Great Chicken Massacre next time. We ended up with 22 chickens - sold 15 of them and gave away 4 of them. Truthfully, haven't even cooked one yet..maybe this next weekend. We have 28 more chickens in the chicken tractor. They are 3 weeks old so another 5 weeks and they begin the killing spree again. Sounds gruesome, doesn't it? I honestly couldn't tell you cause I stayed away from the Killing Field the entire weekend it happened.

The topic for Ten on Tuesday is supposed to be 10 Things To Take Camping. Hah! Not gonna happen, friends. Those of you who know me know that camping is a 4 letter word to me. So I'm skipping the Ten on Tuesday subject this week.

Thanks for stopping by.

Summer

2010-07-10T17:16:00.002-05:00

It surely is summer in the Ozarks - hot and humid! Today is no different from any other day - sunny, with clouds moving in during the day, very hot and quite drippy with humidty. Rain is expected sometime tomorrow...it won't cool it down any, believe me.

Today is the day of the Great Chicken Massacre at Pieceful Harbor! John and our neighbor are killing chickens - 54 of them to be exact. Those chicks are now 8+ weeks old and ready to become freezer fodder. No, I'm not posting any pictures so don't even look for them. Not happenin', folks.

I haven't anything else of any interest to anyone to post so I'm going to close this and hope I have something interesting to tell you soon. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by.

Ten on Tuesday - a List

2010-06-29T18:19:00.005-05:00

I recently joined a group that sends each member a reminder on Sunday to do a blog posting on Tuesday entitled "Ten on Tuesday". They give us a topic and we post on our own blogs. Today's topic is "10 Books on My Summer Reading List". I only have 7 on my list so I guess that's all you're gonna get from me this week.

The Search by Nora Roberts. DONE
Sizzlin' Sixteen by Janet Evanovich - I'm reading this one now! DONE
Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber - This will be a re-read for me since I read it back when it came out in the late 80's! DONE
A Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodress - a local author whose book has recently come out as a movie. I want to read the book before we go see it at the theatre. DONE
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - I haven't read this one yet and summertime seems as good as any time to read it.
This Time Together by Carol Burnett - I just love that lady. DONE
The Help by Kathryn Stockett - I started it while I was in Utah and need to finish it.DONE

There you are - my 10 on Tuesday is really 7 on Tuesday Afternoon. I'll try to do better next week.

John came in last night and said that something had killed one of the baby turkeys overnight. He said it might be a cat or a possum...but that the bird was only dead, not mutilated. There were a couple of tooth marks on the neck but nothing else. He worked really hard to get the pen secure from another attack on the 3 remaining babies. This morning, he went out to check on them and found that 2 more were dead. He looked around and found the culprit - a 4 foot long black snake! When he got home this evening he went out there and killed that snake! Smacked it upside the head several times to stun it and then whacked it several more times with a shovel to chop off its head. He picked up 30 more baby chickens and 6 more baby turkeys this afternoon so he needs to make sure they are all secure. He is out in the barn as I write this, making sure the babies are safe. My hero!

I realized that I totally forgot to show you all a picture of John's chicken tractor. Here it is, just before he put the babies in it.

The chickens go inside the enclosure and, using a furniture trolley, John can move the tractor each morning and afternoon to a new space on the lawn. The chickens eat all the bugs within that 'square' and, of course, fertilize it, and then they are moved to a new space to do it all over again. Next year, the areas that were fertilized by the baby chicks this summer will be green and healthy - all organic and NO SMELL!!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Rainbows and Turkeys

2010-06-20T12:06:00.005-05:00

We had a terrifically short rainstorm late yesterday afternoon. Thunder, lightning, wind, and rain for about 20 minutes. Then the sun broke thru from the west and, while the rain was still beating down, this is what we saw out the southeast side of our property. It stayed for about 20 minutes. The colours were so intense...just inspiring!

I promised you turkeys and here they are. John went out to the barn yesterday, before the rain, and got these two clear pictures.

I'm working on a quilt for a dear girl in Utah...yes, Beansie, I'm working on it! Not sure it will be done by your birthday, but it's coming along!

Thanks for stopping by.

From top to bottom they are: Blue Slate, Royal Palm, Bourbon Red, and Black Spanish. John got one of each to see which he prefers. They are now about a month old and still only the size of your hand. They make the slightist peeping noise..you almost have to be on top of them to hear it.

I'm working on a project for a special girl in Utah....no, I'm not telling till it's done. It's coming along and I hope to have it posted by the end of July (?????).

Thanks for stopping by.

I'm Baaaaack!

2010-06-19T12:15:00.004-05:00

I just returned from Utah where I went to meet our newest grandson, Hewston. What a wonderful baby and what a wonderful family he has come into! I spent far too much time holding him and didn't get any pictures...thanks goodness John III took some when he was in the hospital!

I have Big John out taking pictures of our newest arrivals at Pieceful Harbor - baby turkeys...more later!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for continuing to follow my blog - such as it is!

We Became Chicken Farmers!

2010-05-28T12:53:00.002-05:00

Recently, John decided that he wanted to raise chickens - for meat, of course - so we got 25 day-old chicks about 3 weeks ago. One has died but the rest seem to be thriving. He is keeping them in the barn for the time being .For now, they have their own section of the barn, complete with heat lamp and food and water.

The next two pictures were taken last week, when they were 2 weeks old. They are getting more feathers and soon will be able to be put outside into John's brand new chicken tractor. He hasn't quite finished building it but hopes to have it done this weekend. Once they go into the chicken tractor, (I promise I'll post pictures for those of you who don't know what a chicken tractor looks like! Promise!) they have about another 4-5 weeks until they are then turned into food!

Then John and our neighbor will do what they have to do and use the neighbor's Whiz-Bang Chicken Plucker and we will have chickens in the freezer - about 8 pounds each and all organic! My John plans to sell some of them - we can get $15.00 per chicken! Really! Pure, healthy, non-additive chicken!

We got 4 day-old turkeys earlier this week...I don't have pictures yet but will post them as soon as I can.

In closing, I just want to wish everyone a safe holiday weekend. And to those who have served and are still serving in our military, at home and overseas, I wish to say a heartfelt, THANK YOU!

God Bless you all.

Thanks for stopping by.

TOP 10- er- 13 Favorite Musicals

2010-05-23T12:13:00.002-05:00

You know, sometimes I see someone else's posting and it stirs something in me. I'm going to steal an idea that I see each week and post it today. Sundays are supposed to be days of reflection, days where no work should be done (tell that to a farmer!) and they are perfect for movie watching. So here are my top 10 - no make that 13 since I can't cut any of these - favorite musicals...in no particular order except #1.

1. Wicked - cause who doesn't love that?
2. Mamma Mia - who knew Meryl Streep could sing?
3. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - cause I love me some Howard Keel!
4. The Producers - saw it on Broadway and I was hooked.
5. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - a ripped Donny Osmond.
6. The Sound of Music - those high notes!
7. The Music Man - both versions!
8. The Wizard of Oz - Poppies.....
9. Singin' in the Rain - wish I could dance like Gene Kelly.
10. Fiddler on the Roof - tradition!!!
11. Mary Poppins - where's the flying button on my umbrella?
12. Grease - the songs just move me!
13. Oliver - Please, sir, I want some more.

I will channel surf and see that one of these is on the TV and switch channels right then and there. Doesn't matter where it is in the movie, I know the stories by heart and don't need to catch up.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great rest of the weekend.

Hewston Matthew Knotwell

2010-05-20T16:20:00.003-05:00

Our son and daughter-in-law presented us with a fourth grandchild this morning. He was 8 days early and took his merry time to be born. Jill said she was in Home Depot yesterday afternoon when her water broke. She paid for her purchases and took them home and called John and he met her at the hospital. About 12 hours later, Hewston made his womb departure!

Hewston Matthew Knotwell: born May 20, 2010 at 4:31 a.m. MDT. Weighing in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces, 19.5 inches in length with a head circumference of 38 cm. A very much anticipated child to this household. Mommy and baby are doing very well and expect to go home tomorrow late afternoon if the pediatrician ok's it.

A little Pepper for my Ruby, Please.

2010-05-07T15:32:00.004-05:00

Some of you may remember my telling about our Ruby and Garnet (her first-born that we gave to our neighbors as a thank you for letting us keep our cows at their property for 4 years till we got our own fencing up) going off to 'camp' last summer. One neighbor calls it Sex Camp cause 'that's why they go, you know'. Well, camp was a huge success for our Ruby.....she presented us with a little bull calf last Friday evening. Big sister Dolly isn't sure what to do with that little guy yet. Mostly she nudges him and tries to get him to play...Ruby runs her off each time. Little guy is only about 50 pounds and no match for his big sister, Dolly, who weighs over 500 pounds.

We asked our Emily to name this newest addition to the herd...at the time we didn't know if it was a boy or a girl so she chose a nonsexist name. Folks, I give you Pepper!

Isn't that the cutest darned little face you have seen in a very long time? He is still a bit spindly on his legs, but he's a trooper and spends a lot of time near where his Mama is, whether it's near the hay ring, or out in the pasture, taking in the sun.

We also had some baby chicks arrive yesterday....pictures and story soon

Thanks for stopping by.

UTAH - Part Quartre

2010-05-03T11:42:00.002-05:00

On Thursday of my visit, Jill, Emily, Charlotte and I went to the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City for a Girls-Only High Tea. What a wonderful experience for all of us. We had tea (well, I had tea, they had hot chocolate), lovely finger sandwiches, scones with devonshire cream and lemon curd, and some incredible desserts. Emily and I tried smoked salmon and caviar for the first time. We both agreed that it wasn't to our taste. Charlotte tried everything, too.

For dessert, we got to choose from an incredible dessert cart...Emily chose the cheescake and strawberries with whipped cream. So did Jill and I! Charlotte had a decadent chocolate rasperry cake with strawberries and cream.

Where were John and William, you might be asking. Well, John was told he could go with us but he was not to talk to us cause it was GIRLS ONLY! He brought his camera and when he was done doing his paparazzi-thing, he and William (who had been sitting in a delicate chair over near the harpist, eating his snacks) went out to the gardens to take some more pictures. Once we were done with our tea party, we all went out so John could take some more amazing pictures of the kids. Hope to get some of them from him and will share when I do.

I came home on Tuesday last week and have slowly gotten back into the groove.

Oh, and Ruby had her calf on Friday nite. I'll share pictures soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

UTAH - Part Trois

2010-05-03T11:32:00.003-05:00

Charlotte is practicing for her dance recital. The teacher lets folks wander around the perimeter of the class for picture. Charlotte is so used to being in front of a camera, she doesn't ever pay any attention to it any more.

Jill is a crafter. She and I made cute table runners - one each - while I was there. Here is the hub of the process. This is neat, compared to the mess we made later.

Charlotte and William are such good playmates. They really do get along great. And they love to have their pictures taken!

We went to lunch one day with John...there wasn't a lot of room at one table for everyone so the boys went across the aisle to have a boys-only table. Here they are conspiring against the girls!

There was riding bikes in front,

And jumping on the tramp in the back.

Next time I'll show you pictures from our Girls-Only tea at the Grand America in Salt Lake City.

Thanks for stopping by.

Utah - Part Deux

2010-05-03T11:21:00.003-05:00

William is 3. He has a wonderful imagination. With 2 older sisters, he also has an endless supply of shoes, purses, and tiaras. A guy needs to unload with his guy-friends sometime. So here is William talking to Gooka, or is it Glokan? He talks to them all the time! Needless-to-say, these imaginary friends make it easier to live with girls, I would think.

Poor Jill....she's at the end of this pregnancy and her feet are swelling so much in the afternoons that she spent most early evenings with her feet up. Thankfully, this new baby is scheduled for induction on the 24th of May so she can hopefully get back to her normal routine and figure. Hang in there, daughter...soon, SOON!

Young John (my 32 year old baby! - sorry, honey, you'll always be the baby!) wears the most amazing ties....I love to see him each morning with a new tie.

UTAH in the Spring

2010-05-03T11:15:00.002-05:00

I got to spend 10 days in Utah with Young John and his lovely family. He and Jill made me so welcome...it does a mother (and mother-in-law)'s heart good to be treated so well!

We sent to Jamba Juice for a pick-me-up one day!

Jill made crepes for dinner one day. And who doesnt' like banana and strawberry dessert crepes?

Emily came upstairs wearing these adorable glasses. I asked her when she got them - she whispered, "they're fake...I don't wear glasses!". But she looks so darned cute in glasses!

More pictures coming later.
Thanks for stopping by.

Sock Madness IV Update

2010-05-03T11:11:00.002-05:00

I have so much to update everyone about that I will probably do this in a couple of updates instead of one. So here's the first one.

SMIV is still going on and I finished the socks for Round 3 while on vacation in Utah. My darling Daughter-in-Law acted as my foot model this time....I give you finished socks for Round 3 - GAMs. I used a lovely yarn that was hand-dyed by my friend Jo in Ireland. It's Forget-Me-Not, merino/tencel blend. I love knitting with her yarns....so soft and drapey.

Lazy Saturday.....NOT!

2010-04-11T12:25:00.002-05:00

Yeasterday started out pretty uneventful...I got to sleep in for the first time in a long time abd John went over to the neighbor's house to begin burning some ginormous brush piles they'd been amassing for about 2 months. I was in the studio, finishing the knitting of a lace scarf I started in a class 18 months ago. The phone rings. Here's the conversation:

"Sally? It's Sandy. Um.....I just wanted to let you know that if you see fire trucks, everything is ok....the fire got out of hand and they called the fire department. Your John is ok. Gotta go, bye."

Hmmmm, says I. Should I panic? I refer back to my military wife training. If I get a message that John is ok, then he's ok. He knows to call me once the 'emergency' is over. And someone will either call or come by the house if I am needed. And, here's the best part, John was a trained firefighter in the military and used to teach basic firefighting. So, I sit tight, knitting and sewing in the studio, talked to my mom when she called to chat. Waited about 2 hours, tried John's cell phone - no answer. Tried neighbor's phone - no answer. Ok, still not panicked.

About 2 hours later, Sandy calls again to let me know that the fire is now contained, my John is ok (in spite of a miscommunication with the firefighters who thought my John was having problems breathing - turned out it was someone else with asthma), her John was being taken to the hospital with 2nd degree burns on his arm but everything was ok. I asked her if she needed my help or my company...she said no, she was fine and would call if she changed her mind.

About 4 hours later, my John arrives home, dirty, sweaty, smelly, and bone tired. I jumped right over and gave him a big hug. Did a quick visual check to make sure he REALLY was ok...then ordered him to strip in the garage, leave his clothes where they stood, and hit the shower! I had a cold beer waiting for him when he was done. We talked about the day, like most folks do, then he went to bed and slept all night.

I managed to get pictures of the emergency vehicles (except the paramedics who were sitting along the road, just in case they were needed, for about 3 hours - somehow I missed THAT picture!). John said today there were about 15 firefighters from several different firehouses, along with my John, John our neighbor, his son and his son-in-law. The fire was going fine on this one ginormous pile when a huge gust of wind arced the fire over to a standing cedar tree and it exploded into flame. Fortunately, the fire mainly burned on the ground and only burned the leaves and debris left over from the winter. It didn't get to our neighbor's fenceline on the north. It burned about 10 feet into the neighbor's field on the south BUT, only the debris and never was a real threat there.

Here are the best of the 5 pictures I took from the front of my house yesterday. This is the staging of the vehicles at the end of the cul-de-sac. All the vehicles, including several more pickups and a water tanker were able to either go down the driveway there and drive out into the upper field, or drive along that fenceline and get to the upper field that way.

Ya know, it's never boring here in the country!

Thanks for stopping by.

Round 2 - Complete!!!

2010-04-03T18:03:00.003-05:00

I finally finished the socks for Round 2 of Sock Madness IV. There were several techniques that were new to me and I feel as though I have a fairly good handle on them after knitting these socks. Here they are: Unroasted Beans!

The pattern is dedicated to the designer's best friend of over 30 years who uses the phrase "cool beans" a lot. The design resembles beans marching around the leg and foot with stripes radiating along the bottom of the foot and the toe area. I am beginning the like colourwork....as long as I remember to knit LOOSE! Since I'm a tight knitter, this is a real exercise in looseness for me.

Have a fantastic Easter Sunday, and thanks for stopping by!

UPDATE ON MY MADNESS

2010-03-28T10:59:00.002-05:00

Round 2 has begun in Sock Madness IV. I received the pattern on Friday morning via e-mail. And as luck would have it, I had to work all day before I could cast-on. Blast it! Once I got home, I set out to cast on this lovely set of socks...called Cool Beans by a wonderful designer in Northern California. I love her stuff! Coffee beans marching around the leg and foot. Here's a shot of my progress as of this morning....quite a bit of colourwork...at which I'm NOT adept. I'm learning to hold yarns in both hands...and knit both English and Continental at the same time.

I'm using a creamy white yarn, the name of which is unknown to me, and a Socks That Rock Lightweight fingering weight yarn called Cockamamie! It's knitting up quite nicely and I believe I'll be knitting this pattern again...maybe with bright Easter colours so the beans look like eggs....or maybe in my favorite slime green so they look like the dreaded lima beans...who know where my imagination will take me....keep tuned in for updates.

On a totally other note, we talked to some really dear friends this morning. We've known Rick and Nancy Sasso for over 30 years...John and Rick served together in the Navy. They still live in Southern California and we haven't seen them in over 10 years. Rick and Nancy just got Skype last weekend and we Skyped with them for almost an hour this morning...except for us all getting a tiny bit older, they haven't changed one bit...still the delightful folks we have known for years. And, Nancy is still a smart a$$ whose sense of comic timing I envy! Love you guys!

I need to get back to the studio and get back to knitting....only 26 folks from each team are going on to Round 3 and I intend to be one of the ones on my team, "All We Need is Yarn" that makes it though. Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by.

Random Thursday

2010-03-25T14:29:00.002-05:00

Barring anything of import to say, but feeling entirely too guilty at allowing this blog to languish, I'm indulging in randomness today. I asked my officemate to give me 10 random words that came into his head and I would then answer with what pops into my own head.

JOHN: ............ME:
Garden............spring flowers
Run...............not me!
Computer..........technology
Bread.............warm, comfort food
Van...............big
Magazine..........quilting
Manure............crap
Book..............ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, peaceful
Coat..............warm
Alarm.............noisy

Now, I'm not saying this is scientific or anything. Just a way to fill up some empty space - no, honey, not the empty space between my ears!

Stay tuned, the pattern for Sock Madness V, round 2 comes out tomorrow...I'll be spending the weekend knitting on a new pair. Will post next week.

Thanks for stopping by.

MADNESS UPDATE AND AN OLYMPIC FINISH

2010-03-17T11:38:00.003-05:00

My local yarn shop, One City Market in Rogersville, held a Knitting Olympics this year and invited folks to participate. Well, you know me, always up for a competition! I entered the "Cozy Up to the Fire" event with my knitted wine glass charms. I won Silver! The first picture shows the charms. I made 2 of each motif. Next you will see my award - 2010 Fiber Calendar, thermal cup, handmade soap, and a booklet with post-its and memo pad.

And now for an update on the Madness. I started my Simple Side-to-Side Socks last Wednesday, the day it started. Finished them yesterday, the 16th. The problem with these socks is that we were required to knit EXACTLY to the specifications of the pattern. That made the socks almost impossible for some of us to get on. Note, I said some of US. There is no way those socks will go over my arch so they might have to be gifts for someone...anyone with small feel out there? Maybe a size 7.5 or 8? Let me know....cause I've got a pair of socks for you!

I've qualified for Round 2. Round 1 will close on Tuesday the 23rd...a few days to move everyone who qualified into one of 4 groups, and then Round 2 will begin. I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next! I've pulled all the yarns I want to use for the Madness...now hoping that the ones I've chosen will work for the patterns the moderators have chosen. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Must heigh myself to work....thanks for stopping by.

THE MADNESS HAS STARTED!

2010-03-10T15:13:00.002-06:00

Sock Madness IV started at approximately 8:14 this morning with the release of the first pattern. The first sock is usually the least difficult one to get everyone started. Each pattern that follows is increasingly difficult. This one today uses several techniques with which I am unfamiliar. Fortunately, I checked out the Youtube video the designer suggested for a new way to cast on the sock. Then I cast on....2 at a time on one long 40" circular knitting needle. The sock is knit sideways and then knitted together along the back. It includes a heel and a toe that is knit in after the sock is made into tube along with the cuff portion of the sock. I'm only able to write this missive to you because I'm at work and can't knit. But once I get home tonight, very little computer work till the pair is done.

Keep tuned....I'll post the pair when I get them done. Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by.

American Girl ® Doll Clothes

2010-02-18T15:42:00.005-06:00

Some folks (me) didn't have the pleasure of raising girls. I, instead, had the distinct pleasure, nay, shall I say joy and delight, to raise a single child, a boy. So I missed out on the dolly adventure that all mothers of girls get to have. BUT, in his infinite wisdom and to my utter delight, our son and his wife (bless them!) have gifted us with granddaughters. And so I have begun to make doll clothes for Em's American Girl Doll ®. I've made a dress and pinafore, some jeans (both plain and embroidered) and the cutest darned slip, camisole, and panties! Here is the newest batch of goodies I'm sending off to her.

You see there a pair of pajamas, a robe, and a karate outfit. Yes, I know it's pink and karate outfits are white. This is an American doll, folks....anyone who is anyone knows that American little girls love pink! So I made pink! And there is also a little hat for her cold head there in Utah! It only took 2 hours and was so easy....ask me how I know!

I'm participating in the Knitting Olympics at my local yarn shop...working on a project that must be done by next Sunday - the same day the regular Olympic games are done in Vancouver. I'll post a picture if I get it done in time and am able to enter it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Je Suis Morte!

2010-02-12T16:29:00.003-06:00

Well, for me, Sock Wars V has come to an end. I was killed on Monday by a pair of Don't Box Me In socks in a beautiful shade of green called Pushing Up Daisies Green. I am not posting a picture here. They are gargantuan on my size 10 foot and the guage is way off. For that reason, the Supreme Commander has requested that I send them to her so they can be classed a misfire, unpicked, and reknit according to the rules. I'm still dead....dead, dead, DEAD! But at least I'll end up with a pair of socks that I can actually wear.

On another note, Sock Madness IV starts in another month....this is a competition I just love! The folks are so encouraging, even though most of us have never met each other. In this particular competition, the socks are knit for myself...no mailing to another person. I MUST knit to guage, follow the pattern exactly, and knit fast enough each round to get into the next one. I'll keep you all posted once the actual contest starts.....sometime around March Madness (mid March).

I AM showing you pictures I took today.....

Flurries! Again????? At least it isn't sticking.

And, finally, a short note on cats....they like to be inside stuff! Any stuff! Even the backs of dressers that are being repaired....

Thanks for stopping by.

Sock Wars Update

2010-01-27T13:40:00.003-06:00

Sock Wars V continues and, so far, I'm still alive. On the entry below this one, you saw my target's socks in progress. I ended up tearing those up 3 times before I finally cast on with a different yarn, different kind of needles, and a different attitude! A total of 14 hours of knitting down the drain before I finally got the pattern right! I mailed off my death socks to Target #1 last Friday and she notified me that she received them on Monday...so there's one kill for me!

I'm expecting unfinished socks from my target's target within the week (I hope) and, with luck, should get one more kill in before I get killed. Of course, I'll keep you posted.

Expecting snow and ice in the next day or so. The Director told me today that we might be closed on Friday if the weather does what's expected. I could do with an extra day off this week - more time to sew doll clothes...more on that subject soon.

In the meantime, thanks for stopping by!

Sock Wars V Began Yesterday

2010-01-16T12:53:00.007-06:00

Some of you know that I began knitting socks on a competitive level a couple of years ago. Last year, I won one competition and got to the top 11 competitors on another and made it to round 3 on still another. Well, it's a new year and another competition.

Sock Wars V began last night at 7:00 p.m. my time. There are just over 200 people competing, from numerous countries, mostly the US. We received our target info last weekend and there were 3 patterns uploaded to the competition website last night. I began knitting almost right away and was about 2/3 down the leg, almost ready to begin the heel flap by the time I gave up and went to bed. Got up at 8:00 this morning (and , as most of you know, I HATE to get up early, especially on a day off work!). I began knitting and decided that I'd knit the leg wrong....ripped the darned thing all the way out! There went 3 hours of knitting. While I was casting on again, I decided that I had knit the first try correctly - what a doofus! So, I am re-knitting that previously perfect leg again...and here is the progress so far.

Notice the sock yarn? It's a nylon, acrylic blend that is so soft and comfy. The colours vary from blue-green to grey with a tiny touch of rusty brick red. My target lives on the west coast and I know that I hated the idea of wearing wool socks when we lived in San Diego. Hope she likes them.

I hope to post the finished pair before I head out to the Post Office on Tuesday to mail these weapons to my target. With luck, I won't be 'killed' before I get another pair to finish and live to kill again!

Thanks for stopping by.

ETA 1-19-2010: I've had to frog the darned thing 4 times already...finally changed yarns cause I was afraid I was mangling the other too badly. Ripped the sock for the last time on Sunday morning (from the gusset decrease - 8 hours' work) and started again...SUCCESS! Used different needles and took it slowly...finished sock #1 last night at 11:00 p.m. Cast on the second sock today and hope to finish by tomorrow nite and mail the darned things on Thursday. Will post a picture of the finished products once they are mailed.

Thanks for supporting this crazed sock-knitter and thanks for stopping by.

Finally, It's a Regular Winter!

2010-01-15T09:28:00.002-06:00

As a lot of you know, we've had a very unusual winter here in southwest Missouri the last few weeks. It started with snow at Christmas (not usual), followed by more snow at New Year's (again, not usual) which was followed by temperatures ranging from 18° to -13° (VERY not usual!). My day off last week had a high temperature of 5°. It's started to warm up a bit and today we will see a high of around 45° - a regular heat wave.

I was outside the library this morning, and someone pointed out the drain pipe behind my office. When I turned, this is what I saw.

It looks like an ice cube dispenser, doesn't it? Fortunately, most of the snow has melted and the streets are back to normal, including our gravel road.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Martin Luther King holiday weekend. I'm going to knit - yes, son, I'm almost done with the baby pods for your photo shoot!

Thanks for stopping by.

Snow, Snow, Snow Everywhere

2010-01-03T16:24:00.004-06:00

Woke to more snow this morning...so far, only about 4 inches...still falling. John went out to shovel the apron for the driveway, the deck, and the front walk earlier. Can't tell by looking at it now, though.

They've cancelled school for tomorrow...sure hope the director decides to cancel work for tomorrow, too. I've got tons of quilting and sewing I can do to keep busy.

Our frog pond is starting to look like a real winter pond now, too. And the poor cows are getting snow all over their backs - they finally all went into the barn...silly cows!

Thanks for stopping by...keep warm, y'all!

2009-12-27T14:33:00.003-06:00

This is what we awoke to find on Christmas morning. Not a whole lot considering the standards set by the rest of the country, but enough to convince John's family NOT to risk the roads. We were having his sisters here for dinner. They decided to stay home where it was safe. A neighbor was planning on a trip to Nebraska for the holiday but the weather kept them home and since the worst they'd have to do is drive across the road to our house, they came to dinner with John and me. We spent a lovely several hours with our friends...couldn't ask for a nicer holiday than to be safe and warm and with friends, now could we?

Yesterday, John called me into the morning room to look out the back. Way back toward our grove of trees, there was a lone hawk up in the high branches. I got the best shot possible with my little digital camera...he looked so cold up there in the branches. Poor little hawk!

Today is laundry day at Pieceful Harbor, as it is every Sunday...the first load was in the dryer and there were several left to do. Evidently today is the day the dryer decided to die - again! Mr. Wonderful is taking the carcass apart again to decide if he can repair it - again. Hopefully he can. I simply do NOT want to buy another appliance right now. Of course, we have a practically brand new gas dryer in the barn that we bought just before we left California. But it would need to be re-worked for propane gas if we decided to use it. No, let's just hope John can get this thing working again. Until he does, I've got to finish 2 more loads of laundry and then haul all 5 loads to the laundromat in town....yeah (said with a weak voice!)

One very cool thing we got this year for Christmas - a webcam. Now we can call the Utah Knotwells and see them all...and I called my Mom in northern Arizona and we got to visit for almost an hour. That's not to say that we don't call regularly anyway...only now we can see each other, too. If any of you have webcams, send me a private email with your skype address and we can talk in person!

Thanks for stopping by.

ETA: Dryer fixed...that's why I call him Mr. Wonderful!!!!!

Major Stop on the Starling Express

2009-12-20T10:57:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, while baking the rest of the sugar cookie dough, I heard a strange noise from outside...kind of a fluttering noise. My mind immediately went to the movie "The Birds" - it was that kind of noise. I looked out the back window to the field behind the dog run...this is what I saw. Thousands of starlings. Maybe millions. This is only a small portion of the field...you can't see them all. I kid you not...there were so many that I had a momentary fear for the cows out there! Evidently, they're are migrating and Pieceful Harbor is one of the stops on the Starling Express!

We had a dusting of snow yesterday. Nothing that stuck, nothing that inhibited traffic in town. Just slight flurries. Peaceful flurries that didn't make me nervous at all. It's hard to believe that I've been here 6 years and when we first came here even flurries would make me nervous! Maybe I AM growing up a bit.

Thanks for stopping by.

Only One Week

2009-12-18T12:21:00.003-06:00

Oh, my goodness....where did the time go? There is only one week till Christmas. Are you ready? I did all the Christmas cards last night...they went in the mail today. All the gifts that needed to be mailed are already posted and some have even been received. The tree is up - lights but no decorations. (We're letting the cat get used to having the tree up before we commit to decorations). I've got all the rest of the gifts purchased - not wrapped yet. And this weekend I plan to finish making those gifts that need construction and making some more Christmas cookies. When we girls did our Annual Cookie Day right after Thanksgiving, we made a batch of dough, divided it 4 ways, and each took some home to freeze. I'm taking mine out of the freezer tonight and finishing the cookies tomorrow. I think if Christmas were to come today, I'd be ready! Bring it on!

Hoping you and yours have a Blessed Holiday Season. We really miss all our friends and wish we could see you more often.

Thanks for stopping by.

Pink Glove Dance - Breast Cancer Awareness

2009-12-04T21:14:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine sent me the link to this vidoe...it is guaranteed to make you smile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw

Please enjoy!

Have a great weekend.

2009-11-30T14:52:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I'm writing this...a blog is supposed to be uplifting and lighthearted and not cranky. But today I am cranky. And here's why -

Why do retailers always put out the Christmas decorations right after Labor Day? Why are Columbus Day, Halloween, Veterans" Day, and Thanksgiving given such short shrift? I realize, especially given the economy right now, that the retailers are looking for any way to increase (or at least match the year before) their income, but, HEY FOLKS! Let's not rush into the season before we've even gotten 'fed-up' with the Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.

We have traditionally taken the decorations out of the attic and put them up all around the house the 2nd week in December and taken then down on January 1st. I've seen some houses with their holiday decorations already up before Halloween. And they'll probably stay up till Little Christmas or later.

I'm making a concession to the season at the bottom of this post. We haven't taken the decorations down from the attic yet...and we probably won't till next week sometime. I'm not going to wear my Christmas vest till the week of December 21st. Nor will I answer my phone with a cheery, "Merry Christmas" till that week. I'll be diligently working on getting the cards done before the 15th...maybe before the 22nd (?) And I hope no one takes offense. I'm not anti-Christmas - I'm anti-decorating-before-Thanksgiving!

On that note, I leave you with the following:

Does This Look Like Fall to You?

2009-11-13T14:34:00.008-06:00

I was driving home from work the other day, and it began to dawn on me that this isn't even the middle of November. All the trees should still have leaves on them and some might even have color left. But NO! The majority of the landscape around here, in the middle of the Ozarks, looks like this!

This is the view out my back deck. Yes, there are a few cedar trees, those are evergreens and don't lose their leaves. But most of the trees are barren of leaves....just naked!

I suppose with the plethora of fabric I own, I could probably make muumuus for all the trees and still have some left...you quilters out there know what I'm talking about. But that takes time, especially with the number of trees that populate the woods on our property. Time that I simply do not have - Christmas is coming, you know! And I've not stated on my sewing, knitting, quilting projects for this year.

I guess I could maybe learn PhotoShop really quickly and paint leaves back on the picture so at least I might be the only one to know my trees are buck-naked...since rarely do we have visitors from California, Rhode Island, Arizona, etc. , (You know who you are!) and you'd never know if we had leaves on the trees or not.

Or, I could just ignore those poor naked trees and get on with Thanksgiving and Christmas...it will be spring soon enough, I suppose!

Have a great weekend, folks. It's supposed to rain on Sunday here so we are driving to Fort Leonard Wood to shop for groceries - our once every 8 weeks date!

Thanks for stopping by.

Return to Reality, Part Deux

2009-10-26T16:17:00.004-05:00

See that little 'x' on the left side of the dark circle? And there's another little 'x' below it. That distance is only 1.19 cm in length. That, folks, is our newest grandchild! He or she is 9 weeks old as of today, due to embark on his or her journey on earth approximately May 31, 2010. Lily Mae Knotwell or Hewston Matthew Knotwell is a much-anticipated and already very-much loved child. Jill and John as so excited about this newest addition to their family. And so are we! Nana is already planning on going out to Utah to help for a week once the wee one is born - work has already ok'd my vacation! And Jill and I have already talked about the quilt for this one, too. They don't want to know the gender but will have an ultrasound done at 20 weeks. They plan on taking an already addressed and stamped envelope with them, have the technician write down the gender and slip the note inside the envelope and seal it. It will be mailed to me so I can start on the quilt for this child. Dragonflies and lady bugs or trucks.... your guess is as good as mine at this point. I've got the batting and backing ready so far!

There, now, wasn't that worth the wait?

Thanks for stopping by!

Return to Reality!

2009-10-25T17:05:00.004-05:00

John and I left a week ago last Friday and drove to Tupelo, Mississippi where we spent the night. No, folks, we didn't spot Elvis wandering the streets...he had evidently left the building!

The next morning, early, we left Tupelo and began the second leg of our journey to Hilton Head, South Carolina. We were spending a week with our son and his wonderful family at a resort there. The nine hours it took to drive from Mississippi to Hilton Head went so fast! This was a wonderful sight to behold, nonetheless.

We parked the car and went up to the suite the kids has reserved...they were already there, having arrived the day before. We walked in the door and there was a rush of little feet running and little voices yelling, "NANA...PAPA..." and little precious arms wrapped themselves around our knees and wouldn't let go! Oh, my goodness, that just about melted our hearts altogether! It had been 8 months since we'd seen the kids and the grands and we were so looking forward to spending a week with them all. We were NOT disappointed. There were bike rides with Daddy and Papa....(Mommy and Nana used the car - we're no dummies!)

There was painting ceramic pieces to remember the trip.

After all that painting, it was good to rest a bit!

There was some beach to run on and collect shells - Oh, my, did they collect shells!

There were lovely tree-lined street to drive upon...we followed them that day!

Finally, Friday came and we all departed for our respective homes. They went to the airport and flew to Salt Lake City. We got in the car and drove straight thru to home - 16 hours. What a beautiful drive it was, too. Of course, I failed to take any pictures. But driving across the bottom end of the Cumberland Gap in Tennessee, along Interstate 24 to Paducah, Kentucky was absolutely spellbinding. The colours rivaled those of my beloved New England. No we didn't stop in Paducah so I could shop at Hancock's of Paducah - sadly, they closed at 8 P.M. and we got there right at 8 P.M.! It was straight on to home! Gilligan was sure glad to see us - he wanted to play when we got home and we only wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. Saturday was spent unpacking the car and getting the house back to normal.

Tomorrow is back to the old work grind...but here is one more reminder of our lovely vacation with the Utah Knotwells.....Miranda, Emily, Jill, John, Charlotte and William (Weewum). We love you so and we can't thank you enough for inviting us to share in your vacation!

Oh! There's one more thing to tell you about our trip.....tune in tomorrow to find out what it is...

Thanks for stopping by.

Silver Dollar City

2009-10-11T11:29:00.003-05:00

One of the highlights of our autumn is the Festival of Craftsmen at Silver Dollar City. The festival has been renamed several times - I think it's called The Harvest Festival - but we call it by the name John always knew it by. They bring in all kinds of craftsmen - silversmiths, blacksmiths, coopers, quilters, basket makers, candle makers, saddle makers, sorghum-makers, jewelry makers, potters. And I'm sure I'm forgetting more but my brain can't recall them. John and I spent yesterday at the festival. What a wonderful time we had! We wandered thru the park and picked up a few Christmas presents, dreamed a few dreams about times gone by, and before we left, went back to the cooperage and picked up this little darling. It's a bucket made from woods indigenous to the Ozarks. Each stay is a different wood. The cooper wrote on the bottom what each stay is...I think there are 3 repeats of each wood. It's waterproof and quite substantial. John asked me what I was going to use it for and I told him I honestly don't know...but I really wanted it and he indulged me, as usual!

John had charge of the camera this time and he took a mountain of photos of me...I deleted most of them since they were pretty awful - not because of the photographer, because the sun kept creeping in and out from behind the clouds and the shadows made me look quite ill. I'm not ill, just pale!

And then we went over by the lumberjack camp and saw John's favorite waterfall...he began snapping photos of me and frankly, they were all just hideous (my opinion, not his). I took one of him and then a nice couple came over to us and asked us if we wanted our picture taken together - and then would we take one of them? Here we are with the waterfall behind us through the trees...one of my favorite photos of the two of us!

We are off on vacation next week. A week in Hilton Head, South Carolina. John III and his wonderful family are flying there on Friday, we will drive there and meet them on Saturday for a week . It's been 10 months since we've seen them and we are so homesick for them all. We can hardly wait. John III has some great day trips planned for us - I'm hitting a quilt shop and a yarn shop and Paula Deen's restaurant for sure! I'm hoping to be able to blog while we're gone...keep your fingers crossed!

Thanks for stopping by.

40 Years ago....

2009-09-29T15:38:00.002-05:00

John graduated from Hollister High School in Hollister, Missouri. We attended his 40th reunion this past Saturday. There were a total of 25 students who graduated that year...and since then, 4 of them have passed away, leaving 21 still kickin'. 10 of those students gathered on Saturday nite at a lovely little establishment on the lake called Shorty Small's. I can not recommend them enough! They had a room available for us, overlooking the lake. They didn't charge a deposit, they provided us with nachos - gratis!. They have the most perfect waitstaff! The food was great and the company was outstanding. John was able to reconnect with some of the guys he went to high school with...and I got to hear some great stories!

It's fall here in the Ozarks...the weather has cooled down, the breezes are blowing, and the trees are beginning to turn colours. I love Autumn!

Thanks for stopping by.

Labor Day Visit

2009-09-17T11:32:00.005-05:00

I spent Labor Day Weekend in northern Arizona, visiting my mom. It's been almost a year since I've seen her and my Mommy-meter was seriously low! I took a late flight from Springfield to Phoenix-Mesa airport. I'd not flown to that particular airport since it didn't exist when I lived there (100 years ago, at least). When Williams Air Force Base was closed, the airport portion was taken over and made into a public airport. To the best of my knowledge, only Allegiant Airways flies into that location. I got there at 10:30 at night, too late to get a rental car and they were charging a mighty premium for rental cars on the holiday weekend. My youngest brother picked me up and very graciously drove me the 2 hours north to Mom's house. He spent the night and then drove on home.

Mom and I spent the entire weekend talking..I don't think we turned the TV on the whole time. On Saturday we drove to the quilt shop in town. I picked up a couple pieces of fabric but nothing too expensive or heavy (I was not checking my bag since they charge a fortune to do so).

On Monday, we drove down to my other brother's house. Randy, Mercy, and their son, Scott, along with Mom, drove me down to Phoenix to catch my plane home. Scott is almost 5 and a real kick in the pants. He's not seen me since he was 2 and was very shy at first...then his exuberance for life kicked in. What a doll! I asked him if he would be willing to let me take his picture to show Uncle John. He dashed upstairs to get his hat! And then result is this:Is he not the cutest little cowboy you ever saw? And here he is on his horse.

And here is the whole family, plus Mom.
I totally forgot to get a picture of Bill...sorry!

It was good to spend so much uninterrupted time with my Mom. I miss her so terribly. And it was totally a bonus to get to see both of my brothers...it's probably been 4 years since I'd seen Bill and we had breakfast with Randy and his family 2 years ago when we went from here to Utah via Prescott, Arizona cause the weather forced us to use the south route.

I love you guys! Hope it's not so long between visits next time.

Hot Poppy and the Sleeping Cat

2009-08-23T11:07:00.003-05:00

I read a lot of blogs each day. Recently, one of the girls described herself as an "episodic blogger". That struck a chord with me and I am unashamedly stealing her term. I AM AN EPISODIC BLOGGER! That almost sounds as though there should be a 12 step program, doesn't it? Ah well, those of you who know me well, you love me despite my being an episodic blogger, right?

Last week, we finally took the plunge and sold the Explorer! We got a great deal on a 2008 Ford Edge SEL SUV. It had a few more miles on it than John wanted but the deal was too good to pass up and we jumped at it. It is copper-colored. Now, if you ask John, he will tell you it's copper; me? I say it's orange. It's the same color as the poppies that grow along the freeway in California - added to a mettalic paint - and you have Poppy! My friend, Terri, called it Hot Poppy! Yesterday was a particularly sunny day, no clouds to speak of, and I decided to take advantage of the daylight to get a picture of my Hot Poppy. The first picture is a bit off - not as bright as she really is. The next picture shows her other side, and the fact that we live down a dirt/gravel road! And finally, my license plate - folks have commented on the license plate, especially when John is driving.

I took a workshop a couple of weeks ago and came home to unpack my bag. Never turn your back on the cat once you've unpacked a totebag, folks! This is what happens at our house. Gilligan loves to be in any bag or box that he can fit inside. Nothing is safe when he's around. I swear, I turned to put something on the counter and when I turned back, there he was, sound asleep already! He slept in there for over an hour!

Well, time for me to get some spaghetti sauce cooking. John came in the other day and told me there was NO spaghetti sauce in the freezer...time to make more.

I promise to try to do better at blogging on a regular basis. I know you've heard that before...but really, I will try!

Thanks for stopping by.

A Good Day for a Mow, Gilligan's Island, and Death by Socks!

2009-08-09T13:01:00.002-05:00

John loves to sit on his Grasshopper and mow the dog run and the meadows around the barn and the house. Since he got his new hat, he loves it even more! And the noise doesn't seem to bother the cows anymore...Dolly is just munching away. I'm so glad he talked me into letting him have the Grasshopper. Where it took him over 8 hours on Saturday AND Sunday to mow before, now it only takes him about 4 hours to mow the same area. And he then he has time to work on other stuff around the property as well.

Gilligan has grown so much in the 2 years we've had him. The vet says he's not fat...but he sure does look it in this picture. That's my sewing table he has appropriated as his own private "island". He hates it when I am working at the table, or reading on the computer, or watching TV...He wants to be held and petted. So he sprawls out at big as he can get to get my attention! Silly cat!

I have finally been killed off in Sock Wars IV. Death came earlier this week in the form of slime green and black Air Raid Socks from Evee in England. These socks have made quite a journey to get to me. They started out in New York on May 15th of this year. When that lady was killed off, she sent them to her assassin in California, who sent them off to Michigan, then on to Florida, followed by a trip to England, forwarded on to North Carolina, back to England where they were finished and dispatched to me. So 7 people had a hand in knitting a pair of socks for little old me. I lasted until there were only 11 of us still alive in the competition and then the post office delivered my demise! I never expected to last as long as I did. I was the the last person standing in the Team Competition - very cool! And I've got a lovely pair of slime and black socks to remember the competition by. The picture above does NOT show the true colors...they are truly slime green and black. And there isn't any pink or purple in the sock at all! I can hardly wait for the start of Sock Wars V - January 15, 2010! And then Sock Madness will begin in mid-March of 2010. Those are the only 2 worldwide competitions I enter. There's a small local competition that might happen in February of 2010 and I want to enter that one, too. So, the winter will be taken up with socks again...a nice way to keep hands and brains active!

Well, off to finish the laundry and work on a sewing project.

Thanks for stopping by.

We Have a Winner

2009-07-23T08:53:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was our County Fair. I had totally forgotten about it's arrival until the day before. Fortunately, I had enough time to ready a couple of entries. I entered a pair of the socks I knit for Sock Madness 3. "Tokena", designed by Tricia Weatherston is a variation on the basketweave pattern. I used two different colours of bamboo yarn and made them fraternal twins. That pair took 1st place in its division!

I also entered Storybook Farm in the quilt division. Silly me, I entered it in the applique division instead of the wallhanging division. I think it probably would have gotten a blue ribbon if I'd done that. Instead, I won a 2nd place ribbon for Storybook Farm.
Not too shabby!

I went on a quilters' Shop Hop this past weekend with 2 of John's sisters. There were 4 stores in the Hop and they held it on a Sunday from noon to 7:00 p.m. We drove to the farthest one first and worked our way back closer to home. At the second shop, I was waiting for the sisters to finish checking out and decided to go outside to wait - turned around and started walking and hit my pinkie toe on a table leg -broke the toe! Once I got home from the Hop, John straightened it out and taped it for me. My hero! As to the Hop? We had a ton of fun! I bought way more fabric than I intended - isn't that the way it always is? - and have several projects in mind for my purchases.

Tuesday was our 36th wedding anniversary. I simply do not know how the time has passed. John had a class that night and I was laid low with an aching jaw from a crown prep that morning so we will probably do something this weekend to celebrate.

I'm not sure how, but I'm still alive in Sock Wars IV. I understand that my death socks are on their way but so far have not shown themselves in the mailbox. I made my 4th kill last week so I'm pretty jazzed at the progress I made this year compared to last year. I think the end is near for me...I hear the tick tock of the death clock!

Thanks for stopping by...I don't know how many of you actually come to the blog or read it in email. However you do, thanks!

HAT BOY

2009-07-11T14:26:00.002-05:00

John would be the first one to tell you that he just doesn't DO hats. He doesn't have a head that was designed for hats. For 30 years he wore hats in the Navy and I must say, except for the hat that went with his Choker Whites, most others did nothing for him. Our son recently posted a picture taken when he and his family were on vacation and he was wearing a cool hat. John saw it and said he really liked it and would wear one like that. I mentioned this to our son and, dutiful son that he is, he bought a hat for his dad for Father's Day. I must admit, he looks dashing in that hat! Don't you agree?

John got up this morning and was sad to see that it was raining. He had planned to sit on his grasshopper and mow - and wear his hat while doing so. Hopefully, it will not be raining tomorrow - then he can wear his new hat and mow!

Garnet still hasn't had her calf. That's her in the background...very miffed cause she's been separated from the rest of the 'herd' (Ruby, Jack , and Dolly) till she produces that calf. I keep telling her it's all up to her- drop the calf and get back to the herd. Simple. She ignores me and just keeps bellowing. Whiner!

I'm off to knit some more death socks....more next time. Thanks for stopping by.

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-09T18:47:00.004-05:00

We had some of John's sisters' families over for a barbecue for the 4th of July. This was the first time I didn't tell anyone what to bring. I told them that we were bbq-ing (not sure what we would cook but it was coming from the freezer since we are trying to clean out the freezer - more on that later). I told them we would eat whatever they brought. EVERYONE brought salads - including me! We had pasta salad, cucumber salad, and two kinds of fruit salad. With the barbecued steaks John cooked, it was a scrumptious feast! One of John's sisters, Kay, brought me this lovely bouquet of flowers from her yard..a simple canning jar with flowers, tied with a red bandanna bow! Perfect!

On Sunday, John decided that, since there was no wind, he would light the burn pile behind the barn. He'd been saving a bunch of the leftover panel pieces from when we built the house - he finally decided he wasn't going to need/use them so it was time to light 'em up! Being a former 'firefighter' in the Navy, he spent most of 2 hours just standing out there, watching the blaze to make sure it didn't spread. The fire didn't seem to bother any of the cows...they even stopped to watch for a short while.

I spent the rest of the weekend sewing...Jill had asked me to make her another apron like the one I'd recently sent her....here they both are.

This pattern is a cinch to sew up. I might adapt it to Miss Emily...and maybe one for Miss Charlotte. Will have to see.

I'm still alive in Sock Wars IV! I have no idea how this happened. But I keep on knitting and killing and I'm still kicking it! I made my 3rd kill last week and my then-assassin was killed off the same day. She mailed my death socks to North Carolina but that person was killed off last week. Once she gets those death socks, she has to mail them to another lady in England. But she is expecting her own death socks anytime and will probably be dead by the time she gets mine. And then they were supposed to go to New York but New York was killed today, too. So who knows where my still-unfinished death socks will land? I'm just knitting away and killing away till mine show up! I started another pair of death socks today - these will be done by the end of the weekend, I hope, and then will wing their way to Washington state! Will keep you posted!

Ok, I know you are all jonesing to know why we are cooking everything from the freezer in such a frenzy. Well, John took our Huevo to the butcher on Monday and we need the space in the freezer in about 10 days! We told Huevo he was going for a ride to be re-purposed and since cows don't understand really big words like that, he didn't get stressed about the trip and the meat won't be stressed, either. Anyway, Huevo weighed in at 1175 pounds - live weight. Hanging weight turned out to be 664 pounds. I'm told by the butcher that this comes out to 57% and that's great for home-grown meat. But now we need to find space in the big freezer and the smaller freezer for 664 pounds of prime home-grown beef!

Ok...enough of an update for us. I'll update soon. Thanks for stopping by.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

2009-07-03T09:06:00.003-05:00

John and I want to wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July. While this is a time for family, barbecues, and fireworks, let us not forget what we're really celebrating here - Independence. A free and independent country that celebrates the uniqueness of its citizens. And the men and women who fought so valiently to guarantee all our freedoms.

Today is the anniversary of Picket's Charge in Gettysburg. I grabbed this picture from another blog...if you ever get a chance to go to Gettysburg, do it! I've been a number of times and it never fails to move me! The atmosphere of that place is still filled with the feeling of fear and hate and revenge and death and more fear. You can almost smell the smoke and blood.

Enough, about blood and death!

John and I are having his family over for barbecue tomorrow. We are not sure what we're serving - the only thing I'm sure of is that it's from the freezer! I don't say the work butcher around the animals - makes 'em stressed! And you don't want stressed meat! I say re-purposed cause they don't understand that word - haha! Anyway, Huevo is taking a little trip on Monday morning and we need room in the freezer for his return. Since he is over 1000 pounds, that means we need a lot of room in the freezer!

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

2009-06-19T13:52:00.002-05:00

I've spent the last couple of evenings working on the pile of quilts that are just awaiting bindings. The green and red one I started in 2002 when I lived in Rhode Island. I loved how it went together and it languished in the Flimsy Bin till only recently when I made a pledge to finish more this year than last year. This one came back from the quilter in February and then it went into the binding pile. Since the knitting seems to have taken over my 'handwork' area, I simply do not find time to sit and sew on binding. I recently read about putting bindings on by machine on another blog I follow. Her philosophy has always been the same as mine - sew the binding on by machine and then tack it be hand. She changed her mind when her pile awaiting bindings got to a total of over 30! She experimented with sewing the entire binding with her machine and then posted a video on her blog. I watched it and decided to try it myself. I'm not perfect and this quilt binding is never going to be shown to the public so it works for me. And with more practice, I'll get better. So I've finished this quilt, Christmas Wreath.

And the next one is a BOM that I did with a shop near here a couple of years ago. Most of you know that I don't do pastels - it's quite difficult for me to pick pastels over brights. But, for some reason, this BOM grabbed me and wouldn't let go. So I did it and it sat in the Flimsy Bin for about 6 months. I sent it off to be quilted and then it sat in the Binding Bin. I hauled it out yesterday and sewed the binding on by machine...again, it won't win any prizes but it is certainly good enough for using at our house during the holidays. Here is - Victorian Christmas. And a closeup of my favorite block - I think I might use this as my avatar during the holidays.

This weekend promises to be warm and sunny - and probably humid. What can I say, this is the Ozarks, darlings! Humidity is part of the package! I have plans to work on a couple more sewing projects (quilts and maybe an apron or two) and maybe throw in some knitting to break it up. Hope you and yours have a lovely weekend.

Thanks for stopping by.

Storybook Farm

2009-06-15T17:54:00.002-05:00

I've long been a fan of McKenna Ryan, the quilt designer. She does some pretty amazing quilts. My LQS will sometimes do one as a BOM (Block of the Month) with the pattern and fabrics already chosen, oftentimes using the exact same fabrics the designer used. One such pattern was Storybook Farm. I love this quilt. It's only about 54" by 57" but I loved doing it. It came back from the quilter last week and I finished the binding over the weekend.

My friend, Shelly, and I are doing another one of her designs, again thru my LQS, called Once Upon a Star. It's a holiday quilt with mannatees, baby seals, penguins, puffins, polar bears, and a walrus. Will show it off once it's done. And then last year we also did her In Full Bloom BOM...actually, I think we neither actually finished it, rather we bought it! Shelly, I believe has started it at least. I'm hoping to get started on that one soon, too.

For Mother's Day, John got me a bunch of plants for the front garden and planted them. Of course, we had a horrendous hail and rain storm (several over the course of a week) and some of the plants were destroyed. But here is what it looked like when he first planted it.

There are snapdragons, vincas, petunias, and impatiens in there. As well as a lonely lavender plant in that front right corner. I'm hoping it will grow enough that I can make some lavender wands for the linen closet. My friend Julie put a tutorial up on how to do these...they look fairly easy and I want to try them.

Today is a bit muggy but the sun is out and John just got home from work. He changed into his 'mowin' clothes' and went out to tidy the circle drive.

On the Sock Wars IV knitting front, I'm still alive. I have no earthly idea how this has come to be...have heard nothing from the girl I 'killed' last week - I believe she is on vacation and has no clue she is dead yet - and have heard nothing from my current assasin in Florida...I live in fear of opening the mailbox each day! Will keep you posted.

Thanks for stopping by!

Just a Tuesday Update

2009-06-02T17:16:00.003-05:00

Sock Wars IV is still going on and the really amazing thing is - I'm still alive! I've got one 'kill' under my belt so far and just received the SIP's (socks-in-progress) from my target on Sunday. Actually, they arrived on Saturday but I didn't get the mail till Sunday. The sock on the right was only half done. I've finished that sock and gotten the second one started. Hopefully, I can get it done before the end of the week and sent off before I get killed. My socks of death are nowhere to be found as of this writing - not that I'm complaining. There were 282 folks who started out in this battle and there are less than 1/2 of them left, me included. I have no hope whatsoever of winning this one...but it''s nice to be in the top half of the list at just a bit more than 2 weeks into the battle.

These socks are pure joy to knit. They are called Air Raid by Emily Miller. The socks are knit in a lovely lace pattern and I can certainly see me knitting them up again for either myself or someone else. The yarn is delightful to use - Pagewood Farms Alyeska in Spring Meadow colorway. YUM!

We are heating up here in the Ozarks....temps in the mid to high 80's with humidity rising. June is our wettest month of the year and we've already had some sprinkles today, along with some clouds and thunder this afternoon. John got my front garden planted with the vincas, primroses, impatiens, snapdragons, lavender, dahlia bulbs (for late summer blooms) and even 2 tomoto plants (he plans on moving them to a vegetable garden once he gets that dug and ready but needed to get them planted temporarily - hence the front garden). I'll try to get a picture next time I post.

Sorry this doesn't include any quilting...am working on a large project and no pictures of the progress would do any justice to it. Maybe soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Carson and the Cows

2009-05-24T16:09:00.005-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been a bit unusual, especially for Carson. He wants to get in there with the cows so badly! He spends hours just sitting at the end of the dog run...watching the cows on the other side of the fence. He has never been a patient sort so the pictures are a bit unusual...he's sitting there, hardly moving...the anticipation and need to be with them is almost palpable. The cows? They totally ignore him...

I've been knitting some the past couple of weeks....Sock Wars IV started last week. I've mailed off my weapons of death to my target...and she should have them by Tuesday. I'll post a picture once she's 'dead' - in case she's lurking I don't want her to see them yet...

I've also been doing some test knitting for a girl in Canada. She altered a crochet pattern for this little bag shaped like an acorn so folks could knit it. As some of you know, I adore acorns - don't have a clue why they intrigue me, they just do. What was it that I told my friend, Sonya one day - oh yeah, "acorns are my signature nut!" Anyway, this little bag is just big enough to put a small knitting project in - like socks. It is fast, fun, really easy to make, and way-too-cute.

I used the buttons from John's old Navy peacoat. It was kinda spooky when I had it turned about 1/4 of the way to the right, it looked like a cricket head staring me in the face! I've never been a test-knitter before and it was kinda fun!

Expecting more storms this week - today we are experiencing rain and thunderstorms (I LOVE thunderstorms!)

I worked on 4 quilts yesterday...got the bindings sewn on and will get some pictures up as soon as it stops raining and I can get them outside for pictures.

Thanks for stopping by.

Walking in the Tall Grass

2009-05-19T19:25:00.005-05:00

John and our neighbor finished all the fencing this past weekend. They had to do some complicated rigging of fence on the far east side of our property where there is a wash. The ground is very uneven and it was hard to set T-posts and string barbed wire with the dipping of the wash and the running water that resulted from the recent rains. Thankfully, they are both prior military so they are used to rigging whatever they require for the job and the result is what you see below.

The only thing they had left to do was install a small 'man' gate on the south side of the pasture, just west of our bedroom window. That went in right quick! And at 8:10 p.m. on Sunday nite, John opened up the gates to allow the cows access to the north pasture and the tall grasses!

Sorry for the bleary view...can't get a really good picture that late at night with no flash that will go out that far.

On Monday morning, this is what I saw out the back door, from the deck:

They had all managed to find their way into the north pasture and were grazing in the tall grasses. Who said California was the only home of happy cows?

Just wanted to share our little piece of heaven with our family and friends.

Thanks for stopping by.

It's called Derecho

2009-05-10T12:25:00.006-05:00

It appears that the weather we endured on Friday is fairly rare. It's called a derecho, which comes from the Spanish meaning straight. Yes, the winds were straight-line winds ranging from 70 mph on the front side of the storm to 80 mph on the back side. No wonder the tornado sirens went off for over 2 hours! As I said, we only had one treetop come off...here is the photo. See that 'v' between the left hand tree and the others? That's where the top snapped off. Here's a close-up. We didn't even have any damage to our old barn. What a blessing.

John and our neighbor worked all day yesterday on the fencing. They completed the west side and the south side of the north pasture. Here are some pictures of the completed fencing.Here you see the north fence, the west fence, and the southern fence of the north pasture. The south pasture connects at the end of the field, right there in line with the barn in the third picture. The road on the left of the first picture is Wilderness Dr., turn left at the corner of our property, and follow the road in the center picture to the end. You can barely see it down there...that's our driveway on the left. And the house sits smackdab in the middle of that 10 acres. Nice and green now that we've had some rain - more expected this week, too. John spends the hours between getting home from work and sundown mowing the circle drive and the meadow you see to the right of the 3rd picture there.

I finished the first sock of round 4 in Sock Madness. Even though I'm no longer competing, I decided to try the sock since it contains some elements I've not tried before. Here is the first sock.

It's called Lucky Diamonds. The designer used a toe-up pattern, with an afterthought heel (not sure I like that yet) and two different colors of yarn - one striping yarn and one solid. I'm not altogether fond of tons of moss stitch which is what constitutes the centers of all the diamonds - k1, p1 that seemed to be endless! I've decided that this sock will suffer from Second Sock Syndrome for the time being. For those of you who've never heard of this - it simply means I'm not going to knit the other sock to the pair. I've had all the moss stitch I can take for the forseeable future!

Happy Mothers Day to everyone reading this. I've heard from the kids in Utah - everyone is happy and healthy and that's all a mother could hope for! John made me breakfast and gave me some plants for the front garden, along with a prmise to plant them later this week.

Thanks for stopping by. More later.

Tornado? We are fine!

2009-05-08T10:38:00.004-05:00

For those of you who may have heard about our severe storms this morning, we are fine. Both of us went to our respective jobs this morning. I got to work and the electricity went out. John had some power outage as well in Springfield. Niether of us experienced any tornadic activity, although the sirens went off here and I spent about 20 minutes in the bathroom with the Director, another employee, and the custodian. The winds were up to 80 mph. Once the sirens were off, we went about our business at the library, without power. At least all the books are shelved! We've got power back on, all the computers are working, and most of the staff is breathing normally again. It's just part of living in the Ozarks that you will have tornadoes and winds and rain from May thru November.

Noon: Same day - I'm told we have a tree with the top snapped off just west of the garage....John is on his way home from work since they have no electricity...checking on family members...so far, so good!

Checking In

2009-05-07T14:15:00.003-05:00

This is what I saw when I left home on Friday afternoon to run errands "in town". It's not like I can just drive to the market or the post office...the nearest place the I go is work which is 6 miles into town. The post office is in town, as well as a couple of little markets. Walmart is about 10 miles away. Now, if we still lived in SoCal, 10 miles would be nothing...but here in the Ozarks, 10 miles is as good as 100! I go into TOWN (Springfield) about once a month, maybe twice. That's where the quilt shop is, Joann's, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Petsmart, Sam's Club, and Braum's (where we get milk). John usually does the Sam's Club and Braum's stops before he comes home from work since he works in Springfield. So I don't need to go into TOWN all that often.
And we are still doing our major marketing only about once every 8 weeks at the Army base 60 miles east of here - that's the way we did it all the time we were in the Navy and it's one habit that's hard to break.

On the right is the north side of our property.The rain ispummeling down onto the windshield. And I got to drive in it all the way to TOWN!

On Tuesday, after my dentist appointment, I went to the yarn shop to knit for a while. The owner, the intrepid and marvelous Lisa, said she was driving down to Mountain Home, Arkansas to see a friend. I asked her if she wanted company. John was at work and after a call to him to let him know what I was doing, Lisa and I took off. We took some back roads thru the misty rain and encountered lots of cattle grazing in the fields, dogs, trucks, and one lone tractor. This tractor was going about 5 miles an hour on a state highway. Slow enough that I was able to get a great shot of him with my mostly point-and-shoot digital camera. Notice the stays on the side of the load? That's tree limbs holding the feed on the bed of the trailer.

And last week I failed to make it into Round 4 of Sock Madness. But I receive all the patterns for socks in the entire competition, regardless of whether I am competing in later rounds. Round 4 started last week and it was an intriguing pattern, to say the least. Lucky Diamonds is a toe-up pattern using two different yarns, and includes what is known as an afterthought heel. Here is my progress shot. I really like this sock. I may only knit one of the pair - no one says you have to wear matching socks! I'll post a picture once the sock is done....very cool sock!

Well, I suppose that's all for now. We are expecting sun this weekend so Mr. Wonderful and his friend can work on fencing both days....not much more to do till we will have 2 pastures to stage the cows in. That will be a wonderful day!

More later. Thanks for stopping by.

This 'N That

2009-04-29T15:08:00.002-05:00

Ok....Sock Madness is technically over for me. Round 3 began a week ago last Monday and I finished on Thursday at 9:38p.m. Posted my picture and sent my email to the organizers. They were only taking 12 finishers from each team. I was number 13! That's ok, though. I'm really happy with my showing on this year's competition. Here are my finished socks. Loved working with the wool/bamboo combination.

After I finished with that round, I was determined to finish John's socks. I made him a pair of socks right after I learned to knit socks - 3 years ago. I'd only knit one pair of socks before that and I still can't wear them - they look like elf socks. Well, he said they were very nice and then never wore them. Now that I'm almost an expert on socks, I know that those socks were awful! Poor dear could never have worn them, even if he tried, they'd have hurt his feet! So I asked him if I took the time to rip them out completely, and reknit them to his foot measurements (I know how to do that now!), would he wear them. Or, in all honesty, was he married to his dark socks for work and white tube socks for play and would never really wear handknit socks. He said he thought he'd like to at least try. So I ripped them back all the way to a yarn ball, and began knitting them again....tried them on once I got past the gusset on the foot....nope, too small - RIP! How about toe-up? I can do that and make that sock fit his foot like a glove. Yep, let's knit these toe-up....seemed to take forever. Figured out that I was slowing down cause I really, really hate to knit tow-up socks. Ok - I want him to have these socks during his lifetime so...RIP! Cast on for the 4th time and determined to knit them right this time. I knit the cuff - he tried them on. I knit the leg...he tried them on. I knit the heel and gusset - he tried them on. I then knit the foot to the toe decrease and made him try them on again. Then if finished off the tow. He put them on and his face got that happy look when you are afraid of something and it doesn't come to pass. Folks, I give you The Sock! There is another one to match it on his other foot. He wore them to work on Monday and came home to tell me that they fit fine! I can now knit a pair of socks to fit his feet, assuming he never has a change in his feet for the rest of his life! Believe me, I'm keeping my notes and writing them in ink!

We are experienceing wet weather all this week and into the weekend. While we need the moisture, it makes it difficult for John and our neighbor to work on the fencing. If they can get some dry weather, they can put up some more barbed wire for the upper pasture. Once that is done, they can move the cows to that pasture to allow the lower one to 'recover' and the grass to grow some more.

Well, I need to get off to the circulation desk.

Thanks for stopping by. I sure do love having you come by and maybe, just maybe, you could comment? That way I know if folks are liking this or not.

Have a great rest of the week!

Sock Madness 3 - Round 3

2009-04-21T12:58:00.003-05:00

Just a short post today...I'm knitting till my fingers bleed today! Not really, it just sounds dramatic, doesn't it? I am knitting like a fiend today. Round 3 came out yesterday afternoon and once I got home I began to knit. I've got the day off today so that leaves me time to knit as well. This round they are only taking 12 folks from each team so time is my enemy. I'm using a lovely yarn I got from a friend in Ireland. 80% merino wool and 20% bamboo in a color she calls Poppy. I adore the feel of the fabric it makes. I'll try to post again at the end of the week with a picture of the finished pair. In the meantime, here is the progress so far.

Thanks for stopping by. Later!

Catching up with Myself

2009-04-15T15:44:00.003-05:00

Well, I finished my round 2 Sock Madness socks at 9:02 p.m. last Tuesday. Had Mr. Wonderful take a picture of them on my own two feet, uploaded the picture and was in the middle of sending the required email to the moderators when our internet service quit for the night. (Don't ask! It's a long, complicated story that always ends with me hyperventilating and getting mad all over again and doesn't solve anything!) I called our son in Utah and had him go into my email, type the required wording, insert a link to the uploaded photo and send it off to the mods. The next morning I had a confirmation that I had qualified for Round 3! I was either qualifier number 10, 11, or 12. Doesn't really matter which number I was as long as it was one of the first 20 finishers in my division. We are now impatiently awaiting the final person to qualify in the last division so we can go on to round 3...that should be sometime in the next day or so.

AND - I just signed up for Sock Wars 4 - the international sock-knitting speed battle to end all battles! It starts on May 15th. Wonder who I will get and where they live? This one requires me to knit a prescribed sock for a specific person to their shoe size and mail it to them before the person who has my name sends me a pair of socks knit to my shoe size. It's all quite nerve-wracking and fun! I never expect to win these things...last year I got killed while on vacation in California. The good thing about it is the comraderie and getting a pair of hand-knit socks made for me by a complete stranger!

Well, I'm off to work the front desk for a while. Thanks for stopping by. More later - soon - er, later.