What Season Is This?

When ya gotta bloom, ya gotta bloom, regardless if you're a Christmas Cactus and it's not Christmas. This gang lives on the front porch all summer and the shock of outside to inside causes spontaneous blooming.

So be it!

I finished Gryffindor cardi and must do button shopping. I also need a method to remove rust marks from my white (of course, couldn't happen to a dark color) vest. I didn't notice the pins had gone bad when I blocked it. If anyone lurking knows of a sure fire removal system I'd appreciate the help.

I'm at a project stand still. Maybe a romp thru my stash will bring inspiration. Better yet, a romp thru WEBS.

There's Got To Be A Morning After...

I know, the last thing you want to read about is the election. Well, I'll just update the non-political stuff for you that occurred at Town Hall on election day.

Remember the Pie people? They sold pie outside. It was a gorgeeooouus day. Great for selling pie. They sold alot of pie.

The Bake sale in the downstairs hallway? Sold out. People get hungry standing in line and at 7am cookies are GOOD.

I counted 10 phone calls from people wondering if they were registered to vote. No planning ahead for THOSE people, no-sir-ee.

Did you know if you don't answer your street census you're listed as inactive on the voting registration list? Yup, doesn't mean you can't vote but you have to fill out paperwork proving you live in the town your voting in so save yourself the grief-don't argue with the election clerk and fill out the paperwork they hand you or answer your street census. Wasn't that easy?


Oddest/dumbest (my opinion) question of the day? "Where would I get a map of Greenfield?" (the question was asked in the town hall, which is not in Greenfield.) After staring at him with one eyebrow hitched up and wanting to say, "In Greenfield." I restrained myself from stating the obvious and responded, "Try the Assessors office. They're the only room with maps." Off he went. I'm sure he was very disappointed to find out they only have maps of our town.


Cutest moment: a small child was waiting in the voting line with his parents. He said he was very excited and hoping Barack Obama would be in the voting room when he got there. We all smiled. His parents tried to explain that they didn't think Mr. Obama would be there.

Honking for support. Does it reeaallly do anything for the cause? Is there a special count for "honk if you support...?" Where do they tally those honks? I've never seen a news broadcaster report an election that included: "So & So was trailing by 57% of the votes but s/he won by a landslide with 90% of the honks." No acceptance speeches have included the phrase, "We won this election by a honk!"




















Andrew says:
"Now with voting over, will they stop canceling NCIS and House?"

It's Here!

And I've never seen anything like it. I've been voting for 30 years and I've never seen anything like this. I got to work by 7:30am (after I voted in my own town. Small line, 5 minute wait) and drove around the parking lot for 5 minutes. I finally gave up and drove down the street and parked in a restaurant parking lot. I've never had to walk to work before. The Town Hall main hallway is wall to wall people. There's a little one out there that's starting to get a little bored with the whole thing. Or maybe it's an adult, sometimes it's hard to tell around here. It's only 8am.

On the knitting front, yes, contrary to the latest posts I do still knit, I'm still working on the cardigan with 2 color section. Or, the Gryffindor cardi as I refer to it due to it's red wine and gold colors. I paused from the body work to get the sleeves done so I can use up all the leftover wool to lengthen the body as much as possible. I want this one to cover my bum. I know you all wanted to know that so there you go.

(I wish you could here some of the conversations outside my door)

Ah yes, it's going to be an interesting day. Join the excitement-go vote!

















Beau is exhausted from the excitement of voting.

There is a Season

Ah, fall in New England. I drive to and from work through some of the prettiest countryside. We're going to have a red fall this year. I wonder if that makes the maple syrup sweeter in the spring? The pic below is in Gill, MA.

A slightly different view of the season, meet Boo (original no?) She resides at the Town Hall.
We've already had a complaint that she's using electricity. People are such fun aren't they?
With the quilt finished the cooler nights can start, I'm ready. The vest is still in process. It's the last day of September. You know what that means? Conway Festival of the Hills is this weekend! Fiber Twist is coming up! October is a busy month for Western MA. My favorite time of year.

Time to Catch Up

Here's what I do when we have perfect fallish weather. I do something I HATE. Painting. Painting my back porch. But it's done and when I woke up this morning it was still on. And I did it without falling off the ladder. (hate ladders.)Look at that yucky aluminum siding. I've tried several cleaners and no improvement. On one section it appears the previous owners tried to paint over it. It wasn't a positive result. Take my word for it.
On a more fun note, the hand quilting is done. I found the perfect stencil at the Bennington Quilt Festival. I need to wrap this puppy up cuz it's getting nippy at night here in Western Mass.
This blob of knitting will be a zip up vest. It's knit from the top down and I'm at underarm point. The steeks have it all bunched up. I praying the gauge gods are with me. The last of the gladiolas. The yellow one looks like it's lit! Hmmmm, the window needs washing too.

My hallway. See the rug all bunched up at the end? I find it this way almost every day. You'd think I'd take the hint. (Note the other renovation in progress, stripping paint off stair posts, rails and stiles. Blech.)
This is where the rug is intended to be. I don't think it looks that bad.
Beau disagrees. He's quite the home decorator. (Note: I know the red table cloth doesn't go either. It gives me a tic every time I go by it. Another member of the family thought it would look nice.)
No modesty with this one. Let's it all hang out when he sunbathes. Yes, he's sound asleep. He usually has his head in the lavendar. Nothing like a snooze and hot rock massage with aromatherapy. Zen kitteh.
I've also cranked out a few pairs of earrings but the pics come out all glare from the BLING. I haven't tried taking pictures in the dark-hmmm, I'll try it and let you know. I'm sure you'll all be waiting with baited breath. (never understood that phrase. Who wants bait breath!)

Multi Talent

I knew when Andrew was a kitten that he had a love of all things crafty. He also knows quality from, well, non-quality. Sock yarn isn't safe and he will rewind a hank if he feels it's not just right. I'm sure he feels I need the challenge. Well duh!, put it where he can't get it. Easy for you to say, he's eaten through bags, opened storage bins (I had to block them with full containers of litter, empty buckets were a waste of time)untied canvas bag handles tied into knots. He is a master. Don't even insult him with a skein of acrylic yarn. Won't even give it sniff. Just look at that face. All business that one.

Here he is marking my quilt top. I guess my markings were not up to his expertise-so noted.

He has offered several times to hold the quilt and the ruler down. I was unaware that chewing on the hanging button was part of the correct process. I can't say it helped draw a straight line but who says it has to be straight? He also feels the amount of cat hair now on the quilt will only make it warmer.

With all this help and guidance I shouldn't have any concerns about keeping warm this winter-regardless of the price of fuel. The sweater not only has 100% merino but 100% cat hair knitted right in. Mmmmmm. Toasty.
The daisies were positively glowing last evening. Their days are numbered. I may have created another inner monster with this bead introduction. I'm not a jewelry wearer but I don't think that should stop me from creating, should it? No! [I became a nail technician and didn't (and still don't) give a hoot about nails. It was a lucrative 2nd job, I was good at it but it burned me out.] I think the world needs another jewelry designer....

Tuesday

I'm going on vacation next week and I'm trying to do a weeks worth of stuff in 4 days. I know I'm forgetting something. Not that the town will shut down or anything but the residents always feel so inconvenienced on a daily basis that I really don't wish to listen to additional whining when I get back. I haven't given a thought about what I want to do on my vacation. Just anxious to stay away from the job. I did sign up for tennis lessons that will start during my vacation. Why an over 40 knitting spinster with 2 cats would want to take up tennis is beyond me. I will take to it like I did golf and downhill skiing. I don't golf in the heat, rain, I have nothing to wear or whatever other excuse I can come up with. My lack of athletic enthusiasm shocks me to be quite frank because it's what I lived for prior to the knitting obsession. My car trunk holds all my sports equipment and clothing. I live in "outdoor recreation valley", bike path, cove for boating/fishing, hiking trails, cross country skiing...it's embarrassing! The fact that I have all this and I prefer to sit on my beehind manipulating wool--never would have crossed my mind 20 years ago. I have a school friend who just completed hiking 160 miles on the Long Trail in 16 days with her son and all I could think of was: "I couldn't go THAT long without full bathroom services." The visual of my hair without its daily shampoo/blow dry ritual...Heck, I couldn't go a day at this point. (well I could but don't WANT to. Oh my, this isn't helping.) I've got a whole week to tune up my 10-speed and hit that bike trail. Do you know where this bike has been? When I bought it I had it rigged with every bag available and rode it constantly. I used to travel to Galilee RI and get on the ferry to bike around Block Island. I would pack up my art supplies when I was in college and trek from Turners to Greenfield--EVERY DAY! (I hated taking public transportation that much.) Now where did I put my helmet?

What?! Another Storm?

Okay, we had a wacky snow filled winter. Now we are being pounded with thunderstorms and though I love them, they're causing damage. We're talking power outages (three hours yesterday) Trees down. House on fire. No, not mine but the next street over. NOT GOOD. Repeat of storms again today. So dark you can't knit. We've had 2 and another just announced over the weather radio. Oh, let's add flooding today. Geesh!

In between storms I finished Happy Feet #12Started Happy Feet #1. I do like this sock yarn. The socks are heavier but my gauge is the same.

During a break in the weather Beau was consumed by the garden ivy.

Then laid on his back to sun himself. Odd cat...

...while Andrew stayed in this position for a couple hours just waiting for a bird to suddenly drop out. It never happened. In fact, we have babies. Cheep! Cheep!

Beau took up the position and went one step further. Climbed up the door casing, grabbed the birdhouse with a paw on each side and stuck his nose in. (a picture would have been better but for the sake of the the birds I ran over to peel him off.)Took all my strength to wrench that cat off the bird house. No one was hurt. Well, maybe the boys pride as I shortened their leads to stop that from happening again. I'm no fun.