I mentioned at lunch today that it was Pi-Day (3.14 etc), and I barely had the words out of my mouth and Dad was saying, “What do you need?” So he headed to the grocery store for emergency pie making supplies. Premade pie crust and frozen fruit.

When he was checking out, the woman on the register called over to her boss, “I’m clocking out and following this guy home.” Tee!

Frozen peaches, frozen blueberries, tossed with sugar, flour and a dash of cinnamon, then dotted with butter. The entire assembly process took about 7 minutes once the groceries were in the house.

The pie with all its edges tucked in, ready to go in the oven. I never try to do the pretty, fluted crust around the edges for a few reasons. One, the premade crusts don’t reach over the edge of this, my favorite pie plate. Two, nobody here really likes eating the crust edges. So, I fold the top crust in, along the outside of the bottom crust and kind of tuck them in together, which pinches the edges closed enough. Then, when it bakes, yes, you end up with a thick crust at the back, but it’s covered in fruit juices and much more “edible” (for Dad) than the drier, crispier crust on the edges of more traditional pies.

Besides, it’s easier.

And see how pretty? The finished pie has a ring of fruit juice around the edge, but nothing burnt, nothing bubbled over.

But, the best part of celebrating Pie Day?

My favorite furry pie eater is acting like himself. Spring in his step, joy in his heart. Yay!

He didn’t get out for a walk, though. It showered on and off all day. And when I say “showered,” I mean RAINED. Hard. We even had thunder! In March! Practically unheard of. The odds of us having timed a walk so that we would NOT have gotten drenched are pretty slim, and anyway, he wasn’t giving any hints over by his leash, either.

Incidentally, I got a ton of knitting done yesterday. First on my sock at McDonalds with Risa and Kim, then on my sweater while we all watched the Toy Story movies … and even more later while watching “Catch Me If You Can” with Mom. My sweater’s just past 15″ long now from the neck.

Believe it or not, Spring is coming. Gray and wet (really, really wet) as today was, looking out back, there are hints of real, fresh green.

Hey, did you know the Juniper Moon Fiber Farm Lambcam is up and running again? And not only that, but they had their first babies of the season about two hours ago, live on camera. Two twin baby angora goats. Awww! I haven’t seen both of them on camera yet, but I have seen at least one of them crawling around.

I’ve got two videos for you.

As much as it kills me, this is practically a perfect ad and it didn’t use a single word. It’s just perfect, and you will particularly love it if you like dogs … but even if you don’t, you should watch. It’s beautiful and beautifully done.

And then, this one has been making the knit-blog rounds the last couple days, but I wouldn’t want you to miss it. It’s just a wonderful evocation of what a warm home is–using yarn.

(Don’t miss this little gem, either–the “making of” film behind that commercial.)

(I’m not the only one who loves a truly good television ad, am I?)

• Tags: Baking, Chappy • Permalink:Celebrating Pi(e) Day // 1 Comment »

Chappy’s been really quiet the last couple of days.

On Thursday, he was clingy, wanting to be with one of the three of us (preferably me). He didn’t seem sick or in pain, just … quiet and clingy.

In fact, I came home from work and he was sitting on the chair next to his Grandpa, and had been there for a while. Well, okay, everybody can have a bad, clingy kind of day once in a while. Nothing to worry about.

Then, Friday morning, he woke up and seemed okay. I made and ate my breakfast, fed him, and went upstairs to get ready to leave for work, when Mom calls up, “Deb, Chappy’s having trouble with his leg again.”

You might not remember, but a year and a half ago, I got a frantic call at work from Mom because Chappy wouldn’t put any weight on his foot, and was drooling and throwing up, shaking like he was in great pain … but by the time I got home (after calling the vet and making an emergency appointment), he seemed fine. We all shrugged it off as being some weird kind of leg cramp that must have hurt a whole lot to make him throw up like that.

But then, yesterday morning, it happened again, only this time I saw it. It was definitely a leg spasm of some kind because he wouldn’t or couldn’t put his back, right leg on the floor, as well as shaking and drooling. As soon as I came downstairs, I sat next to him and he crawled into my lap and just shook and drooled while I massaged his leg. He was doing better when I left for work (though I felt AWFUL leaving him!), but he basically just slept all day yesterday, while being pretty careful about how he lay down. For the most part, he was lying down–preferably on something soft–and then more or less not moving anything more than his head.

Now, he does often have some kind of muscle kink in his back leg. When he lies down on his left side, he always stretches out the back right leg with an extra kick to get it comfortable, but he’s eight and a half years old.  A stiff muscle or joint isn’t exactly unheard of in middle-aged dogs (and humans). And I could certainly believe that he could have turned or jumped badly and twisted that in a way that hurt.

But at the same time, there was something about the way his head was shaking that seemed odd to me, more pronounced than a “I hurt” kind of quiver. It didn’t make me feel any better when I googled “dog leg spasm” when I got to the office and the first site that comes up talks about seizures … because it almost looked like it could have been a mild kind of seizure. He was awake and aware, and able to crawl into my lap as soon as I came down, but it also seemed to take a lot out of him, considering how much he slept yesterday, and how much he wanted to be with us throughout the day. He even followed me into the bathroom at one point, which he never does, but he wanted to be near me that badly.

All in all, I’m thinking I should take him to the vet for them to check his hips and legs sometime soon, huh? Poor little guy.

He was clingy today, too, though not so much–and more alert and like himself in between naps. Which was good, because he had company! Risa and the twins, who we haven’t seen since September (when they were the only bright spot on an otherwise awful day).

I actually met them at McDonalds first. (And no, Chappy was NOT happy about my leaving and I’m told he whimpered after I left.) The kids worked off lots of energy in the play area while Risa and I sat and knitted. And then a surprise–Kim joined us! That made the knitting extra fun … and almost possible to ignore how LOUD that glassed-in play area is on a crowded, rainy Saturday. Holy cow, it was loud, and after two hours I had had it, so we came back here.

This was Risa’s first visit to the new house since, just about the time I was ready to invite her over to see it, she went and sprained her foot. So, we gave her the tour, and then made some coffee (because, naturally, we hadn’t drunk enough coffee already), ate some cake, and then we all sat and watched the Toy Story movies. They sat on the couch, and Chappy curled up next to me on our chair … though he slid down and took over a little more real estate each time I got up.

The best part was that, not only was it great to see them, but I think the visit cheered Chappy up, too. If he had still been feeling like he was yesterday, I would have called to postpone, but since he was just a little clingy this morning, it seemed worth the risk, and I think he really enjoyed seeing them. He’s tired now, of course, but it seems more like a “I spent the afternoon with Mom’s friend and the monkeys and now I’m tired” kind of tired.

Speaking of tired and quiet time … I’m kind of beat myself …

• Tags: Chappy, Friends • Permalink:Being Quiet // 5 Comments »

Here’s looking at you!
(A self-portrait from 2005.)

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• Tags: Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Looking // Add Comment »

No, no not the BLOG lights, silly!

The window lights!

See what we’ve got? Not just one set of vertical blinds, but TWO

So now we can cover up the Palladian window when the sun is blinding … which is most of the afternoon. Or when it’s particularly cold outside. So, yay for us!

It was kind of weird seeing people over there while standing on the second floor, though…

And Chappy is just exhausted. This installation thing really cut into his nap time, you know? And he’s not as young a puppy as he used to be…

Of course, he’s still probably tired from his long walk in the park on Saturday, the first time we’ve been there in MONTHS.

We were sad to see these trees had fallen, though. Mom called them the “huggy trees” because the two of them were so intertwined with each other. Together to the end (sniffle), though it looked like they brought four or five other trees down with them at the far end. It was like a mass suicide of trees. (Or murder suicide? I wonder who investigates this kind of thing for trees?)

• Tags: General • Permalink:Lights Out // 5 Comments »

Some Furry eye-candy.

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• Tags: Chappy, Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Furry // 4 Comments »

It’s National Grammar Day again. You know, “March Fourth/Forth.”

What better way than to sing the theme song? “March Forth: The Grammar Song”

• Tags: General • Permalink:Grammar Day // 1 Comment »

Yes, that’s me with Rachel’s new book.

You DID know that our very own knit-blogging friend had her new novel published, didn’t you? It came out yesterday. How to Knit a Love Song.

Romance isn’t my usual genre, but I’m nothing if not supportive of a fellow knitter-writer, so naturally I bought a copy. It came today, and I read the whole thing. (What? Like you didn’t already know that I’m a fast reader?)

The book begins with Abigail driving up to a rusty gate, ready and eager to claim her inheritance. Her dearest friend and mentor has died and left her a cottage … the problem? It’s uninhabitable, and her nearest neighbor (the dreamy cowboy Cade) is hostile, to say the least. His house, her cottage, and the ranch he runs all belonged to his aunt–a woman who seems to have a remarkable similarity to Elizabeth Zimmermann. She, Eliza, is described as being one of the great knitters of the last century, famous for her ingenuity and fearlessness.

Against his will, and hating every minute, Cade lets Abigail sleep in his spare room while she gets her cottage set up, and it doesn’t take long for sparks to fly. Cade is furious about his aunt having broken up his property. Abigail is just relieved to finally have a place to call her own, and a chance to get away from her ex. (Well, more of a stalker, really.) She is determined to turn the cottage into a yarn shop, and Cade is just as determined to prevent it.

Of course, things don’t go as the two of them planned, either of them. There are a series of events that throw them together–a torrential rain, a bat, a stray alpaca, a fire … and they both recognize their attraction.

Are the basic plot points kind of predictable? Well, yes. Except for some minor details like Betty being a natural spinner, and Abigail’s perfect charm for the farmers at Tillie’s, I wasn’t really surprised by any of the things that happened … but that doesn’t change the fact that it was an enjoyable book. You did a great job, Rachel!

But, what I really want to know? What happened to Clara after the scene in the alley? And, did Betty ever come back to spinning?

If you didn’t already know, the book is available from Amazon.com both in paper and in a Kindle edition.

• Tags: Reading • Permalink:How to Knit a Love Song // 4 Comments »

Hey, look at that–the fronts are the same lengths as the back.

Do you know what that means?

They’re ready to join together so that I can continue knitting this in one piece. I’ll be very happy indeed to be able to knit the rest using only one strand of yarn at a time, with no dangling needles to get in the way.

I just have to figure out how many stitches to cast on for the sides. As you know, my Celtic Dreams was too large–which is why I ended up ripping it out not that long ago. What I’m trying to remember … back from 2006 … is, how much did the blocking on the wooly board stretch the sweater in the first place? Because I seem to remember it fit better before that? There’s no question that the wooly board stretched it … which, of course was the point, but I won’t be doing that again!

Hey, you DO know that today is Rachel’s publication day, right? The day her brand-new book, How to Knit a Love Song comes out? What are you waiting for? Go get it! I’ve ordered mine!

• Tags: Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Front to Back // 1 Comment »

Here’s what I read in February:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

8. Writing to Learn by William Zinsser

9. Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier

10. Local Custom by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
11. Scout’s Progress by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
12. Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
13. Agent of Change by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
14. Carpe Diem by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

15. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
16. Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott

17. Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia McKillip

18. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

19. Sock Club by Charlene Schurch & Bet Parrott

20. Nature’s Wrapture by Sheryl Thies

21. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

• Tags: Monthly Reading List, Reading • Permalink:Books from February // 2 Comments »

I told you yesterday that I would tell you about my button-sorting yesterday.

I told you I bought some buttons at the new yarn shop yesterday. They each came in little plastic bags, which is good, and all, but those take up a lot more room in a button bin than loose buttons.

(And, yes, my button bin is a disposable leftover-food container. You got a problem with that?)

As we all know, loose buttons are fun to play with, but finding all the matching buttons can be, shall we say, tedious. So, an idea came to me.

I finally came up with a use for that evil Zephyr yarn that’s been lurking in my stash for going-on five years now.

I went through ALL my buttons and strung all the matching buttons together. I didn’t want to use sewing thread because I thought it wouldn’t be strong enough, but I needed a yarn that would be thin enough to fit through the button holes … not to mention easy enough to thread on a needle slim enough to fit. Lace yarn seemed perfect.

Each group is threaded on doubled-yarn. I cut a length of yarn, folded it in half, and threaded it onto the needle at the fold. Then I threaded each button onto the needle, and once they were all there, tucked the tip of the needle through the loop at the far end, and then tied a knot.

When put back in the button bin, sure they all look just as jumbled as before, but I can easily pull out each group of buttons. SO much easier.

Of course, it’s just fun playing with them, too. It’s like I suddenly have dozens of new (tiny) bracelets to wear.

• Tags: General • Permalink:Button Order // 5 Comments »