An innocent Boykin Spaniel was attacked by a goat at a birthday party today. Film at 11:00.

See, it was my favorite shepherd’s birthday today, and a whole bunch of us from the MVFF Ravelry group (masterminded by Lauria) got together to raise money for bales of hay for the farm.

Between all of us, we put together a card and a “check” of all the money that had been collected via Paypal … $1,051.28. Enough for almost 162 bales of hay! I’m not sure how much hay they go through a day, but that should keep them going for at least a couple weeks, huh?

Of course, it’s even more fun if you add in a surprise, so … we did. Four of us group members (and a few extra family members, like Mom and Chappy) all secretly met at the corner up the road from the farm, and then pulled up all at once to surprise Susan and Erin.

Then we dragged Susan over to the Lambcam to give her her present–so that everybody ELSE would have a chance to see it, too. (Oh, and you can watch the video that Jean of Scottish Lamb made–here.)

Yeah. I’d say she was surprised!

Concentrating on the gift-giving wasn’t easy, either, because the Lambcam is, of course, in the Nursery. And you know what that means.

Lots and lots of nannies and baby kids. (All that mohair, just waiting to grow.)

If you watch the Lambcam (and, why wouldn’t you?), you only get to see a corner of the pen. But let me tell you–with over 20 babies and their moms, there is a lot of cuteness going on in there.

LOTS of cuteness.

We even got to meet Nickelodeon, the baby I was lucky enough to name. (Say it with me now … Awwww!) (That’s also him sharing a private moment with his Mom in that little shelter, just above.)

But … there was danger in that pen.

Notice all those adult, mama faces pointing our way?

Yeah, they were mostly all watching my sweet, innocent Chappy.

Now, he’s met them before–face to face with the babies, even, last year. But maybe because there were so many babies, or because they were littler, or just because goat #9 (I think it was Nana/#9) didn’t like him … there was trouble.

Chappy was innocently standing next to me, doing NOTHING more threatening than wagging his tail, when she rushed him and butted him right on the head, making my poor boy yelp. (She’s got horns, you know; he only has fur.) But, well, she had babies to protect, and after that, he kept even more distance–trying to keep me between him and the Moms. Except, that was kind of hard.

Then, we were standing next to one of the yurts and he was sitting down between me and Susan, which is about as protected and unthreatening a place as he could be, when she butted him again and knocked him rolling.

Poor Chappy! After that, we went right out of the pen and he huddled up next to me for a few minutes, saying, “But I didn’t DO anything!” while I tried to explain she was just being extra sensitive because of her babies. But after that, he wasn’t exactly interested in going back in the pen anymore, so we kept the fence between us and them.

And Chappy relieved his feelings by barking at just about every chicken he saw. He just can’t help it–he thinks they’re just weird looking birds, outside of his food dish!

Did I mention that there was cake?

Really, this was SO much nicer than spending the day at work. I got to spend a few hours with a bunch of fiber-loving friends, on a beautiful day, spreading birthday cheer. AND I got to bring home my Spring CSA Share, which had gone AWOL for a while.

And, the best part? We get to go up in another week for the Shearing Festival on May 9th!

Tags: General by --Deb
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Here’s a look at my Fountain Pen Shawl. I’m on the fifth of 10 repeats, and the rows are slowing down. This is made, you’ll remember, out of my handspun yarn. My MVFF Cormo died by Jessica in the MVFF colors.

Mmmm. So pretty.

Oh, and Chuck? I told you should watch Chuck tonight, right? Well, I came home with my three $5 Footlong sandwiches for supper tonight and found this…

Mom made a Chuck Centerpiece for supper!

I tell you, I just adore my mother. How can you not appreciate someone with a sense of silliness like that? I mean, the flag on the top!

And, honestly? That’s it for the night. I have to go color my hair and then sit eagerly by the television, waiting for 8:00.

At least I had knitting to show you, right? Although, no, I don’t think I’ll be doing lace while watching Chuck tonight–too much concentration. I’ll work on Chappy’s blanket instead!

Tags: Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Chappy just couldn’t wait this weekend. Yesterday morning, we took him to Cooper Mill for a walk in the woods. It’s been a year and a half since we’ve been there, but it was just as nice for a walk. I love this picture of him, too.

This tree had fallen across the path and I figured it was a good place to stop and rest a little, but he just wanted to keep going. Doesn’t he look eager and interested, looking onward down the trail?

It was a beautiful day, too. We went early enough in the day that it wasn’t TOO hot yet. Because, it was pretty hot this weekend. Especially for April. Ninety degrees is just ridiculous for Spring.

The trees don’t even have leaves yet, so there’s no shade to be found, and by noon yesterday, it was definitely feeling pretty warm. Now, I know, there are a lot of you who are delighted that the warm temperatures have arrived, but my personal feeling is that anything above 80 is too hot, and for it to be 90 in April? Absurd! Those are Summer temperatures, not Spring temperatures.

Mom was busy taking pictures, too. And then, after our walk, we stopped for some coffee in Chester and then came home and tried to stay cool.

Today–because you have to admit he was looking kind of shaggy (look at those toes!)–I gave Chappy a haircut. He complained, but I told him that the rest of the goats and sheep at the MVFF were sheared yesterday, and he could consider it a solidarity thing. Of course, then he reminded me that it’s been four months since he’s seen the goats and sheep, so how much solidarity could he be expected to feel, but, well … he needed the haircut.

Otherwise? I baked a fast cake this morning–I got it mixed and in the oven even before I ate my breakfast, so that I could get the hot part done as early as possible. I did some writing for a client (w00t), published a book review at Knitting Scholar, and made homemade tomato sauce for supper.

Oh, and obsessed on Chuck.

Now, before you roll your eyes and say, “Again with the Chuck, Deb?” let me just make two very important (to me) points.

1. Tomorrow is the season finale, and by all accounts, it’s going to be mind-blowingly good. The critics who’ve been lucky enough to see it have announced that it is incredible, and the people who make the show have said that not only is it great–which, yes, of course they think so–but that you don’t have to be a fan to appreciate it. That it really works more like the first episode of Season Three by rewriting the direction of the show. So, first, you should WATCH IT.

But, (2) Even if you don’t want to watch the show … and I suppose I can understand not wanting to start watching with the season’s final episode, kind of … but even if you don’t plan to watch … Do me a favor, and stop at Subway for lunch or for dinner tomorrow. Because, you have to eat, right?

One of the easiest campaigns to participate in to save this, my absolute favorite show, is to buy a $5 Footlong sub at Subway on the day of the finale. That’s tomorrow, April 27th. Subway is one of the show’s biggest sponsors and it’s an easy way to put your money where your mouth is. And even if you just wanted to, say, humor me and make me shut up without giving up an hour of your time on Monday night? (Though, as I say, the show is well worth your while.) This would be an easy way for you to help out my favorite show. Even the show’s star, Zachary Levi, took 600 of his closest friends to a Subway in England to support the show.

(And, um, if you wanted to leave a comment card while you’re there, saying “Thanks for supporting Chuck on NBC,” that would be nice, too.)

Still don’t believe me, when I tell you this show is good television? Check out all the links. I mean, when you’ve got mainstream TV critics,  The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Entertainment Weekly, Time Magazine, even NPR, for goodness sakes, all rooting for the same show, not just because it’s a “Rabid Fans Go Nuts” kind of story, but because the show is GOOD, well … if eating a Subway sandwich can help … why wouldn’t you?

Because–not just counting this specific show–I have to tell you, the trend in television entertainment toward more and more reality shows and fewer scripted shows–especially fewer GOOD scripted shows–worries me. If people are only watching the dreck and not supporting the good stuff, the networks are going to stop making the good stuff. And that just terrifies me. I don’t watch sports. I hate reality shows. I don’t like game shows. And I don’t watch television that makes me feel stupid or relies on lowest-common-denominator humor.

I like television that makes me think (no show was better at that than The West Wing), or shows that make me feel good (Gilmore Girls, Friday Night Lights), or just keep me entertained (Big Bang Theory, Burn Notice). We don’t get premium cable channels, and I can’t watch the Sci-fi channel anywhere but our living room because I don’t have a cable box in my bedroom. So there are all sorts of shows I can’t watch. (And, with the violence and bad language, I have to admit that even the “good” shows on HBO and Showtime don’t really appeal to me anyway.) There are more and more nights every week where Mom and I put in DVDs of shows from years past–Quantum Leap, Early Edition, Remington Steele, Joan of Arcadia–because there’s simply nothing being broadcast that we want to watch.

Chuck on NBC is one of the few exceptions. It’s funny. It’s well written. The acting is fabulous. And it bends genres by covering action-spy stories just as well as it does the funny comedy. It does it all well, and that is NOT an easy balance to hit. It’s miles more entertaining than the dark and confusing Heroes, and it’s just GOOD. And in this economy, with bad things happening to everyone left and right, I really need some good entertainment in my life.

So, um, eat at Subway tomorrow, huh? And, honestly, try watching CHUCK! Watch it live tomorrow night, but also check out the episodes on Hulu.com. Because, well, you should!

Tags: General by --Deb
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Chappy wanted to play, too!

• A – Age: 7 and a half.
• B – Bed size: Crate. Except on weekends when I get to sleep on the bed with Mom.
• C – Chore you hate: Vacuuming.
• D – Dog’s name: Um, I AM the dog. Chappy!
• E – Essential start your day item: Mommy! Breakfast!
• F – Favorite color: Um, I’m a dog. We don’t really see that many colors.
• G – Gold or Silver: Silver, I guess, since that’s what’s on my collar.
• H – Height: 24″
• I – Instruments you play(ed): I don’t play any instruments, but I can sing the blues when I’m sad.
• J – Job title: Family Dog
• K – Kid(s): Mommy said I couldn’t have any, and really, I’m too carefree to want to be a Dad, anyway.
• L – Living arrangements: I live with my Mommy!
• M – Mom’s name: Mommy, of course! But other people call her Deb.
• N – Nicknames: Honey Boy. Puppy-face. Chappy-face. Chapperdo. Fuzzy face. Happy Chappy. … Um, okay, this is a little embarrassing.
• O – Overnight hospital stay other than birth: I was at the vet overnight when I was 6 months old being fixed, even though I’m still not sure what was broken.
• P – Pet Peeve: I don’t have any pets… What? Oh. People eating food right in front of me and then not sharing. That’s just rude!
• Q – Quote from a movie: Woof! (Lady and the Tramp)
• R – Right or left handed: I’m left-pawed.
• S – Siblings: I had 5 brothers and one sister. Oh, and Katy, I guess.
• T – Time you wake up: Whenever Mommy wakes up. I’m very patient.
• U- Underwear: That’s just silly. I’m a DOG!
• V – Vegetable you dislike: Lettuce. But I loooooove carrots.
• W – Ways you run late: Dogs are never late. We’re never early, either. We’re right on time because we live in the moment.
• X – X-rays you’ve had: That’s something at the vet, right?
• Y – Yummy food you make: I don’t make any food, but I LOVE to eat it. Just about anything (except fruit–ick), but especially what Mommy makes for me. Mmmm. Food…
• Z – Zoo favorite: What’s a zoo? Can I bark at it?

Tags: General by --Deb
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I spotted this over at Thinking About and thought it looked fun. Especially, you know, in the absense of more in-depth blog fodder. Although, I had a meeting this evening with a freelancing client, so, woohoo for me!

• A – Age: 42
• B – Bed size: Twin (Yes, really)
• C – Chore you hate: Drying dishes, because, won’t they just dry on their own anyway? (Emptying the dishwasher is right up there, too.)
• D – Dog’s name: Chappy
• E – Essential start your day item: Breakfast–almost always a bowl of Quaker Old-Fashioned Oatmeal, with a cup of coffee. (The coffee is there for the flavor, heat and steam to get my sinuses awake, not so much for the caffeine.)
• F – Favorite color: Greens-and-blues, and those red/gold/orange Autumn colors.
• G – Gold or Silver: Silver
• H – Height: 5?3?
• I – Instruments you play(ed): Flute. Guitar (though I was never able to master bar chords). Would have loved to learn piano.
• J – Job title: Special Projects Coordinator at my day job, Freelance Writer
• K – Kid(s): See “D” above … Chappy! And, of course, his predecessor, Katy.
• L – Living arrangements: Happily living with my parents–because, yes, we get along that well, and no, I don’t ever want to regret not having spent enough time with them while I could.
• M – Mom’s name: Joan
• N – Nicknames: None, really. Deb or Debbie is pretty much it. (Just don’t call me Debra. My much-disliked Kindergarten teacher insisted on calling me that and pretty much spoiled it for me. I sign it on official documents, that’s about it.)
• O – Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Nope, that was it. Although I spent my first 5 weeks in the hospital because I was born so early and was so small.
• P – Pet Peeve: People being selfishly rude for no good reason–cutting in line, changing lanes without signalling. Rude!
• Q – Quote from a movie: “It’ll all work out in the end.” “How?” “I dunno. It’s a mystery.” (Shakespeare in Love)
• R – Right or left handed: Right
• S – Siblings: 1 older sister, Patty. (And also my long-deceased identical twin, Susan. See “O” above.)
• T – Time you wake up: 6:45 on weekdays; between 8:30-9:00 on weekends
• U- Underwear: Jockey
• V – Vegetable you dislike: Um… really, I like most of them. I prefer some cooked (broccoli) and some raw (carrots), but I can’t really think of any I truly dislike
• W – Ways you run late: I usually don’t. I’m ridiculously prompt, but this is an improvement because when I was younger I was regularly 10 minutes early to everything. If I’m late at all, it’s usually because I got involved in a book and lost track of time. (What, doesn’t everybody read in the bathroom before they leave the house?)
• X – X-rays you’ve had: Teeth at the dentist. Broken wrist in 7th grade.
• Y – Yummy food you make: “Grandma Cake”–the family-favorite recipe handed down from my grandmother. But, really, naturally, all my baking is yummy!
• Z – Zoo favorite: None. I can’t even remember the last time I was at a zoo of any kind … probably somewhere around 1981. I can’t say I miss them.

Tags: General by --Deb
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You’re probably wondering if I do anything OTHER than watch the Lambcam and Chuck these days, right?

Well, yes.

You know, of course, that I finished my afghan the other day. I love it, and my only problem with it is with the ruffly border. It LOOKS great, but makes it almost impossible to fold neatly, so it doesn’t look as lovely draped over my red chair as it really deserves to look. But, well, I can deal with that. (And didn’t I tell you this color was going to be just smashing against my gold-yellow walls?)

My current project … well, there are two. One is to make Chappy some kind of smallish blanket out of the remaining 7 skeins of yarn leftover from the Sylvi afghan. He doesn’t really like having a big blanket in his crate, anyway. He’s had a towel to snuggle with in his crate since he was a puppy–one of this big, bath towels. (Ideal for puppies because they can chew on the ends without causing too much damage, and they’re easy to clean in case of accidents.) On the occasions when I’ve given him a second towel, though–if it’s a particularly cold night, or he’s still damp from a bath–it takes him longer to settle down and get comfy. I think it gets in his way.

This, of course, is one of my main arguments for him as to why he really can’t have my pretty, large afghan for his crate! But, a smaller one, made from the remaining seven skeins? That should be just about right. I’ll probably just cast on 50 stitches and knit in seed stitch until I run out of yarn … although, I wonder if he’d like a border?

My other project is the Fountain Pen Shawl which I just started. Actually, I started it just before Mom and I went dog-sitting at the beginning of the month because I needed a more portable project than the Sylvi Afghan. But then, we were so busy entertaining all the dogs, I never actually had time to sit and knit. (Besides, I only ever knit when I’m socializing or when I’m watching television, and since the only thing we watched while we were away was Friday Night Lights and I was busy petting Silas at the time, knitting wasn’t really an option.) So, basically, I’ve been technically working on this since March, but, really, have only just got going.

The yarn I’m using for it (and this was supposed to be particularly appropriate) is my MVFF Cormo that Jessica dyed for me in the MVFF colors. You know, because I was bringing it back to Martha’s Vineyard to knit. But, well, at least it visited the island, right? And, as always, it is a sheer pleasure knitting with yarn I’ve spun myself. I almost went for a solid lace yarn out of my stash because I think this pattern is gorgeous and variated yarns can draw away some attention, but, well … it’s my handspun. I couldn’t resist.

And the color is really washed out in that picture. I’ll try to do better next time. It looks more like this … because, well, it’s the same stuff:

Actually, it’s kind of interesting. Right now, I’m not only knitting some of that MVFF-colored MVFF Cormo into a shawl, but I have a new skein of the plied yarn, right off the wheel.

AND I have a bobbin being spun of some of the still unspun roving. Which means that at this moment, I still have some of the dyed-but-unspun wool, I have an active bobbin being spun, I have a bobbin of singles that I made on Saturday that’s waiting to be plied, I have a completed skein that just needs to be washed, and I have a ball of yarn being knitted into a shawl … all from the same batch of dyed Cormo.

How cool is that? It’s like the Lifecycle of Roving.

Did you know it’s Liz/Lizzy B’s birthday today? And, to celebrate, she actually wrote a blog post!

I showed you pictures of Baby N being born live on the Lambcam the other night, but did I tell you that Susan said that I get to pick the name? How cool is that, huh? All because I picked up my phone and called them to help them position the camera so all of us in internet-land could view the birth as it happened. The rule is that the name has to be a font, and it has to start with an N. So what did I pick? Nickelodeon.

And yes, of course, I DID watch Chuck last night and it was amazing. The hardest part right now is (1) seeing how great it is and how the writers are completely changing the basis of the entire show and (2) not knowing if it’s coming back to explore that. Not to mention that, much as I am encouraging all of you who haven’t watched to watch … well, is it fair to get you hooked when there’s only one episode left? (That we know of.) I’m drawing comfort from the fact that the sets haven’t been broken down and that there are so many really great articles from professional television watchers raving about the show. It’s not just crazy fans, you know? What I hope is that NBC really does plan to renew it but is riding the wave of incredibly good free publicity. I mean, if they told us now that they were renewing it, we’d all breathe a sigh of relief and shut up, and stop talking about it so much. I mean, you can’t buy this kind of free press, and if I have to pay for a third season by (1) shilling this show to every person I know and (2) living at the very end of my nerve endings until the Fall schedule is announced on May 5th, so be it. I am willing to suffer for two more weeks SO LONG AS THE SHOW COMES BACK!

Oh, and as soon as I’m done here, I’m going to go check out what music was played in last night’s episode, because it was fantastic. It’s really appalling how few of the artists I’ve heard of–especially since so many of them are from the 80s. But this is my main way of expanding my musical horizons these days–by following up on songs played in favorite tv shows. (Hey, it works.)

Tags: Eye-Candy Friday, Finished Spinning, General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading by --Deb
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My deepest sympathies to Kay over at Mason-Dixon who just lost her husband. Kay, I am so, so sorry.

This, of course, makes my reminder to watch Chuck tonight kind of irrelevant, huh? But, um, read this article, anyway, not to mention the one in today’s NY Times.

Tags: General by --Deb
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Welcome to Baby N, delivered LIVE on the Lambcam on Sunday night, about 7:00 pm.

I even helped a tiny bit–they were wondering if the camera was positioned so all of us in internet-land could see, so, um … I called! (Isn’t it handy that I had Susan’s cellphone number?)

And … here’s the essence of Job Satisfaction for you:

Welcome to Baby Boy N!

Tags: General by --Deb
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Yep. If you didn’t get the hint before, I was trying to tell you that my afghan is DONE.

The only thing left is to weave in the ends from the border.

The whole thing measures about 55″ x 65″. It took just about exactly 23 skeins of the Bollicine Victor yarn I used for it, and I’m very happy with it.

Well–the one thing I would change? I like the way the border ruffles on the side, but don’t love the way it kind of pulls the afghan out of shape–it doesn’t like to lay flat as a rectangle, and that slightly offends my sense of order. Rectangles should look like rectangles! But, since the only way to fix that would be to redo most of the border, well … I can deal.

I DID think about running a line of crochet around the border, where it meets the original, center rectangle, to give it a little more firmness. I might decide to do that, but for the moment, I’m just enjoying the fact that it’s done and so darn pretty. And, you know, trying to convince Chappy that it is not his.

It’s done just in the nick of time, too, because it was 80 degrees today. Beautiful day, but a little warm for sitting under this much wool in my lap. I spent the afternoon at Jessica’s, happily spinning outside with my NJ fiber friends, which was as much fun as usual. (And, no, I didn’t take any pictures.)

I’ve been telling you all about the MV Fiber Farm Lambcam for a while now. (Would you believe that they had NINE baby goats born yesterday? Four sets of twins, and one single. Wow.) Did you know that they were featured on Cute Overload yesterday?

Ooh, and folks, look! Chuck Season Two is available to pre-order on DVD!

Do I need to tell you again how great the show is and that you not only should watch it, but that you really SHOULD order the DVD set so you can see the whole thing?

(And, yes, I don’t care how tight money is, I have already pre-ordered mine. At this stage of my Chuck obsession, it’s not a luxury; it’s a necessity. Like listening to the 31 songs I’ve downloaded for my MP3 player in the last week. That show has GREAT music.)

Tags: Finished Knitting, General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Just, you know, a hint as to what I’ve been up to…

Tags: General by --Deb
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Mmm … now, this kind of lamb, I’m willing to eat!

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Tags: Eye-Candy Friday by --Deb
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Normally, I seem to have lousy luck tuning into the MVFF Lambcam in time to see anything really interesting. Don’t get me wrong–I enjoy watching the goats and chickens wandering around, munching on things. It’s very soothing. Very peaceful.

But, in the last couple weeks, the excitement has ramped up–because babies were imminent! Finally, Saturday, Arno, the first baby was born. Then, we had Bell. But, today??

Not one, but TWO sets of brand-new twin kids.

Can you stand the cuteness?

I opened up that window just in time to see Susan and Erin step in front of the camera to introduce us to these four new baby faces.

SO cute. I can’t wait to find out what their names will be. For those tracking at home, the first set of these will have names of fonts that start with C, and the others will start with D … and from what I understand, they’re going to need E and F fonts very soon!

Tags: General by --Deb
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Yep. I’m closing in on the end of this border.

Just this much more to go.

It doesn’t look like much, but really, this is going to take me several more days, yet. But, hopefully, this will be done by the end of the weekend.

Which is good, because it’s getting way too bulky to carry around the house (grin).

Hey! That means I can start thinking about my next project, doesn’t it? Hmmm…!

And, oh, people, you MUST go over to the MV Fiber Farm blog and look at the scrumptious, adorable baby goat pictures. So. Darn. Cute!!

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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First things first.

Isn’t this just about the most handsome dog you’ve ever seen?

(I threw in the “just about” to give those of you with handsome dogs of your own an “out” so you can admit that Chappy is incredibly handsome in this picture without getting into too much trouble at home.)

I washed my newly spun yarn, too, which you see here. About 250 yards, if I remember correctly, and I have absolutely no idea what, if anything, I’m going to do with it. It doesn’t matter if I’ve got pattern books with “one-skein” ideas or not, I just never feel very inspired by small amounts of yarn. Besides, it’s awfully pink for my taste (grin). Awfully pretty, though!

Oh, and folks? WATCH CHUCK tonight!!

I’m terrified it’s not going to get renewed, and am growing more obsessed every day, and am even listening to my own personal playlist of Chuck Songs. Because they have a great soundtrack. (See? Here’s a list of tracks. And here’s a “soundtrack” that the nice people at GMMR put together–you can just click play and let it stream onto your computer.) … Though some of the songs are ones that I might not usually choose to listen to, but they resonated so perfectly with the scenes they were in, I’ve grown obsessed. (“Christmas and Me are Through,” “Luisa’s Bones,” “Daddy’s Gone.”)

Tags: General by --Deb
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Family fun. Good food. Plenty of sunshine (even if it was also windy and about 40 degrees).

I even got some spinning done. Please note that I spun these singles on my Journey wheel–the most time we’ve spent together in months. I finished the singles just before we ate dinner at 1:30, and then plied them with my Woolee Winder on my Little Gem and promptly skeined them. This is the Spunky Eclectic “Pie for Everyone” from the monthly fiber club I was in in 2007.

Hey, the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm finally got its first baby goat of the year. (Lambcam has been on baby-watch since 3/26.) Little baby Arno. So, so cute!

Tags: Family, Finished Spinning, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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Yep. This afghan keeps getting bigger and bigger. It’s now substantially bigger than my knitting bag, and doesn’t even stay on top of Chappy’s crate (which is where I keep my knitting bag). It’s  bigger than my basket of yarn, too.

I sometimes wonder if Chappy worries about the crate falling on his head at night?

(No, no, that can’t happen. Don’t worry about him!)

And, isn’t this a pretty sight? That’s freelancing Client Number Two, right there. How exciting is that? I’m starting to think that I need to find an accountant or bookkeeper or something.

It’s been a quiet, wet day today. I drove Mom into town this morning for a chiropractor appointment, and hung out at Starbucks, waiting for her. I spent the time trying to work out that plot point my novel has been stuck on, and that I’m starting to think it’s permanently stuck on, which frustrates me to no end. It’s really not surprising that I haven’t made any headway on this book since 2004.

I also did some cooking. Baked a cake for Easter. Made some vegetable soup for my own supper–and ended up with plenty more that I now have to find room in the refrigerator for. Tomorrow’s dinner will be easy, though. We got a free turkey from the grocery store and are having that, with baked potatoes, asparagus, and corn. And the cake I made today, and biscuits that my sister is bringing (which will probably be carrot-shaped).

Okay–going to go try to find Client Number Three…

Tags: General by --Deb
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You know that Mom and I take books with us when we travel–usually something picked that’s short enough and pleasant enough that we can get it finished before we can get home. Which means that young adult books tend to be just about perfect. So, for last week’s trip, this is the book I picked.

Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher. See the price up in the corner? This book cost $1.50.

How long have I had it?

Since I was 10 and a half. I signed my name, wrote my age, and then practiced different ways of writing numbers to try out different variations. (The winners are circled.) (And no, I don’t know why I didn’t just use notebook paper.) Anyway, I signed my name again when I was 13, and updated it yet again at 15 … along with my little “seal” with a D, A, and B all together.

Ah, memories.

And, do you know? This book is just as sweet, charming and enjoyable as it was when I read it 32 years ago. Not bad for a book that’s 90 years old, huh?

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Tags: Eye-Candy Friday by --Deb
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With my able assistant…

Because Chappy so very much loves to rub his head against soft, fibery things…

Of course, it makes taking pictures of the actual afghan a little trickier.

But he’s okay with that.

Tags: General, Knitting/Spinning by --Deb
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I know, I keep raving about Chuck. I love this show. (Mom keeps teasing me by chanting “Chuck, Chuck. I love Chuck” in a breathless, little girl voice.)

But it’s true.

Why do I enjoy this show so much? It’s the only one that I absolutely Will. Not. Miss. Every Monday at 8:00, I am in front of my television, riveted. And while I do usually watch television at 8:00 while knitting, there really aren’t that many shows on right now that I care about.

But, Chuck is different. Chuck is fun.

Chuck manages to combine international espionage spy-stuff, with the cool gadgets, the secret facilities, the gun fights, the action, car chases, and some impressively choreographed fight scenes with outright comedy and light-heartedness. Add in a smoking-hot cast. Zachary Levi. Yvonne Strahovski. Adam Baldwin. Sarah Lancaster. Ryan McPartlin. These folks are all so very easy on the eyes (as are most of the guest-villains).

More than that, they can ACT. Everyone on this cast is totally believable in their roles, and carry off the seriousness, foolishness, funniness, gravitas, or whatever kind of -ness they need with totally convincing flair. (And, in Yvonne Strahovski’s case, in a foreign accent as well. She’s Australian but does a knock-dead American accent.) And Casey’s growls are divine.

Then there are the writers, who do a bang-up job coming up with stories that are convincing and have the right mix of drama/comedy. They manage to keep Chuck and Sarah’s characters interested in each other, but separated, without too much unnecessary angst. They give Chuck’s compatriots at the Buy More enough to do to add some levity to otherwise serious episodes. (Although I think they get more air-time than they often deserve, but when done well–which it usually is–they’re outright funny).

They can use guest stars without making it look like a casting stunt. Chuck has had some GREAT guest stars. Chevy Chase. Scott Bakula. John Larroquette. Tricia Helfer. Jordana Brewster. Michael Clark Duncan. Tony Hale. Nicole Richie. Ben Savage. Morgan Fairchild. Bruce Boxleitner. Andy Richter. Jenny McCarthy. Gary Cole. Dominic Monaghan. Jonathan Cake. Robert Picardo. And that’s just in Season 2. And each one played characters that FIT, and didn’t feel like stunt-casting.

Did I mention that this show is just FUN? It hits on all cylinders AND I swear, it just keeps getting better and better. I haven’t  been disappointed by an episode all season.

I am not the only one loving this show, either. Just in the last week or so, look at some of the impressive pleas to NBC to renew it.

• GiveMeMyRemote.com has proclaimed this “Chuck Week,” and even redone its banner for the week to read “Give Me My Chuck.” (For that matter, check out their collection of links to various “Save Chuck” sites.)

• Alan Sepinwall has given his reasons why this show deserves to be renewed. It’s also on his best shows of the year list from last year … and its 2009 shows are JUST as good.

• Maureen Ryan from the Chicago Tribune is a huge fan, too.

• Television Without Pity gave its Seven Reasons why Chuck deserves a Third Season. An entire post devoted to this one show, rather than just putting it on its list of generally deserving shows.

• The Fien Print over at Hitfix is lauding the show.

• Jace over at Televisionary is raving about it every week, but particularly about this week’s episode with Scott Bakula and Chevy Chase.

• Media Predict is cautiously optimistic.

• Here’s a series of Reasons to Watch at RTVW

• How about a list of the 5 Best Episodes (So Far) from Ducky?

• Not to mention a whole campaign over at Chucktv.net?

• Oh, and if you’re a Scott Bakula fan, here’s a great interview with him. (Heaven knows I’ve been a huge fan since Quantum Leap.)

Now, seriously. I can’t think WHY NBC hasn’t renewed this show yet. It’s true that its ratings aren’t as good as one might hope, but it’s airing on what may be the most challenging hour of programming.

It’s also really good, scripted television–not some of that reality dreck (or, dare I say, talk shows) that they’re so fond of lately.

Of course, I’m not unreasonable. NBC’s new, um, plan for Prime Time–the one that had them eliminate 1/3 of possible programming time for scripted prime time shows–does limite the possible slots where Chuck could air for next year. I could live with it coming back as a mid-season replacement, if it had to. A deal with Direct-TV where it airs via satellite first, but not live on NBC for months? I’d rather have to wait for months to see season 3, if I at least GET to see a season 3! Because this show is so entertaining.

If you have a Nielson box, please help out and WATCH. If you don’t check out some of the options on the Save Chuck campaign.

Because, darn it, this show is far, far too good to let die. And with the way the economy and all sorts of other things keep piling up bad news? I’ll be crushed to lose this show–one of the very few that actually entertains and diverts me.

Not to mention being fun.

Tags: General by --Deb
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