I Did Not Order Rain

But it started raining around noon and has been drizzling around all afternoon.  I know this is happening because I have steaks to grill for supper tonight.  I won't let a little precipitation derail my plans.  We will have charred cow for supper to go along with tomato salads and fresh sweet corn.  This pair of cardinals came for breakfast, before it started raining.  It's pretty rare for a pair to come.

See all the cards I got for my birthday? (I understand that at least one has been delayed by copious rainfall in coastal Florida, so the excitement in my mailbox isn't done yet.)  A few are handmade, two of them by people older than 3 too, although I confess I'm partial to the one made by the 3-year-old.  The ones made by grownups are very nice with lovely sentiments inside but there's just something about a big, red, posterboard heart scribbled on by someone that you're crazy about.  And that salt clay butterfly is a
gift beyond compare.





 
I thought you'd like to see both Hoots.  I made the original Hoot in 2009 and just finished Hoot 2 last week.  They're both popular with the small set and are welcome car seat companions when Meemaw drags little people on errands with her.  Erranding isn't a very popular activity but a cup of snacks and an armful of Hoot helps lift spirits and make the people in the back seat a bit less crabby. 

 




I knitted on the Crazy Z Reds Campfire sock last night and added an inch or two.  It's very hard to make great strides in your knitting when there are so many interesting people to talk to but I'm just happy when I don't make too many boo boos while talking my head off.  (I only had to reknit one needle's worth last night when I did round 2 instead of round 1; that's not bad)  We met friends for brunch this morning so I took Sudoku Long Strip #2 along.  It occurred to me that I've been avoiding it like the plague and avoiding it isn't going to get that afghan done anytime soon--and it has to be done by the end of 2017.  I can not let it linger into 2018 when it will be 10 years old and still unfinished.  Just can't do it.  This is no-thinking-required knitting, 15 stitch rows for 62 inches.  Knit, knit, knit, keep on knitting.







September 2--Bigordi Ridolfo Gherlandaio, Portrait of a Lady.  Claire hated her hair.  It was dull red-brown and it just lay there on her head.  No matter how much she wished and prayed, it didn't curl.  It was as straight as a horse's tail, an ugly horse's ugly tail, and more lifeless than the cheapest wig hanging in Goodwill before Halloween.  She rolled it up in curlers, burned her scalp with chemicals and her hair with hot irons, but as soon as she combed it the curls fell out like they'd never been there.  Claire thought she had an okay face.  It wasn't eaten up by acne.  She had a decent figure too, not fat, not skinny, with nice curves in all the right places but all that curvy beauty was topped by her hair which today looked like she was wearing a dead animal on her head.  She really hated her hair.

As I've been sitting here it's been getting darker outside and I'm afraid that means it's about to pucker up and rain again.  I'm going to give Mother Nature the benefit of the doubt and light the grill as soon as I post this.  Wish me luck.
--Barbara