the last post of the year

first off happy new year everyone
i wish you all happiness, health and peace

i wish you good food, good friends, and much laughter
preferably all at once

i'm sitting here in the studio listening to the budgies chirp happily. watching my woodstove struggling to stay lit (it's really warm out)

bernie is layering the ham potato and cheese casserole that i make a lot in the winter-
*** super simple....make a medium white sauce.....add a ton of extra sharp cheddar and some colby jack to it
chop a good ham up into cubes
wash and peel a few pounds of yukon golds
and layer it all like lasagna
then bake at 350 until it's all cooked and bubbly....and you can't stand it anymore!
then eat until you explode

yup it really is that good

i spent part of the day putting yarn in bins
yarn that i acquired this past year (think of it as a 401k for knitters)
i spent another part of the day out in town where i apparently made a new friend
as well as got a LIME GREEN (don't you all faint) 3'' binder for knitting patterns......
i may need to get another one
i have a LOT of knitting patterns

in knitting, i am doing annis 
i am doing it in a wonderful red berry plum purpley color with perfectly matching beads in place of nupps.....see it in the picture?
those beads match PERFECTLY...you should see them in person..so i had to order more as i ran out with only 10 more nupps to go...yup
i am missing 10 beads.....10 BEADS....!  i did order more but until they come i am sorta shit out of luck.... so while i was going to nupp instead, i am realizing that i would never be happy with the mix of nupp and beads in a shawlette that is the perfection of color that this one is........ so it's waiting and waiting for the beads....
oye
and it was such a fun knit!

meanwhile since i am doing stuffs ......... i am also going through stuff and seeing what i can toss
there isn't much since i been collecting for certain projects for years..
but there IS a lot of boxes and such..mainly cause they have our names on them
we plan on taking care of that this year.....we plan on a burn barrel as the shredder sure couldn't handle it all

now just to keep things interesting.... here are two pictures of my silly duck lillianna, taking a SHOWER in the rain.... now normally my ducks hate the rain but i have lilli in with falstaff and she doesn't want to go under the roofed area cause he is in there
so she sat in the rain feeling oh so sorry for herself and took a shower.....
i got weird ducks

ok folks..... this is it...happy new year
i'll talk to you in the new year
so until next year

be good
be safe and be healthy

26 years

ago today my mom crossed over into the light
16 years ago today was the last time i saw my dad alive

it's a sad day, but also a happy day.....as they are all together over there and waiting patiently for me and bernie when it's our time

i spent the day making a present for a friend of mine
i will show it to you all AFTER i give it to her
as i wouldn't put it past her trying to see it early

i had a very good time making it
my mom was right, learn something new when you are sad

i did today
thanks mom

i miss my folks. life is different without them
it was rough losing mom right before the holidays......we buried her christmas eve

for years i hated the holidays.....then i started to adjust to life without my parents
one of the things i found helps the most is my yearly 'cards'
folks that i don't talk to regularly get them
as long as i am busy creating, it isn't so bad

now if i don't talk to all you folks
have wonderful holidays no matter what ones you celebrate
hug your family
kiss your partners
and enjoy your pets and friend

til next time

vi

cold frames, hoop houses, greenhouses and extensions to the season

all winter long i plot my garden for next year.....and lament the lack of cold frames or other winter protection
i do some smallish hoops over isolated areas of my garden beds,- but oh to have a real cold frame and a real hoop house or greenhouse

(real gardeners know this feeling so well- welcome kindred spirits)
today as i survey my frozen little garden, which needs more hay and more leaves and more compost and more protection....... i see so much that yet needs doing

and i am planning.....

new beds... enough for 30 pepper plants
new beds...... enough for 150 beans
new beds........ enough for more garlic, onions, leeks.... broccoli
area for small dwarf apples and pears.....

and i dream of spring

shades of red.....some pictures and a short video

 over here in this corner< we have the swatch of the merino/tencel

''Valley Yarns 2/10 Merino Tencel (Colrain Lace)''  1540.0 yards in merlot...which is a LOT nicer in person.... the color is dead in that picture but in real life it's glowing with depth and a luster that is amazing....i really really like this color and i am so sorry i didn't get a second cone when it was on sale!

i did that swatch then cast on for a shawlette with alternating green and 'gold' beads on the points. i have yet to figure a second pattern for it..... i don't know if i am going to just do a and then stockinette for a crescent or what.....in looking at the swatch i realized RIGHT NOW, i could have done something in the triangles between the lace points and then carried THAT through to the top but oh well, i was under a bit of stress when i started this and really, i do think that maybe this will be simple and just a rush of color for winter....there is more on the cone so maybe i'll do a cowl with pine trees and cardinals? with white beads that look like snow? or clear crystals that look like ice? there is always another one huh?

now the photo of the holiday tree, that is a picture of my winter sweater....we bought that for me in either 02 or 03 i got that one and a beige holiday cardi..... i wore the red one to town yesterday, i really could have used the red shawlette or cowl on it too....again the picture doesn't do the colors the least bit of justice, they are richer...brighter, glowing from within- i know that a 'holiday' sweater is a bit tacky but i liked that one and on a scale where one is dancing reindeer with blinking noses and 10 is black velvet and silk........... i give this one about a 7 it really isn't as tacky as you'd think

of course i didn't add anything like christmas earrings or such and i wore it with jeans

ha

but it made bernie happy and i like the color... so i wore a tree on my body!

hahahahahahaha

now the very last thing i wish to show you folks, if you've been with me so far..is our nightly ritual...the woodstove.... since we do heat with wood this is the center of our home life...... at least during the winter. what you can't see are the cats.... this is their GOD, they worship the heat....they start at the flames and if it's out they give us a hard time about it....until we start it again and heat begins to pour out

i need a new hearth broom and an ash rake (an ash vacuum would be nice too maybe next year) i cleaned the glass friday when i cleaned the ash out..... it's nice to see the flames dance.... 

ok there you folks have it, i know i am behind on photo's but well uploading them on the laptop is a pain so i don't

have a good one everyone

oh my goodness it's FRIDAY!!!!

let's see
i went to the new endo monday......we liked her and we hired her
first thing she said 'you have three things against you, as far as losing weight, so as long as you're healthy we are not going to worry about it'
she also pointed out that sumo wrestlers are healthy athletes so we left the weight issue there-
she understood about the thryoid/adrenal/pcos things
she ordered tests
and is going to really look at the thyroid node (so she says...we'll see)
i am going to do the tests i think after christmas
meanwhile wednesday i was to the dentist for a filling
i LOVE my dentist......first off the shot doesn't hurt at all
i don't feel a thing!
there is a slight taste of the novocaine when he gets the needle out
now i do have problems with cold so the suction/air makes me crazy
and i will tell you that it isn't cheap over 350.00 ( i don't know how much insurance is going to reimburse)
BUT
by the time the numbness wears off......you would NEVER know work was done!
NEVER
(the fact that another silver filling is gone-replaced with white resin is also a plus)

ah.... in knitting news, i cast on another shawlette in red (merino/tencel)
with alternating green and 'golden' glass beads
it's pretty cool so far
i took a swatch of an estonian lace edging and worked out the math (i hope anyway)
so we'll see how long it's going to be
this is a coned yarn i got during the webs sale..... 1750 yards for 17.50
at first it looks like a bright scarlet christmas red......BUT knit up it's a glowing bursting with inner light wine color
sweet!

in studio progress, there is some.....i moved my drafting table and my beading workbench into position....now if thaddeaus peabody would just stop peeing BEHIND the litter box i could finish my studio and get back to work.............

oye
now for duckie updates...malcom is either dyink.....or has resigned himself to being a good boy,
he walks out to his pens with out making me too nuts (i carry him if he's too pokey) he totally runs into his crate at night........IGNORING all other ducks
even today after a pond bath......which normally gets his 'gander up' (drakes are like that) he just came in the house and went to bed
not pissy, not pecky and definitely not interested in mom sitting on him again for aggression...life is sweet with good boys
the girls......well that is another story....
phoebe jumped lilli and lille gave her a black eye......PLUS a hematoma on her left webbing
serves phoebe right for trying to beat up lilli......meanwhile phoebe LOVES mommy again (thank goodness)
but lilli still hates me......she better get over that shit soon
i tell them every day that they need to be dealing with each other soon...i have run out of winter pens

falstaff is falstaff......
and the baby girls.....well, prudence has me a bit worried...her pupils don't dilate like the others all do- they are mostly pinned........ that's how cleo's eyes looked and she had nuro stuff wrong with her.... which killed her before she was a year old
pru is also a bit more skittery then everyone else

and no one is currently laying so i have to actually buy eggs.....i have 4 female ducks, 4 female chickens and not one freeken eggie!

ok i have to bake some snickerdoodles for bernie now
so off i got
i will post again soon, before the holiday i am sure
AND i hope for pictures

til then

where in being santa's elf comes to a screeching halt

well today i can say that the progesterone worked....
i really didn't believe it would
and now i am here with the period from hell
oh and an endo appointment tomorrow
and bernie has had something come up at work so i get to drive myself
did i mention the period from hell?
the whole slam dunk.....clots, rubber legs, brain fog.....bloat.....cramps..... hollow belly, and to make it all worse no matter what i do i can't get warm

i am not a happy camper today and i am going to be less happy tomorrow
however this too like corn shall pass
and it better pass faster then corn cause i'm really in no mood

ok in knitting news....i have some
it's red...... it's lace and i am liking what i see......
oh and i am sort of figuring it out as i go...yup winging it
i used to always wing it....then found ravelry and instant downloadable pdf file patterns
so i would use commercial patterns
except this time, i realized that NOTHING was peeking my interest
i knew what i wanted and it was not out there soooooooooo
i swatched
i liked the blocked swatch so i actually did MATH
and cast on
how about that?
i would be knitting now if i wasn't so sick from this period
(i spent most of the day in bed)
so tomorrow i will take my cone yarn and my beginnings and see about sitting in the waiting room with my knitting


ok i am going to go reheat my rice filled sock and sit here in a coma for a while

til next time

and it's thursday already? seems like only tuesday to me

we were to get snow, but instead we got a ton of really heavy rain and terrible winds
i have about finished that shawl from HELL i been working on (it was a nightmare matter of knit three rows, tink back 4 .......repeat)
plus the yarn while nice......wasn't as nice as i would have liked
it will work i think as a deep fall scarf/shawlette and the pattern is ok
next one is going to be a simple garter stitch lace edged with beads number that is wearable with all my winter coats
either wine red or purple
meanwhile
i am busy being santa's elf......
i don't actually send holiday cards
some folks that had a rough year and are very far away, and maybe i don't talk to regularly, i send 'holiday greetings'

they aren't cards though...... this year i am making some of them
last year was the first year i could afford to send stuff
and i am hoping to be able to do it every year
but it's hard sometimes to come up with small stuff that  can be useful.

anyway what i had planned for this year and what i ended up making are two different things!
so i am hoping to ship some tomorrow

now in other news
potato and leek soup that was accidentally made with ham stock is a most excellent thing
make a note of that
it seriously is
good thing too cause bernie got home after 7 and we didn't eat until after 8
what with the crappy weather and all the soup was a HUGE hit
maybe there is an angel on my shoulder after all?

ok chickies
i am tired and i have to put more wood on the fire
til next time

a rough layout

 here we go then....this is a rough of what the front door is going to look like... now i realized that the door itself doesn't look good... with the sign (for UPS- they never find us .....and it is also seriously stained from mildew)
but this is sort of what is going to be out there. eventually i am going to have the door purple, (that's the snowman's hat to foreshadow it)
bernie wants a big red bow but i don't think with the orange brick that red bows are in his future....PURPLE, gold, silver......... maybe gold with a red over ribbon but not pure red
i would love to put a wreath on the lantern too but again the yellow/gold bow won't work really well....... a deep purple with gold..... yeah that would do fine!
we still need to put the big mat back and get a second door mat
oh and cut the little guy out.... hahahahaha
but there you go. i am going to be cutting back the yews again every so often until we again get them under control- and it looks like we should either power wash or paint the front ..... i really don't like the wooden porch though... so i would really like to replace it with stone or brick.
bernie wants a railing and seats ..... or at least one see... me, i would love a glassed in vestibule!

now next year i would like to paint a very tall father christmas.... in creams and plums and golds..
we'll see
cause i would also love to paint a witch for halloween along with the pumpkin guy
and do twin urns of stacked pumpkins
oye

sigh.........

books for the holiday......

OR books about the holiday?

i got a few yuletide books over the years, ......in addition to dickens christmas carole which is wonderful no matter when you read it (or reread it- dicken's words envelop you with a richness and comfort that is sorely lacking in every day life)
today's mail brought ( all used mind you)

Yuletide Hearth: Christmas in an 1806 Pennsylvania Farmhouse
and
Christmas Curiosities: Odd, Dark, and Forgotten Christmas

i have a few others that i like over the years... now mind you my list isn't your normal feel good type list but i do enjoy a bit of history with my holly and mistletoe
so i have 'when santa was a shaman' and The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas
then there is the 'history of the snowman' and Inventing Christmas: How Our Holiday Came to Be, gnomes (remember that one? i loved that one)
and of course i am ALWAYS up for a christmas ghost story


i also have a list of some others i would like (and i will get them from the used book store)

1. Christmas in Williamsburg: 300 Years of Family Tradition
2. St. Nicholas: A Closer Look at Christmas
3. The Battle for Christmas
4. Pagan Christmas: The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide

then there are some take offs on dicken's novel a christmas carole or about a christmas carole
they were pretty enjoyable to read

1. the man who saved christmas
2. mr timothy
3. Ghost Stories of Christmas

and i have no doubt that i will add to this list as well as my bookcases as time goes on
christmas isn't really something we actually celebrate anymore, although i do enjoy doing some of the decorating as long as i get to make stuff
and i enjoy sending some 'holiday' greetings
which of course are not actually CARDS.....
some years we put a tree up
some years we don't
we do most always have a meal (but this year we are planning on a picnic cause we figure we'll be on a road call)
i don't like the whole shop shop shop thing of the holidays and the whole perfect gift thing
i do like making stuff mostly for folks
i could just as easily send my holiday greetings in summer as i could now...the sentiment doesn't change
i want the folks that i care about to be happy, healthy, and laughing- actually i want the folks i don't care about to be that too.... as then i think there would be a LOT less problems in the world

so anyway.... back to yuletide books
any of you guys have some unorthodox yule books that you like?
i would love to know.....as i am sure there are a lot that i missed and would love

please leave the titles in the comments section for me ok?

how about holiday movies?
one that i always loved was 'the gift of love' with lee remmick
and of course all the christmas caroles......i have to say bernie loved the jim carey one
i think i like the geoge c scott one the best myself

anyone want to discuss this all with me????
(with us cause a lot of folks join us here even if they don't post)

so tell me.... what are your favorites and why?

FINISHED.......well except for the cutting out.....

so here is the finally finished snow man with his snow kitten..... except for not being cut out......... now imagine him as a pumpkin guy, with a black cat and you would be close to what i am planning on the backside! i did thoroughly enjoy this (my life painting teacher from art school is rolling in his and her graves)

but all that aside, it's good to have some fun once in a while no?

one little snowman and a lot of fun

as many of you may remember, i'm an artist. today was a lot of fun..... even though this looks like a cartoon believe me it was a joy to my artist heart. i ran out of light so it's not done yet...... but here are the progress pictures...more or less out of order!

the first two show how the light makes a huge difference in how you see them..... that one on the right is how i see it..but the one here on the left show's you what it looks like without incandescent light-- he needs something in his hands..... one of my friends asked for a kitten.. but i am wondering if that is a good idea.... but we'll see tomorrow when the light is back
now if you all could have SEEN me painting today (facebook folks you saw the in progress as it progressed!) what you would all have seen was me dancing while i was painting. i put on some celtic woman and away i went ......singing and dancing and painting and clapping my hands..... i had a wonderful wonderful day
i know it's not 'great art' but it is painterly, loose and freely painted.... its got weight to it..... so right now i'm happy with it
hahahaha
actually this little guy makes me smile and laugh out loud
and mirrors how much fun i had today-
at one point he said to me 'i need arms'
he needed feets too......to dance in the moonlight.....
now i'd been planning on twig arms so imagine my surprise when he got painted arms! a bit later i could have sworn that he asked for a nicer hat and some holly and berries.....
i was shocked when he wanted purple along with the blue in the shadows..but he was happy

ok is he great art.....no
is he satisfying art? you tell me? does he make you smile? evoke a mood?....make you feel good inside?

hahahhahaha, i was going to do a victorian father christmas but didn't have a large enough peice of wood, this is 4' tall and about 2' wide..... (we'll reverse to a pumpkin guy for halloween...)so anyway i hope you folks enjoy the not quite in order progression of my snowman dummy board. i know i had a blast doing him....he's going on the right side of the door and will have a small spot light on him.... on the left side will be two porch trees and that is christmas here.......

ahem...... i fell off the yarn wagon

good thing it was a soft landing

knitpicks had a sale on stuff i JUST bought and stuff that i liked but was discontinued

ok so more yarn is on it's way.....(i'm so weak) but at least i know there are a few more hats in my future since thaddeaus peabody ATE one of the new ones already (the variegated reds)
and where is DA BOY right now? in the window reminding me LOUDLY that it's time for hot fancy feast....... and possibly a fire in the woodstove please?

ok in the mail yesterday, there was my doufeu (yeah!!!!!! with all the gift cards etc it only cost me 29.09 for le creuset!)
my coned yarns from webs (purples...... and a wine)
and my yearly lipstick

now there are two bead orders, dvds, books and yes yet another yarn order
we're done for the year (or maybe 4 months or so no?)

i got the front door wrapped as a package, i got bernie's timer set up correctly
and today is snowman day!
i am thinking of making him reversible- which vicky thinks is a good idea
snowman one side
PUMPKIN man on the other!
how about that!
with twiggy arms i think......no?
i did a rough sketch of my little guy and it looks like it'll work out
i only have a bit of house paint so i am going to have to work around that.....i don't have any universal tints which would really have helped
but i got some acrylic for outdoors i think so i'll do shading with them
i do need to get some exterior urethane to seal it all- and i need a universal tint for the orange side ....cause my house paint is MY house trim paint......that cream from the front door trim
so if i at least get the one side started and then base the other side we're good to go no?

today is day two of the progesterone to hopefully bring on a period and then push me over into menopause. so far so good
ha
it's only early yet

the weather today is warmish (for november) and rainy- already in the mid 50's so no fire today
tomorrow is a post office run- beads beads beads.......
do you think maybe there are beads coming???
do you think i am excited?
YUP
hahahahahahahahaha
ok on to the snow man
ttyl

forget about the end of december....... christmas is this week for us

or at least christmas presents
i got tracking on almost everything i ordered friday
and it looks like between tomorrow and wen everything will get here or at least to the po
i am then pretty much on a yarn diet until some of this stuff gets knitted up
i also have holiday 'cards' to send out
i should start that and the snowman today
i was actually thinking about that snowman while i was taking my shower and i think i figure out how i am going to do him.....i think with a sugar loaf hat and a little black cat!

i also had a dream about a horror story with a protagonist called 'doctor louie' in the dream someone was reading the manuscript and said.....'freddy cruger ain't got nothing on doctor louie'
i didn't read what i had typed but even i was scared....
yeah.......no thanks

in cat news.....poor thaddeaus broke a nail so when we went to cut them...he had a bloody one....poor guy
bernie picked up fawns thyroid meds but i need to get her to the doctor and with baling twine tying up my car that isn't going to happen soon i think
i have to figure another way

i also have to try to get my ass in gear around here..... i swear i just drift and drift sometimes
the days are still warm so maybe i can get some other stuff done soon?

and we still need more wood for the winter i think unless these warm days continue all winter
the down side to that is the insects don't die

ok i need coffee
so i'll be going now...
i hope to remember to post about the beads and yarn that is coming
and the doufeu that i can't wait to use

hot days, cold nights

so we are putting up holiday lights, and i want to pick up a pair of 'porch' trees for the front
and i am painting a dummy board .......the voting is so far .......santa ahead of the snowman but the board i have is ONLY 4 FEET TALL........ awful short santa no? i would have liked a 6' tall santa at least (8 would be fabulous but where the hell would we store it?)
i would like to wire a lantern on it.....
so tomorrow i am going to basecoat the board, and start painting.....
it doesn't look like i'll be getting my three board shutters though this year..... i can make them but i can't PAINT them in time

i also wanted to pick up another turkey while they were cheap and do a thanksgiving dinner to put in the freezer but we missed it (thank bernie for that one)
so i am annoyed ........
really annoyed today
ok we're off to bangor for two porch trees and some more lights
maybe i will feel better later

november are you sure? it's going up to about 70 degrees!

it is helping our wood pile though
but nights get cold

today i hope to get some stuff done around the house
i don't think bernie has the same idea though
he did my dishes so does that mean i am to climb on the roof and clean the gutters and inspect the woodstove chimney?

i am feeling so much better after the food poisoning.
a bit touch and go here and there but better

i am up to the last part of 'lazy lara' in shawl knitting.....
and i started reading 'the ghost stories of christmas'
which is a good light before bed reading.
and i have been putting up some lights around for the holidays
i need more strands though
i have to say, while i don't like the color of the LED light strands i DO like that they are cold!
they don't generate any heat which means they can be put in a lot of different places
the color however is a coldish greenish sort of alien glow
not like the warm cozy glow of the incandescent bulbs
so i think we'll mix them up a bit no?
i am planning on getting a few more sets and stringing some through the studio since we pretty much live in here

i suppose i'll have to put a tree up as well? (it will be tiny and it will most likely be white!)
and decorated with pastel colors, rose, peach, pale gold...creams.......
i also need to send out our 'not a holiday card'
hmmmmm
and bake right
i need to make cookies or something no?

what do you folks do for the holiday?

no thanksgiving dinner for us

instead we were on a roadcall the byrn mawr pa

so we will have the next holiday as a dinner ahead of time and pack sandwitches for the inevitable road calls

except new years...........i refuse to go out on new years

now i have some sad but not unexpected news.

henrietta the chicken died. she was one of my oldests chickens......one of the buff orpingtons i started out with- her sister dulcette is still alive but very very upset and lonely

henrietta is the one with the huge rooster spurs that crowed when she laid her egg (which was a sort of lavender brownish color)

bernie will put her out back and the circle of life will continue

she basically went to sleep and didn't wake up

the others are pretty upset

i am going to try and get a few small buffs to keep dulcette company.....as the speckled sussex/orp crosses pretty much stick together

today i went shopping......ONLINE of course, i don't do black friday

i think that is dangerous and i think it's also insane...and NOT what a holiday or gift is about

i believe a gift is something from the heart not necessarily the store, although it can come from a store for some stuff, but a gift isn't about how much money you threw at it-

it's how much thought you used in it

and some of the best gifts i have ever gotten were just someone thinking about me (and a few of you know who you are)

i did go shopping with small independent companies

and i got good stuffs

for me and for bernie....... 

books

dvds ( used books and used dvds- no use filling up landfills right?)

some beads from small woman owned companies.......

and of course yarn! (laceweight in different purples and one wine color)

so that is pretty much the news from this end

and the turkey cometh home

to nestle in it's cooler while it defrosts
i love my yearly free turkey...........this is the first year that they limit it to one per household
used to be for every 250. you would spend you'd get a free turkey or ham
then it was for every 300
now it's 300 and only one per family

but i got a big one and i will can part of it
meanwhile
i realized how much we have to be thankful for.....
we're warm (in spite of wet wood a lot of times)
we've got food
i got stuff to draw with and knit with
bernie has a job
he's healthy (me not so much but so far no cancer )
we are surrounded by love (that comes feather and fur covered)
yup
good stuff
i wish you all a happy thanksgiving
surrounded by family, friends, abundance and love.......
i wish you all peacefulness in your hearts and souls
and i wish you all laughter, the kind that takes your breath away, makes you cry and yes.....hurts your sides
because that is TRUE laughter from your soul

have a good one folks

vi

nerves will do that to you.......

 this is part of what i've been doing while i've been so silent... i do try and keep busy. these are knit in chroma by knitpicks. the first one is lollipop
the second (and unfinished one) is prism
the last one u-pick
i am waiting on a skein of prism to finish that middle one.
so while i was not talking i WAS knitting
and of course there are the two rainbow on black hats which i can't remember if i posted here or not
right now i am knitting a lacey shawl from a german designer....and waiting for my haapsalu sall book to be picked up at the PO (it's been there a few days)
the weather's turned cold, and as i worried, i knitted.... (really i should clean but i still can't find the vacuum!)

anyway, here are some of the production i've been doing while not blogging..... so i hope you folks will forgive me

now i hope all is well with yous, and i wish you all a wonderful happy thanksgiving. (and plenty of leftovers for sandwitches)

hello knock knock.....

yeah i know.......
ok the biopsy went as well as expected
it did hurt like hell
but this new doctor is wonderful

now i am tired still..........gees i am so damn tired, i can't get a lot of stuff done cause i got this lethargy.....
i'm figuring this stuff is thyroid
cause also my eyelashes all fell out again and my finger tips changed SHAPE!!!!
so did the nails!

let's see, in knitting news i got 6 hats done
one to send to margaret in boston for the school....and some others for us sorta
i cast on a shawlette in blues (think december evening christmas card light on the snow colors)
and i have to rip it cause it isn't right
it needs some beads and i think clear frosted with an Aurora borealis finish- that would sort of go with the whole feeling of the colors IMO
i could also edge it with them too

i am also knitting a small shawlette in russets and reds... with gold beads on it
it's the right color for november i think
no?


now here where we are it's fixing to get cold again
i am so not looking forward to hauling buckets in the cold
ok i owes you all photos
and i know it
i am trying really i am

bernie is fine

his colonoscopy went well and the doctor is happy
it was just a baseline one anyway
so all is well in bernie's body

(actually he is so healthy he could be 25 years younger then his actual age)

let's hope?

first off if anyone is in the Clayton NC area

Junior

my friend susan's elderly cat got out (she is on an extended business trip in europe-he slipped out past his caregiver) 
https://post.craigslist.org/manage/2687806190/res8k

that is the craig's list ad about him

please look for him if any of you's are from that area
she's frantic and too far away from home to help
now my friend susan is a counselor who works with our troops so this is doubly important that we find our little furry buddy junior....he supports susan, and she supports our children in the military

thank you all in advance

now this week is bernie's colonoscopy and my biospy
oye
i don't expect any problems

meanwhile calpurrnia appears to have the sniffles but i think it's sinus
i got her on the cat sinus herbs the vet RX for her and thaddeaus
we also put up one pond for the ducks, near the back door so i can fill it with a hose
i would prefer two ponds as usual but one is the best we get for now..... during deep winter we get NO PONDS and i get dirty ducks which as you all know drives me NUTs

and as an aside, amelia is getting a bit darker in color (so much for WHITE ducks) she looks like fudge ripple icecream that got a bit more mixed up as it started to melt!
you can see just how dark she is getting when she's wet

right now i am going to go as i have a package delivery problem
the post office sent a package back to sender without my permission
so since i ordered it (it's our peppercorns etc) i am naturally a bit annoyed
and i have a confirmation number for the tracking ticket etc
now i am calling the company to tell them i didn't send it back

it's always something

sorry about being missing......

susan pointed out in an email that i haven't posted in a while
which isn't like me
well i was sick....and missed halloween.....
and i am really upset about it all

i started to get really tired and out of breath, just getting dressed in the morning was knocking me out
and on monday it was the worst
i could barely move
there aren't any words to describe that extreme exhaustion
i was so tired that it hurt to breath
i crashed monday night so hard that bernie couldn't wake me up
i hadn't eaten much for a week or so (just really started to eat a bit last night)

i think it was a thyroid thing
and i can't wait until the december endo appointment now
cause something has to be done about this

anyway to catch you all up
i got my food processor
the magimix 4200XL
i got it from HERE (this will open in a new window)
i got the white one and so far i can't tell you enough good things about this company.......
as you folks probably remember- i have been doing research on a food processor for about 6 years....knowing full well that my hamilton beach was going to bite the dust......
it was a toss up between this one and the robot coupe r100........both units however ARE made by robot coupe, in france......with the quality that they are world famous for

now if only i could find a hobart mixer that i can afford (and in red if i get wishes)

then a chamber sealer and an actual kitchen to put it all in and we're good

so anyway......... i still have the endometrial biopsy coming up..... but i expect that to be negative-

and i am BEYOND pissed off about missing halloween.......
however life more or less goes on
and i do love my food processor

a break in the nightmares

last night i dreamt of my family
of my garden (and of orchids! that we were trying to plant in the ground) my aunt louise was in on that one!
and pretty wardian cases that looked like old old shop counters now repurposed to small greenhouses in the garden
i dreamt of deep rich black dirt (my garden soil is now a beautiful crumbly black)
and oddly enough of sweaters in the dollar store and my dad!
i was looking for a cardi in gray or black for him and a blue one for bernie

this really was a pleasant break in a long series of nightmares i been having

i guess the coming biopsy is got me a bit edgy
the last biopsy i had, bernie was on crutches, after having been seriously hurt at work. (he still has problems with that leg) we didn't have insurance, and i needed immediate attention (2002)
the biopsy before that one, he was laid off, and again i had no insurance (1992)
oye
so here we are leading into 2012 and again i am facing biopsies...so i am again having nightmares
even though at the moment they are unfounded

and yes if i am a bit withdrawn, well now you know what it is
i'm getting a bit apprehensive but i am still sure it will be nothing.
isn't that normal?
the doctors get all upset and turns out to be nothing?
it's when they don't look that the stuff ends up being something

ok tonight the weather reports are calling for 29 degrees and snow
yup snow.....
by tomorrow it will all be slush and gone but that is what it is for today
soooo
i harvest stuff today and i tarp the garden
cause after it is going to be nice again!
here it is halloween and snow
and almost november with NO frosts!

can you say climate change?
yes i thought you could

rainbow hats and firewood

here is a fast rainbow hat....the horizontal orange and black rows are where i had to go back and pick up for more ribbing as it was too short...i finished it and bernie claimed it for himself...
it fits him like a skullcap and he loves it!
so i cast on for one for me
this is knitpicks chrome in 'prism', and classic wool in black  btw, it's really much brighter in person. i don't know what is going on with my camera, i guess it's old and i need a new one (it's 3.2 megapixel so yup time for new)
the second one i cast on for, may not have enough of the black in it..as i am running out..if so i am going to knit the chroma end to end for the last part of it
what else can i do? anyway these hats are me just being bored and taking a time out from other knitting anyway....we do wear them, they aren't like anything else anyone's ever seen, and they do what they are supposed to do...keep our heads warm so i suppose they are a hit no matter how odd they look right? they also kept me knitting through the boredom.
i also just finished the featherweight sweater, yesterday. i have to weave in a few ends and block it but other then that i'm good
i have a couple of other things to finish up and then i will be swatching for the next cardi, which i need a zipper for i would like a brass toothed separating zipper, at least 30'' long

now, wet firewood can be a problem with all the rain and the dampness in the air.....our wood is wet, not soaking but just overall moisture content is pretty high. it's been making for a lot of problems with the woodstove lighting
it isn't crucial yet but it's getting close-so let's hope for some drier weather soon?
meanwhile i am fighting with the woodstove to get it to stay lit daily now
it's not easy and i need a huge amount of draft to do it
so i keep the door open, use a ton of kindling and paper and hope for the best, it takes HOURS to get going now

ok i have to run now
i hope to post more pictures as a take them but really i do need a new camera i think this one is breaking (nothing lasts forever)
til next time

when is the baby drake going to learn to actually walk out on his own?

stubborn little duck that he is....again i carried him down the hill, on his BACK no less
in the mud
oye
ok now i added the last video from rhinebeck.....that peruvian band which i love
i bought a cd from them, which right now jen has.

in knitting news: i am about to pick up the stitches for the left and last arm on that featherweight i been playing with since july
then figure a hem for the sleeves.
probably go down to size 4 needles and just do a hem

i installed my version 1.0 copy of sweater wizard on the laptop, i am thinking of getting the update.
then i plan on swatching one of the tweeds i got from the webs sale to start a new sweater
i want it to have a collar and be a zip front... so i can wear it as a cardi or as a sweater.
i have the plum and the lupine to do and i think i am going to knit them both the same
simple stockinette..... nothing fancy but very wearable

now are we ready for the big halloween holiday?
i'm not quite
i think it's because of this biopsy hanging over my head right now
or maybe cause bernie has his baseline colonoscopy due.

or maybe it's the weather.... warm...too warm for halloween
i don't know
i got a ton of new ghostie/witchie/halloweenie books to read but nothing is really doing it for me this year
i hope that changes in the next two weeks

ok chicklets gotta run
this sleeve won't knit itself

rhinebeck 2011 2nd batch of pictures

 in one of the buildings there are artisian food vendors, cheesemonger, local ny state wineries....etc......we bought cheese from the cheesemonger...and got their number to ship later when we run out of what we bought
as the day progressed more and more folks turned out
so the place started to get really really crowded- it was pretty warm as you may be able to tell from the photo's..... none of the bundled up to thier noses of some other years.
and a lot of the people seemed to be in the mood to buy!
i know i did a bit of it myself (pictures to follow) also as you can see this is still morning, as the sky is a bit overcast....it did rain....while WE were eating our picnic lunch.....so basically we missed all the rain!

 some of the vendors were super busy.....some were busy but we were able to get in.... some booths by the afternoon got so busy we couldn't get in at all!
the fairgrounds smelled like wood smoke, fair foods, animals and fall leaves

that is bernie's back on the left...

 i took pictures as much as i could- some didn't come out.....but i tried.....

i got video of the peruvian band which i love- 

and the animals....there were only two tunis there this year...sniff.....i love those red heads

and here are some of the yarns i got.......check my ravelry page for the details..

i saw some amazing knitting and crocheting there...just amazing... stuff that made you want to sit down with the needles RIGHT THEN AND THERE

all in all, a good time was had by all....by the afternoon the rhinebeck magic was happening and i made a ton of new friends! some folks i made friends with last year actually remembered me! i can't believe it!

if you all ever do get the chance to go.......... GO

you will have a wonderful wonderful time, make new friends, see sheepies.....(kiss the tunis for me)

and make memories that will last forever....... it really is a wonderful magical place