I Should Be Thinking of Spinning... But No I'm On Renovations... Again

It is Tuesday. Last week I was making an effort to get my buns in a tight swimsuit so that I could swim for two hours. (You don't want to think about a squash in a swimsuit... too much like veggie tales!). That night, my shoulders felt like there was a nasty little fire burning inside of them. Teapot had messaged them but I ended up having to take meds to put out the flames. Today, a week later, I am expecting my friend for a day of spinning. It is rather difficult to wrap my head around the fact that a week has gone by, and I have been pissing away time all week and getting nothing done in my work books so today I will get out some fibre and spin. Today's question will be spin three separate colours and keep them separate in plying by "Navajo plying" which is a technique that draws on a crochet chain style of plying.

Recently I have been getting the itch to work on my crappy looking house. There have been some dust bunnies move in recently and I'm sure that if I'm not careful, they will let Murphy back in when my back is turned! (If you read here regularly, then you will know that Murphy, of Murphy's law fame, had lived under my china cabinet with his buddies the dust bunnies and they would conspire against me at every opportunity! {No I'm not making this up and I'm not delusional... well maybe a little delusional..}

See this is the china cabinet where they lived!

Until last year when I got the hutspa to kick them out of my house. Now they have taken to living under the deck. But they keep trying to get back in... and when I'm not diligent those dust bunnies reproduce prolifically... it's all Murphy's fault!) I am not happy with the way my house is looking. I suddenly had a brilliant idea the other day. (Teapot was not so sure.) When we moved in to this house, we were tickled pink that off the bedroom there is a lovely little balcony. The problem is that it is on the east side of the house. So in summer time it is far too warm to sit out there until well after dark at which time the bats (which love it) decide to swoop and swarm around it. This makes it virtually unusable.

Notice the junk up there... that's because nobody uses it!

So I decided that I will put my studio out on the balcony.  It is a small space but that is pretty normal for around here. It is about 4ft. by 14 ft. So this spring Teapot and I will purchase 2x4s and we will close it in and weather proof it. It will not be warm but it will be a good space to store my unspun wool and plastic containers full of junk which takes up 90% of my studio.

See... there's plenty of space here for studio storage. And we will use glass to close it in with a couple of opening windows so the light won't change in our bedroom.

 I will keep my loom downstairs and my wheel and Lazy Kate. I will also try to find space for my rigid heddle loom downstairs too. That way I will be able to use the whole sunroom as a living space and then the dining table can come into the room off the kitchen which believe me is an all round better use of space. This also means that we have no choice but to buy a love seat and two, maybe three, new chairs. Our sectional couch just will not work in the sunroom.

As a result of this slight change in our accommodations, we are going to finish the flooring downstairs. This means a year of living with wretched plywood again. The first step to finishing the flooring is bringing the floor up to the level of the kitchen by putting half inch plywood down as sub-flooring. Then we are going to go shopping to buy (finally) the recycled rubber flooring from Home Depot that we chose back in 2008 when we did our big renovation.

This is the flooring from Home Depot

 (It's hard to believe that it will be 4 years since we started the renovation on April 4th 2008.) It is an awesome product and we have already used it in our downstairs bathroom

Sorry this is not the clearest picture but this is the easiest stuff to keep clean. I just love this flooring.

and my parents living room. We thought about putting a hardwood or a laminate product on our floors but with dogs and snow and mud in spring we need something that will stand up to the wear and tear and be easy to clean. I used laminate in the kitchen when we took up the carpet first when we moved in but I can safely say that I didn't really like the product, so we wanted a different option this time around.

Is it hard to tell that spring is getting closer? Every year I go through this... I make plans... I change plans and some come to fruition but some don't. Hopefully this will be the year that gets us closer to being finished. I'm quite frankly sick of living in a renovation zone. But every little thing we do is one step closer to being finished. Last week I had the electrician come and finish all the electrical... except for the outside verandah lights... that he will do in the spring when temperatures warm up. But at least I now have the bathroom lights finished and we actually have a light in our bedroom and now I just have to get the new lights for the kitchen which will take regular bulbs instead of halogen bulbs.

Yup... spring is coming and my nest feathering is definitely rearing it's ugly head... I had better go do some work on my spinning before I get any more brainy ideas!

Are you getting nest feathering ideas too?!

Terrifying Squash??!!! Who Me???!

I just was reading to Daughter #1, (whose been struck with a cold of the bulbous nose-itis sort) my post of yesterday and she said, "Mom, you are a Terrifying Squash... of epic proportions."  I'm not sure if I should be insulted by this or if I should take it as a compliment.... but coming from a Daughter who is completely besotted with swords and ninja chicks I think I will err on the better side of valour and take being a Terrifying Squash as a compliment... Honestly... I'm to afraid to ask her to clarify!

Like A Large Rotund Squash

All day I have been perfecting my veggie impressions. First I tried my impression of a Spaghetti squash by sitting on the couch in my yellow nightgown.

Yes this is the right colour and the right shape... I'm quite like this actually.

Then I tried perfecting my veggie impressions by sitting on the couch in my green top and black pants and I thought I did a good impression of a Butternut squash.

Yes this too resembles the way I looked today.

Then at supper time after I had put the pork chops in the oven, Teapot cooked the veggies and I thought I did a very good impression of a Turban squash since, Teapot delivered my dinner to me on a plate while I was vegging on the couch like a sheik. I intend at some point this evening to try my hand at resembling a gold nugget squash... (maybe I will win the latest 649)! Basically what I am trying to say is that I have passed this day in complete laziness.  After such a day, words such as "large" and "rotund" and "squash" are very applicable.  I did nothing... at least nothing useful. However, having said that, I can also say that it is not my fault.  I was squaring up for my first fire in the fireplace out on the deck today. It was lovely... blue sky.... sun, sun, sun.... but I went out through the door and basically turned around again since the frickin' temperature, which was supposed to be -4, was more like -14! I had a look at the thermometre and it was reading -10! What the hell is this business of -10 at the end of February. Like... we haven't had that kind of cold for weeks. I'm totally boycotting winter! Where the hell are the spring-like conditions of only two days ago. It would appear that I have no choice in the matter... it is either poop blossoms or freeze your buns off. Darn it all. I had been looking forward to a chance to enjoy the deck. But I guess I was jumping the gun by a month. : ( Still, with the sun shining on me as I sat on the couch, the veggie impressions were quite authentic!

Teapot went for a walk today and walked about 10 kms. He headed off into our wonderful forest that borders our property. At first he wasn't sure where he would go... he wanted a ramble and so the direction he took was a wandering one. He walked the deer paths keeping the dogs close to him. And after coming upon a moose nibbling greenery off the tips of some alder bushes,

he decided that maybe he should go in a different direction. There is a ridge of hills that goes along the back of the subdivision where we live. (I say subdivision with my tongue in my cheek since our "subdivision" is a group of acreages off the main highway leading into town.) Anyway Teapot finally decided to head up over the hills to see what he could see... which is the point of any ramble through the bush. As he was getting to the top of the hill, the dogs' interests were taken by something behind and below them in a scattering of bushes, which meant that Teapot was out in the front. That's when he came face to face with a wolf. It was sitting ahead of him, on the path which he was on,

and when it caught the sound of the dogs behing Teapot it took off in rapid style... Teapot in his wise mind turned around and headed back down the hill the way he came.

Over the years Teapot has had several face to face interactions with wolves. At one time he was walking along on a hunting trip and a whole pack of wolves surrounded him as he was walking... they never touched him, they just kept going and he stood there with his gun in his arms... but that was a long time ago. Today's wolf experience was not as dramatic... with just one that obviously wanted nothing to do with him, Teapot felt safe... he said he would have gone over to check out the tracks of the wolf but he was afraid that the dogs would get a whiff and take off after the wolf. That's the last thing we need.

In all the years of living here I have never heard of a wolf being so close to our home. I have to wonder if that is why the coyotes have been so active and close to our house. Usually the wolves and coyotes won't stay in the same hunting area because they hunt the same food though wolves generally go after larger game while coyotes tend to be satisfied with voles and mice a squirrels as well as deer.  I do know that there have been brought into our region last spring..., thanks to our ever knowing wildlife officers,... some 15 cougars.   They might be pushing the wolves closer to town. (Take note: "idiots" and "wildlife officers" are synonymous because they do stupid things like bring cougars into a northern region to cull the numbers on Vancouver Island forgetting that "northern region" and "remote region" are not synonymous!)

All winter there have been nights when the doggies sit in the pen outside and bark far more than they should... (we usually let them in before they annoy the neighbours)... Knowing that there are wolves that close to our home makes me wonder if sometimes the dogs are not barking because they sense a wolf close by. Maybe the wolf is thinking about the moose... who knows...

I love wolves. I think they are awesome... and having said that I also know a few of my neighbours would be displeased to hear my confessions of liking wolves.  There have been horrible stories in our region of hunters on snow mobiles driving wolves across the ice till the wolves can run no more and then they shoot them or run them down.... it is too terrible to think of.  Wolves are generally cautious and will not attack unless they are desperate and have more than one with them... and most importantly, you are alone. If there is more than one and the "food" is not easy pickin' they still will not attack generally. As for hunting wildlife that people want, I say too F#*^#$in' bad... they were here first and as far as I'm concerned we can go to the grocery store when they can't... so it really burns my balls (no I don't have any but it burns them all the same) when wolves are treated so badly. Same thing with coyotes. I have lived here in the wilds of the north for 15 years... in a house that is on the edge of their territory (and make no mistake... it is their territory)... I have only lost two chickens to coyotes and nothing else... I have never had wolves take my animals... that's because I have good fencing and a really good chicken coop. The only reason I lost the two chickens is that one was too stupid to go in the house at night and went under it instead... and the other was taken when it was free ranging in the middle of the daylight. Actually I've had more trouble with foxes and bears than coyotes or wolves. They have a right to the wilderness just as any animal does so I get kind of frosted when I know that people treat them so badly.

Teapot's wolf... the one he saw today... is in the middle of ranch territory and he will find it hard to survive the prejudice that many ranchers bear wolves... so I wish him well.... and I wish him well away from here where he can live a long and natural life with no threat to it.

And as for me... I'm no threat... no threat to wolves... no threat to coyotes.... no threat to foxes, bears or cougars... I'm not a threat to the dogs... or to Teapot... (though sometimes he says I am)... no I'm no threat at all 'cause I'm just a large rotund squash sitting on the couch... vegging on a Sunday afternoon.

I think I will go try out my gold nugget squash impression... hmm.. better check those 649 numbers...

Snow In The Great White North... Now There's A Thought

Yes,... we did get our dump. It started snowing about 4 p.m. yesterday. I look out this morning and the ground is white once again... something that hasn't been the case since back in January. At least we don't have to look at the poop for a while! The snow must be pleasing to someone because when I woke at 6:30 a.m. I had a look out the window in the bathroom and there to my wondering eyes was a pair of nutscases people out for a walk in the new fallen snow. Maybe they wanted to see their footsteps in this pristine snow... maybe they were out with a doggie... I'm not sure why they were out there, but then I can't always account for odd behavior, (not that walking in the snow is all that odd... just that at 6:30 a.m. it seemed a little strange!) It seems like something Teapot might do... roll out of bed and take the dogs for a walk in the new fallen snow. Actually now that I think about it it might have been a cool thing to do..... (ok I'm losing it!)

I am not unhappy to see the snow. This year the snowpack has been low and of course that wears thin really quickly along about July, when the grasshoppers come to stay for the summer. Did you know that you can eat grasshoppers. They, I think, are supposed to be manna from heaven... but honestly I'm quite happy to eat meat and veg and leave the grasshoppers to their hopping... still chickens love em!... and I love chickens.  I was thinking about chickens not too long ago.... maybe we should get a few wee silkies again.... I wonder if I can talk Teapot into it.

Today is a French Toast and coffee day. Normally we are planning all sorts of things on Saturday. Teapot will need to go haul some water for us but otherwise we are staying close to home today. Last week Teapot took our truck (the one that we bought last fall) in to the Ford dealership in FSJ. We had noticed almost right away that something was up with the transmission. When we hit about 60km per hour the transmission would flip out of 2nd gear and into 3rd. However it wouldn't stay there. it would go back and forth in and out of 2nd gear to 3rd over and over until we hit 70 kph then it would go into 3rd and stay there until the next change.... it would buck back and forth and to be quite honest it was really annoying. We knew this needed to be dealt with since it was on warranty and the warranty wouldn't last forever. So Teapot brought it in last Monday when he had a day off from school. Almost a week later, we are still without our wheels and this is not good. We have been given a loner from the dealership but it is quite a bit larger than our own truck and uses gas like it is going out of style. That is one of the reasons we will be staying close to home... we have blown through our gas budget this month and then some just keeping this monster truck running.... (although I do have to say, that it looks like a really cool truck). Still Teapot had to bum our old water tank from the friend that we traded with back in the fall. He hauled water home yesterday since we couldn't haul water all week while our water tank is still in FSJ with our truck. This truck can handle large capacities of water so we are able to haul 300 gallons at a time. Three runs and our cistern will be full.

Well looky there, since sitting here an hour ago, the sky has turned blue and it has stopped snowing. Maybe the snow won't last... I'm not sure if I am happy about that or not.  Still it is quite grey to the south... so you never know when it will start snowing again. Moisture is pretty important if I want a green summer.

I'm off to get that cup of coffee... maybe make the bird feeder if I use the last of the coffee and of course I'm going to spin. Back to level 5.

Hope this January day is full of blue for you.... blue sky that is....

A Day About "A" Things.... Alpacas, And Anticipation

For the last few years hay has been a great concern to Teapot and me. We had many animals and not enough land to provide for them. But with all the farms around we didn't worry too much when we got our sheep and alpacas because we knew there was enough hay around to purchase. But as you all know, as the years passed, hay became the primary issue in raising our animals. Well as you also know we finally decided that raising sheep was not for us. We liked the alpacas but the sheep really, if truth be told, irritated the hell out of us.  It got to the point that if you walked out through the door they would baa and fuss and try to run at the fences because you might have food. We'd give them more food and they would just get fatter and the never ending racket would never end. Summer would come and we would put them in the fold at night and let them out in the day, and when they weren't running the fences and terrorizing our neighbours and pooping all over their lawns they were staring at us and baaing for oats. So last summer I finally made the final decision to sell the buggers. And so they went. But by the time I sold them I had arranged for 18 large bales of hay. Five of them we used over the end of the summer and the early part of the fall while there were still sheep here. But finally the fall came and we had a hauling business haul in another ten bales in the hopes that when we ran out, spring would be here and we would be able to haul the rest of our hay ourselves. The last of the sheep made his way to his new home and Teapot  and I were left with a pile of new hay and one horse and 6 alpacas. 10 bales of hay is a nice chunk of hay.... I don't think we realized just how much... Since November we have used 2 and 1/2. Now I knew that the alpacas eat a whole lot less than sheep but this is far beyond our expectations. At this rate they won't run out of hay till June and we still have three more bales to fetch in that have been paid for.  So we are sitting on more hay than we really know what to do with. The nice thing is... if hay is well protected it can be used well into the next year.... I'm not sure if we'll have enough for that but as the temperatures get warmer then the alpacas will eat less, so I am sure the hay will last well into the summer anyway.

Other signs that spring is coming:
This morning I woke at 6:55 a.m. and there it was... light in the sky. Getting out of bed seemed much easier to do. Teapot and Daughter #1 just went out the door to school and it is full daylight. If it were a sunny day the light from the sun would be touching the tops of the trees. To the north there's a little blue in the sky but to the south the sky is dark from storm clouds. It looks like all across the country there is snow coming.... but they never mentioned snow in the forecast for us in the North... so I wonder, will we or won't we get snow in the next few days. If we do then I might safely say that the February thaw is over and the March snows will be blowing once again. March can be a snarky little month... but it helps to have a week break thrown in to ease things before Spring arrives. Teapot will be heading off to Haida Gwaii for a few days with the JCRs and we decided that that would be best since I am in the market for new furniture to use in our sunroom for the summer months again. He will get paid for being away.... and that will be money to help us buy new flooring... yeah!... which is the first step to making the sun room into a living room. Then we are looking for a leather reclining loveseat that will fit in there. Just the fact that I am beginning to think about the sunroom for the main living area is a sign of spring. But it leaves me with a slight dilemma... what do I do with the loom!?

There are certainly birds making their appearance for spring every day. I should finish off the coffee so that I can use the can finally to make a new bird feeder. I have been seeing great flocks of snow birds.... and then I have even seen a crow or two. The ravens are starting to fall in love because you see them rubbing their beaks and getting cozy.

Even the Redpolls are starting to put on their colours....

it is still a little early for anything else. But by March then we should start to see other birds arriving like finches and a few ducks and geese.... by the end of March there will be a huge influx of birds.... and I can't wait because that is my favorite time of the year. I sit out on sunny days on the deck and put in a fire in the fire pit and enjoy the sounds of new birds arriving.... I spin, knit or sew as needs be and all around me arrives spring. And tea over a fire pit is far nicer than tea in the house on the stove. That and a lemon biscuit... makes for a fine tea break... and a fine spring day.

One last note:
It did get sunny yesterday and I did knit a little more and I did watch a nice movie while doing so... It was just a little too cold to go out on the deck... so I sat in my living room and enjoyed the sunshine streaming through the window.

Hope your late winter days are full of sunshine and anticipation for good things in spring.

In The Dark Of The Night

Don't you just hate when you have one of those all consuming nights where you spend hour after hour tossing and turning worrying and wondering about what will be. In the daylight, things just don't seem so problematic. Last night was one of those nights for me... toss, turn, worry, worry... it does no good. Thinking about things that can't be changed make worries pointless bed mates. And then the coyotes started. From 12:02 a.m. till about 1:45 a.m. the coyotes were yipping and howling... they must have dragged down a dear. I worried about the horse... I worried about the alpacas,.... and then I worried about the rabbit, (though the rabbit is close enough to the house that I felt she would be ok). Still, when the coyotes come that close they have a reason and generally I hope it is not my animals. Still that was not the only thing I worried about.... worry, worry, worry... I hate it.

On nights like that I hold Teapot's hand and try to stare out at the stars and watch their passing. Orion is in the sky again and he always cheers me. He has super strength... is all powerful.... and last night he came to my bedroom window with Northern lights.  Blue ones.... Still he couldn't chase my worries away. He was in the south through the bedroom window and the Northern Lights were in the Northern sky, through the bathroom window...  I was surrounded by night visitors. It made for an active night... but I really would have liked to just sleep.

Today the sky tells me that this will be a grey dull day. I think it will be a good day for some more knitting. I am trying to knit that lap comfort blanket for our guild and I made some good progress yesterday. Tomorrow will be a day to return to the level 5 homework... four more samples before I start the TPI questions... My goal was to start them on the 1st of March. A good goal I hope. But for now it is daylight and the dear ones have gone to school. I guess it is time for me to move on with my day too. It is certainly time to put those night worries out of my mind.... also a good goal for today.

A little sun wouldn't go astray and what a lovely pick me up. Maybe a nice uplifting movie too that will take my mind off those worries.

A Dull Roar

Things should get back to normal today. At least I am hoping so.

It has been a week of non-stop running around. The Blueberry was one thing but when I got home there were several days with plans made and activities to complete. Yesterday was swim day.  As I said I had been invited to join the seniors swim day... and even though I am not a senior, I decided to take them up on it. The Community Events Coordinator for several years has been trying to get a group of people interested in twice a month (every second Tuesday) taking the Lion's Club van (which is a 15 seat passenger van) and heading off to an indoor swimming pool in Chetwynd, which is about a 45 minute drive away from our town. We have a pool here in our town but it is an outdoor pool and shuts down  during the winter. So most people in the winter time head off to the Chetwynd pool which has a really great indoor pool. So there is a lot of interest from seniors around here but none serious enough to take the Events coordinator up on her proposal. Some times she get three or four people but some times she gets none and it is hard to justify this program if there is no one to swim.  So she has been looking around the community to find extras who will join in this program. Insert me. I am a stay at home mom and while I am not a senior,... I am creeping up there and the Events Coordinator is a good friend of mine. It seemed like the right thing. So yesterday we headed off for a day of two hours of swimming. It was great. 30 lengths I did which turns out to be almost a kilometre of swimming. It was a beautiful day and the roads were awesome and once again I forgot to take pictures.... I know I am pathetic. I felt great.... until last evening.... but that is another story. Before I get to that I have a few photos to post of the Blueberry retreat.

In hind sight I'm kicking myself because I really didn't bring along my camera... I thought that the camera on my iPhone would be good enough.... it wasn't... It sucked. So here are a few pictures of what was going on at the Blueberry and to those who had their picture taken but didn't get it posted it probably is because the image was just too blurred to keep.

Now this picture needs some explaining. It is an image of Noah's Ark... but it it not just that... It is the coolest image ever because the whole image is made with 234 smaller images. The whole image is made up of small four inch square images done in colour schemes so that when they are put together they colouration makes it look like Noah's Ark.  This mural was hanging on the wall of the Blueberry's big room. The Blueberry in actuality is a summer Christian Bible camp... in winter they rent the main building which is a huge log building, to anyone who wants to use it for retreats. The Scrapbookers use it quite frequently and so do the quilters and then there's us spinners and weavers. It has a huge dining area that we set up tables in to work at. But there is another room off the main room that has a mic and amps and guitars and drums and it is where they have their church type services. That's where this image was hanging and I liked it so much I thought I should take a picture of it.  For my level 5 homework I have to design a skein of yarn based on a photograph or image of some kind and when I saw this image it gave me something to think about.... I think I will base my skein on this image.

This is two of the spinner and weavers that I have such a good time with. They are a laugh a minute but they would say that so am I... Norma is on the left and she was a Home Ec teacher for years and years then Marjorie is on the right and she feeds the five thousand. She works with street people because her church puts off once a week a free lunch for street people.... so she literally feeds the five thousand... only with more than just a few bread and fishes.  Now while I organize the food for the Blueberry.... these two ladies keep the kitchen running and keeps us all in order. They are awesome. Always they are working to make sure we are not poisoned with food that has been left out too long and also they take food out and get it ready for eating... they are wow and amazing.

 Marjorie was finishing several scarves and hats... this is one of her scarves.

 Now here are Linda who's the money lady.... we pay her for our retreat.... and in the background is Mary.... she likes balls... and to be exact, she likes the balls of Arne and Carlos!

And here are the balls of Arne and Carlos....

Don't Arne and Carlos have nice balls.... (you can see why we laugh so much while we are at the Blueberry! We do tend to be a little like a bunch of 14 year olds giggling over anything to do with sex.) By the way Mary had a go at knitting Arne's and Carlos' balls and I think they are really awesome.

 Linda had finished the purple scarf and then she was working on some spinning too.

Cheryl was working on her tapestry and she also was working on a pair of knitted gloves which only had the fingers left to be knitted. The tapestry is awesome... but very time consuming.

This is a sample sized picture of one of my level five homework skeins. This is my garnetted yarn. It is a very pretty black merino with colourful silk noils blended in. I was very happy with it.

One of our members from FSJ while we were at Blueberry was going through a life altering and dreadful experience.  She was in hospital having surgery for Breast Cancer.  So our minds were very much on her.... and we missed her dreadfully at the retreat. She is not the first of our group to go through Breast cancer and cancer in general. In the last year or two our group has been hit over and over again with cancer if not in our members then in their husbands. So two years ago we decided that we would start making comfort blankets for those in distress... whether it be in the form of cancer or just distress of illness or loss of a loved one. The idea was that 15 inch squares would be knit by various members of the group and then donated to a stash held by one of the members till such time as it would be needed for one of our members. But we have not been able to get ahead of the people we love finding themselves in a stressful health situation. I have begun knitting one on my own... I am determined to try to get something done so that maybe we can get ahead of the game.

It is dreadful to watch your friends dropping like flies... sometimes they get up again but sometimes they don't.

So last night I was working on my comfort blanket which is a dark green only... later I will add another colour but I have no idea what colour I'll use. That's when the swimming of yesterday morning began to make itself known. By the time bed rolled around last night I was so sore that I'm sure my neck and shoulders even looked red. It was terrible. I went to bed early hoping that that would help... but eventually I had to get up and open the bottle of Tylenol. This morning things are feeling pretty good.

I'm sure today will finally be a time of settling down... and getting back into the swing of things. You know that dull roar I'm hoping for.

I'll let you know if today was a dull roar....see ya tomorrow.