I Have Something to Say...

I have been very circumspect about a lot of things on here, because I'm normally a very private person, but I've kinda had it and I need to say something. 

"Stay in your lane" is normally a pejorative statement uttered by underqualified white guys while they lecture someone (usually a woman or a person of color, or -- looking at you, JD Vance, and THE FREAKING POPE) on a subject that they really have no idea about, but because of their white-guy-special-privilege, they get away with saying a lot of crap and demeaning a lot of people. 

But in this case, I'm issuing a "stay in your lane" regarding a situation which has come up. 

If a person has, say, 40-ish years of experience doing something, and is accomplished in their field, and has been noted as a professional in that field (i.e., has been paid to do the thing), if you do not have those or similar qualifications, and this person has been doing a job - without pay, and gladly, because otherwise it wouldn't get done and materially affects this person's ability to do another particular job... and if you think that in spite of all the above, YOU still know better? 

Stay in your lane. 

I try to not let this kind of stuff bother me, but man-o-man...some days you just want to tell people exactly what you think. Mind you, that's not always the wisest thing, and you can get yourself into a lot more trouble. But sometimes, things DO need to be said because otherwise, they live in your head rent-free, and you don't deserve that. 

So. Take my advice. If you're confronted with a situation where you want to make a suggestion, please don't let that stop you from making the suggestion. But to wholesale say to that person, "You are incapable of doing the thing you've been doing for 40+ years, because I can do it better, it can't be all that hard, it's just plugging things in..." Yeah. No. 

Stay in your lane. Resist the temptation to open your mouth, because you're only going to insert your foot all the way up to your quads. And I'm not helping you pull it out. I'll actually help shove it in a bit more, just because you deserve it. 

The Garden...

Sadly, we haven't seen a caterpillar on the parsley all season. We really haven't seen the Swallowtails either. 

The Borage has been covered by little black ants. The chervil was destroyed by same ants... 

We trimmed off all the red romaine, and Hubby left the stubs -- surprisingly, we're getting a second leafing of this lettuce. And to be honest, that's about the only lettuce right now I'd trust to eat. Thanks RFK jr and what's left of the CDC... 

We have 6 tomatoes on one plant, and the one on the Cherokee Purples GOT EATEN BY A TREE RAT....  so frustrating! I don't expect any of the yellow cherry tomatoes to actually happen, because I bought that plant late. It was a "rescue buy," and if it actually grows? That's a win. 

The Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris), also known as Gayfeather (who knew?) is doing well, but the 3 new ones? Bunny appetizers. Two of the 3 new ones appear to be trying to come back. Fingers crossed. 

The Coneflowers (the purple native ones) are doing quite well. Happy with that. As are the Brown Eyed Susans. I did plant some additional seeds, but I don't see any evidence of them coming up. 

The basil is going nuts. I'm letting one plant go to flower for the bees, and nipping the other one. The Kid is in Maine, and has tried basil ice cream, so I need to freeze some of this, and see if we can re-create it. 

While the petunias are a bit leggy, they're still blooming, so I'm letting them do their thing. 

And while the dill and Monster Bleeding Heart did come up? Nothing like they were last year. The Bleeding Heart didn't even bloom. And even the Icelandic Poppy was wonky. 

On the plus side, even though this year (so far), we haven't put up the fountain (a/k/a "Birdy Bidet"), we've put up two bird baths and a saucer on the ground for the other animals. And the birds have been rotating between the two baths in the front and the one in the back. For a while, the back one rarely got used, but they've found it and they seem to be very happy about it. 

We usually have a line-up, and woe betide us if we let the baths get low -- they yell at us! 

We're in the middle of a heat wave, complicated by smoke coming down from Canada. But who cares about global warming? Surely nobody in Washington, DC... 

Hold the Phone...

A miracle has happened. I came home after the meeting I referenced in my first paragraph. I was frustrated, hangry, and just Not. In. The. Mood... So I made a sandwich for lunch. I had an avocado that felt a bit squishy. 

I thought, "Oh, FINE. Just. FINE. I'll probably have to toss this one... " because why not - that's just the way my morning went. 

Wait a sec. Here it is. And it's freaking PERFECT. And it was delicious. It didn't quite make up for the crap I put up with at the meeting, but ya know what? 

It was perfect. In the moment, I thought, this is just ... perfect. 

The Knitting...

The afghan is moving a-pace... I might -- JUST - might get it done by the time we visit. I have the two gold panels done, and I'm working on the second green one. There are 3 green panels in the project. 

I'm really liking how the colors are working together. I wasn't sure as I picked them, but the gold is also a bit of a "heather" which seems to play well with the green. The green heather seems to have a little of a yellow cast to it, so it works nicely. 

All that garter stitch...Whew! This separates the knitters from the knitters! You can really see the unique quirks in the yarn, and this is a "tension test." You can see the evenness of your stitches -- or the unevenness? Anyway, like I always say, the plain knitting is where you see more than you might want to. 

I found a dropped stitch about 3 rows back. So the ONE nice thing about all this garter is that I could rip back with impunity. Which I did. I must've been knitting late at night, because I normally am pretty good about paying attention to my knitting; only because dropping a stitch terrifies me!

I can't wait to start putting it together. And -- since we're in that heat wave, of course I'd be working on an afghan. Lucky it's in parts, and I'm not having a whole big wool-blend afghan in my lap! 

My next project will be a single sock - I have to find one of my sock bags. We're thinking of taking some short trips, and socks are great car-knitting. I usually try to have the fiddly bits done: ribbing and heel turn. So I will knit on the leg or foot - the mindless stuff. A 7 - 8" leg takes a while to knit, so it works for a trip. 

The Grand-dog...

Well, we have Basil for a while. It's been a long time, and she's shedding. A lot. I'd forgotten how much ONE dog can shed, and it's like, "How did we do THREE DOGS shedding either simultaneously or in sequence?" It was a constant snow-storm in the house, I guess. I never noticed when they were around, but I sure do now that they're not...

She's doing really well, considering (the heat wave...) -- we have to be careful when we walk her, because of the hot sidewalks, and she really zonks out when she gets back in. 

She has, however, proven herself to be The Sploot Queen. She sploots on the carpet, on the floor, and even on the couch as she's napping. Boy, I wish MY hips were that limber again! 

She hasn't quite plopped herself on the AC vent, and surprisingly, she's quite incurious about what's going on outside. She's not much of a barker, but I don't think she has to -- take a look at her and you'll think twice about anything stupid you might want to try. 

Fun story: Well, it's not actually fun... Basil gets car-sick. We've tried everything: not feeding her, confining her, even taking away her water (which sucks). And finally, the vet suggested some meds. The last time I transported her, she yarked up so much (on an empty stomach) that she literally flooded my back cargo hold; thank goodness for WeatherTech liners. She's nearly 70 lbs. That's a lot of "tummy juice." 

This time, we had a slight miscommunication. I was at a birthday party (80th) for a friend, and I told her I had to bug out early because Basil's ride home was coming. Hubby gave her the pills around 1 p.m. We waited. And waited. And waited. You're supposed to give it 1 hour after eating and 2 hours BEFORE travel. She hadn't eaten since 6 a.m., so we know her tummy was empty. About an hour after she had the pills, she took quite a nap. 

Finally, around 4 p.m. I get a call, "I thought you were bringing her back..." (sigh) So into the car we go. Basil was doing really well. I kept thinking, "don't jinx it, don't jinx it, don't jinx it," and "who's the patron saint of dog barf??" 

I pulled into the driveway. And.... There was NO barf. None. Not even a tummy rumble. We were gobsmacked! 

I think, to make this all work, we have to give her the meds, WAIT for longer than 2 hours, and then she can get into the car. That's such a good outcome. She was so upset, she'd barf her guts out, and it was just so nerve-wracking to drive her anywhere longer than 20 minutes. 

So. Yay for a miscommunication? I'll take it. 

The Houseplants...

Well. My snake plants have had babies! We have three pots which have little pups. Two of the older ones are a little shaky, but I think they're still ok. And the big one in the back (upper right corner) has FLOWERED!! Yay!!! 

And Hubby's orchids are really doing nicely as well. A few are ready to pop again, I think this is the third time this year they've bloomed. 

I'm still looking for that elusive Golden Haanii, which was one of the first ones I bought and promptly killed. My Moonshine is a bit leggy; it seems to like the grow lights a bit too much. But I don't want to risk moving it. 

And my baby spider plant is fluffing out well. So the green thumb is working inside almost as good as the one outside. 

Random Picture...

We've had some pretty impressive storms. Lots of night time tornado threats, too. This was a shot I took from the studio, and these seriously look like "mushroom clouds," and were quite stunning when I left after class. 

That was a night when we had some particularly intense storms. With hail and all... while we didn't have any actual funnel clouds, they were around us in other counties. 

We've had so much wet weather. The maples didn't do their "twirly bird" thing, and the storm sewers are running like crazy. The rivers are high. I mean, I'm not necessarily complaining -- too many folks out west and in Canada are in droughts with wildfires burning like crazy. 

And in case you even THINK it, no -- raking the forest floor won't help. These are ANCIENT forests burning. Mother Nature is screaming at us. When will we listen?

We're pretty much past the tipping point; right now, we need to realize that the Earth will survive. As far as Mother Earth thinks, WE are the pestilence. We can be gotten rid of. And it seems like she's really trying. 

 

Stripping...

I'm not talking about taking one's clothes off. I'm talking about stripping as in "removing." In this case, the out-in-the-open stripping of rights from women. 

Rights to bodily autonomy.

Rights to equality.

Rights to vote (I'm not kidding - it's being said out loud now...).

Rights to make our own choices. 

Are you terrified yet? If you have a uterus or vagina, you should be. And if you're not terrified, yet?? WAKE UP!! Just because it might not be happening in your area doesn't mean you're safe and sound. 

Crap like this, like venereal disease, will spread. Yes, I went there. The generation of women who are now coming into their own have LESS RIGHTS than I did when I was in high school. And I'm in my mid-60s. 

And I haven't even touched on the area of LGBTQIA+ issues, book banning, voter suppression, and gerrymandering. If women's issues aren't your jam, there are PLENTY of other things we need to get involved in!

Do something. Anything -- preferably something to create action. Call your legislators. Contact groups such as Planned Parenthood or NARAL or Center for Reproductive Rights, or National Organization for Women to get involved on a local level. 

There are so many other areas where you can get involved: Moms Demand Action, ACLU, your local organizations which empower women. Find them. Get yourself a mission and do it. Whether it's a postcard campaign, organizing around voting rights, helping by being an election judge, pollwatcher, or getting involved with a candidate whose vision aligns with yours -- go do that. 

Now, please. The rights of our daughters, grand-daughters and women in this country depend upon our actions. And yes, individual actions count. Never let yourself believe that you can't do something because "it doesn't matter." It does. More than you know. 

Oh, and VOTE!!! In EVERY election, local, consolidated, national... All of 'em. Enjoy the right that your grannies fought for. 

The Ugly Sock...

Well. It's not going to win a prize, but it's coming along. Judicious use of decreases on the "knit around" round helped me tighten up that gusset area. It's not perfect. It's not going to be frogged - I can live with it. 

I'm really at the point of just wanting to get this pair off the needles. I'm not sure whether I should try the "two at a time on separate circulars" thing. I don't care about whether my socks match; I think fraternals are cool. They're "close enough." So to me, (sorry) it's like a waste of yarn to cut a yard or so off just so the stripes match. 

So my task is to buckle down, get skippy, and knit. I've got a couple rows more of gusset decreases, then the foot. I'm doing NOTHING fancy; just a round toe. There are enough "design elements" that ended up in this one sock. Not going to make myself crazy about this.

Now, if I'm being honest,I really SHOULD pick up a singleton. Maybe "Bowties are Cool" - which at one point wouldn't have fit me, but since I've lost a pretty decent amount of weight, maybe it will. It's one of those patterns where, I got it because -- Dr. Who... but there's not much variance in sizing. It also uses Lorna's Laces, and I've got this glorious TARDIS blue yarn. It's a dark-ish navy, but not black-dark. The first sock is actually done and in my sock box. I really just need to get #2 done. 

Petty Harbour is also on the needles; the first one, I think partially down the leg. It's in a lovely tan color - a neutral I kinda love. 

Then there's Sole to Sole - a vanilla+ sock. Meaning, Vanilla with a bit of spark to it. There's a line of ribbing down the outside of each sock. It's a lovely self-striping blue/tan/gold colorway. 

And that's all I have on my mind right now. There are most likely others (just look at my project list alongside the blog...). But hey. Gal's gotta start somewhere, right?

She's Back...

So I was really worried about our Very Weird Winter. And it's not done yet. This week, it was gorgeous. GOR-----GEOUS!!! Like in the 70s and 80s and sunny. 

And Monday, rain + snow are forecast. Of course. 

My friend D wants a cutting from The Monster Bleeding Heart. But I was quite concerned, because I hadn't seen her pushing her way up thru the dirt. And I should have. 

Well, I needn't have worried. She's up and green. Hopefully, the weather won't kill her off. My friend is jazzed. She's admired this Monster for years, and was broken-hearted when I gave her a Bleeding Heart (not from mine, the timing wasn't right), and the lawn service she used mowed the thing down and killed it. 

For those who might be new here... The Monster Bleeding Heart has been in my garden for over 30 years. She's at the northwest corner of my front yard, and she kinda wraps around. On the true north side, she's bordered by lily of the valley and hostas. On the west side, she's got a fountain. Which the birds seem to think is their personal spa, because they empty it at least once daily "taking a shower" so she's well-watered. 

Across from her is the "baseball diamond bed" -- a bed that's shaped a bit like home plate. That is filled with native plants and some herbs - mostly for the hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. Bee balm, Prairie Blazing Star, Purple Coneflower, hyssop, Icelandic Poppy, and a few other things. 

At the other side of the yard is a bed of Brown-Eyed Susans, and that's where most of the feeders are located. 

In the next few weeks (even though I'm itching to do it NOW), I'll be getting at least 4 hanging baskets. I try for, again, stuff that is colorful, hardy (it's a west-facing yard, so it bakes in the summer) and which will attract the pollinators. 

Once upon a time, I had a gorgeous rose garden. I had about 50 bushes, people would walk down the block to see it. And then, our maple tree got a fungus. Bad. 

Two years, and it decimated the roses. I talked to a biology professor I know and said, "What now???" He told me that the roses are done and done. No more roses. I planted some of those for people who I've lost. It took me 5 years to rebuild and renew with the native plants. 

I'm honestly having fun with it, and as things have progressed, people are now walking down the block to see what's coming up. 

I've even got a sort-of plan for the veggie garden. Wayyyyyyyy scaled back. I say that now. Watch this space, because sure as God made little green apples, it's more than likely that I will bring back a few too many tomato plants. 

Random Picture... 

So, funny enough, my phone is nuts. If I grab it the wrong way, I get a screenshot. Which is cool, but in my "photos" app, I have at least a dozen of these... And while I still miss Tippi, it's just laughable that I can't manage to grab my phone without taking another shot.

I still need to organize my pictures, just because I feel like I'm scrambling around to find things every so often. And yeah, everyone says that. I've been saying it as long as I've had singleton socks in the knitting bags. 

Anyone have a decent system to organize them? I have most of them stored on the cloud, because otherwise, my computer's hard drive would be the size of a room. My phone has an Android operating system, and I have to do something to get things into folders, on the phone. On the cloud, I can do it easier. 

I'm open to suggestions! In the meantime, I'm going to go knit some more, and probably will grab my phone once or twice more today and get more pictures of Tippi...

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. 

Fourth of July Frustration...

...This is my "not favorite" holiday of the year. The only bright spot is that the moronic pyromaniacs haven't been shooting off their stupid boomers since Memorial Day. Which has happened in the past. I will say that it's mid-afternoon and sunny - and they're just starting. You can't even SEE the sparkles so what the ????? 

I'm exhausted. Quinn's been throwing up for two days. Hubby and I are snapping at each other because we're taking the dogs in shifts, and it's getting old. 

And we're not upset at the dogs. We're upset that people are so oblivious. The town next to us has really cracked down, and they've actually arrested people and fined them $500 each for possession of illegal fireworks. On the other hand, while our city is patrolling, they missed an obvious pick-up. The kid across the street actually tossed a big boomer, and the smoke was still in the air as the cops pulled past the house. And they didn't stop. 

What does it take? Someone blowing off their fingers? Maybe. 

We've tried the Thundershirt. We've tried Benadryl. We've tried Pulsatilla (a homeopathic remedy). I massage them with lavender essential oil, and I've got it diffusing now. 

So far, Quinn's still hiding in the bathroom. Tippi's out here by me, snoozing before the late-night barkfest. Raisa is out with Hubby on a walk, to blow off some steam before the "festivities" start. 

For several years, I've really hated the Fourth of July. Actually, since Quinn became so spooked by the noise. I can handle Tippi barking - though that's only been in the past few years. Quinn's been really awful at this time, and we've tried everything we can think of. 

I'm actually ordering some CBD oil. Yes - I'm putting my dog on canabanoids. A friend of mine uses them for her dogs, and has had really good results. I need to do something because when you see your dog trying to crawl behind the toilet, when her pupils are dilated, when she's drooling like crazy, and now spending days barfing? It's time to do something more. 

I've ended up putting her in her crate early each night. Set the diffuser up in the kitchen, draw the drapes, crank up the fan for some white noise. And hope for the best. 

CBD oil is derived from hemp - it's pot without the THC. So it should relieve her anxiety and aggression issues (particularly with Raisa - and come to think if it, it might help Raisa with HER aggression issues) and it won't zonk her out like doggie valium. 

I'll let you know how it goes. 

Knitting...

Yes, it's another pair of socks. The sweater was getting heavy. Though I might switch back to it tonight, as long as I'll be up with the dogs anyway. 

This is a plain vanilla pair. I have a 15-row rib going on and then plain sailing through the rest. It's OnLine self-patterning. I've never used it - I actually won it in a raffle, and so I'm trying it out. With this kind of "busy" yarn, plain is best. Maybe a rib down the side, or K6 P2? But for the most part, let the yarn do the talking and skip the fancy stitching. 

And on top of that, it's kind of a brainless knit. The yarn is in a grey/black/blue/white colorway, and it looks like it'll knit up nicely. It got great reviews from my online (ha) sock knitters group, and they said it wears like my favorite: Opal. 

I like the way it's working up now, and I think it's going to be a nice "basic" sock - I mean, not my usual "wildly" patterned colors, but something I can wear like the grey variegated ones that I have. I may also try the "Strong heel" variety again. That worked up nicer than I thought it was going to. 

And the sweater is just going along. Like I said - not being a speed-knitter, I can't show you a "front" today, a "sleeve" tomorrow...I'm just plugging along. 

Go Cubs Go...

So yeah, this happened at Mass this past Sunday. My friend L officiated at the wedding of his niece and her new husband. This is what they gave him. Of course it's a replica. A very good replica. And it weighs a stinkin' ton! 

The women's version that I saw - and there was only one, which is really not cool - was a wimpy-looking thing that resembled a high school ring. This is something that they need to remedy because there are quite a few women fans. Many of us have been fans for a long, long while, too. 

But apparently, the ring can't be downsized? I mean it is rather a hunk of gaudy stuff - but I wonder if they could've modified it? Either way, it was rather thrilling to have even a replica. 

I mean really: A World Series ring. With a Chicago Cubs logo. The first in over 100 years. And I was able to, even with a replica, put it on my finger. 

Yes!  

Everyone's freaking out because they're 41-41 now. Relax. By this time, normally, we're rolling up the grass on the infield. This is an extraordinary time. Last year? Indescribable. Wonderful. Wonder-filled. Awesome. Can we repeat? Well, I don't know. I think so, but then I've been a Cub fan my whole life. I always think "This year!" 

This year, we have all the talent. We just have to get it together. It could happen. If the front office lets Maddon be Maddon, and then perhaps lets him get the players he needs? We'll be fine. And I have the feeling that even if the just let him do him? We'll be fine. 

Random Picture...

This is the lily garden next to the spot where we do garden yoga. The flowers are in bloom and the garden is shaping up nicely. Next week is "Art in the Garden," so I'm not sure if we'll be outside. I have to call them. If they're setting up for that lovely event, I'm pretty sure they're not going to want us around. 

Our own garden is doing well, too. The brown-eyed Susan and cone flowers are now in bloom. The dill is growing. The bee balm is bright and beautiful. Lavender and Salvia are adding pops of purple to the patch. We have a few gazing balls out there, and Hubby will put up the one bird bath. The hummingbird feeders have attracted a bit of an audience, so I'm looking forward to a lot more traffic in the coming few weeks. 

Our own day lily "fence" around the front yard is coming along, though we could use a little thinning out. 

Back to knitting. Gotta get a leg on that sock! Happy Fourth of July - if you're celebrating. Me? 

I'm trying to keep dogs calm. 

Best of Random Pics...

I'm not lazy. I'm just tired of the stale news cycles... So today we're doing a "best of" -- I've dug through the phone and I've found some random pics that I don't think I've posted before. But if I have, please excuse and just enjoy!!

Comments always welcome - and share my blog with your friends. (Doesn't that sound awfully needy??? Well, we writers are like that...)

Altar in my office

This is the altar in my office. I use it as a focal point for meditation, and it's a little "sacred space" for some of my treasures, including my great-granny's medals, Tippi's TDI badges, candles, a rock from a trip -- all kinds of stuff that just means something to me. 

I saw an article in Yoga Journal about the altars people kept and some were quite spare. Some were beautiful. But all of them reflected the individual who created them. Some were just a bulletin board. 

All you need is a little space where you can put something meaningful up in front of you. It doesn't have to be "religious" in nature. It can be a picture, a seashell, a candle... anything that causes you to pause and think. 

That's the purpose. Not adulation. Not worship. But a space in your life (at home or at the office -- or both) where you are reminded to "stop and smell the roses." Or look at the picture. Or light the candle. 

Basically, a spot that reminds you to breathe. We all need that. 

Hi temps...

I don't know when I took this, but it was last summer. Just because it's 7* here (feels like "spring may never come" -- a/k/a -11*F), we often forget that yes, spring will come. And then summer. And we'll be griping or boasting about how hot it is. 

When you're freezing in this, the (hopefully) last of the Polar Vortex times, remember this picture and realize that, come August, you'll be whining. 

Well, I'll be whining. Either way.

We took these clematis down this past year. They had actually rather withered and even though I know they can last for years and years, ours succumbed to either the crummy soil, the hot weather or the dogs who kept peeing on them. 

Or a combination thereof. 

Clematis

So last year, we took down the trellises and put in 2 lilac bushes. We will most likely trim the lilacs and keep them from getting "wild" but I will miss these clematis. I love lilacs, but I will miss the beauty of these flowers.  

If you get a chance, please plant these. They're gorgeous, hardy and beautiful in a mixed planting. Meaning, you can plant ANY combination of these flowers. If you want to be matchy-matchy, go for it. If you want to mix red, white, purple, variegated.

Well, do that, too. You can have big ones, small ones, a mix of the two.

You can plant one side in blues, one side in purples. Or any of the above combinations. 

Clematis have different blooming times, too. Ours always bloomed early and then by August, we were done. Mr. K., next door? His is GIGANTIC, but it's got smaller flowers. And it blooms a month or so after ours and lasts through fall. 

I bet he's got hummingbirds nesting in his; it's a very thick bush, growing up the side of his house. 

Raisa snout

So this is the first picture I captured of Raisa. First off, my Nokia is a second-generation. I'm truly looking forward to the upgrade this year!! Second, she's really quick! Luckily, my phone didn't come in for a slurpy Husky kiss. 

She's blending into the family well. And today, I got a text from Hubby, claiming "MY DOG" crapped all over the kitchen. 

"She's grounded for LIFE" he says. And then he takes them all out for a lovely long walk. He's putty in their hands -- errrrr, PAWS. 

This is her 3rd accident in the house, but she's barely 6 months old, and I think the excitement of having 2 other dogs in the house often distracts her.

Huskies always, ALWAYS have the canine equivalent of ADD - and puppies have it the worst. 

She'll calm down. Around age 6 or so... Maybe. 

This little lovely is a "chatelaine" -- Now, normally, the definition of a chatelaine is "the mistress of a household or large establishment."

Sheep chatelaine

The secondary definition is "a clasp or hook for a watch, purse or bunch of keys." In knitting terms, a chatelaine can be called a "scissors-keeper." This little weighted sheep has a "tail" and that has a velcro loop where you can secure your scissors. 

My scissors are usually kept in a project bag. And the ones in that bag (a/k/a an inexpensive zippered make-up bag) are the really sharp ones; I put a wine bottle cork on the tips to keep from jabbing myself when I'm rooting around in there. These are "airline approved" and blunt-tipped. This is a good place to stash them, so that the next time I fly somewhere, if I take something other than the "Before and After Scarf" (hey, 96" of knitting takes up most flights I'll be on!), I can grab these and be assured that the officials won't confiscate my good pointed embroidery snips. 

She's cute. Quirky. And a sheep. What more could a knitter ask for? 

If you're ever looking for a "little something" for the knitter in your life (or as a small treat for yourself), check these out. This is from Lantern Moon, and I got mine for under $20. You can get them at your LYS (buy locally when you can!!!) or -- of course -- on Amazon or at your favorite online yarn store such as Jimmy Beans or the like. 

Yes, since you asked: all the dogs DID think she was a new toy. She's on my knitting table where they can't get to her. 

Ahhhhhhhhh - spring-to-summer on the prairie trail!! This was last summer, at the beginning before it turned beastly. We were on the new prairie trail and I stopped a couple of times to snap some pictures.

Wild thistle

As you can imagine, a "prairie" trail is very short on (a) shade and (b) trees. But it's not short on wildflowers and grasses. This thistle was just beautiful and in a clump of them. 

Our local park district has been diligent about ripping out the invasive stuff and putting BACK the native stuff. This prairie area has been planted with milkweed (hello Monarch Butterflies!!) and thistle and all the prairie grasses native to our area.

The wild garlic and other invasive stuff has been removed and they're keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn't come back.

I mean, we're talking wild roses -- they're just not native to our area; they've been tossed into fields and of course, they germinate and take over. 

Honeysuckle is another noxious weed. Ok, my mom had some planted alongside the driveway as a "living fence" next to our neighbor. But she quickly changed her mind when Hubby actually sawed the stuff down to a one-foot-high stump.

And the next year, it grew 5 feet and blossomed. It's lovely. It smells nice. And it takes over!!

Well, this brings me to the end of this post. Let me know how you liked my selection. Maybe I should do this every quarter or so?