It's Monday, therefore I ramble

As I shopped around the NY Sheep and Wool festival, I kept in mind my need for a new scarf. Yes, you heard me...NEED. I had plenty of temptations, but only one fit the bill.
The yarn is Foxfire Cormo Alpaca Classic in colorway Sumac. I am a huge fan of Foxfire yarn. I have loved them from afar for years at the Rhinebecks of the world. Or of MY world, anyway. This was the year of the Foxfire! The pattern is called Wind Rows by Lisa Lloyd which they sold at Foxfire, lucky for me. (If you are interested in the scarf pattern, I cannot find any evidence online that it indeed exists but I'm sure that you could call and ask them. The old fashioned way!) The scarf is still in progress but is being knit fast. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to feel passion about the knitting again. It's been a while. Welcome back, knitting ennui BE GONE!
I would recommend nay! Prescribe this scarf and yarn to cure you if you suffer the symptoms.
The yarn? Soft and squishy feeling, the color saturated and rich with small variations in the colorations that add interest without being glaring! The pattern is the perfect balance of easy without being boring. (Hey LI~ The pattern is similar in technique to your Herringbone rib. I thought of you during the knitting!)(Don't forget knitters, Li's Herringbone rib scarf pattern is free for the polite asking)
Wind Rows closeup:

I can't wait to wrap it around my neck. And though that sounds a bit murderous and raging, I mean it as the highest of compliments to the scarf.

I hold this lovely yarn as a yearly pilgrimage at the Foxfire booth. It is Cormo-silk in the loveliest of natural colors (am I the only one thinking of a fashion show right now? Lovely Cormo-Silk is wearing the most classic of colors this season, Autumn mist, aka IVORY :) ) This year after the holding, I paid for it and brought it home. Finally. I have never had such a long distance love affair with a yarn before. This yarn? Heavenly. I know that perhaps I can throw that descriptive word around willy nilly when it comes to yarn but I now revoke it all times previously used and assign it only to this yarn. I mean it. This yarn has big plans to become mittens from Folk Knitting which will be twin mittens to Norma's mitts of the same. Identical twin mittens.
We are that weird, it appears.
How did this happen?

Okay, I'm over it, the weirdness.
How about blogging some cold?

Cold never looked as good as my new Refrigerator (a Frigidaire stainless look alike) especially after not having cold for over 3 days!
My kids used to call it a "FRIFFERATOR" so I can't quite get over calling it that.

Ode to the Eveready Diner

"I saw it on the Food Network" I told Leigh and Norma, imploring that we must eat at the Eveready Diner not only for breakfast but for dinner. They agreed, perhaps a bit reluctantly but hey, I had heard it on the Food Network! What I failed to tell them? That I saw it on a show called Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Frankly, I was afraid to admit to the title of the show, lest they believe they were headed for the DIVE portion of the program. I have to admit that I was a bit worried because if it was not GOOD, I would hear it. I mean, I would have given it to them ALL weekend long if I had an icky meal at their insistence! Fair is fair, right?
I do believe that after we raved about the place to everyone who would listen and a couple who would not listen that more knitters ate there the second night. We? Ate there a total of 3 times last weekend. 3. Times. 2 dinners and a breakfast. We planned to go again for breakfast on Sunday morning but decided that perhaps we had eaten enough. This is most likely when we headed right for the chocolate booth at the NY sheep and Wool, but that is neither here nor there.
So here we have, a pictorial Ode to the Eveready!

Seafood Risotto, not your average diner food! I loved it! I wish I had some for tonight!

Norma's Filet Mignon dinner. Should have been called super filet!

Leigh's herb crusted salmon with lobster cream sauce!!! I mean, have you EVER???

Norma enjoying her margarita! Went down very smooth, as did the second one, as I recall! (does that lady in the background crack you up? or is it just me?)

Cabernet for me and Peachy Keen drink for Leigh! (it had sherbet in it!)

2nd Margarita!

Ass Watch for Dave! I tried to get this guy's BEST SIDE over and over. He moved quickly!

another cute one :D

HEY! I am an equal opportunity ass watcher! Not only the young have a beautiful posterior! Some have character!

Do what the clock tells you to....

Sandwiches, pies and Sundaes! (pies are good, I can tell ya!)

name your poison!

Leigh and Ed, he's all hepped up on caffeine!

Huh. Not a great place for an AA meeting

Lots of lights, very kitchy

Leigh and her Cosmo, a happy pair!

What's a diner without friends? Ruth and her beautiful baby!
~~
In review: The Eveready Diner. Eat there.
~~~
Hey Cara, Ann and Vicki! (was there anyone else at your table? I was so busy fogging up the window and making hearts I did not look at everyone!) What did you eat? I'm hoping you loved it! (honestly? If you did not? Cripes, girls! What the heck??!)
:D

Quick pics

What does one say about a fun weekend that went by like a blur?
There were:
People!

My Norma and Jessalu! I finally got to meet me some Jessalu! She gave me a Brian Regan DVD! Thanks, Jess! If you have not yet heard Brian Regan, I implore you to.
and

ChappysMom and Chappy's Mom's Mom. Easier to say Chappy's PEOPLE, I guess!
and

Lots of former Bostonians. I miss them all!
Wendy, Jackie, Elyse and I see Melanie in there too!
and

Minestrone Kate and Stoneview Julie! I had to drive approximately 1369 miles* from home to meet them but they live within 20 miles of me.
*yes, that's an exaggeration for emphasis
and

Soap Star Ryan and Carole, an all star friend and future huge star Abigail, Norma's beautiful Abigail.
and sheep of some sort:


and dogs (this one was sold and waiting to be picked up by his new owners)

Straight up artichoke love (my first time having the artichokes french (not fried) and won't be the last!

Tips are hip:

Which I can imagine.
Overindulged pumpkins, some pumpkins cannot handle their sheep and wool festivals: (carved by CIA students)

And funky hat wearing men:

That is one man secure in his manhood, is it not?
~~~
And finally?
A riddle.
Q: When a knitter goes on a weekend trip to the NY Sheep and wool festival, spending loads of dough before even stepping into the festival and then buys a couple of things but then all of a sudden goes hog wild and purchases a kit from Philosophers Wool that she justifies will be put away by said knitters' husband for a Christmas gift (INTAKE OF AIR) And that knitter and her husband just spent a medium fortune on house repairs also..
continuation of Q: What do you think happens next?
A: Her refrigerator will indeed die.
Yes.
(Serenity now)

I was looking up

There is so much to say about having a wonderful weekend. But for now, I'll just say hello and give you my promise ring that I'll be back later today to expound.
This morning I awoke and wondered if it all had been a dream?
It couldn't be, could it?

I'll be there AND I'm a square

I'll be wearing one or two of these buttons. I'm a square on Saturday.
I'll be knitting on this:

Flyingdales Cardigan in Beaverslide yarn. Say that 3 times fast.
And.
My hands will look lovely, kind of like THIS:

All together now...Oooh lala!
Study this face:

Imagine hair a bit longer but the smile is the same. I want to be wearing the same sweater. The weather may not cooperate.
Now. Your assignment? Find me at Rhinebeck and talk to me. I'll be taking it all in, hopefully not lugging too many bundles around. I should bring the bag full of stuff that is still sitting new from last year to remind me.
Hope to see you there. If you can't make it, I'll let the moths out of my wallet at least once to purchase something to have a post Rhinebeck contest with. That should be fun!

handy

as always, click picture to be whisked to flickr land
My hands are a wreck. And that has nothing to do with the wonderful flower photo. Flowers courtesy of my neighbor. I kept driving by that combo of daisy on dahlia and had to run back out there today to take it's photo. Anyway, my hands. They always have been quite the trainwreck, skin-wise. My skin is dry, flaky and I get those annoying and painful cracks. Every winter I think I have found the cure, kind of like when people see the Virgin Mary on their toast, I guess. Just wishful thinking.
In the whole "take care of my hands" fling, I have been wanting to get a manicure. Just because. I find myself saying things like "hey, I deserve it" a lot lately. Don't make me justify myself because I will. But the thought of entering those walmart type of nail salons that have invaded every street corner in town just makes me run cold. You know the salons, you can smell the toxic smells about a mile away? How can that be good for anyone?
The internets sometimes does wonderful things because when I searched for nail salons in my town, one looked a bit different, Bodiscience. Now, I admit to some it looking all mumbo jumbo-ey and all, but am I alone in thinking that a Warm Stone Hand Treatment sounds wonderous? Or even just the Hand Treatment complete with hydrating the delicate skin of my hands? All that and a manicure too?
I have an appointment on Thursday. Unfortunately they don't recommend polish after having the warm stone treatment so I'll have to go back for that another day. Oh, and they do not do the fake nails so the smell will not be toxic in there.
I may have to fight off a bit of mumbo jumbo but it seems promising and sometimes a little fight is worth it, right?
(I'll let you know...)
(I'll have good looking hands right in time for Rhinebeck. Coincidence? Not)
I also had a dream last night that I hired a Cleaning couple to clean my house. They did a great job too. I woke up feeling refreshed and not overwhelmed.
Hey, I can dream, can't I?

The tale of 2 doors.

The before door:

Honestly? Andy wanted to get a new door. But the doors I have seen out there do not thrill me. I guess I have fancy schmancy taste in doors or something. And now that we are poor and all, from all of the new porch construction and stuff, spending many a dollar on a suitable door does not thrill me. Not when we have a perfectly good old wooden door right now. And you know what they say? They don't make 'em like they used to. Which is a true statement. But my real reason, truth be told?
My doorknob love. I love that doorknob! I can't help myself! I think it is the most handsome doorknob I've ever seen. And new door's doorknob will not hold a candle to my old guy, no offense to all you new doorknob lovers out there. I cannot part with the knob.
So I started a weekend project of stripping the door!

After many many many an hour spent laboring over that door, I have a cramped up hand, a jammed thumb, stained skin, an ache in my back, freezing cold feet and a door that is semi stripped.
It's a tale of 2 doors.
The upper part of the door stripped like a dream. Although it has a couple of stubborn spots, it's nothing a few pieces of sandpaper wont' fix. I could see the potential and got all excited.

This was fun.
Then.
Long about a day and a half into it.
The bottom of the door:

I can't believe that it is related to the top of the door. The wood is sticky and wet feeling and the paint will not budge. It is not coming off. Not. Coming. Off. And the reason is just beyond me.
I'm not really a quitter, but I knew that the setting sun was the beacon of the end of this project. For now. I'm not sure if Andy will get his way and get a new door or not, but for now this door will stand up where it belongs. It has stood strong for as long as this house has been here. 103 years. I really hate to give up.
But for now? I'm going to do what any warrior who has taken a licking would do.
Make chicken soup.
Well? What would you do?
I need soup. That will help.
~~~~
P.S.
5 more sleeps until Rhinebeck!
~~~
Oh and we are painting the house too.

New color on left, old on right. It's Navy Blue. What else should a blue house wear when it lives by the sea?

Message from Fig

Fig here. Mom can't come to the blog right now, she's busy doing something called "stripping a door". What kind of clothes does a door wear, anyway? And how long should that take? Dad is on a ladder making lots of noise, something about scraping paint? I don't know about these humans. After all, I need my beauty sleep.
Come back later. You can feed me some tuna.

First off..

Surely, there is some category of blogging days that I can fit this into? Thingy Thursday? Crack up Thursday? Comic Thursday? One picture cracks me up Thursday? Thorny Thursday?
Whatever to call it, this made me laugh. Perhaps because I can relate?

by Arnie Levin
(Psst...8 more sleeps until I go to Rhinebeck. See you there?)

it's not easy being green

For the lack of anything knitting (although I did help a coworker out of a knitting hat jam, which is hardly noteworthy!) I give you..
avocado cam.

Such majestic leaves! He is so pretty! (the phrase that just KILLS my kids. They claim that a HE can't and shouldn't be PRETTY! I beg to differ. So, HE is PRETTY!)
(Although I really cannot tell if it's a Mr. Avocado or a Miss Avocado and I'm not looking that closely!)
And how tall?
Look for yourself:

A tall drink of water standing at about a foot and half tall. They grow so fast!
I fear that my reputation is moving into "plant lady" territory when I came into work and saw this sitting on my desk!

I'd like to introduce you to Miss Clivia. She is pretty too, standing in a fan shape. And apparently she flowers! Roots crossed for that occasion. For now? I'm just hoping for a good adjustment to her new home. It's a tough transition you know, for little plants to be taken from their home and into an adopted home. They have to get used to everything again. Some don't make it.
And finally, an archaeological dig of sorts. These are all bottles dug up from our yard during the construction. And not one little green toy army man was found, which is unusual. They seem to be in abundance in this yard!

I love old bottles. I love how they look, the writing on them and the color. But mostly? I love that they have a history that is tied somehow to the former residents of my home. The stories those bottles could tell!

Squash rocks

Today begins a very busy week here at Chez Hurley. Painting of the house commences. Don't worry, it will still be blue! That's the thing about home improvement projects! They make the rest of the house look a bit shabby. Where will it end? Most likely when the wallet is empty, as long as the refrigerator is not empty!
Although today is a bit warm and sticky feeling, the fall weather is supposed to roll in tonight for a long stay. Crisp and chilly is the way I like it! Fingers crossed for no rain this week, although we need it badly, Andy has taken the week off for painting and rain will not be a good thing. Rain next week, okay?
In the meantime, I'm enjoying more of the sights of fall!

Fig loves it when it gets chilly! He nabs a blanket for his own and good luck sharing it!

Indian Corn! I love the different, rich colors!

Honestly? There isn't a squash that I don't love. I'm a squash girl! Love them! Love them! My favorite has long been butternut but recently it's been bumped from top honors by buttercup! But one's just as favorite as the other.

So much squash, so little time!
And it is now officially Halloween time in this part of the world. Salem Massachusetts kicked off their Haunted Happenings this week which means the weird factor is now pushed up a notch. Not that there is anything wrong with that. It's just interesting living here at this time of year. What is NOT interesting, though, is the increased traffic in the area.
But you do get to see things like this:

Which is also intereting. Although not a bit squashy.

cantankerous is as cantankerous does

As a public service announcement for all of you people who may miss a television show and blame it on someone you love dearly, that person an innocent pawn in a sick artichoke game, I give to you: **Tonight's viewing schedule: cough:norma:cough

~~~
For those of you wanting to watch the Grey's spinoff, Private Practice, it's on tonight at 9pm on abc. Although you probably have missed the first episode, you can catch it online at abc.com. The airing of Private Practice tonight is a second chance for all those who were too busy on Wednesday to watch it the first go around.
How about the show Pushing Daisies? I have not watched it but you may like it. It's on tonight, 8 pm right before Private Practice on abc. You could get a pizza and open a bottle of wine and plant yourself in front of the tv. Sure, knit if you want. If not, it's okay, Just watch. Sometimes it's good to veg. Veg as in artichoke.
~~~
Las Vegas is a good show. It's on NBC at 10 pm, rounding out your night.
~~
So, there you have it!
Who will be eating artichokes with me in Rhinebeck?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Honest to bob, it's all out of love, this parody of a post. No artichokes have been harmed.

applesauce, apple crisp, apple pie, apple with peanut butter, apples with honey, apples with peanut butter and honey, baked apples, apple dumplings, apple donuts, apple cider, apples in chicken salad, apple brown betty, apple crumble.......

Living in New England means that when autumn hits one must go to the apple farm. It is a rule that is enforced heavily here. I mean it.
So, to the farm we went. The Red Apple Farm in Phillipston to be exact. My Mom and I went because my kids are TOO OLD to go. (insert ironic smirk here). Mom and I parked the car, snickering because we got a good parking spot. Near the stand where we knew we would end up spending the rest of our money after picking those apples. We studied the map provided by a boy whose approximate age appeared to be no more than 8 and found the holy grail of apples. The Macoun. We scouted the trees with earnest and picked our little hearts out. It was quite the bonding experience, us and nature. And it goes without saying, my friends, that apples were eaten, right? When we had filled that 1/2 bushel basket to the brim (we were going to get our money's worth out of that $25 purchase. We ARE New Englanders) Then came time to walk our apples back to the car. And I thought, geez, this basket is a bit heavy. After a couple of minutes of walking through the uneven grass lugging 102,385 apples I was wondering just how good that parking space was after all?
"Can you see the car, Mom?"
"It's WAY over there" she says pointing to the horizon.
We keep walking, apples rolling off of the basket and my Mom chiding me for bruising perfectly good apples about every 30 seconds or so. She now has a purse full of fallen apples and frankly, I'm glad to be free of the suckers. It was at this point that I wondered if an arm could actually be pulled off. I figured we might even find out.
We finally descend a huge hill, looking to me kind of like Heartbreak Hill, I kid you not. I am walking with all of my might and apples are still rolling off the stack, not making my load any lighter. I am still carrying at least 493,257 apples. Who's idea was this anyway? This is inhuman!
I finally see the car and have to climb a hill at the end because we had gone too far over. Arriving at the car, I am now wondering if one arm is actually longer than the other. I worry about it for a minute. Then I notice that my nose is running. I ask Mom for a tissue and she takes 2 out, one for me and one for her. We share a mother/daughter moment and I realize that we both use the same honking method. And then she says:
"That's the thing about getting older, your nose runs a lot"
Hrmph.
~~~
Day at the Apple farm, flickr style (Click on any photo to get whisked away to flickrland)

The offending basket of oodles of apples. They are so yummy though

Cider donuts and apple pies. The smell? Like heaven!

The hole in the bee landing leads inside to a glass encased bee hive so we can see honey in progress. I love honey lately. And peanut butter. And bananas, all together or separate. Honey. It's a good thing.
And apples.

Big sale! Get yer mums! Don't buy just one at $4! Get the discount! 3 fer $12!! A bahgen (bargain for you non new englanders)
All that and a mitten in progress too? I know. Be still your heart!

This mitten love is growing. Kind of like the ache in my shoulders and mid back.
But that's neither here nor there.