I want salmiakkilakvitsikuvio!

I recently participated in a candy swap via Swap-Bot. I sent candies to someone in San Diego; I think she enjoyed them, but that couldn't have been very exotic for her, since I live only 400 miles away. Lucky me, though--I received my candies from someone in Finland, and they arrived today. Now, I haven't actually eaten any of them yet, but I'm already pleased as can be because of the packaging. Here are some samples:

Wikipedia tells me that Snork is a character from the Moomin cartoons. I don't know if this as as funny in Finnish as it is to an English speaker, but you try saying "snork froken" with a straight face.

Next, we have two samples from a genre of candy that doesn't exist in the US:

Another couple of Wikepedia searches reveal the fact that Horna and Lordi are both Finnish heavy metal bands of the sort that wear lots of makeup. Heavy metal candy! Which makes the name of this next candy especially funny:

But it is not named after a makeup-wearing metal group. The Horna and Lordi candies are salty licorice, by the way. Mmmm. I like salty licorice--and nobody else in the house does, so I don't have to share. The next candy is licorice, too, but it relates to automotive metal rather than musical:

And than there's the Krapu candy, which has a picture on it of a lobster/crab creature:

I hope it's not crab-flavored! Finally, there's nothing really odd about this last candy, except that my brain insists on reading it as latka. Latka candy is a taste sensation I could live without.

There were lots more candies as well, and some teas. I haven't received such a fun thing in the mail in a long time!

Blogiversary

I just noticed that September is the 3rd anniversary of this blog. I just read that half of all blogs don't make it past 2 years, so I guess 3 years is worth celebrating. I haven't borken the internets yet.

I'm so hapy with our solar electric system. Even though we had a week of 100 degree weather in late August, our electric bill for the end of August and beginning of September was $11.50. It's actually fun getting a bill like that!

Please forgive the crappy camera phone picture, but I wanted to show you this cat. He's one of the semi-feral cats that roam campus. They actually have a pretty good life--there's a group of people who feed them and look out for them, and of course students give them food too. And they get to spend their days wandering happily around or staking out gopher holes (which is what this guy is doing) or watching the ducks. Unfortunately, they are probably responsible for predating some of the baby waterfowl, but to be honest, I wouldn't regret a few less Canada geese around here. The geese claim a couple of key sidewalks, poop on them, and hiss at and chase people who try to walk by. Anyway, this cat is my favorite. He usually hangs out very close to my building, and he's unmistakable because he has one bad eye (he had an infection when he was a kitten, several years ago). He especially likes to nap right next to the outdoor stairway I take to my office in the morning. He always has an air of peace and contentment about him.

Genius mom

Thing 1 and I have busy schedules this fall. I'm spending more time in meetings than in the classroom. And, depending on the day of the week and my meeting schedule, T1 might take the bus home after school, or might have art class, or might go to the afterschool recreation program at school. It's a schedule that's hard for me to keep track of, let alone a sometimes-forgetful 3rd grader. I was afraid someday she'd accidentally take the bus home while I was at work, and then, unless a neighbor happened to be home, she'd be stranded.



So I had an idea--and a brand new Xryon machine that laminates. And I made these:



Now all I have to do is attach the appropriate tag to her backpack each morning (or, better yet, the night before), and she's all set.

Hmm. Maybe I should make some as reminders for Hubby, too....

Wednesday

Fall has arrived in the San Joaquin Valley. It's only in the low 70s this afternoon, and we may get some rain tonight or tomorrow. People around here always panic the first couple of times it rains each fall, as if they've forgotten what that wet stuff falling from the sky is. When Thing 1 heads out to the schoolbus in the morning, it's quite chilly--low 50s this morning--so, just in time, I've begun a sweater for her. It's this one, in the "midnight oasis" colorway, which T1 chose herself. It's fun to knit--round and round and then some short rows. And the yarn is really nice and soft. So far, I'm almost done with the front, but it'll be a while before I'm done because this sweater has lots of different little components. And a bunch of stitches that need picking up--bleh.

I like almost all of my students a lot. Most of them have to juggle work, family, and school, and a lot of them haven't been prepared very well for college, but they're overall quite enthusiastic. My Intro students this semester have the opportunity to serve as decoys in a local police department's underage alcohol sting, and the students were very excited about this. I have other students mentoring at-risk school kids or helping make an educational video about car theft. Still, there are a few I really have to wonder about. We're now in the 3rd week of classes, and yesterday a student came to my office because he had just realized that, while he was signed up for my Intro class, he had been sitting in a totally different course, taught by a different professor, for 3 weeks. And also yesterday I spied a very pregnant student standing under a tree and smoking a cigarette. She wasn't one of my students and I don't know her; if she were one of mine, I would have chewed her out.

I missed ceramics last week due to my cold. I wonder what I'll get to make tonight?

Fifteen

Nine more to go!

Ready to send

I finished the last of my items for Afghanistan tonight--another colorful hat to brighten someone's winter. I'll be shipping a package off this week. :-)

Singapore Socks

Alvina in Singapore and I have swapped several times--I think we just completed our fourth. Look at the cute socks she knitted for me this time. They're very soft, too. Perfect for wearing around the house when the weather turns cold. Thanks Alvina!

I am happy to read in my last post's comments that some of my Republican friends have Seen the Light regarding El Presidente. Now, did you ladies see this article today? ;-)

Ginny, I got the vest pattern right off the afghans for Afghans site. It went quickly (other than the crochet, anyway) and used up bits of stash yarn. And I'd be thrilled to send you crochet edgings in the future. It's not that I have anything against crochet per se. It definitely has its uses, especially as an edging. One of my grandmothers crocheted, and well into her 80s she could whip out a blanket it nothing flat. But to me, it's like endless picking up of stitches. And I hate picking up stitches. I like all my stitches to be worked to be lined uyp, all orlderly on my left needle.

Vested

Today I finished the vest for afghans for Afghans. I used a variety of yarns from my stash--some green and black New Zealand wool, some pink and orange Lorna's Laces Bullfrogs and Butterflies, some black cherry Kool-Aid dyed, and some Peruvian hand-dyed purple. I like the sort of stained glass effect of the front. Here's Thing 1 modeling the front and Thing 2 modeling the back.

I should note that this vest was completed amid some personal suffering. The entire vest and armholes have 2 rounds of crochet edging, and I'm not a crochet fan. And, what I was telling myself was simply allergies or the effects of the smoke in the air (there's another fire to the west, adding more blech to the valley air), is now, undeniably, a cold.

Quick update

I've been neglecting blogging in favor of far less important things--like the beginning of the semester. Tomorrow I teach an Intro class to 100 or so 18-year-olds. I can't complain to my department Chair, either, because she is me.

So here's a quick round-up of what's up:

• I'm close to finishing a sweater for afghans for Afghans. I like how it's turning out--very colorful--but I'm not honestly looking forward to the crochet edging.
• Tonight I start another 8 weeks of ceramics class. Maybe this time I'll learn wheel throwing. And manage to produce something slightly less caveman-like. Or maybe not.
• We went to Ikea last weekend--oh, how I love going to Ikea!--and bought an area rug for the family room. Of course, we also came home with a car full of other Ikea stuff. The rug is an Oriental rug with geometric patterns. I'm happy with it.
• I walked out of my office this afternoon, having been locked up inside since 8:30, and just about choked. It seems that a fire in Plumas County, something like 170 miles from here, is sending smoke our way. You may be able to see a nifty satellite image here. It's quite hazy out and smells strongly of fire, which I know can't be good for anyone's lungs.
• Zappos rocks. I suddenly decided rather late Sunday night that I needed new shoes. So I went to Zappos, which has a great selection and nice search feature. I placed my order, and, despite the holiday on Monday and Zappos's claim that they can't ship on holidays, those shoes were on my feet by 7pm Tuesday. And shipping was free.
• Watch this cute video on Neatorama.

Ruthie Goes to 3rd Grade

Well, today was a red-letter day for Ruthie: she got to be a show-and-tell subject in Thing 1's class. There are few places in the world she would rather be than in a room full of kids. Of course, the kids enjoyed it, too. Notice the girl in the red pants in the second picture, petting Ruth with her foot. T1's teacher is very animal-friendly. Also present today was a mini schnauzer puppy, 2 beta fish, a praying mantis--and one girl's grandfather. :-) It was a bit of a zoo, but the teacher said a room full of 3rd graders frequently is. Poor Ruthie is now off recovering--it's 100 degrees out today, so she got quite hot in the car.

Very quick FO

Even though I'm a slow knitter, it only took me one evening to make this hat. I used a double strand of leftover Kool-Aid dyed worsted, so it should keep some kid in Afghanistan nice and warm. I like how the colors turned out--I hope they make the kid happy.

Monday

Thanks to Postcrossing, I have recently learned a little about Finland. It appears to be a beautiful country with friendly people who like to swap postcards. So I won't hold this against them.

And Knatolee, you have to watch this.

(Both of the links via Neatorama).

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Gonzalez has resigned. I'm sure the President will continue his fine record of appointing qualified, capable, respected individuals.

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I love Ben & Jerry's. How could I not love people who invented flavors like Cherry Garcia, Phish Food, Black & Tan (which none of my local stores carry--alas!), and Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream? And their company is environmentally and socially conscious. And they have a fun website from which you can download a virtual cow. But why is it that neither they, nor any other ice cream company that I can find, sells lemon custard ice cream? Surely I can't be the only person on the planet to like that flavor??

Socks and hat

Here is some of what I plan to send to afghans for Afghans. I'd made the hat some time ago, and the socks I finished last night. They're worsted weight, so they went quickly--the second one took me only 2 evenings. I'd never made socks with short-row heels before. I like it--no having to pick up stitches on the heel flap. I hate picking up stitches. The yarn is some green Australian wool from my stash, plus bits of Knit-Picks yarn I'd Kool-Aid dyed (grape and black cherry). They exactly fit my size 5 1/2 feet, so they should be good for an older kid. Which is perfect, because they're especially needing things for 7-14 year olds. I hope to have time for another hat and a vest before the October deadline.

Stuff and nonsense

I have several things for today's post.

First off, in case you didn't know this already, Knatolee ROCKS! Not only did she address my tragic yarn shortage by sending me some beautiful yarn, but it's exactly the colorway I would've picked, had I been lucky enough to be wandering around sheep farms in Nova Scotia. And the yarn smells like warm sheep (it's 100 degrees out and it's been locked in my mailbox all day) and vinegar, in a totally, totally good way. Thank you Knatolee!!


Second, Thing 1 began 3rd grade on Monday. Much rejoicing was made. Her school is brand new, which is pretty cool. And today she announced to me that Wednesdays are sharing days, and that today someone brought goldfish and someone else brought a dog, so can she bring Ruthie next week? I can think of few things in this world Ruthie would rather do than be shared with a classroom full of kids, so we'll see if we can manage it next week.

Third, I've been working really, really hard to try to meet a writing deadline of next Friday. So today I was typing away at work, when an airplane started buzzing around. It was trailing a sign advertising this guy, who's going to be doing some sort of thing on campus this weekend. Like it's not enough that they've torn up the ampitheater erecting bleachers, or that there are signs on every streetcorner, or that they've put bumper stickers on every frigging minivan in town. Nope, they've got to distract me with low-flying aircraft now.

Fourth, I saw a link to this video on Neatorama. I've never heard of Anita Renfroe before, but this clip is great!

Finally, you probably know about these folks already, but if not, check out afghans for Afghans. The deadline to get them stuff for the current campaign is October 12 (Oct. 1 for Canadians). I've got a hat already finished, and I'm currently working on a pair of socks. I'm going to try to get at least 1 more hat and maybe a vest done.

Finally, a knitted FO

I bought this scarf kit at Stitches this year, and I've been working on the scarf for a while now. I finally finished the thing tonight. The yarn is Bouton d'Or Songe, and those are a zillion clear glass beads. I like the completed scarf, but I don't think I'd recommend the kit for several reasons:

1. 1. The kit came with only one ball of yarn, which would've made the scarf too short. I had to shell out $15 for another ball (there were, however, plenty of beads).
2. The yarn has mohair in it. This means the beads were hard to slide as I worked, and little fluffs of fiber ended up all over me and my surrounding area.
3. Both balls of yarn had knots in them. In the first ball, the knot was buried deep inside, meaning I had to restring a lot of beads when I discovered it. I was not happy. Fortunately, the knot in the second ball was visible before I strung any beads.
4. It was pretty boring knitting: Ten million rows of seed stitch, with 3 beads placed per row. Which meant it was boring and slow.

Anyway, the scarf is very pretty and elegant. Now I have to find an opera or something to wear it to.

And am I on roll this weekend for completed projects or what?? Remind me of that as I write almost an entire chapter that's due September 1.

Various weekend doings

When my Mom was here last week, we went to one of those ceramics painting places. I was able to pick up the finished pieces yesterday.

From left to right, that's my Mom's cupcake box, the football box Thing 1 made for Hubby, Thing 2's castle box, and my butter dish. The ladybug was a joint T1/T2 collaboration.


Yesterday we also attended Modesto's Art and Wine Festival. They had lots of kids' activities. T1 and T2 had a blast trying out a saxophone and tambourine, respectively, and building houses out of clay.

And I'm very happy because today I finally finished the scrapbook of our February trip to Florida. It took forever, but I'm extremely pleased with the results. Now, which of our 19 years worth of photos should I tackle next?

Rescue

Thing 1 and I engaged in a water rescue operation this afternoon. A green darner dragonfly was clutching the edge of the pool cover, unable to get itself out of the pool due to surface tension on the water plus a pretty stiff breeze. We managed to fish it out--miraculously, without either of us falling into the pool--but it was too wet to fly. I was afraid one of the resident pigeons would eat it for dinner, and everytime we tred putting it down somewhere, the wind started carrying it back toward the pool. So we put the dragonfly in amongst my rather overgrown lemon verbena, where I hope it was able to hang on, dry off, rest up, and continue its buggy existence.

The side benefit of all of this to us was that we got a really close view of a gorgeous animal, and I even managed to get a few decent pictures. That's a water shoe liner it's hanging onto in the picture on the left. You definitely should click on the picture for a closeup view.

Some of us are green with envy that Sharon can just pop into her local yarn store--which happens to be the wonderful ImagiKnit--even though she doesn't even knit (yet!). Then I suppose she just strolls over to Samovar Tea Lounge for snacks and tea. Lucky Sharon!!

My Mom, Thing 1, and I went to Berkeley on Sunday. We headed over to Solano Ave., one of my favorite neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the Himalayan restaurant, which I've been wanting to try, was closed for lunch. But it's not like there's no place else to eat in the neighborhood, so we survived. We went to Stash, one of my fave yarn shops. Do I need more yarn? Not exactly. Does that stop me? Of course not! Later, we headed to Berkeley Hort, a fabulous nursery.

I think T1 is coming along quite nicely. First she insisted on buying some yarn at Stash. Not even 8 and she already has her own yarn stash! Then she begged for a goldfish plant at the nursery. As we were driving home, she said, "Mom? Can we please go to that nursery again?" Yep. Quite nicely.

Of course, T2 could use some early training, too. So here's what we did with her last night:

My Mom's back home tonight, T1 begins 3rd grade on Monday, and I really have to write the chapter that's due to September 1. I guess summer's pretty much over.

End of summer adventures

My Mom is visiting this week, and we're having fun making some trips around the area. Thursday we took the Things to Gilroy Gardens, a nice amusement park a couple of hours from here. The rides are all pretty tame, and they have agricultural themes. In this picture, the Things are enjoying the artichoke ride.

Wednesday, Mom and I took an hour's drive to Sonora, a goldrush town in the Sierra foothills. There's a friendly yarn store there called By Hand Yarn. It's in a beautiful old building that was once a pharmacy. I'd been there several times before. This time, I was discussing yarn addictions with the woman there when she pointed out the word set in the pavement outside the door (I'd never noticed the word before). It said, "DRUGS." How appropriate! I came home with some of Regia's new Kaffe Fassett sock yarn. I'm not exactly desperately in need of more yarn, but I couldn't resist these colorways. I also picked up Interweave's Felt magazine.

Furgie

I hardly ever post pictures of Furgie here, so here's one I took today. She's pretty deaf--she turned 18 in March--so I was able to sneak up on her while she napped. I got Furgie at the animal shelter in Lincoln, Nebraska in July of 1989. She was just a tiny kitten. My best guess is that she's a tabby/Siamese mix (she has stunning violet eyes, which of course you can't see in this shot). She's named neither after the princess nor the singer, but rather her full name is Furgood Marshall. I name most of my pets after Supreme Court Justices. Furgie has always been rather, um, pudgy. But I've long since stopped trying to slim her down. I figure a little extra weight's probably a good thing for a senior kitty. When Furgie was young she liked to play fetch with the plastic rings from milk carton lids. We'd find them all over the house, including in the bed, under the sheets. Now, she mostly naps and cuddles. And meows loudly at me in the middle of the night. She didn't much care for the Things when they were tiny, but now she and Thing 1 are good pals (she tolerates T2). She has the world's softest tummy, which she loves to get rubbed. She occasionally has a senior moment now and pees somewhere inappropriate--like that casmere/merino yarn, which I could not salvage and had to throw away--but I figure that's a small price to pay after all these years of companionship.

SP11 Questionnaire

I had such fun with the last Secret Pal I participated in--and got to know the wonderful Eve--that I've signed up for SP11. Here's my completed questionnaire.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Probably Noro Kureyon is my all-time favorite. I also especially love Manos, Lorna's Lion & Lamb, Blue Sky's cotton, and anything silk or cashmere. But basically, I'm happy with most natural fibers. I'm not fond of most acrylics and novelty yarns. Mohair's also not my favorite, although I do knit with it now and then.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
My straights are in a needle case I sewed, my circulars are in a file folder, and my doublepoints are in a plastic box. I like my system for the straights and circulars, but could use better organization for the double points.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
My Mom taught me when I was 17 and a freshman in college. I'd consider myself advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Oh, you might say so. ;-) Here's my Amazon list, and here's my Powell's list.

5. What's your favorite scent?
I'm not sure. I generally like spicy and fruity scents, and I'm usually not too fond of florals. I like lavender a lot, though.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I sure do, but I'm trying to cut back on junk. My favorite, of course, is Curly Wurly.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I've been doing scrapbooking lately, and I've also done some quilting and sewing. I took a ceramics class in the spring and hope to take another this fall, and I really, really want to learn glass fusing. I don't spin, but I'd like to learn.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like blues, world music, classic rock, reggae, and punk the best. But I'll listen to almost anything except opera, country, or religious music. And yes, I can play MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I prefer rich colors and jeweltones, especially cobalt and deep red. I'm not a pink person (except sometimes hot pink) and I usually don't care for pastels.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm married and have daughters who are 4 and 7. I also have a Saint Bernard named Ruthie and an 18-year-old cat named Furgie.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes on scarves, no on everything else. Our winters aren't very cold and I usually only visit the snow once or twice a year.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I don't know. Right now I'm having lots of fun with the Lizard Ridge afghan, but I enjoy knitting just about everything. I like to alternate bigger projects with smaller ones. I like to felt, too.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Well, Lizard Ridge is ongoing, and I'm in the midst of a beaded scarf.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I prefer straights in wood or bamboo, but I do always love Addi turbos. I tend to prefer pointier tips.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes, both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
I generally only allow myself 1 project at a time, or I'd never finish anything. Lizard Ridge is an exception because I've been doing that 1 square at a time, in between other projects. However, I do have 1 really old UFO haunting my closet. It's a sampler afghan I began in 1988, my first year in law school. It's in red and cream Red Heart acrylic, and it's a bunch of squares, each with a different pattern. I'm never going to finish it, but can't bear to throw it away.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Hmmm. Probably either Halloween or Thanksgiving.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Is there anything I don't? ;-) Apart from yarn, of course, and books, I collect postcards and plastic souvenir floaty pens.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Nothing specific comes to mind, although there are some ideas in my Amazon wish list. I subscribe to Interweave Knits, Knitters, and Vogue Knitting, as well as Cast On.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I can't think of any, but I do like trying new things.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, I love hand-knit socks. My foot is 8 3/4 inches long.

23. When is your birthday?
March 21.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Nope.

Home again

My family just spent a few days with some friends in Sonoma County. We visited wineries, of course. Also a couple of parks: Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve near Guerneville and Howarth Park in Santa Rosa. You can see some photos in this Flickr set. Armstrong was especially nice--it's very cool among the giant redwoods, and the walk is easy enough for even little kids. Howarth Park has pony rides, a carousel, a train, and a killer playground. Also paddle boats, but we didn't try those out this time.

We stayed in the town of Windsor, which I discovered has a nice little yarn store called A Good Yarn, as well as a bead store, a scrapbooking store (which was, alas, going out of business), a children's bookstore, and a toy store. There is also a really great candy store called Powell's Sweet Shoppe, which has every imaginable candy, including, of course, my beloved Curly Wurly.

Fourteen

Chickens and Lizards

California's Central Valley is one of the world's major agricultural areas. Most of those ag products end up getting transported on Highway 99, which links all the valley's major cities from Sacramento to Bakersfield. Consequently, it's not unusual to encounter lost produce along the highway. I've seen tomatoes, peaches, melons, garlic, cotton bolls, onions, almonds, sugar beets, and bales of hay. There was the time a train traveling along the tracks that parallel the highway sprang a leak in one of its freight cars, leading to several miles of spilled feed corn and several days of avian feeding frenzy. There was--one of my personal favorite road disasters--the overturned truck full of beehives. Today was a new one, though. Someone lost part of his load of large feather-filled plastic bags. For almost two miles, we had a blizzard of chicken feathers. Even once we got past the site of the spill, there was a constant flurry because an oblivious woman ahead of me had managed to get one of the bags wedged under her car. After I reached my destination, I found a souvenir lodged in my wheel-well.

Also, it's been a while, but I finally finished another Lizard Ridge block. This is #13, so I'm now over halfway there.

Harry Potter, the Yarn, and the Pond

I'd preordered the new Harry Potter book and it arrived Saturday afternoon, but I was teaching a weekend class. I wasn't allowed to crack the book until yesterday, after I'd graded everything and handed in my grades. In the meantime, I hid the book from Thing 1 so she wouldn't read it and tell me what happens. Once my grades were in I dove into the book obsessively, and I just finished it. Now T1 can have it.


I haven't completely neglected the rest of the world for 48 hours, however. For example, today I attempted to rescue the cashmere/merino that Furgie had used as a litter box. I soaked it in OdorMute and then left it outside to dry. It was in the mid-90's today--good aerating weather, I suppose. I dunno if my attempts have worked. The smell is gone, but the yarn is drying rather stiff:

Well, we'll see when it's completely dry if it's useable.

I also took T1 to my campus today with a bag full of bread. The ducks, of course, were very shy in claiming their share:

Several of them came over to check me out while I was taking pictures, and one stood on my foot. We have mostly mallards and mallard/domestic crosses on campus, but this spring they were joined by a gorgeous little wood duck:

There was a mallard with babies, but she was warier, and didn't get close enough for pictures.

This pond is one of several on campus, and it's right next to my office building. It's very pretty. It even has a little bridge leading to a small island with picnic benches. T1 and I were on the island in these pictures. I don't know what the grounds crew puts in the pond that turns it such an unnatural green color, but whatever it is, it doesn't seem to bother the critters. In addition to the ducks, this particular pond is also home to a couple of red-eared sliders, both of whom are also fond of bread.

There are also innumerable tiny fish, and they create minature feeding frenzies over thrown bread. If you click on this picture, you might be able to see them clustered around the floating lavash:

At least one larger fish lives here, too. I haven't been able to get a really clear look at it or a picture, but it will ocassionally lunge out of the water to snatch some bread. It's at least a foot long and sort of muddy colored.

See this

Neatorama had a post today about an incident I'd heard about, but never seen. The blog entry includes a video. The incident took place in Oregon in 1970, and surely belongs near the top of the list of Ideas that Seemed Good at the Time But Really Turned out Not to Be. One of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Just watch.

New hobby, new toy, new tires

Okay, so it's not like I needed another hobby. But I have nearly two decades worth of pictures tossed into envelopes and shoe boxes and strewn onto CDs and my hard rive. It's time to bring some order to this chaos. So I've begun a scrapbook of February's Disneyworld trip. At the current rate, I'll have all our pictures in scrapbooks by about the year 3000. But they will be more fun to look at than they are now.

Today I acquired a nearly-new Macintosh in my office due to a colleague's retirement. I actually do most of my work on PCs, but I have an ancient Mac in my office that's been limping along as a web server. And I've been totally lusting after newer Macs, with their sleek and sexy monitors and lack of separate towers. So I'm very happy with my new toy, and, with the help of our extremely "helpful" IT office, the new Mac and server ought to be running right also by the year 3000. But in the meantime, at least the Mac looks pretty in my office.

Thing 1 is attending gymnastics camp this week, which requires me to make twice-daily trips to the gym, 20 miles away. On Monday morning we passed 5 cars with flat tires, and I joked that it was National Flat Tire Day. "I'm glad we're not celebrating!" I joked.

Hah hah.

Apparently, it's actually National Flat Tire Week, and I am too celebrating. As I was on my way to pick up Thing 1 this afternoon my tire suddenly blew. Luckily: a) I hadn't yet got onto the freeway; b) my car handles really beautifully, even with a sudden flat; c) it was quite pleasant out today, so I didn't broil while waiting for AAA to arrive; and d) my tires were about due for replacement anyway. A sharp metal bolt was the culprit, and the tire is toast. Hubby had to leave work early to pick T1 up, but we did all get home safely. Now, don't you go celebrate too!

Plague Scarf

FInally, I have a new FO, the Berry Berry Bubble Scarf. Both pattern and handpainted mohair are from Blue Moon. I prefer to think of it as the Berry Bubonic Scarf, first because the bubbles resemble buboes, and second because making it rather plagued me. It's a zillion rows of boring stockinette and 3x3 rib, knitted on size 4 needles, and using really fluffy sticky mohair. Then you have to attach lots and lots of little wooden balls using rubber bands, felt the thing, and then remove the lots and lots of little wooden balls and rubber bands. It is fun and funky looking, though, the yarn feels light and yummy, and I like the colors. Of course, it was 97 degrees today, so I'm clearly not going to be wearing this anytime soon.

Unfortunately, and quite by accident, I recently discovered this site. I warn you now, if you treasure your slumber time at all, do NOT visit this site at 10pm when you have to get up at 6 the next morning. You've been warned.

Wow!!

Anna sells patterns for very cute knitted stuff. I especially like the Rainycloud. Anna also has a MIL with a yarn stash that took my breath away. You have to look--it's amazing. And the next time Hubby comments on the size of my stash, I'm going to show this to him.

Favorite

Thank you to all of you on the sympathy and advice on my hypothetical yarn. I just so happen to have some OdorMute, so I'll try that plus some drying time outside in the hot air. I guess the worse that could happen is I'd have to throw it away anyway. I've now removed all yarn from the lower bins, except yarn wrapped in plastic. I do learn from my mistakes.

Today I wanted to share with you my very favorite thing I ever knitted:

I made it probably 9 years ago, back before Thing 1 was even conceived. I knitted a lot of baby stuff back then because it's quick. I figured if I didn't have babies someday, someone I knew would. This is a Dale of Norway pattern knitted in Dale Baby Ull, machine-washable merino. I remember the yarn cost over $50, which was a healthy chunk of my assistant professor salary. Even though it's tiny, it took a zillion years to make because of the small gauge (size 1 needles) and fair aisle patterns--three colors in the ladybug rows! On top of all that, it was knitted in the round and steeked. It was my first steeking experience, and was highly traumatic (although it turned out just fine). Those were probably my first socks, too.

But the results were so worth it! I've never seen a cuter kids' sweater pattern, and the yarn is so soft and springy. Here's what T1 looked like wearing it, some time around her 1st birthday:

When the Things wore that sweater, people used to stop and ask where I'd got it. I always replied, oh-so-modestly, "I made it."

When you put a lot of time and effort and money into baby clothes, you're faced with a choice: either let them actually wear the clothes and hope they don't get instantly ruined, or save the clothes but never let the kids actually wear them. The Things wore this sweater a lot. It held up very well against two messy, active little girls. I took that picture of it with the socks yesterday, and you can see it still looks nice. And the yarn has only gotten softer.

Hubby and the Things are having a garage sale this weekend (while I'm teaching a class all day--ha ha!) so I've been busy sorting baby clothes. This one definitely goes in the "save" box.

What's your favorite thing you ever made?

Hypothetical

Okay, let's say there's a woman who owns 1000 yards of brick red lace-weight cashmere/merino, which she stores in the bottom bin of her yarn organizer. And let's say this woman also has an 18-year-old cat, who, while otherwise quite healthy and spry, occasionally has potty-related senior moments. And let's further suppose that the woman goes away on vacation for 2 weeks, and the cat is perhaps a bit put out by her prolonged absence. Finally, let's suppose that in the woman's absence, the cat decides to use the 1000 yards of cashmere/merino as a very soft, very expensive litter box.

Does the woman:

1. Attempt to salvage the yarn, which cost her $60 at Stitches West two years ago? or
2. Sigh sadly, chalk this up as a Lesson Learned, and dump the yarn in the trash?

Speaking hypothetically, of course.

Stuff

Today's entry will be varied. First off, pictures of the knitting project I made while in Portland.

Behold the world's biggest hat! Herby was impressed. Here's what it looked like after felting:




The pattern is from Felt It! It's supposed to be a placemat with several swirls of color. But when my Mom made the pattern, she discovered it makes a better bowl than placemat. I thought it'd work well as a Yin-Yang bowl, and I am very pleased with how it turned out. I may make more.

Yesterday I promised more pictures from our travels. Rather than clog the blog, I put them up as a couple of photo sets on Flickr. Feel free to browse so you can view Voodoo Doughnuts, a chocolate stash (did I tell you I found a source in Portland for Curly Wurlies??), and more.

Ruthie spent the last few days at the kennel, so when we picked her up this morning she had that kennel smell. Plus she'd spent a lot of time playing in water and she was looking bedraggled. It hit 109 degrees here today, and I decided it was the perfect opportunity for a dog wash. Ruthie usually isn't too thrilled about baths, but today she didn't even bother with a token struggle. Hose water feels good when it's this hot!

Now Ruthie is still slightly damp and she smells like baby powder-scented shampoo. Thing 1 and I quite enjoyed the process too, and we jumped in the pool afterward.

Finally, Mim has tagged me, so here are 8 random things about me: 1) I have a scar on my right index finger due to a run-in with a meat slicer at a pizza place I worked at in college; 2) I also have a small scar on my left arm from a hot french-fry basket at my first job, McDonald's; 3) I like to write short stories and would love to have one published someday; 4) Also in college, I once earned money spending a weekend scooping poop at a dog show; 5) I have a reputation in my family for bringing up yucky conversation topics--bugs, blood, dead bodies, etc.--during meals; 6) I got a D in calculus my senior year in high school; 7) In law school, I won an award for having the highest grade in my class in my Wills & Trusts course, of all classes; and 8) I really want to take a glass fusing class.
Rather than tagging any specific people, I tag everyone who reads this!

Home

I'm tired!!

Well, maybe not as tired as my Dad's dog, Foenix, who likes to sleep in the tub.

We returned home from Oregon Sunday night, but then left for San Francisco first thing Monday morning. I'll post more pictures later, but here are a few highlights.

For about a year, someone in Portland has been chaining plastic horses to the iron rings that still exist in some neighborhoods, from when people had to tie up their (real) horses. We found this one near Northeast Alberta Street.

The next couple of pictures are from San Francisco. Even though I teach Criminal Justice, I'd never been to Alcatraz until yesterday. We lucked out with some gorgeous weather. I really enjoyed the prison tour, but here's something a bit more unexpected that we saw:

That is a baby seagull. For all the zillions of times I've been around adult gulls, I don't think I've ever seen a baby before. It was peeping cutely at its parents, which are just off-camera. Incidentally, Thing2 insists on calling these birds "eagles," much to the amusement of everyone around.

One more shot from Alcatraz:

It's a pity we don't have one of these at home. It would make time-outs much more meaningful.

I'm planning to spend the next couple of days resting and catching up on things. I'm actually going to be staying put at home for a few weeks now--maybe I can catch up on some knitting. Tomorrow I'll post a pic of the FO I made in Oregon.