Friday, October 31, 2008

My Favorite Decoration


I don't know about you, but I love me a good toilet papered tree. This little tree gets decorated every year with permission from the shop owner. Rumor has it the paper is supplied by the owner.

















This tree is just outside the Town Hall. I hope I caught the essence of early morning light and a slight breeze that just enhances the t.p. Truly, I love it!
Tonight, when it's dark and the wind is blowing, these trees will just add that, that spookiness you need on Halloween. Walking under it brought a smile. I never liked trick or treating as a kid (though damn if I was gonna let my little sister get stuff and I didn't!) but papered trees and jack-o-lanterns get to me. Once a pumpkin is carved it gains a spirit. To see a smashed pumpkin, that's murder. We'll have none of that. Unfortunately my pumpkins exploded before I could get them a spirit. Between the heat during the day and cold at night something went astray. The squirrels are enjoying them.
Happy Halloween.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Oh, oh, I feel a Mood Coming On

The closer the election gets, the more I look like this:

Me: "You want what?"
"I want to sell (pick one: pie, baked goods, raffle tickets) on election day at the Town Hall."
Me: "you need permission from the Selectboard and their next meeting is November 18.(AFTER THE ELECTION.)
"Why can't I just set up a table in the hall?"
Me(in my head): "because we're trying to run an incredibly large election as smoothly as possible so people don't have to wait for hours to get in to vote because the [pie/baked goods, raffle ticket] table is holding up the works. And why are you waiting this long to ask if you can do this? Never mind, you were probably going to wait until election day with pies in tow and whine in person."
Me: (in real time) "let me put you through to the Town Clerk so she can explain."
Wait 2-3 minutes and hear the Town Clerk wail after she has hung up, "Aargh! I can't stand it!"

Now your thinking, Miss Sandra, why so harsh? Let me explain. We have one polling venue-Town Hall. Two-thirds of the population votes so that's about 2,000 folks trying to come in, vote and get on with their lives. Past elections with extra curricular activities being held in the main hallway have had less than positive results. There are spaces in other areas of Town Hall where one could sell their wares without disrupting the works. Everyone parking and coming in has to pass this non-invasive space. Pie for everyone! Less complaints! (notice I said "less". There are days I think they should rename the building Town Complaints but being a government entity what do I expect?) It's a very exciting day, election day. The hubbub in the hallway outside my office brings giggles and groans and I get to see some folks in town only at elections. I guess we're trying desperately to keep the crankies to a minimum. I know I'm hitting my polling venue as early as possible. Come to think of it, I've never seen a pie table there.

See, this is where everyone should know how to knit or crochet. It's an excellent way to pass the time waiting in line to vote.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Fourth Weekend in October

October is slipping away. Saturday I went to FiberTwist to drool over the lovely rovings and handspuns. I wish my budget would cooperate...I could have come home with lots of stuff. Alas, I have nothing. Saturday night we had a doozy of a rain storm. Always fun to watch rain fall from left to right instead of the boring normal straight down. Pretty much wrecked the last of the foliage.
Sunday brought tons of sunshine and warm temps. Beau took advantage of the Big Back Door being open to catch a sun bath.
I raked leaves (with plenty to go) and started a cardi during the Patriots game. Good Ole Cascade 220 I had in my stash. I love it when I forget what I have in stash. It's like Christmas! The zippy vest is almost done. It sat on the floor by my chair for a week. As you can see it's blocking and will just need the zipper inset. Does anyone know how to get mothball smell out of material? That floral ditty to the right is a dress that I have washed repeatedly and left out to air for months. Still can't wear it--never mind it's a summer dress and too cold to wear now. Moth balls have been banned from the house.

The vest has a lower back than front. Bendover Coverage I call it. There is a 6sts I-cord and will overlap the zipper-well, that's the game plan. I'm anxious to get it done. My office is kept at a brisk 66 degrees to help cut fuel costs so this will be worn often. Typing is a challenge with cold fingers so maybe I can create fingerTIPless gloves out of an old pair of driving gloves. Not that I won't try to knit my own but I need them now!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I Was Just Wondering

I was standing in the checkout line of my LYS behind a woman who was purchasing buttons. She wanted to exchange buttons she had bought and for the 10 minutes I stood behind her I was still unclear as to the reason why. So was the clerk. They were too blue or too green. She traded the buttons for the exact same ones only more of them. I believe she purchased 15. When the clerk-of-unbelievable-patience put them in a bag, Button Woman was very concerned they were going to get scratched. This is when I groaned, "you've got to be kidding" a little too loud. The woman behind me snorted. The clerk noted the buttons were in the bag by themselves but she would staple it together. This appeased Button Woman. Why? I don't know, they were still going to rub against each other. And just so you know, the buttons were a 1/2 inch flat, four hole simple variety, nothing artsy or fancy.
My question is, if you're putting the buttons on a sweater, which Button Woman was, are they not going to get scratched from natural circumstances of sweater wearing? Maybe her acquaintances are extremely critical of her work and whip out their magnifying glass to count scratches on her buttons. Get that close to my buttons on the sweater I'm wearing and your gonna get poked in the eye more than likely. But that's just me, the touchy type.
I'd have a pic of an unblocked vest for y'all but the camera needed a recharge before I can take a blurry picture to post. I whipped up another pair of socks during Birthday Week and have a scarf on the needles now. "They" are predicting a bit of snow for Western Mass tomorrow. The leaves haven't fallen off my trees! I'm not ready yet.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Birthday Week

It's October, it's fall, it's.......coming up to Birthday Week! I take the week off from work. Think it's a bit odd? I worked with a guy that celebrated his birthday month. His boss was flexible I guess.
I have stuff I want to do and stuff I have to do. Stuff I want to do will win out because...it's Birthday Week.
  • I want to sit down and finish my vest. I'm done with the main section and have cut the steeks. I'm slowly knitting on a six stitch I-cord.
  • I want to start another quilt. I'd like to incorporate my love of Gustav Stickley and Frank Lloyd Wright designs into the next quilt. Not the two together but something linear.
  • I want to create some jewlery pieces. My interests have turned to wire jewelry, more specifically pieces created with jump rings. If you pop over to the David Chain site you'll see what I'm aspiring to do. Someday. If I practice alot.

I've got quite a week cut out for myself. It's Birthday week, I can do what I want!

Friday, October 03, 2008

The Ride Home Can Be Interesting

See these Gals? (no, they're not vultures, they're wild turkeys.) On my way to work in the morning the same gang had me to stopped whilst they decided which side of the road they wanted to be on. They came close to getting a horn toot because a few were very indecisive. By the afternoon they had gathered just off the road (different section) for a late afternoon stroll and snack. There was one Tom but he was camera shy and walked off into the woods.

Brrrr!

Brisk morning. The first wool sweater was donned this morning and being the true New Englander that I am I wore shoes with no socks. A sweater and barefoot. Oh, and driving gloves. I didn't have to scrape the windsheild of ice but did have to remove moisture from all windows so I could see where I was driving. Bring it on!