Bumps and Loops

I just finished up spinning the "Sunset" Shetland wool fiber I've been spinning in Blacksburg. I chain plyed (n-ply) to keep the colors kind of deep on this fairly "single colored" fiber. Here's the pic on the bobbin:

Here's the skein after its bath:



And, here is its detail shot. That one thick blue section kind of drives me nuts.

Here's this week's entry into the Blacksburg apartment view. This was around 5 p.m. on Sunday evening. The mountains never look the same, they change constantly.

I don't do much machine knitting these days, but I do a bit, still. I own two pieces of software for this. Both of them also are usable for hand knitting and one of them can also draft sewing patterns.

One of these is Knitware. Knitware is a bit more basic, but it always works as advertised, the customer support is excellent and updates are made as often as a single person operation can manage it. I would not hesitate for a moment in recommending Knitware. Furthermore, there is never any kind of hassle or problem with copyright issues. You can even download a, mostly, fully working version and try it out. Nearly every feature of the software is active and, before I purchased it, I knitted an entire custom sweater from it. Knitware is only for Windows machines, but as most people are aware, you can now run Windows applications on the newer Macintoshes using Boot Camp or another of the virtual or emulation software programs. Knitware costs about $60 and has most of the features most of us would need. Further, if your Knitware installation gets corrupted, all you need to do is download a copy from the website and enter your registration key. If you've lost your key, you can contact the nice people at Knitware and, if you have a valid copy, they'll send you your key. There's never a problem if you need to switch computers - not hoops to jump through and no headaches.

The other is Garment Designer 2.5. My feelings about this software are quite different from the previous comment. I originally purchased Garment Designer a couple of years ago as a Windows application. I paid somewhere around $225 for this program. As previously stated, in addition to knitting patterns that re written primarily for machine knitting, the program will produce pretty nice sewing patterns and it's very manipulative. You can create almost anything with this program, if you have the skills and the desire to learn the awkward screen system. At one point, I purchased a new Windows machine and had to jump through what I considered excessive hoops to get the software transferred to my new computer. This involved several email messages and at least one phone call so they could push a couple of keys to get my new computer registered as the "official" one. A few months later, I decided I'd like to run the program on my iBook. I contacted the company and was told I could purchase a Macintosh version for 1/2 of the original price of the Windows version. All I received in this transaction was the CD/DVD for the software - no new documentation. I went through the archaic registration process on the iBook. The help files don't work and I was told, when I inquired to use the manual. All well and good, but I don't LIKE manuals - I like help files. This isn't bargain basement software. Well, recently, my iBook evidently corrupted my database. I need to reinstall the software. Somewhere in my house is the CD/DVD. I'm not sure where it is. Until I find it, I can't use the software. I'm also told I can't use BOTH versions, although I feel that for the over $300 (I also purchased an update along the way), with only ONE set of documentation and a useless help file on one version, I should be able to use both the Windows and the Macintosh version. I happen to know how much it costs to write DVD's - not much. So, I do want to use the Garment Designer again. I suppose when I find the CD/DVD, I'll jump through the archaic hoops again. Or, maybe not.

I can buy commercial patterns and alter them. By the time I print out the patterns and tape them together, it's no less expensive.

While I understand the need for copyright protection. The methods used by the Garment Designer people are almost punitive to the customer. I also think the pricing is high and even more so if you switch platforms.

So, for my money, if you're looking for knitting software, go with Knitware and let the Garment Designer people use their unused CD/DVD's as coasters.

The Knitware folks are pleasant and easy to get along with. The Garment Designer people always seem as though they'd just rather you'd go away. There seems to be this attitude that computers never wear out or crash and, if they do, your emails and calls are not worth a civil, much less friendly reply. I also think their pricing scheme, particularly for those of us who use both platforms and have paid plenty for the privilege is bordering on unfair.

So - rant over.

I knew that spinning fiber was an old, old skill. I was amazed to see this article:

It's hard for me to believe a fiber, ANY fiber can survive in any form for 30,000 years.

Beyond that, it gives me super warm fuzzies to realize I'm working in a craft that has been in existence for so long. I get a kind of metaphysical feeling learning these old crafts. What can I say? I'm a weird old bird.

This article has a photo of the cave where the fibers were found.

I can't believe I feel this way about the legislative body of my government. I have no respect for many of them. I honestly don't have faith that they can accomplish anything. I am appalled some feel they need not show respect for the President of the United States while he is giving a televised speech on an important topic. It doesn't matter to me if they're Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal.

This attitude has been growing for awhile, now. I really started to notice it while Clinton was in office. No, I don't condone his actions, but I'd be danged willing to bet there have been LOTS of philandering former Presidents. I'll also bet there are LOTS more Congressmen with nice juice tidbits floating around in THEIR closets, too, if we just knew where to look.

It just seems there's no respect for anything. My youth was the 60's and 70's. I'm not what I'd call OVERLY indoctrinated into a state of "respect" for elected officials. Some people, who know me well, would laugh that I even say this. I see most offices and titles with a pretty good critical level, if not cynicism. It would never occur to me, though, to heckle a duly elected official, much less the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, while he or she was giving a speech.

I am just plain sad. While I feel this is still a great country, while I don't want to run right out and immigrate, I am frightened and appalled that we seem to have become a nation of petulant children who just bicker and fight.

I have no confidence in the legislative branch of my government. I see a downward spiral and, well, it's just SAD.

It has been brought to my attention that I am, now, 63 years old and my bio still says I'm 62. If said reminder of my chronology would kindly read the rest of my bio, said person would see I have threatened (and have decided to, indeed) go backwards, now.

That may not be a glamorous name for this yarn:

but it sure reminds me of the clay soils in these southeastern mountains. There's a richness and heavy feel to them, not to mention a hard strength, that will always be in my heart and mind, no matter where I may be living. The soil is almost a reflection of the people who settled and live in this area. Within our small town of Marion, there's a variance in the soils that amazes me. Within blocks, sometimes just yards, there's a difference in the soil. Almost all of it is hard when dry. Some of it is almost iron-like in its hardness. Some of it is "diggable" when it's dry, but ALL of it is heavy and warm.

Most of it has streaks of greens and grays and, yes, even blues from various layers of sediments. It sticks to you like a heavy glue. Once it has taken hold in fabrics and even on surfaces, it's hard, if not impossible, to remove.

In winter, it's hard and impervious. In spring, it's sticky and slippery. In summer, it's warm and nurturing. In fall, it's covered with shades of orange, red, yellow and brown until it's hard to even see.

There's a very real possibility I won't be living in these mountains forever. I will, probably, return to the sandy and dry soil of the west coast of Florida - no matter. I will always and forever, to my dying breath, remember the variety and strength and stability and warmth and richness of the clay soils of the Appalachian Mountains.




Southern Soils in the making.




Southern Soils is destined to become a convertible earflap hat. There are 148 yards of a worsted weight 3-ply and about 102 grams (around 3.4 ounces).

How about we just suspend ALL healthcare benefits to members of both houses of the legislative body of the United States until they can agree on a way for all U.S. citizens to have adequate and affordable healthcare? How about it.

Oh! Does that sound unfair? What about the poor folks who have preexisting conditions? What about their poor family members? Hmmmm. Most people in this country, pretty easily, lose their jobs altogether. Most people have to pay for at least part of their health insurance. I really don't think many congresspeople lose much sleep about those folks. How about we make sure they see photographs of each child that dies because he or she doesn't have healthcare? How about we make congress members go to the homes of these children and hold their hands while they die? How about they have to go to the funerals of good people who have died?

On most issues related to unemployment and poverty, I'm fairly reasonable. I'm NOT on this one. I, for one, will NOT vote for any elected official for reelection that stands in the way of some kind of equitable healthcare for all U.S. citizens. You can all count on it. It's my humble opinion that elected officials should be, at least, as afraid of those of us who DO support healthcare for all as of those who don't. The pendulum swings in both directions.

I'm really weary of giving politicians a free ride and having them constantly bickering and whining and acting like petulant children.

I honestly wouldn't care one little bit if some family member, or they themselves, can't get medical attention for awhile. It seems to me it might be the ONLY way to get THEIR attention.

These singles are 38 gr of the 115 gr of Binary Sunset I received in August. I'm going to spin them as 3 singles in true 3-ply.

As stated in a former post, this particular fiber was inspired by the Star Wars trilogy. David, as usual, outdid himself. This is romney wool and spins very, very smoothly. Romney is one of the finest of the longwools. It's not as soft to the skin as the short wool fibers, but it's strong and glossy and, often, still contains some of the lanolin of the sheep, giving it a slight water resistance.

The fiber for these singles is called "Sunrise." It's yet more of the Southern Cross Fibre Club - July's offering. These singles are destined to become Navaho-plied using a technique in a Youtube video. The finished yarn will be posted next week.

I wondered why it was called "Sunrise," until I posted the photo of the sunrise at the apartment in the previous post.

No text, really. Just the moonrise on Friday night and the sunrise on Saturday morning in Blacksburg - taken from the balcony of the apartment.

We, in the United States, should be careful we don't undermine the office of the President of the United States so much we become the buffoons of politics. What do you think other countries see when the President is ridiculed, second guessed and criticized for every single thing he says or does? Do these countries see a strong and cohesive nation? Do they see a nation they believe weakened by lack of support for the government?

I've lost respect for many individuals and some groups in this country, not because they are wrong, but because they absolutely refuse to provide support and have the courage to believe the system works.

I'm so tired of lists of what this President or that President has done wrong and what fools they are and how inexperienced they are and, even, how they're not citizens and, well, on and on and on. The Bushes are "privileged elitists." Clinton is an "unworthy philanderer." Obama is "socialistic" and "inexperienced." Well, this is a big, big country with an incredibly complex government and it is my opinion that absolutely no one is experienced enough or has any idea what the job is like (enter the advisors, who are also "imperfect" humans). As far back as Washington, there has been controversy.

The difference is that, in the past, once the election was over, once the President took office, pride in the U.S. and the system took over and people, for the most part, tried to forget their differences and work in a respectful way to get on with the business of government. Today, what's missing is the respect. The differences were always there.

I'm not a fan of respect for respect's sake. I'm the first one to say I'm not impressed by the office. I'm not. But I also believe a country is only as strong as the cohesive front it presents to the world. If I were bent on the destruction of the U.S., I'd be gleeful today.

This country does not "belong" to Christians (or Jews or Muslims or Buddhists or any other single religion). The founding fathers said it was a country for "all." Well, you can either decide they meant that, or you can say they lied to themselves and the world. This country no longer belongs to white Christians of European descent BECAUSE of what those founding fathers said (even if that wasn't their intent - and it never did - we conquered it). Yeah, they said "under God," but YOU don't get to choose who God is for the whole world. The Crusades failed, folks.

A government/country destroys itself from within. I'm worried about this country - not today or in the next fifty years, but if we don't get a handle on the ability to be a "country" and not a bunch of whiners and backbiters, then I'm glad I won't be here next century. I get way too hot with my face and whole body covered with fabric.

WARNING: BEWARE OF REVOLUTIONARY SPEECH FROM PRESIDENTS


There is a scheduled speech by the President of the United States to school children this week. The official focus of this speech, as released by the White House, is encouragement to students to study hard, stay in school and become successful. There is a an uproar from a large number - up to 50% in some areas, like the area of Florida where we live - that has decided the President has "another agenda."

Many school districts are giving principals and teachers the power to "opt out" of having students watch this speech.

I guess I'm getting old. When I was a kid (albeit in the 60's), there would have been no question. We would have watched this speech.

Excuse me, but whatever the focus, isn't this history in the making? So, are we saying that students from conservative families are too stupid to discuss a topic without being swayed by those in power? Does this mean students from more liberal families shouldn't have to ever listen to conservative politicians speak, for fear they will be swayed away from their current beliefs?

Isn't this one of the ideas that was central to the founding of the United States of America?

OK. Maybe really little kids (two or under), or kids with IQs of a rock shouldn't hear this. It might overload their little circuits. It might cause them to discuss (Heaven help us) how they might study hard to learn more and become a President so that the other party can make foolish and unfounded (after all, these folks have made this decision without knowing what is IN the speech and by determining that this President can't possibly be doing anything, no, not anything at all, just to provide incentive and motivation to the U.S. youth).

The White House has said it will release the content of the speech ahead of time. While I object to the lessening of the impact by doing so, at least these poor, frightened parents will know whether or not the President has an ulterior motive. What do you want to bet that, even if he does speak only about the benefits of studying hard and getting ahead, that they will not want the message delivered by him. What do you bet it doesn't make one bit of difference to SOME of these parents.

Oh, by the way, George Washington is speaking to students the following week. Oh, my! We can't have our children hearing what THAT man says. He's much, much too revolutionary.

Sometimes, I think this country is totally lost and, if we continue to run away from discussing issues with our youth and teaching them morals in the home so they are strong enough to stand on their own feet, no matter the source of "controversial" views, this country is going to become weak.

There are things I would rather not have heard from conservative politicians, but I would never, ever have said my kids couldn't listen to a speech by Bush or any other previous conservative President. This is the kind of mush that caused the Civil War. "I don't like you. I don't like what you stand for. I don't care if you ARE the President of the United States - I'm smarter than you. I won't listen to you and I'm going to keep my fingers in my ears and sing, 'la, la, la, la, la,' until you go away."

If you believe in a God, start praying, however, if your God answers, be sure that He or She submits the text of His or Her answer well in advance, so parents can decide whether or not their children should hear said answer.

We're renting this cool apartment in Blacksburg, as most of you know. I've been trying to furnish it to the point of being comfortable without spending much money.

For the bedroom, we purchased a futon mattress only and put it on the floor. I looked for some low tables and couldn't find anything I liked. So, I made these boxes:

They're bankers' boxes with a wallpaper border around the bottom and the tops have quilt backing and fabric from a tablecloth on them. Pretty neat, huh? They're just about the right height to be side tables and we can stuff out books and things inside.

There will also be four bookcases in there. That's all we need for a weekend place. This was a fun project.

These boxes came out pretty darned well and I'm thinking of making some more matching ones, since I still have tablecloth fabric, batting and border. Here's the cost for 3:

3 bankers' boxes from Wal-mart were $3
1 tablecloth $9 (I used about 25% of it, so around $1.50)
batting was left over
1 wallpaper border roll for 3 boxes $6

So, the three boxes cost $10.50. Pretty cool.

District 9 - We went and saw this movie tonight. I have really mixed feelings about it.

First of all, I loved the action. They probably went a bit over the top with the diabolical cruelty of a number of the humans and governmental agencies (note, I said "probably"). The aliens were rather more "ugly" than they needed to be. The integration of DNA was a little far fetched, too.

BUT, this movie takes me back to the kind of horror/sci fi movies I really like: those of the 50's and 60's. There was that bittersweet horror I grew up with. It helps that it wasn't one of those chop and blood movies that started with the "Friday the 13th" genre. I hate those.

The effects were really wild and I truly enjoyed rooting for the aliens to win. And, the little boy alien was adorable, especially in the very last part of the movie. Take a gander at the kid's head when he's in the spaceship with his dad.

Would I recommend this? Sure. If you want a fun, not too serious, action packed movie, this just might be it.

I'm hoping there will be a sequel to cover the return in 3 years.

Fescue is the name of this yarn. It's from a Spunky Eclectic prior club fiber of 70% merino and 30% mohair. The fiber name is "Blooming Weeds." The yarn is called "Fescue," for two reason. First is this:



The band is "Fescue," and they're one top notch bluegrass band. The following is quoted from their web page:

Fescue is a band that has endured, like the grass it is named after, through over 20 years of presenting their style of bluegrass music to fans in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and West Virginia. Fescue is a five piece band whose stage show is comprised of a wide range of bluegrass music from slow ballads to hard driving energetic bluegrass tunes. Complimenting these different types of songs are the various combinations of harmony vocals available within the members of the band.


Fescue has received many awards which include several first place wins at various Bluegrass festivals along with many top five finishes. The band won first place in the Bluegrass Band competition at the prestigious Galax Fiddlers Convention in Galax, VA in 1997 and then backed up this performance with another first place Bluegrass Band award in 2000.

The other reason is this:





Tall fescue is one of the grasses in this region and upwards into Canada. It's a very bright and hardy grass with lovely bluish green grass and teensy tiny little flowers. The grass can turn a pretty shades of tan and brown and yellow, too.

This yarn is worsted weight, 135 yards and 115 grams. It's also my first taste of Spunky Eclectic fiber. If I weren't already a member of one fiber club (Souther Cross), I'd join this club. I really love Amy's fibers.

"Short drive," you say. Well, you're right. Nevertheless, I wish the birds would stop peeping and chirping for just a couple of minutes.

I told them this morning their millet seed (which I bought in bulk) will be here today and they'll get a new "tree." I'd swear they took it to heart, understood me and are complaining loudly that I have not delivered.

Now, where is that UPS man?

This was a great surprise and fun spin. On a lark, I joined a group on Ravelry called Swap for Scraps. We each sent either 4 or 8 oz. of roving and received back little bits and pieces of all the rovings sent. I received 8 oz. of little teensy tiny little knots of about 30 different fibers.

When I first looked at the package, I thought to myself, "What have I done!?!" As I was spinning it was wash thinking, "Am I crazy?"

Every single fiber change was a change in spinning technique.

When the singles were done up on two bobbins, they didn't look like much. When they were plied up onto on the bobbin, they felt a bit like rope. I really didn't like them very much.

Then, I soaked them in water to set the spin and dried them.

I love this yarn. It was hard to pick a name for it. Jim finally said they look like August in the mountains and they do. August is the time when almost everything is ripe or almost over ripe and has bloomed and just about ready to decline. It's both bright and colorful AND brown.

This is just 6 1/2 oz. of the fiber I received. I held some of it back to make my own scraps yarn later. I already have some pieces to add to the swap scraps and I'll have more as time goes by.

This was a great experience. Will I do it again? Yes, I probably will when I have something I want to swap - something I bought too much of or just decided wasn't "me" anymore. Great fun!

As anyone who knows me is aware, I'm a royal bleeding heart when it comes to animals. I mean, I'm all for hunting, we eat and most of us eat meat; as long as we put the hunters out there naked with a knife or a bow and arrow - none of the camo clothing, heavy duty rifles, etc. If they want to hunt, let them HUNT! Do it like the Native Americans did it. To me, modern hunting isn't much more than a big and dirty meat market.

But, I digress. In the years I've lived in Virginia, I heard and believed there were bear. The bear of choice for this area is the Black Bear.

(thank you for the photo, Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Wildlife)

I saw my first one this past Friday on the way between Blacksburg and Petersburg. Sadly, he was a dead one, hit by a car on the highway. He wasn't too smooshed when I saw him and I was totally impressed by his (or her) beauty. Now, I admit I wouldn't want to meet even a small one face to face and I know they can be dangerous. BUT, they are far less dangerous to us than we are to them.

Go down the highway and there are dead birds, dead skunks, dead raccoons, dead armadillo, dead dear, dead dogs, dead cats, dead things everywhere. Nothing, but nothing, is more dangerous than US. It drives me wild.

I've been slowly working on making this poor old house look better. When we bought it, everything was a dirty white.

One of the oddest rooms was the front, and original, bathroom. It's subdivided, kind of like modern bathrooms (this one started in the mid-50's and was "remodeled" in the mid-70's), but someone had added a little ugly vanity in the room with the shower and toilet. Over time, we've painted the walls the same kind of golden yellow of most of the rest of the house, which helps a little bit with the ugly gray tile.

The main sink was in old white kitchen-type cabinets and had a very badly stained gray formica countertop and really dated coral sink. I didn't want to do any kind of major changes in the bathroom, so I did some purely cosmetic things.

This is the bathroom sink room in its original format:

I painted the countertop white. Don't let anyone tell you you can't do it - you can. I used BIN primer, four coats of white latex enamel. I put the enamel on first in one direction, then in the other and it looks kind of like a linen fabric. Then, I put four coats of polyurethane on top. It's a high gloss poly and just slightly toned down the bright white.

Then, I painted the cabinets a darker shade of the coral of the sink. I was really nervous about doing that. I thought the color might be too dark. But, it's not! It looks great with the shiny silver chrome knobs.

Here's the finished part:



I'm going to paint the little ugly vanity in the other part white and add a shiny chrome knot to it, too. Then, I'm going to clean the heck out of the gray tile with a steam cleaner, hang a shower curtain that has sea shells on it in grays, yellow, coral, blue, and white to blend it all in. I think it'll work out just fine. It sure beats the original, doesn't it?

Like this yarn? It's called "Blue Ridge" in honor of the mountains.

This stuff just shines and shines! It's handspun from 100% Bamboo fiber. I do NOT like spinning 100% Bamboo, but I sure do like the results. As I was spinning this slippery stuff, it appeared it was very hairy, thick and not very even. After being plied and washed, it turned out much thinner and smoother than I expected. It's also pretty darned even. It's about fingering weight.

I may hate spinning the stuff, but I may just have to do it again.

Here's the start of my Abby cowl, made with my first intentional lace weight singles made from Abby's Batt, Peaches & Cream. This yarn is incredibly soft and the pattern is pretty darned easy. Of course, I had to do my usual two cast ons before I got it going right.

During the wee hours of the morning, an explosion occurred in the kitchen of a Blacksburg, VA, apartment. The damage was not discovered until 8:30 a.m., reported by Dr. James R. Moon. It seems that during the night, a can of Diet CheerWine froze from being in close proximity to the freezer in Dr. and Mrs. Moon's refrigerator. No one was injured in the explosion, although cleanup efforts were ongoing at the time of this article. Photographs of the perpetrator will be posted here tomorrow.

I have the perfect answer for movie blood: Diet CheerWine. It looks like fresh blood on surfaces (especially bright white ones), and as you run a damp sponge over them, they smear - yep, you got it - just like blood.

This stupid stuff literally blew up. It hit the ceiling of the fridge, the door, all the cans of soft drinks and mildly alcoholic beverages therein. The cheese was decorated, as well. The delightfully colored and flavored drink sprayed the door of the fridge and ran under, in and between the veggie bins. To add to the joy, the strapping tape that held the glass shelf and cover of the bins during shipping and installation had never been completely removed. It was such joy to try to pry them lose and remove them so the parts could be taken out and cleaned. What fun! What a delightful way to spend a Saturday morning.

I'm in another creative slump. I hate this! I start things and rip them right back out. It's not that I make a mistake, it's that I get bored with them - some of them within ten minutes. The problem at the moment is that I'm getting bored with ALL of my fiber projects - knitting, spinning, weaving. I can't seem to get anything done.

Let this be over with, please!

The apartment in Blacksburg is finally up and running. It's far from furnished, but we have a futon, something to eat from, an old computer we're using as a TV by connecting to either our condo or Marion Slingboxes, and all utilities connected. Hooray!

Once I got into the apartment last week, everything went smoothly. I even had a Verizon guy who came by the apartment to make sure things were OK. He checked the signals on the lines and even got our DSL connected - a job he wasn't scheduled to do. When he came in, he put on little booties over his shoes. I suggested that they should get scrubs and those surgical caps to wear and be called the "Utility Docs." He laughed, but said he suspected they'd get pretty tired of them pretty quickly.

We're using this apartment as a getaway and as an exploration device. We don't know that we want to keep a place in Marion, but are wondering if we want a place somewhere else in Virginia, either as a second permanent home with one in Florida, or what. So, we're trying things out by renting an apartment. Who knows what we'll do next? People who know us know we'll try a lot of things over time. This apartment is fun because it lets us experience the mountains in a more urban setting AND get to watch the crazy college students close up.

Here's the view from our sliding door. I'm looking forward to seeing them covered with snow.

I got a new little footstool the other day. As most of you know, I'm short - really short - 4'10" to be exact. My feet don't touch the floor when I'm sitting in almost anything. This means that the back of the chair presses against the backs of my knees and my lower legs go to sleep or start to ache. The answer is footrests.

This little stool is perfect. It has a soft top AND, as a bonus, you can store a book or knitting in the top part.

So, what's wrong? Well, Jade has decided it was purchases expressly so she will have an elevated bed befitting her status in life.

Well, it seems that Comast "doesn't provide service to that area code." They say they never have, they have NOT changed anything. They gave me the phone number of a competitor (that doesn't do service in that area). I finally got to the Comcast installer the complex uses and he said, "I love it when they do that. It gets ME more business." Also, one of the workers in the complex office said, "Well, they bill me every month, expect me to pay, and it works." Brilliant, I say, brilliant.

Nevertheless, I continued on with Verizon. I think that was a big mistake, and if it's my decision alone, I'll cancel it. In addition to delivering the modem 3 weeks early, they have signed me up for 3 extras that total about $44 more a month. These were presented as simple "opt out" items, but when you try to "opt out," there's no provision to do that. I'll call them tomorrow and see how difficult this is. My inclination is to cancel the whole mess. For the aggravation it has caused me, it's worth an additional $10, $20, or even $30 a month to get what I know from experience is reliable and above board.

We shall see what happens.

My advice to people? If you have a choice between Verizon and Comcast, take Comcast.

Update: Everything finally worked out. I learned Comcast has a new installer for the complex, but he DOES install out there. The Verizon guy who came out was great. It's no wonder utility bills are so high - all the product is shooting around the world with no plan or direction.

What's the deal with the telephone, cable TV and Internet access companies? Are they engaged in a contest or war to see who can possibly provide the absolute worst customer service?

It's always been an issue, especially since the "automated voice service" became the cost cutting method of choice for nearly every company in the world. And, don't they just love to say it's "to better serve you?" Bull pucky We all know, those of us on the other end of the line that this is simply not true. I wonder who they think they're fooling?

I've been trying to set up new utility services for a part-time apartment.

I'm trying to find out which is the most economical for US - not them - and it's become a trap and a nightmare. I had first set the service up with Verizon. Our plan was to get a phone and DSL Internet service and use our Slingboxes for television service. The cost is somewhere around $70 a month for this with reasonable Internet upload and download speeds. Today, I tried to reach Verizon to ask a simple question. The automated helper is at least five levels deep and none of the selections fit my question. I became aggravated.

On a lark, I decided to see what cable services would cost - how much more would it really be a month? I called Comcast. After wading through THEIR automated assistant, I was told the address wasn't coming up on the system and please hold while the lady saw IF she had the number I should call. I waited on hold for 4 min. 32 seconds (it said that on my phone). I hung up. When we rented the apartment, we were given a little sheet with the name and number of a Comcast guy who did the service hookups in the complex and had been told he had "great deals." I called the number - out of service. I tried to find out the best price online at Comcast and could never get to the "bundled" services for our area and got a message to "call." No way was I going through that again.

So, I called the apartment complex to see if, perhaps, they had a new service guy. The leasing agent told me she didn't know anything about that, but that there was, now, cable TV already hooked up in the apartments. Oh, and by the way, they accidentally shredded some of our documents and they all need to be signed again and, oh, yeah, can we bring copies of our W-2 tax forms to verify income again. We never gave them the W-2's in the first place. It's not a real big deal, but it's kind of the frosting on the cake. It doesn't affect anything, except I had to dig in and find them. Also, while I'm glad cable TV is now included, I wish she had told me that BEFORE I got all involved in setting up utilities.

So, I ask you: Why is everything so difficult? It used to be just governmental agencies that were such pains in the arses. Now, it appears everyone wants to receive the "Biggest Arse Company in the World." Maybe there will be a televised awards program. Of course, none of us will get to see it because, by that time, no one will have us in their systems and we won't have TV.

I used the remaining Colourmart cashmere for this shawl. This was a really easy pattern, except for one thing. Once you get the inside triangle knitted, you pick up stitches along the two bottom edges of the shawl in a particular way and you're warned that, should you pick them up incorrectly, the border will fall apart. Well, you knit what seem like endless rows of stockinette stitch and are quite happy when that part's done. I must have picked up my stitches wrong the first time because guess what? It fell apart.

I rewound my border yarn up and knit the boring edge stitches again. This time, I finished binding off and realized I'd forgotten to drop a needed dropped stitch on the border and this would mess up the frill part. Now, I didn't mess up near the end where I could have, perhaps just frogged a few repeats. No! Not me! I messed up on the second repeat. That put the entire border off by one stitch. So, I ripped again.

I set it aside for a week, or so, so I wouldn't tear the whole thing apart. Then, I knit the edging, yet again (I could have knit a sweater in this time), and, HOORAY! it worked.

Here's my Flowers and Frills:

As you know, I'm a member of the Southern Cross Fibre Club, located in Australia. This past month's offering was corriedale fiber. There were two colorways, but I received a double dose of one of them - Enchanted. I was interested in the colors because they were a total departure from any dye job I'd seen before. It was greens, turquoise, a tiny bit of yellow and dark chocolate brown. Usually, people seem to stick to bright or pastel colors in one roving and put the dark browns and other deep colors into other rovings. They are rarely in the same fiber. What's more, the color blocks were very large.

This presents a lot of different opportunities for different color mixes. You can split the roving lengthwise into 2, or 3, or 4 or more pieces, spin the whole thin in one big run (in which case, the yarn would have very, very long runs of one color at a time). You could spin these split pieces into any number of long runs and ply them together as 2-ply, 3-ply, etc. You could also spin the splits or the big piece into one long thin singles and then, Navajo or chain ply it. That's like using your hands as a crochet hook while simultaneously putting twist into the resulting chain. This makes the colors stay very clear and vibrant but cuts down the lengths of each individual color block by a divisive factor of 3.

I started out splitting one of my 115 g pieces into two. I spun one of those into a very thin singles. I had planned on doing the rest of the fiber the same way and chain plying it. I decided, though, to keep the first piece as a lace weight singles and splitting the remaining 170 g of this fiber into smaller lengthwise pieces, spinning those into long singles and chain plying them. BUT, I really love this lace weight yarn.

I named it Lake Erie because it reminds me of said lake in the late summertime when the skies start to turn gray again and the lake gets a kind of opalescent look.

So, without further ado, I hereby present Lake Erie:

Well, below are photos of what I've been spending so much time doing this past few weeks.

I spun about 8 oz. of 100% Superwash merino wool from Southern Cross Fibres in Australia. It started out like this:

/Users/Iris/Desktop/Photos/1.5ozwombat.jpg

and became this really nice worsted weight:


I spun this stuff. It's an unknown fiber that I received as a sample from another fiber purchase. I spun it on a spindle (I'm not very good at that) and, then plied the single with some heavy duty jean's sewing thread. The name of it is Jeans and Jazz.


I also had purchased a couple of luxury fiber batts from Abby's Batts. This one is just incredibly soft. It's a combination of wool and silk in the Peaches & Cream Colorway.



And, then, there's this Polwarth fiber that's also from Southern Cross Fibre. It's a kind of heavy 3ply - sort of bulky.



Finally, I've been spinning this stuff on a spindle. I have no idea what the fibers are, except it has some glittery angelina in it. I'm spinning this extremely fine and it's probably going to take me the rest of my life, considering how fast I spin on a spindle.


That gives you some idea of why I've not been particularly responsive, lately. I've also been knitting during this time. I'll post the shawl I finished tomorrow. I've also started another lace shawl and a cabled scarf.

Well, I will be tomorrow.

As I noted in my previous post, I was involved in the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry. It took a fair amount of time to do the spinning and the posts for that. It's over and I'm gathering up all the information and photos for a humongous posting to bring you all up to date in my ever so exciting life. I'm sure you'll all be waiting with bated breath.

Tune in tomorrow, same time, same station.

I have joined up with some folks on Ravelry to take part in the Tour de Fleece. The TDF corresponds with the Tour de France and there are several versions of it in various places over the fiber community. Instead of spinning on bicycles, we're going to spin on wheels - fiber spinning wheels, that is. This is an example of one of the main ones.
As I mentioned, mine is on Ravelry.
I'm spinning 130 gms (about 4 oz.) of Merino wool roving from Southern Cross Fibres in Australia in the Wombat colorway. I'm spinning thin singles and am going to make it some kind of 3-ply, either chain plyed or regular plying. I'm about 1/8 of the way through.

I'm also going to spin this:




This stuff is precious beyond words, at least to me. These are two Abby's Batts in 70% merino and 30% tussah silk. They're 34 gms (1 oz) each. As you can see from the link, there's no availability right now. I'm wanting to spin them into singles to make an Abby. Abby Franqemont spins these things up. Everyone covets them and there's a veritable feeding frenzy whenever she gets some ready to sell.

For those who don't know, any yarn of any size that's just one piece of twisted fiber is called a singles (yes, plural). It's called that because it IS one piece of twisted fiber. Then, those singles are often (but not always) twisted together, or plyed to make thicker yarns. So, the wombat is going to be 3 ply, or 3 singles twisted together in the opposite direction from the way they were spun as singles. This relaxes the singles and kind of locks the singles together. The Peaches & Cream will be (I hope) a single lace weight. I've never tried to make a singles lace weight before and it'll be a little tricky to keep the twist from being too tight and twisting back on itself too much to knit. If that happens, I suppose I'll have to make it a 2-ply, but at least I'll have some pretty peachy yarn.

The team I'm on on Ravelry is "Team Monkey Farts." That's just awful!!! It's funny, but awful. This is my Ravatar for the tounament:




We're going to try to correspond the days of spinning with the Tour de France and spin every day they ride.

Oh, and did I mention there are prizes? There are prizes in many categories and, of course, I'm hoping to win something nice. ALL the prizes are nice. Wish me luck. Maybe I'll get a yellow shirt to wear.

I'd like to point out that my previous post was a criticism of the frenzy and completely unrealistic, noisy and public mourning of so many fans of both Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.

I absolutely loved Michael Jackson's music and his performances. I never tired of his work - ever. "We Are the World" brings goosebumps to my arms within the first measures. "Billy Jean," "Thriller," "Do You Remember," and "Bad" are, to me, some of the most wonderful videos in the genre.

While Farrah has, at times, really lived up to the "blond bimbo" persona, she had moments to true greatness. She had performances that were magical. It was never, ever, her fault that her looks caused her agents and casting people to put her continually in such sexist roles. The news of her illness put in an entirely new light some of her more "spaced out" interviews.

I do not, in the least, condemn the people. Ms. Fawcett may, indeed, have been "average" in her talents, but she seems to have been a kind and courageous person. Mr. Jackson did, indeed, lose his childhood to his craft. Many have. He ay have gone to extremes to recapture that youth. That was his right, as long as it didn't hurt anyone else. I don't know if he hurt anyone else, or not. That's not for me to decide.

I hope both of these celebrities are at peace. I would just wish that those true intellect, scientific achievement, political progress, anthropolical advancement who have died would garner even a quarter of the sorrow showered on pop music, film and other entertainment figures.

What's wrong with us in the U.S.? Why is it we are more "touched," "saddened, "inconsolable" because some overpaid and over-rated actress or "pop star" dies? Of course, during their lives we noted how "crazed on drugs" or "stupid" or "shallow" or even "perverted" they were.

All of a sudden one of these folks contracts an incurable disease that thousands of Americans get every year (or hundreds or tens or whatever) and because they "meet the challenge with dignity," they're heroes. Excuse me, but you can't tell me that these actors, actresses, pop stars don't get $$$ from publicizing their stories. If you do tell me that, I won't believe you.

It's even worse when one of these characters is a child in man's clothing who has been (rightly or wrongly) charged with being a pedophile and there being at least SOME credible evidence it might be true. Get a life America!

There are scientists, writers, philanthropists, and everyday nurses, doctors, and others who deserve the mourning ever so much more.

I can see being sad about a celebrity's death. I've been saddened by popular people's passing from this life. I just don't go mourning in the streets and rending my clothes.

And, I certainly won't be "crying my eyes out" for these people or "missing the wonderful deeds" they have done.

Wake up, Ameruka!

Clare W. Owens, CPO (Chief Petty Officer, Coast Guard), was my father. He died in 1999 at the age of 94. This yarn comes from the Southern Cross Fibre Club and I know my father was under the Southern Cross many times in his seafaring days. The name of the fiber is "Veteran" and is a Masham wool. It's about 16 wpi (wraps per inch) and is a pretty even fingering weight 3 ply.

I'm kind of bored with naming my yarns after musical groups, so I'm switching to names of people I admire.

These are MY ducks (don't tell them that). I absolutely love to feed the mallards. I just adore their waddles, their quacks, the sound of their beaks when they snap shut. I just love the ducks!!! I'm probably breaking a bunch of "interference with wildlife" laws, but I don't know of any. If you know of any, please don't tell me.

I finished another woven scarf last night. It's made of an inexpensive acrylic yarn called "Pebbles." I'm still surprised at how wonderful these inexpensive yarns weave up. This one's incredibly soft. I used a 5 dpi heddle in the Ashford Knitter's Loom.

I was wandering around the yard to day and heard a very loud commotion in the lilac bushes. I use the term "bushes" loosely, since they have long ago grown into small trees. Anyway, there was much noise, much screeching and warbling. I looked closely in the branches and saw a whole lot of these:

That's a baby cardinal. There were several in the branches and they were obviously practicing their flying skills. They'd flit from branch to branch and make clumsy landings and, occasionally, fall a few branches. Their parents were flying back and forth calling encouragement to them and, sometimes, luring them over to them.

Today was the day for the fledglings to leave the nest. Judging from the strength of their flying, I suspect they'll all be off on their own by tomorrow. I can hardly wait for next year.

David Letterman is a hero. He's not afraid to take on the relic from the 60's, Sarah Palin and her not all that great family.

Who the heck does she think she is, anyway? Letterman's a comedian and he's known for taking on the celebrities. She decided to become a celebrity. So be it. She's a joke. She looks like she got stuck in the 60's, with her overdone hair and makeup and her twitchy, tight little walk. Her kid got pregnant out of wedlock, just like hundreds of other kids in the world. The difference is, for some reason, we're all supposed to think this kid's a paragon of virtue because she chose to have the baby and keep it. Oh puh-leeze. This just means there's another kid for the Palin's to mess up.

Her boyfriend became suspiciously absent when the McCain/Palin ticket failed. It kind of makes me sick. The two little "love birds" were sitting in the audiences holding hands like they were inseparable. It sure didn't take long for him to make tracks when it was over. It makes you wonder.

Now, he can't support his kid because "he doesn't have a job. Well, go get one. Or, daddy's parents should be helping out. In this case, my sympathies are with the Palins. They're footing the bill and you can't tell me daughter dearest is doing it all on her own. Daddy's parents could be doing some help, too. It's MY opinion (for what it's not worth) that deadbeat dads, no matter what their age, shouldn't see their kids, at least until the kids are old enough to know the difference, if they're not helping support them.

"People Magazine" seemed to think it was in our best interests to point out what a remarkable and wonderful girl mommy is. Well, she's no better than the other unwed mothers out there. She got hot and was irresponsible with her body. The difference is, she has parents who can afford to deal with the aftermath. Good for them. Birth mom's daddy says they never bothered to talk to daughter about birth control or things like that because she was always such a "good girl." Brilliant! She's a teen ager. He's a teen ager. They have hormones - LOTS of hormones. That's just irresponsible and stupid.

I truly don't think David Letterman would pick on a 14 year old. It was a joke. Maybe it was in bad taste. I think it was. BUT, you can't take on a comedian like David Letterman and win, at least win and look dignified. Stupid, stupid, stupid, in my opinion to keep harping on this. David Letterman is acerbic, can be nasty, can be very cutting, but he's not a pedophile. I think they can let little Willow be near him without her getting hurt. Or, are they saying that little Willow will be as unprofessional as the rest of the family and try to scratch his eyes out?

Thank God the campaign failed. From the first time this woman bumbled her way through questions, golly, gee, I said to my husband, that were they to win, I'd have to at least think about where I wanted to be living for the next eight years. She was unrelentingly arrogant, too cute, and didn't have a grasp of the issues.

Please, please, give me a break. Quilt telling me the Palins are "good people" in every sense of the word. As long as the keep making jokes of themselves, the comedians will enjoy helping them.

This is what I would consider my first REAL novelty yarn. It happened by accident. I had this lovely stretched merino from the Happy Hippie. The yellow and red parts were real bears to spin. They stuck together like they were glued, regardless of the fact that I attenuated the fiber and would even give it a good pull apart. The singles were of all different thicknesses and I was NOT happy with them. When I was done, I wondered what in the world I was going to do with them. Well, this:

is what I did.

I named it Carole King because, while it's wild and bright, there is a somewhat subdued quality about it.

I plied the two singles with four balls of this kind of "flag" yarn on a string in similar colors. I really like it. Now, I know what to do with those singles that don't want to be nice and well behaved!

I ended up with 225 yards of the Carole King, about 20 yards of Carole Prince (without the flags), and about 10 yards of singles (surprisingly, these singles are pretty uniform and balanced).

The fiber colorway is: "Long Hair"
The flag yarn is: "Blossom" by Trendsetter

Here's another slide show, if you're interested. val

I was so wrong! I thought there were only three varieties of iris from Holland last year. I was wrong! I'm now not sure HOW many there are. This peach one opened up today. I thought it was going to be another of the yellow ones. Not so!

I ordered so many bulbs and plants last year, I don't even remember what I have. It's going to be this way next year, too. I have my eye on some parrot tulips, some more iris and some plants for the shady areas.

This weekend we added four nandina, two blueberry bushes, one raspberry bush (we already have one), three tickweed, three of some kind of little white annuals, and I have several green bean bushes coming up, and we bought a yellow crookneck squash plant. I'm about done for this spring. Watch out fall!

Here's a little slide show for those who are interested. There are pictures of the rhododendron in bloom, a white peony, a pink peony, and two pictures of some kind of wild flower. I don't know what this flower is, but it fascinates me. It starts out as the green fuzzy thing and, then, magically, all these little round pink, red and white flowers come out. There will be more flowers. The annuals haven't come up, yet.

My goal is to have something blooming all the time in the spring, summer and fall. So far, so good. The lavender is getting ready to bloom, the day lilies and Asian lilies are getting ready. I'm hoping the begonias and columbines will make a good show later.

Our town is preparing for Memorial Day. This is a little town - village for you with a European flair -, but it really knows how to do Memorial Day up right. There will be a little parade with a true country flair. The floats aren't the crepe paper, Rose Bowl kind, but they're made of the stuff of the Appalachians. They consist of jeeps, truck beds, horse drawn wagons and lots and lots of horses. The Civil War Reenactors get in on the fun and ride as both the Yankees and the Confederates. They camp right down at the bottom of our hill by the river in their historic garb and tie their horses to trees.

This is my favorite part, though:

The courthouse lawn is filled to capacity with these big flags. Each flag has a cross at its base with the name of a war veteran. This is a small town and some of these families have been here since the 1800's, maybe even longer. There could be families that have been here since the mid-1700's. The family names are familiar to us here. There are little subdivisions and there are roads named after these people.

The big flag over the fire station isn't up, yet, but it will be.

This is what Memorial Day (Armistice Day) is.

This is the first major project I've ever made with Colourmart 100% cashmere yarn. This is 2/17 weight, which is similar to a fingering or DK weight in the U.S. The color is C188/6165. It's a tan with yellow strands twisted and has green and brown flecks in it.

Here's the finished shawl as it dries:


and here's a detail of the stitch:



This shawl is much easier than the Swallowtail Shawl and is much faster to knit. If you make this pattern with lace weight yarn, it would be not much more than a triangular scarf. This is just about a shoulder shawl.

It's official! I'm worn out. Over the past two weeks, I've planted veggie plants, dug up about 200 dandelions, helped paint a deck and steps and railings with waterproofing, moved about 200 pounds of rocks, cleaned a garage, cleaned out a shed and washed lawn and porch furniture.. I know there were more things, but I don't remember what they were.

Today, I added painting our large side and small front porch. Unfortunately, I didn't have the size roller I thought I had, so I had to use a little 4" one. That meant LOTS more strokes and my shoulders are killing me and my arms are shaking. It'll go away soon, but I know I've nearly reached my limits.

Tomorrow, I'll go out and do the close painting with a brush and give the porches one more coat. BUT - and this is a BIG but (not mine) - I'm going to get that bigger roller. I need another gallon of porch paint, anyway, so it's not a big deal.

I really am tired. The upside is that I'm both toning some muscles and losing some weight in the process. Hooray!

This is a gorgeous new iris from last fall's planting:

And these are in their second year:

As per a previous post, a pear tree blew down in the yard. We had it removed on Saturday and the two men who did that were hired to transform the little red barn-like building in the back yard.

First, here's the photo of the removed tree place. I hauled all those rocks myself. It must be a gazillion pounds. Anyway, we're going to put a bird bath in that circle and a bunch of hummingbird and butterfly plants. This summer, I'm going to plant some bush beans in there, just for cover.

Here the shed with the materials to transform it:


and the guys who are doing the transformation.

Here's another view:



And this is the way it looks, now. It has a nice little screened porch and a window in the back. The inside is up to me. I figure that we can store folding chairs, tables, and other things to enjoy the outdoors inside the building and have a mosquito-free place to watch the birds in their new bath.

Behold, the Bean Hut:

Title of this blog post compliments of my husband, Jim

Excuse me? What was that shaking? Am I nervous? Could it be an earthquake?

Righto. Unfortunately, I snoozed right through any tiny tremors that made it as far as Marion. To those used to real earthquakes, my apologies for the excitement.

This is a weaving calculator I created in Excel to figure out the approximate yardage, ends, etc. for weaving.

Download Calculator

The instructions are at the bottom of the page. This should open in recent copies of Excel.

Here's another of the "pricey" iris I got from American Meadows last fall. These are just so gorgeous!

That's it - just too pretty to hide. I gotta share. This was a fairly pricey special iris bulb I got last fall and it's the first to bloom this spring. It rained last night and the water droplets on it were pretty spectacular.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. There's nothing quite like being a mom, is there?

My son sent me these yesterday:

They're really pretty! I love sunflowers and he remembered. There are three gorgeous ones in the bouquet, along with daisies, mums, roses and lilies. Thank you, JP.

We had planned on going to the Black Rooster for a Mother's Day lunch, but I think I just want to spend a normal day at the house. We did go out to MacDonald's for breakfast and had Egg McMuffins (which are nowhere near as good as Jim's version) and I tried the greatly hyped mocha. It was good, but not as good as the build up. I'd drink it again, but will save it for times when I really want the extra calories and don't want to fool with brewing coffee.

We also went to Wally World and I bought a few impatiens (actually, we thought they were cucumbers!), a zuchinni, a green pepper and a yellow squash. They're now happily resting in the garden. They sure should have enough moisture after the past week of torrential rains.

The river at the foot of the hill is very high and running fast and muddy. For some reason, I love it when it gets that way.

I'm working on a couple of projects (in addition to the usual pair of plain socks).

One of them is "Knitting Air," which is a lacy scarf of Rowan Kidsilk Haze

. Anyone who's knit with this stuff knows it's a bear to frog (rip out). I rare, therefore, would consider using it for a lace pattern, although people do this all the time. This time, though, I found a pattern I thought would be just yummy made up in Kidsilk Haze. It's the Travelling Roses Lace Scarf by Leanne Cooper.




In addition to this, I'm knitting a pair of Monkey Socks. Some of you will recognize this yarn from an earlier post. I had planned on knitting a scarf called "Dragon Scales" from this scarf, but as it went on, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. So, I frogged it and am really liking it in the Monkeys. I also like this pattern. It's kind of a modified cable, lace pattern that really looks interesting with the busy variegated dye job of this unknown sock yarn.

Here's the newest of yarns called "Smashin' Pumpkins." This is BFL (Blue Faced Leicestershire) from the Southern Cross Fibre Club, March 2009, in the coloway "Fall Back." As you all know, by now, I love BFL. This was no exception. This time, the colors worked out the way I wanted them to. I split the top in half lengthwise and spun each, then did a 2-ply with them. It's about 135 yards of heavier worsted weight. I used a Kromski Minstrel at the smallest ratio and spun like the dickens (partly because I'm burning calories).

We think we were in a tornado on Friday night. No one has confirmed that officially, but it sure appears so. At around 11:00 p.m. Friday night, the rain started in earnest. You could hear it pinging on the shed roof on the deck and the wind was whipping up so fiercely that rain was coming in windows from two sides of the house at the same time and from all sides within seconds.

Growing up in Florida, I'm totally used to high winds from tropical storms and the occasional hurricane. I know what they sound like. They kind of whistle and things rattle. I'm crazy enough to like the sound and the storms. This was different, though. The sound was more like a growl or a car with a bad muffler. Shortly after 11 p.m., the cable system went out, which means our TV and our Internet connection. We couldn't tell what was going on.

In the morning, we found our house, which we had just spent $250 getting pressure washed was absolutely plastered with leaves. Big leaves, little leaves, pieces of leaves. On top of that, one of our big pear trees had split down the middle and had fallen in the yard, right on top of a bunch of bulbs and berries I had planted and nearly on top of our backyard shed. Below are some photos of it. Poor tree. We called a tree man to come and remove it (which he'll do sometime this week), and he told us everyone thought it was a small tornado. When we drove through town, we saw the same damage down our hill, right down Main Street of downtown and, then, up the hill to the hospital where Jim works. The tree man is also going to do the work for the hospital and he says a huge tree had fallen on a nurse's car, along with a lot of damage to the trees and plantings there.

Our tree man is charging us very little for the tree removal. As a matter of fact, he's charging less for that than the cost of replacing the dehumidifier in the basement that was, evidently, struck by the lightning show that also entertained us.

For a few minutes, I felt like I was back in Florida.

Here are the tree photos. Poor tree. Pears are subject to this kind of splitting, though.

You can see how rotten the tree was at the crotch. This is what destroys the pears so often.


We don't know for sure, yet, but it looks like the building escaped unscathed. We'll know for sure when the tree's out.

My friend, Colin, in England was kind enough to share THIS article explaining, graphically, how to protect yourself form the latest threat to our health.

The other day, I took away Jasper the Cat's winter ice chest house and made up a bed for him using a small feed tub, some old clothes and the rug from on top of his ice chest (for a familiar odor). For days, he snubbed it. I think he was punishing me.

Well, it's been raining for the past couple of days and there's every indication it will continue through the weekend. I guess he gave up. Anyway:

I love ducks. I don't know why. I like their chubby cheeks. I like their flat feet. I like the way they eat. I like to watch them waddle. I love the sound they make when they come in for a landing or take off. I especially like their sounds: Wak! Wak! Wak!

When I was young, one of my favorite comics was the Donald Duck series, including the Unca Scrooge and all associated with Donald. I, like most youngsters in the U.S., learned that ducks say, "Quack." Well, in the comic, they said, "Wak!" I always wondered why until I really started to listen to these ducks. They say, "Wak!"

When they come in for a landing, I run like an idiot out into the yard with a mason jar full of corn and sunflower seeds, yelling, "Ducks, ducks, ducks!" Now, this really does sound idiotic, but the ducks have learned to come for that sound. They're getting braver and braver.

A couple of years ago, I fed one pair and ended up with about 40 or 50 ducks in the yard at once, after the ducklings got older. It was great fun to watch them grow up.

Anyway, without further ado, I present Mr. and Mrs. Duck.

This was spun in about a day, off an on. It's from the Southern Cross Fiber Club and is 115 gms of Masham Top. I'd never heard of Masham before. I like it. It's a bit more course than many, but it's a dream to spin up. It's extremely long stapled fiber and needs very little twist to hold on. I'd originally planned on spinning it as a fingering weight single, but when I was experimenting with the finished single, I decided to ply it as a 2-ply. It's incredible how much it softened up, probably becasue there was so little twist to begin with.

The name?
Strawberry Alarm Clock.