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 

rhinebeck 2011

 starting out .... sun coming up-
 this year we went with jen... who drove.
bernie didn't think the van would make it ( i think it would have no problem)
i packed the meal part of our picnic lunch:
deviled ham (i love making this)
chicken salad
egg salad
cream of tomato eggdrop soup with cheddar

jen made the coffee, cocoa, cookies (which i normally drop off at spirit trail booth for the ladies there) and she bought a fruit salad
and froze the water for the cooler
we left here at 5am......stopped in Milford pa for coffee and...... then on our way
we went a new way this year to rhinebeck and luck was with us.
we got a spot close to the main gate (which they opened this year) were up near the very front of the line to get in....and waited about 15 minutes then CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we all were off and running...first stop SPIRIT TRAIL (always) so we can say hi before they get too swamped

ran into jane and clara so spent some time talking to each of them
martha had a chicken shirt for me..she never forgets me!
i got two skeins of yarn and clara's new book which she signed for me.... i told her chicken, and lamb stories ( it's amazing that they all still talk to me huh? )

Spirit Trail had three spaces this year..... i did find that there appeared to be less vendors then last year and WAY less then 3 years ago.... ditto on the animals....only two tunis this year......and they weren't in the back barns but in the breed barn up by where the fiber all way....way less outside vendors as well




however i got a ton of yarn and cards for some of the animal breeders. bernie of course said no.....but when do i ever listen to him anyway?

we went around the barns- here is a very lovely tunis for you to drool over..... freshly shorn and another one that was the sweetiest little LITTLE ewe..... i love them so very much, tunis is my first love of breed.

there was a good sized crowd, it was kind of warmish.....i only wore my purple and white color knit hat that reminds folks of St Basil's catherdral in st petersburg russia- one very nice man said to me 'that is a GREAT hat ......seriously a GREAT HAT'

i got a few comments on it

now the video isn't the greatest, but i did what i could
i am going to post more pictures tomorrow along with the stash photos' ok?
it's taking forever today

today was a beautiful day

it is also the 13th anniversary of my father's crossing over
i been thinking of him off and on
i hope he visits

now i've been a bit quiet as i have heard from the doctor and she has ordered a biopsy anyway
i am not too happy with this
can the third time be a negative?
this will be the third biopsy i've had and i hope another negative
meanwhile we've been busy
woodstove is cleaned.... some of the winterstuff has been done (most was put off due to excessive rain)
we are all set with crates cleaned etc..
all the laundry is caught up
the budgies have a new cover.....
we even put batteries in the thermostat for the furnace backup
bernie is fixing the rotted wood we found under the back door (we used a wood preserving penetrating stabilizer)
i did laundry and more laundry (but i mentioned that)

and he got new workboots.......these are top of the line from red wing....so i hope they last him a while
he loves his hikers that he got from them so we expect he'll love the work boots

and me......well i got a WHOLE PILE of new unread books by the nightstand....
hahahahaha
i am in heaven!!!!
i think there are like 20 sitting there waiting for me
wow!!!!
such riches!!!!!
how great is having all those delicious unread books....?
we've been going to bed early and sitting up with our books
bernie has his and i have mine
we were laughing today that he went from NEVER READING
to reading almost as much as i do!
i rub off on a body after 35 years
hahahahaha
ok got to go now
i will try to update you folks sooner
it's just been crazy

and the good news is...

pregnancy test that doctor ordered was NEGATIVE thank goodness
but the menopause test showed that i am not yet post menopausal....
i am still in peri menopause

which means....i get to have a period.....aren't i lucky?
apparently i have about 5 years worth of accumulation to bleed out
someone shoot me now

so, i am waiting on the doctor to call, and order the pills to bring it on
thank you pcos
thank you thyroid disease.....
thank you crapped genetics

meanwhile i am cleaning the studio and budgies
and all that stuff getting ready to heat
today the sun was out this morning
i was blinded by the light

now i got the back door open as it was warmish out when i took the ducks out

malcom has regressed to ducklinghood and wants to be carried like the girls
he's too damn big but that doesn't seem to cross his mind
soooooooooooooo

i been carrying a full grown drake in and out

damn ducks

lilli is broody AND in the molt..... so her little special personality is over the top bitchy squeeky
amelia is nippy
phoebe is flighty....and prudence hasn't decided which way she wants to go...squeeky or flighty yet

only my falstaff is normal........for a duck that is

oye again

ok i have to try and get work done

ttyl

hired- one doctor

and she appears to be very good.
she listened, read the records i brought....
talked to us
didn't want to rush me into a biospy without ruling out other things
so i went for some bloodwork
and we'll see

bernie liked her, i liked her
and she did tell me some stuff is out of her experience, and that i needed an endo.....
i told her i do have an appointment but can't get it earlier then december
and she renewed my thyroid meds
she didn't talk down to me
she didn't gloss over stuff
she wasn't impatient
she didn't brush me off either with my questions

also after reading my medical records, and labs, she said to me 'there is a lot going on with you'
yes unfortunately there is
but we're going to sort as much as we can out
i still need a family doctor.....
the problem i run into with GPs is that either they think they can manage my care themselves (and try to put me on a bunch of drugs)
or
they tell me if i just lose weight the pcos and the rest will 'go away'

the best is when they tell me i don't have pcos anymore as i am 'in menopause'
well this doc is taking the blood test for it
because we aren't sure i am in menopause
if you don't get a regular period due to pcos you just dont' know!

so we aren't as worried as we've been
i did tell her, 'i do a pretty good job of making sure i do what i am supposed to be doing- i just need someone to check the progress periodically, before it all gets out of hand'
really i just need monitoring now, as i have lived with this disease now for a very very long time
so that is the outcome of that doctors appointment

i am smiling

afterwards i met jen at the knitters edge.......from there we went to the lab,  B&N, lunch and to pick up her kids..... she took me home only to find out i'd forgotten my keys*** yes i am getting more made**
i sat outside with the ducks until bernie got home.....after dark (about three hours)
i brought the ducks up from the big pen and put them in unrolled fencing between the two pens at the house... i stood guard with my handy pitch fork.....i did hear a coyote yipping so it's a good thing bernie did get home when he did
but while i still did have light i was able to pick up the crocheted stabilizing stitches for the bands on that featherweight cardi....(second time knitting those bands- but this one is good)

bernie worked yesterday.... and of course it's been raining...and raining
we were to have gone down to pick up his work boots at red wing, they called that the boots are in
but he doesn't feel like going down there today, and i can't blame him
so we'll go either during the week or next weekend

now since the rain won't stop.....we are seriously behind in winter prep
wood, potatoes, stove and chimney cleaning
painting and caulking
and our storm door
how can we put in the storm door if the wood is all swollen?
how can the big dump get into the wood lot if the ground is all sodden?

and how can we stack wood that is soaked?
so that's our weekend
bernie got the first two dvd's of iceage........he's looking forward to them today and during the week

that is all she wrote kids

ttyl

and tomorrow and tomorrow

i have a doctor interview
i have hopes for this one
i also have learned
you really do have to interview the doctor who you are about to trust with your life
duh...

i want a second opinion on this endometrial biopsy
if it is not absolutely necessary i don't want it

anyway i am a bit nervous, i really wish i was getting to the endocronolgist but i couldn't get an appointment before december and i can't get to philly for the specialist
i am hoping this gyn calls the endo i have the appointment with and says....'you need to see this patient sooner'
like OCTOBER

oh the joys of chronic illnesses
anyway i have my packet of medical records, my list of questions
and my thyroid meds to see if she'll renew them for me
i know she's going to order blood work but i don't think it'll be tomorrow
then i think i am going to go yarn shopping
then i need to rest

i swear i will be glad when i have the doctors all straightened out again, and just need routine stuff
and once these biopsies are behind me
i know there really isn't any getting out of the thyroid biopsy
but i hope i can get out of the other one

i went to the dentist today, got a filling- i have to say the new dentistry is impressive.
he didn't hurt with the needle
the filling is cured when i leave the office, and it's a white filling!
no terrible after taste,
no roughness
amazing!
and the needle wears off now FAST

in sweater news, i ripped back the bands and i am redoing them
i just didn't like the edge i was getting so i put in a stabilizing line of stitches and now am picking up the bands again, i have to look again on ravelery and see if i like the stockinette or a seed stitch band
i may have enough yarn left over to do a second short cardi , if so......i am going to embroider roses on the second one
pink, cream, pale gold roses with pretty green leaves and some beads
i know i know......but i want to

ok supper is on
bernie is on his way home

and so of course it's raining again

i mean since it's already so wet that everything has mold on it
what else could be a good idea?
MORE RAIN of course!

it's dark, overcast, rainy and seriously HOT and HUMID..WTF?????

silly me, and here i thought it was fall

ok so i am up to the bands on the featherweight cardi, i am not entirely happy with them but i want to block them and then decide
i am thinking it maybe a bit large on me
maybe i am not quite as large as i think i am.....?

meanwhile i am looking for a source for a sturdy 'go to' dk in solids, semi solids and tweeds
a lovely woman i met in germany offered to get to the factory sales for one that is very nice
i am contemplating a few stateside as well

i want a tweed that is sturdy and non pilling in a dk weight....is that too much to ask?

oye
let's see what else is going on?
i have dishes to do
i didn't do them yesterday so i am in for it today
i should bake also
and i really need to sew an apron for me, as well as some new knitting bags.
and clean the budgies
the chickens and ducks are all clean, we've been cleaning them sort of in parts... night crates one day
day pens a few days later
etc
falstaff is really showing his age too
so i may put malcom out back.....and keep the old guy up here
malcom is getting rowdy again- and his nails are long so he really does need to be out back for a while...he'll wear the nails down pacing for the girls

the laperms continue to catch and sometimes eat mice.........i worry that they can get worms or something
but they seem to be ok so far
and we do need the mice caught
just as long as they dont' bring them upstairs

one crunching mouse at 3am is more then enough thank you very much

ok til next time
the dishes call my name

it's so damn humid that EVERYTHING

and i do mean EVERYTHING is molding

bernie did the litter boxes on saturday.....he did them again last night as everything in the boxes were molded

did i mention it's HUMID
oye
we had an appointment down the valley for bernie today, so for waiting room knitting i am working on some kids hats for margaret in boston
i am knitting in acrylics and blends because i figure that if i do wool, and it's washed the hat will fit a hamster and the kid will still be shit out of luck
it's almost done i think....i wish i had a kid to try it on
i'm used to knitting hats for us
not for kids so it's rough to figure how long to make it
i'll have to ask margaret or susan or donna as they regularly knit for kids
i am still kitchener-ing off my hem
i hate kitchener
but then i pick up for my sleeves.......woohoo....i can't wait
then it's a smooth sail down to the bands and boom i can wear it
(unless i screwed it up totally and then i rip it)

i am having problems with my camera too at the moment........so no pictures for which i am truly sorry
both for you guys and for me
sniff
oh well what can i do ???

not much

now in a few minutes i am going to start dishes etc......
i need to put the halloween stuff up too
and make a list of some other stuff
really lately i have very little energy
we'll address that i hope with the new doctor
cause this isn't any fun at all

oh and every single female duck on the place is now offically squeaky.......and driving me nuts
i had to grab lilli by the wing tip before she did the 'exit stage left' thing
and she sure was running left
and squeaking and all puffed up
oye

and the cats are no better
they caught another mouse last night
playing with it until it ran over my toes
thank you cats
i needed mouse piss on my shoes .......how did you know?

oye

ok off i go

we have survived graveyard for the week

but it took the entire weekend to recover.
so again nothing much got done

we did get down the valley to red wing shoes to get bernie new hikers and ordered him new work boots
they are both electrical resistant, water proof, and puncture resistant and the work boots also have the steel toes
he put the hikers on and said
(in amazement)

'these feel good'

there was another guy trying shoes on too and he said the same thing at almost the same time!
good
now he's got good boots again
(that worries me when he has crappy boots, but he fights me on that)

we did more pen cleaning
we got the big duck pen (the day pen) packed with leaves now.....they love that as bedding, they play in the leaves.  and it's about time too, as they are all squeaky....
actually it makes me laugh with them squeaky but really it's equivalent to pms- and they run away from mommy squeaking the whole way

lilli however is the funniest
cause she squeaks when you talk to her

malcom saw an opportunity to make (or so he thought) bernie his duck bitch again-
both bernie and i held him down and wiggled his tail.
in duck speak that says

' you THINK you're bigger then me........nope nope nope...i am head drake and YOU are MY duck bitch........ remember that sucka'

he was pretty good last night although we did hose him down

meanwhile, the budgies need to be put together for the winter, the studio cleaned, more wood put in, and the potatoes gotten
all this and my with lethargy.......serious lethargy
actually i am also apparently having a problem with the lymph glands in my head and face-
there is some edema going on and it's not really draining! (how could it not drain out of my face ?)

one more thing on the list for the doc to deal with
(let's hope this new one can find a pulse, and figure out how to take blood pressure- i am tired of interviewing doctors)

oh and huge news for us
fawn caught and devoured a mouse last night
she's got that whole 'i'm a cat and i catch mice' thing now

she ate it under my chair...i got to hear all of it but thanks to computer glasses couldn't see it!

oye

until next time

vi

i didn't forget you all, life got crazy

bernie's been working overnight
there've been some problems with vandalizing of the units at his job-
so he is working overnights with the hope that this will deter who ever is doing this
needless to say MY life is totally turned upside down as well

i can't sleep nights! i am worried about him-and so days, i am going through zombie like motions
just feeding animals.....dishes and dinner and the rest of the time
sitting and knitting (thank goodness for mindless stockinette)
although i did drop the sweater and 300 stitches came off (in fingering weight, in cotton- oh man)
it would have bothered me a great deal more if i'd been actually awake

anyway, i hit the webs cascade 220 sale for two different cardi's one i hope in plum and other other in lupine
i was debating the amber color but really as much as i like it, i don't think i can wear that color
anyway, i am thinking of zip front cardi's with set in sleeves and just sort of shirt colors
maybe a cuffed sleeve but maybe not

ok i have to run now
i'm not awake yet but i have to eat and get the ducks out

it'ssssssss SUNDAY!!!!

we had errands yesterday-
picked up new smoke alarms and zipties
some halloween stuff
and pasta
(that was on sale)
cleaned night crates .......dishes.....laundry

yup a normal saturday that isn't raining!

i got bernie two dvd's at target for 5.00 each
hidalgo which was GREAT
and
the ninth gate which i haven't ever seen but bernie like depp

i want to get rio and the three ice age movies

right now (RIGHT THIS SECOND) my sister in law colleen is on the phone
i can't believe it
bernie's talking to her while i type this..waiting for fawn to finish her meds

i am also knitting on my featherweight.....i think i got it ok now with the bust and then decreasing for the under bust etc
we'll see about that soon
i am already thinking of my next project
and my next project is going to involve tweed...........i am determined

i also am going to lobby for bernie to help me with a duct tape double so i can make some dresses
i am thinking i sure could use a navy jumper ( i out grew my last one)
and a plum jumper
i would like them in wool challis
and a couple blouses

ok we got back from town, i got ronzoni for .69 a pound so we stocked up
boy did we stock up
we'll be ok for a while i think
i dry canned them in mason jars with oxygen absorbers
we have a years worth now
or maybe more even
that dry canning is the BEST
i got odds and ends on sale... puree cause the tomatoes did nothing
(i have a few salad ones out there that planted themselves)
another box of tissues for winter
(we go through 5 normally)

all the tpaper we need
we aren't in too bad of shape for winter now
more wood, 150# of potatoes........ and that generator and we're good to go
we still have oil from last winter so we have back up
i do wish we had a barn for feed for these guys for winter
i think next years big project is storage sheds

have a nice sunday folks

after all these years NOW this duck decides he likes me?

am i dying?
is he dying??

today when i went down to take my ducks out falstaff met me at the bottom of the stairs......!
he actually got up and came over to see me!
i spoke to him a few seconds during which time he wagged his tail
and then he followed me ( pretty closely actually)
out to the big pen
we are a companionable pair this elderly drake and i
now after all these years together
it's an enjoyable companionship too
he listens to me and follows along
i talk to him and answers.....
i swear he is the best dog!!! even though he's a duck!

i like older animals
don't get me wrong i love baby animals and adolescent animals and adult animals in their prime
but there is something so touching about an older animal
one that moves a bit slower
with more dignity
who listens! (better then the husband does sometimes)
i find myself really enjoying my walks with falstaff now
talking to him as he talks back to me.... i look forward to our time together
i think he enjoys it also

tonight i let him into the pond area after i took the girls out
he happily bathed and splashed until i came back to tell him it was time to go up
then he walked first into the back pen.....then when i called him again he walked up to the house

what a good boy

i know he is already older then most muscovy live...... and i can tell you

i am really going to miss him when his time to go comes

he packs a lot of personality into his little duck body

til next time
vi

and another woosh of a week.........

we had a terrible road call sunday night........ over to the disaster area
since we were in a medical unit, they waved us through into the evacuated area!!!!

i was like WHOA, wait...... we need to find our unit so let's just ask someone-- they were very helpful and the cops got us right to where our unit was.
the national guard btw, apparently are drafting 8 years old!
oye oye

we got caught in a horrific rain/lightening storm
we were actually blinded by the flashes!
and the rain was about 6'' an hour
while we were trying to drive home in the middle of a gazillion trucks all crawling at 10 miles per hour........then a flash of blinding light.......
it's a miracle we all aren't dead

oye
mean while back at the farm....... malcom is being a brat
the girls are all laying
with poor phoebe laying these tiny teeny marble sized eggs

we also had chicken again for supper......it's all chicken all the time
hahahaha
cluck cluck cluck

i am through the bust increases on my featherweight sweater, i tried it on and it does fit
although i think the sleeves that i worried about being too tight may end up being too BIG
which would make me laugh ironically while i ripped it all out
then i would cry
and cast on again
oye
so i hope you all didn't miss me much

but i'm in and out you know
with the sun!

the week went WOOSH...............

oh MY
well yesterday i went to town with jen
who snuck up behind me and said BOO
which made me jump a mile

hmmmmmmmm

bad girl jen

so we went to town, i bought a step stool and an aluminum wallet
got to the po to pick up my two skeins of wollmeise....(eat your hearts out fellow knitters)
i got some books (borders 70% off going out of business sale) and two dvd's
one was the vampire movie from the ann rice book
and the other was the 'golden compass' which was pretty good!
bernie watched that last night while i ripped out 6-8 rows of about 400 stitches on my featherweight so i could fix the inadvertent short row i stuck in there.

meanwhile the hunt for clever little cardi's goes on, ones that hopefully i won't have to modify too much for my,...............ahem...........GENEROUS curves
*** ok knitters post links if you got them.....ok?

yeah.....ok

now today right now it's stopped raining... but don't worry, it shall resume in a while
wilkes barre is being evacuated, some areas on the delaware will be too
i think we're ok but i worry about bernie getting home tonight
some fatalities with this endless rain..... a guy died when he tried to bail his basement out and the foundation collapsed on him

our road isn't too bad, as the township finally did something about the raging flooding that was coming down into our basement!
they didn't fix the washed out driveway here though
which they caused by banking the newly widened road the wrong way

and it is official, my camera is having a melt down....or is possessed or something
now the lcd screen won't work
oye

which i guess is ok as i can't find the cable to download it to the lap top anyway

oh and due to rain, all work on the generator pad, trim painting, winter pens, caulking....and wood deliveries have ended

aren't we lucky?
oh and the basement is sorta really really damp
and i found a cool salamander on the duck pens this morning!
i hurried everyone into the pens so the poor little thing has a chance to live without becoming breakfast for a duck.

tomorrow my 'custom knits' book is due in....i hope i am brave enough to get to the po to pick it up
or maybe we'll go to b&n and then pick up my book?

ok that's pretty much it
i am going to go now
i am going to sit and rip back my sweater while i contemplate my existence

monday is the new sunday? well it is for today

first off folks happy labor day

around these parts at chateau de herron it sure is looking like fall...but then again it's been looking like fall since july!
the biggest of the sugar maples is got almost all it's leaves gone!
the others aren't far behind, by halloween it's going to look like early december here
we still need more wood in for the winter yet as well
we sort of got side railed by starting to dig out the area for a pad for a standby generator- maybe it's a good thing too as bernie pulled a tree out that was just thinking about putting it's roots into our field stone foundation
i am thinking we may have to do that to a more trees

in knitting news, i am working on a 'featherweight' which is a wonderful light airy summer cardi....
it's super easy apparently for everyone but a plus sized person...
i knew i should have done more measuring and a few 'adjustments' before i dived in....
but it may not be as horrifically bad as i think it could be....we'll see
once i get the arms done i will know better

mean while this has sent me on a quest.....
i think i am going to really start to wear dresses to go to town
with sandals in summer and tights in winter
i want some little cardis for the summer ones
and maybe a cardi or two for winter as well
naturally the winter ones will be navy, and gray and plum....cause those are my colors in winter
(maybe a burgundy and a forest green as well)
in summer of course i have magenta, and pinks, all sorts of purples and lavenders, and bright turquoise blues.

i am still trying to work out a basic knitting sloper..

really even in my new improved larger size, it's not all that long to knit stockinette, i just sit and knit without thinking ( i think that makes me a process knitter)
of course stitch markers are my very best friends in this
and i won't be doing a huge amount of cabling and lace etc..
just basic shaping

oye

anyway back to the quest....which is naturally for yarn
i found a few cotton blends that would work well for summer and transitional
good yardage and decent price
one is tatamy tweed which is from a local mill
i think i need 10 skeins of dk in loganberry and i think i need 12 of the worsted in purple
i should ask jen if she wants to take a run down there next week
so the cardis that are up for consideration are the following:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEff10/PATTbrunello.php in loganberry
(without the puffy gathered sleeve..just straight sleeves with the lace edging)

and

http://www.amyherzogdesigns.com/designs/sweaters/petrea/ in purple
without the flared bottom of the sleeve. (that looks stupid on me, great on others with smaller arms)

now for a winter cardi
http://www.interweaveknits.com/galleries/bonus/fall-2009/farmers-market-cardigan.asp

so any of my knitting friends want to jump in and help me figure the mods for these two let me know ok
i could use a hand with this as it's been years since i knit sweaters for me

oye
it used to be so damn easy!

duck days and chillier evenings

the ducks are loving this weather..... they are not wanting to come in at night either
i am having to carry them
and prudence is the absolute worst at coming in on time
now normally i can get a 'duck eating shovel' to sort of herd everyone in with
pru has got my number.......
she looks at me and says to me

 'yeah right mom, like you're going to use that on us.......hahahaha do i LOOK like i was hatched yesterday?'

she is right of course.... but the OTHERS .....
well it goes something like this

"OMG OMG, mom is got the shovel....that shovel EATS ducks like us......... OMG OMG we are going to get eaten!!!!! HURRY UP ''

now it's not in their best interest to know that mom isn't going to let the shovel eat them.....cause sometimes a duck just has to run into the house and their night crates to go to bed.

if they are poking along and dilly dallying..... bad things can happen.... predators can eat them, mom can FALL....... so it's easier to herd them with something they are afraid of..... ( twiggy branches eat ducks too......bet you didn't know that huh?)

however, now that pru is gotten wise to the ways of mom and the duck eating shovels....i am expecting bed time to be a bit harder to accomplish

maybe i need a bed time treat that they only get in the house in their crates?

oye

DUCKS!

(btw, shhhh don't tell bernie, but we are getting a new pullet.......she's a very large buff orpington out of 'the general')

and mr malcom is behaving himself (will wonders never cease)
falstaff has taken to sleeping on the furnace pad now.... well i can't blame him
i would like him to have a crate too but he's so tame now *just don't try and pet him or he'll run away* he just goes where i tell him and pretty much does whatever i tell him. amazing huh? he's a FERAL DUCK who was about 2 when we got him..... and had never been handled at all!


bernie worked yesterday, he felt that not enough of his fleet was serviced on time so he went in.....
i waited all day for him.
meanwhile i tried to figure a fix on my featherweight sweater that i'm knitting
i am thinking i am still ok with it at the moment. so i am going to knit down to the armhole divides and then see

in cat news, i finally got the three of them to pee on the blue pads!!! we are making progress here.
soon we will move the blue pads into a 'litter' box and they should follow
(yet another legacy from that jackass neighbor we had and their feral territory marking un-neutered tom cats)
the new neighbors are just as irresponsible with letting their cats out to run free, but at least they aren't dumping too much out back

now speaking of the new neighbors, bernie talked to them last night... they mentioned they saw a large 'white cat four times the size of a regular cat' walking inside our fence
ahem....
they didn't see a house cat
and yet they still let their cats OUT......
we figure it could be one of a few things
bobcat
coyote
possible lynx
the silver fox
my money is on a coyote......... and yet they still let their cats out.....
oh man

ok now i have to go
we have to get my spoiled rotten getting wise to me ducks out

so ttyl

with visions of food processors and standby generators

dancing in my head.

i think really at the moment the only fly in the ointment is getting a pad ready.
for the generator that is
not the food processor, that just will replace the old one......so that has a space (and since the footprint is smaller....... i gain some space)

Dig a rectangular area approximately five inches deep and 

about six inches longer and wider than the footprint of the 

generator. Cover with polyurethane film and fill with pea gravel 

or crushed stone. Compact and level the stone. A concrete 

pad can be poured if desired.

Set the generator onto the pad so that the gravel bed extends 

several inches beyond the generator on all sides.

 Make sure the generator is level within ½ inch.

it's the 'dig a rectangular area' part - mainly because it's on the side of a slope, and it's got about 2'' of top soil and then....... bedrock (and not in a fred & barney sort of way) it will have to be at least 30''x36'' .... so can bernie do this?
i am pretty sure we'd need some sort of concrete something or other to install it level and secure
and as you folks know....stuff like that isn't bernie's strong suit normally.
he is starting to get into this generator idea though.
i realize that is he right about standby vs portable for us.... cause he won't be around most likely to start up and hook up the generator or to refuel it for me
so the standby is probably a better idea
AND i know that generators need to cool down to be refueled as well..

now onto food processors, the research on which was just as much fun as the generator research.....(which is to say that it was as much fun as a root canal)
i have a few phone calls to make but i am pretty sure i am going with a robot coupe food processor....possibly used but commercial all the way- nothing else makes any sense for us

i have to face it
we are hard on the stuff we use.
nothing, gets pampered around here (not even me) except for maybe the animals but even then
so stuff needs to survive our daily life
the good china doesn't get used daily, but the corelle sure does ( and we've broke that stuff too)
so now as shit is breaking....i am going commercial with most of it
(when the sealer goes next time out, i am getting a chamber sealer....)
the exception appears to be my coffee maker..... it's a proctor silex and it cost like 12.00 and that thing looks like shit but works perfectly! i love it so much i got a back up for it
makes good coffee too
doesn't do ANYTHING but make coffee.......no clock, no timer no frother....... works every damn day!
sorta like that 7.00 toaster from kmart we had...looked like shit was all bent up but it did make toast
burnt on one side but it was toast
and while i am telling you all about stuff that survives us
we have 'french working glasses' for drinking glasses........ they are etched from the dishwasher but they are about 20 years old now and still fine!
we drop them but they've never even chipped!
i keep saying i am going to get another set that aren't etched but i don't want to jinx them
before these glasses we  had to replace glasses yearly due to breakage
(come to think of it, mom had the same SHAPED glasses but hers were plastic! ... and smaller, as ours are 22 oz and i think hers were like 8oz)

ok where was i? hmmmm turkey stock, yeah.....ok that is in the fridge now waiting to get into the freezer. (that is today)
i had a rough day yesterday as a result of tuesday
which was an aftermath *much much after* of abdominal surgery from 1995's ruptured ectopic pregnancy- there is something going on in the area that one of the incisions were.....and that they put in the 'anti-hernia' stitch.... it feels like something is tearing
the pain was pretty bad for a while but it's not really bad now....just an 'after pain'
 if you know what i mean
why yes it has been one thing after another........why do you ask?
isn't life like that?

meanwhile the days are cooling down..... now in the morning there is thick fog out back. takes a while to burn off with the sun
and the harvest is starting
i've yet to get my pickles made though....all ready for them but not made yet
for some reason the idea of lifting canners is deterring me.

ok this morning's coffee is pretty good but i think i got to go......
yesterday i didn't get up until almost 9am
and my day dragged (not to mention the research i had to do all damn day)
today i got up at 5am and i hope that my day is productive
oye

ok ttyl
vi