Mostly he's sleeping but sometimes he's awake.

This "sunlight" isn't quite as warm as the stuff that comes in the window. 

Maybe if I lay on it she won't be able to do any knitting and I'll get some attention instead!

I think I like this chair.

I think I'll call it mine.

I'll just squeeeeze in here for a nap.

Ok.  I'll use it if you insist.  I've only made you wait several years after you knit it.

Watching birds out the window plays me out.

This pillow is rather hard.

What?? I fit in here.  I do!

Good vibrations.  And warm besides.

There isn't quite enough room for my head...or my feet for that matter.

Peek!

Storm damage

We were shopping in Grand Forks.

 We knew it was going to be stormy weather and were rushing as much as possible to get home before it hit.

 In the end the rushing didn't matter.  The weather was moving faster than we were.

We decided to park close to a brick building to help diminish damage to the pickup and wait out the worst of the storm.

I was on my phone on Facebook asking for suggestions if we should take off or hang in where we were.  2 people said stay put.  And so we did.  Good plan as it turned out.

I kept looking at the radar.  It was serious weather this time, folks.  Rain.  Hail.  Extreme winds.  Tornado warnings. 

There we sat.  In a pickup.  With the tornado sirens going off.  Rain and wind that looked like a snowstorm, visibility-wise.  Rocking in the wind.  Yea.

I'd been texting with 2 of our sons.  And then DH got a phone call from one of the sons in our hometown.  He said, "Do you want the bad news?".  Well, not really but go for it.

4 bins had blown down at our seed plant.

 

Here's number 1.

And a closeup view of some of the damage to it.

And here are bins 2, 3 and 4.

And a couple shots of the worst damage to the one on the right end.

There has been a stream of traffic going by to see them.  The guys that work at the plant said we should charge admission!  Gotta keep your sense of humor.  Especially at a time like this.

I'm dragging today.  I thought I slept but it sure doesn't feel like it. 

So to cheer me and everyone else up here are a couple pics of Teddy. 

Looking like the king of the house that he thinks he is.

On the knitting front

There is knitting happening/about to happen. 

DH gave me this sweet book for Christmas.  There were two patterns I immediately fell in love with and had to order the yarn right away.

All of the patterns in the book use Brown Sheep yarns.  This is what I got for the apron. 

Everyone asks what I'm going to do with an apron, and I say about the same as the shawls I knit.  Enjoy the knitting and then put it in the drawer.  I just love the idea of a knit apron!

This yarn is slated for the table runner.  And this won't just be knit and put in the drawer but actually used.  I have a dining room table just waiting for some pretty laciness. 

Strokkur is what I am currently knitting on.  The yarn is Patons Classic Wool. 

I haven't knit with this type of yoke construction so it'll be interesting when I get that far...

Yellow really isn't a very good color for me, so I'm changing out to plum instead.  Of course!

I just had to add another shot of Teddy.  The chair is new and guess who has been in it more than anyone else in the house?  Yea...you guessed right.  Teddy.

At least we ordered it to match whatever hair he leaves behind...

Merry Christmas

For everyone far and near, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!

May you be filled with the wonder of Mary, the obedience of Joseph , the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the determination of the magi, and the peace of the Christ child.

And if there is sorrow in your life and you can't endure all the holiday razzle dazzle, I give you a snuggle from Teddy.

And I wish you Happy Tuesday and Happy Wednesday instead.

Finally finished and in the mail actually.

So.

Here they are.

Started over a year ago.

Intended for LAST year's Christmas.

I'm sure 2nd DS thought he'd never see them.

But they are done and in the mail.  I checked tracking and they are within a day or two of delivery.  So with a bit of luck he'll have them before Thanksgiving. 

Thank goodness!

And here is the start on the 4th pair of Northman mittens.  This pair is for my sister.  She demanded requested them by LAST January.  Yea.  She didn't get them.  Maybe this January.  If she's lucky.  Or I'm lucky.  One or the other.

Sorry about the horrid picture.  They are charcoal grey and off white.  Not that you can tell by this.

This is what I really want to be knitting on.  Acer is the pattern and Peace Fleece is the yarn.  I don't even have a Ravelry page for it yet. 

It is getting close to the body being finished and then just the sleeves.  And finding buttons that I'm happy with...

And just because, here's Teddy. 

Smile Teddy!  You're on candid camera!

Crafty Saturday

Why have a plain old bulletin board....

 

 

when there is ribbon in the house and you have some time to spare? 

 

 

 

 



 

You could go with stripes but there is still ribbon left.  Let's see what else can be done.

 

 

So here it is already in use.  Yea.  I know.  It matches the violet.  I guess I ahh, kinda planned it that way...  Can you say ummm, what's the word...obsessive?

 

And now just for the fun of it, a couple pictures of Teddy.

 



Hey!  I'm sleeping here!

Goodbye, Claus

It's a sad day at our house today. Claus was getting thinner and thinner even before we moved.  He had almost stopped eating.  There were numerous tests. One was even sent to Texas A&M.  But there wasn't anything physically wrong.  Just his emotional/mental issues come back to play havoc in his life.

Claus' story can be found here.  Claus was a sweet natured cat.  Meek.  Gentle.  Fun loving.  He loved to watch bird videos on YouTube.  Last winter, he used to sit on my lap in the evenings and I'd play a video or 2 on my laptop for him. 

But his emotional demons came back to haunt him. What caused that to happen? I have no idea. The move to the new house made the situation worse.  He rarely ate and was living under the bed.  Teddy even disconnected from him in the last days.  The vet said animals can emit an odor to keep other animals from being near them.

He was unhappy and so very thin.  And he was peeing on the floor again.

I agonized over what to do.  I got the opinions of my family and DH. In the end, I made the appointment.  I got him in first thing this morning. 

If there is a kitty heaven, I hope he is happier there than he was here in this life. 

Maybe he is watching bird videos on YouTube....  I hope so.

Thank you Kym!

I won the "Chapstick Challenge" over on Kym's blog.

The package arrived in the mail a few days ago.

Just look at all that! 

I've been doing my own little chapstick challenge and have discovered that I really do like the eos even if I'm not much for flavored lip balm.  It has great staying power...and my lips are smoooooth...  But I'm in agreement with Kym that the shape doesn't make it very easy to tuck in a pocket and take with you.

The chocolate is amazing and is quickly disappearing...  ;)

Everything else is already being put to use.  I absolutely love the little sheepy keyring! 

Kym sent a beautiful card along as well.  You should have heard me ooohing and awwwing as I opened it.

Of course Teddy couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a little photobombing.  (He's not sleeping.  He just automatically shuts his eyes when he hears the shutter click.  He does not like the flash.)

Kym, you are a sweetheart and thanks for all the fun things!

Sometimes I wish

that I was a cat! Who wouldn't want to be so adorable and cuddly?

WIP, Reading and a Window Visitor

Look at all that! Looks like I've had a case of cast-on-itis. There sure is good choice to pick from for whatever knitting whimsy strikes.

I'm about 11% (what can I say...it is how Kindle tells you where you are) into this book. It's good. And it is the winter that we aren't getting this year. Shh, don't tell anyone but I kinda am missing our regular type winter.

And while I was taking pictures by the best light source this time of year (patio door), look who showed up.

The bold cheeky little critter. I got a couple mug shots of him.

Front view.

Side view.

And when the kitties discovered him he ran so fast I didn't even get the thought put together to take a picture much less press the shutter.

But the kitties knew what was up. Up a tree!