fiberaddict | Entries tagged with country life

because we've been BUSY. Let's see...Saturday was errand day. We had car-work done, then went clothes shopping (it's INSANE how much clothes cost AND how the manufacturers have messed with sizing. Women's, anyway. See, I've lost 10 pounds. I KNOW they're gone - my old clothes are LOOSE. Problem - new clothes labels are *2* sizes larger than the old, almost worn out shorts. Seriously....I wish they'd come up with standardized sizing - it's a bit of a downer to try on clothes in my OLD size and they NOT fit, when a) my 3 year old shorts are 2 sizes smaller and LOOSE and b) I've lost weight and a few inches. :grumble:) We also hit Harbor Freight to pick up some tools for SG - and to look at anvils for Himself.

See, he's all of a sudden developed a desire to try blacksmithing (OK, forging - but blacksmithing is easier for folks to understand). I have a gas-powered mini-forge on order for him, but he needs tools, too. Harbor Freight has a small anvil for $59; Himself said, well, maybe it'll work. I dunno. THEN he got upset because we didn't buy it for him. Um......you kinda need to tell me you want to TRY it, y'know?? :sigh:

Sunday was a visit-day - we had some friends over. Good times, but exhausting. The dogs managed to destroy the pet door (they were locked out, and Not Happy.) so I had to spend Sunday evening whipping up a new flap (this one is upholstery fabric, because it's all I had on hand that was even remotely OK for this. Now we have a FLORAL pet door flap...ah, well. It's green-based, so it fits the room, AND it matches the sofa pillows. :lol:

Yesterday...ah, yesterday was Clean the Barn day, because it didn't RAIN. Praise God! (Although we still need some rain, but it's not desperate like before.) I moved Netanya (Hebrew for "Gift of God" - I don't normally do names like this, but she kinda needed it, if you get what I'm trying to say. She IS, and the name fits her.) out to the barn for play time; she ended up out there all night, and did well, so I guess I no longer have a house-goat. We also got the tin to repair the hay barn roof and the milk room roof (a new skylight panel! I will have a light in the milk room again!!)

Knitting: I finished (Finally!!) SG's socks on Sunday, and started a pair of fingerless gloves yesterday...the first one is almost done. :!: I have a pair of socks ready to start, another one I need to wind the yarn for, AND a pair of felted slippers ready to start.

I finished 2 more bags - 1 for me, 1 for a gift - that just need buttons.

I *think* that gets me caught up, except for photos, which I will try to do tomorrow. Today it's overcast - again! - and we're waiting on the dryer repairman. Oh, yeah - the dryer went out on Thursday. :sigh: We moved my clothesline yesterday AM, so I spent most of the afternoon hanging clothes/taking them down (because I was out of things to wear. :sigh:) Hope he can fix it today - the kids are almost out of clothes, and rain is forecasted every day for the next 10.

Hugs to all who need them. Ali, are you taking some time out for YOU? Are you still crocheting? Hearthie, good luck at the Fair!

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Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/849282.html

:lol: Yesterday was a bit of a quicky, update-wise. Let's do a little bit better today, shall we?

1. Bathroom Baby: Doing well. I think she's got something going on with her right eye; she doesn't open it all the way and it tears up a lot. I put some Gentamycian in it, in the hopes that it'll help. It doesn't seem to bother her, but it bothers ME. She can get up and down now, and she's starting to discover her anti-grav feet. :lol:

2. Sewing: I told you I made a bag a week or 2 ago (did I show you, though? Can't remember.....); well, Saturday I made 2 more. Same Simplicity pattern, but I modified the assembly (because the instructions are...well, stupid. They have you sew the bottom together, then the top, THEN attach the top to the bottom. Um. I'm not the best sewer, so maybe it's just me, but I can't get the stupid side seams to match up when I do it that way. By sewing the top to the bottom, THEN sewing the 2 sides together, it looks much better and was easier to do.) I also lengthened the straps - the pattern ones make the bag snug up into your armpit when you carry it. I.....don't like that. So, I have a new bag (that needs buttons) and Herself has a crochet bag (that also needs buttons)...and I have the fabric for 2 more. (1 more for me, and 1 as a present.) I need to work on my zipper insertion, but the bags work and look - if I do say so myself! - nice. (Buttons are forthcoming. I sketched out 2 more styles, and Herself is going to carve the stamps and get them made in the next day or 2.) (2 color work project bags and 1 sweater bag, if you're interested in why I need 3 bags. We will not discuss how many sock bags I have.....because it got a little silly there for a while. Let's just say that I can knit socks for the rest of the year and not reuse a bag. Maybe 2 years.....:lol:)

3. Mixer: Did I mention that SG finally replaced my KitchenAid mixer a few months ago? Well, I had an Artisan - nice, smallish, but nice - that Himself and I managed to overload with a loaf of Rye bread. After a lot of arguing, SG finally replaced it for me (I mean, really - we can afford $200 for a new RC controller, and $99 for a new quad-copter, and $65 for a simulation program, but we can't afford $250 for a mixer the SAME WEEKEND????? I swear.....:grumble:); I found a RED Professional 5.5 quart model for $259. I. LOVE. IT. LOVE it!! I can mix up 2 loaves of bread in under 10 minutes with this thing - it's fantastic!!! Himself used it to make some Pretzels....and HE loves it, too. :lol: (Herself is still scared of it). (Why the love today? Because I have 2 loaves of bread rising right now...with no effort on my part.)

4. Knitting: Still slogging along on SG's socks...I HATE them. :sigh: At least I'm on the foot of #2 now.......I wanna play with COLOR. With TEXTURE. I wanna knit something FUN!!!!! :lol: I need to whip out a pair of fingerless gloves for a friend who was just diagnosed with mouth cancer, but then it's SOCKS. With color. And then with texture.

5. Roof: The check was sent off to the mortgage company yesterday, so hopefully they can get started SOON. It has rained EVERY DAY here since....well.....April or so. Some days it was just sprinkles - but Rain. Which we NEED, but not all at once. I am NOT complaining, mind you - but Rain. I think N. Texas is now pretty much out of the drought - I know 1 lake is 2' OVER it's "full" level - which is good.

6. SSI: The meeting yesterday went OK; the application will be sent to the agent that makes the determination as soon as they get some forms back. I.....have hope, but I'm not counting on approval yet. ASD stuff is kind of hard to quantify - I KNOW she can't work for someone/with strangers, but how do SSA know that? :sigh:

I think that pretty much catches us up. I am VERY glad I journal everything - I spent a few hours yesterday trolling my archives for SSA. Yes, I put stuff out here - and I'm glad I did. Let's hope it helped!

ETA Forgot something!

7. New program: I found a program - Printopia for Mac (not sure if it's for Windoze, too). This program/app makes it so that ANY printer hooked up to your Mac becomes an Air printer (that is, wireless so that ANY device you have can print to it). I have a very old HP LaserJet 4L hooked up to the router (or.....something. I really don't know WHAT it's hooked up to; I just know that any of our computers can print to it, but the tablets couldn't.); now? ALL the tablets can see it and print wirelessly to it (as long as either my Air or SG's iMac is on. Since his is on all. the. time, this isn't an issue. :happy dance:

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Current Location: sofa
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/849145.html

Updated count:

doelings: 4 (+1 dead)
bucklings: 1 (+2 dead)

So.....as you know, I induced Risky Saturday evening. I did it after a LOT of soul-searching; her due date (day 150) was 5/10; they can go 5 days before - 5 days after (but after the fiasco that was Mocha and Annie a few years ago, NONE of my goats will go more than 36 hours or so over their due date.) SG and I had a HUGE fight over this, but Risky had started showing signs of early labor on Monday (pawing, avoiding the other goats, not *eating*) and by Saturday all she was doing was laying in one sot moaning. I decided that having her pop on day 144 (which would have been today, and still early) would be better than making her wait any longer. (When you induce, you give them Lute. 36 hours later (or so), you have babies. I NEVER do it willy-nilly, I always make sure we're within (or close) to day 145 or later, and I make sure I have a damn good reason to induce. This year, I did Inara, because we weren't going to be home on her due date (she went the day before), I did Annie (because I will NOT let her go over - she's a smaller goat, and I don't want to lose her like we did Mocha), and I did Zoe because she was due tomorrow, and, again - we aren't going to be home.)

( Cut because it got long. Click here! )

Oh, and to top it off? The insurance adjuster came out on Friday, and not only were the barns damaged, but we need a new roof. :fun: And it's my fault that the adjuster came out.....even though I simply did what I was told and reported the barn damage. I......don't get it, but such is life.

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Current Location: command center
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/848315.html

First, new count:

doelings: 3
bucklings: 1 (+1 dead)

Zoe gave us a BEAUTIFUL brown and white doeling, and Annie had a pretty (but, unfortunately) dead black buckling. I'm kinda glad it was this way, though - bucklings are hard to sell. (We're keeping May Flowers, because, well, she's GORGEOUS.)

Now, story of my stupidity ( Cut for length. And photos. )

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Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/847994.html

Don't know if our night made the national news - it did make the local! - but, first - we are all OK. Animals and people. Including the 2 new babies Inara gave us last night. :lol:

Doeling: 2
Buckling: 1

Anyway, we had MAJOR storms roll through.....at 8:30 last night the rain was HORIZONTAL. Freaky! At 11:30 PM we went out to check on Inara (and the horses)...but we didn't SEE the damage clearly until this AM.

I'll just...show you:

The milk room roof:

The hay barn:

The buck barn:

The "missing" roof:

(that's in the neighbor's pasture...about 50 feet from the barn.)

It.....wow. There are tree limbs down everywhere. The news says there's lots of damage in town - doesn't surprise me!

Oh, and Ali - April is doing GREAT. The Bo-Se shot apparently flipped a switch - she is taking full bottles now, and demanding MORE. She's not real happy this morning, having to share her space with 2 interlopers that get bottles while she is STARVING. :snicker:

We're waiting on the insurance adjuster now, but I have a feeling this is going to come in just under our deductible. We'll see......

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Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/847557.html

Or, a Photo Post! ( Click for photos! )

Current Mood: cold
Current Location: sofa
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/842615.html

But not AS cold - 33* and sleet/rain. Supposed to turn to snow in a bit. It's all slushy outside....and we have to haul water from the house because the main pipe to the barn burst. Fun times!

Ali, first off {{{{{{hugs}}}}}}. I am horrid about commenting - I keep meaning to email, but life gets in the way. I will TRY to do better, OK? (And.....I'm back to not commenting anymore. I don't like the PA snark when I do. :sigh: So, it'll be here or private emails.) I also need to get off my duff and get some stuff done - I have some stuff I wanna do for you, but.....I suck.)

Money: IRS STILL can't tell me why the refund is MIA; the story now is "cracking down on some to prevent ID theft". Yeah, but...you said you sent the deposit, then 5 days later said "Problem!".....I'm thinking there's more to it than just cracking down. (Honestly? I think they have a security problem, but won't admit it....we might hear about it in a few months.)

Post Office: I am disappointed in our service. Up to now, I've had great luck with the PO; in the past 2 weeks they've:

1. Lost SG's package, claimed I picked it up on the day the package was mailed (ummm...what? That's...impossible!). They "found" it; when I went in to get it I was told "Oh! We've been holding a LOT of packages for you for DAYS and DAYS". Again - What????? The "lot of packages" was 6, and there was NO slip or key in my box. :bangs head:

2. And then - and THEN! - I get a book (OOP, of course!) that is TOTALLY MANGLED. SG was on the mail run; he took it to the desk and asked "Um.....what happened?" The clerk said "WE didn't do it!"..which pissed him off...he said "OH. So, you're saying *I* did this when I pulled it from the box???" Which pissed HER off....she took it from him and stamped "Damaged on Arrival" all over it (I think they were just going to ignore the black marks, ripped package, and book pages all over the place). We've filed a claim but....I don't have much hope.

3. Lost ANOTHER book - I ordered 6 books from Half Price Online. 4 have arrived "safely" (1 had the envelope torn, but the book was fine); 1 is mangled beyond use, and 1 is MIA. The seller put a trace on it...it's been sitting in the same spot for a week, which they say means it's "lost". :bangs head: Good news - the seller has another copy! Bad news - they sent it USPS again. (All but 1 of the books is technically OOP - you CAN find copies, but not easily, and most of them are full price or more. :sigh:)

And yet...the PO wants MORE money. Wonder why people are using other carriers????

:deep breath:

God is good - I was in a panic over funds last night. The electric bill is $250 MORE than usual; add to that I had 2 quarterly bills hit AND we have $175 due to the dentist Friday. So...I was in a panic until I sat down and ran the numbers. I have enough to buy groceries (my big concern) with a little bit left over. :whew: I know I shouldn't fret...but it's hard to remember that in the moment. I need to do better.....

And I need to shower, because today is a snowy grocery day. I can't wait...we are OUT of just about everything. :sigh: Stay warm!

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Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/841553.html

because we have been on the GO all weekend.

Got up early and left after morning stables. Had to go to Ft. Worth; SG had found 2 RC controllers (normally $65 each) on CraigsList for $60. I asked if we could go to a Ceramics store in FW while out; he said yes, IF we had time. (American Ceramics closes at 12 on Saturdays).

Well. Got to the CL listing at 10....American Ceramics is less than 10 miles from there. :whee!: Herself got 6 new glazes - these are a 1-step thing. Glaze and Overglaze in 1; you can paint the dry clay with it, then fire it 1x and you're done. The stuff she had is a 2 step process; paint the dry clay, fire, then paint with overglaze and re-fire. She's going to be playing with it sometime this week.

We then hit Harbor Freight to price air brushes. Then Hobby Lobby to compare...we'll be going back to Harbor Freight. THEN we hit Entertainmart for Himself; he was looking for a popular GameCube Game (Star Fox Assault). They had it - and it works! - so he's happy.

THEN, off to Half-Price Books for me. And lunch....at a Japanese Hibachi Restaurant. Good food, fun chef.

Then we headed home. Until this morning.....

Hit a Hobby shop for SG to get a plane to play with. And a couple of hobby stores to get stuff to *build* a plane....and another Half-Price to see what they had on RC stuff (scored 2 books - good stop!) We're finally home.....and I do need a nap.

Fun times - hope y'all's weekend was as fun!

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Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/840854.html

because it was fun!

1. Yesterday was Comic Con! I have quite a few photos - I need to see if I feel comfortable posting them, as Herself is plainly ID'able (she's OK with it, but.....I am not. Not really, anyway.) Suffice to say that there were Daleks aplenty, and she got her photo taken with all of them. :lol: We "met" Dalek Tim, who said "Hello" to me (THAT photo is hysterical, because I didn't expect it to turn the eyestalk to me and say "Hello". It was a hoot! We talked to a group that is producing a fan-based Dr. Who series (Soldier Stories) online - sounds fantastic.

SG got autographs from Nichelle Nichols (the original Uhura) and the actor who played Ti'ilk (Stargate). $80.....:wince:...but he wanted them.

It was fun - even though we stood in line outside for 1.5 hours (AND we had purchased our tickets online!!!!). I overheard Security say that 11K people were there - not sure if they meant AT that moment, or Saturday total - it was PACKED. To the point that *I* started freaking out a little. Still, it was fun - both kids enjoyed it.

2. Heard from Skutt! It IS a Skutt kiln; built sometime between 1960 and 1980. It needs a Lot of Work, according to the tech....I am waiting to see what the estimate is before moving forward. I also asked my potter friend to give me her opinion. We'll have to pay for the repairs piecemeal no matter what; I just don't want to pay MORE than the kiln is actually worth, y'know? And I don't want to pay for something it doesn't really *need*. So....we're in a holding pattern there.

3. Bought more yarn for Himself's kilt hose from a Ravelry member. I gotta say, the Lord is good!! And I apparently *did* rate a miracle, because - Miracle of Miracles!!! - the dye lot MATCHED mine!!!! (You have NO idea about how big a deal this is! See....yarn is dyed in batches - might be large ones, but still, finite batches. Each batch has it's own dye lot number; it means that all the yarn with *that* number was dyed at the same time, in the same pool of dye. I bought my yarn last March from a store in WA state. The destash came from a lady in Indiana.....and all of the "new" yarn is the exact same dye lot as my original set!!!!! What are the odds???? I'm telling you, God is GOOD!!)

3a. Speaking of Kilt Hose, I am 3" away from starting the toe on #1. :Sigh: Kid's got big feet! Still, I can see the end of this one....one more to go.

4. Not much knitting will be done Thursday. The Perot has a new exhibit opening this weekend - The International Exhibit of Sherlock Holmes. Members-only days are Thursday and Friday, and we are going! Yes, I'll be in my Sherlocked shirt.....I don't have the socks done yet, but that's OK. I'll probably do them in March. Maybe April....so many socks, so little time. :lol: The kids are kinda excited - this is a forensics "lab" type exhibit. Should be fun!

Our IRS refund is due to hit Tuesday. Gotta pay the taxes, then I get to go buy a new washer and *hopefully* my replacement KitchenAid stand mixer. Won't have much "fun" money this year, but hey - at least the taxes are paid, right?

Gotta skitter - got knitting to do!

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: command center
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/839702.html

I think. Still stuffy, sneezing all over the place (I don't usually sneeze. Right now? It's epidemic. :sigh:) Headache-y, dry, itchy eyes...but hey! I'm awake! And semi-coherent!!

I finished SG's Tardis socks last night. They're currently on the blockers drying (I always wash my hand knits when I take them off the needles - no telling what kind of gunk they have, and water makes the stitches look better.), so no pics yet. I also finished shoelace #1 and started #2 - only, it's from Season 18. It's all purples (for the "Rose" shoe....it fits, and it's STILL the Doctor's scarf, so it works, too. And I won't get bored! :lol:)

I also started a hat for me.....yeah. I'm borked. But hats are fast and useful and on larger needles than socks - and my wrists need that right now.

And apparently I have "sucker" written in Canine on my forehead. :sigh: We ran to Sonic yesterday for milkshakes (which...I didn't get. Because SG accidentally dropped mine. :bangs head:) and both of us saw a small dog almost get run over. I guess the other driver saw my panicked face and flailing arms, because he slammed on the brakes; I opened my door and said "Here baby! C'mon here!" and up this little beagle ran and hopped right in the car. She let me cuddle her for about 15 seconds, then she wriggled over to the back seat, curled up, and went to sleep. :sigh:

I took her to both vets today, and she's not chipped and neither one recognizes her. She's sweet, but she HATES our dogs. HATES them. It looks like she's a spoiled l'il girl, used to being an only child. We've called a local rescue group (they are going to try to pick her up tonight. :fingers crossed:).....she spent the night in MY bed; SG was banished to the sofa because Loki and Tigger were NOT happy with the situation. (The bed is THEIRS, you see - and she won't let any other dog get near her. She's a beagle, which means she's LOUD...so no banishment to the bathroom.) I don't think I can take much more of the Drama around here....:lol:

I need to go blow my nose again. Laters!

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: command center
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/838349.html

1. We had to put Bailey down yesterday - it was past time. He had started refusing food, and was totally blind. Yesterday AM, he couldn't stand up on his own, so SG finally made the call. (I had reached that point a few months ago, but was told No, it wasn't time yet. :sigh:) He had a good, long life - he was 14. For a Pyr, that's incredible - the vet even said that!

2. Finished SG's first sock. I had forgotten why I don't like knitting socks for him - nothing's ever *right*. Normally, I knit his socks on 72 stitches; for this pair I bumped it up to 80 (because color work does draw in a little...not an inch!, but a little). He claims it's TOO TIGHT (no way. No freaking way it is too tight - it slips over his heel (with a little work - you don't want them floppy!) and I can stick 2 fingers in there with his heel - and the stitches STILL have more stretch!). Then, I asked him what color he wanted the heels and toes - blue (like the rest of the sock), white, or black. He hemmed, he hawed, then said "White." OK. I start the heel (while we are OUT running errands!) and he says....."Oh. I wanted Black." :bangs head: OK...I offer to stop and switch to black when we get home...."No. White's....OK, I guess." :big sigh:

He's now in the "solid color or self-striping yarns ONLY" category.

3. Finished all the work, and will deliver it tomorrow. Client has offered lunch.....I won't say no. :lol: Since I'm doing them a favor, client offered the kids lunch too - so, we're going out tomorrow. :shudder: and :lol:

4. Oh! Almost lost a horse yesterday (because SG is a doofus.) He has suddenly gotten WAY into RC toys (don't. Just...don't ask. Because we can't afford to replace my mixer (and I found a replacement IN STOCK locally for 1/4 the regular price!!!!!), but we certainly can afford a RC drone, a Universal controller (that cost $19 LESS than my mixer......:grrrrr:), parts for a "free" plane, more batteries, more parts...honestly? We could have bought my mixer AT FULL PRICE and still not spent what he's spent on toys......nevermind me. I'm a little over-wrought right now.) - anyway.

Yesterday he was off. He decides to go INTO the horse pasture (mistake #1), WITH the girls (mistake #2) and attempt to fly his plane (mistake #3). Which he crashes into the tree. Which freaked out the girls (of course)...and Denara freaked out and tried to jump the fence....only her back leg got tangled in the wire and down she went, all tangled. :freak out:

Himself and I ran down there, thinking she was gone, because she wasn't moving. I saw her head twitch, which was a relief, so I threw myself on her neck (if you immobilize a horse's neck, they won't panic as much when you try to help them) while Himself tried to free her. A few minutes and some bolt cutters later, she was free, I was covered in mud, and the fence had been taken down. Fun times! (No, SG hasn't learned - he's in the shop now trying to get the plane back working, so he can do it again. :bangs head:)

I think that's all......for the moment. I need to CO the 2nd sock...I want to get this pair done so I can start a hat for me for the barn. Then it's all kilt hose, all the time until that pair is done......:lol:

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: command center
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/837788.html

This is the coldest we've been this early, according to the forecasters. All I know is, I am FREEZING. We need to have a sweep come out before we can fire up the wood stove...and I am feeling it. :brrrrrrr:

Loki is at the Vet, getting his dangly-bits removed. Poor guy....he was really talking when we got there. I don't envy them when he wakes up - he's sure to let his displeasure show! :lol:

Oh! If you're in the market for a paper cutter, you NEED to go to MyBinding.com - they have a $45 cutter on sale at a 100% discount. No, I didn't mistype - it's FREE right now. Full discloser - I have one on the way to me right now. :lol: I ran across these guys looking for cheaper laminating pouches - they have the best prices I've found - and then this hit my inbox. You're welcome! :wink:

The scarf is FINISHED. DONE. Washed and blocking as we speak. :happy dance: It ended up right at 6' long......I'll be CO a hat in a few minutes. :happy dance:

Not much else going on here - waiting for the Vet to call, and waiting to hear about family members doctor reports. And freezing. Did I mention it's COLD here? (What?? It was 33* this AM - and in the 40's right now. For *here*, that's FREEZING. There's a reason I've never looked to moving elsewhere - I don't do Cold very well. Heat? Bring it ON - but cold? Not so much. Even WITH wool I'm miserable.)

Current Mood: cold
Current Location: sofa
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/831892.html

because yesterday was the BEST garage sale day EVER. EVER!

We didn't plan on hitting any yesterday, but the Lord had different plans for us. We got up intending to go gather more logs - and the truck was DOA. Not totally - the radio and lights work, but it won't crank at all. So, into the car we went - we had planned on doing some running around before gathering wood - and headed out.

SG wasn't paying attention, and headed into work. :lol: I said something, so he decided to go thru a residential area to get back on track...and there was an Estate Sale. Now, I'm a sucker for sales at old Historic homes - and out town has a LOT of turn-of-the 20th-Century homes. I didn't want to BUY anything (honestly!), I just wanted to poke around this lovely Victorian home.

Now, I live in a very Christian area. Our town has a population of 6,500 +/-. There are at least 10 churches IN town, plus a bunch more in the surrounding areas (you've heard of the Bible Belt? I live in the very buckle. :lol: It's Texas - it's a BIG buckle!) So imagine our surprise to find Judaica at this sale! I scored a lovely menorah and a set of 6 glasses (I think they're for Pesach, but I haven't tried to translate them yet.) I left 2 Jewish aprons - 1 was stained, 1 was ORANGE. :shudder:

Anyway, we did our errands, then hit an Antique Mall, where SG scored 2 new-to-him planes (at 10% off!), AND he scored me a set of #8 wool carders (in Good! condition!) for $12 and an almost new LeClerc shuttle - for $4!!!!!!! And a metal rolling pin for Herself at 75% off!!!!!!! (for clay work - I want my silicone rolling pin back!)

Knitting Report: Frogged the scarf again. I decided that I was experienced enough that if that little voice kept telling me that something was Not Right, I needed to pay attention. In the round, stranded, it was too damn thick to wrap around a neck, so I'm knitting it flat. Yes, the back will be ugly - but it'll be usable.

Goats: I have 2 sick goats, and I'm not sure what's going on. We lost Vinnie yesterday - Thursday he had gotten his head stuck in the fence, and I think the other bucks beat him up while he was stuck. We got his head unstuck, but he didn't stand back up and quit eating. :sigh: Now the gray "fun size" cashmere is exhibiting signs of polio - and it doesn't look good right now. I've been sticking him with Thiamine, but....I'm not sure it's doing anything. And Frosty - Annie's daughter - is thin and a little weak. She's on the shot regimen as well - she's eating, I got her up this AM, but she layer back down after a few minutes. :sigh: The only new feed is the hay - we never know where the bales come from - and with this drought there's no telling WHAT kind of quality/weeds we have. :big sigh: I'll keep popping them with Thiamine...but I think I'm about to be down 1 Cashmere. :sad: This is the part I HATE about animal husbandry....but it's part of it. Doesn't mean I have to like it.....

Gotta skitter - school today, because Wednesday is shopping day. If we start out week today, we can take Wed. off.

Current Mood: sad
Current Location: sofa
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/829618.html

Today marks the beginning of the annual firewood gathering. The county started cutting trees 3 roads over from us; we went and picked up a truckload this evening, and will go back Saturday for more. We don't "need"it, no - but when the Lord provides, it would be stupid to NOT gratefully accept it, y'know?

I'm slowly working my way up Himself's scarf. It took 3 tries, but I have it *down* now - color worked cables, in navy and sea-blue, in 2 cable patterns (Saxon Braid framed by a 3-strand braided cable). It's going to be GORGEOUS, but....I think it's going to be too hot. Because of the color-stranding, I decided to knit it in the round, so that when I'm done I can seam up the ends and he'll have a reversible scary; I didn't stop to think that color work is double-thick, so that *this* scarf will be quadruple-thick. :sigh: HE'S happy with it so far, and says it's perfect, so...onward I go. Photos will be forthcoming; I want to get it a bit further along to show the knots better.

Loki puppy is SO silly - he "talks" and "sings". Last Friday, SG bought me (and Herself :giggle:) the new Toothless toy from Build-a-Bear; she put a sound chip in that roars.....I got one with the Star Wars Main Theme. (of course!). Well, every time Loki hears mine, he starts "singing" along with it. So, so funny - because he's actually in TUNE. :lol:

The weather's been nice - the A/C hasn't come on hardly at all, all week! Just lovely!

Gotta skitter - dinner's on!

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: kitchen table
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/829417.html

I finally finished the birds COMPLETELY last night. The embroidery.....Oi! About 6 hours worth, all told - but it's definitely worth it!

Here's one side:

And the other:

They've since been washed (they were pretty grubby; not surprising since they were knit all over the place!) and are currently blocking. Soon as they're dry, I'll sew on the eyes (the kit came with 3mm silver-lined red beads; Herself said that wasn't bling-y enough. She gave me 4mm Swarovski fire-opal crystals to use instead.) and get more pictures of them - this time on the feet they're intended for. They really need to be seen *on* to get the full effect.

I've already CO Himself's scarf. I've never combined color-work and cables before, so....hopefully I won't have to rip back. We'll see.

The bruises have turned yellow-and-green...icky. The swelling is just about gone; it only hurts if someone/thing touches the bruised area. So - healing is occurring. This is good!

SG is...well, he's a man. Still hurts - to the point that he's annoying. :wry grin: (Why can't most men handle pain? I mean.....my leg only slowed me down the morning after it happened - I still kept up with chores/etc. HE'S been in bed since Thursday evening; when he's up, he's fine until someone asks him about things. :shakes head: I know I have a high pain-tolerance level, so it's kinda funny to me when other people *don't*. (He's also surprised that the antibiotics didn't fix him Right Then, and that pain meds take TIME to actually kick in. :shakes head:)

We got RAIN!!!!!!! Lovely, lovely rain!!!!! Saturday was nice and wet, as was this AM - and it's still looking like rain now. :happy dance:

Gotta go work on the scarf again. I'm interested in how it's going to turn out!

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: kitchen table
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/828946.html

Thanks to a trip to the ER for SG yesterday. :sigh: He's been diagnosed with diverticulitis......sharp, deep pain on his right side, under the ribcage. His appendix was out when he was 16, so we knew it wasn't that, but it was getting worse so - in we went!

3 hours later, we were home. I had brought ONLY the Firebirds, because I was 8 rounds from binding them off - good call. Got them finished while he was having a CAT-scan, then started on the embroidery. :Sigh: Socks should be DONE when you bind off.....ah, well - they look MUCH better with the embroidery. :grin:

State of the me: The swelling is just about gone, but the bruises are starting to change color. It's all loverly black-and-blue now. I was pretty sure the doc was full of it - no, it hasn't started running down my leg (I....didn't think it worked that way), but the bruise on my ankle has gotten larger. I've started using E-balm on it to try and speed the healing (I can now stand to touch it!), so hopefully it'll be "normal" soon.

We've got a call in to SG's doc, so I better skitter. Shabbat Shalom and Happy Sukkot!

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: sofa
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/828714.html

I get it, I really do. Herself is sick - doc says it's just a nasty upper respiratory thing (aka "cold") and that there's really NOTHING we can do except ride it out. I get that it's annoying to have a stuffy nose...but OY! The drama! The dramatic heavy breathing when asked a question/to do something! :sigh:

Yesterday was lovely. We went for a walk and saw more butterflies than I have EVER seen in 1 place before (including the butterfly garden!) TONS of Monarch butterflies were flitting around - it was GORGEOUS! We also saw 2 coyotes and a woodpecker, and heard the young Red-tailed hawk. The Golden Eagle is MIA (and has been for a couple of years - guess they moved on?) - it was lovely. The fasting, not so much. Apparently my limit is 24.5 hours.....:sigh: At least I made it that long, right? :bigger sigh:

SG is supposed to replace the disposer today :fingers crossed: I'm tired of only having half a sink.

I'm working on the bird.....I'm working my way up the leg, now. I'm so ready for this pair to be DONE....I wanna knit with something Not-Orange for a while. :grin: And mindless....

Gotta go check on Herself - she's finally drifted off. I think. I hope. Sleep cures a lot of ills....

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: command center
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/828137.html

Herself is MUCH better today, thank you! She slept soundly last night, and woke up ready to take on the world. Or at least, Canton Trade Days. :lol: I'm glad we went today instead of tomorrow; we found a "new" vendor (new to us, anyway!) that carries mostly old-fashioned hand-tools. Like the planes SG has been hunting. For reasonable prices.

A few weeks ago, SG showed me a video of Chris Schwartz (some big woodworking guru) - he was using a plow plane. SG remarked that he'd like one, but new they were in the $500+ range (the one Chris was using was $1700. !!!!)

Anyway, we're browsing the booth...and I see not 1 but *2* plow planes. 1 had a bunch of blades with it - but it was priced a little out of our budget. SG sighed and bought a Stanley plane, a...something else, and an old oil can. I asked the guy what was the least amount he'd take for the bells-n-whistles plane....and he said, well, I take checks, you know, and let me see...how 'bout $100? I had my checkbook out faster than SG could say "Yes". :rofl:

SG has promised to finish my weaving cabinet soon. He also offered to buy me the 2 broken-down spinning wheels another seller had....problem is that only 1 was almost complete. And...it's gonna cost more than the thing is worth to get it to usable condition (it's missing the Mother-of-All, the flyer and bobbin assembly and the wooden screw blocks needed to tension the missing MoA. SG can't do metal smithing, which is necessary for the orifice and bobbin rod.....we *could* purchase an Ashford flyer unit, but it wouldn't match and might not even work correctly on the old wheel. :sigh: It was a pretty thing....but I won't spend $100 on a non-fixable beauty prop. :big sigh:

Ah, well - we had fun. And Herself still feels good!

I've been lesson-planning. Looks like our Home Ec course will be on Mondays - it's a non-full day (ish - Friday is our light day, but I want to keep it that way for Shabbat-prep). We're starting with scrambled eggs - that way she can cook *something* decent right out the gate. I have the Jan/Feb 1998 issue of Cook's Illustrated which has "fluffy scrambled eggs", "Best Bacon" (we'll use either Turkey or Beef bacon, of course!), Jewish Rye Bread, and Carrot Cake - that's a whole month, right there! :wink: We'll do a lot of it later in the day, so that supper will be taken care of - she learns to cook and *I* don't have to prep dinner. Win/win! :lol: I have 9 issues of Cook's Illustrated and 7 issues of Martha Stewart Living (I know, but - she's got good ideas.) - that should keep us busy this year! (And, we might do more than 1x/week. We'll see.)

Gotta re-boot the laundry. Hope y'all have a great day!

Current Mood: happy
Current Location: kitchen table
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/827495.html

as we have to run out and milk in a few minutes.

This weekend was pretty busy - the Maytag man didn't even show on Friday. He called SG at 11 (our window was 12-5) and said, "Oh. I have to order parts - they should be in by Tuesday. I'll call to set up an appointment then." :bangs head: We had to go to the laundromat yesterday, in the rain, to wash everything. :sigh:

SG got a new ~~toy~~ tool - a small lathe. He's all excited about it. :lol:

The Lizard socks are DONE! Finished them Friday at 4:30 - would have gotten pictures, but....

Saturday was "Empty the Shelter" day in N. Texas. We - because SG is a softie - visited 2 shelters, fell down....and got followed home. I Know, I KNOW - we're nuts. But......it was kinda hard to resist this:

Loki puppy

He's 8 weeks old. Mom is a Catahoula, dad is unknown. Total sweetie, and already spoiled rotten. I have spent the last 2 nights on the dog's futon, because he will NOT shut up when he's alone. I get it - he had 7 siblings, and this is the first he's ever been away from them. I can't let him in our bed - I'm afraid he'd fall off; it's tall and he'd get majorly hurt - so, futon it is. And it is NOT comfortable. :sigh: The things I do......

The shelter was swamped (free animals! Yea! Let's go get Bubba a pet!) and they told us they'd already told a bunch of people that the puppies were NOT available....we have a problem with dog fighting here. :sad: So.....they were more than happy to hand him to me and rush the paperwork, because hey! We had kids! And other dogs! And were specific in what we "wanted" (because I figured if I had a narrow list, we'd get out unaccompanied. Um...that didn't quite work) - male, medium to large breed, gets along with other dogs/goats/horses/kids. We weren't looking for a generic pet......

Loki is his current name. He's been really good about telling us when he needs to go potty - *1* accident! He waits until he's outside to do his business, which is Amazing for an 8 week old puppy!

Too bad he has the hound-dog howl....:sigh: and :wry grin:

Gotta run; we gotta milk and I need to start a batch of cheese. And figure out how to take a nap sans Loki...I'm tired!

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: command center
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/820350.html

And I have proof!

So. We went to the Laundromat today - 2 hours to do 5 washer loads and 2 dryer loads. (Amazing. I was able to fit all 5 loads in to *2* dryers, and they took 38 minutes to dry everything Bone Dry.) Hauled it all home and put it up, then I realized that I didn't have any pizza sauce for dinner tonight. :sigh: Off to Dollar Store!

Now, I don't like to run just a couple dollars thru on my card, so Herself and I were wandering around trying to up it to a least $10. (Yeah, I'm funny like that.) I was at the front, grabbing cheese (it's already shredded. I don't have to dig in the Studio 'fridge for some of the cheddar I made last year!), when Herself found the bargain DVD bin. "Mom! They have "Sound of Music! For $5!!" We headed up to the checkout.....the cashier started ringing us up. The register "dinged!".....and she got a funny look on her face. She looked at the DVD, looked at me, the looked back at the register. "Um. I....um. Need your birthdate...the register says.....um....you have to be over 18 to....um...purchase this.?.!?" :giggle: We had a rollicking good time making fun of this; I said I hoped that CPS didn't find out I was teaching Broadway Musicals this year, and Herself said that maybe she wasn't old enough to have seen "Phantom"...and the lady in line behind us totally lost it.

But seriously - WHY is there an age limit on "Sound of Music"??????? :sigh:

I'm knitting the heel on sock #2. I'll try to snap a photo tonight - I need to update my Ravelry project page. I'm hoping - HOPING - to finish this thing this week, because I am over it. Well-written pattern, but...it's not intuitive, I don't like the colors Herself picked (although it got LOTS of attention at the Laundromat today), and...I'm ready for something else. I'm thinking something 1 color this time that I can knock out in a week or so....then I'll probably do the Hieroglyphic Socks. (Egyptian Hieroglyphics that spell out "knitting socks". :lol: Too funny!)

Current Mood: silly
Current Location: command center
Crossposts: http://fiberaddict.livejournal.com/819455.html

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Fiberaddict's Fiber Fumblings

Entries tagged with country life

Still here....and tired....

So. How's it going?

:sigh: Trainwrecks are No Fun!

Update thingy....

The weather outside is frightful....

Why I've been quiet...

Baby, it's COLD outside!

I need a nap....

Weekend Recap.....

I. Am. Alive....

:sigh:

Baby, it's C-C-C-C-COLD outside!

I owe pictures...

Busy, as usual....

Ali, this is for you! :lol:

The Birds are done!

The Drama Llama strikes my household...

Happy Thursday!

Quick Update

The world has gone Mad!!