Thesockladyspins

All the celery fit to eat chopped into smallish pieces, 3 carrots chopped, chicken cooking. Will later add veggies to soup stock and simmer for eventual supper. 60°F and rain in forecast, just sounded like soup weather. Am out of several other things that I could have added to soup, onions, and potatoes. Getting low on lots of stuff, don't want to go to town just to pick up a few groceries. Will be stopping in Spences Bridge on way home from conference just in case there are any tomatoes ready, if that happens will then buy a couple or 3 cartons cottage cheese, nothing better than matters and CC. My Mother always said my first word was matters and more than 70 years later have never got tired of them. Have my list of stateside stuff I will be picking up Tillamook cheese for Lorelee (10 pounds medium cheddar) and 4 pounds sharp for me, L gets 2 lb. blocks and I buy 1 lb pieces for me. Woke up this morning to cows bawling along my fence, new cattle guard kept them out. Included...

Finished the Orangerino's for Vicki, think without a doubt the most intricate patterns I have ever used. Someone once watching me knit on patterned socks asked where my pattern was, told her didn't have one that my fingers knew what to do with each colour. And if I had any issues, that going to sleep and dreaming about same straightened everything out. 6 am while reading email, enjoying first cup of coffee and watching a doe with twin fawns wander across my yard, she would stop and nibble on grass waiting for babies to catch up. Sweet. Yesterday I had the cattle guard on my driveway removed and the pit underneath dug out. It has been in place for at least 25 years and being at the bottom of the drive gradually filled up with sand and gravel, so much so that the cattle could just walk across. NO MORE. Last evening watched 4 cows with calves stroll right up drive without even trying to get into my yard. Click on pix to make larger. Planning on skeining recently plied yar...

Needing empty bobbins to take with me to conference the end of this month, knew I had to ply to get them. Oh Hell, definitely not my favorite part of the job. First two were a gray ish mix, plied the old fashioned way using my already sore right leg on my Louet S70, done in 15 or so minute increments, not to bad for being so rusty. But then looking at the more than 30 full bobbins (I did say I dislike plying very much), in a hissy fit with an electric (homemade) plying wheel sitting right there but without a belt to run the beast. So while the hissy was still active I got out the two broke drive belts, lit a candle and joined them together, after the first fuse used my fingers to smooth and straighten them. Two burned fingers later had two usable belts. Bingo. Found two bobbins with unknown fiber on both, different colours and all, started plying on electric wheel, not so bad after all. Larger  amount on the one bobbin, will eventually be plied with another wild leftover bit. I rea...

Caught a mouse in freshly baited trap last night, didn't kill the beast, saw it still moving around this morning, so got on gloves and took trap and critter outside, turned it loose in high grass. The problems one deals with living in the country. Second orange sock proceeding on schedule, just finished first pattern (17 rows) on foot of sock, may  even get 2nd pattern done today. Day 10 in last 11 with rain, considering we in here were all prepped for dry crunchy grass, its really nice to not have to worry about fires. It can still happen with still half of July and all of August to go, but for right now ground is pretty well saturated. Guy supposed to have come today to dig cattle guard pit out cancelled, to wet. Will be nice to have functioning cattle guard again, its been in place for over 25 years and gradually filled in the pit. So cattle can just walk across. Looking forward to not having the beasties in my yard. 50° F at 9 this  morning, caved and turned electric...