Bumps and Loops

Last week, we made a trip to Blacksburg to take photos of Virginia Tech (see below). Of course, no trip to Blacksburg would be complete without a stop at Mosaic! Here are the new acquisitions:

Noro Silk Garden (one of my favorites!)




Louet Gems Sport Weight - the color is really a more pure emerald green.




Reynolds Odyssey




Prism's Lace Wool








Mongolian Cashmere in 3 different colors. Jim picked this out. It's exquisite. If I'd realized how much each skein cost, I'd probably not have purchased the other yarns I picked out!

All in all, this was a very expensive trip! I'd better get knitting!

I finally finished the Easy Flame Stitch Scarf I started as a KAL (Knit Along) on the Malabrigo Groupies group on Ravelry. It was worth the effort and all the tiny stitches (2900 of them). It weights only about 1.5 ounces, but is incredibly warm. I'm sure I'll be doing this pattern again.

As many know, Jim earned his Master's and Doctorate from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Yesterday (Memorial Day), we made a trip to Blacksburg just for a visit and a nice ride in the countryside. While there, we also took a group of photos on the grounds. Here is a sampling of them.

Driving through downtown Marion today (Sunday, 5/25), these are two of the sights you'd see:

The County Courthouse lawn has been filled with the names on crosses of all the citizens of the area who have died in various wars, dating from the beginning of the town's charter. Each post also has an American flag. Descendants of most of these (mostly) men, still live in the area and are our neighbors and friends. It's an inspiring sight, indeed.

Closer to our house, down Main Street, the volunteer fire department has the biggest flag I've ever seen hanging from the ladder boom of one of the trucks. I did wonder what would happen if they needed the truck for a fire!




Tomorrow is the parade at 10:00 a.m. Jim, Kelly and I will walk along the Riverwalk by the Holston River to the parade. Kelly has a nice new backpack to wear so she can carry her own treats. We love this parade. It's very old timey, with floats made of tractors and pickup trucks and Civil War Re-enactors (from both sides) marching in the parade in wagons and on horseback and on foot. Hopefully, no shots will be fired.

I'll try to get some photos of the parade tomorrow to post. I think this is my favorite day of the year in Marion.

In my estimation, this place has some of the prettiest architecture in our area. Some of the buildings are very old, while others are state of the art modern.

Some may view the photos of the older buildings and relate them to old mental health institutions, complete with the terrible emotions these evoke. This facility today, though, is run by caring and competent staff and is governed by the Commonwealth with diligence. The staff are dedicated to the goal of rehabilitating as many of the patients as possible and returning them to society as productive members.

This is the old Henderson Building. It was the first building wired for electricity in Southwestern Virginia. It also was featured in an X-Files episode. It's rather typical of the architecture of mental institutions in the early part of the 20th Century.

The institution is guilt in the center of circular drive. As you turn left and look back to view the Henderson Building, this is the view you would see:




Continuing around the circle, there's a baseball field and picnic tables and fields where, sometimes, patients and staff have outdoor activities. This building is one of the older ones on campus and is on the left, going around the circle:




On the right, is this building, which is currently vacant:


This is the building in which Jim has his office. If you were to see it from the sky, it would look like the spokes of a wheel.


This is the Bagley Building and is the newest on the campus. Almost all the patients are housed in this building today.




I will tell you this: If I needed to be housed in a facility of this type (and, yes, there are people who think I do need to be there!), I'd want to be placed here.

I don't, normally, dress animals. Poodles are the exception for me - toy poodles, at least. There's something about these clown jobs that just begs to be dressed. They also seem to like it. It's not my imagination. Everyone who has owned one of these guys, at least those I've met, say the same thing. They like to be the center of attention, they like to learn tricks, and they like to be dressed.

It's probably because the little guys have long since lost their retrieving instincts. The big cousins were originally bred to be retrievers of water fowl shot by the human partners. In fact, that's the original basis for the "froo froo" hairdos these dogs are shown with today. Originally, the pompoms on the hips and other joints were to insulate them. The chest was left with hair for the same reason. The rest of the body was shaved to help the dog in swimming. The tail usually didn't have the pompom of today.

If you think these dogs are fragile, think again. They can easily hold their own with bigger dogs. They're smart. They're funny. They're tough and they're good watch dogs.

Anyway, there's a knitting group to which I belong (Misery Knits) that decided to create tee shirts and other things for sale. The group was, originally, in protest of a knit along that never got along. I saw the other night that there was a little tee shirt for dogs. Kelly had to have one, of course. Here she is in her little shirt.

The photo below is the view out of our main bathroom window. It's the neighbor's red maple tree and rhododendron. Aren't they simply magnificent? If you look carefully, you can see one of Margaret's bird feeders, too.

I used to have a Dremel. When we moved into a tiny little condo I gave it away and have regretted it ever since. Well, tonight, I got a new one. Jim went out to pick up garden lights and came home with a new, cordless model and a bunch of attachments, a level and a pair of goggles. He's such a wonderful romantic. -sigh-

There's a story behind the Dremel. A number of years ago, shortly after my father informed Jim I was a horse when a child and he informed my father that was good 'cause he was a cowboy, I was building a log cabin doll house. It came with these "logs" that looked brand spankin' new and I wanted a rustic looking cabin. I told Jim that what I needed was a Dremel. That's what he got me for Christmas (and, of course, goggles). He had no idea what it was or what it was for, but he bought it for me.

We went to Daddy's house for Christmas and I told my father Jim bought me a Dremel for Christmas. Jim looked mortified. He thought my father would think he was nuts. My father got this gleeful look on his face and said, "A Dremel. Wow!" Of course, it didn't help that when we went out driving in Winter Haven that night, I wore my goggles everywhere.

Here's my new improved Dremel. I'm going to make a couple of fountains and, maybe, regrout the bathroom.

I was starting to think I was never going to finish anything again. Well, here is something. Not much, but something. It's a Summer Morning Shawl. It's a super easy and quick knit using Malabrigo worsted weight on 10.5 needles.



My hair is simply lovely. It got rained on - big time today. Why do puppies only want to go out when it's the most convenient?

Here they are! The first pair of ducks of the season.

I love to feed the ducks. First one pair comes, then another. Eventually, they start bringing their babies with them. Before the summer's over, I expect to have forty or fifty ducks here. They'll even start eating out of my hand. The only bad part is, they smell like ducks.

It was so dry here last year, it was hard to tell what would grow in this yard and what wouldn't. There's this big patch of iris plants in the front. Last year, they didn't bloom - not one. Since the patch is pretty old and kind of overgrown, I thought maybe it needed to be thinned or moved. I was wrong about that one. Here's the patch this year.



I would have thought the iris would have been the usual purple variety. They're almost 100% white with just the tiniest tinge of yellow and lavender. It rained last night, and I got a good picture of one of them with raindrops on it.




Also, in the back yard, where no water reaches unless it rains really, really hard, there are a couple of plants. I have no idea why someone would plant tulips and iris where they wouldn't get any water, but there they are. Last year, we got a few red and yellow tulips, but the iris just sat there. This year:



I just think they're spectacular. I like them so much that I ordered a collection from Breck's. There's one that closely resembles this one and four others, all wildly striped. Between these and the reblooming collection I bought from Spring Hill Nurseries, I'll be busy planting this fall, too.

I got my monkey! I got my Blue Moon Fiber Arts Funky Sock Monkey Kit. And, here it is:



I first heard about it on the infamous Yarn Harlot's blog. Check out the April 20 post about halfway down here. She was a sock camp (lucky knitter) and they all knit cool little sock monkeys and put them in odd outfits and had contests and just plain had fun. Those of us in Knitter NoWoman (or Man) Land were jealous and created a huge furor. So loud and annoying was our furor that the good folks at Blue Moon decided to issue the pattern for purchase AND they made up some really neat kits.

Naturally, I couldn't just buy the pattern, I had to buy a kit. Naturally! Below is the color of my yarn and the really nifty tube it came in. Most of you don't know this, but I LOVE tubes. My poor husband loses any tubes that come in the house. He bought a silver polishing cloth - it's in my knitting kit. He bought some nuts or bolts, the tube's in my kit. Just think what I can put in my sock monkey tube!!!

I started a swallowtail shawl, using this lovely blue 100% cashmere from Colourmart in the UK. This was going to be my first major (larger than a scarf) lace knitting project. I was about halfway through the budding leaf pattern, when I noticed I'd made a stupid mistake waaaaaaay down near the beginning (I forgot a ps AND left out another yo in one row). There's no way I was letting that stay.

I ripped it down to the mistake and am, now, starting to do it again. I'm so glad I left my lifelines in!

Here's a pic of the (tiny) piece that's left. Good thing I like this pattern!

I had a great day.

Kellly (Jim, of course) got me a nice Mother's Day card with a $50 Lowe's gift card. What better for a tomboy like me than a Lowe's card. It's burning a hole in my pocket.

Then, this afternoon, I received this lovely basket of flowers from John. You have no idea how much it touched me to get them.

/Users/Iris/Desktop/forweb/flower.jpg

Tomorrow, we're going to drive to Pennsylvania to visit with Jim's mom. My flowers and my gift card will be waiting.

Thanks Jim and John and Kelly.

Kelly has just about reached her adult height. She's either going to be just under or just over toy standards (not that it matters, since she's only going to be a pet). She's really starting to "silver" out. Boy, oh boy, though, does she hate to be clipped. It's definitely a two person job.

Here are a few pics of her in the front yard today.

and




Cute, isn't she?

I've planted and planted and planted and, after a freeze, re-planted. Everything seems to be doing well, right now, but is all still pretty small.

I thought, maybe, it'd be fun to take pictures of what's going on in the yard right now and then, again, after things grow up and start blooming. There's no way to photograph all the little teensy tiny seedlings coming up, but here's a view of mid-Spring in Virginia:

Here's a view of a 50 year old lilac bush in bloom:

And a close up of the flowers:





On the road side, there's wild mustard under the lilac. It makes a nice picture.




I don't know what these little flowers are, but they're sure cute, and they come up every year.

We needed a new roof on our house and were really pondering what to use for a replacement. A neighbor of ours recently had a red metal roof installed on her house. I wondered how a metal roof would look on this cottage-y ranch house. The neighbor just next to us decided to put one on her house, too. Hers is a grey one.

I spoke to the contractor and set up a date to get this really nice brown metal roof on our house. We are really pleased with the outcome and you should hear the rain on it!

In a previous post, I mentioned I was creating a "Seasons of a Tree's Life" series with a Bradford pear tree in our front yard. Photos of the Spring, Winter and Fall seasons are already posted. I'm also going to include a leaf and a closeup of the bark. Here's the Summer photo:

I have no bone to pick with any religion, just what some zealots may do in the "name" of religion.

While I know there are many good acts done in the name of religion, let us not forget that not all acts are good: More delights

And this, more recent, issue

Or - an option for Jim


see more crazy cat pics

I haven't finished a knitted project in ages. It's because I keep getting sidetracked by my ADD. Something - a pattern, a yarn, a photo - is forever distracting me. I can't just file things away and finish what I started. Oh, no! That's not for me. I have to cast on another project.

The good part is I always have some kind of appropriate project to work on.

For example, the Summer Shopping Shawl below is plain old stockinette stitches until you get to the cast off. Then, you drop some judicious stitches and - voila! - A nice open and drapey shawl is created. This yarn is Malabrigo worsted weight yarn from Uruguay. It's kettle died and I just love the beautiful and subtle variegation in the coloring.





Then, there's the clapotis (pronounced "clap-oh-tee") I started on the suggestion of Gina from Mosaic in Blacksburg. I had bought two balls of the Taiyo yarn from Noro and didn't know what to do with it. By buying one more ball, I can make this really cool French style scarf/shawl.

And, finally:

JP - you WILL get your hat in time for a nice warm head next Winter. I'm working on it again. Let me know if you like the colors.

in more ways than one!

I now have an indeterminate (vine) tomato, a determinate (bushy) tomato, a "compact" tomato (about 4" fruit) and a cherry tomato bush. I have a green pepper plant and a HOT pepper plant (Why we have that, I have no idea). We have potatoes that are going wild and lettuce that is happy and protected from slugs by a bed of sand. We have a little row of English peas and a patch of regular unions and one of green onions. I planted bush beans and radishes and a yellow squash and a couple of zuchinni and am going to put in just a few carrots.

We don't have much of anything (except tomatoes), but enough to see what grows well around here and in my garden area. Since tomatoes are my very favorite home grown fruit, they garner the most space. I can hardly wait to pluck warm cherry tomatoes from the garden and eat them - right away! Also, tomato sandwiches!!! Just two slices of bread and some Miracle Whip, a little salt and a juicy tomato.

After talking about that sandwich, I need to go cool off somewhere!

Or, I am totally crazy.

Here's what happens after my husband leaves for work:

Kelly the Poodle starts running madly in wild circles around the coffee table, growling fiercely, usually carrying something in her mouth.

Skittles the Bird starts doing flight practice from one side of his cage to the other.

It is dangerous to walk or, even, move.

This goes on for anywhere from 60 seconds to 3 or 4 minutes, after which everyone breaks for a nice drink of water.

Oh, yeah! There's also a hawk on the tree outside the window. The photo is bad because the light is low (it's raining) and he's actually across the street and my camera's zoom isn't that powerful. I saw a hawk grab one of my precious goldfinches right from my tree, not 10 feet from my window a couple of weeks ago. It nearly drove me crazier until I was reminded that the hawk has to eat to live, too. Since there's nothing this poor bird can eat that I don't like (lizards, snakes, mice, rats, etc.), I won't like anything it eats, so ...

We've had Kelly only a little over a month. She's grown quite a bit. When we got her, she was only 2.5 pounds. Today: over 5. Now, that may not sound like a lot, but it's a lot for a tiny little toy poodle!

She's housetrained - we think! She's learned to sit and to wait at the door (usually) before going through. Learned the word, "No!" and lots of others, too. She's pretty darned well behaved for a little pup.

Here are the most recent photos of the little devil. We got her a couple of Kong toys that she's madly in love with. Jim has learned the art of perfectly stuffed Kongs. If you don't know, Kongs are rubber toys into which you can stuff treats and food. We use a combination of meaty treats, peanut butter and dog food. You stuff it in the best way you can, thinking it will be hard for the dogs to get them out. The premise is that the toy will entertain the pup for long periods of time. They do work. Kelly loves her Kong and will wait patiently for her dad to stuff it.

Of course, she loves peanut butter, too. All dogs do, I think, and it's so funny to watch them try to eat it. This makes it great for putting ground up pills into. You have to be careful there's enough peanut butter to hide most of the pill taste, though. Otherwise, you get a delightful peanut buttery mess on the floor! Ask how I know.









Its also a lot of fun to see her coat change from baby fuzz black to grown up puppy upper silver. The texture changes with the new color. Poodle puppy fur is unbelievably soft. The new silver hairs have that nice springiness poodles are noted for. Now, if I could only convince her that getting her paws and tail clipped are a great game! Maybe I should invent a "Klipper Kong."

I have four tomato plants, one pepper plant, some potatoes, about 20 onions, 9 heads of leaf lettuce, some nasturtiums, some parsley, some thyme, some carrots and some beans planted. Not a lot of anything, but enough for some tasty meals.

My yard plants are up to date and I'm waiting for a few more things to come.

I need overalls!

As you probably know, I joined a knit lace Knit Along (KAL). It's a Mystery Lace stole and is labeled as "intermediate." Now, I am nothing more than a somewhat experienced beginner lace knitter. The designer says beginners will be able to handle it with a little patience. I have to tell you, it is taking me a LOT of patience.

I am sure I have ripped and restarted this thing at least 25 times! I even tried knitting it in a worsted weight yarn. While it was easier in the worsted, I still had to rip it out twice. Its not that the stitches are hard; I just can't seem to count and keep my place on the chart.

I am determined to get this thing knit, though. I feel that, after that, I will be able to knit almost anything.

I've learned the value of a lifeline (and not just lip service to it - actually using it). This is where you take a piece of contrasting thread or yarn and run it through a completed row to lessen the number of rows you have to rip out, or the possibility of losing the whole mess. I learned that with true lace - one that has no plain rows - if you drop a stitch mid-row, there's a real danger of it unraveling - FAST!

If you see a photo below, you'll know I finished the first clue. Until a photo appears here, I'm still struggling with it. I have until Friday at 1:00 p.m. to get the first clue done. The second and subsequent clues are going to involve a lot more knitting, so I better practice with those lifelines!

My online friend, Mona (Rock 'n' Roll Knitter), posted a photo of some yarn she dyed with Easter egg dye (Paas). It's absolutely beautiful! Now, naturally, I want to try it. The trick is going to be finding Easter egg dye this late in the year. It's something I may have to wait until next year to try. How tragic!

Here's a picture of Mona's yarn:

Mona also has a site for posting and selling her colorwork knit mittens patterns. Here it is: Folks Mittens

This is a long rant. It doesn't mean much of anything, except I'll feel better by saying it. It's cathartic to me. It's my blog. I'm not saying anything that didn't happen. I'm going to say what I want here, as long as I don't slander anyone. So there. This is my disclaimer. If you don't want to hear about something you can do nothing about and that is over, stop here.

I pondered this for a couple of days. As all of you know, I am a member of ravelry.com, a site for knitters (or fiber hobbyits/artists) that was started by a nice young couple. One of them is a wildly talented programmer. It's obvious they are a caring couple even by reading their Terms of Service. This site has six "standard boards" that everyone is subscribed to when they join. It covers basics. I'll be honest, here, and say I didn't even realize they were there and had never posted to one of them - ever. I was more interested in other areas of Ravelry.

However, one day, I just clicked on the "forums" button and saw a subject that had been started by said young programmer saying there was a lot of controversy and hurt feelings in the boards and asking for an opinion by the open membership of Ravelry for their opinions on whether or not these boards should be kept. He said it is a drain on Ravelry and it seems people get off topic and attack each other. I don't think he was talking about just general disagreements, but I'm not so sure anymore.

At any rate, I wrote that I thought there would always be disagreements with thousands of people in one place and posting with no real constraints. Naturally, there will be heated arguments. There are heated arguments in real life. I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinion and I have learned a lot by reading dissenting opinions in the past. What I said was I didn't think there was a way to please everyone. I don't. I also think it is a bit naive to put such a "survey" out there for thousands of people to post their opinions.

I almost didn't post at all. However, I went back and looked at the basic content of these boards and realized that, had I known what they were when I was first a member, I would have benefited from them. So, against my better judgment (oh, how I wish I had followed it), I posted said comment.

Naturally, I was interested in what answers came about. I read the following post from another member (and some previous ones) in which she used what I felt was language that wasn't fitting in a forum where all ages and backgrounds post. Now, you need to know this isn't the only post this person has made with language of this type and worse. You should also know that I can, if I am so provoked, swear with the best of them. I, generally, don't do it in public, though. My father once said to me that people use language of this type because they are too ignorant or arrogant to use more controlled words to get their ideas heard.

Here's the quote I replied to, followed by my reply. I truly wasn't meaning to call this person a "bad" person. I was just trying to point out there are people who would be offended by it.

it’s so fucked up that you even have to sit there and CONSIDER deactivating those forums, and even further fucked up that you have to take the time from your hard ass job to type this post out. i just don’t get some people.

i really want that “get a life (eleventybillion)” button now.

ETA: the get a life remark is NOT meant towards CASEY! it’s meant towards people that take these forums and threads so much to heart that they get all stressed out and end up leaving ravelry. i learned years ago that this is the INTERNET. while i have made many friends on this internet who i appreciate and love dearly, i have also learned to STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER and remind myself that i should be concentrating on those problems smacking me in the face in real life.

reply

Since this is a public forum, it is inevitable that we will sometimes offend others. I worked at a high school for years and, while it runs off me like water, your language in this case was bound to offend some people. I think you know that, but used it to make your point in a dramatic manner. That’s OK. Just be aware that, no matter what you say, now, the people who were offended will relate you to the words. The “get a life” button goes in both directions.

There are a lot of us here. I like these Boards. I hope we can either stop and think and be as non-offensive as we can be, or just accept the fact that some people use language and affect differently and go on. Since we don’t usually have to deal with each other on a day to day basis, it shouldn’t be something we take personally.

For example, I don’t like the words you used, personally, so I will make it a point to not read your posts. Simple.

Keep the Boards. Ignore the people you don’t like.

A bit later, the following was posted:

that is quite a ridiculous attitude as i do not curse in every single post i make. it’s also kind of ridiculous to not “like” someone because of a word they used.

but hey, no skin off my back. ignore all you’d like.

ETA: and it obviously does not run off you like water if you need to never read any of my posts. you should also re-read your post using your same advice: make sure you’re not offending anyone (including ME) in your text. good grief.

I chose not to reply to this. Then the following appeared:

u know what? your post has pissed me off to limits i have not reached since i was on a soaping forum several years ago. your post is extremely offensive - i did not tell anyone in particular to go “get a life” as you have done with me. i also take offense in your thinking that everyone will now relate me to my words. i do NOT regret what i posted there. i said it from the heart. those that know me and those that may not know me but are mature enough will read them and MOVE ON. i cannot believe you sit there and preach on people to stop and think and be non-offensive when your post REEKS of offense.

your post has pissed me off enough to now have an opinion on rav’s forums.

yes, go ahead and get rid of them all. let people only join those groups they wish to partake in so that they do not need to deal with idiocies such as these.

ETA: casey, maybe you can have a link near the logo on top when you post to the site announcements thread you have. this is actually the only thread i visit 99% of the time when i go to the forums on rav. whenever i see a bold 1 there i clic quickly anxious to read what new toys you’ve given us or what’s coming.

I thought, "Wow! Either I am way off base, or this person is a total whacko." I suppose I could have been more "gentle" in my answer. I'm sorry, though, I just don't like to hear this in a public, written forum. I don't care how people talk. I can tune them out or walk away. I can ignore the posts, but I suppose I thought it would be, maybe, just a bit of a "thought provoker." Well, it was! Big time! LOL

Right after THIS post, the moderator said we should keep on topic and remember the programmer's original (in my opinion, crazy) question. If that hadn't have happened, I'd have probably said what I said in a personal message (because I really hadn't meant to attack her - just suggest that, if we don't like something, don't read it.) to this person, which is:

I apologize if I offended you. I really wasn’t intending to do that. I wasn’t saying the “get a life” button referred to you, alone. I was just saying we can ignore anyone we want. I was saying that in support of Casey and the groups. I was saying that, if I don’t like a post, I don’t have to read it or anything else I don’t want to. It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like you as a person. I don’t really get “offended” by the language. I just don’t see the point in it. That’s OK. I have no right to censor you. I’m truly sorry I made you so angry. That’s definitely not my goal in life. I do hope you’ll accept my apology. I repeat what I said before: you are a beautiful young woman. Oh, and your projects are beautiful.

She wrote back to say she would only accept my apology and believe it was sincere if I apologized in the thread where I "attacked" her. I wrote back, saying, I apologized and to take it or leave it. I would not apologize in the thread because we were told to stay on topic. I did not mention that she really attacked me. Even if she took offense at my comment, I think I was civil.

I want to also point out the responses to my comments to here were recorded with far, far (more than twice as many) "agree" votes than "disagree." The same can not be said of hers. That leads me to believe I wasn't out of line or, at least, not very far out of line.

I followed some more of this young lady's posts and found she belongs to a large number of "forums" where they spend all their time discussing how people should "just get over it," and "get a life" when it comes to foul language. After all, they say, it's in every day life, in books, on TV, people on the street. Well, that's true. I hear it all the time. I kind of mentally filter it out, if I think it's inappropriate and, if I had a child with me, I'd remove them from the situation. The fact is, that's not always possible on the Internet. In an ideal world, parents would always know what their children are doing on the Internet and would be able to monitor it effectively. We all know, that's just not true.

After the email exchange, which I just quit responding to, she followed me around and "took umbrage" (my words, not hers) to almost everything I said. It was not a pleasant experience. She even misrepresented the "Terms of Service" of Ravelry and threatened to "report me" and "have something done about it." I'm not sure what she thought she was going to report, but ... This lady, a truly beautiful African American woman, has four children of her own. From many of her posts, it sounds like she truly loves these words. She states they are so much a part of her life she doesn't even think about it. I think that's sad. Furthermore, I wonder if she would feel the same about some ethnic words out there. After all, some folks could consider them "a part of their life," too. Somehow, I don't think she would be overly thrilled if anyone started saying things like, "Hi there you gorgeous __________ (yes, there was ethnicity involved)." I guess that comes under a different "standard."


I really feel it was a foolish thing to put the issue of "whether or not to continue" the main six forums. Either you are a manager, or you're not. If you're a manager and you're having "big time, draining" issues with something that is not an absolute necessity and you are the 100% owner of something, you have to make up your own mind. You can eliminate the boards. You can monitor them closely. You can set into place consequences. Thousands of mismash answers are really going to be hard to sort through. It seems to me, that by asking this question and, then, not monitoring it A LOT, you are just going to cause more problems.

That's what it did with me. It has taken something I truly felt strongly about and enjoyed tremendously and kind of raveled (pun intended) the edges a bit.

I made my first $5 donation to the site just a couple of days ago. I worked as a volunteer editor. For now, at least, there will be no more donations made in any amount. I resigned from the editor's group. I do not read many forums anymore and I don't post to fewer.

There's nothing here that can't be found somewhere else. It's a great site because everything is in one place, but the "stuff" is out there.

Like I said, this is a rant. It irritated me no end. It's over, but it did help me to write it out. If you read it, well you put in a lot of effort and I appreciate your going on the journey with me.

Say a little prayer for the "Great Knitter's War." Life goes on and I just don't care after writing this. That pleases me.

Well, at least I think (hope) it is. I think we only lost one or two plants. The lawn was "crispy" again this morning and Jasper the Cat's water dish had a thin ice sheet on top. It went from 27 to 48 degrees F in less than two hours this morning. I sure hope the Accu Weather is correct in saying there will be no more frost! I'm just too ready for warm weather and having the windows open.

Go On With Your Knittin' (Unknown Irish Poet) When the folks next to you act like those in the zoo A grumblin', growlin' and spittin' It's a pretty good plan To be as calm as you can And do something useful?like knittin'. When a gossipin' Susan with poison barbed tongue Comes into the room where you're sittin' And starts to defame Some neighbor's good name Count your stitches out loud and keep knittin'. When there's been a slight misunderstandin' at the church And others hint broadly of quittin' Why the very best thing You can do is to sing And stay at your post and keep knittin'. When Satan moves in with his cohorts of sin Say, "You'll never find me submitin'. You irk me I find So get thee behind And please don't disturb me?I'M KNITTIN!" In the middle of problems, the big and the small It's always proper and fittin' To trust and to pray 'Til the Lord shows the way An' go right on ahead with your knittin'.

All I can say is this: Those d#*% plants had better not die! I spent bunches of $$$ buying plants that are "guaranteed" to "live" and "ship at the proper time for planting in your area." Some of them are sent BARE ROOT. That means, you can't really keep them alive for weeks. They need to go in the ground. Sooooooooo, I planted them.

Now, of course, the Great Weatherman in the Sky has seen fit to send frost - nice hard frost - to our area. The grass is crunchy (if rather beautiful). The new mulch we put down is frozen on the top. My poor little hostas (old ones) are like rotten lettuce. For those of you who can't picture this, think of slimy, limp membranes with slug snot.

It has warmed up pretty quickly, so maybe some of it will be OK. We brought in the stuff in pots and I mounded up as much mulch around the plants as I could. The bulbs should be fine. The forsythia should be fine. The little trees should be fine. It's the daisies and berries and some of the more tender bulbs I'm worried about.

I wonder if the nursery will replace the tender bulbs they sent? I'm also wondering what "proper care" is.

We shall see.

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Noble Excellency Iris the Inchoate of Great Leering Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

This photo was featured on Accu-Weather's site today. Now, normally, I look at these photos and move on - they don't usually make a statement to me, beyond being nice photos. This one is different. I found it to be extremely striking. Take the time to read the linked information.


The Clouds Seem to Speak

My most recent foray into horticultural over-achievement includes:

9 Rose of Sharon

3 Blackberry
3 Raspberry
15 Oriental lilies
12 white daisy plants

Some parsley
Still on the porch:

2 Flowering almond

3 Weigelia

On the way:

12 yellow shrub roses
15 reblooming Bearded iris

I also dug up hundreds of dandelions. The people who lived here before us obviously never did anything about the weeds. Every time I go out to plant something, I dig up a bunch of dandelions.

I shampooed Kelly today and clipped her face. Poodles have to have the hairs inside their ears plucked out with forceps. These are the hairs that grow down inside the ear canal. If you don't pull them out, they are prone to ear infections. I figured I'd do Kelly's ears while she was napping on the couch next to me. My previous toy poodle used to squeak every time I pulled. I thought it might hurt. Kelly didn't even wake up! It might have been the sound of the forceps clicking shut that made her squeak. We started on trimming up her topknot for the first time, too.

Actually, the topography here makes it nearly impossible to predict the weather for all parts of the area reliably. What is true for the valleys is not true for the peaks. Oh, yes, and the Eastern slopes get different weather than the Western slopes. Why would anyone want to be a weather forecaster in this area?

So far, at my house, I've planted the following:

Over 100 Dutch Iris
about 30 Tall Phlox
About 30 Daylilly
8 Forsythia
5 Hemlock
Marigold seeds
5 Grape hyacinth
6 Canna Lily
9 lettuce plants
10 potatoes
15 onions
about 12 English peas
6 Lavender plants

I have on my front porch waiting to be planted:

6 Rose of Sharon
12 White daisy plants
1 black raspberry
1 blackberry
2 butterfly bush
about 6 lily plants

I've also ordered:

12 yellow bush roses

I think there's another order out there, but I can't remember what it is.

Other than a couple of azaleas or nandinas and a few rug junipers I'll get locally, I think I'm done. Of course, that doesn't include some tomatoes, green peppers, bush beans and, maybe, a zuchinni plant.

Oh, yes, and I need about 30 bags of mulch to spread as soon as everything is planted.

I'm done! Period. I'll probably have spent $1000 on this yard this year. That's enough for one year, don't you think?

This is another project I have planned. Of course, I have so many planned projects that I'll never knit them all. It's also subject to change by the mood I'm in and what inspires me at the moment.

It's the "Come Spring Vest" by Jane Thornley. I'm going to do it in some Noro Silk Garden I've had for a couple of years. Here's the colorway. I'll probably have to fool with the needle size a bit.




I wanted to include a photo of the back of the vest so you could see how interesting it is.

I'm going to make a rib warmer or shrub with this beautiful Malabrigo Worsted Weight yarn.

This is the pattern I'm going to use:





Here's a photo of the pattern, knit up by KnitnPretty, a friend of mine from the Blacksburg area. I met her at Mosaic, the yarn shop there. Isn't she gorgeous? You'll have to guess at her age, but I'll tell you she's not the age you think she is!

Here's a photo of the pear tree blossoms:

And here you see the leaf is in the shape of a pear. If you scroll down to the other photos of the pear tree, you'll not the tree itself and the leaf is in the shape of a pear. Fascinating. The only other photos I'm going to take for the montage is one of the tree bark and one of the tree as it stands in summer in front of the house.

I am starting a Mystery Lace Knit Along. I learned about it on ravelry.com, but is being hosted on Yahoo at Mystery Lace.

I've knit this swatch



using Colourmart 2/18 100% Cashmere. That's Richard's version of "heavy" lace weight. What I always find so interesting about these yarns is how much they "bloom." Blooming is where, after washing and blocking, the fibers fluff up and get thicker and softer. This is extremely apparent in these fibers because they are made for use on commercial looms. Richard buys up the mill ends and custom winds them to sell on smaller cones for the home knitter/weaver. This yarn is washed by using HOT water and detergent. Most people seem to think cashmere is delicate. It actually is not. However, it will shrink in washing. That's why knitters will knit a swatch like the one above, then wash it the way they want to treat the finished garment BEFORE knitting it up. That way, after the sweater or shawl or whatever the project may be is finished and blocked to size, it will always be that size. I tend, after that, to wash the items in cool water on the gentle cycle and then dry flat (or hand wash). I just think they last longer that way.

I have no idea what the finished pattern is (hence, Mystery Lace), but the swatch looks like a stem and leaves to me. The recommended yarn is a pale pastel. I am torn between using yarn of that type and using this beige Colourmart yarn. We've been told that pastels will most closely follow the "spirit" of the pattern, but I do love this yarn. I may have to knit TWO of them, if I survive this foray into more advanced lace. I have some absolutely gorgeous emerald green lace yarn that might also make a lovely shawl. We'll see.

Below is a photo of the fibers before and after washing. The yarn is pretty thin, so it's a bit hard to see the difference. See if you can figure out which is the fiber from the cone and which is the fiber after washing.

see more crazy cat pics

Well, I'm making one.

It's pronounced "Clap-oh-tee'." I just found this out, yesterday. I should have realized. After all, it is a French-style scarf.

Here's what's unusual about it: You knit it up in a special pattern where, every now and then, you knit through the back loop. When you're done knitting the piece, you unravel selected stitches. This creates a really neat drop stitch pattern and widens the scarf. It seems the whole world of knitters is making these. This is a photo of one completed:

Mine is being made in yarn from one of my favorite yarn companies, Noro. It's a Japanese yarn in the most unbelievably beautiful variegated yarn. This particular one is a gorgeous blend of many pastels and reminds me completely of Spring.


The fiber content is a little unusual for Noro, in that it's a cotton blend, whereas most Noro yarn is either wool, silk or a blend of these fibers.



Here's some of the new yarn I've bought recently:

Mosaic (one of my favorite yarn shops) is planning its first annual knitting retreat, Purl Jam, in Blacksburg, VA, in June. I've put a countdown clock in the sidebar of this blog to remind me that each day it gets closer. This is also the first knitting conference I've ever taken part in.

The three instructors are all very well-known designers, all of whom I have admired. It was extremely hard to decide which classes to take! Each one of the designers is teaching a class in each of the classroom times. Naturally, you can only attend one at a time! It's a real wealth of frustration. Where are cloning labs when you need them?

I'll be staying in the same Holiday Inn in Blacksburg where Jim stayed when he interviewed for his graduate school position at Virginia Tech some years ago.

I have several online friends I'll be meeting. Windwalker, Snickers and Catinblack. What's very amusing and what we were talking about at Mosaic when I was there yesterday is that we tend not to know the real names of our Ravelry friends. It's going to sound like either a Native American or Japanese Warrior convention. "Oh, it's nice to meet you, Ghostwhowalks!" "So! You're Queenpointedsticks."

I've been thinking about doing some additional photography studies. I've done one on houses in the Old Northeast section of St. Petersburg, Florida.

I'm considering doing some seasonal studies of various churches, buildings, natural views, etc. The first one I'm doing is of a pear tree in Marion, Virginia. It's a Branston pear tree in four seasons. I have the Fall, Winter and Spring photos I've shown here.

If you want to be a part of breaking technology that is incredibly fascinating, go here!

There are so many day to day applications for this product. Google is to be commended for presenting this to the public in beta format.

Be sure to try it! You'll be glad you did.

It looks as though spring is truly arriving here. We've had two days of rain and lots of things have started to either "green" up, "white" up, or "pink" up. Oh, yes, and some things are getting VERY yellow. Two examples are below:

Here's the forsythia in our neighbor's yard. He has a HUGE bank of these things. The rest of the year, they don't look like much, for right now:



Here are the daffodils at our house. It looks as though they will need to be thinned out this year, so next year, we'll have a bigger display:



I planted over 100 bulbs this past week. I planted many Dutch iris, a bunch of tall phlox, daylilies (both regular and dwarf), some lavender, some dwarf blueberry bushes and five strawberry plans, and six asparagus plants. We also bought some lettuce, some trumpet vine and some cana lillies. I'll also be planting a bunch of seeds over the next couple of weeks.

Jasper had round worms (ick!). I snuck some delicious (really) smelling liquid wormer in his equally smelly canned cat food and he ate it down. Within two days, his coat sleeked up and his worm belly disappeared and his eyes were much brighter. He looks great, as you can see, although he has a look that says, "What the heck are you pointing that thing at me for? You better not touch me with it!"

Here's how far I've come on the Easy Flame Scarf for the Ravelry KAL (Knit Along). It took me forever to remember to do the psso of the s1, k2tog, psso (That's where you slip one stitch from the left needle to the right, knit the next two stitches of the left needle together and then slip the stitch you slipped over to the right needle back over the stitches you just knit). I kept coming up with extra stitches on the purl row because I forgot that stupid step!

As sure as I say I have it, I'll start making some other stupid mistake, but at least I'm a few inches further along. I'm about 15% done, I suppose. I sure love this yarn. It's the softest merino wool I've ever seen. I keep forgetting it's wool because there's no itchiness to it at all. It feels a lot like the 100% cashmere I get from www.colourmart.com. Yummy. The slightly variegated yellow is really beautiful, too.

You can't really see why this pattern is called "Flickering Flame" from this photo, but I'll try to get a better one later.

I have finally mastered this stupid stitch pattern. It's a simple stitch pattern. It's just a Flickering Flame scarf I'm knitting with Malabrigo lace weight yarn. I've posted the photo before, so it's in a previous post. I've gotten quite a few more repeats done, though. I actually believe I'll finish this scarf.

I've been in the knitting doldrums, lately. I think it's partly because of the new puppy. I've been watching her like a hawk so she can be house trained soon. Like my friend, Knitman, said, she's running us ragged. She's so full of energy and just so cute.

I've managed to butcher her coat by practicing clipping her. I used to clip all the time. I'm so out of practice, it's pathetic. I'm also not so sure I ever clipped any dogs with soft poodle puppy coats before. It doesn't help that I'm not sued to the clippers, either.

I took her to the vet yesterday to get her on heartworm/tick/flea protection and one of the assistants noted that "that's one crazy clip you have there." I admitted it was my fault. Shame on me!

The fact is, though, there aren't any groomers in the area and I had better learn how to do it again. Nina used to look really good, so I think, in time, she'll look good, too. She doesn't much care what she looks like. She didn't even care when the comb fell off the clippers and she got a 2" round patch where her hair is only about 1/8" long. Kelly doesn't care at all. All Kelly cares about is having fun and having lots of yummy things to eat.

She's still hating her crate, but she's improving. I don't like having dogs in crates for long periods, but there are just times when I can't watch her every minute, I don't want her to get hurt, and it's just good for her to be accustomed to being on her own sometimes.

She got her "bug" repellent and was microchipped yesterday, too. Man, oh man! Is that a big needle! This vet is really good, though. He's quick and accurate. One little yelp and it was done. She's safe, as long as someone remembers to scan for a chip.

We're done for a little while. She'll get another puppy shot in a few weeks, then she'll get spayed and a rabies shot in a couple of months and a Town of Marion tag.

We may as well get her a gold plated collar, she's costing so much. Of course, it's a lot less money here. I'm amazed at how reasonable the fees were.

She also got a new toy. It's a squeaky elephant. She murders it often.

Here it is. It's below. It's the first daffodil of Spring in our yard. There was a crocus, too, but it decided it didn't like being in the house and closed up. All the bulbs are starting to appear. The garden supply houses have shipped my blueberries, strawberries and tomato plants. My Dutch iris and flocks are on their way. I have a gazillion seeds to plant. I'll be doing this when we get back from Florida.

Enjoy Daffy. He's really a welcome visitor, especially since there was snow yesterday.

and the return of the mating Towhees.

Do you want to drive your dog crazy? Download the Licking Dog.

It's really cute and rather disconcerting.

This is Kelly. She's a toy poodle of extraordinary quality that has "adopted" us. We went up the Shanandoah Valley yesterday and got her from Stony Hollow Poodles. She's only 12 weeks old and already walks nicely on a leash (for a puppy). We've walked round and round the neighborhood today.

She cried a little bit last night when she was put in her crate for the night. We thought that we might let her sleep with us, but she spied her reflection in the mirror and barked and barked and ... After just a little while, she stopped crying in her crate, so all was well.

She's trying very hard to be a good little puppy and you can tell she's been raised very well.

She has decided she likes her little yellow tennis balls and her ball with "handles" on it best. And she's started to eat well.

I now remember what it is I like about toy poodles. They are almost people.

















And, of course, Jasper the Cat is still here, too. He's not sure about this new family member, but he'll tolerate her as long as she is duly respectful.



















Kelly's mom is a knitter. How much better can that get? she makes little doggie coats that are absolutely adorable. Kelly wore hers today when she went outside in the rain. If she grows very fast, she's going to need a new one.

I have too much time on my hands.


see more crazy cat pics

If you haven't seen this, you gotta! Check out this link to an Associated Press Article:Knit Knot Tree. The photo is also from Associated Press.

I'm totally amused at this kind of craziness! While I do not approve of graffiti, I do sometimes admire the talent of the people who create it. Some of those "artists" are totally magicians with spray paint. I don't even mind being stopped at train crossings anymore because there's the possibility some of the cars will be decorated.

This, however, is above and beyond. What a world of opportunity for knitters. We could have Knit Knot Trees in towns all over America, and beyond. Municipal organizations could charge a small (or not so small) fee knitters the opportunity to help swaddle trees to raise money for important projects. There could be contests for the "most colorful" or the "most original use of cabling," with prizes of knitting needles or yarn or, even, tickets to local music and art productions. Furthermore, we could rest happy, knowing these trees would be warm in the winter. I'm not sure what we'd do to assuage our consciences in tropical climates, but I'm sure we could come up with something.

Animal rescue organizations could have Knit Knot trees on their property, as well, only we could hang little dog and cat coats for charity.

Such opportunity.

This is tongue in cheek, but I do get a charge out of the Knit Knot Tree.

We're getting a new family member this weekend. We're going to the easter part of Virginia to pick up a 3 month old toy poodle pup. She a real cutie. I have photos of her here:






Kristen of Stoney Hollow is her breeder. If you take a look at her page, you'll see what beautiful poodles she breeds.

We don't know what to call her, yet, although we're leaning toward "Kelly," since we're getting her close to St. Patrick's Day AND I think silver poodles look great in green. She'll grow up to be a light silver color. I've always been partial to silver poodles because the very first one I met was a silver named Isabel. Izzie was the mother of my sister's champion Sir Tiffany and was just as sweet as she could be. My favorite colors are silver, black and brown. I'm hoping we can make her very happy. She's the second toy poodle I've owned.

The first one, Nina, was a black and I showed her in obedience several times. Nine was always perfect at class or in practice. Then, when I'd take her to the ring, she would become a clown. On the long recall, she'd walk all the way around the ring mugging for the spectators, slowly come to me and sit on my foot, smiling up at me. Brat!

We have a little bit of Spring inside our house, even though the temperatures outside is 36F. We have a nice little basket of bulbs Jim bought for me for Valentine's Day. It has lots of hyacinths and is getting some little daffodils and some tulips. I think there will be some small iris down the road a bit.

We also have a little herb garden. All the little baby seeds have sprouted. With some luck, we'll have some nice parsley, cilantro, chives, basil and thyme. Jim bought that little kit, too, on a Wal-Mart trip.

At least inside the Moon house, there's a little greenery growing and a little glimpse into what is to come.

We went to Song of the Mountains on Saturday night. As usual, it was a wonderful and fun program.

The tone of this one was a bit more subdued than it often is. My very favorite of the night was Donna Ulisse. Her voice is like silk and she just seems like such a genuinely nice person. Her program was interspersed with little stories about her life. Her husband is also a song writer. They have jointly written a number of songs. This is a wonderful group, if you're interested in a more subdued and formalized kind of country/bluegrass. In this particular show, they had what amounted to a "pickup" band. The band that had recorded their CD was unable to perform for the concert and the group that did perform with them had only practiced these songs for about three weeks. It's a testament to their performance skills that they did such a wonderful job.

OK. I decided to join the "Easy Flame Lace Scarf" KAL (Knit ALong) on the Malabrigo group on Ravelry. I've never done a KAL before, so this will be a challenge. Although I've done a bit of lace knitting, the finest yarn I've used has been fingering, so this will be the thinnest yarn, by far.

Here's the yarn I'll be using:

Malabrigo Lace Weight in "Pollen" Colorway
AND here's the REST of the yarn I bought when we went out for just ONE skein of yarn:




Malabrigo Lace Weight in "China" Colorway




Mongolian Cashmere 100% Cashmere in "Caribbean Mist" colorway




Misty Mountains Jubilee in "Sandy Foam" Colorway I can't get out of a yarn shop for less than $100.

Not only that, we go other places too. Jim and I both bought things in the Virginia Tech Bookstore Two. We had a calorie-laden lunch at Mike's in Blacksburg (giant juicy messy burgers) and fries. We stopped at the local Tractor Supply store and Jim bought himself some new jeans, a jeans jacket, and (I am so tickled) overalls (or "overhauls," as they are called here). I'll post a picture of him in them when I can catch him unaware.

We're off to a "Song of the Mountains" program tonight. They're always wonderful. Tonight, I'm talking to Tim White about volunteering for the new "Mountain Music Museum" that will be opening in Marion in the not too distant future. I think that would be a lot of fun.

I'm still thinking about getting a dog. I'm considering an "older" dog who might like a nice home for the last years of its life.

Article contents.

I've been reading with interest Stephanie McPhee's blog showing the beaucoup inches of snow they've been getting in Canada and talking about how many minutes you can stay outside without dying! Well, it's not like that in Virginia. Here's what's going on:

I have finally gotten a good start on John's hat. Since he's a Florida boy, I don't suppose he'll get much use out of it this year, but you never know. At least he'll have it for next year.

I think this is the fifth of these hats I've made. I have plans for at least three more. By the time I'm done, I should have memorized the charts.

I have figured out a way to get the charts onto my iPod Touch so I can carry knitting patterns around with me all the time. I also can get them onto my Palm PDA. How's that for redundancy?

Anyway, here's the hat in progress:

We had intended to go to Staunton last Monday, but got waylaid by a number of things. I think the best bet for Staunton is to just go when the mood hits us and partake of whatever festivities may be available on that day. I have, twice, told Joe I was coming to his shop and then not showed up. Not good. So, I shall "surprise" him one day.

We have toyed with getting another bird, but never seem to do it. I think it would be fun to have another pet, but am not sure another bird will fit the bill. I crave a "cuddly" pet and that sounds like a cat or dog. The problem is that we can't have a "cuddly" pet in the condo. That means the pet would have to live in the house in Virginia with Jim and have to be boarded when we were both in Florida. I wonder if my son would keep a cat or dog for a few days when we were in Florida. I shall ask him, but I suspect he would prefer to not do that. I'm not sure I'd want to do that, either.

I'm rather lethargic today. I feel fine, but am happy to just sit here on my duff doing nothing. I managed to do the usual Monday morning routines, but can't even get interested in knitting. Maybe I need to go out and run (well, walk) around the block a few times. Actually, that sounds like a good idea.

I'm knitting a lace shawl (Flickering Flame) with some egyptian cotton yarn in a bright red and gold multicolor that Jim picked out in Blacksburg. I'm not a great lace knitter, by a long shot, but I think the color of the yarn will more than offset the fact that lace patterns tend to be a bit more obscure when variegated yarn is used.

Jim and I have been having a lot of fun, lately. It seems we are on the same page again. We were pulling in opposite directions for awhile.

An Observations: Some people who were my "friends" have not corresponded with me since I changed my mind about things at the end of January. This confuses me, especially since this decision has absolutely no bearing or affect on them. I'm the same person I was before, I just have made what I believe to be a better and more honorable decision. It's also one that is turning out to be a very good one. Ah, well. Perhaps they are just busy.

I've purchased some nice new yarns, most of them on a recent trip to Blacksburg, VA to Mosaic. The next yarn shop I'm going to will be Uncommon Threads in Palm Harbor, FL.

Here's some nice Koigu Painter's Pallete yarn that is scheduled to become a Charlotte's Web Shawl, similar to this one.

This is two balls of Heirloom Knitting in the UK's 100% merino lace weight yarn in emerald green that will become a nice lace scarf. Don't let the tiny balls fool you; there's a LOT of yardage in here. almost 800 of 'em.


This is 100% cashmere heavy lace weight yarn from Colourmart in the UK. It comes oiled for use in commercial knitting machines and, as such, is very "hard" and skinny. After it is washed in hot (yes, HOT) water with a nice detergent, it "blooms" into incredibly soft and fluffy yarn that is very lightweight and warm. I'm not sure exactly what this will become, but it will be special. It could be a lacy shawl or a scarf and mittens or ...




The yarn above is Knit One Purl Two's nice stretchy sock yarn. It's destined to become, surprise!, SOCKS!

And, finally, this yarn is Schaefer Yarn's Andrea 100% cultivated silk hand painted lace weight yarn.
It was bought at Mosaic.

Jim picked out both the yarn for the Flicker and Flame shawl in the post above (the bright variegated) and the Andrea silk yarn. He picks out the most beautiful (and most expensive) yarns I get. He's far more generous to me than I am.

It's a good thing knitter's tend to have "project amnesia." If they didn't, I doubt any good, heavy utilitarian triangular shawls would ever be knit.

I started my Patagonia cotton knit shawl a couple of weeks ago. It's a fairly bulky thick and thin yarn and I'm knitting it up into a plain garter stitch triangle. At first, it seemed like I was flying. Then I remembered the rows are getting LONGER! and LONGER! I've gone through three of my five balls of yarn and am dreading the last two.

I really, really want this shawl to grab to wear with jeans to go out to the mailbox and things like that. I hate to put on a jacket just to grab the mail.

I'll keep knitting away on this thing and I'll love it when it's done. Then I'll say I'll never, ever do another shawl like that. And I won't. For at least six months.

Now, what was I talking about?

They say chocolate is an aphrodisiac. See below:

He is. He was gone for about a week. Two days ago, there he was, demanding his nice smelly wet food. Naturally, we had just put all his stuff out for the trash man so we wouldn't have to look at it!

I ran out and retrieved what I could and fed him. I'm glad I didn't give his food to the local shelter, as I had planned.

I had forgotten he's a male cat and is not neutered. I hate that, but he's not really my cat and I don't know what to do about it. As I said, he may be out wooing the girls in the neighborhood. The timing is about right, isn't it, for spring kittens? Like I said, if I find out there are mini-Jaspers out there, I'm having one, at least. I may have two. I think it's easier to raise kittens if there are other cats/kittens around. They entertain each other. As nice as this cat is, even though he is terrified of people, a kitten of his should have a disposition of gold.

I apologize for not letting you know about the return of Jasper. Some of you sent me condolences and were very nice. I was just so excited and relieved, I forgot.

Go, Jasper, Go!

So, here it is. Valentine's Day. This is a wonderful day for me. After months of frustrating and sad and, potentially, damaging issues that had to be dealt with, today is a day for romance, fun and love. I feel as though all the tunnels I/we have been through are finally at an end. There's no way to describe how good that feels.

Today, I had valentines from Jim and John and, even, Skittles. AND, Jasper graced our door with his presence. I think, maybe, there will be mini-Jaspers in the neighborhood in six weeks, or so. If there are, I'm going to have at least one of them. I really wish I felt I could take Jasper and get him neutered.

Tonight, Jim and I are going to Macado's for dinner. They're having a special Valentine's menu. We love Macado's. You get some really nice food for reasonable prices and it's just plain fun.

The light is always so much brighter after coming out of the dark.

In a previous post, I mentioned how excited I was about going to Staunton to On the Lamb and to Mrs. Rowe's for food. I was, then, hoping to even stop by Mosaic in Blacksburg. I like to make the most of my time in Virginia. There are a couple of yarn shops home in St. Petersburg, but they just don't measure up to the Virginia shops.

We only made the Blacksburg part of the trip today. I think I was in a funk about Jasper the Cat. All morning and early afternoon, I just didn't want to go anywhere at all. Finally, Jim roused me and we went off to Blacksburg. First, we stopped and looked at birds in the Christiansburg pet store. We have thought about getting another bird, maybe an African Grey parrot. We looked, but just can't make up our minds if we want another birdie life to deal with.

We then made a quick swing round to Mosaic to see if it was still open. It was - with only 10 minutes to spare. FinishingLady was nice enough to help me pick out yarn for a Charlotte's Web shawl and Jim picked out some 100% silk cobweb lace yarn for me, as well. I'll post photos of them tomorrow and provide links that will show you the pattern.

We went to dinner at The Boston Beanery in Blacksburg. This restaurant started in Morgantown, WV and is patterned after New England Pubs. Nice place, that Boston Beanery. We'll go back there.

I'm sorry I didn't make it to see Joe in Staunton. I'll get there, though. He's such a nice man and the shop is so cute. I wish I had felt better today.

I hope Jasper is just out somewhere visiting someone, or maybe someone accidentally locked him in their garage. I don't think, so. Jasper was way to smart to get stuck somewhere. I really, really miss him.

I miss having a cat - period. I don't want to deal with a kitten because of Skittles the Bird. I also don't know where I'll be five or ten years down the road. I wonder what would happen if I considered adopting or fostering older cats who would, otherwise, never have another home. It's hard when they go, but there's also the great satisfaction of making a pretty little creature's last weeks, months or years happy. I'll ponder this and talk to Jim about it.

Some of you remember Jasper the Cat from my previous blog The Silly Stitcher.

Well, he's missing and I am saddened and worried. He hasn't been here for the past two days. He has always come to visit, if for no other reason than to eat his beloved wet cat food, and he has been completely missing.

I'm trying not to let it bother me too much. I knew when he started coming around that he was old and, often, sick with a cold. I didn't think he'd be around too much longer and was just happy to give him a warm place to sleep and lots of yummy food. I am very resentful of whoever it was that made this poor cat such a timid and frightened thing. They have no idea what they missed.

It's still a sad thing, though. As much as I tried, I became very attached to him. Maybe he'll be back. Maybe he won't. All I can do is be glad he had a little bit better life for awhile.