MOSTLY TREES

Neighbor Kermit has been hacking away at the maple corpse for two days now. He brought reinforcements today, one of whom said, "This tree is a whole lot bigger than I thought!" Yeah, well, DUH! I do not know how old it is yet, but I'm guessing at 60+ years. When it was first cut, the rings were not distinct but as it dries I'm beginning to see them. It's raining at the moment or I would rush out and count.





From what I understand, there used to be two of these sugar maples on either side of the sidewalk leading up to the house. One fell on the porch roof way back, maybe forty or more years ago. And once, there were five linden (basswood) trees lining the driveway but now there is only one pitiful survivor. Part of him fell on the shed two years ago, so his time is also nearing. The only thing holding his guts together now is a whole mess of english ivy. When this basswood blooms, (which it didn't this year,) the flowers smell so lovely and the scent hangs heavy in the humid air. At the moment, the northern catalpa trees are blooming. These trees are native to this area - southern Indiana and southwest to northern Arkansas - and they are also known as the cigartree because of its fruit. We are lucky to have several of these catalpas close by.

I didn't attend yesterday's Barefoot Spinners meeting, and now I am sorry because Nancy and Lynne (among others) were there. But it was very hot and I knew I would be miserable and no fun. I heard that Kathy has suffered numerous weird injuries over the weekend and that Carol and Debbie are both dealing with bad mojo. My heart goes out to you all!

Tomorrow I will be leaving for lovely Franklin, Indiana for the 2nd Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival. Lynne will be selling her hand dyed rug yarn for felted bags and I will be shilling knitting needles and assorted angora blends. Guess what I need to be doing this very minute instead of nattering on -- yes, getting my shit together and packing it. This is a sample shot of my blends.



In the morning, I have to attend not only the regular Laconia town counsel meeting at 9 am, but also a special executive meeting at 8!!! You all, I am barely coherent, not to mention civil, at that hour. Some of you may know why I have to attend - I AM THE CLERK/TREASURER OF LOVELY LACONIA. (Tell me, who thought this was a good idea?) I tried desperately to resign over a year ago. The rub being, though, is that the clerk/treasurer needs to reside within the town limits and there was no other sucker willing to take on the task. Remember our huge population? I don't want to go into the details of WHY I wanted to resign from a position that I initially loved and tried to do well for practically no pay. Let's just say that my perceptive doctor told me that I needed to. My workaround has been to hire a deputy to do the actual work and I mostly just sign the checks - and attend meetings. Sigh. I don't even want to think about it.

LOST FROG

LOST FROG

What more is there to say?


Okay you all! I have been accused of being too cryptic, so this is what to do:

Click on the LOST FROG link.

At that site, click on any image or text. Then click on the resulting image. Shampoo. Rinse. Repeat.

Appreciate the wonderful creativity and effort! I mean, who did this? Was it one person or a group project?

A GOOD NIGHT AT THE GUN AND KNIFE SHOW

I hope you remembered our fallen sevicemen and women yesterday. Too many people all around the world are still being killed in stupid, needless conflicts and I hope that we can evolve beyond that someday.

It has been waaaay too hot in Lovely LAconia. The porch thermometer has been reading 95 degrees in the later afternoon for several days. What with my allergies to heat and pollen, I have tried to stay inside but have still felt not so good. Nancy wondered whether my allergies were caused or exacerbated by the bunnies. I would say "Probably not" to that, as I have had allergies a lot longer than I have had bunnies. Handling and clipping the critters doesn't affect me. The allergies are made worse, though, by being in the barn with the hay and all the miscellaneous, unknown, ambient particles of floating crap. Pollen affects me; dust and mold, too. That is why I do not clean if I can help it. No, I mean it! I cleaned off the dresser top last week and thought I would die from all the dust I tried not to stir up. Best to just let it lie. I'm thinking about getting professional help. With the cleaning, I mean.

The bunnies are doing fairly well in the heat. Put two fans on them and I rub water on their ears in the heat of the day. Also clipped the face and ear furnishings and feet wool on Caspar, Hippy and Groovy. They are due for full body clipping in 2-3 weeks, and I hope to get them through the heat until then. Four of Kelly Bob's kits are still alive. It is so much easier to lose them when they are so tiny. Used a nesting box this time and I do not like it. I think Kelly Bob trampled the last two to death. Not her fault. I plan to use a drop box for nesting next time.

Wendy asked some while ago what I read during my days on the porch (said days are now history. See heat and pollen above.) I had to shamefacedly admit that I read the mail - mostly catalogs and pleas for money, the weekly newspaper, Science News, SpinOff, Interweave Knits, Fiber Arts. I have let the subscription to the New Yorker lapse from sheer guilt at not reading it but instead looking at the cartoons. Sweetie gets Wired, MacAddict, and Scientific American and sometimes I glance through them. No cartoons.

I used to read and read and read! All the time! Now, not so much. Especially not fiction. Sweetie brought back several books from his visit south (thank you, Shawna.) A Million Little Pieces, Snow Falling on Cedars, Memoirs of a Geisha. Good, timely books that the committee in my head says I should read. Shut Up, you all! So here's where it gets a little funny. Sunday night two lovely gentlemen, Sweetie and I drove the Mercedes to the Gun & Knife Show, aka The Riverbottom Inn, which is down the road a piece in Mauckport. Yes, it's a dive - the usual cinder block building with dim lighting (thank you) and very cold beer. It was Karaoke Night! Woo Hoo! I didn't think it was going to be much fun, not really. But one has a few ice cold beers, and one enjoys or cringes at the singers - or just flat out laughs at them in a good natured way. Slow dance with Sweetie to "Crazy" and watch the drama of the evening unfold. After a bit, I saw the FREE sign on a box by the front door and, of course, I had to see what was in there. Books! Of all the damned things. And the first one I saw was called A Distant Mirror, about 14th century Europe. All right! My kind of stuff. Sweetie said that I was the only person he know that would go to a bar and find a book. (I'm special that way.) So it's a book club edition from the 1970s, but it's well written and non-fiction.

It was a good night after all.

A BIT OF FAMILY

My thirteen year old niece, Lori, will soon be a new reader of this blog. Hi, Lori! Like all new readers, I suggest that you start at the beginning and read forward.

I haven't seen as much of her and her brother Eric and their mom and dad lately as I would like. Did see them all at Thanksgiving last, and that was good. Even if all they did was play video games.

She is the daughter of my little brother who was born when I was almost 12. I got to take care of him a lot and when he was real little, it was fun. However, when I was 17 and 18, it was less fun to have such a brat tagging along all the time. But he got to see Nick's Kitchen and Rosco's, where he was a pin ball wizard at age 6. He probably saw more than he should. He drove my friends Lorie and Julie insane.

When I moved to Atlanta at 18, I lost touch with him because he lived with dad. I wasn't on speaking terms with my father. I was happy, though, when he reached out to me several years later. He and his wife visited a lot and I'm happy for that. I'm glad to have known Lori and Eric as babies and little kids and I hope to know them as grown ups, too.

Lori is a star player on her volleyball team! Made easier when one is, what, 5'9"??? At 13??? Her mom is a mere 5'12". (Me, I was almost grown at age 12, being five foot three and 125 pounds.) And at fourteen, well...in deference to her dad, I will hush now. Lori, I hope I can give you interesting things to read here. Heh, heh.

Had made a lot of progress on the pink shawl and then ripped it back almost to the beginning. Wasn't pleased with the design. Have started again, and am happier this time. The Swans Wing pattern is just hard enough to hold my interest without being too difficult. Here is a photo, along with my graphed design and the latest Fiber Arts magazine. What wonderful things in those pages!!! Jeez Louise! Makes me almost wish to be 22 and full of artistic energy again! Almost!


I want to also welcome a new reader from Scotland (and her blog link is now on the left of this page). Hello, Jean!

For the baby bunny curious, here is a shot of a random kit and mother Kelly Bob.


And Kelly Bob. Yes, she has a lop ear.

TREES AND ALLERGIES. DEPRESSION, TOO.

It has been slow work getting the maple corpse out of the front yard. The wonderful tree cutters wanted another $250 to cut it up and haul it away. No way, young studs, but thanks for the offer. That is a lot of groceries/beer/bunny feed. A neighbor teen did haul three loads of branches to our already enormous burn pile at Camp Swampy yesterday. He got to drive Zippy, our 1972 Chevy Truck, and I gave him every bit of cash I had in the house - $6.50. He was happy with the deal (he only has his learner's permit) and he did a good job. There ARE nice kids out there.

I have been spreading the word that we have yard full of free fire wood for the taking on a first come, first served basis. Today, neighbor Kermit stepped up to the plate, saying he would cut up the tree and haul it all away. Yesss! Soon, please. Thank you!

Sweetie is working another killer week at the Potato Chip Mine (Woo Hoo! Overtime!!! Hey kids, we can eat next week!) Today, it is a twelve hour shift, and he will work days all weekend. And Monday, too.

Kelly Bob's 6 babies are doing well. I will spare you photos of the pink and hairless things. It has gotten way too warm here all of a sudden, though. I need to, like, get the extension cord strung out to the barn for fans. Soon. Like, today. And, holy crap, half of the sliding barn door just came loose. And fell off. And is on the ground. And I cannot pick it up my myself. And Bill is working a twelve today. Holy crap again.

After twelve years in Indiana, I have become such a Hoosier that anymore, I get queasy when the temperature rises over 80 degrees. It was 90 on the front porch yesterday. I turned on the air conditioner. The doc said I shouldn't be outside now anyway or have the windows and doors open, either, because of my allergies. Yeah, doctor's orders! Saw her Tuesday. (One of the joys of living in a small community is that the receptionist apologized for not being able to schedule me for Monday, the day I called, but Tuesday was good. Was 11:20 okay?) Some of the old "female" trouble was acting up again, along with my allergies, and what used to be called melancholia.

My doctor is so sweet. Maybe 'sweet' isn't the right word, but she always remembers me and listens to what I have to say, and she always takes whatever time it takes. She upped some of my meds and I am feeling better already. (Friends, take note! No more weepy!) And she reminded me to take the allergy meds I already have, like the icky nose spray. Yesterday, I could SMELL again for the first time in months. Duh! (Not necessarily a good thing with my housekeeping skills, but still.) I'm allergic to grass but I love the smell when it's been freshly cut and everyone around here has been a mowing fool lately. And she said that if I didn't feel better within two weeks to call her. She asked if I was getting out with people and I was pleased to say "Yes." Thank you, Friendship Spinners and my other fiber buddies, for getting my ass out of the house on some sort of regular basis.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE BUNNIES...

Kelly Bob delivered her kits yesterday, right on schedule, and today we have 6 tiny pinkies. Here's hoping they are healthy. Kelly Bob is such a great mother - if only she were a better wooler!

Now that all her other babies seem to be well and thriving, I have named them all. The three older ones are Casey, Whitey (Sweetie named him,) and Cutie. The two younger ones are Q Tip and Bob.

Neither Fuzzarelly nor Precious had babies. Dang. On the other hand, any more babies right now would be too many.

BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS

I have begun the pink mohair shawl.

Recipe: Cast on 8. Knit around.
Increase 4. Knit around.
Increase 8. Knit around.
Continue to increase 8 every other round. Insert lace pattern in appropriate place.
Knit until you run out of yarn or patience.

Here she is, near the beginning.


Now, I've switched to short circular needles. 40 stitches are added every 10 rows, so it grows quickly. Punk rock mob cap.


The big sugar maple in the front yard was taken down Sunday.

When we moved here in the fall of 1994, that tree was incredibly beautiful. It's leaves were yellow gold and it was a WOW! of a sight. That 65 foot tall tree was our sole air conditioning for a half dozen years.

Then came the beginning of the end. Age, drought, and possibly a virus - whatever the cause, the tree was dying. Each spring saw fewer green leaves and more barren branches. Each storm brought down limbs.

So. The tree cutters did their work, quickly and skillfully.