Halloween costume

 So, I need to get started blogging again.  Fair amount of busy...  But mostly, I just didn't sit down and blog. So, for today, it will be short.

This is Ding the cat.  Husband saw a cartoon about bats, and asking if she was a Dingbat.  

Well, now she is!

This costume lasted exactly 3 photos, and she decided it was time to play with the wings.  Um.  Paper wings don't stand up well to teeth.  But Husband loved it, and Ding was patient... For Ding.

So it worked out well.

Tonight, one of our friends wants to bring her son over for Trick or Treat.  I will be putting his candy out in a "Monster Bush" for him to take, I am keeping well away from them, but he will get his candy! (Monster Bush pic later.)

The green, green grass of home.

Husband has been busy trying to get the house and yard, as well as the field, ready for winter.  We have several areas that are springs, or where water runs off. Some off the water has been so violent, it eroded the side of the hill by our house.  This filled the drainage that led the water away from our house, and so we had ponds that were close to going under the house.

He re-cut the drainage, and decided to reseed the hill so it would be grassy, and hopefully not wash out.  He planted it, after getting it worked up and set.  Then he put sprinklers on it.  We chased off turkeys, and occasionally the cat...

Well, he did a pretty good job, to my mind, but it's so funny to have this lush green spot, and the rest of our place is a dust bowl, or dry tinder!

This is the lush spot, I see it right outside the craft room!

I have to laugh, Husband commented that there are dandelions growing in the grass now. Or as he's been calling them, soil nails!

Case of the Concealed Chicks

I was reading my morning literature, when Husband came in.
"Did you pick up the eggs outside the hen house?"
I looked up.  "No, Salt had went right back to the nest, so I just let her set."
"Well, there's no eggs, and I don't see her, either."

Uh, oh...

I set down the comics, to follow Husband out to the back of the hen house, where there was one bedraggled egg, and nothing else. Oh, dear. But no feathers, no smashed eggs, or torn up shrubbery.

Strange.

I walked around, fearing the worst, when we found a dead chick.  I told Husband that meant she might have fought off something. (We have a multitude of wild critters around.) No hint of her anywhere outside. I decided to feed, to get the other chickens out from underfoot.

I had just cleaned out the area around the feed barrels, and Husband had put a piece of plywood by them to store.  I opened the barrel, and heard a chicken growl.  That is a distinctive "Mama Chicken" sound. Knowing that Edgar was outside, it clicked that there was someone else with chicks.  I listened carefully, and heard the growl again, and peeps.  I carefully moved the plywood back, to find Salt with 4 chicks!

I tried to get Husband's attention, but he couldn't hear me. I turned to put the plywood back, and realized Marshmallow was off the nest.  I walked to her, and SHE growled, and two little heads poked out from under her wing. 

So we took care of the one dead chick, then looked over the rest.  Most of them are Maran types, cute little black puffballs.  One or two are yellow white puffballs. 

I had talked about buying some chicks this year to Husband.  Looking at the 11 we have at this point, he grinned and quipped, "and you wanted to buy a few chicks!" And laughed! 

The saga is continuing, too, as Auntie Bird is still sitting. I had given her three eggs to work on.

Last time I checked it, there was about 10.

I will never learn...     :)

One down, Two to go...

Finished the first couch cover.  It was mindless knitting, for the most part.  I did a linen stitch, so it wouldn't roll on the edges, and so I wouldn't fall into a boredom coma knitting stocking stitch...

Husband likes it.  That's the important part, I am making them for him.  Color wise, anyway.  We both want covers because we both put our feet up, and we aren't always dressed to the Nines when we do so.  Covers wash much more easily than cushions!

So, after a little break for a small project or two for me, I will start on the next two...

Lots of blue. LOTS and LOTS of blue...

What's up? Dang chicken Butts...

Husband loaned me his battery operated drill, and a less than pristine spade drill that I could use.  I had LOTS of daffodill bulbs, and he thought that it would make my planting a bit easier.

And it did!  I would bore a hole in the hill, drop in a bulb, and cover it with the dirt I had removed, hey, Bob's your Uncle, and on to the next.  I had most of the hill finished in a day.  (I don't know how many in total, but my friend gifted me with probably a hundred or more bulbs...)  I was so pleased.  Deer don't like daffodils, rodents don't eat them, as a rule, this should be slick, with no problems.

And, of course, I was completely wrong...

I went out a day or two later, I had added flower seed, and it had rained.  I wanted to see how the bulbs were doing...  Hmm.  Chickens on the hill... Hmm.  I walk closer.

They were busily digging out my bulbs, when they weren't gobbling down all the seed they could find...

I told Husband that I needed to put up a fence.  I bought deer netting, Husband bought me some TALL t-posts, and we decided, on a recent nice day, to put in the 'new' fence.  Just a quick one to two hour project, not a biggie...

I really, REALLY need to stop saying things like that. 

Husband had to put the t-posts up, because they go in with a device you hang on to, and pound them into the soil.  Well, with it in the air, I was too dang short to reach the pounder!  So, we laid out the deer fencing, put it up, and then Husband looked at the finished project.  

Or, I *thought* it was finished.  I was happy, it would allow people from the road to see the flowers, it wasn't a heavy fence, and it was-

"Invisible, the deer will tear it up in the dark.  We need to put fence panels behind it."  I wasn't wild about this idea, but walking back from it, he was annoyingly right, again...  And so we moved a few panels from the fence above, that we were going to take down anyway.  He pops them in, and realizes, there isn't enough.  

So he goes to the fencing he has stashed by the barn.  The fencing that already has blackberry brambles running through them.  He gets out the pruners, and snips away.  He goes to put away the pruners, and I hear a big clatter inside the Milk House.  Odd.  

He comes out, and tells me he will have to fix the pruners, the handles were so dry, they just came off the metal!  (At least it waited until he'd finished!) So, he took out the panels we were going to use, and he picks one up and trots off.

I pick one up, and try to trot off.  I think, wobble and wander like a drunk sailor might have been closer to my motion.  BUT, get it to the fence I did, and so he puts it up, and we then decide on the 'gate'.  He put it in such a way, I can come in on the side.

So, my "One or two hour, you can have your panels back, so I can keep the chickens out", wasn't.  Well, except for keeping the chickens out.  

One out of 3 ain't bad, I guess... SIIIIGGGGGH...

Mardi Gras is on! Er. Sorta...

I had some lovely purple variegated yarn that I really wanted to do something a bit "flashy" with...  Not just my normal "plain vanilla" socks, I wanted them to be, well, different. 

I kept working on an idea, and the dial tone continued...  Then I was reading about, of all things, problems of New Orleans with the beads clogging the sewer.  Why this clicked, I don't know.  But I have had some friends give me beads, while not Mardi Gras, per se, they were the same color palette, and so my little creative grey cell was buzzing with, yeah, have those, have purple sock yarn... Now what?

So I started thinking, I will make the cuff, that I normally turn down, in feather and fan, and then put an accent of the same down the foot... But what about the beads?

Well, as they were necklaces, I didn't want to cut them, if I didn't have to... Gold, green, purple.  3 per sock...  Then I came up with the idea, how about adding them to the "holes" in the fan?  So, I commence to knit. 

I put the project away more than once trying to figure out how to do what I wanted, so the beads would be draped, more or less evenly around my ankle.  Hmmm.

Then came this year's goal of actually finishing things I have started... So I pulled out this sock and worked on it.  On the cuff, the feather and fan pattern came out evenly with four designs, so, I just needed to divide the number of beads by 4. 

Whereupon, I did something I should NEVER EVER do.  I was very tired, but I wanted to get the design figured out, so I could get a jump on it the next day.  I started counting beads.  And counting.  They didn't divide by 4!  Crapola!  Snarl... 

Husband, bless him, looked at what I was doing, and timidly said, could I make a suggestion?  (I am so less than pleasant when I am tired...  Sigh...)  I looked up bleary eyed, and said, if it will help me with the math, sure... 

He took one of the necklaces, held it up, pinched in two fingers, so that the two sides ran parallel, and said, here's half.  Then he pinched the bottom, folded it up to the top, and said, here's quarters.

I didn't know whether to laugh, or scream...  I did thank him profusely, as I had been working on counting and marking and such, and was nearly to the point of cutting the necklaces, which I didn't want.  (I think I did laugh, eventually...)

So, after a So Obvious I Totally Missed It moment, I was able to start on it the next day with a lot less snarl and brain farts...

I ended up using a feather and fan with 6 "holes", so I put each necklace in two of the holes, in and out, and then the next, and the next, all the way around.  This gave them a bit of drape, and they each had a different spot, so they were all visible.

I had to do a bit of screwy knitting, I don't know if there would have been an easier way to do it, I had to turn my knitting once or twice, so I was knitting on the back, with the beads... It worked, but if I would ever make a pattern for this, I think I might conference with  some one, so I would see if it was another  "I made too much work", or if it was a 'normal' way to solve the problem. 

Let's just say, my knitting teacher would see some of the solutions I came up with, she wouldn't say a word, if it worked.  But more than once, she'd shake her head, and change the subject...

So, I ended up with some jazzed up socks, probably a bit more tinkery than I had intended, but they look nice, and who knows, I might just make some beignets, or po' boys, and wear my socks for Mardi Gras next year. 

Or, I might just laissez les bon temps rouler, because I finished them!!!

Brrr!!

Well, getting ready for Turkey Day.  Had bought the frozen bird, and had just been getting the plastic wrap off.  Let's say I must have not impressed Husband, as he carefully asked if he could do the unwrapping, while getting the knife out of my hand. 

Hey, I hadn't even sworn by that point.  Just a couple annoyed grunts! 

Anyway.

Turns out, the silly knife was dull.  Using a different knife, voila, one frozen turkey.

Whereupon, Husband mentions that this turkey must be quitting smoking.

And I laughed...


I finished three hats for one group, and about 5 for another.  I forgot to take pictures of the 3, but have one of the 5.  I am going to see if I can send a picture with my phone.  I should be able to, I think.  If so, I will post it soonish.  It will have to be in the early morning, or if I switch to using my phone when I am blogging in town.  The joys of figuring out internet service... Meh.

Spent one day just spinning yarn, and knitting.  Sadly, I messed up one item.  I am knitting blocks for couch covers.  We put covers on them, because it's not uncommon for us to have come in from outside, and perhaps not be, um, as clean as we should be.  The covers, hopefully, keep the worst of the offenders off the sitting area.  We *have* blankets on there presently, to do the job, but Husband has mentioned that he would like them to be blue.  (The closest matching ones that are presently on there, are in yellows, greens, and browns.)  So, I decided to knit blocks, I have wanted to try different stitch patterns, this gives me the chance.  Plus, if I don't like the pattern, I don't have a big, long stretch of agony knitting.  So this is my "big" present to him.

But I said I messed up.  Yep.  I knit one square and it was such a simple pattern, just slip one, increase, knit across, increase, slip one, next row knit.  Then you just get smaller by doing decreases, but the pattern is the same.  Or at least that's how it was supposed to be.  Well, the first part came out swimingly.  The second part, the decrease?  It looked off, and when I folded it over, I had somehow managed to make it much narrower, so it comes to a point.  So, that square will not be used.  Frog that one, and go to another pattern.  I am also doing some crochet squares, I made one that was just all single chrochet.  It looks pretty good, so depending on yarn, and my mood, I will make both knit and crochet.  It will give me more diversity in patterns.

I figure, that will give me a bit of education in some stitches I might not have otherwise tried, and it will make a nice, unique and origional cover.  Yay!

But, knowing me, he might get the finished product by Christmas.  2021...

Maybe. ;)

Close call!

I like for my chickens to be free range, we let them wander all over in the field.  Realistically, I have to be prepared that it means that I might lose some...

Almost happened...

Husband and I were talking, and whoosh, a hawk flew by the window.  I didn't see what commenced next, but the hens were screeching and running for the hen house, and then I saw the hawk fly up to the top of one of our neighbor's trees, and watch.  Uh, oh...

Neither Husband or I could tell if the hawk had grabbed anything.  I was busy making dinner, so he went out and checked.  He looked a bit pale when he came back.

"I can't find the babies."

Oh, crap.  I told him that I would go out and check after dinner. 

It was a rather quiet meal... 

After getting things put away, I put on my coat, and went out, fully expecting to find no chicks, or a small explosion of feathers.  (Hawks 'tackle' prey, and then proceed to tear out feathers. Both lead to a big mess of feathers on the ground...)

I walked out, and saw the hawk had left. Well, plus one, anyway.  Then the group started coming out when I called for them...

Then I heard it, peeppepepepepepeeeeppeeeep!  I looked, Mama had to vacuum packed chicks near under her as she walked. (How she didn't trip, I am not sure...)  But both Salt and Pepper seemed none the worse for wear, shaken badly, but they will live another day.

Whew!

Applesauce, for lazy people...

I love applesauce. 

Husband and I have a very different definition of that, however.  He likes the stuff that is finely done up, with no lumps.  I call that baby food, myself.  I like having it with a bit more cinnamon, and with chunks of apple.  He says that isn't applesauce, it's stewed apples.  He prefers that as a topping for ice cream, when hot from the stove. 

But, since I am making the stuff, I generally make the "stewed" kind.  I can't stand for long periods, and it was getting harder and harder to make the stuff, as the recipe called for stirring constantly, over a medium high heat. 

Now, remember, I have to pick and clean, then slice and prepare, before I ever venture into the cook part...  Not a poor little me thing, more of a I need to know my limits thing.  So, for my birthday, Mom and Dad picked up a mechanical peeler for me, so I can do more apples... (this thing attaches to the front of my mixer.  I haven't tried it, sounds so strange, but they make gobs of stuff for this machine...) 

And now I have found a crock pot recipe for applesauce.  I put the apples, sugar, and cinnamon in, start, and check on it occasionally, to stir.  And so I will be doing that, because last years turned out well.  I might even let it cook down to Husband's preferred consistency.  I have talked to Mom about borrowing her crock pot again. 

There is only one downside to making this stuff, for me.  I love applesauce, and the smell makes me hungry.  Let's just say, I find it hard to avoid sampling... Several times.  But I know it cooks down well, and if I would start early in the day, I *might* be able to make a couple batches in all the crock pots I can scare up. 

I guess I can be glad we have several outlets and lots of counter space!

Daddy Daughter doings.

Dad's mower was on the fritz.  He had taken off the wheel and hub, and asked if my husband could take a look at it.  He did, and a conversation ensued which I basically gathered, one of the axles is bad, we need to do x.

Not being able to assist much, I went into the house, so I wouldn't drop his Father's Day present.  Husband and I found him a 24 hour clock, with day, date, temperature, alarm... Pretty much think it could make coffee, if we found the right plug in.  Hee. 

Anyway, Mom and I were talking, and the guys come in.  Husband says he's going back to the house, and would I mind staying back and helping Dad get the tractor ready so it can be driven up on the trailer. 

Well, sure.  Hey, it's Father's Day, and I can have time with Dad?  Works for me...  We go out and I realize that I have on a light gray shirt. 

Urk.  Well, that's why they make cleaners, right?  So, we start working on getting the wheel lined up, at first I was holding the trouble light, then I started helping adjust the wheel while Dad worked with the jack so we could line things up.  Then we found which tools we needed, and after a minor boo-boo on my part, ratchet was backwards, and I was REMOVING the bolt. 

A-hem. 

A quick click, and we were good to go.  Adjusted the bolts, and chatted about when I was in high school auto shop, and about some times I had to take my car to a shop, as I had no place to do work on it myself.  The dingbat at the shop had tightened the bolt so tight, he'd nearly stripped them, and used an air gun to do so.  It was a charmer trying to get them OFF again... Sheeesh...

So, we got the wounded tractor back on it's way again, and soon enough Husband showed up, and they loaded up his tractor.

Dad and I both mused, that was a good day, we'd not done that for a while, and it was fun.

And, amazingly, I managed not to get any grease on my shirt!  My hands looked like I'd dipped them in India Ink, but the shirt was fine...

Really?!??

I was going to sit down and watch a movie with my husband.  Normally, this is not a bad thing.

Normally...

However, he'd watched the movie before I had.  Most of the time, that still isn't a problem.  

Most of the time.

The movie starts, and he tells me, "Watch for that, see?"  Er. Yes.  I go back to immersing myself in the sto-

"This part is important, did you see what he just hid?"

Cough. YES. YES I DID...  Ok. Showtime again...

Then an actor I thought I recognized came on screen.  I commented, unfortunately out loud, "Is that Robert Redford?"  

"Oh, yes, and he is a GREAT villain in this one, just watch!" 

I couldn't help it, "Honey, don't take this personally, but SHUT UP!"

He did at least turn pink...  And, while I agree that Robert Redford was indeed an excellent bad guy in the show, I wish I could have found out from THE MOVIE... Sheesh!  

Next movie he starts that, I am finding some duct tape.  

SILENCE, says I!!!! 

A wee bit of hooky for me...

I went on a trip last week to the coast.  Husband and I worked out how to give Mom a belated Mother's Day present.  A friend of ours has a place on the coast, and Husband was offered use of it.  After some back and forth, Husband and friend were able to get organized, that Mom and I could go and spend a couple nights.  I, with permission, skipped work the day before we went.  Figured I would do my blog from my phone.

I forgot two items when I went over.  Binoculars, and my password to get into my blog.

AHEM.

Soooo, I will now get back to bloggy stuff... 

It was a nice trip, we went to Newport, and had a nice place to stay.  The first night was just stay in and rest.  Mom loves the chicken soup I make, so I brought a container, and I had made a loaf of Stupid Bread* to go with it.  It's a bit of a drive, so I was sort of glad we didn't go out and make an evening of it. 

I just enjoy most of the activities on the coast, so I told Mom this was stuff she wanted to do.  We ended up going to Yaquina Head Lighthouse, as she'd not seen it before.  I meant to take her to Cobble Beach nearby, but forgot.  It's a bit of a walk to get to, but it sounds like applause when you listen to the waves on the rocks!  We also went to the interpretive center, I enjoy looking at all the "educational and historical" stuff.  Obviously, there was someone who didn't.  I didn't see the girl, but Mom said that there was a teenager that was walking behind the family, nose glued to her phone.  I told Mom, that might be for the good, at least she wasn't ruining the rest of the family's time... 😞 

I pointed out to Mom one of the "Easter Eggs" they have.  From the first lighthouse keeper to the early sixties, there was a book exchange.  They would have X number of books, and then the next time they were supplied, the books would be put in a big box, there would be new ones given, and then the old books would go to the next lighthouse.  Well, they had samples of the books in a crate.  Victor Hugo, Dickens, Bronte... Star Wars...  (I noticed it right off, the docent told me it's to have the kids notice so they will pay more attention, they have sort of a scavenger hunt thing... She also said I was one of the few adults that that noticed. SIGH...)

We also went to a majorly talked about restaurant.  I won't eat the clam chowder there, as it made me sick!  But I found out they have many, many other things to eat, so I told her, if she wanted to go, I would have something else.  I ended up having a cod burger.  Mom had a cup of chowder, and... Something with shrimp?  Anyway, we finished up, and she was okay with it, but said the hype, was hype, it was okay. Not great...  My cod burger, on the other hand, was perfect, and HUMONGOUS.  I was VERY full. 

The next day, we went to Depoe Bay, and went to the Whale watching center.  I guess there was a small whale that had spouted, but I was borrowing the one of many sets of binoculars, to watch boats, and missed it!  Mom saw it, I think.  The ranger was quite sure.  The people that were all glued to the windows, not so much... Oh, well, it was still an interesting stop.

We then went to lunch, at a place we've eaten at for years.  They have changed the menu, and had breakfast until 11:30.  Erk.  We were there at 11:10.  We asked if they were serving lunch yet.  No, the only thing they have ready is clam chowder.  We both laughed, that's exactly what we'd come in for!  So, we had clam chowder.  Quite good, too.  The only oddball thing, I kept getting a whiff of maple syrup.  Turns out, the gent behind me had a stack of pancakes, and was drenching them accordingly.  Fortune would have it, it didn't bother me, just was odd to smell maple, and eat clam...

We then drove home.  WHOA BOY, do people seem to want to drive fast.  I set the cruise to 55, the speed limit on the road home, and I was needing to pull over quite often, as there were lots of people late for pole position at Indy wanting to go considerably faster.  I don't fight it, I just figure, if there's a safe spot, or I can get to the passing lane, let the stinkers by.  I was just sooooo happy we didn't go on a weekend.  We were going HOME on a Friday.  The road going in was bumper to bumper to bumper to bumper...

If I can later, I will see if I can get a picture up.  Being immodest here, but I think I took a very good picture of the ocean... I hope to maybe make it into a poster or some such.

But for now, back to the home stuff!

* I called it Stupid Bread because it was so incredibly dense.  I was making it, and the bread machine tried to commit suicide by leaping off the counter onto the floor.  After cleaning up the dough, (i.e. cutting off the stuff that had managed to actually HIT the floor, eeeewwwww... )  The dough that was still intact was set to bake.  I thought. 

Husband reset it, and it went through the whole process of raise, beat down, raise, beat down, all over again.  It tasted fine, but soft and fluffy it weren't!

patience and grilled cheese.

Talk to any of the people that know me well, and they can assure you, with extreme sincerity, that I have NO  very little patience.  I know this, and try to work around it, with limited success.

Well, sometimes I need a nudge, I guess.  When I lived in my apartment, I had a lovely stove (cough), with two settings.  Flames of Hell, or off.  And, I later found out, this was one of the better stoves in the complex...

But anyway, I learned, more or less, to make grilled cheese sandwiches on this monster.

Most of the time, they even came out looking not too much like charcoal.  I was cooking for myself, so, meh, get out a butter knife, few scrapes, dinner.

Then I was married, and didn't think I wanted to treat Husband to Continually Blackened Sandwiches.

I don't know why, but I could not get my temp right.  It was a struggle, and several times, I really had some blackened messes.  Husband was a trooper, and I always tried to get the really bad ones on my plate.

But still, the problem remained.

So, Christmas before last, Husband bought me some super-duper-mega-woo pans.  Non-stick, glass vented lids, the whole "WE ARE A CHEF NOW" deal.  And in the instructions, it mentioned that the coating didn't take high heat (as in, don't put it on max and let it sit there.)

Huh.

Okay, so I decided to try a sandwich.  Put it on medium heat... And wait.  Is it ready?  Hmm.

Now?  Not really.

Can I flip the silly thing... No. Hmm.

Finally, I see a crisp, golden brown. NOT charcoal, hey, presto, I can flip it without grimacing, and get the other side, after what seemed an age or three, to golden, not crappy.

This is nice!  Husband noticed, too.  So, I tried to remember what I did for the next time.

IT WORKED!  It doesn't need to be on "Butane Flamethrower" to make the sandwich!

Then I tried making my sandwich with Gouda.

Um.  I think I may have created a monster.  A more patient monster, but a monster, nonetheless.

hot glue, duct tape, string...

In other words, what do you use on something that you break.  I said I was going to write a blog a week, and I do think I forgot to put one up last week.  No reason, except I spaced.

So, I will work on getting the blog up today.

What's been happening.  I have been selected for county jury duty.  Husband and Mom both commented that it starts "Greetings", that I should count my lucky stars it's not for the draft.  However, as 'old', and broken down as I am, I think it wouldn't be much of a problem... Sigh.

I am working diligently on getting boxes, and yarn, and needles, and paper, and and and and put away in my craft room.  I am pleased with how it's progressing, but have had to change a few things, as I receive items from Grandma's estate.  (I am now the 'proud' owner of probably 70 or more crochet hooks... Sorting, much figuring on what I want to keep, and who I can help with craft enabling is ensuing...) I have donated nearly a small pickup load of items to charity, and working on my second.  I will be going through clothing, and then...

The dreaded closet of doom.  Also known as the craft closet.  It's probably as bad, or more likely worse, than the craft room itself.  I want the craft room WELL cleaned before I start on that bad boy...

I also found out a design element I did to make my yarn easier to access...

Didn't.

It's a nasty crawlspace effect that I'd not realized when planning it.  I am hoping to transfer some items I don't use often under there, and move the yarn out into the light of day, so to speak.  Or at least within reach.

Oh, and I managed to snag a CD of the music from Hamilton.  I promised Husband I would not play it with him around... He detests rap.  I find a lot of it rather fun, though, and this is no exception.  So, I listen, when he's not in the house, he doesn't have to hear it...

And we're both happy!

https://www.tombakerofficial.com/fourth-doctor/

Oh, and I am knitting a project, just for me.  I have, since high school, wanted a Doctor Who scarf (4th Doctor), to wit:  I have had the pattern well before I ever learned to knit.  I finally looked at my stash.  Hmm. Have that color, yep, that too.  That's pretty close...

The only color I didn't have was a sort of yellow mustard color.  I started looking, and found one.  I am now about a foot or so up the left side, as seen in this picture. Just starting the red part, as a matter of a fact.  I made it narrower, the original is 60 stitches wide, I am knitting about 30.  I want a scarf, not a blanket.  Otherwise, I am trying to follow it as written.  I know that mine will look a bit different, but not outrageously so, and I really just want it for me, so who cares?  I hope to wear it at faire sometime, there are enough Who Geeks there, I should get a response.

More info as things congeal...

T is for Tiny Tiger.

Husband had taken me on a trip to the coast, and I saw the sign that said Animal Park.

Husband knew that was trouble... He stopped anyway.

We came into an area filled with all sorts of critters, tame enough to pet, (and feed, if you wanted to get some grain pellets).  I wandered around, petting deer, a sheep, and a few other critters, trying to avoid stepping on ducks and chickens, (or in, uh, other things left by same), when I saw the sign...

BABY TIGER

I had to go over and check that out, IMMEDIATELY.  I walked up, and the nice lady gave me a cub, probably about 10-15 pounds, and I was in love.  It was looking confused, but I was baby talking to it, and walking around, until the lady politely coughed, tapping me on the shoulder.

"Uh, ma'am?  We have other folks wanting to hold the tiger..."

I really liked holding the baby, and I saw a bit of a gleam in her eye, as she said I could hold another baby, if I wanted.  The tiger was taken back to the photo area, where a line had formed, while I was handed a cute little ball of fluff, sort of a whitish poof with a little black nose.  It hooked onto my shirt with fairly long claws, and promptly dropped off to sleep.  The lady said I could walk around as long as I wanted with that one...

I was fine with the little guy, but noticed he had a pronounced musky smell.  I knew it wasn't a cat, but couldn't quite figure out what it was.  Husband asked, and then looked sort of panicked.

"Soo, what is it?"

He kept about 5 feet from me when he answered. "An albino SKUNK."

I shrugged. "Hey, it's happy. I'm not too worried."

Other people had heard what I was holding, and boy, I had NO problem walking around the place after that...  It was a bit creative getting Baby Stinker off me at the end, not because of it 'spraying', but remember the claws?  They hook well, and the baby didn't WANT to let go!  The lady ended up un-hooking each claw, to get it loose!

Yes, I think that perhaps I should ask before I glom onto a baby critter...

But it was cute... :)

Happy New Year, and all that stuff!

So, what is it with me and blogging, or, more accurately, not blogging?  In three words, "I don't know".  I can't say I have writer's block, exactly, I have written at least a dozen or so blogs, in my head.  They just didn't go to my fingers, and out the computer.  In fact, when I was at the computer, I would just look.

Yep, the cursor is blinking.

Yep...  (sigh)   (crickets chirping.)

I have looked at Face Book, I didn't write much there, either.  I now have found that I know much more about some of my friends and family than I ever, EVER wanted to know.  Until I found some controls, I found out about the heavy right wing political leanings of one family member, the heavy left wing leanings of a friend, the ultra Christian leanings of another friend, found out another friend checks in with her coven online, via FB.  Yet another lets the virtual world know of his personal proclivities and choices, sexually.

Mr. Chatterbox, when you said I had a good seat in the asylum, you have not one idea how accurate you were!!!

I have been taking care of the animals, we had to finally remove several of the roosters, they had decided to get out of the pen and go, literally and figuratively, all around the house, leaving holes that they dug in one of the gardens, throwing dirt all about, or just... deposits.  I was sort of sad to have to do it, Cop Car was one of the first, and worst, offenders.  But, we have lots of chicken in the freezer now...
 
We had to take some wild turkeys to a local wildlife center, Husband had been walking up to check something for a neighbor, and some (censored) driver just blew through a small flock of turkeys crossing the road, with Husband in the road nearby!  Didn't slow, didn't look to see if there was damage, nada.  Husband and I took the two injured birds to a wildlife rehab place, and we found out they had pretty bad damage, but are recovering...  They were kind of impressed how we'd put them in a kennel deep with hay.  Um. Well, they like to hide, and they are used to grasses, figured it would put them a little more at ease...

After a ridiculous summer, with cracks in the ground that would catch feet, and nearly turn legs, (one crack in the back yard measured about 14 inches deep by about 5 inches wide at one point!), we are now getting rain.  Lots of rain.  All the cracks are closed, and our "half moat" around the house is draining a lot.  In fact, I have to be careful feeding the llamas, as the drainage by the feed area is more than ankle deep, and I really don't care to fall into cold, running water...  BUT, there is snow in the mountains, and we are not worrying about the wells in the area running dry.  So it all balances out...

Husband bought me raised beds for my birthday, so I will be setting those up for use in the spring.  I am hoping to have flowers on the side of the hill where the raised beds will be, to attract pollinators... And hopefully not too many deer.  Meh.

And 2016?  Major plans? Resolutions?  Nothing much.  I am going to scale back on one volunteer group I am with, I have come to the point I still like working on prep for the group, but it's been made clear to me that I am not "necessary", so I have decided to join with some other folks there, and let the proverbial chips fall where they proverbially may.  It will help the ones I am joining with, so they can have some free time, it will help me, so I don't have to lead or round up anything, and will, hopefully, stop the continual headaches I have each year, from pounding my head against what's turned out to be a very hard stone wall...

A-Hem.  "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,"  Yes, Mr. Einstein, I am finally listening.

I am seriously considering joining Nanowrimo, maybe then I will have motivation to get some sort of book like thing written, if I have a set time I need to do it in.  Maybe.  November is sometimes a busy month, however, so I am a bit gun shy.  But, what have I been told, I do my best work when I am under pressure?  So, maybe I need the internet version of a C-clamp...

And, I really need to sit down and catch up with all of your blogs.  CenturyDink is slowing our speed down to the point that we rarely get the speed we are paying for, and sometimes are at near dial up speeds.  So, we get on early in the morning, or late(er) in the evening, and that helps.  Some.

Rudee is doing well, if a little stove up, he is getting to be an old dog, and seems to have arthritis a bit.  He is losing his hearing, and I think might be getting a little questionable in the sight department, too.  But he's still a great dog, and we are working out the problems, to help him out as much as we can.

Ding, well, she has taken over the house, we have learned to cat proof what we don't want her into, and most of the time it works.  (I am SO glad cats do not have opposable thumbs...)  She and Husband get into mock battles, I find toy mice in the strangest places, she and I have conversations that would have me burned as a witch, in another life, and we all get along great.  Now if we could just convince her 4 a.m. is not the time to figure out how the door works...

The llamas are doing well, they will be shorn next spring, but now, the heavy coat they have is serving them well.  And eventually, when I have it made into roving, it will serve me well, too!

Lastly, Buzz is fine, fat (sorta) and so lovely fuzzy.  Her winter coat would put a mink to shame.  She loves being a barn cat, and except for one or two unwelcome visitors (guesses are either other cats or possibly raccoons), she has the run of the area, and seems to genuinely enjoy staying close, assaulting vermin, playing coy with Rudee, then getting scritch time with Husband and I.

So, here's hoping for a great 2016 to all, and may it be a happy one!

X is for

X-Men, and other sci-fi stuff.

Husband and I occasionally have a date night.  We like to watch movies.  For some reason, we are both drawn to sci fi.  Occasionally we will watch historical fiction, or comedies, but mutants, spaceships, and droids (oh, my!), is our go to genre.

This makes for some unique conversations...

When I had broken my leg, we were talking with the doctor about the repair.  He was going to put a pin in, and the doctor said it was going to be titanium.  Husband made a comment to me about "was it military grade, you think?"  I replied, "You think we could upgrade it to adamantium?"  And we both laughed.

Note.  It isn't a good sign when your doctor stares, then coughs gently, looking like he's going to run...

We have watched many types, but the most familiar are- Star Trek, (old and new), Star Wars (mostly the old), and Terminator.  The last one was one was a movie Husband introduced me to... Which has led to some jokes about Arnold Schwarzenegger, both as actor and as politician.  Occasionally at the same time...

But you know, it's fun to have things like that to share.

Live long, and Prosper.

L is for...

Lovin' Husband...

This is the guy that I married.  He puts up with my moods.  (That right there says a lot...)  He knows that gifts for me are probably not the 'typical' girlie-girl stuff.  He bought me a bunch of fencing and fence staples one year.  He did get me a kitten this year, but I think he wanted it as much as I did...

The man that has no problem with me being "Farmer Jane", and even took care of all the animals when I ended up with a broken leg.  He even went so far as to learn how to cook some meals in the crock pot, as I was so out of it, I probably would have burned water at that point.

He stayed with me when I had to have surgery, even when an aide told him he had to leave.  He is unfailingly polite, he just told her no, my wife needs me.  (And, Boy Howdy, did I, at that point!)

He's helped me learn skills that I didn't have, I have been able to teach him some skills he didn't have.  He is a very helpful cookie critic, and is quite happy to sample my latest batch of baking...

He loves me, and he is good around his family, and my family, is a strong, caring man, with a goofy sense of humor, and a generally happy and comfortable in his own skin.

Guess I'll keep him!  ; )

*****

Well, it is going to be busy for me for a bit.  I finally sat down and filled out the calendar for the next month.  BUT, that lead to the next, and the next.  I won't be going to everything that is listed, but I could be more or less on the go nearly every other day, if not every day, for the next 2-3 months if I really wanted to.  I had to write everything down, because there are several things I have to do, like giving a speech at a group meeting in May.  But there are things I want to do, and a few, possibly, that I should do.  That being said, I am putting my foot down, and there are some that I won't do, as well...

In with all this, I am trying to assist Husband, who is helping Mom and Dad with a kitchen rebuild.  It was busy today, I pulled tacks from the wall that held old insulation, Mom was hunting down the tacks I dropped on the floor.  Dad and Husband were figuring out where the electrical was going to go, and was working on that part, and then putting in some new insulation.  I shied away from that task, I am really bad about breaking out when I deal with fiberglass in any form, so I decided that staying in the other room was a very good idea.  

I have also tried to start some seeds.  Nothing yet, I had them in the green house with a heat pad.  Well, the outlet didn't work, so I brought them in the house.  I haven't seen any germination yet, but I am sort of impatient.  I will wait another week, then see what I will do for plan B.  

So, I will have to pick a time, and hide somewhere, and catch up on blogs again! EEEEP!!  I miss reading everyone's blogs!

My dryer had a lint stroke...

It was one of those kind of days...

We noticed that Schrodinger was itchy.  A closer exam showed flea dirt, and then - the fleas.  Since she didn't have fleas until a few days ago, we think our dog might have brought some in when we were letting them get together for "pet to pet" time, so they won't have problems with each other.

Best laid plans. Not. 

I have cleaned and vacuumed, and she was treated, so we hope we don't get fleas in the house.  So far, so good, I am not itchy, nor is Husband, and believe me, I am sensitive to bug bites.

So, the day goes on, and I notice that I haven't cleaned out the lint trap in the dryer.  Pull it out, like I have done a zillion times before, and zzzwhoop, the lint was sucked into the line.  Whereupon, the dryer suddenly became an oven.  NOT good.  (And yes, now I know not to leave the dryer running when I pull the lint trap out.  Grumble...)

After some snarling and growling between Husband and I, (mostly me... Okay, okay, all me...), Husband told me something I guess I should have figured, but didn't know. The dryer vent has not one, but two 90 degree turns in it, as well as running several FEET to the outdoors.  The feet long run I knew about, not the turns.  Well, one of the turns caught the lint, and blew it into a ball, blocking the exhaust completely, hence the oven imitation.

So, Husband had to go under our house to find the trapped lint, and fix the problem.  We tried several different methods, none worked to remove said fluff, so under the house it was.  NASTY to do this, as it is really narrow, having been build on an older foundation, and all the duct work is in the way.  Plus, it is damp and buggy down there.  I stayed up top, to get all the sheets and such put down for his return to the light, (our access to the foundation is in the house), as well as towels to clean up his face and hands.  He started to crawl down there, and came back, asking for a towel.

Oookaay?

Told me that the spiderwebs were so thick he couldn't see.

Oh, I am SO glad he did that.  I think my hysterics would have had hysterics at that point.  He found out not only had the lint balled up in a turn, one of the pipes had come loose.  He then unclogged the bend, put the pipe back together, and came out of the hole, looking like an extra for Revenge of the Mummy.  He dropped the clothing on the sheet, and ran in to get a shower.

I washed lots of spiderwebs out... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew.  And dust.  And, um, other stuff.  I don't know what it was, and just hoped it would come out. (It did.)

At this point, the clothes are clean, and strangely, the dryer is working better than it has since we've moved here.

I still hope Husband doesn't have to do anymore dryer vent pipe surgery...

The rest of the story, Mr. Chatterbox!

During the A to Z challenge, Mr. Chatterbox mentioned he'd like to to hear about what this blog entry mentioned about my Brother in Law.

So.  Husband has two brothers, and middle brother was, well, unique.  And Husband was the sitter for the two boys, until Mom got home.  Well, as is the case with younger siblings, Husband, being the oldest, found the younger ones to be a pain in the butt.

Husband told me that he would indeed keep an eye on the other two, like his Mom told him to.  Mostly he told them to go outside, and not bother him.  Most of the time, this was fine... Until one afternoon when Mom arrived home at just the perfect time. Or the worst, depending on how you look at it.

Husband was sitting on the couch, reading, and his mom rolled up, walked in the door, and started to ask him where the boys were.  He had his nose in a book, and they both looked up in time see out the large window in the back.

Brother in Law had a football helmet on, and was running full speed at a half grown bull calf, that had lowered his head, and was just getting ready to charge.

Mom screamed, cow and boy had a meeting of the minds, sort of, and Husband looked up, then went back to his book.  She turned and railed, "Why are you letting him DO this?"

Husband's logic?  "But Mom, he's not bugging me, and they both enjoy it..."

Mom, for some strange reason, didn't seem to like that answer.

Can't imagine why...  And this story sure explained a LOT about my Brother in Law.