No worries - I won't bombard you with any more snow updates - suffice to say that the northeast is getting smashed and we are snowbound! Scott got in from the bahamas just in front of a big storm and blew out again yesterday in the MIDDLE of one! He and his golf cronies friends were going to get to the airport - No. Matter. What. Well - the first airport closed down (and this is a military airport!) so they rerouted to another. But the two major highways leading to it both shut down - one for 40 miles. Can you imagine? Some motorists sat on that stretch all night long. (Here is the first sign that perhaps one should wait out the storm and postpone the trip ...) This band of gypsies found an airport in a different state and made their way toward it and sat in the terminal for many many hours. They did make it to Florida AND their tee-off time - amazing.
Back home, Hilary was without power AGAIN. She lives about 7 miles northwest of me where thousands were sitting in the dark for two days. She and Carson rounded up the shivering dogs and came to me where Andrew joined us and we had a sleep over!
Harley wasn't happy about giving up HIS spot on the couch, but he found his good doggie manners and allowed Bubbha the catbird seat.
Hilary is under there somewhere - the poor child just could not get warm enough and we piled at least three quilts on top of her! No, I haven't taken ALL of my holiday decorations down yet! I love those chubby muslin angels holding hands across the mantel! It's hard to say good bye to them!
Carson is all worn out from his CO training program. He graduates next Friday. We are all so proud of him that we can barely stand it. NYS has an extremely challenging program and he has excelled in all areas. No doubt!
Yes, I'm told that it is tropical where Scott is!!! No matter. We are having a good time - well, I am. I love the snow and I love having my children and my dogs about. OH! And I am making progress on the old 'Looking Glass' sweater. I want to be able to wear it this week, but the front bands are making me crazy ...
That 'curve' is unintentional and I am worried. If anyone out there in Knitting Land has experienced this kind of problem and has suggestions - I am all ears! Enjoy your weekend.
We are experiencing more of the white stuff - this time, ice is thrown in for shits and giggles. Lovely. I left work early and made my way west - managed to get the car in the barn, the dogs aired out, and a beef stew bubbling - all before the weather went sour. It's nasty out there.
I'm taking Wanda's advice and constructing at least two 'H' blocks per day. At this rate, I'll have Hilary's quilt finished and Lauren's started before the winter makes its exit.
I snapped this image of my favorite guys before Scott left for the Bahamas. I hope that he's found a razor over there on Staniel Cay! Harley and Jack miss the Big Man. They love him so much that it's almost disgusting. I mean - really. WHO feeds them? WHO walks them? WHO cleans up their messes and brushes them and loves them? And then Scott comes along and all he has to do is to get down on the floor and wrestle - and he is a God to them. It's not right. They stand at the back door and watch for him - it's positively heartbreaking.
My dogs are magnificent beings. I cannot express what I experience in their company - but I will tell you this - they have made the past few weeks bearable. I seek their companionship. They are the heart of my relationship with nature. I am just scratching the surface of what they have to say. Do you doubt this? Live with a Jack Russell terrier - welcome a Golden Retriever into your life. And then, after six months, check back with me. We'll talk about your expanded life.
Such a wonderful day - I went along at my own pace and accomplished some of the things that I'd been wanting to address and I left all others by the way side! (i.e. laundry, housework ...)
Spring seems to be tapping at the windows and my thoughts are beginning to turn to the garden.
I'm thinking about planting the peas - I don't want this spring legume ritual to pass me by again, leaving my garden peas-less like last year. There is something so uplifting about getting down on one's knees in the cool damp earth and digging the customary 4 inch by six inch trench. Peas like cool weather and the seeds germinate when the soil reaches about 40 degrees - which is, to my mind, a perfect temperature. Like the pea, I'm a cool weather kind of gurl.
This past week was a difficult one. I'd ended up in my supervisor's office, I had to make amends, and a friend reminded me that nothing in my life has changed in the 10 years that she's known me. I'm going to grow old like this, says the voice in my head. I'm going to end up alone. It'll be me and the dog and the cat and I'll outlive them and have to go on without them. Pity-party kind of stuff. Thoughts of the garden soothe me.
There was some sewing -
I love this denim - I don't care if it dates me, it's my Go-To fabric! It's the bees knees (love bee motif in any form)
And then Patty came over for chicken and dumplings and she brought me a gift - the most WONDERFUL gift - a pair of 'Bella' mittens, made of, I believe, Punta merino. DELICIOUS. Thank you dear friend. These will be a most welcomed addition on those early morning Harley walks! Knowing, as I do, that you are putting in 60+ hour weeks, makes these mittens even more precious. Your friendship is a gift - I cherish it, and you. AND the mittens!
Here's Patty modeling them and holding the pitiful progress of the pair I am making for her! She may see them completed before the snow departs, but I don't want her to hold her breath!
I hope that yours was a wonderful weekend too.
We hung the little wall quilt at work - and everyone seems cheered by it.
It was placed right behind Renee, our amazing receptionist/Do-Everything woman! She lightens our work load on a daily basis. So I brought these along too - banana blueberry muffins.
They were also a big hit - food usually is, especially the home made variety! It was good to bake and fill the kitchen with a wonderful aroma again - when Scott is away I hunker down to the most basic, no preparation kind of meal. He's been gone for two weeks and I'm missing him.
(Renee refused to pose for my camera) Have to get to work!
Live in the northeast? No whining about snow!
Here's a small update on my knitting olympics project - it's difficult to photograph the dark fiber. I think that it will be really special with a nice white linen blouse worn underneath - maybe something with pintucks ...
If you want to see REAL knitting olympic prowess - go over to the PassingDownCrazy blog. Maria is a knitting marvel. Her work makes me feel sheepish (HA!) I can't stay - the driveway needs shoveling AGAIN. No complaining though, I live in the northeast and I. LOVE. SNOW.
February is short and sweet and always made better for this day - a day reserved for love. Whether it be a grand show or a small sign, I hope that yours was tender and memorable. I had an early call from the bahamas from someone who remembered that he is and HAS a valentine. Later Carson showed up at the door with a beautifully wrapped potpourri from Hilary.
Check out all of those goodies - everything from socks to a chocolate cupcake. She will always own my heart, that daughter of mine. She left nothing out -
Harley and Jack will be so pleased. I'll have to hide the chocolate ... thank you my darling daughter, thank you for your kindness, I love you so much. You are my proof that love exists in this world. For real.
I promised the image of the completed wall hanging. Here is the before shot as well as the 'after'.
Moda panel of 'Attitude Girls' - seemingly CUSTOM MADE for my office mates!!!! Oh, if you only knew. It spoke to me, it actually SHOUTED! I hope that they all enjoy sharing the work space with this little gem (if I do say so, myself!)
There was beading and machine quilting and all kinds of fun - an unending cheerful piece of business!
I think that this is my favorite block - I'm all about the dysfunction fun. Will let you know how it fared tomorrow. Meanwhile, have a lovely Valentine's Day.
(don't forget to tell someone that you love them)
What can be said about a massive group of people who are willing to devote 17 days to one project in a herculean effort to cross the finish line before the 2010 Olympic flame is extinguished? KNIT ON! I chose the February Lady again because I think that I can knit this beauty in my sleep. I have some nice Cascade 220 that reminds me of blueberry picking. Sometimes commercial yarns really fit the bill and this is no exception - it will wear like iron and behave like a lady.
I knit for a long time last night and was reminded why I dislike avoid garter stitch:
I didn't get nearly as far along as I'd hoped to. 16 days and counting ...
The project that you see peeping out from under FL needs to be finished before Monday morning when I present it to my coworkers as their collective Valentine gift! I also hope to make some blueberry banana muffins. There's a lot to do - guess that I'll have to sacrifice the housework. (what a shame!)
There's a new book to distract me as well - this one had me at the cover. I'd love to knit the turtle for Harley - perhaps when the Olympics are over.
It began like any other Wednesday ...
Wake up - look off to the eastern sky for a rosy sunrise ...
But the only rosy to be found was on this female cardinal's belly - and she was nervously awaiting her breakfast, as the snow was coming down in earnest. Miraculously - the College closed its administrative offices - OMG, a PAID day to play! Thank goodness I am feeling better and don't have to spend the day on the couch. Again.
The binding goes quickly on this newest project, and the hand sewing is pure pleasure - interrupted only for some bead play and the occasional letting-out-of-the-dog-to-chase-the-squirrels. And yellow-fy the new fallen snow!
Is anyone else suffering from chapped hands? I have cracks in my thumbs the size of a mini bus. They hurt and very little relieves them. Any and all suggestions gratefully accepted.
I am coming around the corner on this project. It's juicy, I love it. Hope to show you the finished product tomorrow. Speaking of which- would it be too much to ask for another snow day? I have to get busy figuring out what I want to knit for the olympics. I'm thinking about one last February Lady for my friend Linda.
The living room couch and I are on intimate terms - we haven't left each other for days. The dog's needs motivate me into an upright position, that, and the never-ending piles of kleenex which have to be discarded before Harley eats them. Why do dogs like to eat paper products? I am sick with a rotten cold and flu bug. Scott is in the bahamas, poor thing. Nice work if you can get it.
The east coast is bracing for a storm that will allegedly carry blizzard conditions and over a foot of snow. This comes as no surprise as it ALWAYS snows when Scott jets off for the Cay. Envy is nibbling at my fingers and toes - creeping down my spine. When the caribbean calls come through I almost don't want to answer them! Intellectually, I GET IT! One goes when and where the work beckons. Emotionally, I am a serious cry baby because I'd like to be on Staniel Cay, dipping my toes in the turquoise waters. Someone has to stay home and hike up the thermostat take care of the animals and show up for work. And shovel that anticipated snow!
The daughter and I went over to LYS and some lovely merino/camel mix jumped into my bag:
I love the stitch definition that this wool produces. How about that cute pattern? I have to stop for a moment and voice my opinion (pulling out soap box ...) I found this pattern on 'Patternfish' for $8.00 which seemed a bit high, certainly more than the scores of wonderfully available Ravelry downloads, but what the hey. It appealed to me. Two days later my copy of 'Patternworks' appeared and this very same pattern was featured in the back of the issue, discounted by half. Now, I find this annoying. And somewhat unfair. Let's all get on the same page, people.
I mean really - I am happy to support designers and this craft that I so dearly love. God knows, the lion's share of my salary goes directly to promotion of knitting in some form or another. I think it's ok to feel a little disheartened over this lack of regulation ... even if it is so small. Chris deLongpre - you might want to check out the status of your patterns in the world. Just sayin' ...
The Yarn Harlot makes for good sick-day reading. She's a funny woman, wickedly so. I like that she and I share the same view of the importance of the spiral notebook. Without it and my expansive notes I would be LOST. Thanks Stephanie, for reminding your readers that this is one essential knitting tool.
Finally, before I drag myself back to the couch, I want to sneak preview something that I've been working on. This is the border on a piece that I am creating for my office mates. I don't know if you can decipher the heart shapes in the red batik, but these two fabrics were chosen specifically for their pithy juxtaposition ... one day, when I get closer to retirement, we'll have a little chat about the combatant forces that exist in my workplace. Exciting stuff.
Where the hell heck are the shovels?
...I'm having a sick day , er, uh, WEEKEND. Came down with a bug early Saturday morning and have been on the couch ever since. Feeling weak - see you later.
This is a mincemeat pie. This pie was made for Scott by my mother. She left it in the oven a little too long, hence the 'toasted' edges. But Scott won't mind. Mom is the only person willing to create Scott's favorite pie and he always tries to return the favor - kindling wood, salt for the driveway, a surprise visit, etc. They've got a good thing going. And I'm off the hook since I've never been able to perfect the art of flaky pie crust.
This is a disguise so that Harley, with his sensationally great sense of smell, won't detect that it is in the house. Really? I've got to keep an eye on him -he could polish this off in nano-seconds!
I've been thinking a lot about mothers lately - mine, myself, the potential of my daughter becoming one. I've been reading, because that is what I do.
More on this another post!
