...And It's a Layette...

...well, MY style layette. No blankie. I gave 'em up after the last one. It took me FOR. EVER. And I decided that if I wanted to do a baby blanket, I'd do a fleece one, and tie it together like these in the link (click the word "these" to find the instructions, but come back and finish reading!).


So thankfully, I'm now done with baby knitting. I'm back with the watermelon socks (the Opal version, not Abi Grosso). And I bought sock yarn. 

Seamless rolled-brim baby hat

From Eat Knit Dye. A Van Gogh colorway, "The Starry Night." I couldn't help it. 

Don't lie to me. You'd have bought it, wouldn't you? Of course you would have. I have admittedly been on a "sock yarn diet" for a while. Since I started this job, actually, and haven't had as much time off. 

And my favorite yarn shop moved 50 miles away. And my other favorite yarn shop is about 45 miles in the other direction. 

Which does great for my budget, but not so awesome for my yarn addiction. Hubby's happy that no "mysterious" boxes have come in the mail. I've been so busy with the baby layette that I haven't done anything else. The only "socks" were these little bitty ones...Which still count, you know. But I was hankering after some "grown-up" knitting, so I'm happy to be back with the regular stuff. 

Not sure when we'll get these to Momma. Little Guy had a slight set-back, and had a hernia operation. He's doing well, though. Should be home this weekend - or at least during the week, if he continues to improve. 

I think I'll have to pick up the February Lady Sweater soon. It's staring at me. And Kid #2 - that afghan...though I dislike afghans in the summer, because they sit heavy in the lap. 

I need to make another list of WIPs. It will scare me. But it needs to be done. Just so I have a sense of what's what. 

As far as the socks go, I know I have 3 singles: the Opal Watermelon, the Bowties are Cool, and... The Dreaded Teal Sock. 

Opal Watermelon

Why is it that the leg of the sock takes forever? As does the last inch or so before the toe. 

As far as the Opal Watermelon, I'm still puzzled. I know what watermelon looks like. This yarn ain't it. It's cute. But it's not watermelon. It's watermelon-ish. And it patterns nicely. But it's no way shape or form a semblance of the actual "watermelon" that I love in the summer (with a little salt, please!). 

I mean seriously? Look at that. Tell me if you think it even vaguely looks like a watermelon? 

Garden 2016...

Well, the garden is loving the wet weather. As you can see, the veggies are doing well. We should have pick-able lettuce in about 2 weeks. I want to mark the rows. Hubby said, "You'll know what we have when it grows."

All I see is green stuff! Except for the kale and tomatoes, it all rather looks the same to me. So I'll see if I can mark the rows and get some sense to the garden. 

I can't say enough about the raised beds. We've been able to get a jump on the garden every year. They're at least 7 years old. The recycled black plastic keeps the dirt warm, and we're able to plant a few weeks early. 

Of course, global warming has helped. Our winters have been (far too) warm and we haven't had to worry about the deep freezes. I'm not happy about it, but it is what it is. I'm strongly in favor of measures to curb carbon emissions and I think we need to pay attention - far more than we have been. And I'm doing my part. 

But some days - I really feel like it's a drop in the ocean. That being said, I'm still going to do what I need to do. I'm working on Hubby's aversion to a compost heap. I think that would not only help the garden, but it would further reduce what we toss in the trash. 

Before Kid #1 moved to VA, he and the (now-X) fiancee had a compost heap. You'll forgive me if I say that I won't be donating to theirs. Or I should say, HERS. 

We haven't gotten all the flowers straightened out. This weekend, if Mother Nature cooperates, we'll get hanging plants and I'll get the main flower bed fixed up. The Seedles are sitting there and I can't wait to plant them. We need to cull out some stuff that needs trashing. We've lost 1 butterfly bush (maybe both - not sure yet...) and one batch of Bee Balm. 

Our neighbor's basswood tree is blooming. I love the scent. The branches are hanging low with the flower pods. I miss ours, but about 17 years ago, it was infested with some sort of ailment that caused it to rot from the inside out. It had to come down. 

Campanula

And - we noticed that our maples didn't have as many whirlybirds as we usually see. That's not cool. I mean, I'm not complaining (much), but it's weird. 

So you'll notice that our poppy is going nuts. The "dead" branches to the right are the branches of our only remaining(?) butterfly bush. 

The campanula is going crazy. I think a bunny must have tried to take a nap, because one side of the plant was sort of flattened. I had to tie it up. Hubby has a "turkey wire" contraption that he's going to put around it. They're so tall - it's difficult when it gets windy. 

But the hummingbirds love them. And the foxglove, which has made its biennial appearance - wasn't sure if it was coming back. 

Speaking of hummingbirds, we've got some bold ones! They were buzzing Hubby as he was putting up the feeder. Maybe I can actually get some pics, because as I was tying up these beauties, the most brazen of the bunch was flitting around. 

We also have a nice batch of garter snakes around the house. I don't mind - they eat the bugs. They camp out under the deck and the steps of the front porch. Hubby is ok with them - we just have to be vigilant because Quinn and Raisa are rather quick and they'll try to catch them. And they'll succeed...

We may end up just doing hanging baskets and skip the potted plants in the front this year. We'll put out at least 1 more hummingbird feeder, but we'll also plan to get hanging baskets the hummers can sip from. 



Random Picture...

From the Business of Yoga Bootcamp in Florida last year. A walk on the beach in the morning. Looking down. I see a heart. 

It's clearly a gift. Not sure from whom. Or maybe I should say "from Whom." 

But it's there. I take a picture. I pick it up. I take it home. 

It's in a glass in my office. Reminding me of where my heart is. 

What's in your heart? Where is your heart taking you? 

Are you listening?