Tuesday Thoughts

Don't follow your dreams; chase them.

- Richard Dumb

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you just didn't want anyone else to share? Well, that is what this picture is all about. I showed you a picture of my Mother's hummingbird feeder with a little female sitting on it. This is the male sitting on the top of the bird house, laying in wait to stop her from feeding at his personal feeder. Schmuck! Click on the picture for a better look.
My daughter and I stopped at Barnes & Noble. I was looking at magazines when she found this on the shelf right behind me. Turns out it was a pretty good find. Thanks, Dear.
My parent's yard is filled with the most interesting volcanic rock. The big one will find a place in my garden, the smaller one in a bowl full of heart shaped rocks.

Have a lovely day and God bless.

Sunday Moments

Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.
Boris Pasternak

Remember this hank of yarn from yesterday?
This is the self striping butterfly that is turned into. Believe it or not, this beautiful yarn is called "Child's Play 2", for a very good reason. A delightfully talented 5 year old....yes, she is 5 years old...had a hand in dyeing this masterpiece. It is a wool silk blend and it is a pleasure to knit. I am so excited about how it is coming out that I put a pair of socks I was knitting on hold to do these. I also am lucky enough to have "Child's Play 1"!
In my Christmas box of yarn that I opened this week, Qutecowgirl made a wonderful sock bag to enclose as a surprise. Wow!! Look at the charming interior. Those little ladybugs are the color of my car (which also looks a little like a bug to me). The pocket is just the right size for my measuring tape, scissors and tapestry needle, the bottom of the bag will probably hold a little chocolate.... This bag will go into my car for appointments and anytime I get stuck somewhere unexpectedly. I hate not having something close at hand to work on. She has a few left in her Etsy Shop. If you go over to take a look, tell her I said HI!!

While I was away, I picked up a book. What are the odds that she made markers for me for this book? I didn't tell her I had bought it. Aren't they adorable? If you click on the picture, you can get a better look.

Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.
Jawaharal Nehru

My July socks. Finished in Washington this time. When I got home, there was a box in the mail, like Christmas in July. These yarns of many colors were dyed with the help of a 5 year old talented young lady.....very delightful yarn. Child's Play 1 and Child's Play 2.
Raspberry and Sea Glass, Qutecowgirl still has another skein of each listed on her Etsy if you hurry.
Her yarns just get more beautiful!

Tomorrow I will post pictures of the ladybug sock bag and the wonderful stitch markers she made me.

I am stopping everything to work on this multi. I was thinking of Joseph's coat of many colors when I first saw it, these will be my socks of many colors.

These are the socks I am putting on hold, Qutecowgirl's "Lilac" yarn.

Emergency Broadcast System

If you pray for RAIN, don't be surprised if you're struck by lightning.
Damien Cannon

I wonder if the State of New Jersey knows that Bruce took this back with him as a keepsake? I think the poor guy thought he might be a little lonely for the Midwest without a little EBS. For those of you that have never seen one, this is a fair rendition of a wall cloud, the kind that when they occur out here in the Midwest, often spawn tornadoes.
I was very impressed. He said people were just standing looking at the sky wondering about the little funnel clouds that had not touched the ground.

Pretty cool, huh?

It's Thursday Again

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.

Eleanor Roosevelt

We are home after a wonderful trip! I don't go home near often enough and have decided to win the lottery....right now! Wish me luck.

Bruce and I took a car trip out and it was uneventful until we were on the flip side coming home. Let me start with the fact Bruce had never heard the Emergency Broadcast System except as a test...ever in his long, long, long, (sorry Bruce) life, until he came to South Dakota a couple of years ago. A few tornadoes and severe thunderstorms later, I think he is was pretty much in a hurry to get the Heck out of Dodge, so to speak. This trip, he tried to get me to promise he wouldn't hear it again. Well, all was well until we crossed into Wyoming coming back. I laughed so hard when the emergency beacon came on the radio and we had to pull off in Sheridan for a while to let it blow over. Well, I had done this before, years ago, and discovered the neatest place...Crazy Woman Trading Company. It is still there! We had a ball, walking Main Street, looking at the sculptures and window shopping. Here is someone else intent on window shopping, in my parent's screen to their front door. And yes, he was really that big! About the size of a plum. I say he, but to be that curious, don't you think he had to be a she?

This hummingbird feeder is right outside my Mother's kitchen window. Bruce loves hummingbirds and they put on quite a show for him. There was always one or two at the feeder, although one male did not share well.

Well, I am fairly newly home with lots to do...like laundry and putting things away. I am hoping tomorrow to post pics of the socks I completed on the trip as well as the ones I started.

Try Something New Thursday!

Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while, then take up the sock again.
Dorothy Day

I received a gift in the mail recently. Qutecowgirl had asked me if I had ever knitted with alpaca and sadly my answer was no. The Germans had beautiful yarns when I lived there, but I didn't find any alpaca. She sent me this gorgeous alpaca to try to see if I would like it. I took my time, mostly because I was working on my July socks, which still are not quite done, just 2 1/2 inches to go! I wanted something special for this yarn. I have never knitted with beads and thought a small project may be just the way to go. Qutecowgirl is helping me expand my horizons and I am loving it!
What do you think? I went to the bead shop and asked for help. A kind gentleman escorted me through the store and we found something even better than had been in my minds eye. Things are never disappointing when I keep an open mind. The beads are bronze and I think they are really going to highlight this wonderful yarn without stealing the show. I tell you honestly, this is yarn lady is the woman to buy from!! And she has her DK on an incredible sale right now.

Her sock bags are a great asset. She sent me one recently and I think it is a great idea to keep a pair of socks on needles in my car, you know...for appointments and getting stuck somewhere. The inside of the bag has all these cute little pockets for measuring tapes, stitch markers, tapestry needles, and chocolate (okay...leave the chocolate out if you have to leave it in your car or hard candies, yeah...that's what I meant....).

Happy Independence Day

Independence - is loyalty to one's best self and principles, and this is often disloyalty to the general idols and fetishes
Mark Twain

This past week, my employers sent me off on a little excursion. I am always fascinated by these huge wind monsters slowly twirling through the air. I mentioned this to the driver and was informed the speed of the tips reaches about 100 mph even though they appear to be creeping.

On this day especially, please take a moment to remember our men and women serving in the armed forces....the very people that ensure our freedoms to do as we choose this and every important day.

It's the soldier, not the reporter,

Who gave us our freedom of the press.

It's the soldier, not the writer,

Who gave us our freedom of speech.

Serviceman's Prayer