Sunset
How about some pretty sky for a Monday?
I took this just as I left the office tonight.
And this a few minutes later, when we took Chappy out for a walk when I got home.
Pretty, huh?
Something Bright
We got some bad news from the bank today, but instead of dwelling on that, thought I’d just share this pretty picture instead (colors extra saturated, thanks to Photoshop).
I took this on my way to work yesterday morning. (In fact, you can just see the edge of my car window on the right.
But there’s also that patch of rainbow on the right … it looked even better in person.
A back-lit swoosh of white cloud, pointing right at three spots of rainbow.
… That almost looks like a footprint in this picture…
Pretty, no?
Yes…
Some dramatic sky for you–I took this while driving home from Jessica’s house a couple weeks ago. (Yes, I was driving; yes, I was very careful while I reached into my purse to get the camera; yes, I know I should have two hands on the wheel at all times; yes, I know my windshield was dirty.)
Otherwise? It’s been gray, foggy, rainy, and wet all day–except for about 3 minutes of sunshine after we left the bookstore. Because, yes, Mom and I went to the bookstore with my $15 gift card from my sister and my 20%-off-one-item certificate from Borders.com. The fact that I fell off the wagon and spent $89 on books is completely irrelevant, and yes, I know, too, that I’m supposed to be saving my money … but, hey, you’ve got to keep the economy ticking over, you know? The money’s not doing anybody any good just sitting in the bank. And, besides, I bought books for Mom and Dad, too.
In fact, when I’m in a bookstore, I like to browse alone. Having whoever I’m with wandering the aisles with me can be pleasantly social, but I can’t browse. So–I told Mom I’d buy her a book. (Talk about role-reversal–that’s what she used to tell me to get rid of me for a while!) After a little while, she came and found me and said, “That’s really nice, but it would be even nicer if you brought Dad home a book.” I looked at her and said, “Yes, I already thought of that, but I figured I’d wait until you’d picked out YOUR book, and then send you off to find one for Dad.”
Got to keep the “kids” busy, you know?
Let’s see–I was writing up a new set of Knitting Scholar interview questions yesterday, and then GMAIL ATE THEM. Did you know this? It’s possible to have an open draft and to have Google not only NOT save the changes, but to discard the whole thing? I actually just tried to recreate this so that I could explain it to you clearly, as a warning, but … I still don’t know how it happened. But I DO know I’m not the only one. So … just be careful when you write email drafts. You’re better off using GoogleDocs, or Word or Notepad, or SOMETHING else, just to be safe!
So, I got the extra fun of recreating about 25 interview questions … thank heaven I’d started by scrawling general ideas for questions in a notebook, and not by sitting in front of the computer, like I usually do! I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying doing these interviews. The reviews themselves are satisfying, but the interviews are just so much FUN! Hmm, I wonder what Meg Swansen is doing in the next couple of months?
And now … I’m helping Ruth out with some test knitting. (When’s the last time you heard me say THAT?) So … got to go!
Legal
Well, for the second Saturday in a row, Chappy got a ride in the car … but today’s was MUCH calmer.
Not to mention successful. Chappy got his rabies shot and is legal for three more years. I don’t know if I was the only one who complained to the mayor about not getting a postcard in the mail prior to our town’s Rabies Clinic last weekend, but they took action anyway. On Thursday, I got a letter in the mail listing all the other rabies clinics in the area for the next few weekends, as well as a couple low-cost options at Petco stores.
For those of you not in New Jersey, to get Chappy’s license in January, he MUST get the rabies vaccination by the end of this month. I believe (though am not positive) that this is true for most if not all of the state, since most towns that have the rabies clinics have them either in October or November–but not later than November. (And my town has a second one in May for cats.)
But, anyway, we went this morning for the 10:00 clinic and were the first ones on line, at 9:30–beating the second, third, and fourth people by all of about 30 seconds. By the time they started, there were 30-40 people on line behind us. And, luckily, at that point it was just barely misting. It’s actually raining now–we’re so glad we didn’t get drenched!
I’m sure none of you would be surprised to hear that Chappy behaved perfectly? He was friendly to his fellow queuers, behaved nicely with the vet, didn’t yelp, whimper, cringe, or otherwise complain about the shot, and he was perfect in the car. SUCH a good boy! He so deserves the sardines I put in the batch of Chappy Food I cooked when I got home.
Luckily, I didn’t get confused and add those to the birthday cake I was baking. Because, ew!
I promised you pictures of the yarn I got for my birthday. 600 yds of Superwash Merino from Briar Rose. It’s a dark color, so it’s hard to photograph. The darker of these two pictures is more accurate as to how it really looks, but the lighter one–where I used the flash–gives you a better idea of what colors are in there. It’s like a walk through the woods.
Oh, and some Saturday Sky for you. I took this a week ago on my way to work, but only just got it off my camera. I’ve noticed that my Canon Elph is starting to misbehave … do you suppose it’s sulking, because it’s not my favorite camera any more?
Oh, and here’s irony for you–the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes book I got for my birthday? The central idea is that you make a BIG batch of dough and keep it in the fridge, so that you can bake a fresh loaf as needed. The problem? Where, oh where, are we going to put such a big container of bread dough? Sure, we don’t always have a 5 lb pot roast sitting front and center (that’s for tomorrow’s family dinner), but, um, there’s really not much room in there… This could be a problem!
Okay … got to go and frost the cake!
Mileage May Vary
Well! I certainly am racking up the miles lately! I’ve put well over 800 miles on my car since the beginning of the month. I’m well aware that this might be peanuts to some people (like, say, my sister), but for me, that’s huge. (To give you an idea, my car will be 7 years old in December, and I only just passed 47,000 miles last week.) This total for the month includes, of course, the 220 mile round trip to Rhinebeck last week, and the 90-mile (round trip) to the Garden State Sheep and Wool festival, and the 70 or so to Liberty State Park and back … and the 90 that we put on today, going down to Pennington and back.
Chappy mentioned this yesterday. The owner of our favorite coffeeshop on Martha’s Vineyard (source of Mom’s favorite blueberry scones) was here in NJ for a book signing for her new cookbook, Table Talk. (Mom wrote about this on her blog, too.) So, naturally, we trekked down to Pennington to see her and get a signed copy.
Um–I should tell you that the cookbook DOES have the Blueberry Scone recipe in it. The one my Mom drools over. The scones that she buys and hoards in the freezer. The scones that she loves so much that, one year, I called Espresso Love and ordered a half-dozen to be shipped overnight just to surprise Mom. And, boy, was she surprised! Actually, she ended up with extras because Carol (the owner) had misunderstood and, even though I specifically said Valentine’s Day when I placed the order, she goofed and shipped them a week early, and then felt so badly about it, she shipped another batch the following (correct) week, free of charge, so Mom ended up with a full dozen.
Anyway, yeah, THAT recipe is in there. So is a great beef stew recipe, which I know is great because the market where we bought the book today cooked up a batch and was giving out samples. (Yes, the book-signing was at a grocery store, how cool is that, huh?) There are breakfast foods, baked goods, main courses … a little of everything, and the recipes look good. I can already vouch for the blueberry scones, the beef stew, and the Presidential Muffins, which I often get at Espresso Love, so I’m sure the rest of the cookbook won’t disappoint.The title of the book is Table Talk by Carol McManus.
Then, since we were down that way (it’s not like Pennington is right around the corner), we stopped at the Wooly Lamb yarn shop. It’s in a shopping center right on Route 31, and has a very nice selection. I noticed it the first time I went down to visit Liz, but since the only times I’ve gone past it, I’ve had Chappy feeling queasy in the backseat, this was my first chance to actually STOP. And, about this rather poor picture? I kinneared it from a discreet corner, and–had I mentioned that it’s been raining all day?–somebody said, “Was that lightning??” Tee!
Anyway, it WAS a nice shop, and two little skeins of sock yarn followed me home. Plymouth Yarn Co Happy Feet (90% Superwash merino/10% nylon). As we wandered around the store, in fact, Mom had pulled one of these skeins out of the bin and said, “What a mess” because the skein was an untwisted, tangled pile in amongst all the other yarn. I took pity on it and its friend and retwisted it, and went on my way, browsing through the store … but before we left, I took another look at the sock yarn, and thought, “It really IS pretty yarn.” And, at only $6.50 a skein, well, it’s NICE to patronize independent stores, right? Even one week after Rhinebeck and with money really tight and just having bought a cookbook?
Right next to the yarn shop is a quilt shop, the Pennington Quilt Works, and I have to tell you, I’ve never seen such a NICE quilt shop. Huge (huge!) selection of fabric, tons of space, lots of light … If I ever take up quilting again, this is definitely a store worth a 90 mile drive to visit. I haven’t even seen a quilt store I liked since the old Contented Heart closed in Basking Ridge about 15 years ago, and this one was lovely. And, did you know they make variegated THREAD now? You know, like multicolored yarn, but thread, for sewing? I had no idea, but how cool! If I could have thought of a reason to use it, I would have bought a spool.
And–even more–there’s a beading shop in the same building. Artful Beads, who was just quieting down after a morning kid’s party. Very nice shop–also big, also well-lit, with a nice, classy atmosphere. Wooden tables, mirrors … not cheap plastic chairs and flimsy tables. It made me wish I were more adept with pliers. (Because, really, I understand the concept of beading, but don’t see how you do things like twist wire around itself, because, it’s WIRE, how do you keep it from turning?)
And that other project of mine? Done. So now–knitting wise–I can concentrate on my sweater!
I’ll leave you with some Sky. It’s not today’s sky, oh no. Today’s sky is gray and wet and dreary, but it’s a pretty one that was on my camera from the other day.
And, meanwhile, Chappy’s just glad to have us HOME.
Shhh… Quiet
So, yesterday, Mom, Chappy, and I stayed closer to home (all tihs gallivanting is wearying, you know). We did, though, go to our favorite park for a walk.
I loved the clouds–so pretty!
And I finally got a chance to stop and take a look at this field. It’s on the road between Madison and Basking Ridge, with one of those historical markers on that rock. I’ve always wanted to stop to see what it said, and yesterday was finally the day.
Not that it was really all that exciting. It’s called Margetts Field, in honor of the family who owned it. I thought it might have been a Revolutionary War battlefield or campground or something. But, no, it’s just a really lovely piece of empty land. (Better, really, than a piece of land famous for soldiers having died there.)
Today was even quieter. We had rain in the forecast, and we all had some chores to do, so … it was just a quiet day at home. Although we DID get out for a walk, during which it DID start to rain, but, well, that’s what raincoats are for, right?
At least the forecast for Rhinebeck on Saturday looks good. Got to love Sweater Weather at a wool festival!
Saturday: Areas of frost before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 55. North wind between 3 and 9 mph.
Saturday Night: Areas of frost after 1am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 32. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Otherwise–some bad news from the office, where they’ve had to lay off three more people recently. We’re down to something like 33 people and ten years ago we had about 90. We recently lost our biggest client (through no fault of our own) and there’s just no other way to make ends meet … if this even works. It’s sad and it’s scary, and I feel badly that I didn’t get to say goodbye. And I’m just hoping they can hold it together so that I continue to have a job …
But in the meantime, I think it’s a good idea (a really, really good idea) to get that Freelance thing going–for backup, if nothing else. Which I AM working on, mind you. There are just so many pieces to get into place!
I’ll say it again to all of you, though. I’m offering Freelance writing services–primarily web writing, but also general copywriting–and I’m shooting for the yarn and fiber industry as my “niche” because, well, I KNOW about yarn and fiber! And there are tons of LYSs, farmers, online stores, manufacturers, and so on who need good writing. So … do me a favor and spread the word, huh? If you know of anybody who needs a writer–send them my way.
I’ll be getting links up on this page to direct them to my writing site. But for now, Punctuality Rules is the place to go.
Oh, speaking of writing–my review of Knitting Art is up at Knitting Scholar.
More CRRNJ
It’s been a pretty quiet day, here, so here … some more pictures from our visit to Liberty State Park on Saturday. These are at the CRRNJ (Central Rail Road of New Jersey) terminal–a gorgeous building. It’s partially renovated, as in, it’s where you get the ferry, and it’s clean and has functioning restrooms … but the train tracks (as you can see) are clearly overgrown.
Which, frankly, just makes them fascinating.
Farm Sky
It was a Monday, what can I say, really? But at least the sun eventually came out. See the nice pictures I stopped to take on my way home from work?
I even took this one–of the clouds reflected in the top of my car. Just as a bonus!
Early Sky
Here’s a sky picture I took on the way to work the other day. It actually makes it look earlier than it was, because of the golden hue off in the east, but it was really about 7:50. I love the way the light is streaming through the clouds. I just had to stop the car.
Today is another gorgeous day–we’ve been having practically perfect weather lately. Sunny and right about 70 degrees (F) during the day, with a nice little nip in the air at night time. Fall is definitely coming (phew). In a little while, we’ll be taking Chappy out for a walk, and then I’ll be going to Jessica‘s for a fun afternoon of spinning, knitting, and laughing.
The only tricky part is figuring out how to get my wheel there. I’ve barely touched my wheel in weeks. (In fact, really, I’ve only touched it to move it around the room.) This means that it’s still in the middle of plying my most recent batch of singles. As in, the flyer and bobbin on the wheel are attached to the two bobbins on the lazy kate and have to stay that way until the bitter end.
This isn’t a problem while they’re sitting in my bedroom, but picking them up, putting them in the car, and transporting them to Jessica’s house? I need about three hands… Especially when you add in my knitting bag, camera, and the banana bread I baked yesterday. (Obviously, this will require at least two trips to the car, in addition to the three hands.)
As to knitting, I’ve got just a few more rows to finish Sleeve Number One on my Ingenue, and Sleeve Number Two isn’t likely to take a whole lot longer, so I really need to start thinking about my next project. I can’t remember the last time a sweater has gone so quickly! I tried it on the other day, too, just before starting the sleeve. It fits pretty well–not too tight, not too loose–but it IS just a little short. This is easily remedied if I need to, though. I figure, I’ll finish the sleeves, sew down the neckband and then block the whole thing and THEN try it on again. If at that point I still think it’s an inch or so short, I can easily unravel the cast-off row and add an extra couple ridges of the Ridge Stitch at the bottom to make it just a little longer. No worries!
Oh, hey, there’s a new poll up at Knitting Scholar … I bet you can figure out why I’m asking, too…. (grin)
Do I Need to Remind You?
Do I need to remind you what today is?
I’ve written about 9/11 before. I wrote this in 2005, only days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. I posted this amazing photo in 2006. And, last year, it just got a passing mention.
Today, I devoted the Booking Through Thursday question to 9/11 and atrocities everywhere. And I took this picture on the way to work. That “V” in the trees, just to the left of the lampost? Off on the horizon, we used to be able to see the Twin Towers there. And on 9/11/2001? The cloud of smoke spread up for miles and reached well past the border of this photo to the right …
It’s a sobering thing, really. So many things changed that day that will never be the same–not just for the familes that were shattered, but for that unique, American view that the World is a Good Place. We are a nation of optimists, really. Our forefathers believed in a nation ruled by its people. They said it right there, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”… “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”
I think that one of the worst fallouts of the terrorist attacks that day … the worst ever on U.S. soil … isn’t so much (with all respect to the devastated families) the loss of life, though that was horrific, but the loss of a certain faith and belief that things will work out. As a nation, we tend to be eternally optimistic–we may bully other nations (and I would never claim that we don’t), but our outlook tends to be that we’re doing it to HELP. Of course, this often doesn’t turn out to be the case, but I don’t think we butt in out of malice, but out of a misguided attempt to share that American Dream. But since 9/11? I often feel that we had the same wake up call that Americans had on Pearl Harbor Day. That the world can be a dreadful place and that atrocities don’t always happen “Over There.”
They can happen right here, in our backyards, and to our loved ones. And we’ve had that deer in the headlights, wide-eyed look on our collective faces ever since. 9/11. Katrina. The war in Iraq (don’t get me started). The economy. We’re all looking around, trying to figure out what happened to the America we knew.
The thing is–it’s still there. How many people have reached out to help a friend? Donated a few, hard-earned bucks to a charity to support a friend’s ride for MS? Handed out flyers? Helped a child cross the street safely? Rowed a boat through floodwaters to save a stranger? Opened their house to a displaced family? Cleaned out the pantry for a food kitchen?
In troubled times, it’s more important than ever to remember what it is that we Americans dream about. It’s not that white picket fence. It’s not 2.4 children. It’s about living in a place where it’s safe for those children, and your neighbors’ children to grow up. And where there’s room for the tired, the poor, the hungry, the cold, the displaced people of the world to find comfort and solace and a chance for a new beginning. Except for a disproportionately small group of Native Americans, ALL of us came here as immigrants at some point or another–either us, or ancestors of ours.
It doesn’t matter what color your skin is. It doesn’t matter in front of what altar you bend your knee. It doesn’t matter what accent you have, or type of hair. Your income level is irrelevant. What does matter is that under the skin, we’re all just trying to live a safe and happy life, and that we’re all neighbors, struggling to reclaim the feeling of a dream. It’s just a shame that there are small-minded people who feel that that dream is “theirs” but not yours; or that you have no right to dream anything at all when they are hungry and frightened and terrorized.
America is not perfect–especially these last few years–but at our best, we stand as a beacon of an idealistic dream that a group of people embodied two and a quarter centuries ago. The trick is remembering that that dream encompasses ALL of us. You have to work at it. You can’t expect charity. You really should learn the language. But, otherwise? Dreamers are always welcome.
But … We can never forget the nightmare. After all–it just underlines why that American Dream is so important.
Looking Up
Ooh, wasn’t the sky pretty this morning! I stopped the car at an intersection just to take these pictures–to the amusement of a man walking his dog–and no, there weren’t any other cars in sight. Do you see the little piece of rainbow in there? Right in the middle? So, so pretty!
And then, when I was leaving work, I saw these… Am I the only one who sees the southwest of Great Britain? Cornwall down at the bottom, and Wales coming off the side?
Um, only me, huh? Well, that’s okay–it’s still pretty!
So, thank you for your kind words for Knitting Scholar. The tricky part, at this point? (You know, other than going through my 150 or so books to write reviews for them?) The tricky part is getting my hands on the books that I DON’T OWN. I might be able to find some at the library, but you know as well as I do that their knitting section isn’t usually as, um, current as one would like. And it’s not like I can hang out at a yarn shop with my camera, taking pictures of their books! I honestly think this is going to be the hardest part (grin).
Today’s review, by the way? Knit So Fine by Lisa R. Myers, Laura Grutzeck, and Carol Sulcoski
The self-professed aim for this book, as stated by the authors: “Skinny yarns get a really bad rap. Knitters have somehow gotten the idea that they’re slow, fussy, or old-fashioned. We’re here to prove otherwise. Thin yarns offer a world of possibilities; in fact, they can do anything a thick yarn can do and more–and often, they do it better.” Well! As a fan of not-chunky yarns myself, this is definitely an objective I can get behind!
Oh, Deer
Just a little Saturday Sky for you. It’s really been such a pretty week.
We went to the park this morning and Chappy saw some deer–including one fawn who bounded across our path, about 4 feet in front of us. (Chappy wanted to know why it wasn’t on a leash.) I did try to get a photo, but by the time I had my camera out of my purse, it and its 3 friends were too far away in the woods.
Otherwise, I’ve done stuff on the computer today, went to town to get my haircut, and then made the mistake of getting a fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil sandwich for supper. I only ate half, and it tasted just fine, but the cheese was a poor decision–especially coming so quickly after leaving the hair salon with all its chemicals and scents–and so I’ve been having some asthma issues tonight. Not as bad as the other night when I colored my hair, but … the sandwich was a mistake. I’ll let Dad eat the second half for lunch tomorrow.
It did taste good, though!
Filing
Okay, first, how’s this for a beautiful sky this morning on the way to work?
Second, does anybody else use the Levenger “Circa” system for note-taking? I don’t want to sound like a commercial, or anything, but I just wanted to mention how much fun I’m having with them lately. I started with their “Simply Irresistable” kit, which it is because while it costs $40, it comes with a $40 gift card–which basically means that it pays for itself.
So, really, it makes it tempting to try. I’m now the proud owner of a full-size notebook I probably won’t use that often, a medium notebook which I will, and a couple compact ones that will fit in my purse (I hope). Not to mention a couple “PDAs” which use 3×5″ cards instead of paper. I love that ultra-organized feeling of being able to move pages from book to book, and being able to mix-and-match all sorts of page types, sizes, dividers, and all that. I got a great deal on my compact notebooks, too, because I actually bought the 2008 Agendas, which are going for a steal right now (since 2008 is more than half over). I tore out half the pages and am still left with diary pages I can use for the next six months AND I’ve got the cover and the rings that would have cost me double that just for the cover and rings. So now I feel thrifty AND well organized.
Hmm. Well, maybe not THAT thrifty. My new computer came yesterday. It is, you’ll remember, a HP Pavilion DV6871US and I’m typing on it right now. There are bunches of things to get used to, not least of which is the new operating system, the dreaded Windows Vista–which, so far, seems to be okay, but it’s still NEW and comes with a built-in adjustment period. And I’m not crazy about the keyboard, whose keys have a “deeper” touch than most laptop keyboards. It’s making my fingers tired, because I have to press each key further than I’m used to, but I’ll adapt, I guess. Although I really LIKE a nice, crisp feel to a keyboard, so I’m kind of disappointed about that. It has a built-in incline, though, which I think is kind of sweet. The computer seems quite nice, the 15.4″ screen is nice and bright, and we’re getting along pretty well, even if the touchpad gets kind of warm (and I really hate it when that happens). It even has a webcam, although I can’t imagine when I’d ever use THAT! (grin) But, still, I’ve been spending a lot of time since it came yesterday installing things, copying things, moving things, figuring out things…
…And not just on my new computer, but also on my old one which now belongs to Mom–which was the whole point of my getting a new computer now anyway. She, in turn, is having a hard time adjusting to HER new computer because not only is it different, but it also doesn’t run AOL software. Mom loves using the AOL software, but that computer has always hated it. I told her that Firefox is wonderful and figured out how to copy all her Favorite Places/Bookmarks over, but she’s still not happy about the change. Getting-to-be resigned, perhaps, because she doesn’t have a choice, but rather overwhelmed.
Chappy’s just glad that HE doesn’t have a computer. (And, so am I. He’s the only one in the family that doesn’t ask me computer questions.) He does, however, want to remind everyone that his birthday party invitation is still open. Come join us! All you have to do is leave a comment–well, a story–in the comments on that blog post. (Because, no, we’re not expecting any of you to trek to the house.) We’d love to have you!
So, now, I’d really like to get away from computer screens for a while–all day at work plus a ridiculous amount of my non-work time the last two days has been in front of one (or more) computers at a time. The nice thing? My office is closed tomorrow and Friday for Fourth of July–a holiday for which we always get 4-day weekends, unless the fourth is on a Wednesday. So I can rest my weary eyes by letting them sleep late tomorrow–something I’m very much looking forward to!
Can You Have Too Much?
Okay, I love Kyle Chandler as much as the next girl, but this is a little overkill, don’t you think? I pre-ordered Season One of Early Edition and it came today. Three copies of it! Which is two more than I really need. I’ve contacted Amazon to see if it’s possible to return them without having to pay the postage back, but still–I’m excited to see it. I loved this show when it was on the air–about a man who gets tomorrow’s newspaper today and runs around trying to prevent catastrophes before they happen. What’s not to love? And, did I mention it has Kyle Chandler, aka the coach from Friday Night Lights? (Does anybody else remember him from the short-lived Homefront?)
We’ve had wacky weather today–on again/off again clouds and sun, which made for some very interesting clouds. I took this on my way home at lunch. In fact, I pulled over into a school parking lot and got out of the car in the rain to take the picture, just because it was so cool–the blue sky and sunshine, the wisps of dark cloud. Just … nifty.
And then, I stopped on the way home after work to take these, because I’ve never seen cloud formations quite like them. Heaps of vertical clouds (not to mention one very mushroom-ish cloud, but since the news hasn’t mentioned anything catastrophic in NY this afternoon, I’m pretty sure this is just Mother Nature playing tricks.)
Of course, to take those pictures, I had to stop right in front of the farm stand up the road, at which point the big, “Fresh Strawberries” sign that’s been calling me all week dragged me into the store.
So, yes, I bought some strawberries. And some blueberries, while I was at it. And a couple peaches, too. (Hey, I LIKE fruit.)
They are now cleaned and sliced in a bowl in the refrigerator. (It would have been rude to use their parking lot and not buy something, right?)
Oh, and about my keyboard? I’m pretty much stuck with what’s ON the laptop because I don’t have a desk to work at–just a bedtray. I sit on the floor while I’m using it and slide it out of the way when I’m not, but there is nowhere to put an extra keyboard. Even if I wanted to prop it in my lap, where would I keep it when I wasn’t using it?
There were a lot of tributes to George Carlin yesterday, and I spent really too much time browsing among his sketches on YouTube last night. I admit that I prefer the ones with little-to-no bad language, but the man was brilliant at observation. And so, instead of sending you to yet another video of him being hilarious (which he was), I’m sending you, instead, to Psychology Today to read his last in-depth interview. I found the link at Copyblogger (a great blog about writing, by the way), and the interview is amazing because the man was so darn smart. High-school dropout or not, he had a flair for words and expressing himself in such a way as to make you think about thinks you hadn’t noticed. (His routine on “stuff” is one of my favorites. So, okay, I lied–ONE link to a hilarious video.)
One last link, just because I find it interesting–I don’t have kids (except Chappy), but this look at the way parenting has changed since I was a kid was fascinating. Of course, since I don’t have kids, it’s easy for me to say!
Oh, and the knitting? Yawwwwwwn….
Indian Lake Revisited
I got stopped in traffic on my way home today. Kind of unusual, really, since most of my drive is along quiet little back roads. But while I was sitting there, I realized that, duh, look out the window! Because I was stopped right on the bridge that goes over Indian Lake. I’ve shown you a picture of this lake before, mind you, but not from this angle. Look at that view, huh? Even to the hawk (?) coasting above the water.
The most amazing part? Look at the sky. It’s actually blue, not that hazy, imitation blue it’s been for the last four days. I took this picture at lunch–it’s the first time in weeks, or even months, that I saw interesting-enough clouds worth taking their picture. This one is kind of cool, I think, because even though I rolled down the car window, it almost looks like I took it through a smeary window because that one cloud is almost transparent.
Hey, did you know the new Knitty is up?
Speaking of Knitty, I do have something on my knitting needles right now, but I’m pretty much thinking of it as a stop-gap kind of project. The Everlasting Bagstopper string bag from last year’s Knitty. I pulled out some Hempathy (Ravelry link) from my stash and figured it was worth a try. It’s something, anyway, and certainly better than a totally empty knitting bag.
Oh, and you’ll be glad to hear that Chappy got a walk today. Yes, we’re all relieved (grin). He said it was almost worth having to suffer through those huge thunderstorms last night.
MV Leftovers
How great a picture is this, huh? When I took Chappy out for his, um, personal needs yesterday morning, the sun was just up, and our inn was so close to the water, I couldn’t resist walking up the street to take a look. I just caught this shot, of him sniffing into the sea breeze, ears flying in the wind. Love it!
I like this one, too.
Anyway, yes, yesterday was our last morning on the island. We got up, had breakfast, and then went over to Espresso Love so Mom could get some blueberry scones for her stash. Then, we drove to Oak Bluffs so Chappy could get some biscuits from Good Dog Goods, and then we went to Vineyard Haven to stop at the Chamber of Commerce to see Susan one last time before we left. We walked around town for a bit, but were at the Steamship Authority by 12:00 and then hung out until our 1:15 ferry, grabbing a quick snack for lunch at the Black Dog. (I had a multi-grain roll with butter and a ginger cookie, Mom had a corn muffin and an oatmeal raisin cookie.)
The drive home was pretty uneventful. We stopped in Mystic for about 20 minutes, as is our custom–it’s a nice spot for stretching our legs, and it’s dog-friendly. (In fact, their store of cat and dog-inspired stuff is one of the few places I regularly find things for Boykin Spaniels.) Other than that, we stopped at a McDonalds on I-95 for a quick supper and to feed the car, slowed down for a bit due to an accident at the far, western end of CT, but were home about 7:20. JUST before the sun completely went down, and I was very grateful that I’d brought my Chappy baseball cap with me, because the sun was so low and in my eyes for the last hour or two that sunglasses just would not have been enough.
Today has been pretty low-key. Slept until 8:00 in my own bed, gave Chappy a much-needed bath. Took my car to a car-wash for an also much-needed bath. Stopped at a grocery store. Stopped at the mechanic for a new lightbulb for my brake light. Put away my laundry. Took Chappy for a walk. Made spaghetti and meatballs for supper. (Okay, I did the meatballs and sauce, Mom cooked the spaghetti.)
If you haven’t noticed, I updated the posts from the last few days so that they now include pictures! So, if you’re interested, please go back and take a look. There’s the post from the day we travelled up to MV, the post ALL about the MV Fiber Festival, and then the post from Sunday when Mom and I got to meet the itty-bitty baby kids. Additionally, there are lots and lots of pictures over on Flickr–here’s my page of pictures, but there’s also a Flickr group for festival pictures. Not only that, I got to add Susan to my “Bloggers I’ve Met” list–something she was almost as excited about as I was!
Also, about the MV Fiber Festival, not only was there the article in the Wall Street Journal, but there was a follow-up on their blog. AND a really lovely article in the Vineyard Gazette. Not to mention a 15-minute video that Patrick’s son Harry put together. For bunches of reasons, Susan is very, very excited and happy. She’s added a bunch of stuff to her Etsy page, too.
Now, you’re probably wondering what I came home with, right?
Really, I restrained myself VERY well.
As a shareholder, I was gifted a tote bag, a t-shirt, and a pin, but then I bought an extra bag, anyway. They’re light and sturdy and meant to be used for things like groceries, so I figured–what with today being Earth Day, and all–I’d get an extra.
I bought a set of the postcards, too, which may have been unnecessarily frivolous, but Susan takes such nice pictures and those little sheepy/goaty faces are just too cute.
And, of course, some yarn. The two skeins of worsted-weight yarn on the right (in colors Parsley and Saffron) are for me, though I’m not sure what I’ll do with them yet. They’re both great colors, though, so how could I resist? The two skeins of Chili sock yarn are still, technically, Susan’s, but I get to knit it up anyway, since I told her I would make her a pair of socks. I mean, you all know how, um, speedy I am about knitting socks, but hey, it’s practically summer out there … there’s no rush!
And, that’s it! I’m proudly sporting my MV Fiber Farm pin on my purse. I’m thinking about turning it into a refrigerator magnet, instead of risking losing it on my purse. And then, I am trying to think of the perfect project for that yarn. Would you believe that–other than socks–I didn’t do any knitting all weekend? I never touched my cardigan (except for showing it to Susan), and my spinning wheel never made it out of the bag. I had totally planned to spend some of Sunday afternoon sitting on that porch with my spinning wheel but it really was too cold. The only other stuff I bought this weekend was basically food. Biscuits from Chappy’s favorite bakery and some coffee beans from my favorite cafe. Oh, and a Black Dog frisbee that Chappy got very enthusiastic about in the Black Dog store the other day. And, well, doesn’t a kid deserve a toy on vacation once in a while?
Silly Saturday
It’s not exactly the best photo in terms of composition, since the only one you can see clearly is Risa, but see what Chappy and I did today? That’s Risa, Alex, and Kat all on our couch … and waaaaay in the background, in the far corner, is Chappy.
That would make you think that he was trying to avoid the four-year-old-inspired chaos, but in fact, he was thrilled to take part. His tail barely stopped wagging the whole time, except for when fatigue set in and he took a nap. The one who was wary was Alex, who didn’t want much to do with Chappy at all. He sort of petted him a couple times, but mostly, he was happier when his Mom was between him and Chappy. I thought he’d gotten over that, but I guess not.
The new surprise was that Katherine wanted to sit with ME. That’s definitely never happened before. Not only did she share my chair with me for a while (taking Chappy’s spot), I actually got hugs and kisses. AND got to help her on with her coat! Wow. That’s huge. We all entertained my parents, too–Dad even came down and watched the end of Stuart Little with us because he was so enjoying the sounds of laughter coming from the family room. (We’ll just gloss over the part where Kat fell on a walk and needed to come back to the house for band-aids. Or when Alex’s feelings got hurt because she wanted to play with me instead of him at the end of the visit, so that he sat on the driveway and sulked. And we’ll hope it wasn’t my banana bread that disagreed with Risa. But, um, really, why dwell on the bad parts?)
Now that he’s had a chance to sit down and relax, Chappy is exhausted. (For some reason, spending the day with two four-year-olds has that affect.) I don’t think there’s any question but that he’s going to sleep well tonight.
(Oh, and this is the dirty look he gave me for taking that picture. “Mom! I’m trying to SLEEP!”)
I finished my blue merino singles last night. And still, got to tell you, I love, love, love this color. Though, honestly, it photographs differently every time (grin). Also, yes, one bobbin was evenly-wound by my woolee winder, and one was wound by me manually moving the yarn guide on my my wheel’s flyer. So, I’m a little obsessive, what’s wrong with that?
I have a Saturday Sky picture for you, too, though technically I took it yesterday morning on my drive to work. Actually, the sky on Thursday on my way to work was pretty stunning, too, but I had a police officer right behind me and felt kind of funny pulling over just to take a picture, so I sort of skipped that one.
Oh, and Kat’s new earrings are adorable–little, sparkly pink flowers. And now, I need to clean kisses off the television. The twins got all involved in the scene where Prince Phillip woke up Sleeping Beauty….
Blue Sky
Okay, blue sky with just a couple inches of new, fresh snow. So, gotta go!
The tricky part, of course, will be explaining to Chappy why I’m leaving without taking him into the backyard to romp, first…. Oh well!
Whether Weather
It was pretty and sunny for most of the day, today, but as I drove home, you could see the clouds coming in. I pulled over into the local elementary school’s parking lot to take the picture–you can still see the mound of snow left from plowing the parking lot last week.
Anyway, the weather forecast right now is:
Tonight: Periods of snow. Low around 24. South wind between 8 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.
Um, I don’t want to complain, or anything, but, see, Jessica has been trying to have a housewarming/spinning party for a couple of weeks now. It was cancelled two weeks ago because HWJF had the flu and she didn’t want to risk passing it on to the rest of us–which was much appreciated. I think, though, that the problem was that she kept referring to March 1st as her “Snow Date,” and Mother Nature took her seriously. Just, er hopefully not TOO seriously. I’ve got that pretty blue roving on the wheel, and everything . . . and you know how Jessica loves blue!
This photo, by the way, is one I took this on our walk last weekend, when the snow was fresh, just minutes after our ice-covered little maple tree. These are our neighbor’s stairs, but there was something very nifty about the play of shadow…. Couldn’t help myself!
Fellow spinners, did you see Abby’s post about spinning sock yarn?
Okay, got to go finish my book list for the month. Happy Leap Day, everyone!
Looking for Something?
Custom SearchLike What You See?
Click here to subscribe via RSS
Click here to subscribe by Email
Click here for my Freelance Services.
Book Stuff
My Patterns
Other Stuff
Follow me on Twitter!
Tannenbaum.
House Calls
