spring???

spring dream time arrived in my mailbox today!!

my Landreth seed catalogue came!

yes, i do know that spring is months and months away... but with a beautiful seed catalog in my cold winter hands, i can start planning and before we leave in May for 5 weeks i can get some seeds started!  our wonderful and amazing housesitter/dog care person is also an avid gardener and i know she will take loving and tender care of any little plantlets that appear.  and just to increase her incentive, she can take a bunch of them home for her garden!!   my dye studio hasn't seen an active dye pot in months and is actually a perfect place for starting garden plants... both vegetable and flower.

i love this catalog!  their photos and drawings are a work of art in themselves and the seeds and bulbs they sell have never disappointed me.  doesn't get any better than that, in my opinion!  there is a small charge for the seed "book" and it is so worth it that i've even given it as a gift to gardening friends.  this is not a paid advert and i get no kick-back, but my advice is to get one!  you, too, can start dreaming of and planning for spring.... and warm... and sun... oh my!

dome central xmas

it all started on saturday when Chris, Alex and Zylie (75% of the northern branch of the clan) arrived to have an early celebration with us.  Kate needed to stay at home to get some
dyeing done and the grandkids really wanted to be at their own house for xmas, so they left on monday and made it back home in plenty of time to put cookies out for santa.  it really made my heart sing to have them hanging out here for a couple of days.  we did some present opening... and Z amazed and delighted me with the stunning feathery pink flamingo tree ornament.  love it totally.  it will, of course, not be packed away with the tree ornaments, but will join the others in my homage to the pink flamingo guest bathroom decor.

it was a quieter the usual xmas morning here at dome central.  for the past few years Chris, Kate and the gkids have been here, usually coming down xmas eve and santa finds them here because he is magical and clever.

another thing that made a BIG difference was that rather than being the roaster of the turkey, and since i'd just done it at thanksgiving, i asked my bro and sis if they'd bring a honey-baked ham from that famous store... and they did!!  so, i was able to use my oven to bake a peach crumble dessert (Jim's fave and about the only dessert that i make from scratch ), and to roast a big pan of vegetables Greek-style... which means with a lot of olive oil and Greek seasonings.  i really like this arrangement and wonder why it took me so long to figure it out.  so, many of the tribe, plus a few neighbors, arrived mid afternoon and we feasted and enjoyed for hours!  Jim even had a few brave souls who joined in on the after-dinner raki drinking... OPA!

i didn't take a lot of photos... but did get some of my beautiful nieces and their daughters, who are going up much too fast!

i think that part of the reason for Jen's happy smile is that she did not have to leave early (as she usually does) to go to work on her night shift at Providence.

Jordan!!

                                      Maggie and Maisy.  she was really rockin' that hat!!

Maisy, Maggie, Jen and Judy

did someone say "cookies"???  Jim gave the doggies new scarves and the best way to get them to sit still for 30 seconds for a photo is to say the magic word.

it's a sweet little tree.  but not quite as short and little as it looks from this angle.  and we managed to get it up and decorated before the kids arrived on saturday.

it was a good xmas and i'm grateful!

a prayer flag

my muse nudged me and i said "ok let's do it".

someone i love very much just got a breast cancer diagnosis, her second one.  i wanted to make something for her that she could look at and think of all the love and light and healing thoughts that are being sent up for her.  so.. i made her a prayer flag.

a blessing

hummingbird

 outside my kitchen window.  the photo is kind of fuzzy as it's shot thru the window.  his brilliant color really lights up the grey day.

and the salad greens in the greenhouse are enough to add to a salad a few times a week.  tasty, they are!!

a bag

 i do have some further comments on that last post, but procrastination and disinterest are getting in the way.

this is a little whatsit bag that i made a while back and am posting just to remind myself that my creative muse IS out there somewhere.  i think she's been trying to contact me lately and i just haven't been receiving the nudge.  i need to get my groove back, but for no good reason that i can discern it is elusive.  have been neglecting 3 projects that i should finish, just ripped out a weird and funky hat that somehow or other was big enough to fit a medium sized pumpkin... don't know how that happened... a total fail.

on the better side of things, i have gotten organized enough to buy or order about half of the holiday gifts i have on my list, and am as far as thinking about getting out the holiday decorations.  i don't hate the holidays this year and am even willing to calmly go along with the whole show.  and no, i don't need to increase my meds... they are already at max.

i lined the little bag with dupioni silk, which i love.  there is no pattern for the bag.  the entrelac part of it was from a pattern for a mitt but was way huge for any wrist that i know and turned out to be perfect for a bag.

i may think better of even posting this and come to delete later.  just need to get my groove back.....

really?? i mean really???

I need someone to knit 100% wool socks for me... (Vancouver, WA)

---

Date: 2012-11-27, 10:43PM PST
 xb8nq-3419516919@sale.craigslist.org^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

---

I have wool I bought to knit some socks for myself, but, I just don't have the time. If you would knit some socks for me I will pay you $10 per pair. If I love the socks you knit for me and my wool gets all used up in socks that you knit, then, I am open to you knitting socks for me in the future from your yarn for $20 per pair. The yarn has to be 100% yarn and must be handwashable.

Also, if you are a very experienced knitter, in the future I will be interested in hiring you to knit more items for me, such as sweaters for myself and my grandchildren.

Thanks so much!

i saw this on craigslist.  not sure whether to laugh hysterically... or to have a raging rant over the ignorance on display here!  and she says she is a knitter??  really?  i'm sure knitters are lining up hoping to be chosen to knit her socks for.... ~$10~...a pair??  just think of all the money you could make just sittin' around knittin' socks.  i need to stop thinking about this before i go on a wild raucous profane rant!  maybe it's a joke?

week of thanksgiving

and it wasn't totally stress-free, but the shopping got done, the house got cleaned, the dog did not get to the groomer (so the layer of dog hair will be abundant very soon), turkey and dressing and other foods got prepared, there were enough chairs and places at the table, enough plates and forks, enough wine and those who had "volunteered" to add to the feast came thru with flying colors (and great food!!) and the final count of family and friends came to 22.  everyone seemed to enjoy the day and there was no "drunk uncle" to cause conflict with arguments over politics and other social issues or tell really awful jokes!  i happily received and gave an abundance of hugs, had some lovely but short conversations, and enjoyed the day until at the end my back and sciatica finally had the last word and i kicked the kids off the sofa so i could stretch out.... ahhhh.

the WA branch of the clan arrived and bless their hearts for being willing to make that drive on a holiday.







Friday was our 34th wedding anniversary!!  WOW!  we beat the odds and are alive and happy.  it is not always easy, but is SO worth it.

proteus 2011

proteus 2012

last year Jim brought me these Proteus, which are beautiful in their own right.  and look what they became over the year.  truly a gift that kept on giving!!



and the kids took us out for dinner to celebrate!  we went to a Greek restaurant in Beaverton which we love... and had a wonderful dinner.  we celebrated our 30th anniversary in Vamos, Crete with our friends there and we threw a wild and crazy party to celebrate.  i look at those photos and they still make me smile... ahhh, those memories are sweet!

this is the time of year that raki (aka fire water) is made in Crete.  Jim made a batch today and believe me, it is lethal... whew!  it is made from the fermented must (what's left from the wine grape crushing) and is a traditional drink there.  it is the "welcome" when you visit anyone... any time of the day or night!


this is a really old photo... from our first year in Crete.
Jim was collecting a sample as new raki came out of the spout above that while bucket.

they build a big wood fire to heat the copper kettle on top which holds the must, which is then distilled.


and below, Manoli is standing on the shelf above the fire... the kettle is on his right.

this raki-making ritual usually involves a big party and lots of food and wine.  OPA!

thanksgiving!!

well, that's tempting... but no chemicals in our turkey.

the clan (somewhere between 20 and 23 of us) will gather here around 2pm tomorrow.  i'm hoping we'll sit down to eat the thanksgiving meal about 4pm.  the possible stick in that ointment is that the bird is not thawed completely yet.  at this point i'm dog tired from getting ready for tomorrow, my back and subsequent sciatica are consuming my attention and i'm gonna have a tall cold  drink and get myself to bed real soon now.  tomorrow i will deal with the issue of thawed or not thawed bird.

hoping you'll enjoy a day with those you love, a wonderful feast, and may we all remember those who's lives are not as blessed as ours and do whatever we can to make those lives better.

craig's list and Eat More Kale

Jim found a really good score on Craig's list!  6 dining room chairs for $100.  this was one of those impulse things... we have a dining room set that my parents bought in probably the 60's (that's almost antique, isn't it?)  i've always loved the table, even tho it does have some issues after all those years.  it must be covered by a table cloth at all times... my mom had at some point in time started to refinish the top of it... and didn't get very far, so it looks like... ummm.. crap.  and then the brace part between 2 table legs got broken somewhere along the way.  it doesn't seem to interfere with stability, but isn't real pretty looking.  about a year ago, my brother, Curbhead, gave us the dining chairs from the original set in trade for chairs we had from an old set.  tho it was nice to have the complete set... these chairs had been thru a lot of use and abuse and were really a risk to sit upon because of the threat of falling apart (and one had actually done that when i sat on it, causing huge embarrassment but injury only to my dignity).  so, on Sat. i reminded J that it was really time to fix them or get off the pot.  he'd been muttering for a year about fixing them.  so with gathering of the clan for dinner here at tgiving and xmas, plus a spinning group the next day it was down to the question of fix 'em or take them to a furniture repair place.  more muttering.  about an hour later he appeared with 6 print-outs of chair offerings from craig's list, i chose the one i liked best, and 3 hours later he returned from beaverton with 6 replacement chairs that i really really like!  and they are sturdy and show little wear and they look great with the rest of our kind of hodge-podge eclectic furnishings.  bravo!  his procrastinating had a happy ending!!

kale harvested today from the garden and simmering away  for dinner.  i post this here partly because it is so cool to eat vegetables from the garden even in mid-november, and partly because of my EatMoreKale shirt which i love.  it was made by a guy who has a small business in Vermont and is being bullied (sued by Chic Fil A corporation over trademark infringement) (REALLY??)  i really cannot see any confusion or conflict.  you can read the story by following the link above.  support small business!!  and kale is good for you!

twisted sisters spin....

and laugh and graze and just totally enjoy a day together!  Jane looked splendid in her new dreads (long pieces of felted wool in technicolor).  it's a great look and she wears it so well that she should wear it often.  she could even get into a holiday mode by adding glitter and tinsel to the locks!

i totally failed in picture-taking duties.  guess i was having too good a time to keep up as sisters kept arriving thru the day.
and the ones i managed to get weren't really set up well and in good focus.  and i totally forgot the grazing table which was abundant ... as it always is when we get together.

                                        Linda, the fearless leader at
                                           Northwest Wools    
















       

Lynn and Rachael (and i'm sorry it's such a crappy picture)

today i finally gave up on the low back and sciatica remedies i've been trying... heat, ice, TENS unit, various stretching and (not enough) exercises... and went to see my doctor.  am feeling like i shouldn't have bothered and wasted a perfectly good morning.  she did order a back xray, because i asked for one, and ibuprofen and hydrocodone and get back to her in 2 weeks if no improvement.  this has been going on for so long that i'm really ready for the next step... like back specialist and maybe cortisone injection.   i bought how-to Tai Chi dvd today and maybe that will help.  we'll see.

Rocky Horror

it was saturday night at the world and it started out innocently enough... with a gigantic margarita and super duper taco salad at Mexican/Peruvian restaurant in Forest Grove.

and then it got much less innocent when we walked down the street to Theatre in the Grove to see The Rocky Horror Show.  this show might be not so remarkable in many settings.. but we are talking about Forest Grove, OR here folks.  this is the seat of conservative community theater where the much-loved "Our Town" and "Sound of Music" are repeated over and over due to popular request.  we were there on the last night and the place was crowded... with a lot of oldies like ourselves, with lots of hootin' and hollerin' and enjoyment of the transvestite translyvania theme.  there was a sizable number of a younger crowd, too.  and what's intriguing to me was that there were 2 midnight shows during their run which were advertised to be all out no holds barred and more bared, and i cannot even imagine!  it was a well-done production and we enjoyed it and give high praise to the director (Pruella Centers) and the crew for an all-out great show!  (and this was in beautiful downtown Forest Grove?????  yes!)

and p.s., Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of my all-time favorite movies!

it's Saturday!!

here's one of my goals!

octopus for Z.

my sweet grandgirl asked me to make this for her... how could i refuse??  it's for her birthday (tho a few days late now) and is in the mail to her.

i'm not a fast knitter ever, but this octopus took longer than it should have.  it wasn't difficult, just required that i follow a pattern v-e-r-y closely.  that really interferes with tv and talk and day dreaming.

it's from a book by Hansi Singh "Amigurumi Knits" and there are a couple of other critters i want to make.

sisters' weekend at the beach

such a beautiful time of year in Oregon!  all the reds, yellows, oranges of trees in their fall glory... against the contrast of evergreen trees on the hills and mountains.  as much as i hate to see summer end and winter rains arrive, i love the beauty of the colors of fall!

finally!!  Robin, Dinah and i were able to get it together to have a sisters' weekend at the beach.  we went to Rockaway Beach for 3 days, stayed in a condo thru a rental office in Rockaway and had a totally decadent (well, it seemed decadent to us) time of very few "shoulds" (as in we "should" eat healthy meals instead of crackers, cheese, dip, wine, ice cream, popcorn....), having a movie marathon watching as much Kevin Kline as we could, plus some other good ones, having a big country breakfast/brunch at the Cow Bell, and going out for a fabulous dinner one night.  we even had a rousing game of Carcassone and i WON!  that could have been helped by their coaching... or maybe they kind of let me win.  whatever... it was fun.

                   at times serious.........

and then not so much.

and meanwhile, back at my queendom, the salad stuff in the greenhouse is making good progress.  i do love that arugula!

and then came tuesday.  election day.  and i couldn't be any happier with the results!!!

"H" is for happy!

quilt borders

so... i'm settled on the borders for this quilt.  the deep red will be about 1 inch, the flowers with black background 2 1/2 inches and the ombre (red to orange to yellow and back) 3 1/2 inches.  it will be about (there's that "about" again) 40"x 60" when finished.  at least that's my plan at this moment.

not really good pics.  will try again for better.

bedtime now.  beach with bio-sisters tomorrow.

life and stuff like that

just because i love this!!!




















and then... just because i think this is so funny and so right on the mark and if you like Mitt Romney, do not click on the link because you will not like this ad.  if by some stretch of the imagination you have not made up your political mind (tho i find it impossible to believe this could be true!  please tell me if i'm wrong.), you really should check out this ad! and do feel free to leave comments on this!

Joss Whedon ad supporting Romney

now that summer is really over and i've been pulling up the dying plants in my garden, i've gone back to the quilt i was working on months ago.  and once again my casual approach to creative endeavors is coming back to bite me on the ass.  some day i might get it that it's a better idea to plan out a project before diving into it with a "great idea" and ending up spending too damn much time puzzling out how to finish.  the solution began solidifying as i was going to sleep and i actually must have dreamed about it because i woke up knowing what to do!!  photos coming soon.

i'm going to the beach for a long weekend with my bio-sisters on friday, which i'm really looking forward to.  will take spinning wheel and those lovely batts that i carded last week, also a knitting project... an octopus for Z for her 10th birthday next week.  i showed her a picture of it and she asked me to knit it for her... and so, i bought the book and got started.

and other than that... like everyone else i've been watching the tv reports of the devastation on the east coast following the hurricane.  i wish them all a speedy return to normal life.  i feel deep sorrow for all the loss they are experiencing.  the Red Cross is accepting $$ donations and also blood donations.

family and fiber

first Alex was sick... then Zylie, so i spent more time with Kate and with fibers than with kids. Kate let me use her Duncan electric carder and showed me her bins of "rejects" (dyed fiber that she deemed not up to her standards for selling) and told me to have at it! i'd also brought some fibers from home... dyed silk, angora, mohair for blending and gotta say... i felt like a pig in mud. plus, i always enjoy time spent with Kate. i see in my future lots of happy, relaxing spinning time. and movies! i am so totally exhausted from the political retoric (sp?) (it's wrong and too hard to look up on iPad) and will be happy when it's finished and Obama is re-elected! gotta say, tho, that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert always have an amusing take on all things political! and i never tire of them.

amtrak home tomorrow.

Fiber Fusion in Monroe WA

so.... i amtraked to seattle on friday, got met and transported to Duvall by Kate and kids (one kid sickish, one well). Chris fixed a fabulous steak dinner that night... ummmm! then i stayed here with the kids on saturday while C&K went to Monroe (Evergreen Fairgrounds) and sold lots of fiber. and today i took a nuno felting class, something i've been wanting to learn for a long time! loved the class, made an "ok" scarf and left with plans for future scarves. had these visions going thru my brain the whole time i was doing the felting of all sorts of silk and/or mohair embellished pieces that i can hardly wait to get to! it took a whole lot of muscle action to get that fiber to felt! and what i'm wondering is.... could this possibly count as the exercise that i'm always asked if i'm doing when i have an MD appt. (DAMN they are persistent) Yes! i do believe that would qualify. at least that's my story and i'm stickin' to it! so, after the class i spent the rest of the day hanging out with Kate in her booth and randomly wandering around, fondling fibers, chatting with vendors, kind of shopping... tho all i bought was 2 fabulous buttons from "One of a KInd"
ceramic button booth. spent some time with Dana and Lester at Whimsical Ewe... just because i'm enchanted with the felting that Dana does. sweet!
met up with Celeste and really loved catching up with what's going on in her life. she is one very creative and interesting person who is on her path to of wonderment and discovery.. Bravo!!

i'm writing this on my iPad and have uploaded photos, but cannot figure out how to manipulate them on the post and put a description... so there they are!