272. I'd just like to point out that I am still doing the blog 365. I doubted myself on that one. Less than 100 days left!

Thought I'd do a 10 on Tuesday gig this week. (It IS Tuesday, isn't it?)
Todays 10: 10 Things that Scare You/Freak you out

Alrighty then.

1. Going to Class reunions. I am afraid that no one will remember me.
2. The price of oil to heat our home
3. Little flies at work that show up in the ladies room. I have never seen such a fly and I suspect they may indeed be tsetse flies. Yes, right here in a Massachusetts bathroom. And it's waiting to bite my butt. Giving me a terrible tsetse disease. That does freak me out. Imagine the horror of getting the dreaded tsetse disease ON MY BUTT? ~shudder~
4. Nuclear war. Not since I was a small girl have I been scared of that. Shame on you, Mr. Bush.
5. Cleaning our upstairs hall closet. That would frighten anyone.
6. Seeing my husband cry for his father's suffering.
7. Remember the movie Carrie? At the end a hand comes through the grave to grab someone's leg or arm? That freaks me out.
8. SPI.DERS.
9. That I am insignificant and the best I can do is feed people in a crisis.
10. Bugs in general. I tried to break it up into the flies and spiders but what about the fleas? The ants, the moths, the silverfish???? OH! The silverfish! THE EARWIGS!??!! I hate them all. In my home. They are perfectly acceptable as Mother Nature intended them to be. Outside, in dirt or on plants doing what little bugs do best. Not bugging me, I hope.
~~
Do you freak out about something? Do tell.

271. And so I knit

"Knit your hearts with an unslipping knot"

~Antony and Cleopatra
~~William Shakespeare

During these busy, emotional days I am keeping my hands busy with the knitting.
Another Dragon Scales Scarf in Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere (get yourself some!)(Frieda, did you end up buying some?) in colorway green apple for a co worker.

270. thank you for being you

I'm now going to do what I do best in life. Avoidance. I'm good at it.
But first, I will give you an update because you deserve one after all those prayers and good thoughts.
Keep them coming, by the way!
My FIL was quite startled when we all showed up after his "episode" of unresponsiveness after his oxygen levels dropped dangerously low. He has an order not to resuscitate or put him on a ventilator and the doctor's thought that was his moment to go. It turned out not to be. He was given another oxygen delivery system that seems a bit more effective for him but at best his oxygen levels are in the high 80's. (it's supposed to be 100%, 89% being acceptable). He is being given morphine and kept comfortable. Lots of conversations went on which were heartbreaking and touched me to my very soul.
And with that? Join me in my avoidance. Please.
~~~
I took a little walk outside today to look at what is happening around the yard. This time of year is full of beauty.

My dogwood tree is absolutely STUFFED with these berries! It makes a striking sight!

The rain drips off the berries, adding to their beauty!

The orange and gold mums are my favorites in autumn. Nothing beats their punch of color to the porch!
Look who is visiting!

Is that Boing?
Don't forget to notice the autumn beauty around you!

269. Please send up good thoughts, light some candles. Please

I'm off on a quest to the hospital right now. The doctor's news tonight was not great and it seems my Father in Law may not have much longer.
Please keep him in your good thoughts.

ETA:
We are home now. Tonight was not my FIL's time. Although the night is not over, the crisis has been averted. He is fragile and his lungs are giving up. If we had a crystal ball we'd know if he had a couple of hours left or a couple of days. The heart wrenching thing is that he now knows that this is his last fight. That it won't be long. That was the hardest part of the evening. That and watching him fight for every breath.
Thank your lungs tonight.

268. Leak Frog in my basement

Today? Not a drag. It did, however rain magnitude proportions. Thank goodness we are having a bit of a break in the raindrops right now. The water needs to sink into the soil so it does not get any ideas of entering our basement. It doesn't do it often but when it does, it means business. But now I have peace of mind in the basement flood department. You see, we have a frog living down there. A frog that tells us when water is in the building.
No, really! He looks like this:

He's a LeakFrog.
One drop of water and this little frog turns into a screaming banshee. He will emit an earpiercing screech until you notice and get rid of the water.
This is good.
So far, the little frog is silent.
Let's hope he stays that way.
Also not a drag?
I had a wonderful facial today. My first ever. It was an American Facial. Let's just say that I am glowing, my skin is super soft and my blackheads around my nose have vamoosed. Too bad there is not a Leak Frog for those blackheads. ZitFrog?
More non drags?
We went out to eat at our favorite restaurant tonight. Wonderful food, great beer (tis the season for PumpkinHead Ale) and great company. Not too much beer though, of course.
Hmmm. LushFrog?
May your frogs be quiet tonight.

267. Drag queen

Today felt like a bit of a drag.
Drag myself out of bed.
Late for work.
Work like a hound dog
drink too much caffeine because of the drag
drag myself home
take a bit of a snooze
laundry, dinner, dishes
it's all a drag today.
Gray's Anatomy is on right now. I'm going to go watch!
Hope it's not a drag too!
What did you do today? Tell me about your wonderous day! (Don't drag me down...:)

266. Trumpet if you love elephants

The nightstand book pile grew considerably yesterday. It's a little heavy on Robin Cook and Michael Crichton choices because Bethany is struggling to find her "adult" book preference (so to speak) and I think she will like those authors. She also chose Twilight by the recommendations of friends and I added a The Story of Edgar Sawtelle which looks fabulous. It's hard to choose which book to read next. I did finish Water for Elephants today so I need a day to ponder a bit on that one before I move onto new characters. Bethany chose Wicked, which is not in the stack because she has it at work with her today. I have not read Robin Cook for years but used to love his writing.
So, yes, today I finished Water for Elephants. I loved it. It is a beautiful love story (with horrid details along the way) of a young man with both a woman and an animal with the curious backdrop of the circus as the setting. The circus is perhaps a wonderful memory for all of us but the behind the scene look is horrifying if not fascinating.
I have always had a soft spot for animals. I used to think as a young girl that I could read their emotions and could see them crying or smiling. (Truth be told, I still do but don't look at me like that wacky animal lady!!) This book was a delight for that animal lover. The treatment of the elephant in this book appalled me but I know it goes on. Elephants are mesmerizing (and smelly) in their beauty and elegance. Yes, I said elegance. Only a creature that large can be elegant in that way. Or they would be stepping on people all the time and that doesn't happen willy nilly.
I have been fascinated by elephants since I saw a show on television about 2 adult elephants that were together as babies but hadn't seen the other in decades instantly knew each other when introduced. They hugged and held trunks and stroked each other in celebration of their newfound friendship. Seeing that with my own eyes made me know of their gentle soul.

265. Like water for my soul and more whale tails

Remember the whale tails I spotted in Vermont?
I spotted them in the bookstore tonight!

This is truly the season of the whale tails!
Besides thoroughly enjoying the crisp fall air, the changing colors and the early sunsets, today Bethany and I spent a good amount of time in the bookstore choosing a big stack of books between the two of us. Wait until you see the stack. (early sunsets means no photos tonight though)
What are you reading?
Currently I am into Water for Elephants. I am loving it so far. Have you read it?

264. autumn welcomed here!

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

~George Eliot

I celebrate the arrival of autumn today.

263. Damn the (spam) man!

I've gotten way more spam comments in the last couple of days than real comments. Just sucks the joy out of checking the gmail for the latest comments! But honestly? I can understand (almost) someone spamming for a reason, perhaps selling some v*i*a*grow (I spelled it wrong on purpose) or some other drug, trying to help my p*e/n?i&s along. Which I might appreciate if I had one. But the latest spammers only write comments like this:
oiynoiuyouynououonlu
and have a link of something like this
onoiuiobuiwyjbikuy.com
Now, come on. Do they not have anything better to do?? Really? Even spammers must have a life. Chores to do, errands to run, family to call? At least have something to say before you spam! Cripes! Have some spam pride! Have some spam standards! Hold your spammy little heads high with the fact that you are doing a job and doing it well! But this pointless spamming, well, this must make the legitimate spammers madder than hell! Making an even WORSE name for them all.
I can just imagine that spammers have set a bar for themselves.
So, in short, spam when you have something to spam about. If not? Go get a hobby. I'll teach you to knit!

262. no pumpkins and a list of good things for a Saturday

My pumpkin plant has grown big, humungo leaves, plenty of flowers daily but not a pumpkin. Not one. It disappoints me but encourages me to try again next year. I'm determined to have a pumpkin that I've grown on my porch!
~~~
A great Saturday includes:
~seeing Claudia and shopping Penzeys together!
~the delivery of my LL Bean order. (I love their jeans) I placed my order on Wednesday night and had the jeans in my hands on Saturday morning!
~a trip to the apple farm with Bethany
~buying fresh, local honey
~eating warm cider donuts
~sprinkling Penzeys Chicago seasonings on steak tips grilled for dinner
~munching a fresh, crisp, tart apple (make mine macoun thank you!) after dinner!
~sitting with a little gray cat and a blanket watching movies
~~
Mine was a great Saturday. How was yours?

261. warming the chill

Hot fish chowder on a chilly evening. Warms my soul.

260. You can see Russia from my house!

Thank you for the cheering thoughts. They helped immensely.
When I got home from Boston (Yes, FIL is back in Beth Israel as of Monday. He has now had a heart attack and his lungs are filled with fluid.) pretty late last night, I was grumpier than I had been for a long long while. I was starving for one thing. I ate a big bowl of vegetable soup that I had made but it just did not take away the shaky hungry feeling I was experiencing. I really wanted scrambled eggs but did not want to do that scrambling. What did I eat? A fluffernutter. Yes, I know that it is not the wisest choice in the world for nutrition but it hit the spot. That and a tall glass of cold milk. You really need the milk to get it down. I went straight to bed after posting the sad commentary of the day (I did get my hair colored and cut before I went into Boston yesterday, so that was good) and I slept poorly.
A funny thing happened today though. The cloud lifted and I had a good day! I feel happy and light. Perhaps "I CAN SEE RUSSIA FROM MY HOUSE" really did help! Or the fluffernutter. Perhaps it added just the right bit of lightness that I needed.
~~
Okay, here is something important. Can you concentrate after thinking about THAT phrase again? (I can see Russia from my house!) (Don't know what I am talking about? see the SNL skit video a couple of days ago)
When I was tomato delivery person the other day to Dave, he gave me a gift. It doesn't seem right somehow but there it is. (I have realized that I am a bit bad on the gift giving. I mean to. I want to. I just never quite pull it off)
A pair of handknit socks in a beautiful Sandyish sky color!

and along with it, a precious gift:

A couple of his wonderful Santa's Elf Hat Project labels.

(please, if you are able to whistle (which I am not) please go ahead and do it while muttering under your breath, "Boy that is a rotten picture of something that is so wonderful")
Listen, most likely you knit. Knit a hat, put this label into it and surprise a child. Simple as that. But even better? You will be honoring Dave's wonderful Aunt Linda. And a child's head will be warm to boot. So will your heart. A win/win/win situation. Don't have a child handy? No offspring small enough to appreciate a Santa hat? No grandchild? That's okay. I have it all figured out. There are plenty of cold, lonely children waiting for Santa to give them a gift. You can help out on that. Find a shelter or Salvation Army around you and donate a hat.
See? Still a Win situation?
Dave's Santa's Elf Hat Project!
~~
Here's something fun for you:
Found through KT's wonderful swimming fishies:

259. nuts

Life was a little bit nutty today. The day flew by like a blur. My eyes are a bit bleary, my spirit is dampened a bit. I could sure use some cheering up.
Anybody have anything? Funny, amusing, nice, beautiful? Anything?

~~
Nutty life haiku:

ahem:

hospitals do suck
time and energy daily
haircut important (too)

258. 2 things

1. Can you imagine showing up at work with this?

Seen on the Ralph Lauren runway for the Spring 2009 collection
Perhaps a little brooch will set it off better. On the plus side? It would hide a bad hair day. That's for sure.

2. I have watched Saturday Night Live since it's beginning in 1975. I was a freshman in high school. While I have a bit more trouble staying up to see it live, for 34 years I have laughed along. (thank goodness for DVR) I hope to see it in person someday. It's a lottery for tickets. I put my name in every year. Perhaps this will be the year. (I doubt it but I can hope).
SNL at times is silly and "fluff", they do have their comedic finger on the pulse of US politics. They have been spot on this year of the media bias against Hilary Clinton and towards Barack Obama.
I was extra glad that I stayed up the other night to see the start of the new season.
This is my absolute favorite. I laugh every time I see it.

257. handsome fig

A big hello to you from my skinny little guy!

Fig says "hey".
He's doing well. Happy as a cat on a porch on a beautiful autumn day!

He's checking out the kale plant Norma planted when she was here. Almost time for a soup!
~~~~
A heartfelt thank you to all of you that shared your stories. I have always said that I have the best readers in the world and yesterday was just another way to prove that. Your support means the world to me.
Seriously.

256. I hope you don't mind if I ponder out loud..

I'm just wondering tonight, pondering things.
I wonder when my in laws got to be so confused. I wonder when it was that they stopped understanding everyday things. When did they get so dependent upon us that a voice mail from the doctor is occasion for an emergency visit to decipher what it said. I wonder how many of these unplanned ambulance rides to the hospital that we can all survive through.
I wonder why I can't be more patient and understanding. Why I cannot see them as old and feeble as they really are.
I wonder why I did not notice it happening along the way. Was I being blind to it? Did I choose to ignore the signs and view them as the strong people that I had always known them as?
I wonder.
I do.

255. A close one and a tomato sandwich

This afternoon, I had to make a delivery. Norma sent some very important tomatoes (VIT) from her garden for Dave. Dave was kind enough to come to Salem for the tomato transfer. Unfortunately due to an unexpected shift of a certain EMT in residence and the sharing of the one car I could not go to Salem until almost 3:00. We had a great 13 minute visit until he had to literally run for the train home. It was, however the best 13 minutes of my day. (Dave gave me some wonderful handknit socks in a perfectly me sky colorway but you might remember that my camera is on a weekend golfing trip) Dave looked wonderful, as usual which I would show you with a nice photograph but, well, the camera you know.
Anyway, I deliver the goods, have a great 13 minute visit and head back to my car. As I approach the line of vehicles I notice that there is a Meter Officer or whatever they are known as but in general they are the giver of the parking ticket. She is hovering near my car after slipping a bright orange ticket under the car next to mine but I am not worried because I put a quarter in the meter which got me 1 hour and I should have PLENTY of time left. I put my bag in the back seat, taking my time knowing that I am all set. But she is still hovering. When she sees me open my car door she says "You just made it! I was going to start writing yours out when your time expired which is any second now". I thought she was kidding and laughed that kind of loud, too long laugh one uses when with law enforcement officers. I knew I was innocent though, I put my quarter in. I mentioned that to her. She shows me, see? Not but a minute left.
Heh. I put money in the meter of the other car next to me. Well, I saved them from a parking ticket.
You are welcome.
And Norma? I ate one of the tomatoes. I couldn't help it. They were so red looking and perfectly ripe it was just begging to be a tomato sandwich. Who was I to deprive it of it's destiny?

254. burgers and wine

I am blissfully all by myself tonight. Andy is away on a golf weekend in Maine, Bethany is working an overnight shift and Derek is hibernating in his room as per usual. It's me and Fig, painting the town. Or at least the couch. And that's the way we like it.
Derek and I ordered dinner at the newest restaurant here in Beverly called Burger Works. The food (burgers) was fabulous and super fresh, I couldn't have made better myself, seriously. As a bonus for me, they don't use styrofoam containers and they use bio-bags. The place is all new and wonderfully, tastefully decorated. Looks pretty much like an Ikea ad, which is pleasing to the eye indeed. Specifically they have THESE lamps. <----click. I knew I recognized them! We were one of the first customers there which thrilled me to no end. I will now give them a couple of weeks to work out the bugs and get a bit of experience under their belts. But you Boston area burger eaters, make a bee line there any time after October. Call me and I'll join ya!
So, tonight being my solo night and all, I poured myself a glass of wine and took out my knitting. I got this brilliant (Subject to interpretation) idea to wrap the scarf knitting around the stem of the wine glass and take a picture.
Can you picture it?
Deep burgundy colored cabernet savignon wine in a sparkling big globed wine glass with a lime green dragon scales scarf wrapped lovingly around the stem?
I hope you can picture it because it appears my camera has gone on a golfing trip to Maine.
Not that there is anything wrong with that except for the fact that I filled the memory card with Vermont photos.
Should have asked.

253. The day we got acquainted with the darkness (a (most likely) butchered quote that I heard today on NPR)

Today started off wonderfully cool and refreshing. Scarf weather. As I knew it would, it arrived soon enough. I know it's not here for good but in these parts it makes an unannounced arrival pretty regularly.
The sky was a gorgeous sparkling blue dotted with puffy white clouds. It was a perfect early autumn day in New England.
In fact, it was just like a day 7 years ago, September 11, 2001. What I remember the most about that day is the sparkling blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. The perfect early autumn day in New England. I thought how absurd it was to have such horror going on with such a beautiful backdrop.
It still makes no sense to me.

252. Lots of pretty things and a spider at the end. I warn you about the spider because people are a bit queasy about that sort of thing. Stop reading at the warning if you object. Spiders eat bugs though. They are good. Outside.

My purchases at the Vermont Sheep and Wool were minimal but well thought out. I love it when I shop that way. I guess I know I'm not a beginner knitter because I cannot impulse buy yarn anymore.
My favorite purchase was the beautiful Ruby Charuby hand woven scarf. This is the most luxurious scarf I have ever wrapped around my neck. That wasn't made by me. I told you earlier that this is the season of the scarf and I was not kidding. I can't have enough all of a sudden.

The colors are so rich, the feel is soft and light yet warm.

Vermont honey and maple syrup in a bear. Instead of a honey bear it's a maple bear. The very pleasant worker at the Mountain Vewe Coopworth booth (get it? V-ewe?)(it took me a bit to get it) told me they have half the amount of honey in their crop this year due to a hungry bear that attacked and ruined over half of their hives leaving a lot of angry homeless bees wandering around the neighborhood. So I'll enjoy every drop of this delicious precious honey.

A wonderful pottery sheep mug bought at the Sheep Shed booth. This mug has elevated itself quickly to my favorite in the house not only because of the cute sheep on the front but also because it has wonderful colors and feels wonderful in the hands. Not too dainty so that I will break it 20 minutes from now.

And some food stuffs. Can't go on a trip without getting some eats, right? Vermont Moose Nuts, aka Honey roasted peanuts! They are delicious and won't last long in this peanut loving home. And chocolate covered blueberries which are not a Vermont product at all but I love blueberries, I love chocolate so why not, right? Well, they are good but too sweet for me. I'll eat them. Just for my antioxidants.
:)
There was also some of the most delicious soft caramels but those are long long gone.
Mmmmm. Caramels.

Another peek at the Ruby scarf!
~~~
Here it is. Your spider warning. Don't read on if you have the heeby jeebies about spiders. Go. Click the little X on the top right now. GO ahead. I won't mind. If you stick around you cannot complain and blame me for nightmares. I'm serious.
~~~
An itsy bitsy spider:
With all of that wonderful beautiful stuff? I now give you beautiful in a totally different way. An EWWWW kind of way. Mother Nature kind.
Can anybody identify this spider living on my front window (outside thank bob for that!)

It's been fun watching Charlotte and her shenanigans from the safety of the inside of the glass.

251. mushrooms. I mean really. MUSHROOMS!

Having a wonderful, relaxing weekend is quite refreshing but the re-entry is a bit tough. You know the drill, I look for Norma around my home, I do not find her. I start talking knitting to someone within earshot and their eyes glaze over. It's tough but so worth it.
Thanks for visiting my photo montage over at flickr yesterday. It was a grand trip and who doesn't love a montage?
Before I left for the 4 hour ride to Vermont, I stopped in at BJ's and got a book on tape, Double Shot by Diane Mott Davidson. I love her books and also got one of hers on tape (CD really) last year for Rhinebeck. I am more of a visual person than an audio person so listening to a book is not a totally mindless and easy task for me. Which is perfect for a long drive. Enough concentration to keep me alert but not enough to distract me from the road as, say the pesky turning of pages and reading the words on paper taking my eyes away from the road. Reading and driving is highly discouraged, I don't care where you live!
I also went to the NPR site and mapped out my route which not only prints the directions but inserts the NPR radio stations into the route when I am out of range of the previous stations. If that isn't cool, I don't know what is!
Surprising myself, I did not buy any yarn or fiber the whole weekend. Not that I wasn't tempted but I have to honestly ask myself the question. You know, THE question? WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH IT AND WHEN? Tomorrow I will show you what I did end up buying. It's all fun stuff. Little stuff. Useful stuff. But stuff is stuff and this house has it's share of stuff.
All that restaint paid off when I arrived home to a package I had been waiting for though.

The most beautiful mitten kit with Leena's hand dyed yarn all from natural ingredients! This is my birthday gift to myself. It was worth the wait.
Of course, tonight as I was gazing at the beautiful colored yarn, I thought to myself "time to wind". SO I did, wind the yarn. It was a wonderful experience, one of touch and sight and the smell of new yarn. :) I had no intention of casting on. I have a scarf to knit for the co worker!
Raise your needles if you know what happens next?
Yes, I'm sure you have it. I cast on. And knit a bit. Mittens make me happy, what can I say? With low temperatures forecast tomorrow night of 40 degrees F I can see that there will be some cold hands (and neck but I've already got that covered) in my near future.

These yarns were dyed with mushrooms. I love that!
Be sure to visit Leena's blog and read about her dyeing process. It is fascinating!

250. A mosaic of the Vermont trip

Click the mosaic to see my commentary on the photos on the flickr site.

249. A little tale

I'm home now and happily tired! I miss Norma already, we had such fun together. I'll muse more about it tomorrow when I can keep my eyes open for a little while.
For now, a tale about tails.
Remember I said I saw whale tails on the side of the highway?
I did. There's the proof. Whale tails in a heap of dirt, complete with weeds on the side of the highway. I love them. They are perfect!
Read about them here.
P.S. The bed was not made. People cannot take a hint.

248. shopping and more shopping with a bit of the gab thrown in for good measure

What a wonderful day I've had so far! I have snuck away from the group, leaving them lingering over dessert and I'm spending a minute with you.
The Sheep and Wool festival was wonderful, small and quaint. Not crowded like the NY Sheep and Wool, not that there is anything wrong with that. Honestly, I made myself put back any yarn that tempted me. If I had no immediate plans for it, I did not want it. I do wish to splurge a bit on foxfire yarns in Rhinebeck so buying a skein or two of this or that is not prudent.
Norma and I started our day with an early morning trip to a wonderful farmer's market in Waitsfield to visit the wonderful Ruby and Mr. Ruby. (Ken) ( I hope) (I've met so many people, the names all blur together). I did have to buy a Ruby scarf. Wait until you see it. She is the most talented weaver I know. And pretty darn special to boot..
I did buy a couple of special things at the Sheep and Wool. One is named Cheep, named by a very special young one.
This wee one just snuck up the stairs with Paula to surprise me and they would have too if I had not decided at that very second to go to the powder room. They are like little mice them two, Paula and wee one.
Just wanted to say a very Vermonty hello to you! Going home tomorrow. I can then show you my pictures!
Be sure to tell me what I've been missing around here!
p.s. Please make sure the bed is made when I get home. I get cranky when the bed is unmade.
(sure the rest of the house can be ramshackle but the bed MUST be made!)

247. I have tendencies

So. Here I am in Vermont. I'd show you a picture but I left my camera usb cord at home.
I'll tell you this. It is hot in Vermont. (But it was hot in Massachusetts too so I won't hold it against them)
It is dark here in Vermont but again, at night....at home. Well, you know.
I'll tell you that I saw whale tails in a dirt pile on the side of the road. That's unique. I saw Lake Champlain and a great sunset. We had a great dinner in Burlington. I saw all of Norma's professional haunts which is amazing to me to walk the trails of her day job.
But I promise you one thing. I left my Masshole tendencies at home. They have no place here in Vermont. I DID see a couple of times that being a Masshole would have come in handy but I am on vacation so I behaved myself.
Tomorrow? Going to the Sheep and Wool in a mini hurricane!
Wish you were here..

245. Take a stand

Tomorrow is Stand Up To Cancer day. I know I am a bit early but I write this late at night (Okay, "Late" is relative to your life) and most read it the next day.
Join me. Stand up to Cancer. Give a Dollar if you can. One dollar is all I ask. If we all give a dollar, perhaps people like my Father in Law will have a cure for their cancer.
DONATE NOW, if you can.
Stand with me.
Thank you.

245. Charlotte Scarf

The Charlotte Scarf is done and waiting in the wings to have it's first wearing. According to this morning's chilly weather, it won't be long.
Pattern: Charlotte's Scarf from the Green Mountain Spinnery knitting Book, a wonderful book and a more wonderful scarf pattern
Yarn: Foxfire Cormo Silk yarn which is not being offered at this time (however there is some very promising cormo silk alpaca yarn that I will be looking at very closely when I go to Rhinebeck!)
Needle Size: US6
My thoughts: I can't express my love enough for this scarf. The yarn was heavenly to work with, making the knitting a pleasure. So much so that I am contemplating investing in a sweater's worth hof Foxfire yarn. The scarf was knit lengthwise which is not my favorite way to knit a scarf but it sure did seem to make this scarf a quick knit which I am sure was a figment of my imagination but it is what it is.

I wish you could reach through your screen and cop a bit of a feel of this scarf. You'd love it too, I'm sure. I'd insist that you rush over to foxfire and buy some of the yarn but I do want you to leave some for me. A girl needs her Rhinebeck stash!
~~~~
Special note about Cookie: (It's not her birthday, just an unofficial Give Cookie Some Love Day) She is the most generous, giving, funny, complex, private, wonderful person I "know". I love her and I know you will too. (Don't tell her I love her though, she likes to act crabby and wouldn't like all this mushy stuff)
Here's to you, Cookie! ♥

244. only half a blech and a lot of pretty cool adjectives

Today is Tuesday that feels an awful lot like Monday as I had a nice long weekend. Well, not all nice since I was suffering with the Lobster's Revenge! (Credit for that hilarious name goes to Manise of the comments. She is blogless but she is wonderful and that comment CRACKED me up!)(BUT? Cookie was the originator of that wonderful phrase! Sorry, Cookie to give away the credit! :) Perhaps it is my delicate system abhorring the lobster but I doubt it since I had the dizziness off and on since Friday.
So, in review, I have the Lobster's revenge, a thousand mosquito bites and dizziness to boot.
My goals for this week and some random stuff thrown in for fun:
~keep the house reasonably clean and non cluttered. Can I pull it off? Tune in all week for the truth in cleaning.
~take pictures of all I have to show you. Some birthday gifts, a scarf or two. There is lots. Perhaps a Fig photo, you never know.
~Make it alive through the week and make my way North to do some blog visiting. OH GOSH, I cannot wait!
~Yes, I am attending the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend!
~Dave is not, despite some pleading, begging, crying and hanging onto his virtual knees. Maybe next year.
~Why do I keep looking at these dogs? Fig would not be pleased!
~Are you sick of my lists yet?
~ I love lists
~Crickets really make a late summer evening special, don't they?
~I got a new phone today and it made me ridiculously happy. A red LG Shine. It is wicked cool/awesome/sweet/crazy/rad/phat/dude/badass/gnarly/most excellent/chill: Please choose your own adjective!
~I even made a call to Norma by mistake. I was a LG Shine virgin. I did not know what I was doing.
~Pleading ignorance works, right?
~Who's going to VT sheep and wool? Who likes red phones? Who likes red? Who is reading Pride and Prejudice? ME ME!

243. blech

After so much fun yesterday I paid the price today. I WISH it were a hangover. (No, no I really don't but that would be the price to pay for drinking and frolicking but THIS is much worse) This is some kind of stomach/intestine thing that is not much fun at all complete with chills and extreme dizziness. But right on schedule, I'm starting to feel more human in time to go to work tomorrow. Honestly, I'd rather go to work.
My thoughts today (when not pouting selfishly about my "troubles") have been with the South coast being battered by the Hurricane Gustav. The pictures look devastating.