Knitting the Blues

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Favorite Vacation Moments

1. Taking 2-year old Gillian to Busch Gardens in Virginia and watching her on rides for the first time.  She had fun, but thinking back, it must have been a little lonely as an only child.
2. Sitting on the porch of the cottage we rented on the Cape and reading books.  I read the first Harry Potter book to the girls on that vacation, long ago.
3. Getting the girls (only Gillian and Meagan at the time) settled into their sleeping bags, boiling water over an open fire and brewing Orange Spice tea.  To this day the taste of it brings me back.
4. Camping in Maryland and listening through static and crackle to a transistor radio broadcast of the Stanley Cup finals in 1988.  That was the night that the electricity went out in the Boston Garden, but we could barely tell, the radio station we were getting was so spotty.  "Did they say the electricity went out?"
5. Swimming with the dolphins and having one push me across the water, his nose pushing me by my foot.
6. The days when walking down to the beach, playing, stopping for some penny candy or an ice cream on the way back to the cottage was enough for the little girls.
7. The airplane barrelling down the runway toward take-off and five year old Erin, on her first flight, breaking into squeals and giggles at the speed, delighting most of the passengers, especially me.
8. That whole trip to Disney World, the girls were so little and wide eyed and filled with excitement and wonder, believing the magic.  They were so cute, standing in lines for autographs and pictures with their favorite characters, having little expectations, making everything that happened so happy.
9. Every moment that involves the ocean, beaches, snorkeling, swimming, hanging out on a catamaran......  All of it.
10. From my childhood:   The smell of my Nana's house, the chop suey she made everytime we came for our first dinner, picking blueberries with my Mom-Mom, ocean fishing with my uncle in his little (and what must have been barely safe) boat, drive-in movies with my Auntie Sheila, Uncle Joe and my cousins.

Mostly I just live for the time spent with Pete and the girls.  The family keeps growing up and it is more difficult to have these times, just the five of us.  I treasure the memories of those days and take advantage of the times we carve out now.

One hundred sixty-nine to go.  As Maryse would say, "Heh.  I said 69."

See, The Problem With Summer Is........

I'm much too busy to come up with a decent blog post.

One hundred seventy to go. Or answer emails, or read blogs, or Ravel......

Lazy Dinner on a Sunday

Romaine from the garden and probably the last viable radish sprouts. The sprouts are getting real greens on them which at this stage are not easily digestable (as in they get stuck in my throat, too bad, they still taste great). That's okay, I can wait for them.

One hundred seveny-one to go. Is that actual knitting I see in that photo?

YouTube Saturday

Erin made the front page of our local "big city" paper yesterday.  Go look, you can click on the photo to make big.  Then if you are on Facebook you can make it your profile picture just like her sisters did, which really pissed her off.  heh. 

You're back!  Cool.  So, we just put her on a bus to Logan.  She is going to seven countries in two weeks, England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Germany.  It is so strange, in a way, that she wanted to do this.  Not a single of her close friends went, but she decided the moment she was invited that she would go and never wavered during this last year of preparation.  It is a rare thing that Erin gets excited about something like this, so it was easy not really to pay for it let her go.

If you remember, a couple of weeks ago I had Pete and Meagan recommend YouTube videos and today, in honor of Erin going, I had her make the call.  She came up with a really good one, leading me to sit in front of YouTube, clicking link after link.  Don't blame me, you've been warned.

I really love this next song:

If you like these and you haven't seen August Rush, you really should. The movie was a little off center, but I loved the whole prodigous musical talent story line. Here is a little taste:

One hundred seventy-two to go. And only sixteen until Erin gets home.......

A Black Cat Crossed My Path TodayBut remember, I Am NOT Superstitious.Really, I'm Not.The Following Post Has Nothing To Do With Black Cats Or Superstions.

I've been keeping my camera handy at the window in hopes of getting a shot of a hummingbird at the feeder.  This is the closest I have gotten so far:

I will remain diligent.

We have a pretty active population of hummingbirds thanks to the feeders that I have around the yard. One night last week I was out watering the containers and heard a racquet around my head. Looking up, I barely escaped being the collateral damage victim to the battle over the nearby feeder. With loud chirping two hummingbirds were vying for the right to dine. Alone. Those photos you see of the feeders hosting several birds drinking to their fill? Yeah, not so much. These birds are not sharers. I was lucky to escape with my scalp intact, I really did feel the disturbance of the air around my head as they flew by.

Another night I took in the feeders for cleaning and re-nectaring. As I stood at the sink with the soaped up feeder a hummingbird came by for a late dinner. Confusion was written all over its flight. Up, to the left, down, up again. It flew away for a minute and then came quickly back, looking everywhere for what I could tell he knew should be there but was not. Then the bird just hovered and watched the spot it expected the food source to hang. As if maybe if it stared just long enough it would materialize out of thin air. It didn't. I rushed to get the feeder hanging again, but I didn't see the bird return that night, I think we frightened it away. I have seen plenty at the feeder since then, hope he is one.

This post would have been much more compelling with photos of actual hummingbirds, right?  I mean, without the photos this really isn't much of a post.  A post about hummingbirds in my yard with no pictures of hummingbirds.  It's like a knitting blog with no knitting.  Heh.

One hundred seventy-three to go.  A knitting blog with no knitting.  Ahahaha.  I crack myself up. 

 

You Are a Fork

You are truthful, direct, and straight forward. People find your honesty to be a bit piercing at times. You are driven and wildly ambitious. You know what you want, and you take the most direct path to getting it.

What Utensil Are You?

You Are Summer!

Outgoing Friendly Flirty Cute Fun

What Season Woman Are You?

These quiz things. Have you taken any? I hate when the questions have six or eight multiple choice answers and yet none of them are the answer you would give. But then again. They are just blog filler, what do I really care if I am summer or winter or a knife or fork? Well, when the answer can be blue, then I care. Sometimes. Although, on this next one I can't say that it is even close to being right because the choices of type of jelly I would choose didn't include garlic and onion jam or hot pepper jelly. Jeesh!

What Your Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwich Means

Your eating style is reserved. You are a bit of a fussy eater, and you have very specific ways you like your food prepared. You have a total sweet tooth. When you can get away with it, you like to have dessert before dinner! Your taste in food tends to be quite eclectic and wide. You are an adventurous eater, and you like many types of cuisines. You are probably a fairly normal, upper middle class person. You don't rock the boat too often. You are a tough person who isn't afraid to live life fully. There isn't a lot that scares you. Precise and controlled, you can be a bit anal retentive when it comes to how you like things. You're definitely a perfectionist.

What Does Your Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Say About You?

One hundred seventy-four to go. OH ALRIGHT!!!!!!! Maybe the PB&J quiz wasn't that far off after all.

L is for

Lillies

I told you there would be more photos of the lillies. I just cannot stop admiring them.

These lillies have been in that spot all of the eight years we have lived here, but every year I had no idea what to do to keep them healthy and I would get two, three blooms at most. The bugs would get them and they would look like skinny naked stalks with a few floral wigs on top.

Look at them now! I didn't do anything different, this is totally out of the blue. There are more than a dozen blossoms and even more buds waiting to bloom. I go out several times each day to admire them and photograph them and just get all zen and into the flower thing. I wish I knew what I could do to keep this coming year after year.

I love the photos I took, click on them and look at them bigger and better.

One hundred seventy-five to go. This could almost make me want to be a flower gardener.

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Favorite Movie Characters

1. Harold
2. Maude
3. Samwise Gamgee
4. Dwayne
5. Col. Christopher Brandon
6. Muriel Heslop
7. Jack Sparrow
8. Marge Gunderson
9. Mortimer Brewster
10. Elwood P. Dowd

One hundred seventy-six to go.  I could've come up with dozens more.  I'm just noticing that I have mostly male characters.  Hmm.....

I Have A Riddle For You:What Is A Monday Post Without A Photo?

Answer:  All you're gettin' here!

I took photos today, but they are for my "L is for" post, which I was going to put up today, but I had a couple of other little things, so I put it off.  My couple of other things are probably boring as hell, but it is summer and I spent the day enjoying it.  Posting during the summer is the hardest for me.

I went to the basement library this morning to find a book that I haven't yet read to take outside and read as I floated around the pool.  I brought up three candidates and decided on Alice Hoffman's The River King.  Reading along, one of the characters was describing himself (sort of) and mentioned being born on the seventh day of the seventh month.  I thought about it and realized that the seventh day of the seventh month was my dad's birthday, too.  A coincidence.  July 7th.  Panic.  Did I miss my dad's birthday?  I start counting on my fingers from Friday the 4th to find that.....wait.  Today is my dad's birthday.  What are the chances!?  That I'd pick the book and it would have the date on the day?  Remembering my dad's birthday isn't that important to him, he passed away nine years ago, but even though I thought of it last week, I would have been bummed had I not thought of it at all on the day.  So, Happy Birthday Dad!  I miss you.

I'm not that big a fan of Alice Hoffman, so I don't know if I'll make it through this book.  I'm pretty sure that my mom has listened to it recently at the shop and even though I had my iPod on and didn't listen to it with her, I seem to remember thinking what I did hear was not quite up my alley.  It could be because I only heard parts of it, or that I thought it was stupid.  We'll see.

I think I have a "girl crush" on Dara Torres.  She is everything I wish I could be.  Okay, not everything.  But the cute, strong, determined forty-something part.  Yep, that is what I want to be.  Of course, I haven't even been working out at all that much lately.  Watching her makes me want to head straight to the gym (but not today, today I spent in the pool) (not really swimming), but I know her workout routine probably involves forty hour weeks, daily massages, trainers and the perfect diet.  That makes me want to quit the gym, knowing that I can never compete.  I go back and forth like that all the time.

Gillian was home from Thursday night until Sunday night and never once, during that entire time, did I want her to go back home.  Her other home.  Now, I'm not saying that this will always be the way, but this weekend was a good one.  I'm looking forward to her coming back for another visit.

Oh yeah.  You might remember that GILLIAN FOUND BIRCH while she was here.  It was right where I left it.  In her coat pocket, in the garment bag, in the hall closet.  Why didn't I think of looking there?  She was rooting around in the closet, where she has left a few things (apparently moving out doesn't mean moving your things out), and when she opened the garment bag, saw the corner of Birch peaking out of the pocket and asked, "Mom!  Did you wear my coat?"  Then she rounded the corner with Birch in her hand.  There was jumping and laughter and hugging and cuddling and much wrapping around and general rejoicing.  And I hugged Gillian, too.  I took a break from all the hugging to float in the pool today, but now I have the a/c on high so I can wear it and hug it and cuddle with it.  I was sure it was gone for good.  I'm very happy that I won't have to knit another one.  So, because I couldn't find my dress coat in a nano-second, while Pete waited for me in the car, I actually borrowed and returned to the garment bag, Gillian's coat.  All the way to the garment bag, zipped up and protected.  What are the chances?

One hundred seventy-seven to go.  I'm still in "Yay!" mode.      

Gillian Was Home and As She Was Leaving,

Look what she FOUND!MY BIRCH!!!I'd given up all hope of finding it. Welcome back, Birch.

One hundred seventy-eight to go. Yay!

YouTube Saturday

Not a YouTube video

The lilies in my garden have had a spotty history. Usually the beetles get to them early and they only produce a few blooms. This year they.are.stunners! I go out in the morning and just gaze at them, I want to just do that until they expire. It is a pretty safe bet that I'll be posting more photos of them.

In the State of the Garden Such As It Is Address things are progressing. The zucchini is doing extremely well, at least there are beautiful large leaves on those vines, that's good, right? The eggplant might make it, we have more tomatoes (must fertilize), and the peppers look healthy. The sad story is the romaine. While we have successfully eliminated the woodchuck population from our yard, I think the bunnies are feasting on my leaves. Sigh.

How was your Fourth? Ours was Kuh-Ray-Zee. Pete is a social being. Where I am energized by alone time, Pete gets his juices going with lots of people around. Once a year he hosts a party and invites everyone that has ever breathed in the same space he has.  It isn't usually right on the fourth, so this year it was a little small. I think we had about 100 people come through here yesterday and at any given time there were about 20 kids in the pool. He rented one of those inflatable bouncy things and the first people in were adults! Adult women were the ones that were most happily making fools of themselves in there. All the while, I'm a little stressed, a new person to greet everytime I thought I could settle down and Pete is just happy as a pig in you-know-what. That's the difference between us.  I suppose if it wasn't for him I'd have no social life.  The question is, would I be just as happy?  Happier even?  Hmmmm....

I have a YouTube Saturday for you, but the videos are much better when viewed after clicking 'watch in high quality' underneath the picture. I have seen this video linked on a couple of other blogs, so you may have seen it already. I highly recommend that you let yourself be sucked into a YouTube linkfest and watch this one, this one, and this one as well.

One hundred seventy-nine to go. I am the owner of a new iPod Touch and I can't think of a reason not to gift it to my daughter. Do you have any? I'm thinking I might be happy with my nano, not that I'd give it up, I would still use it to work out and at work, because it is lighter. And convincing arguments against giving it away?

Happy 4th of July!

A super simple and short history lesson:

Well, Schoolhouse Rock is certainly one of the things that came from the USA that is fun. This is a great holiday. You don't have to buy anybody a present (but then again, you don't get any either), go to church, be sad, cook a turkey dinner or stay up until midnight to ring it in. Although, thanks to my gregarious husband, at our house we will still be doing much of that. No church, no turkey, but lots of food and entertaining and I'm sure I'll be supervising until after midnight. And still no presents for me. I have to work on that one. We have much to celebrate in our country. Like all families, there are disagreements, mistakes, hard times and good, but we are always something to be proud of. Some of our greatest gifts serenaded by another:

One hundred eighty to go.  A YouTube Fourth of July.

Wednesday Sky orNo Time To Post Much of Anything

Have a great weekend!

One hundred eighty-one to go. Yawn. I am really tired.

You Know What They Say About The Cobbler's Wife

The same could be said of the home of a window treatment constructor.  My home is woefully absent of beauty in the way of window decor.  Last year we did a room for a decorator that I just loved.  Loved the fabric, loved the trims, I wanted it.  I saved all of the scraps from the treatments, the trim was so pricey that I took a sample of the fabric and for several weeks searched for a suitable substitute.  I'd love to tell you that I found one, but this trim was just to perfect.  Oh, the debates that raged in my teeny little mind.  Even procuring the yardage I needed at a wholesale price, this stuff (ordered from Paris-whoo!) was way beyond what I would usually find a way to justify.  I just couldn't get it off of my mind, I really wanted it.  So, I sucked it up, took on a couple of outside jobs, worked extra hours, saved my pennies and ordered it. 

Then I my mother and daughter cut the valances, it went into a box and sat.  For a year.  I know it!  What is wrong with me?  Well, last Friday afternoon when my half my family was camping and the other half was living their lives elsewhere I finished up work and all alone in the shop I decided to pull it out and look at it.  Then I thought, I'll just cut the linings.  Then I thought, I'll just cut the interlinings.  Then I thought, I'll just attach the facings.  Then I thought, I'll just pin the linings.  Then the fronts.  Maybe I'll just sew the linings together.  How about the fronts.  I was just about to put the linings and the fronts together to one another when Meg called, locked out of the house.  By that time it was closing in on eight o'clock and I was pretty hungry, so it seemed a good time to go.  I returned on Saturday to put the whole thing together and add my trim.

Usually I am pretty picky about how the trims go on. I try, whenever possible to center trims so that they are the same on each end. Most of the time this really is an unnecessary, picky little detail, as it is not seen and nobody would even notice that I took the time. This really was one of those cases, so I decided to go against my own grain and just attach the trim from the end and let it turn out however it would. Well, would you look at what happened?

Would you ever have predicted that it would serenipitously work out all on its own?! (Okay, the total truth? There are four valances and it worked on three! What is with that!? One of them is for some reason and fraction of something smaller or larger at the bottom and it didn't work out. Strange.... Now I have to figure out which window that one should be hung on.)

I am loving these window treatments, but of course it just opens up new doors. I have enough of the lining contrast to make either roman shades or a bed skirt. Which should I do? I don't know. And I have enough of that expensive trim left that it would be a shame not to use it, so now I am ordering some of the fabric to make a table cover and pillows, maybe shams (though there isn't enough to also go around the shams). I'm thinking if I do that, maybe I should make a duvet cover, but now we are talking yards of what is, even at my price, not inexpensive. I'm looking at working some serious extra hours, but like the trim, the more I think about it.......

Go ahead, click it!Then click for close ups.

Before you go thinking, ugh, they make crap! remember that this is just pinned to the table (yes the place is always a mess like that, drives me CRAZY!) and the pleats are roughed in, we will be meticulously fine tuning them before they are sewn in and then the valance will be put on a board. Then the horns will hang nicely and the side bits will go around the corners very prettily. I can't wait! After twenty-one years of marriage we are heading to a real bedroom that can be a lovely haven for us. I hope I can keep up with this roll I'm on.

I sometimes think it would be fun to show some of the things we construct in our work room. We don't have a retail store, working mainly through decorators, some of the best in the northeast, so we can get some really fun and creative things. My mother's partner (business and life) is a talented perfectionist. His roman shades are exact, he covers walls with fabric, and make wonderful padded cornices. These are being installed tomorrow, along with these we made curtains, pillow shams, a duvet cover and a bed skirt. The cornices are the feature, though. Yes, I did flip the picture, don't get too dizzy looking at it.

One hundred eighty-two to go. Maybe after my bedroom I'll think about getting some furniture for my barren living room. Hey-with no furniture I can fit a bunch of spinners and wheels in there!

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Favorite Sports to Play or Watch.  I was sure this one was going to be so hard.  I mean, if you were to ask me I would tell you that I don't watch sports that much and aside from fitness and hiking, I am so NOT the athletic type.  But then I got to thinking and well, I came up with a list. 

1. Baseball.  Only the Red Sox  Originally this was an excuse to knit and have Pete still feel like we were doing something together.  Then I started knowing the players' names and stats and caring.  Now Pete and I really are doing something together and I'm still knitting.
2. Football.  Only the Patriots, unless it is play-off time.  Ditto number one.
3. Hockey.  Well, I used to like hockey, back when it was exciting.  Now it is boring.
4. The Boston Marathon.  I mean, it is like watching paint dry, really.  And yet, every Patriot's Day there I sit, riveted by it.
5. I used to like figure skating, more than I do now, although I do still like it.  The new scoring system has wrecked it a little for me.
6. I like running as a participant as well, even if I am slow and lately haven't been out much at all. 
7. Every four years I love watching track and field.  I even watched the trials this past weekend, I love the fast runners and the shot put.  Do you think they go around knocking on doors to find just the right beer drinking, couch potato, sports watching guy with the right amount of rage to throw that thing?
8. Again with the swimming every four years.
9. Gymnastics, especially the men on the rings.  How do they do what they do?!  I totally don't really get the pummel horse though.
10. The sport I most like participating in?  Hee.  Driving Pete a little crazy.  I have so many little ways and come up with new ones all of the time.  I see that as sport.

One hundred eighty-three to go.  I think maybe today is the true half way mark.  Whatever.  Celebrate again, okay?

Thanks To Norma and Lynn

I have a Harvest Photo of the Day!

If Norma and Lynn (go say Happy Birthday to a woman who is proud to tell her age!) hadn't told me to thin 'em and use 'em it might never have occurred to me. Feeling tired and dragging when I got home from work, I decided to take a stroll through the garden and it really picked me up. This news should wait for the Friday State of the Garden, Such As It Is Address, but I can't wait to share: My romaine is making a comeback! I might get a salad out of it yet. It gets even better when I thin out the container garden a little. On my gardening friends' advice I pulled some of the radish and beet sprouts and tried them. They were so good! They tasted like, well, like radishes and beets! I don't know why that surprised me, how I thought they would taste I can't say. I had produce fresh picked from my garden on my salad for supper.  I made the salad with only some lettuce and cucumbers so that I could really enjoy the pickings.

The day just kept taking great turns. After dinner a wonderful, great and dear friend called out of the blue, it's been years. I'll be riding high for days, that is my prediction.

One hundred eighty-four to go. This day deserves the big italics, you know why? It is the half way point!!! I'll bet some of you didn't think I'd make it this far, did you? I'll bet some of you thought it would be more entertaining to watch me sweat it out, didn't you? This is when it gets difficult, the summer......when I usually quit posting....... This isn't going to be easy.

Those Days Of Soda And Pretzels And Beer

I always have this vision of summer being hazy and lazy, but not so much of the crazy. The reality always is not so much of the lazy, just crazy and my memory hazy. Does life ever really slow down? Today was supposed to be only lazy, but we got a last minute call to volunteer at the New Hampshire Fisher Cats game, selling concessions. It was a fund-raiser for a parents' association that we are members of and before I thought about it the words, "Sure, we'll go and help" were out of my mouth, impossible to take back. Because no good deed goes unpunished, our eleven o'clock report time was changed to ten o'clock, something we found out at nine, and it takes us 45 minutes to get there. Luckily I had showered and eaten and could be dressed and out the door in time. It turned out to be quite fun, we have great friends in this group, so while not lazy, certainly it was a decent way to spend a summer day. And as typical for summer, we are invited to a neighbors for dinner, so off we go again. I really love this about summer, but think it might be a good idea to rent a cottage where nobody knows me, make sure I only tell a few select people where I will be and head there for a week or two. Then maybe I'll see some lazy along with the hazy and crazy.

One hunded eighty-five to go. You'll wish that summer could always be here!

YouTube Saturday

Surprise!  Once again I surprised myself by remembering to post way too late in the day.  Truly, there must be something wrong with my brain!  Or maybe my days are just so full and engaging that I totally forget the blog every day.  No, something is definitely wrong with my brain.

So here we are at YouTube Saturday and I'm at a loss.  By the way, wasn't last week the best?  I love it when you all add your favorites to the list, it is so fun for me.  Anyway, back to this week, I threw it out there in my house and took YouTube suggestions.  After seeing them you might wonder at the wisdom of that, but here goes.  This first one was offered by Meagan.  Apparently this is one of those YouTube sensations that I have never seen, but everybody knows about.  Enough that there are copies and imitations, but Meg assures me this is the original.  Remember, this was Meg's idea.

A little mind numbing right?  There really are imitations, like this one. And the Simpson's. You want more? Well, you can just head on over to YouTube and find them, then you can memorize the dance, enlist a cohort and make a video of your own. Make sure you let me know when it is up.

Pete's offering is this George Carlin bit, a lot of his are going around after his passing last week. Remember, it is George Carlin so the usual warnings apply.

So there you go. Did you make it through Meg's Daft Bodies thing? Apparently some people have a lot of time on their hands, including my Meagan. Wish I had that kind of time....

One hundred eighty-six to go. I hope this wasn't a total let down of a YouTube Saturday.  I spent the day at work, but working on window treatments for my own room! And I forgot my camera so you don't get the in progress photos yet. They are gor-GEOUS! I can't wait!

Garden Along Update

Well, it's Friday and it's late, and now I am going to give you the Blues Garden update, such as it is.  Things are not all good over in the garden.  Not all bad, but not all good.  Witness some of the romaine:

Last week I had some lovely romaine and when I came home from Harrisville the other night and went out to get some for a salad that is what I found.  All four heads of it looked just the same.  Apparently, despite our continual battle with the woodchucks, the woodchucks are just well fed.  They like brocolli as well.

And I just don't get the herb thing. Everything looks great one second and then WHAM! it all goes to seed.

ThymeCilantro

Some things are looking good though, like the peppers, zucchini, tomatoes.

ZucchiniTomatoesWe even have some little green tomatoes coming in.

The container garden is out of control, I think I may need to do some thinning, but I haven't the foggiest idea what to do with this stuff next.

BeetsMesculan MixRadishesBasil

That is the State of the Garden Such As It Is Address for this Friday. Not all bad news, I guess.

One hundred eighty-seven to go. Could I sound less enthusiastic or what?

But, Did I Bring Anything Home?

Cheryl didn't think I could do it.  Come home without buying something.  While she was right, I didn't make a purchase of yarn or fiber at all.  I wasn't even tempted a little bit.  The thing that got me on the first day was this hand woven scarf. 

Like any skillfully handmade item, this one had a bit of a price tag on it and I spent the three days in Harrisville having an internal debate of pros and cons. I even debated, having really no interest in weaving, learning to weave and making it myself. As that plan rolled around in my head it became glaringly obvious that supporting an artisan and just laying out the cash would save me the cost of weaving classes, beginner projects working up to the skill level needed and the purchase of a loom. All of a sudden it seemed like a bargain, that I was so underpaying for this gorgeous, craftily made item.

Wasn't it clever to photograph the scarf in the Weaving Center before I left? Draping it over looms that are scattered about the shop? Well, the light wasn't exactly working for me which is unfortunate, but you get what you get. Maybe you'll see me wearing it sometime, then you'll be lucky enough to get the whole picture.

One hundred eighty-eight to go. Tomorrow my garden woes.

The Day I Toured The Harrisville Designs Yarn Spinning Mill.....

They were making green yarns.... And they were making blue yarns. Green. Blue. It was a good day for me to visit.

I'm so exhausted, in the best way. Overwhelmed with new stuff to practice and to make a better spinner out of me. I'm sticking to the Mission Statement. What I'm not doing tonight is reading all of the great comments you all left. I can't wait, but I'm bone tired and my eyes are burning from the fatigue. I'll get up early before I go to work to catch up on the email. If I can pull myself away from the wheel!

One hundred eighty-nine to go. Snoozing.

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Inventions That Have Made Life Easier.  Whose life?  A housewife in the fifties?  The early settlers?  Teenagers of today?  Hmmm.....  There were a couple of angles I was going to take, but now I'm running out of time for the history of telecommunication inventions and witty little comments, so you get the following.  I'll bet not many will have the same on their lists.

1. Toilet Paper.
2. Flush toilet.  Yay, somewhere to put the toilet paper. 
3. Chapstick, creating yet another thing you can become addicted to.  Really, people are.  Heh.  I may be one of them.
4. Sliced Bread.  Without which, what on earth would we measure all other inventions against?
5. Greeting cards.  The beginning of the decline of letter writing.  Why write it when someone else puts the sentiment in much more poetic prose?
6. Ball point pen.  Just when we are losing the will to write letters, it becomes so much easier!
7. Tea bags.  I know, while I totally prefer to brew loose tea, it is darned convenient to haul it in little bags in my purse.
8. The pop-up toaster, thank goodness or we might never have had the Pop-Tart.
9. The credit card.  Now, that makes live easier, doesn't it?  Now we can all keep up with the Jones's, afford it or not.  This invention led to the invention of the 'you can have it all' mentality.  Yay.
10. Google, without which this post could not have been written.

One hundred ninety to go. What fun invention makes your life easier?

Aaack! I'm Late!

Well, I'm away for a few days at a workshop and all my good intentions of having a decent post up every day that I was gone have come crashing down around me.  What to do, what to do?  There must be content on this blog today.  Y'all are just going to have to do it for me.  I know I am the WORST when it comes to replying to emails and comments, but every once in a while I make it worth your while to leave one.  So leave a comment to this post by Friday of this week and I'll get something out at Harrisville Designs to give away to one of you, or maybe two, who knows?  Let's see, what shall we talk about?  Hmm....  How about your favorite summer memory?  A vacation spot?  The long day with nothing, but everything to do?  Or your favorite thing about summer now.  Tell me the good stuff, I love summer and can't wait to read your favorite things about it.

One of my favorite things? My toes in the sand.

One hundred ninety-one to go.  And the next three months of them filled with summer.

Strawberry Picking!

I've been waiting weeks for this sign to go up!It is native strawberry time in New England.Strawberry Fields Forever

Of course the perfect ending to this post would have been the photo of the twelve pounds of strawberries that I picked, or even a picture of the bags that I froze or the strawberry shortcake that we ate. You'll just have to use your imaginations, because I developed a serious case of camnesia, I must have been drunk on the sweet, fresh strawberry aroma.

One hundred ninety-two to go. Strawberry season is berry much too short.

YouTube Saturday, Summer.

I know, it is the second day of the real summer season, but YouTube Saturday is today, so deal. Deal with a few summer songs to get you in the summer mood.

One hundred ninety-three to go. I really wanted Summer, Summer, Summer! You turn me upside down. Summer, summer, summer, You're like a merry-go-round. Couldn't find it. Bummer, bummer, bummer!

Garden Along Update

It was a toss up between this and yesterday's post for yesterday's post, but then seeing Norma's post today I was glad that I waited to show you my containers.  On top of that I totally forgot to post today and I have all of five minutes to make it work.  Here it is, my container garden so far:

My Container Garden so far.Radishes and Mesculan mix. I am thrilled about the radishes, I hope they work.Basil, but the cinnamon kind. I was just curious about it so I went with it.Beets! I planted two containers. I really want the beets to work! Really, really, really. I love beets.

So, a couple of things. One, I really wanted onions and couldn't find any in my local shopping spots. Maybe it isn't too late? Second, I just sort of sprinkled the seeds on the soil and covered them, I'm wondering if I'll have to thin the plants when they start to grow.

One hundred ninety-four to go. I really don't have a clue about the gardening thing. Not.A.Clue.

I'm Plying

John: "Can you really ply?"
Peter: "I'll teach you."I'm plying
(plying, plying, plying)
Look at me, spindle high
Suddenly here am I
I'm PyingFirst, I must blow the fairy dust on you.
Now, think lovely thoughts!

One hundred ninety-five to go. If only the fairy dust thing worked! Just makes a flipping mess all over the floor. I must sweep that up.....

The Great Thing About This Quiz Is

You are Ocean Blue

You're both warm and practical. You're very driven, but you're also very well rounded. You tend to see both sides to every issue, and people consider you a natural diplomat.

What Color Blue Are You?

The answer is always blue.

One hundred ninety six to go. I am thrilled that I got Ocean Blue, but truth be told, I'd have been happy with any blue. Surprised?

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Favorite Moments in Your Country's History.  This week's prompt must not have been all that popular, because only three people have left a comment that they have done it.  You should head over there and follow the links, there are some good lists.  So, this one is kinda hard.  There are just so many moments that you can't even think of just one or ten, you know?  I thought of it all day, wondering if I should take my usual irreverent twist to the list, or take it seriously.  In the end I think you'll find I did a little of both.

1. I Have A Dream.  Martin Luther King so beautifully expresses what most humans dream for their families and children pointing out that our similarities should be stronger than our differences.  Somehow we still don't get it, and while I love learning about our diverse cultures I sometimes think that this push for diversity is taking away from what we have in common.
2. September 11, 2001.  Not the day, but the aftermath.  Our country stood up, joined together and shared the common grief and resolve.  Probably the closest we've been to MLK's dream, it's too bad it couldn't last.
3. "Mr. Watson, come here.  I want to see you."  I'm quite sure my mother spent my high school years regretting that moment in history.
4. July 4, 1776, United States Independance Day.  Or the thirteen colonies at that time.  Warts and all, we are lucky to live here.
5. The Boston Red Sox win the World Series!  I grew up around the country, but my dad was a born and raised New Englander.  We lived in Lexington, Kentucky, the lone Red Sox fans in a sea of Cincinatti Reds supporters for that tragic series in the seventies.  I only wish my dad had lived long enough to see this.
6. Aaron Copland was born on November 14, 1900.  He grew up to blend musical styles composing pieces that evokes America in so many ways.  He was not the only one though, the long list would include the Gershwins and Bernstein as well.
7. A woman is appointed to the Supreme Court.  There will be a woman in the White House someday.
8. World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago 1893.  This is one of my favorites mostly because I read the fascinating history about it, learing of all the technological and social advances this fair inspired.  While it is a tale of ego, it is also a story of American pride and ingenuity.  A great moment for the U.S.
9. Battle of Bunker Hill.   Okay, while I do think this is a pretty big day and all, I had to add this one on this day to let the rest of you all know that Essex County in Massachusetts closes down on June 17th every year to commemorate Bunker Hill Day.  Nowhere else in the country even knows about this, but banks, courts, schools, public offices (hope this isn't the only day you can renew your license) all close.  I just can't get over it.  It irks me every year.
10. The Boston Red Sox win the title!  Again!

Two hundred ninety seven to go. Alright, I guess they weren't all that irreverent after all. I liked this list.

K is for......

Kitten. All grown up.

Honestly, I am such a dolt sometimes! I'm totally stuck on "K" and as I am lying in bed after writing yesterday's post it hits me. I just wrote a whole post about the "grand"Kitten and it never ocurred to me to make that my "K" post. Slow, that's me, real slow. So what you get for "K" is this kitten. All growed up.

There are some that think this Kitten does not get enough face time on the blog. The girls are always saying that I should write a post for Princess, and I'm all about not writing about a cat that I don't get along with.

We have never been pals, we barely tolerate each other, but she is a pretty cat. Having her picture taken is quite low on her list of likes. The only reason I was able to get these photos is she was hyper-focused on the kitten.

While she hasn't always been much of a people cat, over the last couple of years that seems to be changing. She cuddles with the girls and follows Pete around like a dog would. And although I couldn't really care all that much if she is here or not, she does have one trait that I find loveable. She totally ignores the yarn and fiber. Couldn't give a crud about it, I never have to worry that she will drag it around or eat it, she just doesn't care.

K is for Kitten, all grown up. Now you know, a cat resides in our home, a cranky, old lady cat. There is a lot more to say about her, but I keep falling asleep. Maybe before the year is out I'll post about her again. Or not.

One hundred ninety-eight to go. I always said that if you saw a picture of my cat on the blog, then I was desparate for blog fodder. At the very least I was desparate for a "K".

Practice

Over the winter Meagan expanded our family by getting a cat. While my feelings about whether Meg can take care of herself, much less a pet, are varied, the cat named Jasmine is really sweet, loves people and is a bundle of action and fun.

Needing a car for a busy working weekend and someone to keep up with Jasmine for the weekend, Meg came home for a couple of days with the kitty in tow. She (Jasmine, not Meagan, although Meg had her fine points) was a fun and wonderful houseguest. She was cute, see?

We played hide and seek.

And catch me if you can.

She was a blur of curiosity, investigation and activity.

She even cuddled with Grandpa Pete while he took a nap.

It was like practicing for grandchildren because then she went home and although we were a little sad and we miss her, we were glad to see her go. Nobody was happier though than Princess, the cat I'll bet most of you didn't know we had. This pretty much sums up how she felt about Jasmine's visit to her domain.

One hundred ninety-nine to go. We are out of the two hundreds!!!!