dreaming it up

finding wisdom where it presents itself

2010-01-28T17:35:00.000-08:00

sometimes the expressions on luna's face cause me to wonder...just where is her imagination taking her? if only she could speak "human!" still, i will try to follow her lead, and remember to enjoy the simple pleasure of a cardboard box....if she could speak the words, i know she would remind me to always take time to enjoy a sunny spot when it shows up....

and finding the simple pleasures is what we were doing the other day, making miniature pumpkin raisin muffins

as gooey a process as it can be sometimes! what fun! they were yummy and quick!

and, of course, i'm allowing myself to just go ahead and start a new project when the urge hits! this is my first fingerless "mitt" attempt. this yarn is fabulous, it's called karamea, and is so soft and springy and warm, these will be cozy. it is a blend of merino wool, alpaca, and possum, of all things....hmmm. who would have thought....? too bad the photo doesn't show the subtle variations in color, it's better in person. more later, with photos of the finished objects!

safe at home

2010-01-16T11:31:00.000-08:00

i'm so thankful that those in my immediate circle are safe, and trying to keep it in my mind and heart to send prayers and good thoughts for those in haiti and other parts of the world who are struggling with the basics of life after a disaster. if you are a knitter, you may want to join knitters without borders and if you are not, you may want to check out doctors without borders. it is easy for me to get so wrapped up in my own world that i don't see much else. i'm thankful there are people willing to go where they are needed when a catastrophe happens. and thankful for my comfortable life and the safety of my loved ones.

a little catching up to do...

2010-01-12T17:53:00.000-08:00

it has been a difficult year in some ways.

my dear friend judy died in early december from cancer. this is a photo of us a few months ago at our wonderful local yarn shop, cashmere cottage yarn , she was modeling her new cap. what a blessing it was to spend every wednesday afternoon knitting together with friends. i miss her, she was a great friend, and an amazing person, she leaves a huge hole in my life and it is a big change, an enormous loss.

and here is the picture of bliss, our cat aptly named luna who really enjoys reflecting sunlight. she has recovered well from her raccoon (known in our household as rac-ca-coon) encounter last summer, and this picture doesn't even show how well she has regained all the weight she lost during the ordeal! she has truly put on her fatty layers for the winter, and a luxuriant coat, all she is missing is most of her tail and a few toes and toenails. we are so thankful to have her!

since this was largely supposed to a chronicle of my knitting, here is one finished object. i have now completed two of these scarves and am working on a third, since it is a good take-it-with-me project to have in the car. i love the noro silk garden yarn, and the way the colors bounce off each other, but i wish the picture showed it up better. it is worked from two different skeins, alternating every two rows, each skein of yarn changes colors gradually. it is really fun.

the gaia shoulder hug is nearly done. i am working on the bind off/edging. my friend judy was a great encouragement for me to complete it, and my intention was to finish it in november, so hopefully soon.

on labor day weekend we went on a camping trip, and traveled by car to southern oregon/northern california. it was amira's first time camping, and she was very excited to sleep in a tent with a blow up air mattress. this was the morning after our first night, we camped at a place called ana reservoir on our way to goose lake.

this was taken near goose lake, alan ended up carrying amira for part of what was supposed to be a walk for all of us!

note the little ponies on the cake...amira celebrated her fifth birthday at a gymnastics place with 13 friends in attendance. lots of jumping and playing and cake. fun!

this year we carved pumpkins together, this was probably the most fun part, getting gooey...

christmas excitement....

and now, it's time to take down the tree.....*sigh*......and pack it away until next year!

that's all the catching up i'm going to do...hoping to start fresh and post regularly. wish me luck!

updated kitty news

2009-06-21T12:55:00.001-07:00

it's been two weeks since we found miss luna kitty the morning after she wrangled with a raccoon. she is finally improving, having been back and forth to the vet, spending 6 or 7 of those nights there, and losing her tail after it became obvious she wouldn't be able to keep it. while that is sad, she finally appears to be be feeling better and that feels better to everybody here. our noche kitty, who only could hiss at her before last evening, spent a long time staring at her across the room yesterday, so that must mean she seems more herself to him, also. it's a good sign.

hanging in there

2009-06-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

miss luna kitty is back from the vet...after spending three nights there, being put under anesthesia twice, and bandaged and shaved far more than she would have preferred. here are photos of her as she looks with her partially shaved body, bites, and purple bandages on her hind feet. i've left out the photos of the badly bitten tail and hind end. she has been drinking water, and i just convinced her (finally) to try a little canned food. amazingly, she is walking, she can make it up and down the stairs, and last night jumped up onto our bed and slept most of the night snuggled up to alan. her purr is getting stronger now that she has been home for a day and a half. noche is highly suspicious of her and won't get too close, but then, she does smell different than she normally does! here's to healing...

****UPDATE***6/13 when i took her to the vet yesterday to have her bandages changed, they found she still has a fever, and i was concerned about how listless she has been...they kept her and are starting her on more and different antibiotics, and doing more wound care. the latest news i hear, as of this morning, is that she may lose about half of her tail, poor kitty.

assorted non-news here includes amira pretending to be a unicorn (i don't know...), my newly sprouted yam-in-a-jar that hopefully will become a respectable vine, and we two being goofy for the camera last week

miss moon and the raccoon

2009-06-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning about 6am, after not coming in the previous night when called repeatedly, our sweet Luna kitty limped in the door, bleeding. She had obviously been bitten badly, her paws were a mess, and she had many punctures on her tail and back. Remarkably, her neck and head seemed to not be injured, and she purred when petted. After getting her in to the vet at 6:45, his suspicions that it had been a raccoon she had tangled with were confirmed when we found raccoon fur among the many tufts of white kitty fur on the back porch (where the fight had obviously taken place.) She spent the night at the vet, and this morning I am told that they found over 100 bites, she has a torn leg that couldn't be stitched up, just bandaged, and she has some broken toes. The good news is that she is alive and hanging in there! I'm sure she is uncomfortable, and it remains to be seen what the recovery will be like. Maybe I'll get to bring her home today, perhaps not. Even her absence for a day leaves a huge empty spot in the house. I'm thankful to still have her.

On Saturday I had cast on and began to knit my newest project, the Gaia Shoulder Hug. Taking it with me to meet my mother, my daughter, and two of my brothers at our local coffee hangout yesterday afternoon may not have been the best choice, however, because Amira whizzed by me in typical high-energy mode and accidentally pulled my knitting needle all the way out of the project. That raised my blood pressure a couple notches in a hurry. Thankfully I was able to work it back onto the needles successfully late last night, only losing a couple of rows in the process. Whew.

I see that is has been a couple of months since posting(yes, I had written one, just not posted it....hmm...) Highlights of the past month or so include treats at the Apple Blossom Festival, enjoying the rides at Youth Day, a day trip to Wapato Point, and for me, my second ever Fiber Tour! I took no pictures on this wonderful trip, but did manage to acquire some very nice sock yarn at a great price while touring Skacel in Kent, and bought some great novelty yarn and a couple of enticing patterns at Great Yarns in Everett. We had lots of fun on the bus with a book drawing that allowed "stealing" somebody else's book instead of keeping your own, and I scored this great field guide! There was plenty of knitting time on the bus, and a stop at the fabulous Eagle Creek Winery for a tour if one had the energy, and a glass of wine on the lovely deck under the trees on the way home. Aahh. What a day...what a treat!

certain signs of spring

2009-04-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

today i was enjoying the many lovely sights of the season here:

forsythia in bloom;

real, actual, growing-in-the-ground daffodils blooming;

flowering pear blossoms;

beautiful dancing green leaves peeking out finally on the baby quaking aspen trees in our yard; the short-lived but lovely velvety-green tint the hills take on each year at this time;

and the strings of chairs and benches roped along the parade route in anticipation of the Apple Blossom Festival parades coming up the end of this month and first weekend of next. even the local newspaper has a seasonal chair count that is updated daily, today the chairs number 251, the ropes 6, and the benches 11, for an estimated number of reserved spots of 834. strangely enough, it seems to work out well, nobody steals the benches or chairs, and it is a source of entertainment and amazement. are we easily entertained, or what!? oh, yeah, and usually the apple trees are blooming somewhere about the time of the festival. it is a beautiful time of year to be here.

since soon it will be flip-flop and shorts weather, what am i currently knitting? wool socks, of course! the first one is done, and i must say it is my favorite sock project to date! maybe there will even be an opportunity to wear the pair before next fall if i'm really quick about knitting the second one. i did also recently knit a pair of cotton socks for my mother, who doesn't prefer wool. i'm guessing they may be the only pair of purple socks she owns, but i don't know that for sure.

today some people came to look at our house. i don't know if they are actually interested enough to make an offer, but the great thing about having somebody come to tour one's house is that it gave me a great reason to clean it all at once. very nice to come home to! it sort of makes it all worth the stress of not knowing whether you are coming or going. all is well.

daffodils and artistic chaos

2009-03-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

and, just what have we been doing around here?

okay, months later, (with no explanation forthcoming), here is an update:

snow. just when we thought that winter was winding down for good, another snow, and then another little bit, then a few flakes here and there coming down despite the sunny blue sky. who would have guessed? i'm happy for the snowpack in the mountains, and of course for those of you who ski and enjoy other winter sports, but as for me, i had to cheer myself with daffodils. so far, the only ones blooming that i have seen are in the grocery stores and then on my counter.

the small resident artist in our home has been busily decorating. and since she discovered the new tape dispenser, we have had all sorts of scotch-taped masterpieces, but my favorite was the pens-on-the-french-doors display. luna the cat has enjoyed makeshift "cages" and there have been carloads of vacationers... in amira's room off and on. it's fun. except when it is time to clean up due to imminent bedtime or other such parental nonsense, then it isn't as much fun.

we recently acquired a new computer, complete with flat screen monitor. this has been very distressing to luna kitty, whose favorite warm spot was formerly the (very hairy) top of the monitor. she still looks longingly at the spot behind the new monitor before choosing another resting place. the computer was a great decision, much more efficient, less waiting around on our part. amira was relieved that this computer also has "PBS kids".

knitting wise, i have been fairly busy off and on, and completed some baby gifts, assorted felted bags, some socks, and my first stuffed animal. this hedgehog was named "top bone" by amira, who is sure it is a girl hedgehog, and quite certain that the name chosen for her was the right one. i have not a clue why she chose the name, the name seems a little odd to me, coming from a little girl who named her teddy bear harfisheem. (actual spelling unknown)

we have our house on the market again, (or still, depending upon when you last heard) and last week had a "broker's open" open house for the realtors, with a great turnout and lots of favorable comments. so, i have been attempting to keep it in a showable state, just in case one of said realtors decides to bring somebody to look. cross your fingers, it's a tough market and we're expecting miracles. however, we do believe in miracles, so hold that thought with us...

happy, merry, yummy

2008-12-28T12:23:00.001-08:00

christmas has come and gone as it does, nicely. amira enjoyed all aspects of it, from cookie baking (look at how many sprinkles these candy cane cookies required!),and the candy canes on the tree, which she felt free to distribute to family and friends as they visited, to the inevitable consumption of sugary treats. it was wonderful to experience the holiday vicariously through a four year old's perspective. for her it was about opening presents,new dolls, and new art supplies .

luna kitty really enjoyed the wrapping paper, noche kitty wasn't as thrilled but i made him participate anyway. he's a good sport.

i waited until christmas day itself to make my contribution to the wonderful dinner we had at my mom and stepdad's place. thus, we arrived in our customary slightly tardy fashion. i spent my baking time thinking of several of my grandmothers, wearing an apron as gram edith would have strongly suggested, using my favorite stainless steel bowl i inherited from grandma lola, and making my grama hazel's signature dessert, apple slice. it is a dangerous dessert for me to be around, because i could easily eat a whole batch, if left alone with it for too long. here is the recipe, but i think next time i would use about half the amount of sugar and it would be even better.

Apple Slice

Pastry:

2 1/2 c flour

2 T. sugar

1 t. salt

1 c. butter (original calls for shortening)

1 egg yolk, beat in cup with enough milk to make 2/3 cup (reserve egg white for later)

mix and roll like pie crust,(roll 1/2 first) preferably on parchment paper or something you can use to transfer it to a cookie sheet with edges. slice 2 to 4 peeled apples thinly and spread over first half of pastry. top with 1 cup sugar(or less) mixed with 1 t. (or more) cinnamon. drizzle with 2 T melted butter with a few drops vanilla mixed in it. roll out other half of pastry, place on top, and seal edges.

beat egg white stiff with hand mixer, spread on top. bake at 350F for 40 minutes or more.

drizzle with glaze made with powdered sugar thinned with lemon juice. let cool a bit. enjoy!

birthday festivities begin the season

2008-12-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

it's been one of those mornings that make schedules seem like a bad idea. if i had to actually be anywhere this morning, it wouldn't be a good thing, as amira and i are still not dressed for the day at eleven in the morning. that being the case, we have been somewhat productive, finishing making a christmas ornament and sorting out drawers and doing various little tasks. what was forecast to be a very cold day that was to top out at 15 F must be warming up, because there are drips from our roof as the snow on the roof melts. it is sunny, and that helps in every way for some of us light pigs. the days feel so short...but, only three or four more and the days start getting longer again!

last month we successfully celebrated amira's fourth birthday, that she had been talking about for months. she informed us shortly after her third birthday that the next one was her strawberry shortcake birthday. so, because we used the celebration she wanted so much as incentive for some major and needed milestones, we needed to make good on the reward. the adults enjoyed hanging out, the kids danced and played, we ate cake and amira was abundantly blessed and bestowed with gifts.

i hesitated to tell anybody luna the cat checked out the table for us before anybody arrived....is that bad?

we did make cupcakes for amira's preschool class for her actual birthDAY.

amira and i unpacked our christmas tree once thanksgiving was over.

i love that she enjoys the tree and baking so much. we made cookies, the first of the christmas baking. now begins the sugar fest...

whew! all is well

2008-11-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

yesterday we had a close call. alan was moving one car ('41 buick, in need of restoration, for sale) to the store after having moved another ('66 chevelle station wagon, beautiful restoration nearly complete, not for sale) home to the garage. a friend was helping him, and another friend saw them and stopped by to help also. somehow the winch they were using to move the car off the trailer snapped and alan was hit hard in his right arm, near the inside bend of the elbow. his friend jake saw the winch piece coming and moved back and was barely hit on one hand. fortunately alan was wearing two long-sleeved shirts, but he wouldn't stop to look at how badly his arm was hurt, he just finished getting the car settled and the trailer and suburban home and parked. he called me and i was able to leave amira at mom and rex's house, where we happened to be at the time.

now, i am no doctor. nor a nurse. but i knew when i saw it that it was a deeper wound than i was willing to take responsibility for cleaning and bandaging. there wasn't much blood, and his fingers and arm worked normally, aside from the trauma of being smacked so hard, but peroxide and a bandage weren't going to do it this time, and we ended up at the emergency room with a long wait (the walk-in clinics being closed on a sunday evening) for alan to have it cleaned out, stitched, bandaged, and receive a tetanus shot.

i was very glad to have some knitting in the car (i try to always keep one project there) because waiting in an emergency room is much easier if you have something else to focus on and do.

it seems that it is only after the fact that the full implication sinks in. i am so glad it didn't hit him harder, in a worse place, or damage any tendons or nerves, etc. my mind can come up with all sorts of scenarios. we are truly blessed. even with the temporary challenges ahead like while alan tries to shave or button his sleeve, or do any number of things for which full use of his right arm would be helpful.

the rest of the weekend had been rather nice, and i will leave you with some photographic evidence:

amira only got out of her pj's on saturday to get into a fresh pair for bedtime. we had a great time with playdough, making birthday muffins and cutting out "cookies". it was huck's birthday (does anybody know huck? amira does...)...again! there was a very colorful playdough "taco". can we all just remember to take the time to play? all is well, we are so blessed.

abundance

2008-11-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

here is what abundance looks like to my cats. both noche and luna love this feeling. "mmmm, mmm, there is nothing like it. we have lots and lots of the goods!... ahhhh. it is great when the food dishes are full, but the feeling of actually tapping into the mother lode is amazing...."

the curious thing is that even though they have two food dishes, exactly alike, the one on the left is the preferred bowl. it always is emptied first, and sometimes all that is needed is to switch the positions of the dishes, or pour from the one on the right to the emptied left-side bowl to make them comfortable with the food situation again. nutty! my guess is that we are as nutty as they are, and it is just easier to see it as it relates to somebody else. mmmhmmmm.

just by taking the opportunity to make mickey mouse ears and face on a pancake i somehow tap in to that feeling (abundance, not nuttiness necessarily)...there really is time to make this life fun!

my postings have been non-existent. nil. i'll offer no excuses.
however, i do have a few completed knitting projects to share:

clothing for a formerly bare bear,

the gelato bag is slightly smaller than needed for everyday use, but i like it....

three baby hats finally made their way to the babies i knitted them for...

this was for aurelia,
carter was the blueberry boy and little ruby was miss strawberry

which then inspired a strawberry hat for amira, as she insists that on november 26 she is having her strawberry birthday. let's cross our fingers and hope it fits...it's a surprise.

a toy carrot rattle (crochet, i formerly didn't know i could actually read a pattern...thankfully there is online help these days for those of us just learning.....)
i intend to try felting this, and see if it is possible without modifying the pattern first...

a cotton/linen hot pad...crocheted.

and then there are some projects currently in process:

one sock completed, ready to start sock #2, first pair on two circular needles.

one sock uncompleted, sleeping and waiting for me to be ready to attempt it again...note the weird band, it actually includes my first cables, imperfect but an attempt nonetheless!

another squashy bag, ready to felt, and a smaller one in process for amira.

another hot pad, i love this great easy pattern (thanks aunt lauree for showing me!)

and the checkerboard scarf i'm knitting from woolydaisy's gorgeous handdyed/handspun tropical fizz merino.

mmmm, mmmm, so nice to work on.

abundance, in things i want to knit, complete, begin, learn, write....that i've got! abundance of desire may be just as yummy as abundance of cat food is to the kitties. they may disagree, but i can see the value of having a long list of things i want to do in this life.

knitting in the garden...

2008-08-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

on a hillside overlooking the river valley in the midst of our dry desert landscape here in wenatchee, an oasis of green draws the eye upward. the result of many years of work by the Ohme family, Ohme Gardens is very like a lush high alpine meadow, with rock paths, waterfalls and pools tucked among the evergreens, thick mats of thyme and sedum, wildflowers and the buzz of busy insects enjoying the rich variety. irrigation is a transformational thing, and this is a prime example of the wonders of irrigation. once a private family garden, at this time the garden is owned by the state, which is in the process of returning it to the county so that it will be eligible for state funding for improvements and upkeep. this past monday i was one of a small group of knitters who met with our sack lunches and projects to enjoy knitting in the garden. it was a windy day, and we took partial refuge in a great log framed covered picnic area that had been reserved for us. it was the first time i had been there in well over twenty years, and when i last saw it, it was with a different set of eyes, less informed and less appreciative of plants. for anybody who loves plants and rockwork, trees and water features, it is a treat for the senses.

and, incidentally, a beautiful place to knit!

tagged, now i'm it...

2008-08-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

okay, i've been tagged...by woolydaisy with something called a meme, for reasons neither she nor i understand....anyone?

The rules: Are posted at the beginning. At the end of the post the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answers. (note: i don't personally know 6 people who blog and might be willing to be "it", but will try one or two...)

What was I doing 10 years ago? living in nevada city, california and working at the briarpatch co-op, spending as much time as possible hiking and swimming at the yuba river , going to concerts and playing dominos and cribbage!

What are 5 things on my to-do list today, not in any particular order? vote, water my flowers, sanitize the bathrooms again since the other two members of the household have colds and/or pinkeye!, return the little wonder-girl's movies to the video store, and clear away the horrible mountain of paperwork that has accumulated in the kitchen.

Snacks I enjoy: chocolate in most forms, salty and spicy things like chips, preferably with guacamole & barbara's jalepeno cheesepuffs, nuts (especially macadamia), and of course those decadent cravings i was so into while pregnant which are french fries and pie. i know, not healthy. i try to minimize the ingestion of those last two...

Places I've lived: colorado (don't remember this one...i was too small!), wenatchee, walla walla, republic, whibey island, cashmere, seattle, & arlington for washington state, ajo arizona, nevada city, north san juan, chicago park, lake almanor and greenville for california sites.

Things I would do if I were a billionaire: oh yes...i have given this many hours of dream-it-up thought.... okay, buy a really nice piece of property (or several) near the yuba river and build a great house with a super shop and houses for assorted family members and friends; finance alan's restoration of our '42 pontiac woody; pay off the mortgages of friends and family, support all my favorite massage therapists; have fun spreading money around in general...

What are some jobs you've had? let's see... massage therapist, gardener, horticulture service manager, title insurance secretary, life and health insurance salesperson, skin care consultant, waitress, bank teller, grocery stocker, clerk & lowly front-end manager for the co-op, clerk in an import store, counter help for my local fast-food drive in, and receptionist/bookkeeper for a hair salon. does stay at home mom count?

People I want to know more about: okay, Amanda, tag, you're it! don't worry, if you have objections and don't want to..., i'll understand, but it is a fun little exercise....

ear mouse

2008-08-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

sunday was a lazy day for us..i didn't feel like doing anything except some knitting, and for once alan didn't spend his day working on chores that needed to be done, either, but spent time straightening metal fenders, back to his car restoration craft on some small level. amira wore her pj's all day, spending the day hanging out with me and playing various PBS kids games on the computer. it was soooo nice. late in the day it was time to gather the garbage and recycling for the noisy truck that arrives every monday around 6am. while i was doing this, amira went outside with alan, and when i finally arrived with the bags for the can, here's what i saw: in answer to my question "what are you doing?" she happily replied "i'm helping alan. we're working on the castle!" alan had shortened his ear muffs for her and allowed her to stand next to him and bang on a metal stool with a metal hammer while he worked. she was very pleased to tell me "look, i have my ear mouse on!"

look a salmon in the eye

2008-08-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

yesterday was field trip day for amira's class...this time to Rocky Reach Dam. the heightened security was new to me (check in station at the entrance, airport-like metal detection at the door to the buildings and visitor center) but otherwise it was so familiar, and a hit with the preschoolers. of course, the main attractions for them were the lovely playground equipment and acres of green grass, and the viewing windows of the fish ladder, where you can "look a salmon in the eye" as the fish bypass the dam and journey up or down the Columbia. each sighting of a fish was met with enthusiastic squealing, each squeal and "wow" becoming a delight in and of itself! this mural is one i remember being in complete awe over as a child. the horsepower of the water over the dam. after lunch under a beautiful camperdown elm tree and more play on the equipment,it was time for the short drive back to town and normal friday activities. such a brief visit, and yet the kids were thrilled. i have to admit, it was a treat for me as well, the lovely displays of flowers, the huge expanse of green and the spectacular rocky hills rising right up next to us. it had been many years since i'd been there, and i hope it won't be as long before the next visit!

it's the berries

2008-07-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

in this case, the raspberries. this year rex's raspberries went wild! (wow..thanks, rex!) having been gifted with a generous containerful twice, we were behind on our planned rate of consumption when all of a sudden the refrigerator started freezing everything. including the raspberries. and because this was at the same time as a good number of the apricots on the counter started to ripen... raspberry apricot jam was the result.

incidentally, there was nothing wrong with the refrigerator. i had just been letting myself shove one more container of food into it far more often than i had been using up what was in the containers already on the shelf, and wound up blocking off air flow. frozen lettuce, broccoli, celery, parsley... the frozen onions i can use,but the lettuce is always a total loss. i thought my refrigerator was having a problem with freezing, off and on, but now i think that the problem was mine!

the other day somebody who knows me well mentioned that he looked at my blog, and that from my blog, my life looks perfect. well i guess there are a few references that indicate that life is not always sunshine-and-lollipops, but generally, i do want to include here the best and exclude the worst of my experience. i mean "life is just a bowl of cherries" or "it's the berries" applies part of the time to life....the rest of the time is great contrast to clearly see it!

what i'm learning to do is focus on the best and try to not think about the other as much. it works better for me this way. like attracts like, and good feelings bring more good. bad feelings seem to perpetuate more of the same. maybe it's all about momentum... keeping it going in the desired direction. not always easy. but worth practicing....dreaming it up the way we want it to be.

on that note, here are a couple of my favorite things: amira learning to make apricot tarts, and the finished product!

jammin'

2008-07-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

summer fruit is here, and with it the lovely task of making jam. it's been years since i have actually done such a thing (doubly evidenced by the fact i can't find my canning kettle or jar lifter...), but the beautiful apricots our friend doug let us pick last weekend ripened almost overnight and it was time. one double batch made seven twelve ounce jewel-like jars. (one didn't fit in my make-shift canning kettle without the risk of overflow, so the seventh isn't pictured here...it was in my refrigerator!!) by the way, the sake in the background isn't an ingredient, but doesn't it look great alongside?i tried some this morning (the jam, not the sake) on the pancakes that amira insisted we have for breakfast, and it was yummy, if a bit stiff. i think i may have mis-measured the pectin, put in half again as much as it called for, thinking i had only put in enough for a single recipe. in today's batch i will try to include the inside of the pits, as alan's mother used to do. there are some schools of thought about this that think it is dangerous, due to the cyanide content (!) inside the pits....but it is a time-honored tradition, and the other, opposing school of thought is that it may possibly be beneficial, adds a unique flavor to the jam, and the amount used is the key to the safety of the finished product. we shall see.... any taste testers volunteering?

and back to this life in progress...

2008-07-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

in looking back i now realize that the one post i had written for the month of june never got posted....oh well. such is this process called life sometimes, eh? not that things have been uneventful...

we actually have put the house back on the market, i know, i know....never say never unless you intend to eat your words. the good part and the bad part is the same: nobody has come to look or even called. there are a LOT of homes on the market here. so...having to have people come through has not yet been an issue. keeping the house looking close to ready for showing is now again a reality, i like to have it within an hour or so of showability, which for me means perfection. it isn't really to that point, but close enough. other than closets and such....

lately it feels like a house is a close metaphor for life....mine, on the surface, looks pretty good. but, man oh man, open the wrong door and watch out! on that note, i have been taking the time to occasionally reorganize drawers, closets, and areas that tend to collect junk. and giving away some things that i had been saving. it's funny how many issues this brings up, depending on what the item is i am parting with. decluttering is a process, i'm sure. letting go, as well, it seems.

do i finish unpacking? or start the packing process? it feels like i already had mostly unpacked, then packed some things away last time for the home sale process. now i am missing certain books and knick knacks that have some significance to me, and it is hard to know whether to even hunt for them. we could sell the house in a month, or it could be a couple of years. hmmm. being up in the air feels just so, well..., ungrounded.

so, i bury my face in a book. rereading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series now, in preparation for the upcoming 7th book in the series. this is to the neglect of my other reading, i'm willing to admit. officially i belong to two book clubs, of which i sometimes even get to attend the meetings, but the Outlander story sucks me in so completely that it is hard to get really into another book, unless it is easy to read in spurts. thus, the five books currently in process. the book club choices have barely been cracked open...who knows if the deadlines will cause me to read or rebel!

knitting is another activity that helps me feel like i am progressing in some area...i have now completed my third pair of socks, some felted bags, and am working on more bags and socks. i can't figure out if people who knit lace actually liked it from the start, or if it is an acquired taste...but my so-called "easy lace scarf" has been restarted several times, and frankly, just doesn't call my name that often. maybe it is the fact that so much counting and focusing has to be done while i am the only one awake or the only one home. the former involves my sleepy self struggling to reacquaint said sleepy self with the pattern and the slippery yarn, the latter involves the "should i vaccum the house, or clean bathrooms or windows or floors, organize a drawer or closet, perhaps get some excercise, or maybe just read for a minute or two..." dilemma. yeah, i'll be lucky to finish that scarf in a twelve month time frame!

field trip

2008-06-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

it was a first for me...being a parent along on a field trip for my daughter's preschool class. we traveled in a number of cars for about twenty minutes east to peshastin to smallwoods harvest fruit stand, which also has a petting zoo of farm animals and a nice grassy playground for the kids. it was a hoot to see a dozen or so youngsters running about feeding sliced carrots to almost any kind of farm animal you could meet! there were goats, llamas, chickens, peacocks, ducks, and rabbits, to name a few. with the typical changeable attention span of the age, it was great that there were tricycles and wagons to play on, and even some "stationary" animals to ride! what a fun time making memories.

on the home front...

2008-05-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

in our pursuit of defining where we would like to live, assuming that we stay here in the area, continue running our business, and that our house (which we have pulled from the realtor's grasp and are running on craigslist for the time being) eventually sells, we have been looking at various areas both close-in and far-out! last sunday alan and i took a drive to badger mountain to look at a beautiful 5 acre property, unimproved, and to widen our knowledge of the area. my mom entertained amira (who, when asked if she wanted to go for a drive with mom and dad gave a resounding "NO!") for several hours. wow, it was kind of like a date! here is one place that maybe we could buy even before our house sells...two more payments and it's ours! ha ha!

it was a spectacular eastern washington kind of afternoon, and i wondered why so many people had steered us away from waterville, when the views were like this:in the meantime, we continue to work on our place, "we" mostly meaning alan, in his multi-talented and eye-for-detail exacting way, landscaping, putting in sprinkler systems, fixing doors and the other repairs that never seem to end. (the shelf and rod in our closet collapsed just before 7am the other morning, thankfully we were already awake, or it would have been a very rude awakening!) this is one of the things i of course don't have a picture of...imagine that!

we girls did plant a few flowers in pots to decorate the back porch, and amira loved that!

amira received a beautiful hand-knit sweater from our friend Synden...wow! here she is modeling it, it looks like it will fit just perfectly for this fall and winter!

fiber tour !

2008-05-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

what a day! a busload of knitters and a whirlwind fiber frenzy of a monday! after dropping our freshly awakened not-a-morning-person little girl to my mother to enjoy for the day (minus 5 hrs. preschool) i picked up my friend Judy and we drove to cashmere cottage yarn to meet up at the yarn shop and be loaded into a chartered bus with over 40 others. our driver, Chet (he spelled it for us: "C" "H"...) was a character, and i felt slightly sorry for the state of his eardrums as we headed out, perhaps half of the busload talking at once in excitement before the other half answered with equal volume and excitement.

the first stop was a couple miles down the highway at Anjou Bakery for coffee and scones, and enough chatting time that i felt i had made a couple of new friends. again, the volume being considerably elevated with the excited voices of a large throng of knitters on the loose...then, we climbed aboard once again and went the few short miles to FiberTrends in east wenatchee, a warehouse that sells wholesale to yarn shops far and wide. what a place! aisles and aisles of yarn, yarn, yarn, kits and patterns, interspersed with displays of lovely items made out of all the available wares. Baskets of sale items were strategically placed, and we managed to keep several employees and the owners very, very busy. When we had all finally tallied our choices and departed to the bus to stow away our stash additions and new projects, it was onward toward ellensburg, this time with Bev Galeskas, the owner of FiberTrends, also joining the busload.

the next stop (an hour away, i'd guess) was Cooke Creek Sheep Company, a sheep farm in the flat farmland of ellensburg. this being late spring, of course the lambing had already taken place, and there were 75 lambs as well as the ewes (the rams were once again relegated to their separate field until next winter's liaisons). Tess, the lovely australian shepherd gave us a show of her talents, and it was amazing how the lambs weren't afraid of her at all. there was also a gigantic great pyrenees (dog, i can't remember his name,) that had been separated from his sheep for our visit, but generally lives with them full time in order to guard them from coyotes. he kept a watchful eye on us all during the visit. we had to wear foot protection over our shoes, this being plastic bags tied on to keep the "sheep poo" out of the bus! here is Judy wearing the fashion statement booties! i also enjoyed being there on the farm, and being in the sunshine! shearing having taken place prior to lambing season, we were shown the product of the shearing, how a fleece is "skirted" before being made available to those who wish to wash, dye and process their own wool before spinning. some of the wool is sent to a fiber mill here in washington, and the roving and yarn they produce was also available. now that i've had offers of spinning lessons and spinning wheel loans from two different sources, of course i bought some roving and dye as well as yarn. *sigh* what else could i really do?

onward into the city of ellensburg, home of central washington university. what a beautiful town. it has a reputation for being excessively windy, but to tell the truth, it seemed less windy than our fair city of wenatchee. (global climate change?) now the busload was split into two groups, first lunch seating and second lunch seating. being of the second seating group, Judy and i and our newly made friends headed right for Dancing Ewe Yarns & Tea and were handed goody bags (tea, yarn, patterns) and set loose to shop. by this time i felt thoroughly confused, having squandered my shopping sense on fibertrends warehouse and the sheep farm. many things called to me, interested me, and made me oooh and aaah, but lack of food (thankfully i'd eaten some nuts in addition to the scone for breakfast or who knows what i'd have been like) and overwhelming excitement had left me with little decision-making capability. just before it was time to go to lunch, i found and chose some very interesting corn-fiber blend sock yarn...on sale no less, 50% off. besides, a girl can never have too much sock yarn in stash.

lunch at Dakota's was lovely, if a bit confusing as they called our names (there were 4 Karen's in the busload & some confusion on names in general at lunch!) to determine who should receive which lunch. they did great, and the food was delicious. one of those times you wish you had room for dessert because it all looked sooooo good!

the ride back was taken over blewett pass, which i generally enjoy. the only bad part of the trip, for me, was that by this point in the day, the bus ride was beginning to get to me, and i felt "poorly", whether from the fumes of the bus, which i didn't notice per se, or the motion (alas, i forgot to bring my sea-bands). nothing seemed to help and i spent the trip being questionable company for Judy and trying to look ahead, regretting the cup of coffee i'd had after lunch.

before returning to the yarn shop, we were scheduled at Icicle Ridge Winery. oh, what a beautiful place! the views were fantastic, and the log lodge the tasting rooms are housed in is truly a work of art. i was wishing the vineyard had leafed out a little, but no such luck yet. the wine was incredible, and i felt lucky to have had my stomach settle enough to enjoy a glass, even if i didn't feel up to the tasting process to sample the various offerings!

after stopping at Cashmere Cottage Yarn to pay for our FiberTrends purchases (they are wholesale only...i wondered how that would work!) back into our individual vehicles and homeward bound. wow! long day,& yes, long account of it... anyone up for the 3rd annual fiber tour next year?

recent photos

2008-04-02T12:50:00.001-07:00

should we stay or should we go?

2008-04-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

here are some pictures of our finely crafted, classic american saltbox home and carriage house...

unfortunately, on this side of the country, most people don't understand what a saltbox is, and consider it very plain and lacking in the embellishment department. most people can't even see the subtle detailing.

last sunday was the first open house for the public since we placed our home on the market well over six months ago. we agreed to try an open house, because all other attempts at gaining interest from buyers have fallen flat... the proof of this is that we have had one showing, total. there were eight groups of lookers, and no calls since to schedule another showing or ask questions.... kinda doesn't make me want to open it up again to the public. it is hard to feel okay about allowing groups of strangers to wander through our home, especially while we aren't there!

the house is light and bright and wonderful inside, we have a wonderful shop and garage, and there are very few things left to complete the whole building and landscaping process, but the simple truth is that we dislike being in town. who knows why we ever thought it would somehow be okay, but neither of us prefers it, nor do we like the idea of raising our daughter here.

wild plants, chickens, the quiet sounds of nature...all of those feel like home in a way that being in town just doesn't. yet, we are considering pulling our house off the market, at least for now, in order to settle in and focus on other things. and even though i should know better than to ever say never, i can't imagine ever wanting to open my home up for sale while still living in it again.

knitting projects...

2008-03-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

lately knitting has been on my mind, night and day. dreaming about knitting, trying to decide what to attempt next, wishing i could finish my first pair of socks and get on with something else... at long last my first pair of socks is done (well, all but weaving in the tails on sock#2). but by now i don't even want to look at them, much less wear them. the colors seem garish to me, and i liked them at first. i figured at least the yarn was inexpensive, so it was a good choice in case of major problems. oh well, i see the flaws, but the accomplishment of being done feels good to me and thus i feel encouraged to try another pair.

recently i took a class on felted clogs (child size) and got almost done with slipper #1. the only real problem is that there is a lot of counting involved in this pattern, so i always hesitate to do any more until it appears i will have some uninterrupted time! so, this is taking a lot longer than it should. i'm excited to try my first felting of a project, though, because i have chosen another that i would like to try next...

been spending more time on Ravelry than i like to admit, but at least i feel like i'm learning how to use the website, getting organized, and being inspired. also making contacts with some people far away doing things i admire. it is wonderful that such an online community exists!

handknit blessing

2008-03-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

this made me cry. last friday i had been having a tough morning, touch and go feelings-wise, and very little to show for accomplishment of any sort. i stopped by the mailbox on my way back into the house from dropping the little girl at preschool, and found a package from my dear friend synden. she had said something was on its way, but i was totally unprepared for this! what a gorgeous shawl! hand knit by one of my dearest friends! i cried. and cried. okay, maybe i needed a cry, but this would have made me cry anyway. it means so much to me, and is so cozy, and she even incorporated some of the lovely handmade glass beads my brother jon made. i feel so blessed. on a day where i felt nothing was going right, all of a sudden there was this huge blessing, generously bestowed by a fellow knitter/artist. life is sweet, and friendship is the sweetest part of it, i think....