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A half wrap-up of the weekend

Mar 14th, 2011 by Diane T

Um, yeah in case you didn’t already figure it out, I had fun  last weekend. The Fiber Retreat is a homegrown, relaxed sort of affair and if you go expecting intense sessions in technical aspects of fiber arts, you’ll be disappointed. But if you’re fine with small classes (7-12 students each) with plenty of time to pick up a few hints and tips and get to know the teachers on a  personal level you won’t be disappointed.

Because most everyone was from Missouri, there was a six-degrees-of-separation thing going on. Your lunch mate knows someone who knows someone who you know kind of thing.  Classes are held cheek by jowl in one room — the same room where meals are served. The vendor market is next door and there isn’t an inch of wasted space. It’s small, not more than 20 sellers but the quality and variety are good, especially if you’re a spinner. If the vendor isn’t around, she’s probably teaching a class or grabbing a bite to eat. If you can find her in the crowd and wave money in the air you’re all set.

There’s a waiting list for new vendor spots and many of the students seemed to take pride is saying that this was their third, fourth or fifth year, all signs of a can’t-miss event.

I bought some stuff — lavender bunny fiber! I took 3 classes — oooh, pretty dyed yarn — and ate too much junk food. Pictures next time.

And I won a drum carder. It took 2 five-dollar bills and 12 raffle tickets and I never dreamed when I left here Friday that I’d be doubling the value of my spinning tools by Sunday. It’s still all wrapped up and I won’t be able to get it functioning for a day or two but soon.

Love new toys.

Hope this is coherent, I’m yawning so much I can’t see to type. Of course work kicked my butt today and there’s an early morning potential crisis to prepare for, so it’s time to collect the cats from various corners and head to bed.

Sleep tight, chickadees.

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OooooMmmmG!

Mar 12th, 2011 by Diane T

I just won a drum carder!!!!!!! It’s huge!
Must buy more fiber!!!!_!

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Future yarn?

Mar 12th, 2011 by Diane T

image

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Going mobile

Mar 12th, 2011 by Diane T

I’ve arrived at the Fiber Retreat and it’s a blast. If there’s time and I can figure it out I”ll post pics later. Now it’s time to get coffee, oil the wheel (no lube necessary Cookie) and head for class!

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Window display

Mar 6th, 2011 by Diane T


How much is that kitty in the window

Shop Kitty resides in one of the stores on our town square, a resident since kittenhood. The owners leave her there every weekend after they close up shop on Saturday and she spends her Sundays in the window, alternating napping with watching the occasional pedestrian.

When she was a baby, she used to cry and paw at the window when anyone would stop to window shop. It bothered me that someone would leave a kitten all alone every weekend instead of taking her home to curl up at the foot of the bed and then return to work with them on a Monday morning. What kind of a life is that for an animal to be locked in a shop by themselves for long days?

I thought more than once about confronting the owners and asking them if they knew how their kitten cried for attention every Sunday. But I didn’t. Instead I stopped shopping there and eventually took another route on my walks so I wouldn’t see the poor lonely thing.

Now that Shop Kitty is older she’s accepted she’s not going to be rescued. She ignores passersby, barely acknowledging my presence today, opening one eye before going back to her catnap in the sun.

And I still don’t shop there.

~~

I finally joined the 21st century and bought a smart phone. I think the “smart” goes in front of  “-aleck”. At some point in the message system, it says something like “You haven’t used me in a while. Why don’t you call someone now?” I’ve seen the message a couple times but can’t find it now because the phone is still smarter than I am. Like it’s graduated high school and I’m a doofus 8th grader. I can make a call with it and shoot a picture but  I haven’t figured out how to open an attachment and can’t figure out how — or if I want  –to sync with my computer. And the touch screen keyboard? Horrible, terrible, not so hot, very bad idea. Fortunately the model I bought has a hard keyboard so I can hunt and peck my way through short emails and text messages.

The picture above? Taken with the smart phone, emailed to myself and except for resizing and sharpening it a little, I didn’t do any editing. So you know what that means? My phone is smart enough to tell me that my 7-year-old camera really has outlived itself because it never would have taken a shot this good. (Hard to see once I reduced it but it was excellent.)

And buying a new camera may just make me regress to kindergarten. Ugh.

And just so you know it’s a Droid, almost wavered and bought an iPhone but I find my attitude towards Jobs/Apple is undergoing a change and I’m not sure I’m comfortable with Apple anymore. Although they make sexy toys the attitude is too much to take.

~~

Work has exploded but fortunately it should be for just another few days and this special project will be behind us and I can go back to being busy, but not crazy-town busy. I did have a pseudo performance review (I get a pass on the real one for the first year) in which I was told very nicely “If you qualified, we’d give you a bonus and a promotion, but you don’t qualify yet, so, um, thanks and keep up the good work.”  Sigh.

~~

Next weekend is the Fiber Retreat and I’ve started preparing. I dusted off the spinning wheel and then laid in provisions for the trip: a bottle of tequila, margarita mix, limes, and plenty of snacks. I already have the salt. Now I need to see if the hand blender can make a slushy margarita. If not, we’ll rough it and drink them on the rocks. Still need to throw some socks in a suitcase and I’m ready to go.

~~

And now it’s time to gather up all the odds and ends thrown all over the house this weekend and get prepared for another week on the merry-go-round. Have a good one chickadees.


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Ten on Tuesday, drink up

Feb 22nd, 2011 by Diane T

I knew when I saw this week’s topic — ten favorite cocktails/mocktails — that I’d never make it to ten. I drink the same thing over and over.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a martini and the last time I had a Manhattan I was a 17-year-old exchange student in Ecuador. At the welcoming reception they were handing out room-temperature brown drinks, with a maraschino cherry and no ice. They were nasty and I haven’t touched one since.

Let’s be honest here, I seldom order a drink in a restaurant because I think they’re overpriced and don’t always taste that great, so unless I have all the ingredients on hand for something special like a pina colada, I stick with the tried and true.

So, if it’s not wine or champagne or the occasional beer, here’s what I drink:

  1. Gin and tonic with extra lime. My favorite summer drink.
  2. Margarita on the rocks. With salt. The best ones taste like fresh limes with a kick.
  3. In college, we made up a drink where you mix frozen limeade and vodka (or maybe it was gin) in a blender. A little water, a little crushed ice and you have a grown up slushy.  You can throw in some strawberries if you’re so inclined. Haven’t had one in years but I remember we didn’t usually need more than one to make the party merry. By the way the drinking age was 18 then, not that it much mattered.
  4. Non-alcoholic: cranberry juice, club soda and — yes– lime. This is actually more Jack’s favorite, but it is refreshing.
  5. Bloody Mary made with spicy V-8. When you’re having one of those days, along with cheese and crackers, it can do for dinner.
  6. An occasional pina colada, because who can resist pineapple and coconut?
  7. Mojitos, yum.

And that’s it. Yes, I know I’m in a rut.

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Yulie!

Feb 20th, 2011 by Diane T

So here’s a shot of the little bit of knitting that got finished this winter. It’s a Yulie! There isn’t an ! in the pattern but for some reason the name just makes me think there should be one, like you should always say it with great excitement. Or a Swedish accent: Yumping Yulie!

I knew I had to make it when I saw Claudia’s last fall and then I knew it was the right decision when Gayle and I finished ours about the same time.

It was a fun knit and I’ve been wearing it a lot. The yarn is worsted weight but it’s lace, so there are holes which keep it from being all that warm. The upside is that it doesn’t squoosh your hair so it’s perfect for those short trips from the car to the office when it’s 15 degrees out and you look like you’re ready for Crazy Town if you’re not wearing a hat.

The idea behind Yulie! is to knit it with two contrasting yarns so you get a neat spiraling effect. But I found some Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Handpaint Originals marinating in the stash along with some hand dyed Oak Grove Studios kid mohair/merino blend and the colors went together perfectly. They were made for each other so how could I not?  Having stash is a thing of beauty when the urge to knit hits on a late Saturday afternoon. Shop at home chickadee.

I was so enamoured with the colors for the Yulie I decided I needed gloves to match. One down and one to the fingertips and I’m stuck. The first glove flowed off the needles and the second one, not so much. Mostly because I got confused with changing the directions for the right hand, had to rip back and then life got in the way and there the glove sat for a month. I’ve reread the pattern a few times, think there’s a mistake so last night I pulled out a bunch of different glove patterns, read through them and have been winging it. It’s taking longer than blindly following a pattern but I understand this glove construction better now and won’t be so concerned about following a pattern anymore. I’d like to finish them because I think gloves could be a new passion. Think of all that handspun sitting on the coffee table in small quantities. Sounds like a plan, no? Yes!

And even though I hate having my picture taken:

Yulie and almost gloves

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February brain chatter

Feb 6th, 2011 by Diane T

February??!!?? When did it get to be February!!??

~~

My azalea is blooming again. This little plant was a gift sent to Jack while he was in the hospital more than 10 years ago.  It was from a distant business associate and the relationship wasn’t all that cordial so it made the gift all the more surprising.  Anyway, the azalea was lovely and when it stopped blooming I kept it just to see what would happen. Every year it blooms without fail although both blossoms and leaves are fewer.  I suppose I should repot it and maybe remember to fertilize it during the year. It always helps me get through the winter doldrums and I don’t repay it with very good care.

~~

I’m not really sick of winter but I tell ya I’m sick of wearing heavy clothes. Tired of woolen coats, gloves, hats, scarves, boots, wool socks, sweat shirts and long pants. I feel clumsy and encumbered all the time, keeping track of where I left my gloves and what hat to wear to balance style vs. warmth.

I’m tired of having to dress up to go outside, to put on shoes just to feed the birds on the deck. I feel like the Michelin man when I get all my clothes on, barely able to move and my arms swing two feet away from my body.

I long to fret over whether my bare toes need a pedi or if they’re fit for sandals as is. I want to go shopping for this year’s flip flops. /sigh

~~

So I was laying in bed yesterday morning contemplating leaving my blanket-cocoon (it was a two-cat night) for the frigid floor (OK, I know at least one person who will laugh because it was probably 65 degrees, hardly frigid by her standards — but I digress) and I realized I haven’t had a Diet Pepsi for a week. A week. I have been a daily soda-for-lunch person for as long as I can remember and have several times tried and failed to break the habit.

Not sure what happened except that I’ve started drinking caffeinated tea or coffee a few mornings a week and now have little desire for soda. Or maybe the cold weather has turned me off  ice-cold drinks.

Just for kicks I opened a DP for lunch and it was…OK. Nothing I couldn’t live without. We’ll see if it lasts when spring comes.

~~

Work is leveling out. I’m more comfortable in my role and while the tech issues aren’t resolved they’re inching to a resolution. No wonder they don’t hire and fire very often, it’s complicated and exhausting to bring on new employees.  I almost had my first business trip but then my boss’ boss decided he needed to attend the meeting so I’ll stay home and mind the store. OK by me really since they’re traveling to the frozen northeast and I’m guessing the trip will be a nightmare.

~~

Some kind of hawk landed on our deck yesterday to check out the avian buffet we were attracting. Since said buffet scattered on his arrival, he didn’t stay long. Neat to see one so close but I’d prefer not to be in the business of fattening up his luncheon.

~~

I’ve been knitting and spinning a little but not as much as usual this time of  year. There are nights after dinner that I sit down to read the paper and wake up in time for bed. It’s a tired brain more than a tired body and I’m simply reacting to stress. Since it does me no good I’ve started hitting the elliptical for half an hour after dinner. It never sounds appealing but I always feel better afterward so I just Do It. Now to add some strength training in there to counterbalance the effects of sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day. And knock off the desserts.

~~

Speaking of spring, — we were, weren’t we? — Evie and I got together last weekend to talk Garden. What we’d like to plant, how we’re going to organize the beds, what we have room for. Despite opening the conversation with “we’re going to keep it simple this year” by the end of the two hours I of course had Big Plans.

We’re hoping the organizing group is a little more proactive this year but since the website hasn’t been updated since last September I’m not betting the farm on it.

I keep meaning to do an update on the straw-bale gardening we did last year and perhaps I can get to that this week. It was fun to leaf through the seed catalogs and realize that in about 6 weeks we should be able to plant early crops. Maybe.

~~

Today is the official end of holiday over indulging for us. It’s Super Bowl Sunday, marked in this household by our annual pilgrimage to KFC-land, home to sodium, fat and cholesterol. Please don’t tell me how bad this stuff is, I know. For this one day, I don’t care. Tomorrow we’ll break out the fish and salads again and the damn-the-calories-full-fat-ahead attitude will be stuffed back in the closet until next winter.

Original recipe, white meat, potatoes with gravy and a side of cole slaw. Water, no soda this year.

If they ever stop playing the Super Bowl (hah) KFC will be dead to me.

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Posted in garden, Life | 6 Comments »

They got it right this time

Feb 1st, 2011 by Diane T

All those weather bunnies getting hysterical over the Storm of the Century? They’re pretty close on this one. I’m happy I don’t need to be anywhere tonight because I doubt I’d make it. It’s snowin’ and blowin’ and goin’ down toward zero. Just walking to the mailbox was an adventure. Facing away from the wind it was bracing. On the way back, the wind-driven snow made me question whether two bills and a catalog were worth the effort.

We probably have 8? 10? inches of snow so far and the wind has made big drifts against the sides of the house more than a foot deep. Our boy cat doesn’t understand that the weather is the same outside of all the doors so I have to open one for his inspection. Several times an evening. Yeah, he’s a pain in the ass but he adores me so I put up with him. Imagine his surprise when I opened the front door and there was a wall of snow taller than he is that collapsed in on him. Um, yeah, that put an end to the annoying whining to go out.

Schools are closed tomorrow and Jack’s doctor’s appointment was canceled for the morning. Commuting to work is doubtful but since I can function nearly as well at home — I do miss my double monitors — it’s no biggie. While areas south of us got a fair amount of ice, we were spared so there’s not much threat of losing power.

Just an old fashioned blizzard. An excellent night to fire up the spinning wheel, put a video on and not even consider getting behind the wheel of a car.

Who wants to make a snow fort tomorrow? I might be a little late, but you can start without me.

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Sweet mail

Jan 23rd, 2011 by Diane T

So I got a postcard in the mail on Friday which I’ve been waiting for forever. Sort of like Charlie Brown checking the mailbox looking for the Valentine from the little red-haired girl.

This is better than a Valentine, this is my registration to Fiber Retreat 2011!!!! I got my first choices: a silk-spinning class, a dye class and a worsted/woolen spinning class.

Although I may be in over my head with the last one since I just noticed it’s an intermediate class and calls for things like hand cards, flicker brushes and a lap cloth, none of which I own/have ever used. And oil. Just what they mean by “oil” is up in the air. Are we talking massage oil, WD-40, canola oil, olive oil, mineral oil or any of the other half-dozen versions scattered around the house? And how much oil? A drop, a cup or do you think half a gallon will be enough?

So all you spinners out there, give this newbie some clue please as to what I should buy for cards/brushes/oil so I don’t completely disgrace myself.

Since this is sponsored by our university extension service, the whole weekend is incredibly inexpensive. Oh, OK, let’s just say it, it’s downright cheap. Some friends and I are sharing rooms and the cost for the registration includes meals. The most expensive part of the weekend will be the market. Nothing new there.

In any case, I’m looking forward to a couple days away immersed in fiber fumes. It’s been a while since I’ve taken fiber classes of any kind and I hadn’t realized how much I miss it. Here’s hoping the woodworker doesn’t forget to feed the cats while I’m gone.

March can’t come soon enough. Le sigh.

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