I almost got Old MacDonald's pig (oink!) parts all done yesterday but, tsk, I had to work at work. Can you believe it? People actually came into the store and bought things. Didn't they realize that I have yarn work to do? Evidently not. So after supper I sat myself down on the couch to watch The Chase that we DVR'd on Tuesday night (we love quiz-type shows, they make us feel smart--sometimes) and got to work. I got the tail made but crocheting those little pig legs is one putzy job so I only got three done before I fell asleep at the hook and took myself off to bed. I'll get the last one made sometime today and get her assembled so I can move on to the duck (quack!)--or cow (moo!). I might have found a slightly simpler cow pattern.
I just realized that one week from today is Christmas Day. I don't have the tree up. I don't have party mix made, although I have the ingredients. I don't even have the ingredients for English toffee bought yet. And I have things pinned but not sewn. (Never mind what they are, nosy.) This coming weekend's going to be one whirlwind of a weekend. Good thing I'm meeting Lala in Sheboygan tomorrow to go see Mockingjay, Part 1 (eeeee!) and eat a greasy brat or burger at the Charcoal Hut while we cram 6 months of face-to-face visiting into an afternoon. That will power me up for a full Xmas push on Saturday and Sunday. I'd better warn Durwood.
December 18--Thomas Eakins, Mrs. Mary Arthur. Mary sat slumped in her chair, red yarn trailing from her knitting needles to the basket at her feet. She needed to finish one more pair of slippers before Christmas which was barely a week away. The light was fading, the short, late autumn day quickly turning to night as she dozed. She fell right into the middle of a dream populated by giant spiders and floating wraiths. Her hands fought the tangle of the dream spiderwebs and she woke with a start, her needles on the floor and her slipper unraveled in a tangle in her lap.
I was surprised and pleased to see the old woman dressed all in black in the portrait had her hands busy knitting something with red yarn, an excellent choice so close to Christmas. Well, I have to go work again today, there'll probably be those Christmas shoppers interrupting my knitting again, but I'll go. Plus I hate having people holler at me or be disappointed in me. *sigh* Stay warm. It looks chilly out there.
--Barbara
Mother Nature couldn't sustain the gray and rainy for long. By noon it had colded off enough to make freezing drizzle which quickly became little flakes. We lucked out and the roads didn't get too slick and by the time I rolled the trash bin to the curb we had a decent coating of snow, nothing that needs shoveling, but a bit of white to brighten things up. I heard a rumor that we might have sunshine by Friday but today I'm settling for a pink and orange sunrise, which means that the clouds are thin enough to let a little light through and that makes me hopeful.
I worked on Old MacDonald's pig yesterday and by 8:30 PM she had a face (to remove her resemblance to a boob) and by bedtime, 10:30 or so, she was stuffed and ready for ears, stubby legs, and a tail. I'll get there today. I can't decide which animal to do next, maybe the duck because it looks a bit less complicated than the cow. Or maybe I can find a simpler cow pattern.
December 17--Paul Gauguin, Still Life with Teapot and Fruit. The last mango kept rolling away out of the arrangement. Time after time Paul would catch it and gently nudge it next to the other five mangoes but before he had picked up his pencil to begin a sketch it would be on the move again. The sixth or seventh time he put it back he slammed it to the table, it split in a fountain of sticky juice and pulp but that time it stayed where he put it.
I was so glad to see a Gauguin without bare-breasted Tahitian girls sullenly glaring out of the picture. I was in despair that he'd spent all his time there ogling the young women, the perv. I'm off to work and it's cold again so on go the layers--longies, undershirt, wool socks, jeans, long-sleeved tee, sweater, fuzzy-lined boots, and a shawl or scarf or cowl, and that's aside from my winter coat and 2 layers of gloves. Man, I'm cold this year, and it's not even officially winter yet. Later, dudes and dudettes.
--Barbara
Right now it's 42 degrees and raining. By noon the temp is supposed to drop into the low to mid-30s and the rain will turn to snow--AND the wind is supposed to pick up. This is not my favorite weather for mid-December. I'm not a big fan of shoveling snow or windblown snow but I have to say I like it better than rain and then icy roads. Also the melting snow has exposed all the leaves I didn't rake a few months back, I don't really want to look at them. One of the local weather guessers said last night that we might get snow on the 23rd into the 24th, which is just great for having Christmas snow but not so great because DD is driving up from KY on Christmas Eve. Fingers crossed that the roads cooperate because there's nothing worse than highway driving in bad weather.
I started on the second Old MacDonald animal at work yesterday. Yeah, yeah, I know what it looks like right now but, trust me, it's going to be a pig. Oink, oink.
Today might be tree-putting-up day if I can muster up the enthusiasm on this dreary wet day, although it could very well brighten it up. Time will tell.
December 16--Walker Evans, Brooklyn Bridge, New York. The cables looked like a giant spiderweb from where Sadie lay. She could hear water washing on rocks below and far away car horns. She didn't try to move, she just lay there watching birds fly by or land on the black wires. Her arms and legs felt heavy and it was too much effort to try to move. Footsteps came near, paused, and then moved away. She didn't call out or turn her head to look at the walkers. Vibrations surged through the metal she lay on.
I feel like a nap may be coming on. I seldom nap but today is so gray and dreary I might make an exception. Are you ready for Christmas? I'm sure not and I refuse to count up the days.
--Barbara
You don't know this, but Old MacDonald's big at my house. It's the song I sing to LC when we're changing pants or just playing, because of all the fun animal sounds, you see. So I thought it'd be fun to make some soft farm animals to give her for Christmas so when we (I) sing the song we can have some audio-visual aids. I started to make this chicken with white yarn, which is what the pattern shows, but as I know very well there are no white chickens in LC's backyard, so I went down, found this brown and tan yarn and got going. It didn't take long, maybe 4 hours all told. One down, three to go. Wish I'd had this idea sooner but I'll get there. Never fear.
I was feeling pretty bah humbug-ish yesterday, also pretty sorry for myself in a general way since it was soooooo dim and foggy all day, only getting worse as the sun set, which slowed down the crocheting, but after supper I got my second wind or something. I went downstairs and dug out Fifi Jr., got her stuck into the ground in front and tied her to the gutter so the wind wouldn't knock her over too easily. She even lit up AND I knew where I'd put the timer so she can turn herself on and off. Then I got busy and installed the three safety latches that were on my to-do list. That's better.
Durwood kept an eye on the squirrel to see if moving those herb pots kept it off the peanuts. It didn't. Seems the little rascal can leap from the ground to the top of the suet feeder, from there to the top of that crook, to the peanut wreath crook, and then it's just a quick dangle for the prize. Good thing I bought that 50# bag of peanuts in the shell when they were on sale. But the Red-bellied Woodpecker managed to get in there between the squirrel depredations and the Bluejay raids.
December 15--Pierre-Louis Pierson, Photograph. Keenan saw Eloise in a photograph before they met. She was dressed for an evening dance with her red gold hair curled and twisted, tucked in back with combs. She wore a cream satin, off-the-shoulder gown and a triple strand of pearls the same color as her dress. The photographer had posed her in profile from the rear so Keenan could only guess at the shape of her mouth and the color of her eyes, but her soft pink shoulders drew him to her. The invitation to assist the further slide of fabric off those shoulders made his palms itch to feel her warm flesh beneath his fingers.
It's really dark and dreary again today. It was so dark when I got dressed around 8:15 I had to turn on the big light to see what shirt I was picking out. One of these days the sun will shine again. I'm sure of it. It's just a week until the Winter Solstice so after that the days will start getting longer. Thank. God. Enjoy your Monday. Ugh, Monday, but PAYDAY! Almost all the snow is gone gone gone, there're just scraps of it where it was shoveled into piles, so it's brown and green out there along with all the gray in the sky. Time to flee.
--Barbara
No, actually it's not me that's melting, it's the snow. In fact, it's gotten so warm (and foggy) the herb pots unfroze from the patio so I could move them this morning thereby removing step 1 of the squirrel's path to the peanut wreath. Durwood will keep watch today to see how the peanut-thieving tree rat reacts to the change.
Day before yesterday someone posted on a friend's Facebook page a recipe for Lumps of Coal. It's like Rice Krispie treats only you crush up a bag of Oreos and stir those in instead of the Krispies. I had to make them. I don't have a big food processor so I used a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin to crush the cookies. I had bigger pieces and the (lard and powdered sugar) filling didn't mix in quite as well so I had to use a spatula to scrape off the stuff that stuck to the bag, but I made it, actually managed to be patient while it cooled, and it's excellent. I still like the original Rice Krispie ones too, not the Scotchie ones so much, or even the peanut butter ones (I do love my pb&j, though), but these won't go to waste. They may not make it to next weekend.
Have you noticed the surge of doodling books, etc. on the crafty web and in craft stores? I have. I confess I've always wished I could draw so I've spent a bit of mad money (not too much) for some pens and pencils (I already have watercolor paper cut into postcards so I didn't need to buy card stock, and we have a bandsaw so I can make it whatever size I want--god, I love power tools). I watched a bit of video the other night and tried it. I think I like it. Once the Christmas craziness is over (soon, please god, soon) I foresee wasting a few winter afternoon playing with lines.
Speaking of Christmas, one evening last week I assembled some craft supplies I already had to make some ornaments. I got these clear plastic ornaments on super-clearance at Michael's a few years back and I had beads and jump rings and split rings, so I put them all together to make these. I like 'em.
December 14--Kolman Helmschmid, Portions of a Costume Armor. The armor fit Kirk like it was made for him and it probably was. His brother-in-law Seth was a metal artist and what Kirk wore was too well-made and too ornate to be off the shelf armor from a costumer or one of these people with a one-inch ad in the back of Renaissance Today! magazine. Seth had a booth at the faire this weekend, right beside the turkey leg booth. The smell of hot metal from his portable forge clashed with the aroma of roasting poultry and he swore he'd pay extra next time he did one of these faires. He asked the turkey leg wench to watch his booth while he went over to the jousting field to cheer for Kirk.
I smell Nueske's bacon frying. I have to go now. We're having bacon sandwiches for lunch so that the bacon we bought a while back doesn't spoil. We're self-sacrificing martyrs like that. Toast would go well with the bacon, maybe a slab of sharp cheddar. I am so outta here. Toodle-oo!
--Barbara
Oh wait, I'm in Green Bay, but it's really foggy because there's snow on the ground and the temp's in the mid-30s which makes it very damp and chilly outside. I guess I don't mind because as soon as I hit "Publish" I'm going to go downstairs to do some intensive Christmas sewing. Then later Durwood and I will be going to the grocery. I like to run errands early and he'd rather go in the afternoon, he usually wins, so I'll get to my sewing early and shop later.
Last night at Friday Night Knitting I almost got the I-cord edging of the Landscapes Wrap done and then I finished it when I got home so-- it's done! I like it. It needs a short swim in some wool wash and then pinning out to be blocked into shape, I'll do that when I'm downstairs too. It's gonna be so warm. Mmm. And I love the colors, they'll go with everything. Also making this wrap from long edge to the point with big fat yarn and gigantic needles has given me a Design-A-Thon idea. Since the January meeting is when we have to commit, it's about bloody time I have a viable idea. A couple of my ideas died on the vine when I saw an almost identical thing in a magazine, catalog, or online. Tsk. Now I just need to find the perfect stitch. Onward!
After Knitting I cruised a few blocks north to view the Christmas lights extravaganza at the house at Dousman & Platten Sts. I almost missed my chance because when I drove by all the lights were on and blinking but by the time I'd turned around to make a slow pass the front yard lights were off and these side yard ones were the only ones left on and they were only on long enough for me to take one shot before they started going off too. I can't help but wonder what their power bills look like, especially since MW told me that they decorate over the top for Easter and Halloween too. Eesh. I'll have to go by again to get the full effect, maybe Sunday after the Christmas concert at Nativity church.
December 13--Kolman Helmschmid, Portions of a Costume Armor. Kirk emerged from his truck looking like some great articulated insect. He was dressed in armor from his neck to his feet. How had he driven wearing it? He reached into the back for a plumed helmet and spear and walked off toward the jousting field.
Time to go sew! Maybe I'll even put up the tree this weekend, or think about it anyway. I for sure want to finish installing safety latches on the rest of the lower cabinets and drawers now that my new batteries came yesterday. It always amuses me that a lot of my Amazon boxes come from Lexington, KY where DD and SIL1 live. *shrugs*
--Barbara
On my rounds today I stopped to feed "the ladies" our bag of carrot peels and broccoli stems and look what I got to have. This time of year is not a great laying time (not enough daylight) but DS said I could have any eggs there were today. The blue egg is from Kiev and the pinkish-white one is from Henny 2 who is their best layer. Durwood always teased me when we were first married that I should raise chickens and he'd let me keep the egg money and I'd tell him I'd never, never ever keep chickens. Well, don't ever say "never, ever" because I could very easily have a couple chickens, I find I quite like them. Don't hold your breath, I'm not getting them anytime soon, maybe never, but it's a fun idea I like to entertain, especially when the Cadillac of henhouses is on display at Sam's Club in the spring.
Last night was the Bay Lakes Knitting Guild's holiday party and potluck. There was all kinds of good food. I took meatballs in BBQ sauce made with grape jelly (don't make a face, it's not bad) that were pretty popular. There was also some cold veggie pizza, shrimp, hummus, some delicious black bean and avocado salsa (I didn't bother with the chips I just ate it with my fork), some pasta salad, cheese and sausage, chocolate cake, delicious bars, gingersnaps and BH brought homemade bread with butter and honey from her own beehives. So good! We all ate too much. Then VJ read a knitter's lament and we passed around our dishcloths every time she said the word "the." There were lots of "the"s and lots of laughs, and I ended up with this pretty one. I have to find out what that stitch is. I thought at first it was garter but it isn't and I really like it. Thanks, KE.
At work I had to unscrew the backs of the rental consoles to record the serial numbers and there's the handiest little Black and Decker cordless screwdriver there. It's pistol shape and sits in a charger, and it's a wonder tool. If I hadn't just spent $40 on 2 new batteries for my current cordless tools I'd put that little beauty on my Christmas list.
Yesterday Durwood watched the feral cat slink across the back of the yard. He called me at work to reassure me that it isn't starving, in case I was worried. I know it's doing a good job because the few bird seeds I spilled last week when I filled the feeders is still there and that means Senor Pussycat is taking care of the backyard rodents.
December 12--Arthur B. Davies, Landscape with Cows. The sky was that bright blue that epitomizes sky like the sky blue crayon every kid grabs first. Reefs of white clouds drifted on the jet stream far overhead. On the ground a herd of all-white cattle grazed across the field in ranks mimicking the clouds. A copse of cottonwoods made a jarring dark green counterpoint to the endless white-dotted blue.
I smell that Durwood's starting to make supper. I found a recipe for a chicken Parmesan casserole that we're using as a springboard to a supper casserole that fits the ingredients we have on hand. Should be excellent because we're quadrupling the veggie portion. How come so many recipes leave out veggies? This one didn't even have onions, you can't make supper without onions. At least not around here.
--Barbara
I almost got Old MacDonald's pig (oink!) parts all done yesterday but, tsk, I had to work at work. Can you believe it? People actually came into the store and bought things. Didn't they realize that I have yarn work to do? Evidently not. So after supper I sat myself down on the couch to watch The Chase that we DVR'd on Tuesday night (we love quiz-type shows, they make us feel smart--sometimes) and got to work. I got the tail made but crocheting those little pig legs is one putzy job so I only got three done before I fell asleep at the hook and took myself off to bed. I'll get the last one made sometime today and get her assembled so I can move on to the duck (quack!)--or cow (moo!). I might have found a slightly simpler cow pattern.
