"It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or the fourteenth."
  - George Burns

Don't worry - I am still sailing on Loch Nondrinkyness!

The fiesta yarn turned out SO COOL! I plyed it with a fine spun yellow/gold angora single which was a stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. Here, look for yourself.

I have been dyeing up a storm. During the Great Studio Clean Up, I emptied two large plastic bins and I promptly filled one with all my angora seconds, i.e., wool less than two and a half inches long, matts, leg and belly wool, and dirty bits. When life gives you a plastic bin full of seconds, make first quality spinning fiber! I mean, that's what the fiesta yarn is. Why don't I use my prime stuff? I don't have any left, that's why. Traded all I had plus the next shearing to Jean for bunny cages . Won't have any prime for my own use until fall. I have always said, though, give me limitations and I'll do my best work.

I found out that there is such a thing as doggie dementia. (Thanks, Nancy.) There are four indications and Bonnie has every one. Change of character, inappropriate pooping, disorientation, and changed sleep habits. Sigh. There is no cure but I did get her some new food for senior dogs which is full of all the things she needs. Probably too little, too late.

I can't help but think what is in store for her. And us. She is already not the girl of six months ago. She is so affection hungry now, always wanting her muzzle and ears rubbed. Nuthin' says lovin' like a good muzzle rubbin'. Bonnie was always above that sort of behavior, being more of the "Don't touch me" sort. This has all happened so quickly and I have to wonder if the rest of the journey will go as fast.

Let me leave you with this thought: Approximately 1/10 of your life is spent in February. Make it count!

And also, here is a shot of Percival helping me spin.

Watermelon Grass

In spite of the 9000 degree heat, I mowed the lawn today. In spite of my allergies, I love the smell of cut grass (and in our case, also cut weeds.) It reminds me of the taste of watermelon rind. You know, when you are so intent on getting every last bit of red juicy and you get a bit of green juicy, too.

Made progress on the Studio of Shame and found the sewing machine! Hosannah! On which I hemmed a polar fleece blankie the Sweetie picked up over the winter. Sure, honey, I'll get that hemmed right away. I wonder if he's forgotten about it? I removed two bags of garbage and have several bags for Goodwill and vacuumed a year's worth of dog hair and dust. Still quite the mess, though.

AND I spun a Louet bobbin's worth of yarn. When I was selling my angora blends on eBay, I saved the leavings from the drumcarder. I found lots of little bags of dyed angora in a dozen or more colors and spun them in random order. I plan to ply it with black, maybe light blue sewing thread. Or yellow/gold. Festive!

Bunnies are all holding up in the heat so far. The babies are weaned and in their own cage now - I think Kelly Bob is glad to be shed of them.

LAMBS AND (INSERT SOMETHING CLEVER HERE)

From “Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene” by Thomas Sowell:
  “The beauty of doing nothing is that you can do it perfectly. Only, when you do something, is it almost impossible to do it without mistakes. Therefore people who are contributing nothing to society except their constant criticisms, can feel both intellectually and morally superior.” Discuss…

A hot day here in the Ohio Valley! Time for a road trip! Lynne and I attended the Barefoot Spinners meeting near Stamping Ground, Kentucky. The only picture I took was of the notorious Maryland Lambs, shown here with Kathy. One is a Harlequin, the other is a Finn and they are named Ellie May and Jethro.

I am tired. Was up until midnight working on Fuzzarelly's Fibers. I'm going to a little fiber gig on July 15 and need to get some product together.

And lastly, in order to get my ass in gear, I'm posting a picture of the Studio of Shame. My bricks and mortar store closed almost one year ago and IT IS TIME to get it behind me. I have made some progress but now I really believe that I have enough emotional distance to either give away, sell or throw away the detritus. Stay tuned for progress reports.

LOVE THAT SILKY AL GORA!

Back at the dye pot. Today, it is more Silky Al Gora and the colors are cherry red and spring violet. It will be another berry color, but a different kind of berry.

Finally finished drum carding the last Silky Al Gora last night and spun a bit of it this morning. 2800 yards per pound for a two ply, according to Mr. McMorran. This stuff just begs me to spin it fine and the silk makes it easy to do. I'm beginning to get a hankering to spin enough to make another shawl. Crazy. That's me. What does one person need with three shawls? I don't even have the second one finished yet! (But I have been working on it. No pictures - too boring - but it is up to 35".) You know how it is - you're in a comfortable groove with the current project which allows your imagination to wander ahead. I'm glad that I'm an excellent project finisher. I will not start #3 until #2 is done.

Saw the movie Prairie Home Companion over the weekend. It's a fictionalized account of the radio show - in an alternate universe. I enjoyed the singing and storytelling and the inside joke concerning penguins. The cinema was in the newly built and already sprawling suburbs of New Albany. A landscape of concrete, pavement and strip malls but no sidewalks or trees. Ugh. It was a relief to come home to the country where the temperature was a good 10 degrees lower.

I do want to show you a photo of our dog Bonnie. We got her from the Atlanta Animal Shelter 5 months after we got married. She was 5 months old so it's easy to remember her age - almost thirteen. She's a blend of chow and probably Australian cattle dog and she's always been a smart, energetic and over all great house dog.

Since winter, she's lost much of her eyesight and hearing. She's gotten weak in her hindquarters. Until recently, she would rather chew off her leg than pee or poop in the house. Now, when the urge to poop comes upon her, she can't control it and just goes. She seems demented, too. She'll start slowly, painfully, pacing at 3 am and keep at it for two or three hours. She'll go into the back room and just bark. (I used to be able to distinguish her various barks. The "Bug" bark, the "I want to Play" bark, the "Someone's at the Door" bark. No more.)

This downward spiral has been gradual but quick and I worry about her. Sweetie and I are both agreed to take care of her no matter what. She's our baby, our girl, our firstborn - so to speak. She's been such a good dog to us.

Fuzzarelly's Amazing World of Non-Drinkyness

It IS amazing how much a person (me) can get done when one is not knocking back 8 or 12 Coors Light every day. Also, when one isn't constantly pouring depressives into the bloodstream, one's depression gets better. Hello. I am Einstein. When I started drinking again it was like the times I started smoking again - I knew that I was going to quit with the only question being when. I quit smoking for the last time in 1996 and maybe now I have quit drinking for the final time. I satisfied my curiosity and also got to enjoy ice cold beer on a hot, sweaty summer day once more.

Yesterday, I drumcarded several batts of lovely brown alpaca. I knit on the pink mohair shawl and it now measures 33" square. I also got out the pot and dyed 4 ounces of white angora, 4 ounces of white alpaca and an ounce of tussah silk. Used burgundy and navy blue to get a yummy berry color. It's almost dry this morning and I hope to get it blended later today.

Spun a sample of the brown angora and achieved a single that measures about 2400 yards per pound. The alpaca is really easy to spin. I can barely wait to spin the silky Al Gora (har har) blend.

Kelly Bob and babies are thriving - touch wood. They grow so fast! At three weeks, they are eating solid food and drinking from the water bottle. Here's a shot of little Hopalong. If you look closely, you can see fur growing on his slightly deformed right front leg. He keeps up with his siblings, running around and playing.

Murgatroyd had a play day in the front yard yesterday. With a girl around, Percival stays close. Sometimes he will run back to the barn to hang out and mark his territory. (As far as he is concerned, everything is his territory.) He let's me pick him up and take him back to his cage - no problem.

Heizen, on the other hand, has had a taste of freedom and he loves it! Screw that cage, he says. He stays in the yard but he runs away when I try to gather him up, the little shit. I'm going to have to get a dip net to capture him. Here he is relaxing around 9 o'clock last night.

AN INCONVENIENT PUN

I came up with an environmentally friendly blend of alpaca and angora. I call it AL GORA.

Har har.

I'LL JUST HAVE A LITTLE TASTE...

The only good thing about hot weather is eating ice cream right out of the carton. Mmmmm...ice creeeeaaammmm.

In my opinion, the best part of summer is over with by the 4th of July. After that, it's all about hibernating in a dark room with the air conditioning on high. Sweetie, on the other hand, just recently took off his arctic long johns (like last week) but is still sleeping under either the sheepskin or the polar fleece quilt with the sheep fleece batting. By the beginning of July he's just getting thawed out.

However, it wasn't hot today. It was perfect weather - high of 75, partly cloudy with a northerly breeze. But I'm still eating ice cream right out of the carton. And not drinking beer.