A Change in Plans

This weekend was planned to be all about outside. Washing down the patio (yes that OCD thing again LOL) doing some trimming, maybe even buying some plants for the pots. The sky is sunny and bright although I haven't been out far enough to take a picture of it because this is what I saw first.

OOOps. Seems like a rather inside sort of day. And, so far, other than the usual Saturday morning tasks, I haven't quite figured out what that will entail.

I was sooooo tired when I posted last night. And Blogger was extremely slow. I was told by a non-techy person that Typepad is much nicer to dial up folks. Maybe I'll investigate that.
Maybe I'll get out that spindle and see if I can remember anything. Maybe I'll sew up the skirt that's been cut out for 2 weeks. Maybe I'll start a new sock. I just couldn't seem to get the ones I was working on to work. Probably user error because the pattern was simple and the yarn was exquisite. For whatever reason it just wouldn't happen. I want them to be different and special. Maybe my knitting fingers were tired. Maybe I should start a simple sock with inexpensive yarn.

Or maybe I should stay in my pjs and read. I have Susan's new book, a new copy of Spin Off. Or I could listen to a book on tape. At the bookstore I found Sense and Sensability on cassette for $10! Lots of listening there.

For those of you not familiar with my newest heroine Susan Wittig Albert, I'll give you a bit more info. I love reading her blog because it's about so many things. Knitting sometimes, gardening, animals, writing, and always about place. Busy person!

She, and her husband Bill, write 3 series. Well one is finished but the other two are still going on.

The first is the China Bayles series. I've been reading and loving these for a long time. China was an attorney who got tired of the rat race and chucked it in favor of operating a herb shop (and growing lots of herbs) in a small Texas town. And, solves mysteries with her friend Ruby who may be my other idol. Ruby is just too wild and cool. Lots of fun and you learn a lot about herbs in the process. And even dyeing and making paper *G* And lots of fun stuff if you follow the above link.

Second is the Robin Paige Victorian Mysteries. Obviously set in the Victorian era, they're made even more fun by having real people involved in the stories. From Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Beatrix Potter, Rolls and Royce (who knew)...you get to get a new idea of who these folks were. Lots of research in these books.

And third, oh my word I love this series, are the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. I loved her little stories and pictures. I have to love Mrs. Tiggywinkle due to my propensity to iron a lot. But the lady herself was incredibly interesting. In a time when women were expected to do only certain things, she really stretched and succeeded. You won't find blood and guts in these books. But you will find lots of animals. Both those of Ms. Potter, but also of Susan's.

And there are non-fiction books as well. There is the Herbal Book of Days which is on my wish list. Well actually all of these are. So many books so much yarn...choices take time *G*. There is an anthology called Women Writing About the Southwest. There is a guided writing program called Writing from Life. (I wonder if there is a way to write an interesting chapter about cleaning the bathroom????). Work of Her Own which is about doing what your soul wants, I think.

If you go here, there are links to all the books in the sidebar and in the non-fiction area all open on their own page but the addy stays the same so I don't know how to link. It's magic, I tell ya!

Now to go have a soaky bath, pull some warmer clothes out of storage (sort of jumped the gun on that one) and see where this day leads. I hope your path today leads you to lots of contentment.

Scents of Spring?

It really is green here. The rains of the last two weeks have made everything just leap up and look for the sunshine. Today was the first mowing for my yard. Actually, last weekend I weedeated it. Not just around the edges...the whole darn thing. It looked like crap but at least the dog wouldn't get lost. My neighbor told me of a man looking for mowing jobs. He'd had him mow his and he was pleased so I told him to send him my way.

He arrived this morning about 5 minutes after I got dressed. In his mid-40s maybe..it's hard to tell. He's perhaps a bit slow but very nice. He looked at the back to see how big it was, and then I asked him how much he would charge. His reply "Whatever you want to give me". No way, I insisted that he tell me what was fair and he said he charged everyone $20. No way again...not for stuff that's about 10 inches tall and wet. I told him I'd give him more...his response was No, that that would make it too hard to count. I ended up giving him the $20 and then a large tip and suggested that he put it in the other pocket so it wouldn't get so complicated. He did a great job even trimming. I think I'll keep him *G*

So for awhile it smelled like fresh cut green stuff. The mint isn't up yet ...when that happens it will smell like a large package of gum. All enthused with this spring stuff, I decided to trim the hedge. I got part of one side done when I decided that it would be even more fun to audition for Dancing with the Stars. Unfortunately my pirouette down the steps probably won't ensure me a place. But it did put an end to the hedge trimming for the day. No serious injuries... just several scrapes and creaks to contend with..that and my pride.

Partially restored with a cup of tea, I decided on a new project. Wayyyyyyyy back in the fall I went to this Fiber Retreat here. And at the end of the last day, someone left grocery bags full of fleece for free. Well, I think it was maybe the trimmings that hang down. Sorry I don't have the vocabulary. Anyway it wasn't clean...but hey it was free!! So I brought home two bags and then they got lost in the abyss that's also known as the utility room closet. I found them today when putting up the shampooer (yep...all carpet is clean as of 8:30 this morning). I put one bag full in a laundry bag thing. Added hot water and soap in the washer and set it to soak. Whoosh as soon as the water hit it, the "scent" hit too. Ohhhhhh barn scents! Took me back to when I was a farm girl for sure. I let it soak for a long time, then rinsed it, then did it all over again. It's still not clean but it's gone to take a nap on the patio so I can finish the weekend laundry. I don't know if it will ever be clean. But it's fun..and all I really want from it is some sheepy curls. Maybe I should just find a FFA kid and see if they'll sell me a few.

I'll leave you now with a couple of pictures. No sheepy mess, promise. But I hope you like my redbud tree and these iris leaves that have just shot up all of a sudden.

I'm Back!

Hooray for young geeky guys that fix things so you can wander around and visit with your friends!

I must say it was rather interesting being without this beast. The first couple of mornings, which is when I usually read mail and blogs, I was ready for work an hour early. Didn't help that Mary, The Cat Who Must Be Obeyed, decided that wakeup time was 4:30! She's elderly, I love her..but still..ack!

I sewed and sorted and shampooed carpet and knitted and frogged and knitted and frogged and read and had a few nice naps and knitted and frogged. Worked in the yard a bit but torrential rains have left it too soggy to actually do much good. I'm not complaining because we really needed it but I am a bit afraid that the dog will disappear in the back yard before I can get it mowed again.

I started new socks and got all carried away with myself and switched to metal needles after which I kept losing YOs which caused the frogging cause those guys can really travel. Back on bamboo now so hopefully that will work better. For some absurd reason, now my left hand cramps or goes numb after a few rounds...think maybe I'm a bit tense about those YOs *G*

Tornadoes in the area (none really close to me thankfully) brought a bit of excitement and I really should have taken pictures of the creek as the rains ran fast and the street by work looked like a river...but ummm...it was pouring rain. I probably shouldn't have laughed, but they showed a clip on the news with a Hummer stuck in high water. The street was closed but I guess that sign was meant for everyone but Hummer drivers. Nobody was hurt but I bet there were some egos that got bruised.

How's YOUR weather? Whatcha doing this weekend.

Saturday Sky 03172007

And it's a blooming one! My neighbor's Bradford pear is really showing off this weekend. Too bad that I couldn't get a good shot without a power line running through it. But the blossoms against the bright blue sky are simply spectacular. In the close up one you may notice that it looks as if I have a prison tattoo on my hand. Nope, it was a reminder that I wrote yesterday..unfortunately written with a brand new Sharpie. I'm sure eventually it will all be washed off. :=0
The reminder was so that I wouldn't forget that Zoey the wonder dog had an appointment to see the vet for her yearly checkup. Since it wasn't until 10:30, sometime I decided that that would give me time to run to the west side of the City to Hobby Lobby and Petsmart, which is practically next door. And then, in bed last night I decided that I would just take Zo with me. She loves going on errands and doesn't get to do it often enough. I didn't SAY anything about it to her. I got up as usual, drank coffee, watched the news yadda yadda. But that dog was on my heels all morning. Wagging her tail, running for the leash etc. Too weird!

So, off we went. I was going to make one more try to get metal US1 dpns that were close to the same size as my Crystal Palace ones. Weird that I have 2 other sets and they are both two different sizes and significicantly larger than the CPs. These Susan Bates that I got today at least fit into the needle sizer about the same! I was at Hobby Lobby about a week and a half ago and their knitting stuff and needle felting stuff was 40% off. Imagine my surprise when I discovered today that it still was! So since I'd saved money on the needles I didn't worry about getting another package of nf needles and one of those brush looking things to use instead of the foam rubber that I've used before. Oh and some styrofoam eggs for an experiment.

Then off to Petsmart. Early...hardly any customers which thrilled Zo as that meant she got ALL of the attention as well as extra free cookies. We stocked up on Dentabones and she got a new collar and a lot of petting and then off to the vet.

I've been really good about not giving her any table food; cut down on her dog food; and I just knew that she'd either lost weight or maintained. But nope, she gained 2 lbs! :-( As soon as this bag of food is gone we'll try some more serious weight loss food. Happily though, he said her heart sounded quite a bit better than it did in November. Yay!!! We had to wait awhile as he was busy with this eensy teensy puppy whose mom had abandoned it. It was one of a litter of 5 and the only survivor. A friend of the momma's owner had taken it upon himself to try and save it and so far it seems to be doing rather well. But soooo tiny. It gets 2 cc of formula stuff every 2 hours and he sets the alarm clock so he'll be sure and not sleep through the night feedings. I was impressed. I sure hope it makes it without any problems. It was funny to see this big cowboy sort of guy with this teensy puppy wrapped in about 1/4 of a receiving blanket and tucked inside his shirt!

Now it's time to get some housework done so I can have some good knitting time. Both Monkey socks are ready for their toes!!!!