Feeling a little restless this morning - just found out that Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer) will be coming to my sister's town. She works at Elm Street Books and I think that they are hosting this event. What's the problem, you ask? Well, it's too bloody early to call over to Connecticut to plead for request tickets! I luv him. MUST. SEE. HIM. IN. PERSON. . . have questions!
Guess what season has arrived at Cloudwalk?
It's my favorite for so many reasons!
This may be the only cinderella pumpkin that you will ever see nestled in a korean boxwood. It seems happy, the shrub? Not so much.
I let the red basil flower and now I cannot pull it up, as the honeybees are so exuberantly gathering their energy drinks! When they have finished, the seed heads will become a source of nourishment throughout the fall for the birds. These are the only reasons that I don't dismiss this pest entirely. If you have ever grown it ANYWHERE in your garden, you know it will return. Forever. Profusely!
A Mara turning up in the herb garden? They are everywhere! And I don't mean JUST in my garden. Please go over and see the one that Renee has just completed at Renee Knits Too. She used the Madelinetosh yarn, which is on my wish list. Hers is an icy grey dream and I want it! Is it too early to send wishes to Santa?
Have been going through old photos and journals and books of poetry. It's a very sentimental journey and one that I highly recommend taking at least once a year or so. Mine is a reminder of the importance of the arts in my life. A few lines and a photo of the college days, in the studio...
'out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there.'
-Rumi
Mother Nature is a bipolar beeitch. One moment sunny skies, a nano-second later, near-tornado conditions. The front of our house isn't supposed to look like this.
One is supposed to be able to walk down that path to enter the side door.
The top of our lovely 150yr old+ maple is not supposed to be missing. . . and it certainly isn't supposed to be lying on our house! Oh - and the back yard? Not exempt - this WAS my molla patio furniture before Mother Nature threw her hissy fit. What could She have against outdoor furniture that She'd want to impale it in such a fashion?
I'm tellin' ya - She's not to be trusted. The barn across the street collapsed when She sent the old cherry tree crashing through it.
On Monday afternoon I had the dogs out when the skies went dark and the repeat sound of lightning came rolling in from the west. I lived in Louisville, KY for some time where tornados are as common as summertime swimmer's ear, and I learned to discern a tornado from a bad storm by the color of the sky - murky and uriney-yellow. By the cruel wind which stings your eyes with all manner of debris. By the sound of the cracking, cracking and a roar like a train. Whenever the sky goes yellow in NYS, I make tracks for shelter! I stood inside, looking out to the north when the ear-shattering crack of the maple ripped through the sky and the windows which were grey from four-directional rain suddenly turned and filled with green leaves and split branches. An enormous CLUMP! And then silence. Eerie. And of course, no power.
Scott surveyed the damage to the house and then we hopped into the truck to check on our neighbors. Lots of emergency vehicles were already on the scene - trees down, power lines and poles splintered. We made our way to the river where we sat for awhile and watched the evening gather over the water, still and gun metal grey. No TV, no cable, no computer, no AC at home.
But sometime during the night the power resumed - pure grace, as far as I'm concerned. I had to wait until tonight for the TV, cable and internet to be restored and I MISSED you guys. Did I hear muttering and the word 'slacker'? It wasn't my fault. There was knitting - I finished my Cascade 220 Mara - another coup. Cascade is, for me, what muslin is for my sewing. Try out a new pattern in Cascade - and if you love it, buy the cashmere! Don't I wish that I had some cashmere ... You know, I'm still goo-goo eyeing that Blue Moon Fiber. It's hard to be a libra - everything has to be weighed - groceries or yarn? Pedicure or yarn? Dog food or yarn? ONLY KIDDIN'!!!
I really love this shawl. I'm considering doing it ONE MORE TIME, which is a travesty of my knitting code. (you know, never, never, EVER knit the same pattern twice)
Look at that yummy 2x2 rib, which I can now do with my eyes closed. Garter stitch is satisfying ONCE you finish! It's boring as hell when you're stranded in the middle of it. I have some dreamy cream alpaca that I scored purchased at Rhinebeck last year, and I think that it might be divine in this tried-and-true pattern. What do you think? Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for my dk weight alpaca? I have a lot of it - at least 1400 yards. I am not adverse to cables or lace patterns or pockets! I saw a gorgeous Brooklyn Tweed shawl, but I cannot read the chart. Seriously. This is one of the reasons why Anne Hanson hung the moon, in my opinion. She offers charts AND the long written-out-row-by-row version. She saves me.
So, the cable guy cometh. He strung new line and gave me some computer pointers and even played with Harley. So, he's ok in my book.
SusanB and Jelli - don't get your panties in a bunch! Now that I have computer again I can send out your parcels. I'm planning on doing that tomorrow.
It took awhile, and went from this -
To a really pretty finish. I haven't blocked, and I may not because the Melange has such a nice hand when knitted in garter stitch. This may be for my mom, if I can bear to part with it. My thanks to Amy Hendrix for the Mara pattern. I am grateful to the designers out there who give us these lovely free gifts.
We woke to thunderous conditions and heavy rain - the perfect morning to trot over to the Loew's in search of tomato plants. While we were there, a few other essentials 'hopped' into the cart! Isn't that always the way? Pauline, if you're out there - I thought of you! I know that you would have enjoyed our little spree through the garden selections!
In years past I have made several trips to assorted nurseries in the valley who carry unusual and heirloom vegetables. I pay more and have been disappointed, year after year. So this year - I'm going for the 'garden variety' that Loew's carries. It should be an interesting season.
The lettuce is ready to hop into the soil - we could already be enjoying some of this! Red peppers -
Can you BELIEVE how pricey they are compared to their green-skinned cousins? Appalling. I've never had any luck growing peppers OR eggplant. This could be a banner year though, because I have enough Liquid Fence to repel a small army of critters! And all of their relatives.
Have to grow lots of zucchini for Hilary - it's the one vegetable that she will actually walk out to the garden with me to collect! I'll stop here, so as not to bore you with seedling images. We brought the cannas and agapanthus up from the cellar - time to go repot and fertilize!
My fig trees look dismal ... it was a long hard stretch waiting out the winter - I'll keep a close eye on them and hope for the best!
Mara is such an agreeable knit - one of those projects that you always like to have tucked in your bag just in case ... you know, wicked traffic jam, power outage augmented with candlelight, delayed flights or trains or buses. Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! So my Mara has been traveling to the office with me this week.
She spent some time in that bag, but probably more time on my lap ...
You can see that I am getting the last bit of wear out of my knitted items - an Italian cotton cabled cardie that I made years ago as well as a little scarf - this, before the weather turns warm. The thing about Mara is that the last border is KILLER. It eats up enormous amounts of fiber, along with the time that it takes to K2P2 those hundreds of stitches. Still, I really like it. It doesn't ask a lot from me. It requires zip in the way of concentration. And the Blue Sky Alpaca melange just feels delicious on one's lap as it grows. I want another, as soon as this is completed. In fact, this shawl is going to seduce me into breaking my already pathetically weakened resolve - formerly known as "Never Knit the Same Pattern Twice" rule.
Our boss brought in some flowers the other day and I was stumped by this:
At first glance I thought - artichoke! Perhaps some kind of thistle? Does anyone recognize this beauty? The color of the 'flower' is vivid - marigold-ish. It must be an exotic - hailing from, where? Hawaii? HELP!
I have to go - Mara wants her debut tomorrow.
