Another milestone (that being the May long weekend) has passed and I'm finally starting to sweat on the level 4 homework. Today I started spinning. It is looking awesome, better than I even expected.
That was yesterday and I kept getting interrupted... so I never did get to finish what I had been trying to say. Today everyone was back to school and so I got down to the 150 hour project. I have been spinning off and on all day. My foot has been complaining some but I take a few minutes to knit another row on the most recent shawl and then I go back to spinning again.
The garden is not in yet but we are working on it each evening. Tomorrow I am hoping to get the beet and carrots in the ground. The potatoes will have to wait till next week as Teapot and Daughter #1 are away this weekend. I refuse to plant the potatoes on my own.... at least until the soil has been turned. It's too hard on me to do alone. As for the beans and peas... that will have to wait till everything else is done.
It may be mid June before they get in the ground but that does not worry me since mid June will mean the peas and beans will be ready mid to late August... perfect timing in my estimation.
Aside from gardening and the level 4 homework, like everyone else I have been watching all the news and wondering what on earth is going on. Between the floods in Manitoba and B.C. and the fires in Alberta and in particular in Slave Lake, and now the tornado in Joplin, Missouri... I am in awe of what people can survive through. Daughter #2 has been going on about how it's amazing that Earth with the earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan.... and then as I said above all the 4 elements have been coming together to form the season of horror. There are no words.... just that I hope things settle soon.
I'm off to eat some liver and onions (which I love) for supper... yum!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Still On The Green Side Of The Sod
Well, I'm still here.... alive and kickin' Jesus didn't come for a visit.... too bad.
While everyone was waiting for the second coming Teapot and I got to work... we have been digging in the sh-- and dirt. I am putting in a fairly elaborate area of raised beds for beet and carrot and lettuce and beans and peas.We have always had a big garden since we moved to this house but as Teapot and I age and our knees and things start to creek we felt the need to down size our garden area. We are taking about a third of our garden and we are going to keep it for potatoes... but we are taking soil and poo from the other 2/3 of the garden for my raised beds. It will be easier to back the truck up to the beds and water the plants than it is to water a huge garden. We will also be able to maintain the potatoes with a hose from the house, but since we have to haul water it is something that has to be well planned in order to get any yield worth mentioning. Since we've had alpacas and sheep we have had our animals in on the fenced garden area and they have fertilized it very well. There are some areas where there is three inches of old poo on top of he soil. Needless to say that since I have a bum foot and the only thing I can fit on my foot is a pair of crocs and since I don't wear socks, you can imagine my feet by the time I come in at night... suffice it to say that they are very dirty.
We have had two days of thundery weather and showers which have penetrated the ground. I am hoping this trend will continue well into the summer. Wet ground is so needed here. Teapot and I managed to find a little time for a slow (very slow) one kilometre walk down through the bush in the hot part of the day. Indeed, the Prairie Crocuses... (aka wood crocuses, or forest crocuses) are out in full regalia. There is no sign of any of the other forest flowers yet. Though there are lots of mushrooms on the forest bed. By the time I got home my foot was once again good and swollen so I got to take a break while Teapot carried on working on the raised beds. Once it cooled down tonight and my foot stopped swelling I had to have a go at digging again. And so the transfer of soil goes from the old veggie garden to the new raised beds.
Teapot just came in and it is time for a cup of tea and a few supper dishes to be washed. We are both tired and look forward to an early night as Bailey kept us up with some erratic bad behaviour. (Just as I was starting to think she was settling in!)
Here's hoping your having a nice May long too...
While everyone was waiting for the second coming Teapot and I got to work... we have been digging in the sh-- and dirt. I am putting in a fairly elaborate area of raised beds for beet and carrot and lettuce and beans and peas.We have always had a big garden since we moved to this house but as Teapot and I age and our knees and things start to creek we felt the need to down size our garden area. We are taking about a third of our garden and we are going to keep it for potatoes... but we are taking soil and poo from the other 2/3 of the garden for my raised beds. It will be easier to back the truck up to the beds and water the plants than it is to water a huge garden. We will also be able to maintain the potatoes with a hose from the house, but since we have to haul water it is something that has to be well planned in order to get any yield worth mentioning. Since we've had alpacas and sheep we have had our animals in on the fenced garden area and they have fertilized it very well. There are some areas where there is three inches of old poo on top of he soil. Needless to say that since I have a bum foot and the only thing I can fit on my foot is a pair of crocs and since I don't wear socks, you can imagine my feet by the time I come in at night... suffice it to say that they are very dirty.
We have had two days of thundery weather and showers which have penetrated the ground. I am hoping this trend will continue well into the summer. Wet ground is so needed here. Teapot and I managed to find a little time for a slow (very slow) one kilometre walk down through the bush in the hot part of the day. Indeed, the Prairie Crocuses... (aka wood crocuses, or forest crocuses) are out in full regalia. There is no sign of any of the other forest flowers yet. Though there are lots of mushrooms on the forest bed. By the time I got home my foot was once again good and swollen so I got to take a break while Teapot carried on working on the raised beds. Once it cooled down tonight and my foot stopped swelling I had to have a go at digging again. And so the transfer of soil goes from the old veggie garden to the new raised beds.
Teapot just came in and it is time for a cup of tea and a few supper dishes to be washed. We are both tired and look forward to an early night as Bailey kept us up with some erratic bad behaviour. (Just as I was starting to think she was settling in!)
Here's hoping your having a nice May long too...
Friday, May 20, 2011
Raptured!!!
It's a really good thing that I don't have TV... I really didn't know anything about it. I think I'll go dance naked in the rain since it might be the last time I get a chance.... boy, there sure are a lot of people out there who are going to be disappointed.... Oh look there's God now.....
I'd better get out there.... I think he came for me early! It's because I'm so loveable.... right?!
Don't answer that!
Drat! And to think I just payed for my level 5 course.... I could have saved myself that money if I just had waited one more day. : {
Don't answer that!
Drat! And to think I just payed for my level 5 course.... I could have saved myself that money if I just had waited one more day. : {
Newly Risen
It is so sad that this year I cannot enjoy the forest as I would normally. With my foot in a bandage, I have had to forgo the pleasures of tramping in the woods as I normally do in spring. Combined with the fact that the snow didn't completely disappear until two weeks ago, this foot has really and truly limited my life. I do miss the flowers. Teapot tells me that the Forest Crocuses are out in bloom and there are starting to be tiny Violets and Wild Strawberries in the grass. Generally speaking this is my time of the year to walk... and walking I am just not the way I usually do. Normally I walk on a trail that is a good three kilometres everyday. But with my ankle acting up I have been reduced to one kilometre a day on my own property, not entirely bad, but disappointing since the Crocuses and Orchids that grow around here only come for a short time once a year. And I'm going to miss it this year.... : (
Well, Bailey has been with us for two months and has she fit in..... I can honestly say I'm not sure about that dog... She is not a good sleeper at night and she has a tendency to cower for no apparent reason at all and is constantly trying to suck up to you all things that I hate. But on the other side of the coin she is a loving dog and loves to snuggle and is fairly obedient and comes when she is called and doesn't run away and twice when the sheep pushed open the gate and got out on the grass,she was really good and did not eat or kill any of them.... Jiggs either. So she has her good pointers and we are trying to remember that she is still very young and may lose some of those stupid traits that we don't like. she may settle down in time. We finally laid Tootsie to rest and built him a cairn last weekend.... (we had to wait till the ground was thawed totally). it was a sad day and Teapot and I worked on his grave which is beside Duff's with red eyes and very choked about losing our little guy... I still miss having a wee dog around the house that followed me everywhere... but then I have two big galloopers who love to romp around the yard with each other and make for some very funny times. I can't imagine this home without dogs and cats and sheep etc... I even miss the furtive chickens... sometimes!
I am off to work on the 150 hour project... out on the deck in this marvelous sunshine. I might not be able to enjoy the flowers of the forest but i'm not going to pass up this chartreuse green of newly growing leaves....
and this weekend I will put in my garden... I can't wait....
I'm off.... see ya.... and hope spring is full of new life for you too.
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| Can't find them name for these wild flowers and I'm not sure if these are out but they will be soon. |
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| Wild roses are just leafing out... no buds yet but soon... |
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| These little orchids grow in abundance around here but they are just starting to come out and only last a day or two. |
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| Forest or Wild Crocuses are all out in full bloom... I think the Humming birds are happy about it. |
Well, Bailey has been with us for two months and has she fit in..... I can honestly say I'm not sure about that dog... She is not a good sleeper at night and she has a tendency to cower for no apparent reason at all and is constantly trying to suck up to you all things that I hate. But on the other side of the coin she is a loving dog and loves to snuggle and is fairly obedient and comes when she is called and doesn't run away and twice when the sheep pushed open the gate and got out on the grass,she was really good and did not eat or kill any of them.... Jiggs either. So she has her good pointers and we are trying to remember that she is still very young and may lose some of those stupid traits that we don't like. she may settle down in time. We finally laid Tootsie to rest and built him a cairn last weekend.... (we had to wait till the ground was thawed totally). it was a sad day and Teapot and I worked on his grave which is beside Duff's with red eyes and very choked about losing our little guy... I still miss having a wee dog around the house that followed me everywhere... but then I have two big galloopers who love to romp around the yard with each other and make for some very funny times. I can't imagine this home without dogs and cats and sheep etc... I even miss the furtive chickens... sometimes!
I am off to work on the 150 hour project... out on the deck in this marvelous sunshine. I might not be able to enjoy the flowers of the forest but i'm not going to pass up this chartreuse green of newly growing leaves....
 |
| I love this chartreuse green of early spring and the first leafing out of trees... too bad about those Pines in the background...stupid Pine Beetle... |
and this weekend I will put in my garden... I can't wait....
I'm off.... see ya.... and hope spring is full of new life for you too.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Out Of One Swirling Vortex And Into The Next
Ok so I've managed to kick the habit of online games for the time being.... but just as I've managed to climb out of one swirling vortex I find myself slipping into another one.... I love my lace knitting... and I didn't do the dragon scarf as planned... I just happened to pick up a lace knitting book and saw a shawl that I've always thought I would do but never have found the time or the right yarn... well, looking at that pattern sucked me out of the other vortex and sent me straight down this one. I started balling up the yarn while elevating the ankle yesterday and then out came the new knitting needles I purchased at the Environmental Extravaganza (giant garage sale). I should have kept picking cashmere.... but oh it was so pretty.... I couldn't help myself... and six inches in and 162 stitches later I'm hooked. The pattern is the Fan Stitch Half Circle Shawl from Traditional Knitted Lace from Interweave Press by Martha Waterman.
This is it.....
Hey! I look pretty good with the lower part of my face covered up.... I should wear a veil all the time... (my inner mind tells me that only a Burqa would do the trick)!
By the time I get this shawl knit I will have over 20,000 stitches on.... that is if I have the stamina for that. We'll see. Anyway, I did not get a lot done once I got going on this... and that is all I want to do... not the level 4 homework at all.... I'm in big trouble aren't I?
But I'm not going to be able to work on it constantly because by the time I was finished last night my neck felt like it was going to fall off and my head was going to roll out the door like the proverbial meatball. (You know... On top of spaghetti... all covered in cheese, I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed... yep that was my head last night.) I am allowing myself to work on it only at night...(hurry night, hurry night)!
So now I find myself really wanting to work on one thing while having to work on something else.... what is wrong with me?! Argh!
(Don't answer that...)
This is it.....
 |
| Hope You can read backwards.... |
 |
| It looks better close up... |
 |
| Of course pictures never do anything justice.... and this in particular.... especially me in the background with the hockey hair going on... |
By the time I get this shawl knit I will have over 20,000 stitches on.... that is if I have the stamina for that. We'll see. Anyway, I did not get a lot done once I got going on this... and that is all I want to do... not the level 4 homework at all.... I'm in big trouble aren't I?
But I'm not going to be able to work on it constantly because by the time I was finished last night my neck felt like it was going to fall off and my head was going to roll out the door like the proverbial meatball. (You know... On top of spaghetti... all covered in cheese, I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed... yep that was my head last night.) I am allowing myself to work on it only at night...(hurry night, hurry night)!
So now I find myself really wanting to work on one thing while having to work on something else.... what is wrong with me?! Argh!
(Don't answer that...)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Phssssstttt! Blowing Strawberries Is Really Quite Fun!
I seem to be taking an inordinate number of photos of my feet/foot for this blog... weird!
The treadle foot is raging today so I'm picking cashmere for the 150 hour project.
Now that I have that off my chest I have to fess up... I have been caught in a vortex of my own doing this last two weeks. I have discovered the nasty, time-sucking, adventure of Garden of Time on Facebook (it's a game) and have been playing far too much. (Teapot says that my need for furniture moving has caught up with me as I really haven't moved it much since the house reno two years ago... and Garden of Time is like moving furniture only in computer land... either way I'm stuck good and fast in this stupid vortex and I'm really trying to get out of it). I'm still getting stuff done... stuff that needs to be done but those dust bunnies are getting pretty ferocious again and I feel that it is important to put computer-land on the back burner for a few days. I have decided to only do write-ups on the computer and write for my blog for the next few days. (No Facebook.... No Facebook.... I just have to keep telling myself that.)
On Monday, after the birthday celebrations at my parents house I walked out on their front steps with my new camera and promptly popped the battery cover by accident and then watched as the rechargeable battery for my camera rolled across the board it landed on and then down between them and onto the ground beneath the veranda. Problem... the space beneath the deck cannot be accessed without a hammer and nails so the stupid battery is a write off.... result.... I can't get pictures off my camera until I go to town next time and purchase a new battery pack. : ( However, the pictures we took that day are funny and I will show them as soon as I can.
Meanwhile I've been planning a project that has nothing to do with my level 4 homework.... but it is something that I really want to do.... I've wanted to knit a lace scarf for a very long time. I finally settled on a pattern last night... I am going to knit the dragon scarf from the last Piecework magazine..... with... da da da da da drum roll please.... this....
I can't wait.....
I just felt that that Yarn Harlot and that Spindle Princess were having way too much fun.... so I'm going to finish something.... I can do this right?!
Anyway, I had better go back to picking some more cashmere.... my foot is swelling again... : (
Anyway, go blow some strawberries,... it really does make you feel better.... and it is even more fun if you can find a baby's tummy to blow them against..... it makes them giggle and barring that you can always try blowing a few on your husband's/wife's tummy.... they may not giggle but you'll get some strange looks that will make you smile... I guarantee it!
The treadle foot is raging today so I'm picking cashmere for the 150 hour project.
Now that I have that off my chest I have to fess up... I have been caught in a vortex of my own doing this last two weeks. I have discovered the nasty, time-sucking, adventure of Garden of Time on Facebook (it's a game) and have been playing far too much. (Teapot says that my need for furniture moving has caught up with me as I really haven't moved it much since the house reno two years ago... and Garden of Time is like moving furniture only in computer land... either way I'm stuck good and fast in this stupid vortex and I'm really trying to get out of it). I'm still getting stuff done... stuff that needs to be done but those dust bunnies are getting pretty ferocious again and I feel that it is important to put computer-land on the back burner for a few days. I have decided to only do write-ups on the computer and write for my blog for the next few days. (No Facebook.... No Facebook.... I just have to keep telling myself that.)
On Monday, after the birthday celebrations at my parents house I walked out on their front steps with my new camera and promptly popped the battery cover by accident and then watched as the rechargeable battery for my camera rolled across the board it landed on and then down between them and onto the ground beneath the veranda. Problem... the space beneath the deck cannot be accessed without a hammer and nails so the stupid battery is a write off.... result.... I can't get pictures off my camera until I go to town next time and purchase a new battery pack. : ( However, the pictures we took that day are funny and I will show them as soon as I can.
Meanwhile I've been planning a project that has nothing to do with my level 4 homework.... but it is something that I really want to do.... I've wanted to knit a lace scarf for a very long time. I finally settled on a pattern last night... I am going to knit the dragon scarf from the last Piecework magazine..... with... da da da da da drum roll please.... this....
I just felt that that Yarn Harlot and that Spindle Princess were having way too much fun.... so I'm going to finish something.... I can do this right?!
Anyway, I had better go back to picking some more cashmere.... my foot is swelling again... : (
Anyway, go blow some strawberries,... it really does make you feel better.... and it is even more fun if you can find a baby's tummy to blow them against..... it makes them giggle and barring that you can always try blowing a few on your husband's/wife's tummy.... they may not giggle but you'll get some strange looks that will make you smile... I guarantee it!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Hazy Daze
Well it sure has been hazy daze around here. The air is thick with smoke in our neck of the woods. I can't understand yahoos who think that this is a good time to burn grass... that ended over a week ago. Teapot has not been burning for days. To the east of us poor Slave Lake is burning. I can only imagine how the people of that community must be feeling. I see the pictures of melted cars and thank God that that wasn't us last week when we had our brush with fire. I think that having snow right up to the May long weekend is not so bad in retrospect of what's been happening. We have a long summer ahead of us and a dry forest to the side of us... a worry for sure. It looks like we will get rain today... and I am praying for that.... and that it will move to the east of us and relieve some of those people with fire threatening them in Alberta.
Well, as you know, yesterday was Daughter #2's birthday. She turned 14 and what a day we had. Lovely weather and a trip to FSJ to go shopping. She got herself some jeans and a top and a book. then we went for lunch and bought a cake at the Bakery and then headed home. She had wanted to go to the pet store but I'm a little too raw with Tootsie's death to go purposely looking at pets. Besides it's really hard to get out of the pet store with just a few pet toys, so I turned her down on that one. Then Opa took us all out for dinner at one of the local restaurants. She finished her book just as she was heading for bed last night. Even Daughter #1 got in on the celebrations and skipped school for some shopping in town. (Yes, I know. I let my kids skip school.... well, we only do it once a year! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)
Working back from there.... Hmmm... Saturday was a lovely day with a visit from the NPSW. We had organized a trip, as we do each year, for all the gang to come and visit their sister guild here in H.H. (which seems to be down to just me and CJ at the moment). We had a lovely day spinning and prepping wool for a fibre challenge. What's that, you say?! Well, I had come up with this idea to challenge everyone to stretch their imagination and bring 50grams of spun of unspun fibre to throw into the dye pots that I would have going when they got here... then we would pass around a little bag of scraps of paper with individual challenges on them. The challenge is to create something with your fibre that accommodates what's written on the scrap of paper that you draw. So the challenges went like this.
Weave
Knit
Felt
Crochet
Stitch
one of the following...
Celestial
Boreal
Terrestrial
Oceanic
Spiritual
Climatic
So for example if you received Weave and Celestial then you have to weave something with your fibre but you also have to incorporate something that represents the word celestial. I'm weaving a star pillow. with Northern lights represented somehow.... I think... (can you tell that I was the one who got Weave and Celestial).
So there you have it... it was a fun day. Sunday was a day to finish the level 4 homework (except for the 150 hour project), which I did. All I have left to do is work on a few write ups today and then tomorrow I will begin the 150 hour project in earnest.
So here are a few pictures from the last few days.
Hopefully I can remove the pictures from my camera of Daughter #2' birthday... and post them tomorrow...
Well, as you know, yesterday was Daughter #2's birthday. She turned 14 and what a day we had. Lovely weather and a trip to FSJ to go shopping. She got herself some jeans and a top and a book. then we went for lunch and bought a cake at the Bakery and then headed home. She had wanted to go to the pet store but I'm a little too raw with Tootsie's death to go purposely looking at pets. Besides it's really hard to get out of the pet store with just a few pet toys, so I turned her down on that one. Then Opa took us all out for dinner at one of the local restaurants. She finished her book just as she was heading for bed last night. Even Daughter #1 got in on the celebrations and skipped school for some shopping in town. (Yes, I know. I let my kids skip school.... well, we only do it once a year! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!)
Working back from there.... Hmmm... Saturday was a lovely day with a visit from the NPSW. We had organized a trip, as we do each year, for all the gang to come and visit their sister guild here in H.H. (which seems to be down to just me and CJ at the moment). We had a lovely day spinning and prepping wool for a fibre challenge. What's that, you say?! Well, I had come up with this idea to challenge everyone to stretch their imagination and bring 50grams of spun of unspun fibre to throw into the dye pots that I would have going when they got here... then we would pass around a little bag of scraps of paper with individual challenges on them. The challenge is to create something with your fibre that accommodates what's written on the scrap of paper that you draw. So the challenges went like this.
Weave
Knit
Felt
Crochet
Stitch
one of the following...
Celestial
Boreal
Terrestrial
Oceanic
Spiritual
Climatic
So for example if you received Weave and Celestial then you have to weave something with your fibre but you also have to incorporate something that represents the word celestial. I'm weaving a star pillow. with Northern lights represented somehow.... I think... (can you tell that I was the one who got Weave and Celestial).
So there you have it... it was a fun day. Sunday was a day to finish the level 4 homework (except for the 150 hour project), which I did. All I have left to do is work on a few write ups today and then tomorrow I will begin the 150 hour project in earnest.
So here are a few pictures from the last few days.
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| The new lambs gamboling about with their step sister and their mom.... |
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| My first Bucle.... |
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| My spiral yarn... |
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| Another kick at the can for flax... |
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| Shades of Grey... |
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