I. Just. Can't...

For the love of God...everyone just STOP. Stop and take a deep breath. And then take another one. 

If you've been on social media, you may have seen all kinds of crap blowing up about "the city is in flames" and ... probably, it's not. I mean, honestly. A friend of mine took a picture. Because her feed was blowing up saying that the local library was "on fire." Clearly it is not. People are understandably nervous, but hysteria needs to be nipped in the bud. 

I'm planning on going to some of the protests. I'm going to hold a sign, wear a mask and stand 6 feet away from the nearest people. You want to flip me off and call me names? Oh, jeeze, grow up, but if you must, then go for it. Not gonna lose any sleep over it. 

I'm done. I called out an acquaintance over something posted on social media and if they get irritated, not my problem. I called out a sibling, who told me, "get off the liberal bandwagon" and I said, "when you take off your white sheet." 

I'm over it. I have tried to be nice about it but I think that time has passed. Verify what you see before you post it. It's not that hard. 

Municipalities all over our area are posting, "Hey, all, we're responding to rumors...we have extra patrols out, and ask you to be vigilant but stop spreading rumors." (paraphrasing, but you get the idea). 

Protesting is an American right and tradition. Looters and outside infiltrators are an invention by those in power to cast a blight on rightful protests. Don't be a loon. If you must post something, there are plenty of ways to verify it. 

Knitting...

Well, I'm not sure if I posted this before, but here's the set-up of my new Amish swift and ballwinder. The ballwinder is a large-capacity one that can attach to our dining room table. Yeah, pardon the Xmas tablecloth...I need to change it. 

So the swift takes up more space than my umbrella, but it doesn't have a "nut" that can strip out. It's also quieter. The umbrella swift was rather loud. 

I can still use the smaller ballwinder if I have yarn that's smaller quantity. The stuff that's being wound on this one is 550 yards; that would've been just about too much for the smaller ballwinder I have. 

I got this from Stanwood Industries. I got the whole set up on sale for $79... Again, I don't get any $$$ from these things; I'm just telling you that my umbrella swift crapped out and this was something I'd been looking at. Bit the bullet on sale. I'm happy with it. 

The Breathe & Hope has finally moved to Section 5, which is actually a repeat of Section 3. It's making more sense to me now and I'm quite pleased with it. The way the gradient in the contrast yarn moves, it sometimes looks like a stark change. But the base color, a beautiful shaded blue, is taming the flamingo pink. 

I'm looking forward to seeing it done. I have to say it's not a difficult pattern even with the colorwork. Casapinka did a good job on this. You can do it in subtle contrast, or really bold (I went with bold, Hubby picked the colors). I've seen nearly monochromatic combos and they do look nice too. 

I think when I do the next one, I'll go up a size in needles. Just for fun. 

I belong to several knitting pages on FB, and someone asked "what normal household item do you use as a knitting accessory?" Well. I don't use a "household item" unless you consider The Red Finger something you'd normally have in your junk drawer... Normally, it's turned the other way out, so the nubs help you with gripping - for page turning, money counting, etc. But I turned this inside-out and it fits my index finger. I can knit with my lace or more pointy needles and not skewer the "pusher" finger. 

I tried blister bandages, coban tape, surgery tape...nothing worked for long, and it got expensive to buy the pricey silicone bandages. This thing is sold at office supply stores and usually in boxes of 12. Which is cool. Put one in each project bag. Your finger will thank you. And it's cheaper than those leather thimbles (which never seem to fit me right anyway!).

Flowers, Bike Ride, Spices...

At my yoga studio, we have these 2 pots, and lately, since we've been closed, the folks who use the employment agency next door have taken to using them as butt bins. 

I wasn't having it. On top of which I usually plant flowers that are bee-friendly. On top of which, I despise smokers who can't keep their garbage under control. Smoking is YOUR habit; clean up after yourself. Don't make your garbage mine...

The plants are blooming in the pots nicely. I took a "neon marker" and posted a little thing on my windows. 

This one is Alyssum. It's white and it's going to be a "draping" kind of plant. Mainly a ground cover, it works well in pots too. The one on the other side is mixed wild flowers. 

We took our first bike ride of the season. In Dellwood Park. Which has hills. LOTS of hills. A couple of them, we just walked up because of all the rain; they'd washed out a bit and it was dangerous to try to ride a bike up the hill, even if we could have. This is me before the ride. After, I was quite grumpy. 

My A-fib is back. Not bad, but bad enough. I did have a hard time; but I have to admit that (a) it was my first bike ride in 2 years; (b) I have (ahem) some COVID weight on; and (c) Dellwood is crazy!!! We should have tried a more tame area, but we wanted to make sure we could "socially distance" if necessary. 

We finally got our Penzey's spice delivery. Of course the dogs had to do their thing and make sure this box was ok to come into the house. And, I suspect, make sure it wasn't anything for them!

I ordered some extra vanilla beans; my vodka needs a little more oomph in it. When you make homemade vanilla, you do need to replenish the vanilla beans every few years. These were a pretty good price, and so I'll be splitting them and tossing them into the bottle. I did also buy some regular vanilla - organic, I mean. Because home-made takes a couple months to get to the strength you want. So my homemade stuff will be ready for Xmas baking and I can use the other stuff as I bake from now till then. 

It's been a while, so I think it's time for a recipe. 

Roasted Garbanzo Beans...

1 large can Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper
3 T. olive oil
Penzey's Northwoods Blend
Penzey's Roasted Garlic
Italian Seasoning blend of your choice
Turmeric

Drain and rinse garbanzo beans. If you want, save the liquid from the beans; Aquafaba makes a great substitute for egg whites. After you run the beans under water, tip them out onto a tea towel. 

Pat dry, then roll them in the tea towel. Then, move them so they're in one layer and pick off all the "skins" that are loose. You can press them a little and roll them around on the towel a couple more times. See the paper napkin? Those skins are what you want to get rid of before you season them. 

In a small mixing bowl, add the oil and spices. Hint for the Italian Seasoning: Pour your amount into the palm of one hand, rub with the other over the bowl. Rubbing the spices in your hands helps release the oils and further crushes the leaves of the blend. Save salt & pepper till just before you roast. 


**You can add ANY spices you want. Use your imagination and raid your spice cabinet! The quantity of spice is also up to you. I add a good couple of shakes; you can go as heavy or light as you want. 

Whisk oil and spices and then toss in the beans. Use your hands; toss the beans to coat (and then pick off more of the "skins" -- you'll have more come off!). Layer the beans on a small rimmed baking sheet so that they're in one layer. 

Add salt and pepper to the beans. Oven should be heated to 425F (220-ish C); pop the pan in and set the timer to 15 minutes. Check, stir the beans around. You'll notice some shrinkage and some browning. The time depends on the size of the beans; you may want to add another 8 -10 minutes on. You can also let them get a bit more brown. 

Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool. Store in airtight container in the fridge. The combination of crunchy outside with silky/creamy inside? Ohhhhhhhhhhh. Yum!!

How to use them: 

• I will eat these like peanuts!
• Great on salads
• Use as a garnish with rice/orzo/quinoa
• Add to tuna or egg salad for spice and texture

Random Picture...

It's like he's saying, "Eat already -- I want my turn!! The goldfinches are really having a blast with this feeder. Today, though, the birds have stayed away. I'm a bit sad about that. With all the other crap going on (I'm telling you - it's 10:36 pm and we're hearing a lot of sirens), I was really enjoying zoning out with the birds. 

I've also pretty much over-knitted my left hand, so the birds are a welcome distraction. I suppose I'd better get back to making masks, since our church is opening up again soon (to small groups, 10 or less). But the traffic at the feeding stations is a bit scant of one species: hummingbirds! I've only seen 2 of them. And I have 3 or 4 feeders! I think I may move the oriole feeder to the other bed; just so the big birds leave the little ones alone. 

PS: We're still doing virtual yoga at the studio! Check our website: 

www.just-breatheyoga.com 

and go to the upper left corner to "Livestream Yoga" -- $10 yoga classes! 

Support a small, woman-owned business!

100 Year Floods...

...Every year... Seriously, the folks who disbelieve climate change need their heads examined. Today, we had another drenching rain, flooded roads, downed trees and a building in town partially collapsed. I took some pics afterward, and thought that the ripples on the bird bath were particularly interesting. Maybe not. But what the heck. I was waiting for the indigo bunting to come back to the feeder, but by the time the bird came back, the temperature had dropped about 8 degrees and my camera lens fogged up... 

But hey - no climate change here... We wrapped Tippi in a blanket and she was happier during a pretty intense thunderstorm. Quinn spent most of it in her "cave" - a little freaked out but not too bad. 

And I was sitting there, on the one day I decided to put a sheet mask on my face.... waiting to hear if the tornado sirens were going to break out in song and shuttle us down to the basement... because, of course. The one day I decide to pamper myself, the pampering is cut short with the prospect of having to haul three dogs downstairs to the basement in quick order -- three dogs who don't get along in the first place. That could've been fun. Not.  

I'm currently sitting here munching on raisins - supposed to be golden, but they're not looking like they usually do. Anyway, raisins are supposed to help you sleep. Hopefully that's true, because I have been having trouble sleeping. Many folks have said the same thing; it's the long shelter-in-place during the COVID-19 pandemic which is messing with all of us. The best thing, though, is that I've gotten a lot done. 

I delivered 50 masks to the local hospital. And...a set of 8 ties that we had set aside for more masks. Which I didn't realize till I'd gotten home to sew said masks. Jeeze... Anyway, dropped those off. I have a small stash of these (2-pleat, flat masks) at home and I'll be starting on some more for the hospital in the next week. We'll be wearing masks for a while so I may as well use up the fabric I was given. 

I'm also making more of the fitted ones; I have 4 to send out to Colorado, and 4 to make for our vicar and her wife. Then, I think, a break. At least 3 or 4 days of no sewing. Give me and the machine a rest. 

We've used 11 spools of thread so far. Hubby has cut material till he can do it in his sleep, and finally he's using the fabric scissors! He was using scissors that he has at his desk, and I was having trouble with some of the ties that he was cutting (we're not using bias tape, but some of the fabric, which makes really nice ties). And so on this most recent batch, I handed him a lovely pair of Gingher shears, and the cutting has gone much more smoothly. I'm doing a couple special requests with interfacing for a 3-layer set of masks, and good scissors really do make the difference. 


I've been using thread that we bought when we did a lot of dog rescues, and were making our own leashes to have in the car. The thread is a sturdy cotton, an off-white. I tried to use up some of the thread I had from long-ago sewing projects, but it seems my vintage machine is persnickety. It likes certain tensions and as I mixed up the threads (say a color on the top and white in bobbin), the tension went all wonky. So it's back to plain white thread. I have 6 more full spools. After that, I'm going to have to go shop for new stuff. 

Today, I had a near tragedy -- well, "tragedy" --- because I was in the middle of sewing a fitted mask, which is a bit fiddlier than the flat ones. And it requires a lot of top stitching. And I was almost out of thread on that particular spool. This is what I had left after finishing the top stitching... In knitting, we'd call this "yarn chicken," and I don't know if this is a thing in sewing. But I am hereby calling it "thread chicken."

And I won that round. 


The Breathe & Hope Shawl...

It's coming along. I'm on the 4th section and there are, I believe, 8 sections. Zipping along with very little problem. I think I don't like the switching of needles. I'm not sure how it's going to block out, though on the pattern, the example shows a great deal of drape. Mind you, even though I'm using sock yarn, as suggested, I notice some slight difference in thickness of the yarns; the base color is a tad finer than the accent color. That may be making the difference you see in that middle blue section. 

But then - I changed the needles and am using smaller than called for. You have to have 2 sizes between them, so I'm using size 3 and size 5. The pattern calls for size 4 and size 6. I have no idea where all my size 6 circulars are.

Though I suspect they're in WIPs somewhere. Luckily for me, I can't go out and just pick up another set. Because sure as you can imagine, I'll find ALL of them. 

I also whipped out one of these for my friend. We've been trying to figure out how to retrofit her mask. The clinic she works in won't let them wear home-made masks, which is fine. But the one she has is one with elastic around the ears and as you can imagine, her ears are raw. 

Technically, it's crocheted, and it took me all of 10 minutes. I did it in 100% cotton (same stuff for face cloths). That way, if she has to "sterilize" it, she can use hot water. The buttons are out of my button tin. But I realize that I don't have a good stash of that size. So I don't know if I'll be able to make a quantity of these. 

I do have a stash of baby buttons for sweaters, but I'm not touching those! Besides, they're "character" buttons - teddy bears, flowers, etc. And they wouldn't stand up to heavy washing anyway. I'll skim through the button bin again and see what I can come up with. They have to be at least 3/4" wide. 

Anyway, if you can't sew, but you can crochet, these are ridiculously easy to do. Do yourself a favor, if you know front line medical workers -- or anyone who has to wear a mask - and whip up a few of these. Here's a Ravelry link for the free pattern.... Ear Guard. 

Nature in Bloom...

Took a couple more shots of the garden; we've got birds, we've got flowers. We've got milkweed. ALL. OF. THE. MILKWEED. Seriously, we counted 65 plants growing and so we plucked that back to about 30. And then more sprouted! Even this little guy in a crack in the sidewalk. If that's not an exercise in persistence, I don't know what is. 


My lily of the valley are so beautiful! I do have to thin them out. I think that Kid #2 is going to get some for the shady side of his yard. I've never had the opportunity to smell them - I understand their scent is lovely, but my allergies have been nuts lately. The lilacs are done; I think they keeled over prematurely because they got beaten with the incredibly heavy rain storms we've had in quick succession. 

The Icelandic Poppy is starting to bud. I love the parchment-like blossoms, and the creamy-pale-pink of this variety is always a welcome sight in my garden. I can't even remember how long ago I bought it. Surely, at least 15-20 years ago. 

And then there are the birds. Oh my... Today, I got the blue jay on the shepherd's hook - back view only, sorry. And I was wondering what was chomping on the orange in the oriole feeder. It hadn't been the orioles. They hadn't quite figured out how to nibble at the oranges, so I put more in the holders on the larger feeder. 

Turns out it was a visitor I haven't seen in a lot of years:

A red-bellied woodpecker... 

Normally, they suck down the suet. And I had just put fresh suet out there, with mealworms no less. But - he decided that the orange was what he wanted. Suits me. 

As long as he stays off my house. 






Random Picture...

This is the Cassaday mansion. Well, that's what the local historical society is calling it. It's on blocks because it was moved from its original location over and down 3 blocks. Because the city wanted to put a gas station there. Because that's more important than historical buildings. 

There was a kerfuffle that I documented about this house. It finally ended with the house being purchased and moved. It's not settled yet, and I have no idea what they're going to do with it. Preliminary plans seem to be another museum, this one housing records of African American history in our area. I'm looking forward to seeing what it will be like when they get it done. 

Birds, Bees...

...and knitting, of course... But first, another batch of masks. These will eventually be in the big bag that's going to the local hospital. I worked on ties today and pinning up a few more. And a friend asked me for 4 of the fitted ones. Hey, it keeps me occupied! 

Today was glorious outside so I spent a bit of time knitting on the porch. I had a few things "fall off the needles" into Finished Objects, which is always a good thing. 

I was mending some of my knitted wash cloths; I use them mainly for face cloths, because they're gentle on my skin, but they're really nice for exfoliation. But some of them are verging on ancient. So while I'm building up the "new" stash, I figured I'd just mend the old ones. Actually, after a few years of constant use, the 100% cotton kind of softens up a bit, and is even nicer on your skin. 

I did maybe 6 stitches (yeah, STITCHES) on the Simple Shawl, and I sit with envy looking on Facebook at people's knitting where it's some elaborate Estonian lace shawl and they're like, "Oh, I just did this in 18 days, it's my COVID project." Really? Or: "Oh, here are the 8 pairs of socks I've knitted since March 15..." Really???? Mind you, I'm mildly jealous only because (a) either these folks knit in their sleep; or (b) their needles are melting because of the friction because they're speed knitters. Which, maybe, should be an Olympic sport? 

My contribution to the COVID-19 Finished Objects compilation is this: 2 fresh wash cloths (well, actually FOUR of them; but I have to go dig the pics out for you). And one sock. In my defense, I'm going to count the "mended" blue cloth there. See the crochet added to the knitting? It just worked out that this seemed the best method. It doesn't have to be gorgeous; it's just the 2 of us and not like I'm taking them to the State Fair or anything like that. 

The one wash cloth is, obviously, crocheted. It's a simple "cast on about 25 stitches, then single crochet till it's about 6 inches high" thing. Crochet goes faster for me, but it does use a whack more yarn. On the other hand, this bias-knitted wash cloth was done this evening - about 3 episodes of Poirot. Maybe 4. Started it about 2:30 and just finished it, at 10:15 p.m. But I wasn't knitting steadily on it. I did cook dinner (see below). And eat. 

Also in my defense, I finished the Green Travelling Socks, so there's that. 

Dinner Plans...

Normally, lately, Hubby has been doing the bulk of the cooking. Since he works from home, it's easier. But - another benefit (?) of COVID and shelter-in-place is that I can cook more. And I do enjoy it; I just got out of the habit. 

So these beauties are from my friend C. I gave her a bunch of empty egg cartons, and I got 2 dozen of her hens' finest. They're lovely, aren't they? 

Frittata was on the menu tonight. So I layer potatoes in a pan, season with a little bacon fat, and this time I used some paprika, Penzey's Mural of Flavor, and Fox Point (which has salt in it). FULL DISCLOSURE: I get no $$$ for recommendations. I just love Penzey's spices. 

While the sausage and leeks were cooking in a separate pan, the spuds were browning nicely. I used the full dozen eggs (we'll be eating this dish for the next several days, so nothing gets wasted). Added a bit of skim milk and whisked the bejeebers out of it. Poured it into the pan then chopped up a tomato and tossed it in there with some roasted garlic, chopped up parsley (the first bit from the herb pots we did in April). And then I used a good handful + a half of Asiago cheese. And then, dotted it with some goat cheese that Hubby had gotten me. 

He's not altogether sold on actually EATING goat cheese himself, but he ate this... Under mild protest. It didn't kill him. But I bet he races me to make the next frittata... 

I had an avocado that was about 2 minutes from total destruction so I sliced it up. They're small; and I hate wasting them. Because you know they're rock-hard for about a week, and then just about the time your mind says, "Hey, there's that avocado"... they SENSE it. And they ripen in a flash. And then they die because you missed your nanosecond of opportunity. 

Anyway, eggs and avocado are delicious together. It's the perfect combo for when you want something sort of substantial but that doesn't take a day and a half to plan. It took about 45 minutes in the oven (just in that big saute pan there - it's oven-ready). And that's only because the tomato was pretty juicy. 



The Birds and the Bees...

Between Hubby and I, we've been enjoying the wildlife in the front yard. I have yet to get a good picture of the hummingbirds, but they are there! We have 2 female and one male rose-crested grosbeaks - they've kind of taken over the front yard. The blue jay is back! And we have goldfinches. And new this year: orioles! You can see the one pic where he's in flight trying to figure out my home-made orange + grape jelly feeder. 

The backlight from the sun today was nasty. We did the best we could without scaring everyone away. The bees are enjoying the hanging baskets as much as the hummers are. And we have a plethora of bunnies. Which are driving the dogs nuts. 

Oriole in flight

I'm hoping we get the indigo buntings back. The cardinals and woodpeckers have been frequent fliers. 

I think we may have a meadowlark hanging around, but I'm not sure. I haven't been able to spot it quickly enough with our Audubon handy. 

I hope you're getting time to look out at Mother Nature and really enjoy the show. It's not often we get the chance (forced on us or not - depending on your opinion) to really slow down. 

Rose crested grosbeak

So wear your masks (OVER your nose, please!), wash your hands, practice social distancing... 

The quicker we do what's right, the quicker we'll be able to get back to work and back to our families. 

PS: If you're looking for tools to help you work through some of the stress, connect with me and my teachers at Just Breathe Yoga Studio! www.just-breatheyoga.com -- upper left corner of the website: Livestream Yoga. Ten bucks a class... 

Snowmageddon 2018

 Well, we finally got winter. All at once. The forecast had been brewing for about 3 days, and on Thursday, it started. We actually had a "snow day" today; most schools were closed, many offices also closed. Those who worked from home did so. 

All in all, we had about a foot of snow, and it's going to snow a bit more tonight - possibly up to 3 more inches. 

We went to a wake today - the first time we got out, except for shoveling. The main roads were fine, but in our neighborhood, people ignored the "don't park on the street" thing...seriously, my town could have had quite a surplus if they issued tickets. The neighboring town issued over 300 tickets for violating the winter parking bans...


Anyway, it's the light, fluffy stuff so far. The birds were gathered around the feeders, with the woodpeckers nibbling suet, and a junco who decided that the smaller feeder provided his two favorite things: shelter and food. 

Hubby tried to take a few shots out the front window; I was having problems with holding the camera steady. 

Might've been that 3 cups of tea I had that made me a little wobbly... 

It was interesting to watch the neighbors ignore the snow plow. It was with a bit of vicarious glee that I watched the plow "snow them in." Several times. What is it about people where they think, "I'll just wait till it stops snowing" -- and then you can see how irritated they are at moving a foot of snow! We kept up with it, so we had an easier time of it. 

Our neighbor actually used a shovel to push the snow off his car... Wow. I'm pretty sure my father would've had a fit if I'd done that. Then again, it was he who taught me to "stay ahead" of the snow. Hubby's dad actually had a John Deere with a blade - but then, Hubby grew up in Montana, where stuff like this is a "little spring storm." 

I was planning on getting a lot of knitting done today; and getting into my office to continue the organizing. Instead, I caught up on several days' worth of newspapers and I started cleaning out my email. I'm an incredible email hoarder. 

I think I got rid of about 10,000 emails. Seriously, I'm not joking. Hubby manages his inbox easily, filing things right away. I started purging, and will start unsubscribing to things - I got into a lot of different email newsletters, and honestly? Who can keep up now? So I cleared out and I filed. All in all, it's been pretty productive. 

I also shoveled. Tomorrow, I hope to get the elkhounds out - at least on the long lead and let them trash all the snow. They'll enjoy that. Maybe I can even get out on the snowshoes in the park near our house. 

I was able to get out to the street to take a few pictures. The snow came up past my ankles at that point. I had a chance to shoot a few pictures, but I didn't want to linger out there. It wasn't that it was cold, but it was coming down rather fast. 

I have campaign signs in my front yard, and one of my friends was laughing because at one point, all we could see was "Elect Jim." Well, now, you can barely see the "Elect" part! And Denise's sign is pretty much buried. 

The Blue Super Moon...

As I indicated, it was, once again, too cloudy to actually see the full Blue/Super Moon. But the nice thing is that this fella lingered. So about 3 days afterward, I saw this outside, and Hubby was kind enough to take the shot for me. You couldn't -- or, I couldn't - get this shot with my phone. He's got a steadier hand than I do, so outside he went and he got this. 

It was a morning shot; the moon was sparkly and stunning. It was quickly obscured by clouds and of course, moved under the tree lines, so we lost it about 4 minutes after that photo was taken. 

I'm wondering at the plethora of the "super moons" we've had in the past year. How many of them can be "super" before it seems like EVERY full moon is "super"? 

You know the "Blue" phenomena is when there are 2 full moons in a calendar month. That I can deal with. 

But it seems like everything is "super" now, and that takes away the special-ness of, say, the Harvest Moon. I don't want to complain. Well, yeah, I do. We seem lately to have a need to "super" everything. 

How about we just go outside, ditch our devices, and LOOK UP. Admire the night sky, even if you're in an area where there are a lot of people. You'll still see stars. Maybe not as many as you'd see in the wide open prairie, but you'll still see them. You'll see the moon in all its phases. You may see bats flying. 

Go outside and breathe. The night air is wonderful. It doesn't have to be "super." It can just be what it is: night. 

Knitting...

Look at my lovely unicorn yarn bowl! From Darn Good Yarns, it's adorable! I can't wait to use it on my next project. Right now, it's sitting on my table next to some carnations (silk) in a green vase. Time to ditch the snowmen, even though they're perfect at the moment. I wanted something different. 

Anyway, I would normally not have bought this, but I figured I wanted to treat myself for my recent birthday. 

I like the fact that it's a bigger yarn bowl. I had purchased a yarn bowl from Darn Good Yarns before, and it turned out to be wayyyyyyyyyy smaller than I thought. It's fine for a cake of sock yarn. Doesn't work for a ball of Opal. Also didn't work with bulkier yarns. 

But the unicorn will. I like that there are multiple holes, and that swoopy thing where you can just string your yarn in there, so you can switch out the yarns for different projects. 

It's got a nice wide base, and seems pretty sturdy. I've been eyeballing lots of yarn bowls; some are gorgeous works of art, and some look like they wouldn't hold a mini-skein. And some look like they'd slide right off a table if you had to give the yarn a good tug. 

This wooden one also has a good base; rather bottom-heavy, actually. It's just too shallow for a lot of projects I do. Right now, it's holding the Heritage Sock yarn. As you can see, I'm moving along on that one. I'm kinda on a roll with it, so I'm plugging along on it this weekend. I'm hoping to get to the heel this weekend. 


Maybe I misjudged this pattern. I'm starting to get into the groove of the 4-repeat structure, and I'm liking it. It's zipping along nicely. I think I'll make it through. I could see myself doing this again, when I reach into the "Twelve Months of Socks" tote and pulling out a solid color. 

But it would have to be a light color. I don't know that I would do this in a darker color. The "Bowties are Cool" pattern in the Navy blue "Bigger on the Inside" yarn is a kicker. Kind of gets you right in the eyeballs...

So I've had some issues with hats - I can't seem to make one that fits me well. They fit my head, but I can't get them tight enough around the ears. And I still can't find that darned baby blue alpaca hat! 

I have been using my Kiwi hat - and I don't care that it pulls down virtually onto my glasses. It's been cold enough that I just wear the hat. It got good use today! The snow was dappling the black "overhairs" on the kiwi yarn -- the possum part -- and the hat sparkled with diamonds. 

I tell myself it's a "cloche" style and it can rest lower on my head. Problem is, I have rather a short forehead. My mom's the same way. My sister has a higher hairline, which she says causes its own set of problems. But I have trouble with bangs and with hats. 

I'm still looking for a nice pattern. I love the basic ones, and I have to figure out something for my ears. 

Or I just wear earmuffs under or over the hat. It could work. I'm too old to care if it doesn't because my main goal is to be warm rather than fashionable. 

But a well-knitted hat never hurts. If it turns out that I find a luscious yarn, a great pattern and the right button or other accessory? I'm going for it. 

Random Pictures...

There are two more from today. A shot down our street and a shot of the tree in the front yard. I thought the snow was nestling in the tree rather nicely. And I just liked seeing our street decked out in winter's finery. 

There was a guy walking his dog. The snow was falling. There was that typical "hush" in the air. Regardless of people shoveling, snow plows coming down the street... you know that sound of the snow falling? The sound of those little flakes hitting the ground, making that particular "shusshhhh" sound? That was going on. You could almost taste the stillness and feel the sound. 

One of my favorite things is to walk in the snow. I don't have to talk. Really, it's more fun to listen. I'll even be happy going out there by myself. Just to absorb it. 

Did you know that there are studies that say silence is good for us? Think about it. We're bombarded by sounds. Mostly artificial ones, of our own making. We don't know silence anymore, and if we do, often we're uncomfortable with it. 

Bundle up. Put on some decent hiking boots. Grab the cross-country skis or snowshoes. Go outside and enjoy the snow in the daytime. I've talked about going outside at night. Try the daytime. And stick your phone in your pocket. (Carry it with you - it's a safety thing.) Walk in nature. 

See what you can see. Notice light and dark. Notice birds. Notice the signs of creatures that occupy the space. 

You don't even have to whip out the phone to document your walk on social media. 

The point is to get out there in nature and enjoy what it has to offer. Our Mother Earth will provide for us. And we need to get out there with her when we can. As often as possible. For our own mental and physical health, as well as to appreciate what she's offering us. 

Another Surprise Visit...

So having done this trip last year, we considered ourselves "Oxford Veterans." We knew what we wanted to see and what we could skip with no problem. And that left us a few more spots where we could wriggle and have some new adventures. 

The hotel, the Comfort Suites in Batesville, was new. The Hampton Inn, where we stayed last year, was being renovated, though it was open. I don't think we had the ability to get rooms, so even though we missed out on the "dinner" that the Hampton had each night, we were -- OK, I was -- rewarded by an indoor pool and hot tub. 

Of course, now that we'd brought suits, The Kid says, "I'm not really a pool person." Ooooooo-KAY... But MOM loves a hot tub...That being said, I reserved most of the "tubbing" to the Batesville stay, because I wasn't sure if I was actually going to go IN and I wanted enough time for my suit to dry. The hot tub was actually a "cool tub" which was fine -- I don't do heat well, and the coolness was a balm to my achy legs. 

Our first night in Batesville was marred by the horrible, HORRIBLE clerk at the hotel. Obviously, she flunked "customer service" and should consider another career, rather than the "hospitality" field. She's not suited. Our rooms were true suites, and that was nice. Ceiling fans, a couch that was comfy enough to be a sleeper, a microwave & fridge... But then there was the A/C. It sounded like a jet plane. Every 7 minutes. I know because at one point, I timed it. 

I was up listening to it anyway... 

So our first trip was to the square. Square Books and Off Square Books...The only places to go for unusual books, new and used. 

Well, our ACTUAL first visit was to Mr. Bill... Is it a sin to hand him my Kindle? We paid our homage and I spied a beautiful magnolia next to the courthouse. It was so pretty against the red bricks. It was a huge tall one, too. I didn't change lenses, but I was still able to get a couple of nice shots of it. It's not like we didn't see a zillion magnolias. I just liked the way this one contrasted against the deep, glossy green leaves, and the warm red brick. It was almost greeting-card pretty, except that I was already broiling in the heat. 

The other thing that caught my eye was the lack of tourists. I was expecting more, but I recalled that last year we were closer to August - so perhaps there were more people getting their kids settled. We had a lot of space. Not too much traffic. Easy parking, too. 

After drooling and shopping at the bookstores, we toddled around the square a bit, and I noticed something else. 

Last year, The Kid and I talked non-stop. This time, he spent a lot more time on his phone, texting friends. Now, yeah, he's doing research for our side trips, but he was also on the phone with friends. A clear sign to me that it's time and I'm cherishing this last trip with him. At least for a while. 

After we finished our adventures in the square, I took off for the cemetery - and I found it right off! Amazing how your brain clicks in... Oxford is a city of traffic circles, and it's a little weird, but you eventually get used to it. 

We found something new. Pennies. 

Pennies on Faulkner's grave. They weren't there last year. But they were in abundance this year. Getting ahead of myself, even the reference librarian at Ole Miss wasn't sure why. 

Some poor soul brought a bottle of cinnamon whiskey to place on Bill's grave. Oh, no! Straight Jack, please! I did empty the cinnamon bottle - at the FOOT of his grave. I didn't want to corrupt the actual memorial with the erzatz whiskey. The Kid approved. 

We poked around at the cemetery for a bit. Both of us love a good historical cemetery. We visited Ma and Pa Faulkner - spelled Falkner - and looked at a number of memorials. The Kid decided he wants a bench. Near a tree. 

I want a repurposed one. I saw a memorial with a modern plaque, but clearly a repurposed monument, and it was cool. 

Slave cemetery

Slave gravestone

We actually stumbled upon a slave cemetery within the graveyard. And again, getting ahead of myself, a guest at the Ole Miss library said that "there was a Negro section" in that cemetery. Well, that section has been absorbed within the rest of the cemetery. The stones were small. Names only - no dates. All set within a certain spot, regimental. It was sad. A very strong reminder of the separateness of people, even in death, which is after all the great equalizer. Slave or master - each of them dies in their time. These graves appeared to be pretty sparse, too. I was surprised that they were even there - and that may sound odd, but I would have thought that a slave cemetery would have been in another place entirely. 

The other odd thing was: why didn't we notice this last year? I can't remember seeing it and neither can The Kid. 

I noticed family names on the gravestones in the slave area, so perhaps one or two families buried them there. Clearly, this is an area where slavery was alive and well during the time period, so I wonder whether there are other cemeteries in the area where slave graves are more in evidence. It's an interesting subject for consideration. If I do more traveling - like when I visit Kid #1 in Virginia, perhaps we'll find some evidence there as well.

Is it creepy to be drawn to cemeteries, particularly the older ones? I don't think so. 

We saw an open crypt - The Kid didn't want to peek in. I figured, what could happen? 

What was amazing was that in one section, I noticed "game cameras" bound to strategic trees. It depressed me to think that people were vandalizing the graves. The new mausoleum was finally done. It was like, "Wow - they finished that, didn't they?" It felt like we were visiting family, in a very strange way. I don't go visit my relatives, but I'll go to an old cemetery any day.

The cemetery was actually quite peaceful. We looked at the history of the place, and we saw the following: "A Civil War general is buried here." 

Ok -- which one?? Of course, I asked, and I swore I'd remember. The Kid thinks it's General Barksdale; I'm hearing "Livingston" in my head... But to the larger point, you're in the Deep South. Well, as Deep as we were going, at any rate, since Oxford is basically north Mississippi. But you're in Confederate country. Why would you NOT name the general? 

After tooling around, we found the grave of Barry Hannah, an author Kid #2 admires. So he brought Barry's book, set it at his stone, and we photographed. Someone left a black pen. You can see it just above the book. 

And there's a little angel who's surely in heaven. Look at all those names. This poor little mite lived one day. His parents gave him Old Testament names. I hope they found comfort in his marker. And I hope they visit it. Maybe they moved away. Maybe they just can't bear it. You can imagine all sorts of things with these graves. Some are cared for, some are not. Some have flowers, some don't. Some are older than old. Some are more modern, with lights, wind chimes, teddy bears - all kinds of ornamentation. It's a place to think about what happens after. 


We stopped at Lamar House, which we skipped last year. We skipped it because I was going to die of heat stroke and needing a bathroom -- not necessarily in that order. 

So of course, it was closed... But we saw the statue of Mr. Lamar, and we saw a "Heritage Tree" - a large, old, gorgeous Osage Orange. There are a number of these "heritage trees" around Oxford. They're a "heritage" tree if they're the largest, and oldest, of the particular specimen in the area. Lamar House celebrates the life of Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar - and now that I read up on him a bit, I'm not all that sure I'd be celebrating him... He wrote the Mississippi Secession Ordinance, opposed civil rights, and was generally what I would call a "good old boy." Not in the progressive sense. But anyway, I give Oxford credit for saving a historic home. 

The South is what it is and they believe what they believe. It's known as "The Harvard of the South" and it's somewhere around 34 out of 100 in Princeton Review. 

Rowan Oak was next. We strolled the grounds and took our time. We didn't spend more than an hour there. As I noted: we knew where we wanted to go and we went there. 

That being said, we finally (after a few days of late, late lunches) went to lunch AT lunch! So this time, it was Neon Pig...an old-time butcher shop/grocery with a couple of trestle tables down the center where you eat with whoever shows up next to you. This place has the BEST burgers! The Kid had a burger and I had a BLT. The BLT used local bacon. The butcher shop was toward the back. The "grocery" was at the side, and it had labels: "your cabbage and carrots come from the Smith Farm on Rt. X." The butcher shop even said where the beef and pork came from. 

The menu board had duck prosciutto. For $250 a pound. Two hundred fifty dollars. A pound. 

Outflow of dam to Lower Sardis

Our afternoon trip was to Sardis - a town about 10 miles the other side of Batesville. There was a dam there. We like dams. 

Well. It was a dam. Oh my. A huge earthen dam. As we were driving along a 2-lane road, The Kid says, "where's the dam?" I pointed to the green "hill" -- and said, "There." 

We were on the Lower Sardis. This is the outflow. Lake Sardis, above and over the top, is huge. I mean, you can't see the top of it. 

Lake Sardis - the dam

We both decided that water is comforting. It was just nice to sit there and watch the water coming out. There were folks fishing near the outflow, and boats just putting around the lake. I would have enjoyed a pontoon ride. 

We drove around to see if we could find the access to the top of the dam, and we watched as this lake came into view. This is one of the largest earthen dams, and we just stood there in silence. Looking at the immensity of the lake. Imagining the magnitude of the project and who thought of it and how much it changed the landscape. 

The dam is to the right and behind

For some reason, the name "Sardis" rang bells with a Faulkner theme. I'm sure I'm confusing it with "Sartoris" and for all I know, that's what he did. 

On top, we watched swifts drive off a couple of hawks. I was snapping pictures left, right and center. A few did turn out, but I have to fiddle with them. And then the heat got to me. What probably happened was when I was taking the pictures, I was holding my breath. I tend to do that. Bad idea... Just sayin'. 

Hawks lose to Swifts

Before we left, I had put a wet washcloth into a baggie. That was good planning on my part. What we really needed was more water. So this time, we made yet another trip to Wal-Mart (that made 4 trips this time - more time in a Wal-Mart than I've spent in 20 years!), to stock up on water and get some dinner - we actually just had ice cream... The water was a necessity. Last year we brought water every morning, and we somehow had a brain burp this year. We certainly weren't going to spend $4/bottle at the hotel! 

Sardis was a nice find. If you were inclined, there's a lovely boat launch, a beach down the way, a recreational area and camping. 

For me? Air conditioning and a hotel, thanks!