Minced Oaths

From Sentence First: (If The National Lampoon and linguistics had a baby.)

I was glad to see some old favourites reappear, like the mytholingual encyclopedia boasting such fantastic beasts as Fryggyn’, the Norse goddess of minced oaths; Quetzlnhlxtzlchctlcoātl, the Mesoamerican god of difficult-to-pronounce consonant clusters; and the Abominable Synonym, a creature from Nepal and Tibet which makes people “pathologically doubt their ability to choose the right word”.

Here there be Dragons

http://thebloggess.com

I hear that blogging is dead. I know I haven't been doing my part. I miss Laurie at Crazy Aunt Purl. I miss Rabbitch, who went missing some time ago.  I really miss One Whipped Mother, if only for the name. (Dotted Yellow Line, on the other hand, is back after a short hiatus. Happy!)

However, The Bloggess actually blogs once or twice or more every week, come hell or gall bladder. She makes me literally laugh out loud, or at the very least, she makes me happy. What's not to love about a woman who owns several taxidermy rodents?

As for me, I have been well. The summer weather was excellent until about two weeks ago, when it got all hot and dry on us. I have worn jeans almost exclusively since April or May, whenever it was that Leslie introduced me to the lower rise fit. I haven't gained back any of the 60 pounds I lost last year, and it is 11 months since I quit drinking. Me? Happy.

I don't visit my therapist anymore, but I know where she is if I need her again. I still try to get to Columbia once a week anyway. Leslie and I rent a little booth at the flea market Itchy's (in Columbia,) and the booth needs to be fluffed and restocked on some sort of regular basis. We are making a little bit of money at it, which is great, but I think of it more as a hobby. I like to think of myself as a very selective picker, focussing on small items from the 60s and 70s. That is the style in which I have furnished the downstairs of the house. All of that makes me happy.

I have been knitting and spinning and just recently, locker hooking. I saw a friend doing it and it seemed easy enough and I thought it might be a way to use up some yarn but I am sticking to the traditional fabric strips for the time being. After my first little floor mat, I am halfway done with a front porch rug that says, amongst pretty vines and flowers, GO AWAY. It makes me happy. 

I am sewing only a bit. I volunteered to be secretary of The Piecemakers, my little town's quilt group of about 20 regulars.They make a lot of Linus quilts (over 200 this year) and that makes me happy.

Looks as though I will have a job soon, part-time and close by. No details until I know them. And yes, that makes me happy, too, to have a little job and my own income.

Brownie, Reece's and Boo Boo

Vermont's Original

 The most recent shawl being blocked. The pattern is from Traditional Lace Knitted Shawls by Martha Waterman. A very easy knit but it took me awhile to memorize the 12-row repeat. I spun the yarn from a shetland fleece I bought at the All-Missouri Spin-In in May. You can see some of the color variation in the border; I hand carded rolags for the spinning and couldn't see the variation well enough at the time. With what wool that was left, I drum carded four nice batts which should be enough for another shawl. If not, there are some shorter bits in a deeper brown. Working on socks now - it's been awhile and I seem to need something easy on the needles.

My friend Leslie found this cookie jar for me. Silly rabbit! 

I painted the kitchen, again, this time an aqua. The below photo shows the true color better. I like it and it makes me happy, as does this linen towel I found one of my antique/resale shop/flea market jaunts. It's handing from a rod beneath the shelf shown above.

Mmm mmm good!

The cover is lurid and the food? Well, folks are still making green bean casserole using a can of Cream of Mushroom soup. How about Tuna Potato Chowder, or my favorite - Flaming Bean Soup, made with a quarter cup bourbon.

I sense a theme

The latest find - a fabulous cattail lamp.

These I have had for more than a year. 

An absurdly ornate plastic clock that my mother would have loved. She's have had two gold plaster angels on either side of it, I am sure.

We're Just Friends.

I've been almost busy, but I am looking swell.

I even have, for maybe the first time in my life, 4 pair of jeans that fit, in my closet, all at one time. Leslie has taken it upon herself to be my personal shopper and so I have spent dozens of dollars on clothing recently.

I have been spinning and even attended the All-Missouri Spin-In a few weeks ago. Tuesday past I visited the Columbia Weavers and Spinners Guild with my new friend Julie. Julie is a new spinner to whom I gave a spindling lesson last month. She just bought a Louet S10, used, and is already spinning and plying on it. Some people. Sheesh.

Raining lots around here, but no flooding or tornados. More due here shortly.

Have you seen anyone actually wearing these boots?  Oh. My.When I first saw them, I thought of those shoes from the middle ages whose points were so long that they were tied to the leg. Then I thought of the Leningrad Cowboys.

Helps Fight Gum Disease

Everything has suddenly begun the shift towards Spring. The willow trees were first, as always, to show leaf green, then the flowering trees bloomed, and now many other trees are leafing. Grass has been mowed, and the fields look so healthy when compared to the miserable crops of last year's drought.

My allergies are causing trouble, so I have begun taking generic Zyrtec and that is helping. Saw my allergist yesterday, and took the pulmonary breathing test. The results, when compared to last year's in January, show a marked improvement in capacity and flow. So maybe those shots are helping after all.

I have found a tiny knitting/crochet group here in town that meets twice monthly. There were four of us on Sunday afternoon. There is interest there in a spindling lesson, and I am more than willing to oblige.

I am going to the All Missouri Spin-In this Saturday in Boonville, MO. I won't know a soul there, but when I go in carrying my wheel, I know I will be among friends. Really am looking forward to it. The following week brings the Lake of the Ozarks Fiber Fest and I hope to attend. What I really want to get is a sheep fleece, as I have this desire to touch and smell the real and raw thing then turn it into a sweater.

I have been preparing and spinning and dyeing and knitting mohair. I sent this stole to my sister-in-law in Georgia, and am working on another in shades of black and gray. It is essentially the reliable dishcloth pattern, expanded.

I am feeling very well; walking the dogs daily, eating right for the most part, and keeping the weight off. Mental health is also very good. Heart seems okay.

I got a playmate for Bunny Boo Boo. Baby is still nameless, although I like both Happy Happy and Cocoa.