CRAZYNESS COMES IN THREES!

We've made it through this last week tired, but not down.  Actually, we're cool now.  The AT & T repairman arrived on the day after my last blog apologizing for missing the date he was supposed arrive citing the massive work he's had to do setting up all the new college students.  I forgave him - I just wanted my Internet working.  So far so good until Spaz with the damaged tail appeared sick.  I felt his body and there on his rump was a huge soft lump about the size of a softball that told me he had more than a wounded tail.  So off to the vet he went for an exam and surgery to drain the yuck that had accumulated in a cat bite puncture.  What can I say, I'm sure it was gross.  The vet tech said it was the most she'd ever seen.  The vet also cut off the wounded part of his tail because bone was exposed.  That evening Spaz came home with drainage tubes in his rear and stitches in his sorter tail, and several days worth of pain meds. 

Talk about no dignity here.

The plastic cone on his head was to keep him from bothering his wounds, but it only lasted a day, he kept working it off.  He was a total goof for several days, started feeling a lot better, and the vet took out the drainage tubes today.  Next week the stitches come out of his tail.  He's dying to get outside at night, but isn't allowed to until next week.  I hope when he does go out, he stays out of trouble or runs faster.

On to the third event.  On Friday afternoon our AC stopped working.  This put us in crisis mode right away because we knew we would have to suffer a long, hot weekend before a repairman could come out.  And we did.  Even though we got out the electric fans, when it's 98 degrees it's just plain miserable.  Monday, hallelujah, the repair man arrived with his truck and ladder, and several hours later the AC was repaired and we began to revive.  The craziness had struck that week, but we're still standing.

On to the garden which is showing signs of ending its season.  The pumpkins are showing their color as are the sunflowers.  So I will share those with you.

A winter garden may be next after some research on how to create one.  No knitting to show this time.  I'm working on a scarf I call "Your boyfriend's scarf" - It will be in the next blog.  I'm also going to begin working on a yellow hat with zig-zag stripe which requires following a charted pattern which is new to me, so I'll be learning a new technique, hopefully. 

I felt a little autumn in the air last night.  Cooler, darker, the garden smells different.  See you in the next blog.  Knit and crochet onward.



Waiting for A T & T

I'm starting this blog knowing my Internet may go down at any time.  I'm waiting for an AT&T service person to come and get my 60% up to 100%.  There is a wait window from 8:00 am until 8:00 pm, so I'm here for the day, which is okay because I have some good photos stored up to show... knitting and garden, of course.

I've been knitting a few baby items for a far away friend who is expecting a baby in April.  I started a blanket but didn't like the results. I like the baby bibs and matching mini-washcloth a lot better.  Working with cotton yarn gives very satisfying results.

The original pattern, Baby Love Bib, is made with eyelets that create a heart in the middle of the bib.  The wash cloth is the traditional Granny's wash cloth.  The Baby Love Bib pattern can be found here:http://www.greasy.com/nittineedles/baby_love_bib_free_pattern.html

 This second bib is the same pattern but with a checkerboard pattern variation - five stitch blocks.  Since I have until April, I'm thinking of adding a pair of booties and a little hat.

Remember the huge bag of yarn I found on my door step?  I've created a scarf and hat so far from that stash as a thank you to D's friend, S who gave me the yarn.  She has a 16 year old daughter attending Willows High School and their colors are purple and gold.  I found just enough purple yarn to knit half the scarf and a lot of gold yarn. The yarn is worsted weight, and I used one of my favorite scarf patterns - Go To Scarf Pattern.  Cast on any number of stitches that can be divided by three.  Then knit two, purl 1 every row until the scarf is as long as you wish.  Here is the result - Go Honkers!

A hat came next because there are other children in the family, and I found a cool hat pattern knit on 2 normal needles - easy, called Random Striped Hat. The pattern can be found here: http://www.yarnart.50webs.com/randomstripedhat.htm  The young woman who created and wrote the pattern did an excellent job - easy to follow with photos along the way. 

 

GARDEN: The garden flowers are amazing.  This is the first year our sunflowers have come up.  They are a shorter version of the very tall sunflowers you usually see. The bees are in love.

Mr. Bee is on the top of the left side sunflower.  I had to step into the danger zone to get this photo. I didn't know sunflowers are so sweet ...and the colors.  Wow!  Bee heaven.

The Calla Lily below was given to D by his landscaper friend, C.  It was small so D snuggled it in next to other lilys not knowing it was related to Jack's bean stalk.  I've tried to show it's height which can get up to seven feet.  It's just starting to bloom.  Will take another photo when it's all the way open and will try to get a human to stand next to it for height comparison.

More beautiful yellow lily plants - I love the color - yellow is such a happy color also found on wildflowers that have struggled to grow but are not giving up.

And finally, grapes.  Grape vines grow wild here hanging from tree branches and creeping on to the roof of the house.  This year, D is training them on wires to cover up a small, old shed and some of his "stuff" that is stored in the back yard.  This picture was taken next to the door of the shed which is now enclosed in kind of a grape vine grotto. 

Whew.  I made it through this post without an Internet go-down.  Hope you enjoyed the pics.  K just went out to pick tomatoes - Watch out for the bees!  Knit on until next time.  Crochet, too.

RELAXING SUMMER DAY

Here it is August 17.  School in Elk Creek starts next week and today I got a call from the teacher who is taking my place.  She wanted my e-mail address so she could send her questions about the English classes.  It was good to talk to her, and the conversation reaffirmed by reasons to retire.  I have my substitute teacher packet of information ready to take to the Glenn County Office of Education this week.  I'm looking forward to seeing my friends at EC,  but so so happy not to have to deal with lesson plans, grades, and general annoyances of school politics. The master gardener, D, is working out of town for awhile.  He'll be able to deliver the red and white Meathead hat to One-eyed Bob in Hayfork. I hope I get a photo of him wearing the hat.

My good friend, J, has just finished her Special Olympics scarf and is working on a second one.  When finished we'll mail our scarves to the Idaho collection location, since neither California nor Oregon are involved.  Her scarf is made with bulky soft yarn in garter stitch.  It's soft and squishy and will keep someones neck very warm.

The garden continues to produce plenty.  Master gardener, D, took peppers, squash, tomatoes, eggplant, and runner beans to his job since they we're planning a barbecue after work.  Everyone loves fresh food and now's the time to get it. Our tomato plants are loaded to the point of falling over.  They're also beginning to ripened so we have a variety to eat. 

Bell peppers, banana peppers, yellow squash and green beans.  Yum.

We have two new additions to the garden.  One is a miniature lemon tree, a cousin to the mini orange tree on the other side of the yard.

Also, a raspberry plant which should bush out and  climb the fence, and hopefully, produce some sweet raspberries. 

Every time I go into the back yard I have two helpers who eat grass and pee on bushes and trees.  I don't know why they're eating grass but they're both turning into grazers.  They're both pretty good at snapping at flies, too. With all these talents, its no wonder humans have dogs as pets!?!

Orson, Pound Dog

Hunter, King of the Universe

I have two knitting projects going that will be finished and into the next blog.  One is a purple and gold Willows High School colors scarf for the daughter of the friend who gave me the huge bag of yarn.  The others are hats for her young boys.  I'm thrilled to have all that yarn.  Thank you.

 If you knit or crochet, think about making a scarf for the 2012 Special Olympics.

QUIET AUGUST DAY.

     School started today here in Chico.  I've noticed how quiet our street is without kids walking their dogs, riding bikes and skateboards, and no Mika across the street trying to keep his little dog out of the street - Bad Dog, or getting his hula hoop out of the tree.  I've completed a few knitting projects and try to knit every day.  So many ideas to try.  This cat bed is crochet, however, and as you can see Minipurl barely fits in - Spaz tries to sleep in it but just hangs over the side.  They both sleep on it rather than in it.

Speaking of Spaz - he came home with tip of his tail highly wounded- missing skin and a lot of hair.  Even though he's fixed, he still manages to get in tiffs with the neighborhood cats, coming home with bites usually on his neck.  But this time he must have been running for his life.



After a couple of days hiding under the bed, he came out, had a snack and took up his usual position near me as I work at my computer. 

       My latest small projects are Fishy Fish Bathmitts.  I'm also adding the very traditional Grandma's Favorite Wash Cloth, just a smaller version.  These and a few more will go to the Eagles Christmas sale in November.  The pattern can be found on Ravelry, here: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fishy-fish-washcloth-and-bathmitt  I'm also working on a baby blanket for a friend I've known since she was six years old.  She's 20 now and expecting her first baby which is due in April, so I have a plenty of time to get it done. I'll post a photo when I'm done.

Old pots have a new life.  Two racu pots I made in a ceramics class at Butte Community College now house succulents.  Neither pot holds water so they're perfect - plenty of drainage.  I ventured into the garden looking for pickable produce and was happy to find tomatoes starting to turn red.  I would have lemon cucumbers in the picture but they were eaten before I could put them in.  

I also found future pumpkins.  Here's one I was able to reach, sort of.  There are many more just starting to turn orange.  They'll be ready for Halloween and pumpkin pie.

Also hidden are four acorn squash which are considered a winter squash like the Hubbard squash.  We're sharpening the cleaver for them or maybe the chain saw will have to do. 



    More knitting and gardening in the next blog.  Keep on knitting.  GG