cooling off

We've been suffering.  The temps have hit and stayed in the high 90's this week, that is, until last night.  Around 5:00pm the house grew spooky dark, as if a heavy sheet had been thrown over its head! In the next moment the kitchen door sprang open with a crash! (which scared the living beJesus out of myself and the canines!)  Two seconds later the big party commenced - howling winds, swaying trees, the sound of wood splitting, the terrible hammering on the roof. 

Here we go again.  The early morning fog cleared enough to reveal our damage - the entire top of the maple stand is now lying on my herb garden.

Harley seemed mystified ... hmmm, where did THAT come from?  The front of the house is wearing huge conifer branches on its roof, but somehow,(miraculously) we never lost our power.  This early summer storm cleared away the weeks' heat and humidity.  The sound of chain saws will destroy our weekend peace.

I finished the Blue Moon Monkey socks - they need a good soaking bath.  Cookie is a brilliant sock designer and I understand that she has a new book published ... I wonder if I can get it through Amazon (a true addiction).

I know.  It's juicy, yes?  Knitting Notions - a first for this knitter, another Anne Hanson referral. She has never once steered me in the wrong direction and this is no exception -  I am going to adore knitting this merino sport as much as I already love its name - 'Fruit Bowl'!  One more glimpse?  Ok, ok ...

There's a new project in the works - one of my high school pals is about to become a grandmother.  Y'all know what THAT means!  I'll have something delicious to show you tomorrow.  IT'S PIZZA FRIDAY!  Around our house this means delivery=knitting time!!  YAY.

NABLOPOMO, Interrupted

  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.