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The Damsel

Jun22

The Damsel Fly

The little glint of blue left a faint glittering and sparkling trail as it darted over the clear water of the pool. I sat on a sun warmed rock watching, knowing what would happen shortly. It never failed and it never failed to delight me. It only lasted for a few minutes; they could not maintain it and I don’t know how they do it. Or even if they do. Could it be my imagination?  No one else has ever mentioned seeing it. There! Alighting on my outstretched palm; the Damsel, tiny, perfect, gowned in blue, smiling up at me.

 

This weeks Flash Friday I find kind of fun. I like to look at the bright side, it makes a tiny balance for the way most see this.

Quiet

Jun15

          I think I am linking to a site that posts a photo each week for you to match with a 100 word story of your own composing. I thought that sounded like fun. http://madisonwoods.wordpress.com/2012/06/13/photo-prompt-for-100-word-flash-fridayfictioneers-34/ I’m technically challenged so I don’t know if I’m doing this right but here my story  for this week.

                                                     Quiet

I was sure I saw a flicker of movement just there where the path disappears into the woods. It’s quiet, a distant bird song and the steady clicking of some courting insect is all the sound in the world.  Those two teen boys claimed to have seen Sasquatch here just two days ago. I don’t believe it but they said it left tracks in the mud near that stream about half mile into the woods. Just some boys wanting attention but I was sent  to get a picture so I’ll get a picture. Just wish is wasn’t so quiet.

Flash Friday

 

Is it June already!?

Jun14

How time flies… whether you’re having fun or not! Well, I guess I have been having a little fun. It’s getting the garden in time, doing all the chores that were neglected all winter. But I have been weaving, too. Have been inspired to try a couple new (to me) techniques on the looms. One is transparent weaving where you weave a net-like base and weave pictures with colored yarns in that base. On a “traditional” looms you weave it as you go. On the 12″ Quilt Weaver Square (what I am using) I make a large “weavie” and then weave in the picture. It has involved some interesting challenges but I think I am getting it. In some ways, doing it like this is  kind of like embroidery but yet it is still weaving.  This is destined to be a kitchen curtain. A valance, actually. The pictures come from my bread box and a couple wooden hamburger presses  that are only decorative pieces in my kitchen. I think they are 1950′ or maybe even ’40’s. Antique, vintage, or retro, take your pick! lol

The other project I have going is a colorway blanket, a rainbow affair. I’ll post photos of it once I get it a little further along. And I am working also on making up a booklet of pattern stitches. This is a more or less long term project and is going to challenge my photography skills. or lack of them, as well as my weaving skills, but I thought it might be of interest.

Real Strawberries

May26

Randy found these when he went to town. Locally grown in Happy Valley by the Vietnamese farmers who do this so well. There were vendors out a few weeks ago but they had the grown in Mexico supermarket berries, you know the kind- huge, hollow, half green, tasteless! Ugh. Only fell for that once. These are the real thing. The car smells heavenly by the time you get them home. They are smaller and red and juicy. Yummmm! So today is for strawberries and canning the chicken soup I made yesterday.

I am also weaving some new kitchen curtains. The last issue if HandWoven featured an article on Transparent weaving where you can work a picture/pattern into your weaving. I think that would be a great one for the valance at the kitchen window. I wanted to work in a hen and rooster but my first attempt was not up to my standards! lol Trying again!  If you’re on Ravelry, drop in on Looms To Go and  take a look at the curtain a member shared.  It’ll have you at your looms in no time! I hope to have something worthy to post shortly.

Meantime, I go to Medford this week to have my vision improved.  Doc says I have a cataract and he’s going to fix it. Sis just had hers done and seems to think it’s a big improvement. Hope so. Read the brochure with all the warnings and just about back out! lol So maybe when I get back my weaving will look better. Or worse! lol

Have a fun, sunny and safe memorial weekend!

Spring Trip

Apr23

We spent our 28th anniversary and his 60th birthday on the road. Had a great time, too. Visited Death Valley.

and Las Vegas along with many other places along the way. I have way toop many pictures to share here, tho.

We say Donnie and Marie and they were great. What energy they have for people who are no longer really young!

We walked The Strip by night, a year-round Marti Gras! But we also spent time in the desert, quiet, cool and peaceful for the most part. It started to get warm by the time we got home and the streams are up and running today with the temps in the 80’s!

This is Walker lake, the most colorful lake I ever remember seeing. We spent an afternoon and night here. You will swear this is a painting but it is not and i did not do anything to the photo, it is just as it really looked.

and here we are at Burney Falls on the way Home.

 

 

Winter Beauty

Mar21

There is even beauty in the winter doldrums. This is my Port Orford cedar that we rescued from a mud slide years ago. It’s sibling didn’t survive but this one is now, I’m guessing, around 25′ tall. It has lovely lacy branches and when wet and foggy is even prettier. Next to it is the rhododendren, a little flattened by the winter snow load, but it’s perking up even now and will be blooming before we know it, big red bundles of flowers. So, forgive my sniveling. The world is still beautiful if we look for it.

PLowing

Jan24

Randy spent most of yesterday digging us out. The county had just finally made one run up Coffee Creek road about 10:30 am but he’s already done ours little road and driveway. I understand some of the spur roads are still not dug out. that little loader we bought 20 years ago has certainly earned it’s keep! But we were happy to see the snow, winter was not looking good before this.

Weaving the Norwegian Slippers

Jan14

I saw this done with knitted squares and of course thought right away, I can do that with the looms! And I can. Sis made a pair that turned out nicely to fit her. I put mine in the washer and went away to cut put soles and they felted up to the maximum and look nice but do not fit me. Too small. The pair i made using the 3.5″ loom are also tightly felted and child size but I don’t know what size. They are about 5″ long. I used some squares I had in stash so the “pair” don’t match. But now I know what they will do, anyway.

I used the 7″ square loom. for the largte ones and the 3.5″ for the small ones.

Happy New Year!

Dec31

I hope you all had a great christmas and are going, tonight, to have a Happy and SAFE New Year’s celebration! The old folk here in Coffee Creek will have a quiet one at home. He’s gotten a cold somewhere and tho we were invited to a party I guess we ought not go spread the germs around. I have my fingers x-ed that I can get by without it.

But we enjoyed ourselves in Sausalito with Randy’s step-mom. It was a nice treat for a couple of country bumpkins! She took us to see Beach Blanket Babylon which has been running in San Francisco since 1974. It’s a sort of satire and is updated frequently so is really entertaining. We loved it. Here’s the pair of them waiting in line. Don’t he look cheerful?!this is why the kids call him Grumpa!

Of course we went to see other sights, too. The Bridge, of course, from up on the hill above Ft. Baker. It wasn’t exactly foggy but there was a mist.

The houses in Sausalito are all stacked on top of each other. No kidding! These are the ones that look directly out into the bay. MIL lives up the hill a couple blocks and I do mean UP!

And we got to the beach. Well, I have to admit we only got to the parking lot. The wind of icy cold and gusting. The spume off the waves was flying back out to sea! The gulls had to flap just to stay in place and had to tack to make headway! So I took this picture from the car. yeah, I’m wimpy!

And Sheba was nice enough to model the coat I knitted for her and didn’t even seem to mind it so I guess that was a success!