everyone is out of shorts

the rain is depressing the ducks even!
the only ones that are happy are the plants
the WEEDS in my garden are ecstatic

normally i like the rain
and this isn't the nightmare torrential rain that had me building ducks pens out of zip ties and lattice last season
but it is a cold rain
and the days are gray and dark
(which is fine in november, and i love it........ but not so fine in may)

thaddeaus doesn't take change of weather or prolonged rainy weather very well.
he's been not himself lately either
he always gets better however as soon as it warms up more
(or the woodstove goes on for the season)

the girls sleep through it..........actually calpurrnia sleeps through most stuff
she sleeps about 27 hours out of every 24 hour day.......

i have to juggle duckies in this rain...but at least they aren't getting flooded out of their pens

falstaff had his wife back for a day, and he ripped feathers out of her neck again mating her
sooooooooo
she's back down in the A frame during the day and he's doing the reluctant bachelor thing in the small pen near the house
i am thinking i have to get him YET ANOTHER WIFE
so he ends up with a harem...........?
huh?
but it should take the pressure off the one girl
serafina never had these problems with him

i still haven't named her
octavia doesn't fit her
and yesterday let me tell you............ SHE TOLD ME OFF
just like the other girls do
oh man
she is fitting right in around here
only her little squeaks sound different from my girls


oye

in fiber i am knitting cotton place mats out of peaches and cream cotton worsted
on size 10.5 needles 38 stitches cast on
garter stitch until done
use the sewn bind off
1 ball per mat

and i am spinning corriedale dyed in magentas, oranges, yellows and copper
with 'glitz' dyed in copper
the magenta single is without glitz and is wonderful and heathery and just makes my heart smile
but there isn't enough of it to DO anything with by itself if i wanted a two ply
so it would have be plied with something else
it was planned to be plied with the orange etc...........
we'll see

meanwhile i have been collecting studio/workspace/craft room organizational pictures and ideas
as well as color ways for yarns and fibers
(and of course....... a few random and fabulous kitchen pictures........ after all you have to remember the kitchen)

one of the best craft room studio ideas i have gotten so far is putting spice racks on the cabinet doors and keeping beads and pins and such in them
BRILLIANT
another one is those long power strips that are hardwired in........
one UNDER a shelf that is quite narrow, over a workbench
you can't see it but it's there and has outlets every 12 inches
i love that idea

one studio had an L shaped work table......... i have an L for the porcelain work and sculpting and i love it
i had an L for the office area, (actually in looking over.....i sorta still do)
and and U for the miniature work bench.....
but the BEST doll making bench i have ever had was a sort of a U/H thing
it was two metal shelf units parallel to each other about 5 feet apart or so
and a 24 inch plywood work surface connecting them
with 9 inch shelves above
that work surface was the very best
it looked like hell
the ply wood was all messed up but i WORKED on it
and i could REACH everything
there was also a few 2X4 over the top of this that i got to put lighting on
(flourescents and also incandesents)
with hooks for tools to hang etc
it had rolling fabric storage under it
and next to it
and plastic shoeboxes will stuff like shells and ribbons and marbles on the shelves themselves
i think i would like that back again
but maybe with a more refined (finished and no splinters from the plywood 'desk') look to it
i wish i had pictures of it
but i didn't have a camera then

actually that idea would be even better if i could have it say............. 12 feet long with different areas zoned for different things
the same idea i think would even work in a kitchen..........hmmmmmm

(i may get countertops after all this way huh?)

ok folks.........how is spring going in YOUR world
?

who's got what coming up in the garden?
what spring spruce ups are you all planning?