In Stitches

Monday Monday, So Good to Me

2012-02-13T20:58:00.000-08:00

I went to the fitness center for a swim before my art class on Friday. I love these signs that are scattered around the St Mary's campus. And if my son is reading this, the last sign is for you :) I had run some errands, including buying a roll of contractors paper since I couldn't find corrugated paper rolls and was looking forward to being buoyant in the water.
I told Erik that I wanted to paint a building but when I was setting up I realized that I had left my reference photos on the dining room table. I had taken them out of my art supplies to do some sketching and so I had to use one of Erik's photos. I'm not that familiar with the building and the photo wasn't clear. With that handicap, I'm still coming up with a reasonable representation. I'll finish it this week and then will paint the building I had wanted to paint next week. This was a really ambitious project - way over my head - but I wanted to try it in this small class because I knew I would need a lot of help.
Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. It was only 47 degrees but the birds were singing their hearts out and since the wind wasn't blowing, I put on a sweatshirt, a down vest and my mitts and read on the deck. I've had a very hard time finishing A Tale of Two Cities, though I can say that I will never think of the French Revolution in the same way. It's a powerful and effective book. Book club is tomorrow so I was cutting it pretty close.
This is the third and last sampler from Robyn Spady's workshop in October. The threading is for Overshot. I struggled with the same warp again and finally came to the conclusion that I do not like UKI. I'll stick with with Valley Cotton from Webs in the future. It was insanely sticky. The cut ends would cling to each other and it refused to slide. Four warps didn't get tied in and because it was a sampler, I threw in the towel and but them off. It's not working for me. I'm going to cut it off, add in the missing warps, resley and do it right.
But first I need to have some weaving fun and am warping with all these colors for dishtowels. It's a block pattern so I'm randomly picking up a cone - well, probably not quite randomly since I'm alternating dark and light. I was almost late to my CERT meeting tonight because I couldn't stop. Oh, and my security clearance just came through. I just need to be fingerprinted and then I'm O-fish-al.

And in case you were wondering, Charlie is still the boss.

Unplanned Plans

2012-02-08T22:18:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was one of the oddest days I've had in years. I haven't been to the gym in six weeks so Melissa and I agreed to meet up for a water exercise class at 10:00. I drove about five miles on our two-lane road when the conditions of rain last night, followed by snow became apparent by tire tracks on the road shoulders. I didn't think I was driving too fast, but I've seen too many accidents to chance being one. Around the bend and up out of the canyon, I was stopped by the string of vehicles. And more were quickly pulling up behind me.

Our road is an alternative to the highway and it was clear that the highway had been closed. I waited about five minutes. A pickup in front of us pulled out and drove up the winding road on the wrong way. I waited another minute, and when he didn't come back, I did the same. It was beyond scary to drive on the wrong side of the road in icy conditions, but when I got to the top, I realized that the problem was that the trucks didn't have chains and couldn't get up the hill. The only driver chaining up was the UPS guy - he was also also the only athletic looking driver. Think about that for a moment. I actually made it for class and then swam for another 20 minutes.
Errands later, the last thing for my day was to visit a guild member's studio. It's been in the offing for months so I was really happy to finally get to hook up. Rae has been very successful with her dishtowels, and since she weaves on a Gilmore loom, I've wanted to see how she works.
I was especially taken by her method of winding on, because she warps from front-to-back, and obviously quite happily. She has a roll of corrugated cardboard, and then she weights it's draw on. I think this is the missing piece for me.
Rae's towels are fantastic. She uses 5/2 cotton from Henry's Attic so I asked her if I could share her next order and split the shipping. That's what is a killer out here - shipping costs. We are so far away from suppliers on the East Coast.

I love how she has supple-
mented the natural 5/2 warp by laying in 8/2 colors, right in the dent. I loved seeing her work, but I especially loved having the opportunity to make a new friend.
Rae keeps saying that her studio is just a recycled bedroom, but she has made the maximum use of her space. My studio is also a recycled bedroom and not nearly as functional as hers. I came home with the recognition that I can do better.

I got stuck in traffic on the highway, after miles of road closure and accident warnings. I've seen devastating accidents over the years but I wasn''t prepared for this one. It appeared that a cyclone had landed on one specific truck. It's the same accident that caused the trucks to divert onto our road this morning.

I took pictures and then decided to not post them. It was as if a grocery cart had exploded over the landscape. Trucking is a tough business. It hurts because we have friends and family in trucking. Someone's dad/brother/father/son isn't going home tonight. It hurts.

And tonight it is a beautiful night, full moon, three planets in the sky. Life is quirky.

A Happy Post

2012-02-04T21:13:00.000-08:00

This is Diana, my classmate, new friend and ham. She painted a still life Friday. We're working in Erik's "living room" but his whole flat in the Riverside Artists Lofts looks just like this - every bit of it. Messy spaces agitate me, so I'm surprised that this is a comfortable place to work in.
I chose to work on a photo I look of Long Valley Creek, about a mile from where we exit the highway. I wanted to paint water this week and I'm terribly disappointed at how flat the painting is turning out. I was torn between this and painting a building. As I was leaving, Erik said, how about this - we paint your building next week and then the following week, we'll work on the first four paintings and address the problem areas.

This is the first class he's offered in his studio and he drummed it up on Facebook. He assures me he's going to do it again, I'm not cut adrift at the end of these sessions. I haven't felt like such a helpless beginner in years - I get frustrated.
So I turned so something I've done since I joined 4H at the age of 10, sewing. You can see how huge that sample was that was missing from my yardage. The fabric was so wide that I was still able to work around it.
I finished the t-shirt today and realized how much skill I've gained since I sewed the first one. I bought eight pieces over two trips and, unlike the last project, I love this fabric. Good choice, Sharon.
This is the next piece I'm going to sew and I've put it in my laundry hamper, even though I did preshrink it when I bought it. It's just been sitting so long, it could use a little airing out. One more piece, and I've done with tyranny of the single knits.

I did wrestle a warp onto Maudie Mae for the last of the Spady workshop samplers, but it's not a happy story. I'll save it for another day. This was a happy post.

February, whatever

2012-02-01T21:22:00.001-08:00

Buster and I went for a walk yesterday afternoon. It's such unusually beautiful weather and a shame to waste. We went north since the previous walk past the wolves spooked me. I'm sure their holding pen is secure but the male wanted to eat us both, and boy could he leap up to demonstrate his desires.
It doesn't look like a storm on the horizon or even in the thought of the horizon. I just wanted to show what rain does here and why we prefer snow, which sits and sinks.
I thought you'd like to see our place on the last day of January. It could be September. Notice the red lump in the pen. That's our llama. She is not dead, that's just the way she sleeps

It doesn't feel like Septem-
ber. It's cold and even in the afternoon, this little collection pond still has ice. I think it was 37 when Buster and I left the house, but with no wind, it was really quite nice.
I sleep like a log, but Ian is an early morning man. He said the wind came through here and when he finally got up, huge snow flakes were falling. He estimates that we got an inch in about 40 minutes. I awoke to Narnia, but out came the sun and wiped out all the rain/snow and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again. That's the way we like our snow. It's not the first day of February that we had expected, but under the circumstances, I'll take it.

This is the pattern I've chosen for my newest project.

It's underway from recycled yarn. This is a three-ply Merino, which in it's previous life received a blue ribbon from Judith MacKenzie at Black Sheep Gathering. I only wore the sweater a couple of times. It looked like a knitted sweatshirt.
I finished that scarf from Madeline Tosh Light and it's fabulous. I love the pattern, I love the soft yarn and I love color gradations. Yea me!

And McKay loves her new hat, which makes me happy too.

Warm Winter Monday

2012-01-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

Friday I tried my hand at painting sky and I hated it. You're not really building structure as much as you're pushing colors around. So now I know.
There are a couple of colors that I still haven't gotten yet, so Erik was giving me some alizarin crimson here. I asked for pointers on how to warm up the palette on this earlier painting, I figured out how I wanted to fix the foreground snow while walking Buster and now it's glazed and done.
We watched Alexia Saturday night so Mommy and Daddy could go on a date. She and I spent about three hours drawing at the kitchen table. I've been practicing pen and ink strokes and showed her how. She had several pens to chose from and we so we just drew in the afternoon sun together, while Grandpa fixed her favorite spaghetti and meatballs.
We watched several episodes of Dance Academy, an Australian TV series/soap about teens in a premier ballet academy in Sidney. We finally cut her off after five. Her post-it notes are for the next morning - more Dance Academy, breakfast, ride home and more Dance Academy and also some random pen and ink strokes. Then she played Toy Balls on my iPhone. Incidentally, if you saw the movie Strictly Ballroom, the woman who played the young gypsy dancer is the head teacher in this TV series. Love Netflix!

I haven't been spinning this year due to an elbow that is painful after each spinning session. I'm resting it and doing other fibery pursuits, including knitting some of the massive backlog of handspun yarns. I'm obviously going to have to change my spinning technique when the elbow is recovered. Maybe change sides?
So I cut out this single knit for another tunic. I have no idea why this caught my eye at Mood, but at $14 a yard, I'm going to wear it, even it's just here. This fabric is so hard to work with. It's almost impossible to get wrinkle-free and flat. It makes me even more in awe of those designers on Project Runway who shake out a piece of shear insubstantial fabric and cut it to size.

This looks just as bad on me as it does in this picture.

This is the next piece - kind of a modern art non-pattern pattern. I have no idea what's going to happen in the cutting. As you can see on the lower right corner, they had given someone an 8-9" swatch and didn't compensate when they cut it for me. It's been sitting for several years so I'm going to run it through the washer and dryer again before I try to figure it out.

I'm reading a couple of books at once. Okay, I never just read one, but I'm sure that's been apparent in the past.

Sleepwalking Through History by Haynes Johnson. I bought and read this about 15 years ago but it's been on my mind a lot lately so I'm re-reading it. It's the Reagan era and how it came to be and it's surprisingly relevant to now in this anti-government era, which I totally don't get. Newt insists Reagan passed the mantle on to him and he is channeling Reagan.

Last Man in the Tower by Aravind Adiga, winner of the Booker Award for White Tiger. It's complex, full of rich characters with unexpected humor. I think we'll be able to expect that from him in future books as well.

Gideon's Corpse by Preston & Child. It's a ridiculous plot-driven book that kept me up until midnight last night, and it will probably do the same tonight.

Such a Winter's Day

2012-01-24T17:12:00.000-08:00

We've finally gotten some snow, the fourth of this water year. It's keeping Ian busy, filling the bird feeders. We feed many mouths here. What the songbirds don't get falls to the ground and is snatched up by the quail.

And what the quail don't eat, the cottontails do. I can't keep them out of the yard so I'd just as soon they eat fallen seed than dormant plants, though most everything is inside rabbit guard cages for the winter.
I chose a photo of Peterson Mountain for the exercise in my second class. The first class was about seeing everything in three tones, or even five, and this class was about seeing things as 70/30%, and because the horizon in my photo was right in the middle, Erik told me crop it. I marked the cropping but seeing the entire photo confused me. The painting wouldn't come together and Erik asked me why I thought I this one was so difficult. I didn't think about the cropping until later.
Sandy came over today and we painted together for a couple of hours. We have a lost of fantastic natural light in our house. She's working on a sign of our CERT team mascot - we're the Red Rock Rattlers.

Charlie wanted to be part of the action. As long as he stayed put, it wasn't a problem but he became obsessed with drinking from our water bowls. I'm using my dad's old table easel.
You can see my photo taped above the exercise and how I taped over the areas I was cropping. I painted out some areas and lightened the palette and am going to stop for now. I'll have Erik help me with it on Friday, or if time doesn't permit, at least critique it so I can repair it later.

I love acrylic because you can paint over the problems, no sweat. I just wish I could figure out what I want to paint instead. It's all part of training my eye.

I found some more archival things yesterday, including four non-sequential pages from my grandmother's journal. I have no idea why I have these or where the rest are:

"At this time I rec'd a letter in Dawson- asking if I would like to see the Fair and sell tickets - which I did. I left Dawson the day after Xmas - making the 500 mile trip over the frozen trail to White House, from there to Skagway via train to Seattle by boat. I picked up a dog team there and took it to St. Louis. It was there that we put our dog teams together and were married."
(Grandpa had an exhibit at the St. Louis World's Fair called Eskimo Village.)

And then some

2012-01-21T20:12:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous downpour of rain last night and the fire is now 100% contained, though 29 homes were lost and a 93-year-old woman perished. The prior firestorm was in a upscale area and I felt distanced from the event. This fire touches everyone.

It occurred in a corridor that you must drive through from Carson City to Reno. It's an area of small ranches running along a stream with very old trees. I remember my first time through there and the Merry Wink Motel signs spaced incrementally. "He who drives while half asleep is now buried six feet deep." Gone. It's all gone, though they did save Governor Sparks mansion, and I cannot imagine how. I saw the shell of friend's house in the flames. The origin was improperly disposed of fire place ashes. The individual has stepped forward, though I cannot imagine where that will go since he's an elderly man. Ian always worried about disposing of our ashes. Don't worry - he digs a hole.

The fire moved with terrifying speed in the winds, so that people just released livestock to run free. They're still trying to get that straightened out. We heard a report on the number of animals still unclaimed at the livestock event center - I forget the total, but Ian and burst out laughing as the list ended with a donkey, a llama and a goose. You look for humor where you can find it.
I wanted more than anything to just paint today. Erik and I talked over my painting from yesterday, and I had myself set up to paint before lunch. I just bought this crepe pan and so decided that the best plan was to make dinner, then paint my brains out, and afterwards put dinner in the oven.
Here it is, ready for the fridge. It's just two cups of medium white sauce with Costco rotisserie chicken, tarragon, mushrooms and peas. I added some dry white cheese for the last five minutes when I cooked it, and it was fabulous. Excluding the price of the pan, it cost $2.00.
This evening, I slit open a stuffed Christmas ornament that didn't get packed and shoveled in some catnip. I thought Charlie would be amused. I didn't stitch the slit shut. Charlie made a mess of things. Ian was not amused. The ornament/toy is no more.
Ian and I are in the midst of setting up a trust for our kids. I thought I'd quickly get things set aside that need to be photocopied, only I couldn't find one deed. After looking in all the logical places, I invoked my new year's resolution by accident - to clean up our filing cabinet. I came across amazing things, including my grammar school report cards, my ACT scores from when I applied to San Diego State College and my drivers license from when I lived in the Philippines in 1971. I did find the deed. I also found many documents and receipts that are no longer relevant. I think that's about 8" worth of paper. I'm not done, but I wish I were. No painting, just paining~ugh.

From my Kindergarten "Report to Parents" - Sharon knows her telephone number; she is able to recognize the numbers from 1 to 10. Sharon enjoys sharing experiences with other children. She should be encouraged to close cupboard doors quietly, sit in one place during storytelling time and be a good listener. Sharon is promoted to beginning first grade."

Whadda Day

2012-01-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

Our ISP has funneled the email part of their service through Google and I'm trying to follow directions to get my computer and phone to work. I turned on my computer this morning, anticipating a call to our ISP for assistance, when suddenly emails began to download, and download. In the end, I had something like 800 emails. I couldn't deal with it as I had lost a contact in my eye last night and wanted to have my eye doc see if he could see it since I certainly couldn't. I decided to make a Costco and Trader Joe run to justify the gas expense.

My friend Melissa called while I was driving in and we ended up going for some Macy's therapy. She needed some cheering up and we always have fun at that store. Today we browsed handbags. You have to laugh at the price tags, if nothing else. When we left the mall, she said I smell smoke and so did I. I returned Melissa to her coffee house, got my eyeball checked, then did my shopping.

There was a reason we smelled smoke. I listened to NPR and every half hour got an update on the fire. It started south of Reno and was being fanned by the terrific winds, pushing in the storm front supposed to hit tonight. I had to fight the car door to keep it from being ripped off its hinges. Gusts in excess of 70 mph were reported at the airport and flights were being delayed or cancelled. My last stop in Reno was Costco and when I came out, the smoke was choking. You couldn't see the mountains and barely the sun.

I snagged this image from Facebook. Like the rest of the country, we've been warm and dry, until last week when night temperatures hovered around zero. They confirmed 3,000 acres burned, 20 homes lost and one fatality. Horse evacuation has been a crisis. The fairgrounds can hold 400 and outlying ranches are offering accommodations. Our VFD truck was headed south as I drove home, about 5:00. It's Thursday, our VFD guys have worked all week - and now they're fighting a fire all night. I'm concerned and I want them to be safe. I wonder how that works when they're supposed to be at work tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I got a text from Ian when I was at the grocery store - last stop before home. He'd heard that North 395 was closed both ways due to a pile-up, and warned me to take surface streets. It turns out that fifteen vehicles and two semis had collided in white-out conditions when the gusts blew alkali across the highway, reducing viability to nothing. Eight are hospitalized. Whadda day. I was glad to get home in one piece.

As for the massive email downloads - I was able to take a look at it this evening. It was all the email that I had sent or received from my smart phone, dating back to 2009. Think about that when you put something in an email. It's out there. Somewhere.
On a more pleasant note, I finished another UNC school spirit garment, this time a hat for our grandniece. I'm going to suggest to her mother that she take the Christmas hat and trade McKay for this one. I think it will be cute for the two kids to have spirit apparel.

No Pictures

2012-01-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

If you look on the map, midway on the right, you'll see the number 395. We drive through California on our way home from Reno on Hwy 395, and at that number is exactly where we turn off onto Red Rock Road. If you've ever driven north from Reno to Susanville, you might know this spot. We are within a mile of the state line, so our power comes from the Plumas Sierra Electrical Cooperative in Portola, California and our telephone service is provided by Rural Telephone in Glenns Ferry, Idaho. That might help explain why we're so anxious to get emergency training out here.

I love our service providers. Rural Telephone gives us long distance to Reno for a flat rate of $5 a month. I learned that value when were were building and my phone bills to our contractor were $30 a call. Yeah, that was before cell phones. Even so, I can call for a doctor's or hair appointment at no more than $5.00. That's valuable because cell service here is pretty wretched so far. How weak? If my phone rings, I have to grab it, tear through the French doors and get to the edge of the deck - and then we can talk. Weather permitting, the call may go unanswered.

A couple of years ago RTCI decided to lay cable and provide us with DSL service. We were more than happy to say adios to satellite internet, however, we're still in the sticks and we've had less than slick days.

Slick Day: This week RTCI is migrating their virtual email service to the cloud, i.e., Google Aps. Those who don't use Microsoft won't be affected, but I'm stuck. My emails are in the cloud and my address is resident in my Outlook. I'm sure there's a solution but apparently not an obvious one. On a good note, I finally got my iPod restored to communicate with my iTunes library after it has boycotted it for a month - second visit to the Apple store this month and a success. I have tunes to drive by and even though I'm totally bummed about Outlook, I'm calling this day a success. That's because Eleanor and I both had stellar check-ups, and are good for many more miles.

Ian and I started the day meeting with an attorney, to set up a trust so our kids don't get socked with the Spanish Inquisition. If you're not a Monty Python, I apologize. On on that note, I think I'll say good g'night, Gracie.

Answering Questions

2012-01-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a few years now since I got hooked on Noro Kureyon sock yarn. Several of you expressed skepticism that a single ply thick-and-thin yarn would hold up in areas of wear. It doesn't. I thought felting these would make them better but it just made them smaller.
Even the pair I knit most recently has no heel. The other pair I have is missing a heel and the ball of the foot. I have two more skeins of this yarn and have no idea how to get it out of my stash. You skeptics were right.
And for those of you who asked how I liked working with Polypay, I thought it was delightful but I was working with unusually short staples lengths and would love to try this again with a sample from one of Luke's ewes.
It's not as springy as Targhee but very close. Again, a sample from a mature animal might have different characteristics. It's soft and I think would be terrific for garments. I'm not sure about weaving with something this boingy - would have to ask for advice if I want to take that further.

As for the appliances, we have an online subscription to Consumer Reports. I was restricted by the size of our tiny laundry room so needed machines that were 28" deep or less. CR rated the washer I chose as Best Value which was this. The dryer was also well rated. They are certainly well rated by me. They are so quiet and yesterday when I did my first load of whites, they came out white! I didn't know a washer could make that kind of difference.

I put my finished sweater through a soak cycle yesterday and blocked it. It was dry today so I brought it downstairs. It's taken me so long to knit it that Charlie has taken to think of it as his. The bedroom was about 60 today and yet he found his sweater and took a nap.

It has been brutally cold all over the West Coast recently. It was -10 this morning and Ian ran into problems with the hydrant at the llama shed. It wouldn't turn off and was soaking everything and everyone. He ended up turning off the power to stop the well from pumping, put a nozzle on the end of the hose, and then called our wonderful pump guy who recognized the problem, explained it to Ian and told him how to fix it. When the power was back on, of course, we were running brown water from every faucet.
I sewed today and I love my tunic. However, sewing with single knits is like sewing with Jello. I have four more pieces that I bought from Mood. I WILL sew them up and then I'm never going to sew with single knits again. I have no idea how Theresa cuts out four projects at a crack and then sews up a complex garment in an afternoon. I worked on this over three days!
The power of friendship. This would have been a good photo yesterday for MLK Jr Day. And Becky. I'm actually assembling notes on growing up with my parents for my children since they never knew them as vigorous energetic icebreakers in the original back-to-the-land movement. My kids only knew them as elderly grandparents.

So Becky. I have no record and no one to ask about when she arrived or when she left, but she was with us for a couple of years. She was in secondary grammar school and couldn't compose a small narrative. I remember that upsetting her teacher who called Mom in. Many people worked to save Becky. A widower in our valley raised horses and was the man Daddy had fix our old cars. Becky discovered she loved horses and couldn't spend enough time after school at Joe's to suit her, which worried Mom to death. Joe taught her to ride and to drive a sulky.

Her dad would visit once a month and take her for an ice cream cone. She thought he was god, and then was surly toward us for several days afterwards. She had lived with us for a couple of years when her uncle in Wyoming discovered she was in foster care. Even his mother knew. He was beside himself because it was intolerable to him. As a newlywed with two young children and a small farm, he didn't have money to send for her. He and Mom started to correspond. Long distance still wasn't common or practical. They cobbled together a plane ticket and Mother sewed like mad so Becky would have new clothes to wear home. That's a way Mother showed her love - she sewed for you.

Becky was just about in 7th grade when we took her to Lindbergh Field and she boarded a DC6 for parts unknown. I've thought so many times how skinny and scared she looked. She and Mom wrote letters for years and we stopped by to see her after I graduated from high school, after attending Daddy's family reunion. She was so proud to show off her family. The last letter Mom got, Becky had enrolled at the community college studying social work and was engaged to be married. Mother thought that Becky stopped writing because she had moved out of her past and was moving into her future, though I know Mom would have welcomed a letter. The rest is up to Becky.

MLK Jr Day

2012-01-16T21:14:00.000-08:00

I've been without a washer and dryer now for about three weeks, and in spite of two loads at my sister-in-law's house and two trips to the laundromat, I was faced with this backlog, not including sheets and towels. It's taken two days to get through this, and today was my first load of whites in the new machines. They were white! I've never had whites like this before. The machines are electronic and startlingly quiet. We don't have to close the laundry room door to talk, which pleases Charlie since his litter box and food are in there. I'm not going to like paying for them, but I sure do like using them.

It's been an expensive month and Wednesday is what I hope is the last expense. Eleanor, my car, and I both have doctor visits. She is way past due for her check up and I'm going to have part two of mine, which was actually in December. However, I made such as mess of my lab work, that my doctor wanted a do-over. A new windshield and new tires for Eleanor and we should be on all clear. And broke.
I forgot to mention than Ian got me a Kindle Touch for Christmas so we are now a two-Kindle family. He adapted easily to my Kindle 3 and we're keeping it registered in my name so both devices share one library, which is more than any two people can read. I knew I'd like the Touch but I didn't realize just how much. I'm currently reading A Tale of Two Cities for my book club and find it's pretty painless, sliding through the pages. The group wanted to read a classic this year and on my, we certainly are. They can't opt out, but as facilitator, I'm stuck so I just keep tapping the right side of my screen as I glide through this most depressing book. "It was the best of times, it was worst of times" and so far it's only the worst of times.

I joined Amazon Prime in December and we used my account to buy all our Christmas presents since shipping is quick and free. A lesser known part of that package is that you can check out a book from their Kindle library every calendar month. My January book is I shouldn't even be doing this by Bob Newhart, an autobiography. Since he was a cutting edge stand-up comedian, this is also a history of the genre - and funny.
My mother was determined to provide me with a sibling in the form of a foster sister since she was too old to have children after me. After the County turned us down for having well water and worn linoleum, Mom turned to a private foster care facility for troubled children, funded by the parents who didn't want them - and so when I was in junior high school, Rebecca came to live with us. She had impetigo from the nervous habit of licking her lips and kept pulling her hair out. My mother and Becky's case worker met once a month to iron out strategies to save this forgotten little girl. I knew when Mrs. Gilliam was coming because Mother feverishly wrote notes and cleaned the house. When she came, I was invited to go outside.

The thing I've thought about in retrospect over the years is that Mrs. Gilliam wanted to save Becky as much as my mother did, only this was before the Civil Rights Legislation of 1964 and Mrs. Gilliam, though a college educated woman, did not have the right to vote because the color of her skin was black. Yet she devoted herself to saving the skinny, troubled white kids in her charge. I've had this refrigerator magnet for at least 15 years but today on MLK Jr Day, I thought of it and I thought of her. I post the picture in her honor. And yes, they did save Becky.

Sometimes I Surprise Myself

2012-01-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

Erik Holland is a local artist and 10-year resident of the Riverside Artists Lofts. We're friends on Facebook and when he posted that he was offering a five-week class starting January 13th, I thought it sounded just like the thing I had been looking for - open ended, any medium.
He said the class was limited to five, to put a check in the mail. I did. I've been interested in two-dimensional art, probably all my life. Both my grandmother and father were oil painters. I've taken classes in every medium so I dragged my materials to this class. I felt this might be the opportunity to find me. Two dimensional art has been illusive.

And this is where I'm set up, my canvas and my palette.

Marilyn, his neighbor from downstairs, came up to paint with us. He said a student had given him this toilet and since there was no where to put her table palette, the toilet was put to service.
I had a fantastic time. I knew I'd love acrylics, but I just didn't know how to use them. I'm not looking to frame anything. Moving the paint and color is the fun. I had that experience when I took a community college oil class when my mother was failing. The teacher was terrible but the fun of creation was fantastic. I have four more sessions in this class, and boy did I get lucky. He only teaches a couple times a year. He offered this class for a friend. We're going plein air for the last couple of classes, if the weather holds.
I was walking back to the parking garage with all my bags and my wet painting, when I couldn't pass this shot of the Truckee River. A young man walking by with his two small daughters, stopped and said, that is a really nice painting. My first one! I wanted to kiss him but I was covered in paint and I would probably have scared his girls.
Erik said our homework this week is to look at everything and assign three values to it. I cannot believe that I pulled off the road on my way home, all because now I'm seeing everything in three values. This tells you also that it's still cold and dry here. It was 10 degrees this morning when I pulled out onto the highway.
This is my first exercise in acrylics. It was such a satisfying experience and I had a blast. It's the first art class I've taken where I wasn't an anxious nervous wreck. I'm in way over my head, but there are no grades and I don't care.

Ian was on duty at home. These are the old appliances.

These are the new, and I can't wait to try my new high efficiency washer. I think I love laundry. We have to get flexible dryer ducting to be able to push our machine back. We're not sure on that, but its going to be great to see the piles of dirty clothes go away. I don't understand what people do with their clothes if those don't wash them every week. I don't understand how people schedule laundromats into their schedules. This experience has humbled me.

Another Day

2012-01-12T20:45:00.000-08:00

Joe called me last week - long story - but invited us to come down on Sunday afternoon when they were going to finish a wood firing. His daughter Jasmine is a first-year ceramics arts student at NAU Flagstaff and had asked her dad if they could they do this over her break.
We were driving back from getting hay the same time he told me they would be emptying the kiln so we stopped by to see it was going. A wood fired kiln requires many potters to keep the fire stoked, so many potters had pieces in the kiln.
The inside of the kiln looks much larger than the outside. They had a long way to go and we had hay to unload.
Time to go home and get on with the rest of our day. That little black bag on the top of the hay?
Is this. Luke handed me a bag and said it was the smallest one, since it had to ride in the cab with us. He thought it was two lamb shearings, and it is. The potential is fantastic, but I'm going to ask for a ewe sample next time we get hay. The staple length is no more than 3" at best.
I wasn't impressed by the fleeces but I couldn't stand not to know what the fleece had the potential to be and had to scour a sample.
I drum carded and spun up a sample today. He has the potential to sell lovely fleeces. I hope I can help him identify the good ones and then get them to buyers. This sample couldn't be worse which tells me that he's got great stuff in that yarn barn of his. He's my neighbor in the rules out here. Neighbors help neighbors.
As for the purple scarf I took for trip knitting, this was the frogatage. As you can see, it was skinny and un-neck warming.

There's a lot of yarn in this worm bundle. It needed to be done. That skinny scarf was worthless.
Another froggage. The knit/purl pattern I chose was gobbling up the yarn. I had to frog and this is where I am. It's working out well as a TV viewing project.

Ian and I are currently watching Michael Palin's New Europe series on Netflix. I dragged down the Atlas from upstairs to help me follow along, only he started in Slovenia. My atlas had a unified Yugoslavia. I had no idea my atlas is so old. I ordered a new one and it should be here before we watch the next episode.

Hey! Hay.

2012-01-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Ian and I drove up to Bird Flat Ranch today for hay.
It's just six miles on the other side of Doyle. Tim and his son Luke run the whole thing by themselves, though Tim has been working this hay operation for 30 years. The ranch itself dates to the around the 1920s.
I think the ranch is beautiful and couldn't stop taking pictures, kicking myself for not packing the DSLR. The Garrod Family has a history of ranching in America dating to 1892 in the Bay Area.
We had a conversation about horizons. Tim said when he first moved here, it took some adjustment to accept the open land and lack of trees. Now when he goes to see the family in the Bay Area, he can only tolerate it for a short time before the claustrophobia sets in - Luke agreed and I know exactly what they are saying.
I've driven by hay before and just made a mental note. Oh, there's a lot of hay. Up close it looks a lot bigger.

The closer you get, the bigger it looks.

The scale of our 4-banger Toyota against the mass of hay absolutely dwarfs our poor truck.
Tim loaded seven bales and said he could load more if we wanted, but you can see the hay is sitting pretty heavy in the back of the truck. It's been a long search for good hay, but we've found what we were looking for. The hay is good, the animals don't waste any and it's $4 cheaper than in town. They don't deliver but that's okay. I'm already looking forward to going back.
I think this is beautiful and sometimes I have to stop to remind myself - I'm here because this is where I live. I'm not on vacation. This beautiful land is home.

In the middle distance are sheep. They also have a herd of Polypay they raise for meat and hides. As we were leaving Luke gave me a fleece to sample. He's hoping to be able to find a market with hand spinners and recoup some of his shearing expenses. I was glad to oblige and will give him feedback the next time we're there.

Knitting

2012-01-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

I finally finished this sweater. I started it in June and should have finished it a long time ago but somehow I wasn't happy with it. I got the latest Vogue Knitting and some knitting catalogs after we got home and realized that I didn't want sleeves to the wrist, so I tore them both back and finished them below the elbow. Then I tore out the bottom ribbing and added all the yarn I had until I ran out.

It's actually supposed to look like this and that's what I love about Diane's patterns. You can make them to work for you. It looks lumpy and unfinished because, you see, I do not have a washing machine or dryer. That phone call I got for appliance delivery was very confusing. The truck came but they only had a dryer. It was a part of the order that I had canceled that didn't get cancelled. I had originally started to order replacement appliances online, until I learned that if I went into Sears and opened up a credit card, I'd get a serious price reduction. I cancelled that online order, went into the store, opened the card that saved me $210 and am just days away from getting my fabulous new Best Buy appliances as rated by Consumer Reports. I'll get my sweater washed and blocked after that. Well, actually after I wash the literal mountains of laundry that we have stashed everywhere. And that's in spite of two trips to the Laundromat.
I've also started a new scarf from this Madeline Tosh yarn that's been upstairs for a year or two. I bought it for a scarf and then realized that I never wear scarves - until I made the discovery last month that I don't wear ornamental scarves. Flat scarves that warm my back and neck I've come to the conclusion are imperative, and I have just two of said items.
This was the scarf I took for trip knitting. The pattern requires constant concentration so I came home with about 5" completed. At one point my metal ring stitch marker migrated and when I realized it, I had to tear out two precious inches.

So why this sudden flurry of knitting? The evening we arrived in Oceanside was the same day they had taken baby Gus to urgent care for ear infection and URI. The day we got home I awoke with the first cold I've had in a year. I spent about four days on the sofa, under the influence of Dayquil and/or Nyquil. I watched a lot of documentaries and I knitted. And now that I'm much better, I have a finished sweater - soon to be washed and blocked and worn - finally.

Our book club met today for A Dog's Purpose which really wasn't a book for club book discussion at all, yet we spent two hours talking about it. Annie enjoyed the book and had emailed me some suggestions for discussion so I took them with me. Think of it! Thanks to the blogsphere, she contributed to a book club in Nevada, all the way from The Netherlands.

Here's a teaser from the author. I was skeptical when I started the book but then ended up reading it in a day.

I was going to end there because it seemed like a perfect chapter closure, but in the strangest of all strange worlds that I live in, I'm sure you want in. In our beautiful valley of Eden, there is a snake. Just one. Nevada's gift to the United States of America is Karl Rove. Yes, indeed, right here in River City. He is a local boy. And his brother now has a residence in our valley. Ian, whose military training was in surveillance began noticing on his morning drives with the dogs that on occasion that house would have a cluster of black SUVs. They're all over Washington DC but not so common here. Most of us eschew black vehicles on dirt roads.

It was after a lawyer who used to live here moved from his rather post digs that Ian began reporting these SUV clusters. I listened with half an ear. The thing is that all of us who know Ian get this earful, and in the end he's most usually right. I hate it. Eric Rove - I didn't put 2 and 2 together on my own - Eric s a combative resident who hates the horse and hound rides and is a thorn in the side for the Red Rock Hound hunts, which I and my dogs love. I just want everyone to be nice and get along, but Eric isn't nice, especially when it comes to the horse rides. And he tailgates. That makes me cranky more than anything. When we all try to develop a neighborhood out here, it hurts to get it thrown back in your face.

Ian has insisted for the last year that Eric's house is a retreat, based on the black SUVs from time to time. Yesterday he told me was another black SUV day. Today the newspaper reported that Karl Rove spoke to the Prospectors Club in Reno. I can tell you now that you can Google your hearts out and you won't know another thing about that club. It's a black cluster of casino and Republican leaders in Reno - word. I feel betrayed. I want Eric to move. He's not a good neighbor.

New Years 2011

2012-01-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

We got back from the zoo about 3:00 and Alexia was chomping at the bit. We'd held her off from going down to the beach and I couldn't say no anymore, though I did say no to her bathing suit. It's January. It's cold. She ran with unabandoned joy through the surf until she was thoroughly soaked. At one point, watching the tide swirl around her feet, she got dizzy and simply fell over. If you've ever experienced this, you know exactly what happened.
She ran up and down the beach, collecting anything that resembled a seashell. Nothing was too small and she was thrilled. I texted this picture to my daughter who replied, I don't remember sending black pants. You didn't - she was soaked!
Noah, McKay and Alexia collaborated on building a sandcastle, and I understand that this was a big step for McKay who is uncomfortable with the surf. Two dads, one grandma, three beers and a lot of gratitude were here.

I took this video of her glee.

Alexia understood that she couldn't be on the beach without an adult, but she sorely wanted to be there every minute. I was pleased when she acquiesced to a reading time on the deck. She is reading an original series Nancy Drew, which warms my heart since I read those exact same stories when I was her age - the power of the written word!
New Years Eve day and more family. Solomon has once again managed to capture all the iPhones. Adults and children alike are having a great visit. MasterCard can't buy you this.
We had an extra special treat this year. Petey brought his banjo and played for us. He allowed the children to help him strum. If you know banjo, he plays claw hammer, which he calls old timey music. We always eat it up. MasterCard, eat your heart out.
The next day, we "hopped onto the 5 to the 405" - that's LA-speak for where I drove - and went to Gardena for Japanese New Year. Everyone is connected through high school, to the third generation. Ian drives home as I certainly can't after the saki blessing of past, present and future. I was soaking up the kids in the family room and failed to get a picture of the food - sushi, sashimi and tempura to die for. They're spoiled me for restaurants. This is just one room. There had to be a hundred people in the house!
Karaoke is huge with the Inouyes and Alexia wanted desperately to participate. She told me later that the words just came up too fast, which I thought might actually be a good educational motivator.
Gus didn't know there was a word scroll so just sang, thanks to Junior who is absolutely great with the kids. We had so many experiences and visits and hugs, it's hard to chose what to share. It was all this and more. I hope you had as much joy over New Years as we did.

Working up to New Years Eve

2012-01-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

This is our car in Adelanto.

This is our car in Victorville.

This is our ride to Oceanside.

I guess it falls into the category - into every life a little rain must fall. We left Reno 5:00 a.m. on December 29th driving south on Hwy 395, having decided to power through the 10-11 hour drive to Oceanside. We figured it would be like a long work day, and after all, we would be trading drivers. Alexia was an absolutely model child for the entire time. One the complexities of that route is the dearth of eating places. It was after 2:00 when we got to Adelanto and the end of 395. We ate at Bravo Burgers, changed drivers and I'd only gone two miles when I heard how loud the fan was roaring, then noticed that the gauge was pegged on hot. We traded again and Ian drove us after to where we had eaten, and where there was a gas station, a rare breed along Hwy 395. Much of that highway is desolation so we're were feeling pretty fortunate.

Steam was pouring from under the hood, apparently more dramatic from the coolant hitting hot engine, but it was clear the car was disabled. I went into the gas station and asked if they knew of any tow services while Ian released the pressure from the radiator. We had a AAA tow truck within 10 minutes - he told Ian was just getting ready to drive a car to a spot about 90 minutes away so came to help us first. He towed us to a AAA garage in Victorville. Alexia was so scared but the tow driver explained carefully how he had made our car safe and she managed to get her tears under control.

At the garage, the guys took over, ordered the radiator, thermostat and hoses and said they'd get on it first thing in the morning. When they understood our trip, they suggested rather than rent a motel room that we rent a car and get down to Oceanside, which is what we did. Ian drove back the next day.

While Ian was in east-bound traffic on the I-15 with all the folks headed to Las Vegas to celebrate New Years Eve, we went to the San Diego Zoo. He said it took three hours going and two returning. The zoo was DS Dougie's idea and I'm sorry Ian missed the opportunity to visit with his son - we had a wonderful time.
This trip was really for the kids. I've seen this zoo many times and it was fantastic to watch the cousins enjoy it.
They were complete hams and wanted pictures taken at every photo station. Noah had gotten a camera for Christmas and Alexia wanted to pose. I'd love to see what's on his camera! That's not to say that they didn't enjoy the animals. They loved them, especially the gorillas.
This is all our group, eleven of us, including four children. Even though buses and trams were part of our admission, we chose to walk and talk and make memories.
The zoo meets and exceeds its reputation, and good thing since it costs as much as Disneyland. However, these elephants aren't animated. They've added mikes in some of the cages so the children can hear the animals in real time. All of this and we were just into our second day of the trip.

We just got home this afternoon. I'm so excited. We had a message on our phone from Sears saying that they will deliver the washer and dryer on Friday, a week early. We have SO much laundry. We'll be eating rice and beans for a while, but we are rich with memories from the last week. I want to share the beach next. I take it for it for granted since I grew up with it, but Alexia saw it for the first time. I forget how fortunate I am to have grown up on the West Coast.

Until Next Year

2011-12-28T17:07:00.000-08:00

I picked up Alexia on my way home from town. Her daddy had her washed up and packed up and ready to go. Ian is packing the car and we're leaving at 5:00 a.m. for Oceanside. I just talked to my sister-in-law a few minutes ago. She says it's beautiful on the beach and recommends that we pack shorts. Oh, the change in time and place!! I grew up in San Diego and resented the warm winters. Now I'm excited to enjoy a few days of it.
My last minute knitting is done and ready to wrap - after I finish packing my suitcase. Alexia modeled it for me, and I have to say, I'm concerned about it for a three-year-old. I guess I'll have to go with Amy's saying in this case. It is what it is.
I finished the sweater yesterday, but without a dryer, I had to dry in on a towel by the fire last night. I sewed in the zipper this morning. I tried to make an NC patch but you really need a serger to make a patch. Mine looked pretty pathetic. It really would have looked cool, had I been able to pull it off.

I took my Consumer Report printouts to Sears yesterday and was out of the store in 15 minutes, $1430 dollars poorer. Opening a Sears card saved $210! I would have liked a front loader with all the bells and whistles but the laundry room it just too small. We decided to replace both machines, but delivery isn't until the 13th. From Sears I headed to the Laundromat.
Does this bring back any memories? It's been a long time since I've used one of these. I was pretty clueless but they have change machines now so not having saved enough quarters is no longer an issue. There are no signs for times and prices so I ended up having to ask other people. I left feeling quite humble. The laundromat is a way of life for many people and it's not cheap. We dismiss homeless people as dirty but getting clean isn't easy and it comes with a hefty pricetag. They're going to be my peeps for the next couple of weeks.

A High Desert Christmas

2011-12-26T21:18:00.000-08:00

Before: This is our hay shelter after the wind storm that burned and devastated much of Reno.
After: Fred has been working on it a little at a time and Christmas Eve day he came over, got our teenage neighbors to help him hoist up the roof, and we're back in business. It's beautimus and anchored with two bags of cement and Jimmy Hoffa.

Princess Alexia.

Neighbors Carol, Myrna, Carl and Angela.

I'm glad I wasn't near that discussion, between a liberal and a conservative. I think that's what I love about our friends out here. Respect is still practiced.
Christmas Eve is our open house for family, friends and neighbors. Wait, that sounds bad - our neighbors *are* our friends. The two boys in this shot are mine - my youngest son Matt and my SIL Mikeal - who was celebrating his 20th anniversary of marriage to my daughter. Sadly I'm not a photographer and don't think like one so missed getting a shot of them together.

Christmas morning Ian and I exchanged our gifts and I slipped off to Mass. I know it sounds silly to drive that far for a church service, but this is the first time I've gotten to attend Mass on Christmas and I had my heart set on it. As soon as I got home, we lit off for Carol and Harry's to celebrate Christmas day.
They had their own open house and celebration and the absolute star was six-week-old Delia. She wasn't the grinch that stole Christmas - she was the doll that stole Christmas!! I love this photo and the look on her daddy's face. As I share my holiday with you, my wish is that you loved yours just as much as I loved mine.

However, mine did end with a bang. That would be the dryer blowing up this morning. It was cheap when we bought ten years ago, so I have to acknowledge that we got our money's worth. However, we're leaving in two days for SoCal and I will complain about the timing. We have an online subscription to Consumer Reports so I spent a couple hours researching replacements. The winner is Kenmore. I'll go to Sears tomorrow after I go to the laundromat and I'll get a Sear's credit card - that card provides about $200 in discounts. Then I'll come home and order the machines - we've decided to replace both - and have them delivered and installed when we get home. Bah humbug!

I Know What I'm Doing - Who Said That?!

2011-12-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

I woke up Wednes-
day morning and started to knit on the baby sweater with my cuppa when the light went on. This is Plymouth Encore and at 70% acrylic, this is the size the sweater will be when blocked. I looked up the yarn online and realized that the yarn is 20 stitches to four inches, and the pattern called for 18 stitches to four inches. It was an in-town day so I eliminated two stops and added one to Jimmy Beans Wool. It's over 50 miles from here, but when I'm in town already, it doesn't feel so bad.
My trip to town started with making a date to have lunch with my DD Chris. It was the day after her final exam and so we decided to eat on campus and then shop at the bookstore. She was telling me about the video that Kiernan and Alexia had made the night before about zombies as we walked through the building. In the back, I could hear something and then something again. Finally I heard - Sharon! It was Amy! We haven't seen each other for months and were passing through space and time at that moment - an unexpected treat.
I walked into the JBW store, which was surpris-
ingly busy for its remote location, and a clerk who was clearly helping someone else asked if she could help me. I said - I need to buy some yarn. Have I come to the right place?? Sometimes I crack myself up. The lady she was helping was holding some mohair in the exact color I was looking for. The clerk looked at my pattern and directed me to the same color in Lorna's Laces.

Then I wasn't sure about the second color. I asked if she could Google school colors for UNC, Chapel Hill, just at the same time a staff person came out from the back to see if she could help. She spun around and said, I graduated from there. Can I help you? This is what I came home with and even if I only have a week to make it, I'm really excited. I want to make an "NC" patch but won't know what size until the sweater is blocked. I've never made a patch before, but it can't be too hard, right? Benita included some white cotton in the box of fabric. I figure I'll iron it to some fusible interfacing, zigzag the outline and then cut it out, right?
This is a Knitting Pure and Simple pattern. I always photocopy patterns so I can write on them. When I got home, I realized I had left my copy at the store. No problem. I'd work off the original, only I couldn't find it. No problem. I'm using the copy that Diane emailed in 2003! The other one will show up some day, but it's obvious I need another studio cleaning. If you look closely on the bottom right you will see where Charlie has nibbled on the page.
Given the baby sweater deadline, I spent way too much time yesterday on the rug but I got it done. I've hemmed all my rugs - not a fan of fringe - but decided to hemstitch this time to eliminate the rug unraveling as I'm trying to zigzag the edge.

Again, I ran out of warp and was fighting for the last inches of string. Math and I are not friends, though we have worked out a tenable relationship. This time I was just wasn't listening, or something.
I pulled it off the loom last evening and laid it on the balcony. I couldn't wait to see it.
And here it is on the floor. This is an area just inside the French doors and heavily trafficked by our three large dogs. They have battered the wood terribly. I hate to cover our beautiful floors but I hate what the dogs are doing to them. I cleaned and oiled two areas today and really appreciate the protection my rugs provide. The subcontractor who laid the floors used an inferior sealant. The rugs are a necessary patch job for now.
I washed all the rugs today, getting ready for our Christmas Eve open house tomorrow. This is an earlier rug and I have to say that I like darker colors and more reds.

Hard Boiled Eggs: I bought a dozen eggs, planning to make Deviled Eggs for tomorrow. I read several places how to make perfect hard boiled eggs and printed an AllRecipes one that include the recipe and the technique. I could not get the egg shells off. My eggs look like they had teenage acne. I had a half dozen left so went back to the internet for how to make hard boiled eggs that you can peel, I boiled the other half dozen with 1/2 tsp of baking soda, chilled them for a couple of hours in ice water, and they peeled effortlessly. Apparently it has something to do with the Ph balance of fresh eggs. If you change the Ph balance with the baking soda, you don't have to think in advance and use older eggs.

"The trick to peeling hard-boiled eggs easily is to ensure that the eggs are several days old. Hard-boiling eggs that are farm fresh will yield to eggs which are virtually impossible to peel. Buy eggs and store them for 5-10 days before hard-boiling farm fresh eggs. This is because as the eggs age, the carbon dioxide present in the albumin seeps out, thereby reducing its acidity. Research reveals that reduced acidity assists in easier peeling." I got that information here. All I know is - the eggs are peeled.

Ho Ho Ho Countdown

2011-12-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

I swore off handmade Christmas presents a number of years ago, but now we've got babies in the family and I can't resist. Believe it or not, this is a hat drying on our sugar canister. When it's dry I'll attach the tassel on top. The hat was much harder than it looked in the picture.
I'm a late starter on this present, but neither one gets delivered until New Years when Ian and I got to SoCal to celebrate the holiday with his family. I know I can get this cardi done in time, but I need to make an athletic patch to attach. That's the part that worries me.

I started a handmade Christmas from the year I was married. We lived in Pensacola Florida on Mike's corporal's pay and we were broke. I saw a Sunset magazine article where you could form thin rolls of cookie dough into the shapes of ornaments, a faux lead glass technique. You baked the dough briefly on a cookie sheet, cracked hard candies into the spaces and returned it to the oven to finish baking the dough and melt the candy into a glass-like sheet. When finished, I hung my beautiful ornaments on the tree, where the lights slowly melted the candy onto our few presents and the floor.

I continued to make handmade presents for everyone later when Mike was a student and we had no money. I remember the look on my father-in-law's face when he opened his present to find a special macrame wine bottle. Those were the materials I owned. I know he loved me because it was still around years later.
I took this picture earlier this week as I was working on my warp. I love being right here and stealing from Melissa, I'm calling it a loom with a view.
I finished up the last load of laundry and rousted Charlie from his favorite place in the sun. I got it tied on and hemstitched this morning. If I only use the leftover fabric strips, I might get it done by Christmas Eve.
It looks like a fabric bomb went off. I have strips and fabrics strewn around. I have a lot of strips cut from earlier projects so I've tried to spread the strips into intensity and hues. Other than that, there's no plan or forethought. I'm a quarter of the way done but have to be in town tomorrow. I'm not ruling out a new rug for our Christmas Eve open house - yet.
We keep our tree up a full month and I spend time looking at it every day. The chili pepper reminds me of Carol and Harry- from our shared CSA basket. The Campbell kids ornament to the right is from the Sorrentinos, the amazing couple who adopted my pregnant 15-year-old daughter's baby 25 years ago and came into our lives three years ago. The orange glass pumpkin is from Amy, a sneak buy from her on our vacation trip near Santa Cruz and the needlepoint ornament next to it was one of the last my mother-in-law was able to do.
I could take you on a tour, any quadrant of the tree. I see here the crocheted snowflake from my mother, who passed away 11 years ago. There's a little golden rooster lurking just to the right of it from Laura. This is what I do with the tree throughout this month. It's the richest tree around - rich in memories. I completely understand how this time of year is hard on people who have suffered loss.

And so, yesterday I cooked my first leg of lamb, with much help from Ian, the retired butcher. It was beyond fabulous. Tonight we had lamb pie. It was beyond fabulous. I chilled the Crisco before making the crust. I read about that in Cook's Illustrated. I nearly fainted, it was so flaky. It was beyond fabulous, or did I say that already?

Getting It Done

2011-12-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

I crawled out of bed this morning with the realization that I had to make yet another batch of soap. I swear the part I dislike the most is making the origami paper liner for the mold. I intensely abhor that task, so once the liner is in the box, the rest is all downhill.
I hate making soap in the winter because it's cold in the garage and that's where I store my soap oils. The garage thermometer today read 40 degrees, not quite freezing, but the oils were solid. I had to cut them in order to weight them, so the pot I put on the stove looked like this. That's oil you're looking at. I made Nevada Bar today and it smells fantastic in our kitchen.
After the soap was put to rest, I went back upstairs to play more with my sample warp. I had quite a lot left so decided to pull out Anne Dixon's book and see what I could get from my twill threading in a direct tie-up and 1/3 twill. Nothing looked like her book, it all looked like rosepath. I pulled out my workshop notes and saw that the threading was for rosepath. Doh.

So I decided to get silly. I treadled right side up, upside down and you know - it does make a difference. You have to look close. The bottom of the sample actually is different than the top.
This was so much fun. I had planned two more samplers before allowing myself the fun of dish towels, but I'm not sure I can wait for two more samplers. Stupid addictive hobby.
Complicating things, i.e., my interests - Benita just sent me another box of her reassigned cottons. I have wanted to replace my first rag rug which was too loosely sett, Lautrec - sorry - I couldn't help myself. It was woven in twill, an unfortunate learning experience. I'd like to have that on the floor by Christmas Eve. I am a champ at setting unrealistic goals. I can do it. More to follow.

The placemats were another unfortunate experiment, though I have sold some. People apparently don't sit at a table to dine. I've been emailed for kitchen sized rag rugs. I seemed to have missed the cue. I'll give those a go in the new year. There's a whole new realm of craft fairs in the horizon.

I am a complete flash mob junkie so will leave you with this:

Play Day

2011-12-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

I got caught up in the holiday frenzy about a week before Thanksgiving, which was exacerbated by the CERT training, a couple of Christmas parties, making soap and just generally making myself busy. Today I got to go play on the loom.
The tie-up is twill and I had finished the exercises from the workshop and had gone back to play with overshot patterns. I wanted to become more comfortable with a two shuttle weave.
I walked around to the back of the loom to see how much warp I had left to play with and was greeted by this. No weaver wants to see a rats nest like this! It turned out to be the thread just inside the floating selvedge so I just dropped it. It's a sampler, and after all, this is just play.
I don't want to bore you with all my samples, but I do love this picture. That strip that appears to be navy blue is actually the same blue as the samples on either side, but because I had paired it with yellow in a polychrome weave, it fools your eye. Isn't that fantastic?!!

All my work was done under careful snoopervision.

This is the final hat for 2011. I just delivered a couple to the Coop and another one that was commissioned. I'll start up again next year for the holiday craft season. I learned that I need more than 2 ounces of Shetland to make the body of a hat. This hat is cobbled together from two of my sheep dyed in the same dyes. When I first started spinning, I remember asking how much wool it would take to spin yarn for a sweater, and I'd always get the answer - it depends. It takes about an ounce more of Shetland than it does of Targhee for one hat. This I know.

My soap is doing well and keeping me quite busy. Unfortunately it's not a craft that I can enjoy while watching the television. Which reminds me - it's been two weeks now since we've disconnected the satellite. My, what a learning curve that has been, and oh my, how obnoxious are the laugh tracks of broadcast television. The HD antennae gives us free access to a lot of programs that we used to tape on the DVR, but now being cheap, we have to inconvenience ourselves to watch in real time. We used to spend a thousand dollars a year to watch convenient TV. We're in retraining.

Red Rock Rocks

2011-12-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

Melissa was back from SoCal for a couple of days to tend to her business here. She's in the unenviable position of being my age with businesses in two states and little opportunity for retirement. We had planned a play day but realized we were both too tired to play, so we just ate at her place, played with her kittens and took a walk about Virginia Lake, which is just across the street. We had to laugh at the Canada geese *on* the lake. I forget that I have the capacity for video on my phone and am kicking myself for not catching the hilarious landings of the geese on the ice - lots of crazy sliding by them and lots of crazy laughing by us.
I decided Friday was Christmas cards day, however I had just gotten back my soap basket from Carol and Kerry who had added it to their craft fair booth and realized that I was out of lavender soap. It's quickly become my most popular bar. Since soap needs to cure for three weeks, it was the priority. I made orange cinnamon soap the prior Friday so our house smells fantastic.

We dragged our feet on Christmas cards this year. We couldn't decide if we should order from Unicef, Habitat, the Art Institute of Chicago - deer in the headlights. I mentioned to Ian that Sandy paints a card for each Christmas - she had them for sale at the craft fair we recently did. We bought from her, right here in our valley, and because she prints them in her printer, I was able to compose a Christmas note and print that right onto the card. I had more fun with cards this year than I have in years. No photo - I was able to get them done after the soap. The cards are in the mail.
Then I had CERT training for another four hours that night and another 8 1/2 on Saturday. We were doing simulated trainings and we just cracked me up. I took a picture of myself with my phone. I have no idea how anyone gets anything done with all this equipment on. I was breathing so hard I kept fogging my goggles and since I was wearing a headband, the hat kept falling off. When I did the simulated splinting of a broken leg, I put the danged hat under the guy's foot to elevate it and facilitate the wrapping of the splint, but the thumb of my right glove popped off. I was a hotshot with the fire extinguisher simulator however, and they passed me.

The trainings have come at a terribly busy time but I felt compelled to train with the other people in our valley. The second winter we were here, we were snowed in for three days. The Sheriffs department monitored us by helicopter, but it's left me knowing that we are isolated. I missed four Christmas parties and was sorry to miss every one - one for each day of training - but I knew training was important.

This is the graduating class of the Red Rock CERT team. All training is developed and standardized by FEMA as a result of their dreadful failings at Katrina. Sandy, our team leader, is in the foreground, the same Sandy as Christmas cards and bookclub. Our valley meetings will begin in January. It's not likely we'll ever wear the equipment I wore in the simulation, but it is likely we'll be asked to direct traffic and man phones, and Sandy has done both. She manned phones for the Stead air race crash when people were calling in from all over the world, looking for their loved ones. I've finished CERT Academy but have more trainings I'd like to take before I feel competent to report for duty.
My son was driving back to Oregon this morning after being here for the weekend and texted me that we had a fire in our valley - he could see if from the highway as they were going north. Indeed, we did. One thing they drilled into us during the trainings was to call 911. Don't assume someone else did, so I called 911. I don't know anything about the fire, other than it is now out because Carol's husband is on our VFD and she told Ian he was on his way home. He works full time but today was his day off. I love our firefighters!
On a positive note - Ian and I went down to Joe's open studio, which is this weekend and next. We had chatted the other night and I told him I loved one of one of his pie plates and I'd like another one just like it, but I have one I don't like. The thing is, he's an artist who has had to make functional pieces in order to make sales in our current economy. No two pie plates are ever the same - he isn't fond of production, however no one makes a stonewear pie plate like he does. So I took both my plates, the one I like and the one I don't. I thought he would be making me a new one in the future, but he traded me this one for the one I don't like. It's going to a potluck on Tuesday.

We were sorry to miss his party Friday night, but I had training. I told him that when I dropped Sandy off it was 7 degrees, and when I drove by his place, I saw the lights were still on and cars still there. He said I should have stopped in anyway. I've never lived where my neighbors are so far away and yet I feel I'm in a community.

Bonnie sat next to me in the trainings. She and her husband recently moved to our valley from South Carolina. They found the foreclosed property on the internet, there are many, and when they came to see it and learned about our fight against the corporate water rights grab, they knew they wanted to live here. They knew that a valley that could come together like we did was the place they wanted to call home. She brought tears to my eyes. We did fight, we won, we are a community, and we are home.

Fiber, in no particular order

2011-12-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

The Christmas tree is where my spinning bench was so I have to improvise. I put my wheel and chair where Sammie is and my "happy" light, i.e., S.A.D. light sits on top of the bar stool. It takes some time to set up and break down, and the change in routine makes the dogs nuts. Charlie saw it as an opportunity to once again stake the upper ground. The dynamics of our pets is a constant source of surprise and amusement.
These bumps are what I recently dyed. I've since spun the left bump and am interested to see what the right one looks like spun up. These are all destined to be hats. What doesn't make the Coop show this month will be ready for sale next season. It's all fun.
This is where our hay shelter ended up after the wind storm that left 32 homes burned to the ground and many badly damaged. Wind here is always harsh. Mark Twain coined it the Washoe Zephyr and said it keeps office hours from 2:00 in the afternoon until 2:00 in the morning - he was right. It's why I ran in the mornings before work all those years.

The winds in this last storm kept switching directions, making sure destruction was an equal opportunity destroyer. Our neighbor Fred told Ian at the Christmas party last Friday that he could salvage it. He'll take it apart, re-weld spots and anchor it for $200. Sold! He told Ian that his heart doctor asked him at his last pacemaker check-up if he had been welding again. They can see it on his scan. He asked his doctor to help him find a dental assistants chest x-ray protector. Is that a visual or what?!
I had to take a picture of Mickey. He was fussing from the time he saw me. What are you doing? Are you going to chuck my chin? Are you going to give me extra food. Whadda ya doin? He's not named Mickey Mouth for nothing.
Ornaments on our tree are very important to me. It takes me probably four or more hours to hang them because every one has its own story. I had commented on Amanda's blog about the woven ornaments she was gifting to friends. To my surprise, she emailed me for my address. A couple of days ago I received an envelope from Prescott, Arizona. I was scratching my head, but when I opened it, I realized Amanda had gifted me. Thanks Amanda! I will save it with the note and envelope she sent in and hope that someday I have enough understanding of weave structure that I can pass this on.

Making Color

2011-12-03T21:25:00.000-08:00

I have started keeping a dye journal. I've been successful dyeing my Shetland roving without felting it so have begun to keep track of what I'm doing in earnest. The top three samples in the left card are the natural colors of our three Shetland wethers, as of their 2010 shearing. I can put the three in one dyepot and get three shades. That's not cheating, right?

I'm recording the sheep, i.e., the base color, the dye percentages I used and the date I did it.
I got semi-solid colors from mixing dye colors in a cup and letting them strike at different points, but I would like some more variegated colors as well.

Yesterday I mixed up the three colors I've just made and used them on the roving. I have no idea what I'll get in a finished yarn. Laura called right while I was in the middle of this and I asked her to call me back in about 15 minutes. I managed to spill some dye and had just finished cleaning it up when she called back. Her weaving books are packed from the move, so I'm her librarian! She also wanted me to correct her comment. She's not often wrong, but when she is, she is *really* wrong.
This is what I'm getting and I'm really happy with the results - so far. I don't know if these will translate into an interesting yarn. That's why I do this. I get to find out!

I'm currently enrolled in CERT training (Community Emergency Response Team) which is offered by local governments through FEMA. We live in such a remote location, when Sandy (of Sandy's book club) asked for volunteers to train, I knew I needed to enroll. We just completed 12 1/2 hours of training this evening in the last 24 hours and have another weekend just like it coming up. I missed our Red Rock Hounds Christmas party last night and the Reno Fiber Guild party today - that hurt. I elected to not defer this training because I'm training with other residents from our valley.

I stuffed knitting in my bag this morning so had finished my lunch break, originally typed knitting break, when one of my neighbors returning to her desk saw me knitting. She said, I'm a knitter, crocheter and weaver. That got my attention. She's working on an Ashford loom. I told her that we really need to get together. I love my life. Am I getting repetitive?

Fixing to Get Ready Again

2011-12-01T20:46:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning was normal in every way. Sammie and Charlie were sharing the coveted space in front of the woodstove. I rolled up my sleeves mid-morning and went to work, starting with some laundry, and alternating kitchen and bathroom cleaning. Suddenly it became apparent that Charlie was distressed by urinary tract problems, not his first time.

I called our vet, who recommended a large clinic. I took a quick shower and drove off with Charlie. I played the music pretty loud in the car and he was really quiet, enough to scare me. Like, was he dead? I'm not sure what role the loud music played, but he was the best kitty in the clinic - not one yowl. Sammie was so happy to see his best friend when we got home. It turns out that he had been so afraid of our company that he stayed in his hiding places and didn't drink enough water.

After I got home, Laura called from San Diego. Could she spend the night on Sunday, en route back to Oregon? Of course! I had a craft fair that day so was in bed by the time she arrived. I couldn't stand it - had to get up and visit a minute.
We did a quick visit in the morning. This is the scarf she just wove after not weaving for seven years. She was my weaving guru and so it's good to see she's back in the saddle. I'm just happy to have the visit - it's like having your sister drop in. She is always full of ideas. We shopped for cotton online. I showed her the dye journal I'm keeping and she suggested I change from a 1% stock solution to a 3% solution, and then showed me why. She's right. She tells me she's always right.
I finally finished getting our Christmas decora-
tions up today and the boxes are back in the garage. I had a couple of new memories to hang this year, including an airbrushed starfish that we got in Astoria while visiting my SIL Georg in September.

The fun surprise was the red chilies that I had dried from our CSA basket, because I just had no idea how to cook them. They are really pretty, especially in the afternoon light.

Charlie has selected an ornament/toy already. It's a felted ball that Amy made a number of years ago. Charlie loves it!

Black Friday

2011-11-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

Our tradition on the day after Thanks-
giving is to drive up into the Sierras and cut Christmas trees. Here Josh and Missy inspect that tree they ultimately cut and took home to Bend, Oregon, while Little Sharon and Michael look on. They too cut a tree and took it back to their flat in the Mission District, tied onto the top of their car.
Ian brought our tree up alone - it's not that big. Our house isn't that big! It's $10 for the Forest Service permit and the fun is free. This year we have five vehicles and nine permits.
Sista's. These are two of our fabulous girls - my step-
daughter Margi and DIL Missy. Over the years they have developed a very special and sweet relationship.
Jerry and Lorrie come too, not to cut a tree, but to be with us. Jerry has been one of my boys since he and Josh were in the 8th grade. I told him I was working on picture albums and was surprised to see him in all the photos. He said, that's because I would rather be at your house. I'm proud of them both.
We were thrilled at how little snow we had to deal with this year but it was hard on the wee lads. Last year the deep snow was overwhelming and so they dressed accordingly, to no avail. I think they did a great job with what they had.
Ian took this photo of our group this year. One of the trucks got separated and missed the turn. We stopped when we realized that Carol was missing and then chatted with a guy coming out with his tree. He then ran into Carol and told her where he had seen us and gave her directions. We all got trees, hooked up for a group shot and then took off for our traditional breakfast.
The place we have eaten in Chilcoot for the past nine years has closed so we drove to Bordertown, where SIL Mikeal joined us with Kiernan and Alexia, making us a seating party of 20. We realized that all seven of our grandchildren were in one place at one time, possibly not to be repeated. The cameras started flashing.

As we were leaving Missy asked me to join she and Margi for a little Black Friday shopping before DS Josh's birthday. It ended up working out and Ian got some quiet time with his San Francisco daughter, Little Sharon, and family. The shopping was very little. I tagged along and snagged a $70 shirt for Ian at $15 - not for a gift, but because he needs it. It was made in Bangladesh. I have a hard time believing there is a $70 value in the shirt.

The birthday party was a bonus. I got time with all my kids, Jerry and Lorrie came back too, and sat I right next to CJ, the grandson that I have the least amount of time with. He played football for SOU but hated the weather and is headed to SoCal this week. He and I had fun with the Niner-Raven game on Thanksgiving. I'm glad I used to watch football because he's rabid about it.

This is DS Josh's truck after the muddy tree collection escapade. His birthday party was at Bully's so freinds leaving wrote sentiments in the mud. It's always hard to see them leave for Oregon, but they are insanely happy there. So that's now I spend my Black Friday.

All Alexia, All Week

2011-11-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

We've had Alexia since last Saturday and we've been busy. She's the master of the glue gun and was putting the finishing touches on her foam Christmas house here.
And here is the final house. This was PJ day, which she declared - all PJs, all day. She did a fantastic job with this. There no instructions - just pictures. The pieces were supposed to stick together but Mommy knew they wouldn't, hence the glue gun.
Tuesday was our special girl's day in town. After lunch with Mommy, we went to San Rafael Park where she was able to tag onto a group of homeschoolers. It was 50 degrees but the kids didn't care. Monkey bars never lose their allure.
A switch turned on and suddenly Alexia was reading independently. She read the last chapter of The Magic Treehouse book that Mommy had been reading to her. So the next day she started the second book and when we said we were going to bed that night, she said she still wanted to read. I dug out my back-up reading light and clipped it onto the book. The lights are out here. She finished the book. We needed to get more books!
I took her to Barnes and Noble after the park and she got two more books and a magazine. She spent that night at home so she could go to Judo. Her Grandma Karen had her the next day. I had to get lab work done and so picked her up from Karen at Costco. The crisis was that Alexia's book was in Grandma Karen's car - could I wait until she was done so she could get it? This is the girl who was in special ed for reading last year. It's like a switch just clicked on. Just weeks ago she was still struggling, and now I can't buy my favorite flavor of ice cream because she can read all the labels.
We took an hour off last night to read after dinner and before watching TV. The peace and quiet was absolutely sweet. Today took a different turn. Alexia had crawled under the covers with me this morning, when Ian came in to tell me that the old upscale area of Reno was on fire. So many of these homes have mature landscaping and shake roofs. We watched the news off and on today. At last report, some 2,000 acres and 25 homes have burned. We have many friends among those evacuated - it's been a tense day. If you've wondered, we're at least 40 miles north of this fire. We're all tinder dry after a long wet spring and dry fall; it could be any neighborhood.

It was very upsetting and especially to Alexia. She's only seven and couldn't process that it wasn't her house on fire, and I'm sure our own anxiety added to it. She had a reassuring phone call with Mommy this afternoon, but it was a very long, anxious day for the little miss.

I drove her home this afternoon. Her home and her daddy were just fine, but the storm that the crazy wind gusts were pushing in from the arctic, started to deliver snow as I was driving home. We have sustained a lot of wind damage here, as have many of us. We lost our hay shed and the llama shelter is on shaky legs, but it'll make it through this storm at least. I know I've said it before, but I have no idea how the early ranchers survived. This is a harsh land. Maybe that's what the natives wished we would have realized and moved on.

More Color Play

2011-11-11T20:02:00.000-08:00

I decided to try the same color combina-
tion as I used last time on oatmeal Mickey. This time I used white Robby (left) and cafe au lait Ollie (right). The left is far more pink and I'm inclined to think I'll use more of Ollie in the future. I think I get a richer tone.
Today was a quiet day so I brought down a couple more bumps and my sample cards with the ratios on them. I decided to divide the bumps in half and dye 2 ounces at a time, still putting the same colors on both wools.
These are my results today. I finally realized how Mim gets her DNA dyeing results. I had been pouring my dye liquors into a cup and then stirring them. Today I didn't stir, which allowed the dyes to strike in the steamer at different times. I love my results! Can you tell which sample is white and which one is overdyed?

These are the plastic cups I use to measure the dye liquors and the syringes that measure the cc.s for me. The liquor is 10 grams of dye power to 1000 milliliters of water, and then I use 100 cc of dyes to 4 ounces of fiber. The bath is exhausted at the end of 30 minutes of steaming - it's perfect.
I unroll the dye packet after the steaming is completed and lay it flat on the garage floor. It's so cold that by the time I've finished clean-up, it's cool enough to rinse and hang to dye. I've experienced no felting at all with the packets, unlike steaming in the lasagne dish. I'm converted.
My mother used to say, Pretty is as pretty does. Pretty!

Charlie, the entitled one.

Miss Millie is Nekkid

2011-11-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize how long that dummy warp had been on her, but when I was removing everything, I realized that I had tied on a couple of times and had three sets of knots. No wonder the tension was interesting. I now have a blank canvas, so to speak.
And I have a roll of placemats to be washed, dried and cut apart. They're so stiff at this point that it's like trying to stuff corrugated cardboard into the washing machine.

These are the additional sets that I just finished and will be taking to the Artists Coop on Wednesday for the Christmas Sale.
I'm also taking hats. I needed a basket to told them but since I'm not going into town in time to buy one, I made a "basket" out of a Trader Joe's paper sack. How's that for recycling?
I have been wracking my brain for labels. Each item has to be clearly tagged with our name, specific information, a number and price. I drove in yesterday for church and my swim and then raced home for a memorial service, but grabbed these industrial manilla labels on my way out of town.

I ordered the white sticky-back labels a couple of years ago for my soap and was terribly disappointed when they arrived on stark white background. I had failed to note sepia for the ground so haven't been able to use them until now. It's a waste of most of the label, but it does give me a label with my name and there's room on the back for the rest of the information. Everything is ready and I am relieved.
Our protracted Indian summer has passed and winter is upon us again, with a low tonight of 22 predicted and a high of 44 for tomorrow. It's time to break out the woolies.

A Perfect Day to Weave - Tomorrow

2011-11-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided to dye another bit of roving, this time using my pin-drafted Shetland in the lasagna pan in the oven. The dyes did not separate and I was very disappointed. I'll use the cold pour, steam method in the future. It did felt slightly, but it could have been worse.
Do you like this placemat? I love it and did this much yesterday. When I went upstairs to finish it this morning, I discovered that I had mislaid my pinwheels. After tearing the house apart for over an hour, I had the sickening realization that all that work was lost and for a moment, I was so nauseous , I thought I would throw up. I had to unweave it and I'll just have to use these in a rug.
I ended up selecting colors and cutting strips for two more sets of placemats instead. It was pretty brutal, but I'll be close to back to my deadline of Wednesday.
I got the strips sewn for the third set and wound them this evening. I'll be happy to get back to weaving tomorrow. This whole thing threw me for a loop. One day I'll find the place I mindlessly placed my strips and I hope I'll be able to laugh. Either that, or they're on their way to the landfill.

Meanwhile, I'm happy to say that it just started snowing about an hour ago. We've had the worst allergy season this fall, with massive drooping seed heads on the sagebrush. The dogs have been wheezing and we're all sneezing. Snow is the perfect solution - put those pollens to bed. It will make a perfect day to weave tomorrow.

Different Color Play

2011-11-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me reassure you that I haven't forgotten how to knit. I'm working on sleeves for this sweater and those needles are carefully stowed back against the arm of the sofa, since Charlie has made this his bed for the evening.
The first set of placemats on this warp is pretty bright and very red. I think another time I would cut the red strips in half. I think the sheet is a queen; that's pretty wide. I just found this shuttle amongst the stuff that Laura shared with me after her mother passed away. It's funky, very narrow and long, and the more I use it, the more I like it.
I chose these sheets for the next set - they just seemed to want to go together, like little giggling girls in a classroom.
But after I had cut and sewn the strips and wound them into pinwheels, I was having serious doubts. These clearly are too pastel - exactly what I don't want.
I realized once I had woven this far that the problem is the stripe. I couldn't help thinking of the Sesame Street song - One of the things is not like the other. One of these things doesn't belong. The yellow is wrong.
I unwove back and removed the yellow, which means that every time I come to the yellow, I have to stop, cut it out and roll it up for another project, then continue. It also means that I had to cut more strips. But now I like it, so it's worth it.
I picked up our CSA (commun-
ity supported agri-
culture) basket after I went to the gym today (same parking garage). I love it that my hospital has a fitness center and also provides access for the CSA community. We got probably the last of the heirloom tomatoes this time, and now its squash, onions, potatoes, garlic, plus the greens are back. We got Swiss chard today - yum.

We only have three more weeks left of this year. It has been fascinating to watch the produce change with the seasons. We spent $500 to have fresh local organic produce for six months, which came to less than $20 a week. The food is so dense that our grocery bill has plummeted. The cost seems expensive upfront, but I know we got a real deal. I so appreciate our local farmers - they've been on the same farms in Fallon for generations and they're finally getting rewarded for the standards they have held. I like to think of that as being the American way.

Ian has been telling everyone about "my" squash dish. I got it online and the recipe is below, though I halved it for just the two of us. I made the leftovers into a patty which I microwaved for breakfast and then topped with a poached egg - yum.

Butternut Squash Supreme:

3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions

Place squash in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until very tender. drain well and place in a large bowl; mash. In another bowl, combine the eggs, cheese, onion, milk, salt and pepper; add to the mashed squash and mix well.
Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Dot with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Playing with Color

2011-10-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

I went over to Mim's on Wednes-
day and came home with six fruit jars of Procion dyes mixed in a 10% solution, three warm primaries and three of the cool. I decided to play with color this morning. I've not been satisfied with those two skeins so decided to try a little color tune up. I started by putting samples in a weak dye bath of the warm blue (on the right) and didn't care for either result. I did the same with the warm red and was happy to find a cure for the plastic lavender. However, it turned the green sample orange and I decided to leave that skein alone. I had started a hat with the multicolor in the foreground, using an olive for contrast. Boring. I'll rip back and substitute my new pretty color as soon as it dries.
While she was mixing up my dyes, Mim talked about the DNA method she uses to dye roving. She says she learned it in the Charlene Schurch class we took at least ten years ago. I was there, but I don't remember this at all. She mixes 60 cc of one primary and 20 cc of the two others in a cup and then pours them over 4 ounces of prepared roving and says that the different colors strike at different times. I've had a bump of Panda for at least a year so decided to dive right in.
I was well into this before I realized that it's been so many years since I dyed this way that I don't have any plastic gloves. My hands as a pale shade of this roving, slightly darker around the cuticles. It's in the steamer - 30 minutes to go.
I had used 60 warm blue, and 20 warm red and yellow. This was certainly a surprise but the roving took up all the dye and rinsed clear. For the first time, I didn't felt my wool and that is a major victory for me.
And there it is, ready for action. It looks like I'm going to get a gray and pink combin-
ation but I won't know until I see it drawing on the bobbin. It's sitting right by my wheel. I think the element of surprise is the attraction for me. I have no idea what I'm going to get - like Christmas.

Weaving a Tale

2011-10-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

I ordered rug warp from Leesburg Looms a number of weeks ago. She told me they were out of the stock, but we were just leaving for Oregon and I knew it would be weeks before I would have time to use it. Plus I had Robin Spady's workshop in there too, but I now really need to weave more placemats for the next crafts fair. I decided to wind what I had and hope it would be enough - it wasn't. I called Leesburg Looms and she said it had shipped last week.
I heard Ian come home, so I went down-
stairs. He brought me a package from the gate. It was already there when I made my panicked phone call. Just in time, saved by the bell, a stitch in time, yada, yada, yada. I'm back in business!
I wound the warp in three bouts this time. I just think it's easier to work with that way. I'll make a cross from the existing warp I'm tying onto and I think I'll probably just hold the new warp cross in my hand to knot. I know - it's Greek. It used to be Greek to me too!

The shipping is so expensive, so I ordered enough to last for a while. The cones were $3.55, which is about a dollar cheaper than I've paid anywhere else. I ordered from them on Hilary's recommendation. I envy anyone who lives close enough to a supplier to just walk in and shop.
I warped Maudie Mae for the second sampler from Robyn's class, this time in twill tie-up. I was able to squeeze in an hour of weaving this morning before leaving for town. The first two samples look like nothing because that's exactly what they are. I was following the wrong instructions. The next one and the one I've started look like something because I followed the right instructions. I'm working on the overshot pattern right now and can see how that would make a nice border on a hand towel.

I was trying to get ready for the next two craft fairs and have decided that I'm not going to get my panties in a twist over what I don't have made yet. I'm only going to do holiday craft fairs next year and when they roll around, I'll be ready to roll with them.

As always, I had a day full of errands in town, but the best news was my bone density test. Normal! Totally normal with me from a high risk history. I rewarded myself with the gym - 25 minutes on the eliptical trainer and 35 minutes in the pool, which is how long it takes me to swim a half mile. I crawled to my car and to think I used to swim a mile before work, work all day, and then cook dinner.

Wait. I did cook dinner. We're getting a stash of CSA veggies and I'm struggling to find creative ways to use them. Tonight I boiled a large turnip with two large potatoes and then mashed them up with some roasted garlic I had roasted this morning. Then I made a mushroom gravy. We had shallots in our basket today, so it was just them, the mushrooms, and then a rue with chicken broth. Oh my gosh, was it fabulous. I had picked up a rotisserie chicken. Next I tackle the butternut squash - hmmmmm.

All in a Days Play

2011-10-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

One morning several weeks ago we came out the front door to discover that rabbits had climbed up into these pots and completely chew off the vines - they're nothing but stalks at this point. This morning I came out to discover that a ground squirrel had left his calling card.
I was looking for Ian but ran back in for my camera. I had packed my car last night for a craft fair today and wanted to let him know I was leaving. He was unloading firewood and I thought Buster in the front seat was just too funny. He stays there until Ian is done and then rides with him into the garage.

We had a little trauma with Buster and Charlie a couple nights ago. Buster acted like he was attacking the cat. When we unraveled the sequence, here's how we think it went: Ian cleaned Charlie's litter box and poured in fresh litter stored in the garage. We use wheat litter and there was a mouse in it, which Ian then delivered to the cat's box. Charlie's eyes must have bugged out when that mouse appeared. When I flipped on the lights, he was crouched with the mouse in his mouth and Buster challenging him for possession. All was well after Ian disposed of the unfortunate mouse. Now every night Charlie lays in front of his litter box, watching the opening, willing another mouse to appear.
The craft fair was at our local POA Ranch House and it was entirely valley folk. This is my space - pretty tight. I think the display rack Josh make for my placemats is genius. I wasn't sure how profitable this would be but there was no booth fee so I looked at is as opportunities to meet my neighbors and visit with the ones I know.

We talked a lot about the house that burned. The folks were moving out and so little was lost in personal effects, but the house was totaled and is being dismantled. So now we know. We talked about community involvement and support - it makes me glad that I'm signed up for the county's Community Emergency Response Team training in December.

This is not a pigeon! A half mile from the house, a red tailed hawk drifted over my car and swooped up to this post. His wing span was easily three feet, so I waited, thinking I'd be ready when he flew off.

This what I got. My camera is only two years old and when I got it, I thought it was magic. My old one was so slow that when I'd hit the shutter to take a picture in New York, someone would have walked right into the picture, even though they were yards away when I depressed the shutter. I was in love with this camera - two years ago. Now I'm totally frustrated. I want something small and fast - I need to talk to Amy. I think she likes her new Nikon Coolpix. Technology is so frustrating.
Here's a technology that's been around for a while - weaving. I watched Madeline's DVD on warping, so I cinched the death grip tie on the other side of the cross. It wasn't my DVD so I couldn't go back to get the explanation so I just did it. This is warp for my second sampler. I've threaded the left side and look at what a tidy housekeeper that knot it. I'm sold, even if I still don't actually understand why it works.

Oh, and I did well at the craft fair - thanks and howdy to my neighbors.

Boatery

2011-10-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

I was hoping we would be able to see Lori and Joe while we were in San Diego. We had some free time on Sunday so I texted her and we ended up going to their place. This is where they live, The Locura. Lori tells me the name comes from the Spanish word for loco or crazy. Joe is the captain and Lori is the cook. The owner got a deal when he got them!
It was warm and sunny so Joe had the canvas over the glass. Otherwise, it would have been a 360 view of the harbor. This is where he drives the boat when he's operating on autopilot.
The ship has double helms and it would be driven under sail from here. My father in law was a Navy captain and he delighted in saying that he was a boat driver, instead of a ship sailor.

This is Joe. He's the boat driver. We met as neighbors close to 30 years ago. They always said that when they had an empty nest, they were going to sell everything and live on their boat in Richmond, California. They are originally from Florida and love sailing. Who knew their journey would end up here?!
Lori couldn't wait to show me this. It's the hot tub and also sail storage. We have a long hot tub history which I won't go into, but I can remember cross country skiing the mile from my new house to theirs after we moved but yet were still nearby, and enjoying their in-ground hot tub with the snow flying and the steam rising. The worst part was skiing home - uphill! She texted me on Saturday to see if we wanted to hot tub and I thought she meant at their hotel.
This is Joe's newest baby, thanks for the digital airwaves. He's been without a television for six years, and in Puerta Villarta he'd have to watch games in the bars for three hours while ordering their beer, which he said got to be hard on the body. The TV is mounted so it can be swung out and visible to everyone in the seating area. That white thing that looks like a woodstove to me is actually the mast.
This is Lori's galley and when the owner is on board and the ship is crewed for sailing, she has to cook for ten. There's a grid over the stove top, if you see it. The stove on their own boat, Dos Amantes, is on a gimble, so cooking when the craft is pitching and yawing doesn't send pans to the floor. This stove has a grid that lowers over the stove top to keep the cookery in place, if they fit. I can see why she's taken so long to buy pots and pans. I enjoyed chatting with her over her rough menus and how she will provision before she they sail on November 12th.

The ship just got a new owner who retained Joe as captain. They were getting the ship ready to be weighed for handicapping so everything was in disarray. Lori begged me to make that statement. She said it would literally be ship-shape otherwise. They were offloading everything and staying in a hotel until after the measurements were completed - sheets, clothes, deodorants, etc. Joe was exhausted and wanted nothing more to watch football. I left Ian with him in front of the simulated-3D TV football game with their special glasses while Lori and I went to Mission Valley to buy pots and pans.
Lori is a fabulous cook, published cookbook author and a huge influence on me. She had done a lot of research on the cookery she needed and it was just a coincidence that we happened to come the day she was ready to make her purchases. We had so much fun spending $1300 of the owner's money. I think Lori is the only person I know who laughs as loud as I do. (I embarrass myself in theaters.) Parking is a problem in a marina and cookery is heavy. The guys met us at the gate and we schlepped it all in.
Ian took this picture for me. I swear they haven't aged at all, except for Jake since he wasn't born when I met them. He was sick and had a Coast Guard physical the next day. He's also a licensed captain so I know we're all crossing our fingers.
Lori pointed out the "commuters." There's a dory being rowed to dock on the left and near right, there's a red dingy doing some sort of personal delivery. It's quaint in the sunshine but I can't imagine it having the same allure in fog or rain. Hmm, I guess I sound like a desert rat.

Ian and I finished the afternoon with a lovely quiet visit with Carlos and Kristie. The next morning we crawled out of bed early, drove in the fog to return our car rental and then were delayed by said fog for another couple hours. I only took one book and no Kindle. I figured we'd only be in the air a couple of hours, so I snagged the newest Chris Bohjalian book, The Night Strangers. It was in the last Random House box of books and Amazon was giving it 4 1/2 stars. I had started it and he really does write well.

I gave it a review of two stars when I got home - what a disappointing read to be stuck with in the airport. I wasn't about to buy another book since it could be just as bad, so I finished mine. Nothing happened until I finished the first half of the book and then it was just weird. On a happier note, we can now check out books from the library on our Kindles. I checked out my first one this morning - it was easy, even for me.

Cutest Little Kid at House Warming

2011-10-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

This is the house we flew to San Diego to "warm." I'm envious of their placid dog Walter, content to lay in the front entry and observe life. Their house is in Kensington, a really lovely little community of southwest style homes built in the 1920s and to which Pasadena planners looked for inspiration. It was nice to be back in San Diego - this is where I grew up.
These are the happy owners. We are so proud of all our kids. These two both have large families, the housewarming was family only, and was full of happy well wishers who all live in SoCal, so we were the only "guests." It could not have been better - honestly.
They lost control of their party in the late afternoon when the Oceanside Baezas arrived with Solomon, the iPhone king. My phone was the second to fall - that's Alexia on the right phone.

And then there were three.

And lookie, now there are four. Two people who still had their iPhones made videos, which I wish I had access too, but now I'm working on a old point-and-shoot.
This does appear to be the sixth phone he's collected.
And now he's solicited another one, bringing the count up to seven.
And his final collection totaled eight. If there were more, no one was letting on.
He was also an able assistant to his aunt-to-be, unwrapping the housewarming gifts. Actually, he got the action going. Too many presents and too little interest! I heard the paper rip and his little voice, "and I don't know what it is." We agree later that the star of the housewarming wasn't the house, it was Solly. Every family needs that cutest little kid and he's doing a great job of filling the slot!

Lest I Forget

2011-10-13T22:06:00.000-07:00

I watched Madeline Van der Who's video on warping a loom. It was a borrowed copy and has since been returned to its owner in SoCal. I remembered on this warp to make the very tight tie on the other side of the cross she had demonstrated. I can't remember why she said to do it, but I did it anyway. Now I see why. It's just a good bit of housekeeping.

And I wanted to share with you the list that our book club selected for next year. We pick all twelve of our books in October - do it, and be done. We've gathered nominations for the last three months, I compiled them in alpha order and also added number of pages. We finished the hour of discussion for Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler, and it was time to vote.

We had about three dozen titles to vote on. I put the title of the books on a table along with plastic cups and then gave everyone 18 pennies. They had to vote for 12 individual books and then had six pennies to spend on their favorites. I wanted to read So Big by Edna Ferber and was afraid that it wouldn't make the cut, so gave all six of pennies to it. Once we had our final twelve, we assigned them to months based on brevity for holiday months and then by levity, interspersed with more weighty tomes. Drum roll please.......

A Dog’s Purpose, W. Bruce Cameron January
The Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens February
Stones from the River, Ursual Hegi March
Honk and Holler Opening Soon, Billie Letts April
Falling Leaves, Adeline Yen Mah May
Crazy in Alabama, Mark Childress June
The Postmistress, Sarah Blake July
So Big, Edna Ferber August
Half Broke Horses, Jeanette Walls September
The Paris Wife, Paula McLain October
My Antonia, Willa Cather November
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Murial Spark December

We catch a 7:30 flight to San Diego in the morning to celebrate Ian's youngest son's new house. Peace, out.

The Fiberist

2011-10-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

This was the work area that I created. This tiny little Gilmore Gem is something that Mr Gilmore himself made, and I'm grateful to Jeanne for sharing it with me so I could participate in this workshop. It is so tiny that it walked and I kept telling Gayle, the weaver set up in front of me, that she was in danger of being rear ended.
One of the last weave structures we did was deflected weft. I didn't have anything dramatic and Melissa decided I needed to use the Robyn's sari silk that she had offered to the class. That's dramatic!
I had taken this skein of handspun to show Melissa how it turned out - raspberry, teal and gold. She insisted that I not relegate it to a hat - she thinks I need to weave a panel of deflected weft and then take it from there. We'll see.

I handed Cathy my camera and asked her to please take a picture of me with Robyn. I want a record of my connection with this fabulous woman. I am so fortunate to have this workshop at this stage of my weaving journey. I can read drafts - finally!
Today is my birthday and the weather handed me a perfect day. I cannot remember a more lovely day in October in years. I have several advance copies, thanks to my book club connection to Random House, and today I started Chris Bohijalian's newest book. I have so many to chose from but this one swept me right in.
Honestly, I cannot think how it could get any better than this. Happy birthday to meeeeee.

Robyn Spady's Workshop

2011-10-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

Our workshop was held in the Wolf Run Golf course meeting room. Robyn lectured in the morning and the twelve of us wove all afternoon. Wolf Run provided a continental breakfast with endless coffee, an outstanding lunch in their dining room and then afternoon cookies and more coffee. This picture is after lunch. Things always picked up after the warm cookies appeared.

That was my little borrowed loom in the center back of the first picture and I was weaving Double Weave Dukagang. That's such a fantastic name for such a simple weave - it was favorite of all the 17 structures we wove. I had a blah warp, but the 20/2 slubby white and the 10/2 blue made a fabric that I instantly fell in love with - I could make yardage and sew it! I'm pretty sure this means I'm not a structure/weave person, but a color/pattern person instead. Heck, I'm a huge fan of plain weave, only not in towels. Plain weave towels are not thirsty towels, and I cannot wait to put on a huge warp and see what towels I get.
I really got what we were doing but I realized looking around that I've not acquired interesting yarns and colors.
Melissa on the other hand was cranking out colors like this. The one thing I learned above all else is how to read a draft. I am confident that I can read any draft I come across, no matter from what time period. Thank you Robyn!
Saturday night after the workshop, I grabbed a Port of Subs and was a able to catch grandson Kiernan's last home football game. His team is terrible but he plays very well when the coaches put him in. Once the sun went down, the temps followed to below 40, at which point SIL Mikeal appeared with hot cocoa for Alexia and me. We held the hot cups in our hands and slurped. After the game, I complemented Kiernan on some of his plays and, in front of his teammates, he rewarded me with a big hug. Warmed me right up :)

Last Leg

2011-10-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

Ian and I were driving east on Hwy 84 along the Columbia River when I started thinking about rest stops. We realized three aren't any along the route we were taking and the towns were few and far between. Enter the sign for Bonneville Dam with "tourist facilities." I said, Ian get off here! He was taken aback but he did exit. This the fish hatchery part of the facility. I told the guard I was more interested in a rest stop than the power plant so she suggested the hatchery.
The first fish we saw was this display of rainbow trout. I thought they were thick at Fanny Bridge in Tahoe City!
I'm so glad I needed to stop, because I never would have elected to come here and it's worth seeing. That is just one of the many tanks that serve as salmon nurseries. I forget what they called them, but it's where the fish grow up. We also went to the fish ladder - that's really interesting and complicated.
When the guard suggested we try the hatchery, she mentioned that they had a 400 pound sturgeon. We were walking to the car when we suddenly remembered her suggestion and followed the signs to their pond. Whoa! But wait, there's more.

That was Mama Fish. Supersize it. This is Papa Fish. He's as big as a dolphin and he lumbers through the water, if that's possible. I've never seen a slower moving fish.
We went outside to see the fish in their pool and he obliged by floating by. He's ginormous - the biggest and ugliest fish I have ever seen. He's lucky he's protected. Sturgeon is delicious!
We were excited for our Friday night plans in Bend. It was Missy's first paycheck and she wanted to celebrate at the the Pine Tavern Restaurant, note the pine trunk behind Logan. She's wanted to eat there but it's a two-paycheck family kind of place. Logan really liked it. Plus we'd gotten to see one football game and would be able to see his next one. He and I sat on the deck one afternoon and just chatted - he's of that age. He told me he liked it better since they moved because when we come to visit, we come for days. That's a gold star, oh yeah.
Josh texted me while we were in Washington to say that we were going to be back in time for the Fall Festival downtown. There are booths with vendors from all over and the attendance isn't deterred by fall temps, though some have it easier than others.
For Evan, the attraction was the kids street and the pumpkin painting area. Notice all the drying pumpkins against the wall. He got his pumpkin, his brush and his paint and he just froze. He is so my grandson - I remember that feeling. He did an abstract and all was well.

This booth caught my attention. That is the very same loom that I donated to Reno High School. He's weaving dishtowels. He said that he usually has a student weaving while he works the booth so was doing double duty.
I was struck by the sectional beam. He had impro-
vised and couldn't remember where he got it. It's not original to the Artisat, nor are the Texsolv heddles. I was stunned when I saw them. I told him that I had put them on but it was murder to thread so went back to wire heddles. He agreed, but said that he never threads - it's a dummy warp and when he gets to the end, he just ties on a new one - a man after my heart!
I had asked Josh to think about turning this towel rack into a craft fair display for placemats. Melissa was going to leave the rack in her rental so I snagged it. I always have things for him to do - he calls it his "sonny do" list.
It's going to be great and free up a lot of table space. We had a long confab at the hardware store. When I told him I was thinking about an easel display, he was thinking floor easel. Communication and assumption - dangerous mix. It was fun watching him put it together on the fly. Yeah, I'm a proud mom.
We got home late Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning I enjoyed the front porch with my spinning wheel and coffee. It was cool, I had to wear my down vest, but the birds were in full song.

It poured Tuesday night night and we awoke to this Wednes-
day morning. I think October has arrived. Hooray - it's my favorite month. Ian is at a library conference so I'm getting to tend the first fires of the fall season.
I spend the afternoon getting a warp on this borrowed loom. I'm leaving at 7:00 in the morning for a three-day weaving workshop on warping makeovers with Robyn Spady. I'm so excited. I chose the huck pattern option. Jeanne forgot to give me the crank so I stole the one from Maudie Mae, but they're both Gilmores so it fits. My crank is really heavy and might be a problem.

I cleared the first hurdle - getting it into the car by myself. It was late and I was tired so I'll check for threading and sleying errors when I get there. First order of the day; caffeine for me, hay for the fluffy ones and kibble for the rest.

In the Washington Moment

2011-10-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

Ian suggested we take a drive north since it would be new for us, and Georg was all over that. She was a fantastic navigator and tour guide. Retired librarians still like information. I took this of Georg and Ian in Raymond, Washington by the marine museum. Georg was looking for information on what happened to the Krestine, a 100' foot Baltic trader that she and Bob had owned some years ago, and then sold to the curator of this museum.

If you click on my link and scroll through the pictures, you will see what happened. We got a mocha at a local coffee shop and it was the owner was who told Georg about it. Pete, the man who bought it, had just left it moored, until one day it sank. The Coast Guard had them remove the masts and cut off the upper deck, leaving the remainder of that glorious ship underwater. Bob and Georg had a B and B on Bainbridge Island in a Frank Lloyd Wright house called the Bombay House. They bought the Krestine and moored her below for overflow, but found she was popular on her own. Georg has a photo album just of them sailing on the Krestine. They loved her, and when she learned of it's death, her eyes filled with tears. That was the hardest moment of the trip.
We drove up to Westport for lunch. The Pacific Northwest is a marine environ-
ment and the coast is about boats and fishing. Georg told us about an area called Washaway Beach and so she had us pull into it. There was no it. The road ends on the other side of a bridge. I didn't take pictures but the above link is pretty dramatic at a time when we're talking about rising seas.

We turned inland and started a hunt for three dairies that she and Bob had visited for cheese. It was yet another great adventure, and the cheese was worth it. Willapa Hills Cheese was our favorite and I should be able to get it from Wholefoods. The young wife grew up on Bainbridge Island and instantly knew the Bombay House when that came up in conversation. Insert Rod Sterling music here....

Robert Pyle, a noted biologist wrote a book about Georg's place and surrounds called Sky Time in Gray's River. It's a wonderfully lyrical look into that delightful little place and I re-read it every time we come home.

Ian and I decided to take the Cathlamet fairy across the Columbia. I'm not sure it saved us any driving time but it was fun. Georg told us it runs on the hour so we were the only vehicle for about ten minutes.
The fairy holds six vehicles and is slightly larger than a shoebox. I was expecting something slightly more noble.
On the Oregon side, we entered into a slough, which got pretty narrow by the time we reached the docking point. It was low tide so we had a bit of a climb from ferry to dock, and then drove through more dairy ranching country.
Afterthought. I almost forgot this! Georg got this fantastic little rag rug at a garage sale. The weaver sold it for $2 because she said it was imperfect. Georg called to see if I could pay her a visit, but she said all weaving is put aside right now. She's Finnish and part of a greater Finnish community. Baking for the holidays is now in high gear. Perhaps on my next visit?

Washington Bound

2011-10-04T22:15:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try to catch up a little here since so much has happened in the last week. We left Reno for Oregon early last Sunday morning. Ian drove the first leg to Lakeview, where we ate breakfast again at the Dinner Bell. It's a seven-hour drive to Bend from our house with stops, and Lakeview is half way.

I was still in the first hour of my leg when we came upon this. A truck had parked in our lane with a sign on the back, saying "cattle ahead." We got caught in a full drive, moving from one range to another. We had to wait, that's all there was to it.
I don't have blue tooth so asked Ian to call when we turned onto Hwy 97 at LaPine. Grandson Logan's football was going to start at 1:00 and we were cutting it really close. He was already at the field so our kids waited until we got to the house, we hopped into their car, and because the game started a couple minutes late, we were there in time to catch it. We went from flying through the high desert to pee-wee football, just like that!
DIL Missy has volun-
teered in the boys' classrooms since they moved to Bend and last year volunteered in a reading readiness program. She just wanted to be in the classroom as teaching positions are tightly guarded secrets. At the last minute, this one opened up - a one-year contract, and she's back in the classroom with pay. We were going to spend Sunday night with them the following weekend on our way home, but they couldn't get UNR/Boise tickets so our plans changed. We'd spend four days in Wash-
ington, and then come back to celebrate with them.
This is where we were head in Washington. My brother Bob planted all these trees and now they've nearly enveloped the place.

I wanted to read my book and ended up chasing the sun. My book was Tina Fey's Bossypants, which I absolutely loved and was sorry to finish. I had planned to knit hats on the trip so took my glass head. That's it in the grass, and I just kept rotating the hat toward the sun until it finally dried. Man, it's humid in Washington!
My brother Bob bought this flock a number of years before he died. I think it was mostly for esthetic at the B and B, and to help him keep the grass mowed. Georg has kept it going and the income from her locker lambs is something neither one of them might have anticipated.
While we were there, a crew was replanking the end of the historic barn. Georg had applied for a grant but been turned down since it was no longer a barn with a business. However, they did give her the lumber. While Bob was alive she had a fantastic gift barn here, but the B and B and flock are all she can manage on her own now. She was catching some of the brief sunshine while waiting for the crew chief.
The end result is a work of art. They did this all with ladders. When they'd get to the middle, one would climb down and jounce the ladder while the guy at the top hopped it across. It was somewhere between scary and aerial circus act.

I did a walking tour since it was just impossible to show pictures of all the parts I love. I realized tonight that I didn't take a single interior picture, which reflects their love of Mexico and the 15 years they lived in San Miguel de Allende.

Looming

2011-09-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

LouAnn suggested that I take photos of the sheets before I cut them into strips so I can remember what they looked like when I compare them with what they wove up into. Yeah, that was a bad sentence.
They are right in the middle here and not contri-
buting a thing. The orange is pushing the colors away, so I'm thinking these are going to live in inventory, kinda like purgatory, only not. I'm planning to do a set with this sheet and the solid red and that's all. I think it will be hot.
This is the set I'm weaving now and they've already been paid for - I just need to finish and deliver. I appreciate Theresa's "go bold or go home advice." She was right.
Drum roll please - this is what was in the box. Eighteen pounds of cotton from Benita in Illinois. She said she had Scott stand on the box so she could seal it. She apologized in an email that some were in pieces and a lot were pink. I didn't see a problem on either score. Pieces are the rag rug tradition, though I did rip some of them to true them up. Pink is great in rugs as it's light but not not dirty looking.
I washed and ironed them all today, and as I did, I found myself discover-
ing potential color arrangements. I'm a stickler for prewash after reading the Finish American rug weavers book. Some of them didn't prewash everything and it's obvious. No thanks - not with all the work that goes into a set of placemats or a rug. I'm a hobbyist, not a production weaver.
And there they are, ready to work with. We're leaving Sunday and I didn't want to leave our house-sitter with a mountain of fabrics in the dining room, nor did I want to come home to that mountain. I have enough warp for another round of placemats using my dummy warp, and then I'm going to order more carpet warp. After that, I'm moving placemats to Maudie Mae since she's only 23" wide, thus freeing up Miss Millie. I hate to say goodbye to that dummy warp - it's been a good friend.
This is the little Gem Gilmore loom that Jeanie has loaned me for the Robin Spady workshop. It's such a sweet little thing. I need to get the required warp on it between now, my Washington trip and the workshop. No pressure.

A Good Day to Dye

2011-09-20T20:26:00.001-07:00

I'm spinning the fiber I won at Spindle Camp in May, Blue-faced Leicester and silk. I haven't been spinning lately but need yarn for hats as the season is approaching. That's just an excuse. I love to knit hats! I've not been excited about this but it's taking on a the appearance of washed denim and I find I really do like it now.
I decided yesterday was the perfect day to dye some wool. These are pretty much the same colors I used to dye my skeins the other day, but the blue took over that dye bath. I'm using Gaywool Dyes and mixing the colors together I have. For instance, the gold is pumpkin and olive green. I poured on the color in stripes, covered with water and baked in the oven at 300 degrees for an hour. I'm sure a half hour would have been adequate but I got sidetracked.
I like white in the roving and think of it as a color. The roving is Panda and I'm thrilled with my colors - good guessing on my part. All three colors are mixes that I couldn't possibly repeat.
There's no guarantee that these colors will blend into a pretty yarn, but I'm chomping at the bit to get started. I love spinning Panda - it just throws itself on the bobbin.
While the roving was in the oven, I was kettle dyeing yarns that I'd like to use for color splashes in the hats. The three skeins on the right are the ones from last week. The four on the left were from yesterday. These are all from our Shetland wethers.
I'm really pleased with this experi-
ment. I put two skeins that were originally the same as those on the left into the same dyepot and got two different shades of blue. I'll be doing more of that again.
Ian brought this box in just as I was filling my water bottle to head into town this morning. He said it came yesterday but he didn't pick it up until just now. I know what's in the box but I'm saving the exploration of the contents until the morning. I didn't get home until 6:00 and I want to savor the contents when I'm fresh and not exhausted like I am now.

It was yet another full day in town. I got to the farmers market at 10:00 and spent the last of our CSA bucks on beefsteak tomatoes and pickling cukes, then picked up the loom that Jeannie is loaning me for the Robin Spady weaving workshop in two weeks. It was at the new Jimmy Beans location so I also got a facility tour. Then I was just in time for my eye appointment where I got fabulous contact lenses that let me see both near and far, had lunch with Melissa, we shopped and bought more used clothes - got a brand new pair of Sofft shoes for $18 that retail for $100 and even though they were new, they were in a used store allowing me to keep our "no new clothes in 2011" vow - had a great workout and swim and came home with more fresh produce in our CSA basket. I'm reminded once again that life is good, in spite of the shadows.

It's Been a Hard Week

2011-09-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

Death toll rises in Reno air show crash

Our church is in the base chapel for the old Stead air force base, which is where the Reno Air Races are held. Whether or not you like air races, this is small community of fans who have suffered a devastating loss. The church was packed this morning. We even had an AP videographer and photographer - and why. They shot pictures for the first 15 minutes of Mass. What did they hope to get. People camp on our church campus for this event and have for years. Two of the traditional campers are among the dead. Our cleric was a first responder. He said people mobbed him when they saw his Roman collar.

It was a draining morning and I'm so glad I had a great lap swim. I took a sandwich and was eating it at my favorite regional park when Amy called. She lives right by the park and I availed myself of some friendship. Two fires in the valley last week, the air race wreck and then a memorial celebration party last night for a friend much too young to be the subject - it's been a hard week.

I don't want to end on a down note. I do love this album. I bought it several years ago and I see it's been amended to include Bob Marley. Hope is good.

Autumn is Upon Us

2011-09-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

I put three skeins of our different Shetland boys in the same dye bath and got three different results, as I expected. I'll dye some solids to go with them to knit up as hats in a couple of days.
Under this ignomi-
nious wrap is the fabulous batch of soap I made this morning. The washed plastic bottles are draining so I can make dye stock solution and store them in clean containers - thanks Chrissie for drinking all that juice.

I haven't sold a felted bag in a while so haven't been thinking about making more, but I sold two in the last week so this is my first replacement in the works. I'm always happy about anything that is stash reduction.
The weather is changing so quickly, it makes my head spin. Ian takes the dogs for a ritual drive every morning and has for years. He has driven by the house that burned yesterday and waved to the owner working in the yard. He said today the house is boarded up with plywood. I wish the owners well.

Just Another Day in Paradise

2011-09-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first swim lesson since I was pregnant with my grown son, okay, 40 years ago. I bought a suit from Costco and dove right into this thing, really. About ten days ago the suit began to fail and Ian encouraged me to get online and order one immediately, which I did. I found suits on sale at Lands End and ordered two, but they took a week to get to me, three days to get to Reno and four to be delivered, which included UPS transferring the package to the USPS for delivery. By then you can see the shape my old suit was in. On my last swim, it was literally trailing behind me. You get what you pay for. The lesson was awesome. I learned a better way to do the free style and stayed another 45 minutes to practice, using a whole new set of muscles. I can hardly move today.
In addition, I'm still a little tired from Labor Day weekend so slept late this morning. I was having my coffee and working on the jackalope's ears when the songbird activity arrested me.
There was a crowd in the birdbath and the water was flying every-
where. We've seen as many as twelve in there at a time from the bedroom window. I got the DSLR, filled the basin back up and sat down to wait for them to return. Ian came out about then and asked if I had our neighbor Ken's phone number (he's on the VFD) as there was a fire across the valley.
I walked around the end of the house, and saw this - and panicked. For two minutes I'm sure I did nothing but run back and forth and hyperventilate. Finally I realized I had my cell phone and called 911. I was stunned at how shaky my voice was. Ian called Ken who called the fire chief.
And we waited. It was painful as the minutes stretched and the flames rose. Click for big.
My phone says I called at 10:21 and at 10:45 the first fire truck rolled up, our little VFD crew. The thing with VFD is they are all volunteers and many have day jobs. Ultimately eight trucks in all attended the fire. I finally realized their priority was to extinguish the fire, not save the structure. It could have been devastating, a mini-Texas, but for once, we had no wind. Cindie just wrote me that Theresa told her that fire departments are just here to save lives and keep fires from spreading, not save our houses. I can see the reason of that, but it scares me. In this case, the news has reported, the fire started in garage. I've never seen a house burn down before, but losing my house to fire scares me to death. I think the most likely threat to the rest of us is wildfire caused by lightening, as Carol and Harry experienced earlier this week.
Otherwise, it was a lovely day - thankfully so. We get such serious winds this time of year that Mark Twain coined them the Washoe Zephyr, always the pundit. Our normal winds could have ignited the entire side of the valley. It was a sobering day. Our HOA logo is Red Rock Valley - Just Another Day in Paradise. This is the first house fire in the valley and that no other structures went with it leaves us with tomorrow, another day in Paradise. I am resisting the soapbox about cutting funding to police and fire protection, because I'm drained enough already.

In a Day - or Two

2011-09-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

I took LouAnn's suggestion and went by Goodwill after my swim yesterday. They charge according to size, from $2-$5. I came home with six flat sheets and spent $20.

She also recom-
mended that I take photos of the sheets so I can compare with what they look like when woven. I think these three will end up in one set.
These are the pinwheels for my current warp. I'm weaving the last placemat from the pinwheels on the bottom right. There is waaay too much pastel going on here. The red pinwheels are sold and paid for. I get the message.

I let me weave until 3:00 today and then I had to finish my book club book. I have to do it as facilitator, mixed blessing - It makes me read the book and it's also made me read outside my comfort zone. It's only the third time in five years that I haven't enjoyed our selection: A Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. I have my wonders about the book and they would start why she didn't write the end first. I would rather she wrote the end into the whole story. I will donate my copy to the library.

Ian and I were reading on the front porch and enjoying a Northern Harrier, who instantly eliminated our bird population to zero. He was focused on the voles and I was rooting for him, when a thunderstorm cell rolled in from the east - always serious business from that direction.
Ian ran upstairs to close the windows and saw this fire from my studio window. He knew it had to be close to our friends Carol and Harry, where just last evening we had enjoyed a Sunset Magazine style dinner on the front porch. He called and left the message that we'd be there in a heart beat, let us know. Carol called about 20 minutes later.
The fire was right by their house but neighbors with shovels had showed up until the VFD trucks arrived. And then the sky opened up and gave them a hand.
I think they call these gully washers. I have a feeling our driveway will have some new contours, come tomorrow.
Just last weekend we had dozens of folks camping in this now building lake. How capricious is the high desert weather!!
It's a puzzle. Can you see the llama shape who is adoring the rain? And yes, the fire is out. We got lucky. Dry lightening is the fear of us all. Phew.

Um, and More Weaving

2011-09-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

I was tired from last weekend and wanted to get a warp on so I could have some weaving therapy. I'm doing yet another set of four placemats, tied onto the same dummy warp. After watching the Madeline Van der Hoogt video, I put a cross in the dummy warp as well as the new one. There's a cross on both sides of the reed. Zounds Batgirl! That's the ticket. I had it tied on in about an hour and a half.
DD Chris called this morning to say that Alexia had decided she didn't want to go to gymnastics. She wanted to help Grandma with her farmers market craft fair. Oh, and she'd like to spend the night. Okay on both counts. This is my craft fair helper.
She was terrific. She put one of my felted bags on her shoulder and went over to the farmers market area and said, you should see the things my grandma makes - she made this and she makes really stinky soap. It helps that she's adorable and voluble.
The lady who bought the bag is visiting from Tuscon and her host in the turquoise top, trying on one my hats, bought placemats from me at the Hunter Pace event two weeks ago. Word of mouth is good. I didn't sell any soap at the Hunter Pace, and that's what I sold today.
We made cookies this afternoon. They're orange because the only Jello I had left was orange. The cookie stamp on the right is hearts, a gift from Amy last weekend, and it quickly became her favorite - it doesn't stick.

I talked her into only putting sprinkles on the top of the balls and then stamping them. It's self preservation. Sprinkles are like edible glitter. I cannot believe I have so much patience with her when I had none with own three children.
After cookies, we decided we'd weave for a little bit. I asked her to model the bag she had shown around the farmers market this morning. What amazed me is that she did it completely on her own. I'm sure it looked like I was hustling my granddaughter. She came with money and wanted to spend it. She kept telling me what was for sale and for how much. I finally let her buy a jar of homemade apple butter for $3.50. She came with $18.00 - Kerry helped her count it out. Yikes!
We decided that we grrls should spend some time weaving. The knitting has fallen out of favor for the moment. I'm looking for a rigid heddle loom for her. I think she's ready.
This is the set I'm working on right now. It's very pastel. I think the fabrics are shirting materials - they all have stripes. It occurred to me today that I should try Marshalls or Ross and see if I can find a single flat sheet that's an orphan for cheap. I can keep my price low if I can keep my costs low. I hope this is the brilliant idea of the year.

5th Annual Gathering III Fini

2011-09-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

It was a near-full moon and my daughter put Christmas lights on their tent for a nice light show. I think there were six tents in a row there but I forgot to take a picture. There was a lot going on in a short amount of time! I woke up this morning with the realization that this was the first time all eight of our grandkids had been together in one place and I didn't get that picture either.
We had an appoint-
ment at Joe Winter's pottery studio Sunday morning at 10:00. Marsh led the way in his Polaris RZR (pronounced razer) and Alexia's face lit up. She wanted to ride in the "go-cart." Bev invited her to ride on the back with her. Marsh drove really slow and told me later it's because Lex got really scared, but she rode back on it nevertheless.
Ian and I both are fans of Joe's work so it's always a pleasure to bring our friends over. He's the only person I know who is making a living at his art. Our crowd doesn't seem to mind helping him with that.
This is one of two working areas of his studio - he has two show rooms and an outdoor woodfire kiln, plus a raku work area, which is galvanized cans on fireproof brick. This is the room where he throws the pots. I wish I could remember how many thousands of pounds of clay he throws in a year, and then there's the 13% shrinkage. Why can I remember one number and not the other one? I'm blaming a wrinkle in the gray matter. They're everywhere else!
Joe always throws a pot for those who are interested in seeing the building process. Here he explains he is wedging the clay.
He's making another pot like the one behind Alexia's shoulder. BTW, she's wearing a shirt I had embroidered all over with flowers for her mother with her name over the breast pocket - I had just found it. It's too warm but Lex won't take it off and thus acquired the nickname "Mini Chris."
Some folks straggled in a little later as they chose to walk. The weather was warm but absolutely beautiful. We're starting to get a little tropical moisture this week - it rained a bit on Saturday night. One tent learned why you put up the rain fly *before* you go to bed.
This is grand-
nephew Solly who was in the YouTube video I posted about a week ago, showing how he can watch a video on the iPhone, make a phone call and then go back to the video - he's two. Just ask him. I asked him to show me what he had in his hands. Both his parents are engineers - hmmmmmm.
Cooking on the propane burners is always messy. Everyone pitched in when it came to clean-up but I do love Angie's black hand. I think that's part of the community feeling - everyone shoulders a part of the work and contributes to the play.

I've been begged for a family tree posted somewhere, explaining all the relationships and connections. I'm not sure it's possible. Angie is married to Don Don, which distinguishes him from his father Don and his son Don, also known as Don Don Don, or Junior. Stepson Carlos nicknamed him D-Cube this year. Not blood relatives but very important people in our lives. The picture I posted yesterday of my SIL Rochelle and friend Yvonne, friends from high school? Yvonne is married to just-one-Don. See what I mean???
And this is the 2011 Gathering jigsaw puzzle. I'm so thrilled they finished it before leaving. Last years puzzle was so hard that I was trying to get it done so I could decorate for Christmas. Amy spent a couple hours then getting it straightened out before she left or I would never had gotten it off the table before this year!
This is Amy's vintage trailer that she has had restored, adores and makes wonderful use of. It was almost the tail that wags the dog as she had to acquire a truck to pull it with. She's heading out. She camped with us in Oregon in June.
DS Josh told her that she had inspired him. He found this trailer with a for-sale sign in a bank of snow. He was able to acquire it for $250 and has since put $3,000 and a lot elbow grease into making it a working unit. This was the inaugural run. It's a far cry from the massive fifth-wheel that helped tip them into bankruptcy. They've learned about the power of paying cash. They've decided this looks like a 1950s kitchen appliance so have named it the Road Toaster - a label is in progress.
It's also given them the oppor-
tunity to back up and discover how to be more creative. Josh used the spring-loaded power outlet cap on the trailer wall to install a brewer's tap instead. There's a pony keg in a special cabinet inside that he built just to house it and he's pouring me a beer. It was a big hit.
Their fifth-wheel was twice the length of the truck, which BTW Josh calls Big Stinky - I think we're a family of nicknamers - and I like the Road Toaster twice as much. It's always so hard to say goodbye.

I was grateful that Bev and Marsh stayed behind - Bev is SIL Rochelle's cousin - she and our friend Holly tackled cleaning the house like Merry Maids. Carol and Kerry came back to pick up some stuff, and Petie was staying another day. It was fabulous to sit around garage in the ring of chairs and chat - I come from a long line of storytellers and I married into another one. We were telling and retelling stories - there's really a lot of power in them - no batteries required.

5th Annual Gathering II

2011-09-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

The enter-
tainment was where people found it. This is just one of many Rumi-Kube games. There were many card games as well. Misery seemed to be very popular, whatever that is.

The LSU/
Oregon game was a big attraction - this group doubled as word spread that it had started. In fact, when Christopher finished parking his camper, his first question was - has the game started?!
The jig-saw puzzle is always popular. This years puzzle was purchased by Kristi (in the center back) and given to us last New Years when we were in SoCal. Matt and Julia bought it last year.
My daughter-in-law Missy and step-
daughter Little Sharon are browsing through the photo albums. I left this weekend being broke and feeling like the richest person on the planet.
Yvonne and SIL Rochelle have known each other since they were teenagers. These are the types of relationships my children have been able to enjoy because we've lived in one spot since they reached middle school. Some of those friends were here this weekend with their own families.
And then there's the dice game in the garage in the evenings. We call it "tree-fitty" and I have no idea what the real name is. Little Even in the foreground was a serious contestant and almost a winner.

I thought I was finishing up with the weekend and then realized that I hadn't even gotten to our visit with our local potter, Joe Winter - that's him in the orange shirt in background. He makes a living as a potter and always has an open studio with demonstration for us. I'm a storyteller - I have to finish it up.

5th Annual Gathering I

2011-09-06T20:41:00.000-07:00

By Saturday everyone who was coming had arrived. Most everyone came from somewhere in California, and while this isn't central by any means, it is a gathering spot.
This doesn't exactly represent the "campus" as the other side of the house is lined with tents, which is why Petie comes early - to help Ian set them up. He left this morning and unfortunately got caught in the traffic in Carson City from the devastating shooting incident - the only dark cloud on the whole weekend.
Ooops - sorry. This is the only shot I have of the double elimina-
tion horseshoe tournament, and all that shows is the pits and practice play on the left, as the actual tourney was the next day. It was the hit of the weekend and I'm afraid I got swept up in it.
The kiddy pool on the deck had a second life after the kids decided the water was too cold and went to play in the dirt instead.
Giant jenga was a hit for the second year running, though DS Josh says the pieces have warped since last year. He and Marsh are going to make kiln-dried jenga for next year and suggested this set become kindling. Can do!

The boys used the pieces for dominoes on the garage floor and then started building with them - two are my grandsons and two are our neighbor's grandsons.
Every one of these young people is significant to me but that would take many blogs to explain so I'll just say the young man on the right in the white t-shirt is my youngest son and the only one of my children to actually look like me - thank goodness - and the ham on the left side with the mutton chops is my grandson from Amhurst, MA, - uncle and nephew. They look and sound so alike it's uncanny. His parents were here three years ago and they were just as stunned as the rest of us. Genetics!
And this is John, my oldest grandson, and if you are new to my blog this year, I posted about how we met here, i.e., he was adopted out.

I was on my way to the gym, after which I'd pick up the "kids" from their kennels. Change of plans - I got to have breakfast with John, girlfriend Shannon and DD Chris instead. I was a little late in my kennel pick-ups but still inside the deadline. And oh my, were there a lot of dirty cars going West, headed home from Burning Man.

Last Minute Details.

2011-09-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

I dropped Buster off at doggy jail. For locals, it's Fantasia Pet Resort and Buster actually likes this place - we've used it for ten years, so that translates at a recommend.
Then I drove out to Verdi (California state line on the way to Lake Tahoe for non-locals, i.e., long way from home) to drop Charlie off at the Cozy Cattery. This is a first time for us as Fantasia no longer boards cats. We put his bed and toys in his three-story unit, and he plunked himself on his bed to do a little snoopervising. He went from yowling to content. I think this is also going to be a recommend.
I wanted to get the kids dropped off so that I'd be at the fitness center for the supposedly quite pool hour from 11:00 to noon. I was early so spent a half hour on the elliptical trainer in the gym, when back to the locker room, suited up and showered for the pool to find the water draining from the pool. The sign said - Mechanical malfunction - pool closed. Groan. I saw this sign on my way out of the parking garage. Good one.
I stopped at the Silver Peak Brewery and got my Deschutes Growler filled. I know a lot a regional beers will be present and I wanted us to be on the map - then it was off to Costco where I discovered I didn't have my list. Aren't cell phones awesome?!

Ian and Petie had the inaugural tent up when I got home. It's a first time installation so they we working with mistakes in the instructions and missing parts. They reasoned in out in the end - this nylon palace sleeps ten, or so it says.
The first trailer arrived a little after 6:00. DS Josh, Missy and the boys are here from Oregon, and this trailer is a far cry from the massive fifth wheel they used to sport. He saw this for sale, half covered in snow and bought it after the first of the year. It's vintage and with the help of Jason, he has rehabilitated it, after hours on week ends. It's been exhausting.
They have named it the Road Toaster because they think it looks like an old kitchen toaster. There is plenty of work left to be done, evidenced by the padlock of the door - to ensure it wouldn't fly open on the road.
That extra little blip on the back is the storage space which is thoughtful addition. Yup - that's their street sign from the house they left here. I hear it's a long story - looks pretty short to me.
The boys love it. When we were in Bend in June, Josh hadn't finished laying the flooring. He said it was just going to be a hollow shell for hunting. Now it had this bed, cabinets and a dining area that makes into a bed for the boys. It was hard work for the whole family and I see the pay off in the boys faces.

Last Minuting

2011-08-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

Petie called to say he was in Carson City at Costco - did we need anything, I said no, we're covered - we need you. Then he asked if I had anymore soap. He said everyone loved the bars he had gifted so he needed to buy more - did I have more. Yes, I have more soap but not wrapped in labels ready for sale. I hung up and got to work.
In making smaller batches of soap at a time, my soap cutters are leaving me with the last group of soaps too narrow for a bath bar. My son is going to adjust that when he's here this weekend, but I have a lot of extra little soaps.
I've saved old calendars so I decided to make some origami boxes and put the little pieces in and see if I can't move them that way.
The box on the right is from a Historical Nevada calendar. I forgot to take a picture of the finished boxes - they look pretty cool. I hope someone else thinks so. It would be nice to have these little soaps find a home.
Our first guest has arrived for the weekend. He and Ian met at com-
munity college, and now Petie is a retired professor turned banjo player who follows the blue grass festivals. He has chosen us over the Strawberry Festival - wow! We had a lovely quiet evening of visiting and just being together.

Fitting It All In

2011-08-30T20:14:00.000-07:00

I finished the walkway yesterday. I've had these pavers all summer and wanted to get it laid before the Labor Day folks arrive. Can you say Procrastination? And of course, I couldn't do it in the cool of the morning.
This is the end of the trail so I need to find some more stones. I didn't realize how physical this would be but it's up and down for every stone placement and then some areas needed total rearrangement. My heart rate got way up there on several occasions, so I would sit on the bench, drink iced tea and enjoy my labors until it came back down. I was sore this morning!
I planted this climbing rose next to an old barn loom frame for it to climb on. At this point, it has pretty much engulfed the loom frame. It came as a twig from High Country Gardens seven years ago - pretty impressive!
I spent the morning working on the jackalope. I finished the second foreleg and just kept going, hoping I could keep up the momentum. I now have the underbelly on needles and the next instruction is to Kitchener all these 100+ stitches. I've since noticed that this pattern is the only one in the book designated Expert. I have become a better knitter for it, I can tell you that and I have also learned some new stitches I didn't even know existed. I can now M1R (make one right) and w&t (wrap and turn). I wonder if I will ever come across these stitches again.
The gym and pool were crowded today. I saw this sign as I was leaving the parking garage and thought - thanks, I needed that! I did let my lane go earlier than I had planned and had a nice exchange with the guy I was sharing it with and the guy I let it go to. I had planned to kick some laps but wasn't unhappy to have an excuse to stop - they said they've used that excuse themselves.

Craft Fair - Horsey Style

2011-08-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

This was my portion of our booth - that's Kerry. It's the second time I've shared booth space with she and Carol. It has worked well and we're planning for the future.
They make bird feeders from thrift store dishes - add wires and beads and they are fabulous. They sold seven while we were setting up from people milling around before the equestrian events even started.
Yesterday was the hunter pace event and today the compe-
tition was jumping. The arena is at the very top of the property.

I was thrilled to catch this jump with my point-and-shoot camera. This is a junior rider. His horse balked at the first attempt, so he rode back around and did very well on the retry.
The VFD were there selling lunch - I got a cheese-
burger, chips and beer for $10.00. Bargain! The RFD put out a lightening strike at the foot of our property a couple years ago. The burger was dry but I'm not complaining.
This is the ranch and the equestrian ring is where I'm shooting this picture from. Our craft fair tents are down there by the ranch house, on the other side of the cottonwoods. Carol, Kerry and I did well in spite of being at such a distance from the action.
This is a first time event - we went from 8:00 to noon - just four hours, pretty early for me, but I'll be in line to do it again next year. The noon cut off is because that's when the winds kick in, and they were actually a little premature. We were ready to quit at noon!

I've never done a craft fair before where I sold no soap. We laughed about that a lot - hmm, why? It was so hot today - it seemed too early for hats, but I brought some anyway and was pretty surprised when Ron and Ali's daughter clamped one on her head and thus it was so. I was thrilled at the two placemat sets I sold as well as the interest from those who didn't buy - makes me want to weave!

Carol, Kerry and I need to pow-wow. In the meantime, I had a terrific time visiting with friends and meeting new neighbors. Is this a dream? Pinch me.

Deadlines

2011-08-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

All the strips are cut and rolled for the next warp.

The studio is cleaned, the looms are put to bed and pushed back to make room for an queen-sized air mattress.
I've brought down the photo albums to allow for browsing over Labor Day. The problem is that, other than numbering them in sequence, I have no idea what the contents are. My first task was to go through and date the events. Oh, and dust them off.
I wanted to get all photos into albums. Let me qualify that. Several years ago, DIL Missy, a serious scrapbooker told me that the magnetic albums destroy photos by leaching the images into the glue. I painstakingly removed all the photos by slicing them from the glue with dental floss. They've been in a photo box ever since, but last year at the gathering, the box got passed around and my carefully ordered photos were inadvertently rearranged.

I have gone into overdrive to get this accomplished. I ran out of albums and pages yesterday so we decided to do our Costco shopping today so I could get more supplies. I've finished the most important chunks and will deal with the other photos later. I didn't do anything fancy, just pasted them to the pages, typed up captions in Word and glued them in place.

So many of the kids friends from grade school and on will be here this year and I know they will enjoy them. I have 12 albums in all now, and nothing more recent than 2003 when we started keeping a record digitally. The regular photo albums dating from 1995 could use more labeling, but people browsing will know what they're seeing.

The weather has started to change a little, with more humidity bringing in clouds. We had sprinkles this morning which I sat on the deck and knit to.

We had a fabulous sunset this evening, though we're a little concerned about the increase in humidity since a lot of people will be sleeping in tents.

The car is packed and I'll be out of here about 7:00 tomorrow morning. This craft fair is a stab in the dark. It's at a horse show which goes from 8:00-noon, with lunch to follow. We decided to test the waters - can't know if we don't try.

Meanwhile, Michelle just emailed this today of grand godson Solomon. We get to see them next week - they'll be here Saturday!

Reading:

On the Kindle: Don't Tell Mom I Work on the Rigs: She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse by Paul Carter

From the Library: Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons

Gearing Up

2011-08-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

I've started stacking and spreading my fabrics to get a sense of what sequences I'd like for my next placemat sets.
I cut these yesterday. They're quite pastel and all but one has a stripe of some sort. I'm curious to see what all the stripes will look like when woven.
In between loads of laundry I was able to get all the strips sewn together and then while watching Design Star last night, I got the first six rolled into pinwheels. I know they're not mandatory, but having that crease pressed in the folded strips makes the weaving go so much faster.

I cut these strips this morning before I went into town. I'd love to get them sewn tomorrow and get the next two sets of strips cut and sewn. I'm working on a deadline here. I need to get everything cleaned up and put away soon.

We have a Labor Day gathering here and if you haven't seen in pictures of it in the past, there will be a whole new set next week. Because it's the same weekend as Burning Man, it's been dubbed Sparking Boy. We turn our home into a campground for a weekend with family and friends, simply put.

The other deadline is the jackalope. I've knitted two more legs and am ready to assemble the body. I don't see how I can get it done but I'm not giving up just yet.
My Tuesday schedule now is to go to the gym and then pick up our CSA basket afterward - it's the same parking garage. I went to grab my bags from the back and realized that the "emergency" roll of toilet paper had freed itself from it's nitch and essentially toilet papered the whole back end of my car!
I've started using a different entrance and just noticed this sign today. I wasn't frowning.
This is the contents of our basket this week. The water-
melon flesh is yellow and is called Yellow Doll. We've had it once before this year and it's absolutely the sweetest a melon can get. We got more hot peppers so Ian promises he'll make his fantastic salsa tomorrow. I have some cilantro left over from last week - yum!

Close Call

2011-08-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

I was so close at the end of my warp - the blue strip represents how much I needed to weave and in the background at the heddles you can see the knots where I tied onto the previously existing warp.
By the time I had done the hemstitching on the last placemat, that's all the forgiveness I had - maybe 8" or so. I'll add another yard to the warp next time. I would prefer more loom waste. This was too close for comfort.
I washed the placemats last night in a continuous group and also dried them. The lint was prodigious. I had to empty the filter half way and still there was more lint. While they were still partially damp, I cut them into sets and laid them out to finish drying.
LouAnn at Loomy Tunes told me to tie the warp ends in overhand knots before washing. I forgot and this is why she warned me.
I threw the two placemats in the wash that we use all the time - I thought I should know what the fringe will look like so I can tell potential buyers. They washed up great!

These are the finished sets and I am thrilled. The hem-
stitching and separating with a rotary cutter took away so much of the work. The set on the left is the "go loud or go home" change-up I made after Theresa's comment.
This is how I will have them on the table at the craft fair. There's no space to display them flat and this at least shows their color range. I was surprised to find that I liked the peach-colored set after all.

I'm no longer bothered by the traveling warp showing up as uneven threads. I think it demonstrates the personal part of me invested in the work - not hecho in china.

Weaving Midwife

2011-08-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

I went by Gail's before leaving town. Her new-to-her loom is massive. She had finished the warp to the point of tying on. I've been where she is and I know exactly how she feels. Weaving isn't hard but the steps can be confusing at first.

She has come a long way already and has carved out this corner of her husband's office for her studio. We discussed options - tying on versus lashing - and she called me this afternoon to say that she had started weaving! I feel like a weaving midwife.
I didn't want to get on the freeway which is under major recon-
struction so took surface streets and ended up going by our old house. I actually drove by, then made a u-turn on Ives and went back for this shot. That pine tree was such a miserable little living Christmas tree that my kids dubbed it the Christmas shrub. No shrub now.

I joined the St Mary's Fitness Center on July 26th and am trying to get in to use it three times a week. Because I've been enjoying it so much, Melissa, who had dropped her membership because she never went, has rejoined. Friday we went to the gym together and on checking in, I was informed that I was entitled to a $75 voucher. Melissa had referred me as her reason for joining. Long story short, we signed up for three semi-private swimming lessons, paid for by the voucher.

So Sundays, I go to church, stop at the convenience store for a San Francisco Chronicle and then drive on in to the gym, which is why I was able to stop at Gail's. The swimming coach just happened to the staff person in the training room when I was there, so Melissa and I are officially signed up for our first lesson, from a Serbian Olympian swimmer and certified coach - yikes!

Oops

2011-08-17T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is not a plucked chicken, in spite of appearances. This is the current state of the jackelope from the Amigarumi Knits book. I had embarked on this project last fall, intending it as a Christmas present for Alexia. She selected the pattern and dictated the colors. I got a text yesterday from DD Chris, saying that Alexia was anxious that I finish this in time for her birthday, since I missed her 5th and 6th birthdays. She'll be seven this month. Relative time does get better, but I admit, I had lost track of this project. I spent three hours today, locating my place in the work, trying to understand the source of the error, reknitting the error and going back again, but now I'm to the point I was had it been done correctly. That was enough for one day.

Yesterday was a little off-kilter. I had to go see the surgeon for a revisit on a mammo that apparently no one liked. He said, go forth and do good or something like that and I intend to. I snagged lunch at Walden's and a quick visit with Melissa. Afterwards I went to meet Gail, a lady who had contacted me on the Internet. She had taken a weaving class in Arizona, bought a loom and was looking for a weaving studio. Since we have none, I offered to come by - pay it forward all the help I've received.
Melissa loaned me this video on Monday. I had pulled off a crown over the weekend and after getting it reseated, called her to see what she was doing - putting on a warp. We had a nice quite visit and I told her about Gail, so she sent me off with this DVD to share. Gail and I watched it and the went upstairs to start her project. I couldn't spend more than three hours and it flew by. I was thrilled to help her and stunned to realize how much I have learned. Her homework is to finish winding her warp, sley and thread it. Her enthusiasm is fantastic.

Afterwards, I went to the gym for my best workout and swim ever. My goal has been from the start - a luxurious continuous quiet lap swim. I don't know how to express what a joy this is. When I hop out at the end of my laps and sit there catching my breath, I think I might possibly be the luckiest person on earth.
I made a side trip to Mill Ends Fabrics again. I found some new colors and was at the register chatting with the employee, whom I recognize from when I first started shopping here in 1975 - different location. We had a couple of laughs but when she realized what I needed she showed me a dolly of rolls of the $1/yard fabrics. I bought the last of the roll of this fabric on the bottom. It's from a baby factory, Beatrice Potter themed, stained and stitched but it's 72" wide. I bought 2 yards last year. She said - my name is Kenna. Call periodically and I'll run back and check to see what's on the dolly and let you know if anything is new. How cool is that?!

Nevada County Fair 2011

2011-08-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

Ian and I drove over to the Nevada County Fair in Grass Valley today. Let me make it clear. This is a county in California. It's a three-hour trip one way but I have roots over there that date back to high school, and it's a joy to me that I can connect to them through my membership and participation with the Foothill Fiber Guild.
That building is Ponderosa Hall and it's where the fiber arts are displayed. Just recently we've been able to exhibit in this air-conditioned building instead of the hot and open-air fair buildings. This was my first year to demonstrate spinning in this space. I was signed up for the 10:00-2:00 slot and I was the first thing people came across when they entered the room. I talked non-stop for four hours and pretty much got the thing from shearing, processing, spinning and wool breeds into a six-minute spiel, and new people would come through the door and I'd start over. I'm not sure I've ever talked for four hours and for those of you who know me, you must be shocked.
I thought the fiber arts exhibits this year were over the top - the knitting, hats, sewing quilting, felting and sewing - I'm not sure it's ever been this keen. I couldn't help wonder if the sewing weren't up a notch as an influence of Project Runway. It certainly influences me!
I wanted to see the other spinners at Ag-
sperience but I absolutely wanted to see the belt-driven engine display. It's one of my favorite parts of the fair. This is where the 49 gold rush happened and these machines are local history.

These are the machines that made industry happen. They pumped water out of the mines, they drove the shop tools. The tractors gave us modern agriculture.

Ian and I drove down to Stockton to pick up my eight-harness loom that I had ordered from Gilmore. Bob Allen now makes the looms and gave us a tour of the plant. He was then still using the built-driven equipment that Mr. Gilmore had used. The equipment was very much like this.
The owner started up his 1948 John Deere tractor and he had me at hello. I love these silly machines and that tired Massey-Ferguson next to him. I know my father would have been equally enthralled.
Ian held me to an hour for exhibits since we had another three-hour drive home: the machines and Ag-sperience were my two choices. I demonstrated here last year. Today was relatively cool - under 90 - but last year Birdsong and I were cooking at Ag-sperience. Demonstrating in an arts community isn't a cakewalk. You are teaching every second. Cooking? Cakewalk??
All those old bars have themes this year, a repur-
posing since animal entries are down. The cooperative extension, FFA, 4H, Forest Service - like entities are here so it's good that we have another opportunity to share the fiber-arts application. I see Rowen and Lucy.
I have some bragging rights. This skein is from Sven, Kathy Lefrevre's wether from Flagstaff, Arizona. I've already reserved his fleece for next year. He'd been injured in an attack by neighbor dogs so she didn't have an intact fleece for sale. She knew I wanted a black fleece so said Sven told her to do it - she boxed up the fleece and sent it to me. Kathy, Sven did good!!
This what I'm especially calling bragging rights on. It came to pass when I had won some felted silk as a door prize and thought I might be able to make something with it if plied it with another color. And this is where Benita spoke up and I have an idea. You should ply it with brown, and BTW, I just happen to have the fiber you need. She sent me brown Merino roving which I plied with the silk, and when I ran out of silk, I plied it with itself. The pattern is from Catwalk 2. That's what I love about the fiber community. We are a community. Thanks Benita. Thanks Kathy. I hoist these blue ribbons to you.

Ian surprised himself by having a wonderful time for the four hours I was demonstrating. He chatted with DD Little Sharon and I do believe we'll be making a family event of this next year. We have a favorite place to stay - hmmm. It's halfway to them in San Francisco. Grandson Noah would love it - hope we can make it happen.

Early Autumn

2011-08-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

I came downstairs this afternoon and saw my poor Charlie trying to enjoy the outdoors. I noticed the other day how mature he is in comparison with his kitten picture in my heading. And while I'm at it, I've been asked about that picture. He was asleep on the warp beam and I thought it was so cute, I ran downstairs for our DSLR. As soon as he heard me come back in, he popped his head up and I was able to snap it, thanks to the camera speed. That's the floating warp he managed to catch in his mouth.

He was a skinny oil-covered starving kitten when someone found him on top of a tire in a truck wheel well and turned him in to the SPCA. I'm always sad that he can't have his heart's desire - access to the outdoors - but I remind myself that that is why he's still here.
He keeps me company when I blog. All of his little 8-pound self. This evening Ian and I were reading on the front porch, and Charlie laid on the window sill behind us and piteously mewled.

I hadn't charged my Kindle in a month so it died, leaving me with my library book. I was cool anyway, in spite of it being an August evening, and so I went indoors. It worked - Charlies' not dumb.
I wove all day, in between loads of laundry. I finished the last set and wove my sample pinwheel. So this is what it looks like - the American flag! I had thought it would be a sample, but the light went on. I'm running out of time for my craft fair. I'm stuck - this is it. Love it or leave it? I don't love it.
So on a more positive note, I leave you with Alexia at her Aunt Lynette's house and the mysterious jack-in-the-bean stalk plant. What makes me laugh the hardest is the wooden spoon in her right hand. Apparently Aunt Lynette has a naughty dog? We're not sure because any story from Alexia is, well - a story.

Best Laid Plans

2011-08-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

I had planned to meet my fitness coach at 2:30, Melissa was going to come to the gym and swim with me afterwards, and then I'd hang around town until 6:30 to watch Alexia at judo. The phone rang early. It was my friend Lori, she's in town, could we have lunch? She and Joe moved across the street when she was pregnant with Mike, and in spite of moves and life changes, we have remained friends for 27 years. DD Chrissie used to babysit her boys! We ate close to the U where she works so she could join us.

She's en route from Tampa to San Diego. Joe is a boat pilot and skipper on a yacht tendered at Point Loma. They'll live there until they move yacht to Puerta Vallarta for the winter - lots of visiting in a very short amount of time.
I had an hour to kill so went to San Rafael Park and walked the labyrinth, then read my Kindle until it was time for my appointment. Melissa called and begged off, saying she needed to recover from her workout yesterday and Chrissie said Alexia didn't finish her homework, so wasn't going to judo. Yikes!

I had a fabulous swim, less gasping and more breathing. Driving home I realized that the shoe tree is full of shoes again. (I posted several months that there wasn't a single shoe on it, someone had removed them all.)
People really have a lot of fun with it. Last year when California widened the shoulders along this stretch, they put stakes and orange tape around the tree to ensure it wasn't harmed during the road work!
I cut and sewed a set of strips this morning and wound them up this evening. I'm going to weave it before I cut anymore. Theresa said she leans toward "go bright or go home." I may have gone a little over bright. I should have time tomorrow to find out.

And so

2011-08-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

We are finally getting our hay shelter up. We get our hay from Dave Brazil in Susanville. He's going to deliver hay to Mim next week and bring us more to fill 'er up. We're smart enough to know that we can't lift up the shed top, so will snag some of our younger family members at The Gathering. Mickey Mouth yelled at us the whole time we were putting it up. I swear he's a dogsheep.
These are the fabrics I selected for the third set of placemats. I was a little concerned that the pastel salmon isn't trendy, but I decided to go ahead.
This is how the colors showed up after I sewed the strips together and wound them into pinwheels. My mother used to say - in for a penny, in for a pound. I'm in for the pound and have started the third set of placemats on this warp.
I'm afraid this was a gamble that I lost. I have decided that I need inventory when I'm at a craft fair, and that's what this will end up being. I don't have many bright fabrics but I'll be putting them in the last set.

I was happy to snag this photo of Eddie. He's a rescue and seems to think a camera is a gun. He's a fabulous dog. I couldn't help think that in six weeks all this growth will be frozen and we'll be moving into our next season, possibly with a fire in the woodstove. How quickly this year has gone.

Reading:
On the Kindle: Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical mysteries and the art of diagnosis by Lisa Sanders.

From the Library: The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (named by The New Yorker as one of the twenty best American fiction writers under forty)

In Paperback: The Delta Girls by Gail Brandeis. I planned to say I'm reading this, but I started it yesterday and finished this afternoon. It's not great literature, but it was wonderful reading - one of those books that you totally tumble into. Now I have to wait another three years for her to write another book :(

Hemstitch

2011-08-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

I want to share with you how I do the hemstitch. I taught myself from Virginia West's book Finishing Touches for the Handweaver. I opened her book and followed her photos and descriptions until finally it sunk into my head. I throw four shots of warp thread as weft. If I'm starting the project, I leave 3 times the width of the weft on the first row, and if I'm finishing the mat, I leave it on the last row. I start with my needle going under four warp threads, right right to left. Remember that this is for 12 epi and it would be probably six or more for dishtowels.
I bring up my needle and cross over the same four warp threads, snug it up a little and then put the needle back down to the backside.
Only, I don't push it through all the way, but using the needle at an angle, I go under at the point and back up two warp rows away, which is also the same place I pulled my needle up when I started this bundle. I'm essentially wrapped these four warp threads in three movements. I say to myself under four up, over four down, under four up two rows away.
I use both hands on top of the work for the first several bouts to keep the tension, and after about five, I put my left hand under the work and push up the group of threads with my left hand. This is when I start to fly. I think the first five bouts take as much time as the entire rest of the the 13" mat.
We haven't really reached fire cracker summer temps, so the llamas are still finding things to munch on. I've given up on the tomatoes ever getting ripe. The tent? Ian scrounged it and is testing it's pieces parts. We're just about three weeks away from The Gathering over Labor Day Weekend. One friend called it Sparking Boy, a derivative of Burning Man that same weekend. It's an assembly of family, friends and neighbors - lots of tents and trailers - I call it turtle accommodations, BYOT. It's become a time of coming together. More later~