Writer. Editor. Teacher. Maker.
I rarely get spam comments, but today I got three, so I’m turning on my Catchya feature for a while. I know it’s a pain to have to put in the string of letters when posting a comment, but I also know you’d agree that spam is a bigger pain.
To try to make it up, let me share the onion pie recipe I made yesterday. It was delish, but I credit that to the fresh onions from the Garlic Farm. I made one pie, and I left out the hot sauce. I’ll make this one again all summer long!
Maddie fancies herself the bane of the woods. To date she has yet to catch anything that still breathes (although she’s managed to grab a few, how do I put this delicately? …a few dead things), but I give the mutt props for her effort and dedication to the task.
Neal reported that during Tuesday morning’s walk, she chased a chipmunk up a smooth-barked tree. After a few attempts to climb the tree, she gave up. Mere seconds later, the chipmunk, surely an acrobat, bounced off of Neal’s hat, onto his arm, did a triple roll dismount to the ground and scampered away. Let’s see Mr. Jingles do that!
I grew up in New England, surrounded by markers from the Revolutionary War. While in New York, there seemed to be a G.W.-slept-here house on every corner. Out west I learned about a totally different time in our nation’s history, too often less than glorious.
I love her, though. As Aunt Di used to say, "Are you a good girl? But sometimes, do you do bad things?" Yeah, that’s the U.S. A good girl. A great girl, I’d argue, even if sometimes she does bad things, and I’m blessed to live here.
Happy Fourth! Enjoy the festivities, enjoy the food, enjoy the firecrackers. Mostly, though, enjoy the freedom.
My high hopes of making it through life sans cavities have been dashed. I had the most thorough dental exam of my life–my first in years as I’ve been without insurance and on a grad student budget for so long–and I have the starts of several cavities. My new dentist has a nifty toothbrush-sized camera connected to a computer, and he was able to show me the offending areas. Dr. Kagan, the dentist of my youth, warned me when I was in my early 20s that I would, indeed, one day have cavities as teeth simply wear down, and now his prediction has come true. So it goes.
Yesterday I finished the leg of Monkey 2 and began the heel flap. I didn’t knit on Monkey over the weekend as I was trying to get my MS3 off the ground. Turns out I don’t like my yarn or beads, but I’ve replaced both and will cast on this evening. I’ve got some catching up to do before the next clue arrives on Friday!
The "baby" in this post’s title? Well, now you know how I refer to myself in my head. Not all of the time, but usually in regard to my physical well being. I’m the youngest child in my family, and the youngest cousin of my generation on both sides. My gramp’s nickname for me was "Baby Army," and since he’s no longer around to call me that, I say it to myself. Do you have little tricks to keep the people you miss with you?
Time to write today’s pages. It’s too glorious to be inside, but my work in the morning will free up the afternoon, when I’ll menu plan for tomorrow’s picnic.
Not just knitting goals, either.
1. Write 60 pp of dissertation.
2. Finish Sockapalooooza sock #2 (I’m on repeat 6 of 6 for the leg; I have to turn the heel and knit 5 repeats for the foot).
3. Keep up with Mystery Stole 3 clues.
4. Knit Chickami for Tour de France KAL.
5. Spin shawl yarn for Tour de Fleece.
6. Revamp 101 syllabus.
7. Set up filing system.
8. Fold fabric and put up in book case.
9. Implement new fitness regime (kayak 2x/week, get bike fixed & bike 2x/week, up length of dog walks).
10. Read Vanity Fair.
I’ll also be planning a party for later in the month. We’re having a bbq to celebrate our marriage with our friends. We kept the wedding small (Neal’s wish) with the understanding that we’d have a bash in the summer…now it’s time for me to get that bash organized!
I’m off to the dentist. Here’s hoping I get a good report. I’m 38 and still cavity-free, and I’d like to keep it that way!
With help from Blog-free Kim and her husband, along with Neal’s uncanny knowledge that the FedEx plane would not have left the airport yet (at 9:00p.m.), I managed to get my closing documents to the title company in Albuquerque by 8:59 a.m. on Friday. After receiving them at about 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
By 4:00 p.m. on Friday, the deal was closed. I no longer own property in New Mexico. Bittersweet, but a relief. At long last I can sleep through the night.
It’s over.
Yesterday I spent part of the afternoon taking pictures of stash and uploading them to Ravelry. I came across this 900 yard cake of raw silk from Blue Heron yarns. I bought it in Irvington, New York, at Flying Fingers back in 2004. I originally was going to make Sonnet, but after looking at the sweater a little more, I didn’t think it would flatter me. So now, what to make?
I’m considering Chickami, but I’m also thinking that a v-neck pullover might be nice. I"m just not sure that I have enough yardage for that. I have to swatch to see, I guess.
Part of my quandry is that I don’t know how silk behaves when knit up, and I’ve been frustrated by my searches to try to find out. Does it stretch? Does it hold its shape? Any advice is welcome.
In Sockapalooooza news, I’m halfway through the fifth repeat on the leg of Monkey 2. I doubt I’ll finish this sock in a week–MS3 Clue 1 comes out tomorrow–but within ten days seems reasonable to me.
ETA: I decided on the Chickami. I’ve been wanting to make one for ages. I’m going to make it my Tour de France KAL project. Thanks for the feedback, gang!
My desk had become a stacking place, and last week I finally cleaned it off so I could work at it. There in the right corner is my printer that doesn’t want to work anymore (which I discovered after shelling out the money for a new ink cartridge). Neal’s antique lamp brightens things for me when I write in the evening–there’s an ashtray built into the base! Pens are in the blue mug with my scissors, and pencils are in my Oxford mug. I keep paintbrushes on the desk even though I haven’t water colored in quite some time, and under the desk is my sewing machine. Behind her is a metal file box that I want to decoupage.
Before I cleaned my desk, I worked here.
Miss Tilly enjoys keeping me company while I write. I think she likes to hear me read stuff out loud to her, but she doesn’t give me much feedback.
Monday is Errand Day for me, so after I shower (yes, I write in my pjs) it’s off to the grocery store, post office, library, and video store. I’ve planned a week of nice meals, and I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’ll also be making Scout’s baked ziti with meat substitute, BLTs with real bacon for Neal, and fakin for me, and this cold soup. Since we’re in for a heat wave, I’m looking for more hot weather vegetarian recipes. Have any you’d like to share?
One little Monkey on the Adirondack chair means that I finished my first sock of the summer–of course it was well underway before summer began, but it’s still progress on my SOS goals. This little Monkey means I"m halfway done with my Sockapalooooza socks. I don’t want to be knitting until the last possible moment like I did for last year’s Sockapaloooza.
I"m about to mix a cocktail and cast on for a second Monkey. Can I go out on a limb (get it?) and say that I aim to have sock two done in a week? Anyone want to make a bet on that? I’m not sure I can do it, but I’m gonna give speed sock knitting a try. Maybe someday I can churn out socks like a ferret on crack.
