Tag Archive | Animals

Raining fish and frogs!

Well, not really. Used to do that once in awhile when I lived in Florida years ago, but never seen it here. But we are all delighted to see it raining hard enough that the Fire Service people are considering the fires to be OUT!

I finished my Antimacassar yesterday but was not able to load it here and it kept timing out. So I’ll try again! I added a 14″ triangle to the top to hang over the back of the chair to keep it in place and still let the whole picture show. I’m not really very happy with the additional stuff on the top left but not unhappy enough to rip it out and do over. Worked a SC in white around the edge just to finish it off neatly. Now I just have to find a shiny black button to give him an eye. Sister insists that he needs one in spite of the fact that it’s probably not going to show.

So I hope you are all making some headway, maybe even starting to assemble? Hope to hear some progress reports!

Remember, this weeks prize is a 4″ Multi triangle loom! The dusty one in the photo is mine, you’ll get a new un-dusty one!

Row two is the most complicated bit and that is really not that hard once you look at how it’s put together. It’s just overlapping triangles!

I think September is the start of Fall…?

Sep1

At least I hope so. The Weather Wizards have been speculating on La Nina, telling us we may get a colder and wetter winter this year. What a wonderful thing that would be. I’m afraid to believe it, tho because if they are wrong it is going to be just too disappointing! Anyone who has been watching the goings on out in the US west know we are drying up and burning up. Here in Coffee Creek we are under Evacuation Warning and the fire is creeping closer. We have the trailer parked in the driveway and are loading what we want to save. Have you ever had to make decisions on what you want and what you have room for? Then you know what it’s like around here these days. Not only that but we don’t know we are going to have to leave so meantime we have to go about our lives. There are still looms to make, the garden to tend and veggies to can, he has unfinished jobs… It’s hard to pack what we need to take if we have to leave when meantime we have to live here and need those things for that! If you can figure that out!

Space station photo. I tried to mark the fires for those in the area. Not guaranteed, tho.

Here’s a picture of the fires on Aug 2 from the space station. That was before the Haypress fire (ours) got over the hill and down into Coffee Creek drainage. Since that time it’s been creeping down toward us. The canyon is filled with smoke from it and from the rest of the fires in N CA. But the fire people tell us that’s a good thing as it keeps the fires down, less oxygen for them. Also for us! But I don’t think we’re going to be able to count on La Nina to arrive in time to save us so we’re just going to have to count on the fire crews and our own resources. And your good thoughts or prayers!

But meantime…

Bread and Butter pickles from the basket of cukes.

Looking up at a Tall sunflower!

Meantime since I was disturbing the dust I decided to run all these dust collectors through the dishwasher. My, they are shiny!

He mulched the potatoes with straw and now we have a crop of wheat! I can make potato bread! ;-D

Himself thinks these old games are worth a lot of money to game collectors, but I think those guys want unopened new “old”
games and mine have a lot of miles on them! I played and so did every kid that came around. It was fun but I expect I’d get Zelda slaughtered these days. If I could figure out how to hook it up to the modern TV. But it just goes to show what you can find when you start digging out dusty corners. I didn’t find my wedding rings, tho. 😦

Is it history?

Weaving content is still missing for the same reason. But there will be projects in a couple of Little Looms magazines next year so is that something to look forward too?! I hope!

Meantime get out your dancing shoes and give us a rain dance or two!

The neighbor brought her kids over for lunch.

Looks like we’re staying home for Easter.

Mar23

I was thinking about that and remembered I had woven some bunnies in days of yore so headed out to Le Shed to see what I could find. The lavender bunny was the first one I made and that back in the first year we were making looms. Back when I was doing a newsletter. I’m not sure where that went, just kind of faded, I guess. But this 20 year old bunny is still hanging in, looking a bit worn but still identifiable! He’s pretty simple so I think you can probably figure out how I did it by this little sketch.

This sad little guy came sometime later. He does have real rabbit ears tho drooping like they are here they look more like bear ears in this photo. The back view shows them and how I gave him a tail. It’s just a cotton ball sewn on. He’s also made with two triangles but I just tied off his ears and gathered his neck a bit. The rest was playing with some needle sculpting. Wasn’t very good at it but he does sit up and shows a bit of legs and arms. His nose is a big French knot, and I gave him glued on goggle eyes.

The third bunny is the newest one, only a few years old. I used some fuzzy yarn for him and a square and a triangle. As it happens, I did write this one up! It’s a downloadable pdf file. Hope you enjoy this one!

Bunnies

Home again…

Jul20

We’re back home again after our two weeks on the road. It was a trip I really needed, I think DH did as well. After Black Seep Gathering we had a week before The Grazing hills event the next weekend so we spent the time wandering though NE Oregon and into Washington via back roads, avoiding the major highways as much as possible. We stayed in State or USFS campgrounds and on occasion just bushwhacking. Here’s our first encounter with an automated flagman!

Automated flagman!

Seafoam blooming at/in window!

It was still springtime up in the higher elevations and a nice wet winter has everything green and blooming. Warm, not hot, days, cool nights, no internet or phones… it was wonderful! By the time we reached Viola, Idaho, we were relaxed and ready for the next event. Katie, Christine, and crew did a great job with this new event. It was well organized, well advertised, well laid out, just an all around excellent fair, especially for a first time event! Lots of other vendors and very friendly people. We got to see new born alpacas taking their first wobbly steps, and chatted with lots of old and new friends. I had a class of 6 new weavers there and at Albany and I hope I was able to inspire them to continue with this fun craft. The grocery bag wind socks were a popular item and certainly put on a show on this windy hill top! Lovely rolling hills farm country!

Viola Booth

One row of vendor booths on Sunday morning. Sunday morning is a slow time at fairs. We had lots of people Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

So now we have a couple months to get ready for OFFF and Lambtown! Check out those events, too, if you have not already done so. And the garden is into production. I will have to pick beans again today. Randy pulled his crop of carrots and has replanted. I dunno if they’ll do much this time of year but as I have failed at carrots, I’ve turned them over to him! I’ll need to harvent some turnips today, too, as I see there are leaf munchers enjoying those plants!

First harvest! Not bad for a first time! And my first zucchini didn’t make it into the photo!

Randy has gone off with a neighbor to work on the water works up Treasure Creek. The spring run-off took out both the Beavers Dam and his own control system. People down stream are worried about their fishes, most politely, one forgetting that having this water is not her “right” and wording her concerns is less than acceptable ways. Ah well, not everyone is a happy person. Too bad.

And I now have a new ‘toy’! A summer resident and friend has given me his late wife’s knitting machine. She was a beautiful lady and will certainly be missed by everyone who knew her. I hope to be able to learn how to use her classic machine. But I am still weaving, never fear! lol

New projects coming up!

Hope your summer is not too hot or too busy!

Photgraphy lesson: “Architecture” ,

May20

The Jays know how to keep their young families safe from cruising ravens. They build under, usually under an overhanging roof if they can find one. We’ve been raising Stellar Jays for many years. I like to think it’s great great grandchildren returning every spring. The one on the tree branch is really a squirrel nest but the Jays play around in it, too. We raised two families this spring. I think they’ve abandoned the one in the rose bush that they used for years because we use the deck out there now at that time of the year and they feel that’s a little close, I suppose. But the other two are on opposite sides of the house. The first one is the newest nest. Randy put up the shelf brackets and strung chicken wire between them as a platform. It was in self defense as they wanted to build in his supply of fence panels and we were going to be needing them!

But the subject is architecture. They build rather free form but it is a tight and sturdy nursery. And safe, as I have mentioned. We have other birds around but these are the only ‘house’ birds. I had a house wren build a nest in the pocket of a pair of my pants which were hanging on the clothes line. By the time they were done with it the pants were pretty faded but I could not bring myself to oust them.

Water..

May11

Anther blog photo lesson. Water is an important subject now days. Seems like there is either not enough of it or there is too much of it. This year we appear to be edging onto not enough here. And it’s spring with summer not looking wet at this point. But immediately water to me means Treasure Creek, the stream running though my garden. Not very big but a pretty stream, it’s my “white noise”, masking traffic on the road and loud talking neighbors. Dog can get a drink, I can dip my watering can in there to refresh any dry looking plants and local wildlife take advantage of it too. We see frogs and some little trouts.

And last summer we had a family of raccoons wading up steam. Not unusual to see one or two but these were 4 babies and I got some fuzzy pictures. I spooked them and they hid behind an alder and peeked around at me. Of course, the camera focused on the maples leaves in front of me where I wasn’t paying attention. Still a cute, if fuzzy shot, I think. And one with Water! 🙂

Dear Diary… the longest post you’ll ever see here!

Apr23

Every day when Himself comes home the first thing he asks is, “What did you do today?” I don’t think he really wants to know, it’s just a conversational gambit thingy but I usually am unable to answer. I know I’ve been busy all day but most of it was apparently not notable. So I thought I would let you suffer through a day with me and lets see what it is I do all day!

April 23, 2018

5:32 am: Woke, glanced at the clock, sighed and got up.
Bathroon first, as usual
Started the coffee, Himself gets it ready before he goes to bed so I just have to push the button.
Checked the temperature. It was 63 in here, not really cold but chilly enough to warrant a fire in my opinion so I built one.
Poured coffee and turned on the tablet, checked my usual morning sites and email, by that time Himself was up.
So I got dressed and started breakfast. Eggs and sausage this morning, toast & applesauce.
Then, lets see… Printed out paperwork for loom orders, boxed up same, let the cat out, printed postage and hauled them out the the truck so he could drop them off in the mail box (it’s a big one!) on his way to town.
Answered some more email, put my shoes on and managed to get out of the house in time to meet Tsuneko for our morning walk. Lovely warm morning, I left the window open we I left, the fire having been long out. Visited with a couple neighbors and our old mailman on the way. Jack has been delivering mail up here for many many years and loves to talk. It was his idea for us to put up the big box so i don’t have to drive to Trinity Center to the post office to mail the packages. He’s got his grandson taking over the route, (nice boy) but he still does Monday and whenever Peter needs a day off. I wore just a light sweater this morning and it was getting to be too warm by the time I got home. Cat weather~ see below!
12:00 Opened up the house, turned on the drier to freshen up the load I didn’t get folded yesterday, made my lunch salad and am now typing this. Next I’ll eat my lunch while defeating Evil with my Viking hero- that’s my noontime treat. Rest of the day coming later….
You know it’s a warm day when the cat naps on the deck. she’s loving the sunshine!
After lunch cleaned up in the kitchen, loaded the dishwasher and washed the bread machine pan, ready for the next batch.
Got sausage out of the freezer to thaw for tonight’s meatloaf. Brought in and folded rest of laundry while I was there also put away the soup I canned yesterday and straightened stuff out for the new shelves he built this morning.
Planted kale seed and some marigolds. Also some garlic bulbs that sprouted in the kitchen. Dunno if they’ll make new roots or not, but decided to chance it as they looked fat and healthy. The peas are showing leaves now, too. And I have some tulips blooming just across the path.
Gathered pine cones for a basket, found a checkered cloth, and “decorated” the corner table in the rental cabin. Mom-in-law says I am not to clean it before she comes in mid May as she’ll need a project while she’s here. All it needs is dusting and airing out, tho I intend to paint the back bathroom, it’s a gloomy place as is.
So now I’m ignoring the fact that the dining table is full of clutter again. I guess that’s next, tho, as it has reached the point where we have to push stuff aside in order to eat dinner each evening. Shameful, I know, but it’s such a handy spot to dump whatever you have in your hands at the time. I took off my pretty cut work white cloth, I had spilled gravy on it and he has what looks like coffee stains at his place! Yikes, I knew better than to put that on in the colder season. In summer we eat on the deck so the cloth would stay pretty. Table may still look cluttered to some of you, but the stuff in the top right corner is His. It’s a box that he sometimes hits with his mail and paper work. The turn-table in center top has stuff like salt & pepper, napkin holder, the electronic candle from my MIL and the SFGiants gnome from the same lady! On my place mat, there on the left, are a couple packets of arugala seed, last years, but I’ll offer it to Tsuneko, if she wants it. I found that I detest the stuff! Yuck, in fact. Right along with cilantro, and that stuff they make with basil- pesto! I don’t object to basil in reasonable quantities but pesto made of it… no thanks. I made some once when I first heard of it and had lots of garden basil. My buddy loved it so she got it all! lol
Tossed the kitchen rugs into the washer. I’ll mop tomorrow.
3:30 pm Himself has come in now and he & the dog are sharing a bag of salami. So I guess it’s time for me to head into the kitchen and assemble the meat loaf. I baked hamburger type buns and am planning meatloaf sandwiches and slaw for dinner. I might bake a batch of brownies for the game later.
Meatloaf in the oven. Decided against the brownies, too much oven. Had a graham cracker crust in the pantry (love $General!) and a packet of vanilla pudding plus a can of cherry pie filling. Not fresh strawberries but it’ll do until they come along in another month or so! And it’s pretty!
4:30 Dog has quit following me around, she was smelling hamburger and thought I was making her dinner. She’s ever hopeful! Disappointment! I don’t have to make hers for a couple more weeks, just made a new batch. Her dinner is thawing on the counter so she’ll get it at the proper time. The vet put her on grain free because of a chronic ear infection, says grain feeds the yeast. So I make her meat and veggies & freeze them in baggies, she loves it but I can’t see that it has helped her ear problem much.
But now I’m going to sit and read a new knitting pattern to see if I really want to do it. My loom and yarn is ready for when the game comes on this evening. The Giants are playing the Nationals, coming off a win and a fun game with the Angels!
5.35 pm: Meatloaf is done, slaw’s made, as is dressing. Do we need beans? Nay. Himself is reading the news, I’ve been doing x-words here, Jays are fussing at something. Who knows? Jays are always bitching about something. They are just a mouthy group. I guess that’s why I like them- We have much in common! The temperature is starting to fall, too, so I think I’ll close up now. Seems a shame but I don’t want it to get too chilly in here for old people!
Where’s dinner, Ma?!
Dinner’s over, time for the kitty to go home. She lives in the studio since there’s no room here for that necessary box that house cats need. Dishwasher is loaded and going. Game not on for another 10 minutes so here’s the end of my day. Game and weaving a square. Last email to my sis or both, take my melanin pill (it’s supposed to cure my tinnitus), brush teeth – all the usual bedtime stuff and off to dreamland.
Well, if he had asked what I did today, I could have told him.
He didn’t, of course.