I must own up to a recent addiction. There is a game on Facebook called Farmtown and I can't quit playing it. It is much like SimCity in tone. You start with a plot of land and a self-decorated avatar that represents you as the farmer. You plant and harvest crops, which gains you money. You cultivate neighbors within your coterie of Facebook friends, and send each other gifts that you use to decorate your farm. You can also meet other Facebook folks who are also Farmtownees and add them as work buddies.
I have been working on my ever increasing plot assiduously and carefully building on it. I now have a house, a barn, a corral for my beasts (cows, horses, goats, pigs, etc.), a poultry pen, a windmill, and a few other goodies. I am saving up for a big pond and a greenhouse. I arrange everything to my liking, trying to maximize space and arrange things both practically and aesthetically.
Over the last few weeks, I have had this creeping feeling of deja vu regarding Farmtown. This feeling began when a long time buddy of mine observed once while we were playing, "Wow! Look at this--those avatars are US!". Well, I have finally realized what the cold grue was for me: I am living the novel "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" by Philip K. Dick. Minus the Can-D and Chew-Z, fortunately.
I read this novel when I was a freshman in college and it has been one of those books that has stuck with me all these years. It is chock full of twisted PKD weirdness--odd, surreal images and a picture of future civilization as a very disturbing place. In this case, 21st Century life focuses on living recreational life through dolls Perky Pat and her boyfriend Walt--and-ins for Barbie and Ken), and spending money on "layouts"--elaborate dollhouses with detailed accessories. Through hallucinogenic drugs, you become Pat or Walt and live the beautiful life, which is a diversion from the fact the the world (or in this case worlds, since there are various plantary colonies)is a wretched, messed up place.
OK, maybe I am overstating this whole concept a bit, but I see my avatar that represents me in her little purple overalls, my tidy farm, and plan for sowings and harvests, I start to wonder. Am I living through the hallucinogenic experience of the internet, nurturing this fake farm, interacting with other farmers across the globe? I once harvested the fields of a person claiming to be a Filipina living in Dubai. It was a surreal moment--me at 6 PM home from work on Farmtown and her at 5 AM before work on Farmtown 8000 miles away from where I was. It was weird, but I played on anyway.
And really, what can I say? I LIKE Farmtown and I'll likely play on--that is, until I start seeing characters with robotic hands and steel teeth. Gotta go--my onions are ready to harvest!!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Fit to be Dyed
My! It's been a month since my last post. I have not been idle during that time and I have plenty to post about. Since I have procrastinated about posting through most of June (read this as "I wasted a lot of time goofing off on Facebook"), I realize the the logical way to approach the pile of material I want to blog about is to work backwards and see how far I get.
Last Saturday, July 11th, I attended my first hand-dyeing workshop. This was VERY exciting for me for a number of reasons. I had never done hand dyeing before and I have wanted to try my hand at this for literally for 18-19 years--almost as long as I have been knitting. I got a book in the early '90's called "A Passion for Color" by Sarah Burnett which really is the seed of my desire to learn dyecraft. In this particular book, Ms. Burnett shows some basics about dyeing yarns with natural materials, and follows this with some of her own designs. The yarns she works with are GORGEOUS. (As a sidebar, however, some of the designs and photo styling for this book are hilariously '80's of the "You Knit WHAT?!" variety. Check them out for a eye-rolling belly laugh sometime.) I was thoroughly intrigued by the dyeing information. When I unearthed the book a while back from the box it had been packed away in during my various moves over the last few years, I found it still had the bookstore receipt. My excitement over the whole dyeing concept is illustrated on this receipt that shows that I actually paid FULL PRICE for the book. Those who know my bargain hunting ways will see that my enthusiasm won over my cheapskatedness.
I have been picking up old books on fabric and yarn dyeing here and there over the years at used bookstores, squirrelling away information, reading, learning. Always, though I have been intimidated about giving this process a try. The equipment, the materials, the techniques--there is an outlay of time and money to get set up and I was hesitant about spending money only to find I was in over my head. I mean, given my background--16 years of biochemistry laboratory experience , a seriously plant-mad family, and fearless cooking skills--I had the raw tools to do this. What can I say? I also had stage fright.
I know I wax rhapsodic in these posts about Northcoast Knittery, and yet again, I feel so blessed to have this resource so close by. It was through the Knittery that I signed up for the class I took. The teacher was a wonderful woman named Linda Hartshorn, who has some mad-fine dyeing skills, let me tell you! The class took place on a grey but temperate Saturday. We were set to dye 6 different colors with natural dyes of logwood (purple), magenta (cochineal), red (mungeet/cochineal), orange (madder), yellow (marigold) and green (fennel/iron).
So, less text, more pictures:
Here are some of the dyeing materials in raw form. soaked woodchips or roots, dried marigold heads, powdered alum, and others:
Some raw yarn that was skeined for the dyepots and very necessary rubber gloves. Next time I will read the glove package better and get a size that FITS. (I got size small. Rats.)
The pots were cooked/steeped on an outdoor propane camp stove and strained to yield the dye.
Prepping fennel for the dyepot. Who knew such a common roadside plant could be so craftable!
Fennel tea for 100? No...DYE!
Marigolds. Pretty flowers here steeping to yield pretty fiber.
Cooked and strained logwood chips.
Some of our efforts on the dry rack. It was interesting to see how a little bit more or less time in the dyepots yielded different results.
The greens are very striking! I left my skein in the fennel pot and iron bath a good long while and got a robust olive green, second from the left.
My final 6 skeins, alternately described by some Facebooks friends as my handyed Pride yarn or George Clinton's hair (I am cool with that! Bow wow wow yippee yo yippee yay!)
So the result? I got some rockin' cool yarn, had a blast, learned many new things, am now very much wanting to explore more about hand dyeing yarn. In fact, there is another class at the beginning of August in town at Ink People, so if you are looking for me that weekend, I am booked, baby!
Last Saturday, July 11th, I attended my first hand-dyeing workshop. This was VERY exciting for me for a number of reasons. I had never done hand dyeing before and I have wanted to try my hand at this for literally for 18-19 years--almost as long as I have been knitting. I got a book in the early '90's called "A Passion for Color" by Sarah Burnett which really is the seed of my desire to learn dyecraft. In this particular book, Ms. Burnett shows some basics about dyeing yarns with natural materials, and follows this with some of her own designs. The yarns she works with are GORGEOUS. (As a sidebar, however, some of the designs and photo styling for this book are hilariously '80's of the "You Knit WHAT?!" variety. Check them out for a eye-rolling belly laugh sometime.) I was thoroughly intrigued by the dyeing information. When I unearthed the book a while back from the box it had been packed away in during my various moves over the last few years, I found it still had the bookstore receipt. My excitement over the whole dyeing concept is illustrated on this receipt that shows that I actually paid FULL PRICE for the book. Those who know my bargain hunting ways will see that my enthusiasm won over my cheapskatedness.
I have been picking up old books on fabric and yarn dyeing here and there over the years at used bookstores, squirrelling away information, reading, learning. Always, though I have been intimidated about giving this process a try. The equipment, the materials, the techniques--there is an outlay of time and money to get set up and I was hesitant about spending money only to find I was in over my head. I mean, given my background--16 years of biochemistry laboratory experience , a seriously plant-mad family, and fearless cooking skills--I had the raw tools to do this. What can I say? I also had stage fright.
I know I wax rhapsodic in these posts about Northcoast Knittery, and yet again, I feel so blessed to have this resource so close by. It was through the Knittery that I signed up for the class I took. The teacher was a wonderful woman named Linda Hartshorn, who has some mad-fine dyeing skills, let me tell you! The class took place on a grey but temperate Saturday. We were set to dye 6 different colors with natural dyes of logwood (purple), magenta (cochineal), red (mungeet/cochineal), orange (madder), yellow (marigold) and green (fennel/iron).
So, less text, more pictures:
Here are some of the dyeing materials in raw form. soaked woodchips or roots, dried marigold heads, powdered alum, and others:
Some raw yarn that was skeined for the dyepots and very necessary rubber gloves. Next time I will read the glove package better and get a size that FITS. (I got size small. Rats.)
The pots were cooked/steeped on an outdoor propane camp stove and strained to yield the dye.
Prepping fennel for the dyepot. Who knew such a common roadside plant could be so craftable!
Fennel tea for 100? No...DYE!
Marigolds. Pretty flowers here steeping to yield pretty fiber.
Cooked and strained logwood chips.
Some of our efforts on the dry rack. It was interesting to see how a little bit more or less time in the dyepots yielded different results.
The greens are very striking! I left my skein in the fennel pot and iron bath a good long while and got a robust olive green, second from the left.
My final 6 skeins, alternately described by some Facebooks friends as my handyed Pride yarn or George Clinton's hair (I am cool with that! Bow wow wow yippee yo yippee yay!)
So the result? I got some rockin' cool yarn, had a blast, learned many new things, am now very much wanting to explore more about hand dyeing yarn. In fact, there is another class at the beginning of August in town at Ink People, so if you are looking for me that weekend, I am booked, baby!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Carbodehydrated
Today is the two week mark for P and me and our South Beach Diet. We made it through Phase 1! What's more, I LOST FOUR POUNDS. Not epic, but frankly, a slower loss rate bodes well for keeping it off.
Still, today was throw-down day. Festival. The Red Hour. Get outta the way Landru, I needs me some CARBS. Tomorrow is back to it. We are back to Phase 1, but fresh fruit in moderation is back on the menu. Fruit has been my weakness, my lustful focus. OK, I have whined incessantly about the baked goods that have paraded through Radiation Oncology the last two weeks. I admit it freely. And it has been trying: Ramone's pastries, eclairs, coffee cake, cookies, cookies, cookies, cookies (all on different days), home made blackberry and cherry pies. Yes, really. And I have tasted NONE of it.
But MAN. Walk me though any grocery produce section and I had apple envy. Banana yen. Cherry lust. My one instance (OK, TWO instances) of cheating came when we got a bag of fresh strawberries from our CSA Redwood Roots--I had 3 berries two weeks ago and four a week ago. I dutifully topped and froze the rest. P got the Laser Eyes of Death when he quietly suggested that I actually NOT TAKE the strawbs (like that would ever happen).
So now those red frozen hunks of sweet berry goodness are being churned into home made ice cream. P and I had a pre-agreement that today, the two week mark day, we could have treats. This was good because one of the docs brought in lunch of Chinese food today, and I could actually EAT CHINESE FOOD. I was good--a little of each in moderation, TINY portion of rice, no carrots, no seconds.
Still tonight was the Big Feed. We had Star Burger and fries and onions rings. I had a cider, P a beer. Home made ice cream to follow. Tasty!!! Still, my taste buds have changed. I globbed out a dollop of Heinz Ketchup and it was AWFUL! It tasted like tomato syrup. I, who NEVER waste food, allowed the remainder to be pitched. If I can find some good ketchup that doesn't taste like corn syrup, I'll buy it. Otherwise, me and Ketchup are DONE until I make my own.
So now the part of this post I was leading up to: STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM.
Here is a pictorial process:
Berries macerating in sugar:
Berries, cream,eggs, sugar, etc:
Churning...:
The finished product. Verdict? YUMMY!:
The pictures say it best. I ate the bowl. It was yummy. I am a happy camper! Tomorrow, I am a Phase 1 girl all the way!
Still, today was throw-down day. Festival. The Red Hour. Get outta the way Landru, I needs me some CARBS. Tomorrow is back to it. We are back to Phase 1, but fresh fruit in moderation is back on the menu. Fruit has been my weakness, my lustful focus. OK, I have whined incessantly about the baked goods that have paraded through Radiation Oncology the last two weeks. I admit it freely. And it has been trying: Ramone's pastries, eclairs, coffee cake, cookies, cookies, cookies, cookies (all on different days), home made blackberry and cherry pies. Yes, really. And I have tasted NONE of it.
But MAN. Walk me though any grocery produce section and I had apple envy. Banana yen. Cherry lust. My one instance (OK, TWO instances) of cheating came when we got a bag of fresh strawberries from our CSA Redwood Roots--I had 3 berries two weeks ago and four a week ago. I dutifully topped and froze the rest. P got the Laser Eyes of Death when he quietly suggested that I actually NOT TAKE the strawbs (like that would ever happen).
So now those red frozen hunks of sweet berry goodness are being churned into home made ice cream. P and I had a pre-agreement that today, the two week mark day, we could have treats. This was good because one of the docs brought in lunch of Chinese food today, and I could actually EAT CHINESE FOOD. I was good--a little of each in moderation, TINY portion of rice, no carrots, no seconds.
Still tonight was the Big Feed. We had Star Burger and fries and onions rings. I had a cider, P a beer. Home made ice cream to follow. Tasty!!! Still, my taste buds have changed. I globbed out a dollop of Heinz Ketchup and it was AWFUL! It tasted like tomato syrup. I, who NEVER waste food, allowed the remainder to be pitched. If I can find some good ketchup that doesn't taste like corn syrup, I'll buy it. Otherwise, me and Ketchup are DONE until I make my own.
So now the part of this post I was leading up to: STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM.
Here is a pictorial process:
Berries macerating in sugar:
Berries, cream,eggs, sugar, etc:
Churning...:
The finished product. Verdict? YUMMY!:
The pictures say it best. I ate the bowl. It was yummy. I am a happy camper! Tomorrow, I am a Phase 1 girl all the way!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Now Where Am I, Again?
The Humboldt Bay Area is well-known--no, FAMOUS for it's fog. Sunshiny days right on the bay are infrequent enough that EVERYBODY comments on the weather. The early part of last week was very grey and drizzly, so when Saturday dawned calm and clear, it was an easy decision to go OUT and DO something. P had his camera with and he got some great snaps, which I am borrowing for this blog.
I had a college buddy over, so she, me and P all piled into the car and went for a sojourn. We headed out to Ferndale and browsed in the shops for a good while--nice antiques, great buttons at Foggy Bottoms Yarn, The Blacksmith's Shop (always a fun place to browse), and Golden Gait Mercantile. Good times!
We then headed out to Centerville Beach, where the waves were uncharacteristically flat. T-shirt weather at a north coast beach! Wow! And tiny waves? we don't baby surf like this very often.
Surf's NOT up!:
After Centerville Beach, we popped into Loleta Cheese and tormented ourselves looking at goodies that are not South Beach approved. Still, we got an eyeful of what was there and we will be able to add back some richer cheeses in the not too distant future.
After leaving Loleta, we took the backroads out to the South Jetty. I admit, I have never seen it so calm! Even the North Jetty was almost like glass; usually it gets the brunt of the waves coming into the mouth of the bay. Saturday, there was nothing. Often a walk to the very end of the Jetty is intimidating because the waves can actually break over the walkway. Not Saturday--a stroll out seemed like a must.
South Jetty, no waves:
'rie and me, strolling along:
It was calm enough to get right down to the edge:
There were a lot of critters right down at the edge on the bay side of the jetty: starfish of all colors were everywhere--purple, red and orange. There were dozens of starfish and they were scattered all over the rocks, and tended to cluster around clumps of mussels, that abounded. Some were above the waterlinne, some below. The tide was pretty low, so we really got an eyeful!
Starfish herds:
There were other critters, as well. The water was shallow enough that we could see down to the kelp leaves, which reflected a bluish iridescence. There are several forms of seaweed, some eelgrass, and the really find-- agumboot chiton! I have seen them on the beach, all dried out, so this was my first live one. It was a quite bright red--almost startling.
A bright red gumboot chiton. Weird, eh?:
A glance over to the other side of the jetty wall--the seaward side--showed a bit more wave action (but not much) and clumps of sea palms. The palms looked like a strange Dr. Seussian forest of trees with draggly wet hair.
Sea palms:
Anyone see the Lorax?:
The end of the Jetty is all concrete riprap. The riprap is verey cool; it looks alternately like giant jacks tossed together or like some immense concrete crystal structure. P got some really great shots:
Giant jacks?:
Or space alien crystals? You decide!:
At one point, 'rie and I had a harbor seal pop her head up and give us a lazy eye. She lingered a bit and the dove and disappeared. What a time to not have my camera! Still, the biggest thrill was the jellyfish. There were a couple dozen all along the edge. They were coasting and flexing through the current, falsing grey, light blue and lavender as they moved. Some would get caught in an eddy and were pushed into little calm pockets of water, affording really good, close views. I really like the 'shamrock' in the center that would flash and then disappear. It was neat to see them move--they can get around when they want to! They looked to be ranging for 6 inches to a foot in diameter. So cool!
Pink jelly with P's shadow:
Lucky shamrock jelly?:
It was a lovely outing! The whole weekend was great weather. I'll do another post soon about the hike we took Sunday...
I had a college buddy over, so she, me and P all piled into the car and went for a sojourn. We headed out to Ferndale and browsed in the shops for a good while--nice antiques, great buttons at Foggy Bottoms Yarn, The Blacksmith's Shop (always a fun place to browse), and Golden Gait Mercantile. Good times!
We then headed out to Centerville Beach, where the waves were uncharacteristically flat. T-shirt weather at a north coast beach! Wow! And tiny waves? we don't baby surf like this very often.
Surf's NOT up!:
After Centerville Beach, we popped into Loleta Cheese and tormented ourselves looking at goodies that are not South Beach approved. Still, we got an eyeful of what was there and we will be able to add back some richer cheeses in the not too distant future.
After leaving Loleta, we took the backroads out to the South Jetty. I admit, I have never seen it so calm! Even the North Jetty was almost like glass; usually it gets the brunt of the waves coming into the mouth of the bay. Saturday, there was nothing. Often a walk to the very end of the Jetty is intimidating because the waves can actually break over the walkway. Not Saturday--a stroll out seemed like a must.
South Jetty, no waves:
'rie and me, strolling along:
It was calm enough to get right down to the edge:
There were a lot of critters right down at the edge on the bay side of the jetty: starfish of all colors were everywhere--purple, red and orange. There were dozens of starfish and they were scattered all over the rocks, and tended to cluster around clumps of mussels, that abounded. Some were above the waterlinne, some below. The tide was pretty low, so we really got an eyeful!
Starfish herds:
There were other critters, as well. The water was shallow enough that we could see down to the kelp leaves, which reflected a bluish iridescence. There are several forms of seaweed, some eelgrass, and the really find-- agumboot chiton! I have seen them on the beach, all dried out, so this was my first live one. It was a quite bright red--almost startling.
A bright red gumboot chiton. Weird, eh?:
A glance over to the other side of the jetty wall--the seaward side--showed a bit more wave action (but not much) and clumps of sea palms. The palms looked like a strange Dr. Seussian forest of trees with draggly wet hair.
Sea palms:
Anyone see the Lorax?:
The end of the Jetty is all concrete riprap. The riprap is verey cool; it looks alternately like giant jacks tossed together or like some immense concrete crystal structure. P got some really great shots:
Giant jacks?:
Or space alien crystals? You decide!:
At one point, 'rie and I had a harbor seal pop her head up and give us a lazy eye. She lingered a bit and the dove and disappeared. What a time to not have my camera! Still, the biggest thrill was the jellyfish. There were a couple dozen all along the edge. They were coasting and flexing through the current, falsing grey, light blue and lavender as they moved. Some would get caught in an eddy and were pushed into little calm pockets of water, affording really good, close views. I really like the 'shamrock' in the center that would flash and then disappear. It was neat to see them move--they can get around when they want to! They looked to be ranging for 6 inches to a foot in diameter. So cool!
Pink jelly with P's shadow:
Lucky shamrock jelly?:
It was a lovely outing! The whole weekend was great weather. I'll do another post soon about the hike we took Sunday...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Who Says There's No Free Lunch?
P and I are on Day 2 of the South Beach Diet. I have 12 more days to look forward to of the so-called "Phase I". It is going to be Hell, I can already tell, but I made a pinkie promise with P, and a deal's a deal, so I must soldier on.
I am getting my resolve tested at work. Yesterday, one of my coworkers generously brought pastries from Ramone's, a local bakery. I resisted. Then we went to our farm for the first veggie box of the season, which came with strawberries. I caved and ate three. Bad me. No strawbs until Phase I is over.
Today, one of my other coworkers came back from chart rounds bearing chocolate covered eclairs. So cruel! I hovered, watching eclairs I can't eat right now. I am in a tough business to endure for dieters. There is food EVERYWHERE.
In a move to get some exercise along with the diet, P and I headed out to east of Arcata after I got home from work to go for a walk in the Azalea Reserve, which should be in full bloom right now. We forgot our county map, however, and tried to find it from memory and failed. Still, we found a nice road called West End Road, which we decided to follow because it was pretty.
Our little mosey led us to The Mad River Fish Hatchery, which turns out to be open to the public during daylight hours. We parked and started poking around the place. The hatchery grows steelhead, apparently (aka ocean-going rainbow trout). Most of the fish runs were empty, but a few were packed. P had his little cybershot and took some pics.
Whole lotta big fish:
The area above the runs was strung with wire to keep predatory birds out and we soon saw this was for a good reason. There was a large osprey perched on one of the light poles looking down at the fish. I thought to myself "Poor bird. Those fish are like the eclairs I was pining for this afternoon: right there and out of reach."
The osprey is on the light pole, reading the menu:
The smorgasbord is OPEN:
What chance to the fishies have in such close quarters?:
What are YOU lookin' at, eh?:
Wires?:
What wires? Clever Osprey with a finny snack in the center of the frame:
Silly me. Who ever decided that "bird brain" meant "stupid" obviously didn't spend much time around birds. I should have known better. We walked close and got a right sharp bitching out from the osprey and then he flew and started circling. Finally, when we were at the head of the full adult run, he flew around, swooped UNDER the wires, snagged a fish and flew off.
A few minutes later, he was back, but our presence made him hold off. We finally walked to the other end of the run and he recommenced his routine, finally nabbing another trout. Obviously, this bird has has his hunting routine wired. I hope he doesn't get himself in trouble. Still, with that packed run, I don't think I could resist either, if I were an osprey.
Regal and well fed:
Back for more:
"These look nice! I'll have one of these!":
Gotcha! Yum! :
On the way back, we saw another osprey scoping the Mad river for fish the old fashioned way. No easy prey for him! So it goes with the prime nest site. Either the other birds haven't caught on to the hatchery or the one bird chases them off. Perhaps he is setting himself up for a heap of hurt for stealing fish. I hope not. He was a very pretty (and clever) bird!
I am getting my resolve tested at work. Yesterday, one of my coworkers generously brought pastries from Ramone's, a local bakery. I resisted. Then we went to our farm for the first veggie box of the season, which came with strawberries. I caved and ate three. Bad me. No strawbs until Phase I is over.
Today, one of my other coworkers came back from chart rounds bearing chocolate covered eclairs. So cruel! I hovered, watching eclairs I can't eat right now. I am in a tough business to endure for dieters. There is food EVERYWHERE.
In a move to get some exercise along with the diet, P and I headed out to east of Arcata after I got home from work to go for a walk in the Azalea Reserve, which should be in full bloom right now. We forgot our county map, however, and tried to find it from memory and failed. Still, we found a nice road called West End Road, which we decided to follow because it was pretty.
Our little mosey led us to The Mad River Fish Hatchery, which turns out to be open to the public during daylight hours. We parked and started poking around the place. The hatchery grows steelhead, apparently (aka ocean-going rainbow trout). Most of the fish runs were empty, but a few were packed. P had his little cybershot and took some pics.
Whole lotta big fish:
The area above the runs was strung with wire to keep predatory birds out and we soon saw this was for a good reason. There was a large osprey perched on one of the light poles looking down at the fish. I thought to myself "Poor bird. Those fish are like the eclairs I was pining for this afternoon: right there and out of reach."
The osprey is on the light pole, reading the menu:
The smorgasbord is OPEN:
What chance to the fishies have in such close quarters?:
What are YOU lookin' at, eh?:
Wires?:
What wires? Clever Osprey with a finny snack in the center of the frame:
Silly me. Who ever decided that "bird brain" meant "stupid" obviously didn't spend much time around birds. I should have known better. We walked close and got a right sharp bitching out from the osprey and then he flew and started circling. Finally, when we were at the head of the full adult run, he flew around, swooped UNDER the wires, snagged a fish and flew off.
A few minutes later, he was back, but our presence made him hold off. We finally walked to the other end of the run and he recommenced his routine, finally nabbing another trout. Obviously, this bird has has his hunting routine wired. I hope he doesn't get himself in trouble. Still, with that packed run, I don't think I could resist either, if I were an osprey.
Regal and well fed:
Back for more:
"These look nice! I'll have one of these!":
Gotcha! Yum! :
On the way back, we saw another osprey scoping the Mad river for fish the old fashioned way. No easy prey for him! So it goes with the prime nest site. Either the other birds haven't caught on to the hatchery or the one bird chases them off. Perhaps he is setting himself up for a heap of hurt for stealing fish. I hope not. He was a very pretty (and clever) bird!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Saturday On Call
A nifty cartoon from 'Garfield Minus Garfield', which I really enjoy:
I know when to go out
And when to stay in
Get things done
--David Bowie, 'Modern Love'
Ah. Saturday morning, chilling with Gabriel and a cup of java. What could be better? Gabriel is happy--he's singing and tapping me on the cheek with his beak. I am marshaling myself to get up and do some more housework. It's a three day weekend, and since I am on-call this weekend, I have to stay within an hour radius of the hospital. This makes an ideal time to cocoon.
P went out for walkies. Me? I am getting my ducks in a row. We have a new washer, so I can do some laundry. We have potential company coming, so the house needs to be tidy (We're mostly there). I have knitting projects at hand, so I need to choose where to focus. We have a shopping list, so P and I can go shopping for groceries.
We have committed to starting the South Beach Diet on Monday. As P says, "I cringe to hear myself say it.", but we both feel like we have reached critical mass (emphasis on the 'mass' part). We have friends in Oregon who tried it and it worked for them. Mostly P and I eat well anyway, what with the farm and our grain CSA, but poundage is a problem, so it's time to focus. An at-home weekend makes for a good time to do some pre-prep for lunches, shopping for appropriate snacks and the like. Wish us luck!
On the knitting front, I am feverishly working to get things done before the next Northcoast Knittery contest. My scarf turned out nicely, but I am facing some very stiff competition
Here is my entry:
My competition all crafted up very different scarves. Mine is the only felted piece. There is one lovely lace scarf, a really well done mosaic knit piece, two crocheted scarves, including one made by a 91-year-old gal, that is amazing and really showcases the yarn, and one plain knit mohair with a copper metallic edge that is very pretty. The public will choose and I guess there are a lot of votes already in. My thought is that the lace will win. Still, my scarf hangs proudly with the others, and I am pleased with it. They will announce the winner in the next week or so.
There will be a shawl contest this summer and I am feeling ambitious about the pattern. I think I want to do it despite the things I have to do in my knitting basket. I am using this down time to try and get things done or ready to go, so the bulk of my time can be used for the shawl if I do the contest.
Still, it's slow going. I have mostly picky or boring things to do, and it's difficult to stay focused. Most of the things I am working on are items I have blogged about before, so this list is yet another rehash.
I thought I was done with Belinda, but, despite following the pattern, the width wasn't right so I had to unpick and need to add 22 more rows. This isn't trivial. It IS very annoying however. Fortunately had some scrap kidsilk haze yarn of the same color, so I don't actually have to BUY more yarn. I was not 100% happy with Clapotis, and I didn't want repeat that sentiment. I want to finish something I am totally happy with, so that means more knitting.
I am plodding along on the back of Jiada, and am almost done, but it is godawful tedious plain stockinette. I am resorting to taking it to work for my lunch hour project so that I have no choice but to work on it. Jiada or nothing, so I can at least get the back done. I might then back-burner it for a bit.
Zarah is being sewn up slowly, but it has been difficult getting a nice seam on it. Still, once the sleeves are done, I can try and fix the collar, which is the last challenge.
I am also doing a bag to be felted on big needles. It is a new project--the Tinkknit 5-Alarm bag-- that should be a reasonably quick knit. I also got the specific hardware last weekend during a trip to Oregon Leather in Eugene, Oregon. That place is a crafter's paradise; they have metal findings, hides, dyes, etc.
P and I both liked Eugene. There are several really good bookstores, two very nice yarn stores (OK, P wasn't fired up by those), a good kitchen store, and a nice downtown. It's a typical college town, with all the fun and funky goods a place like that has. We will definitely drop by there again for a visit.
I know, another very knitting-oriented post, but that be my thing these days. Now it's off to do some laundry. Have a great Memorial Day, everyone!
I know when to go out
And when to stay in
Get things done
--David Bowie, 'Modern Love'
Ah. Saturday morning, chilling with Gabriel and a cup of java. What could be better? Gabriel is happy--he's singing and tapping me on the cheek with his beak. I am marshaling myself to get up and do some more housework. It's a three day weekend, and since I am on-call this weekend, I have to stay within an hour radius of the hospital. This makes an ideal time to cocoon.
P went out for walkies. Me? I am getting my ducks in a row. We have a new washer, so I can do some laundry. We have potential company coming, so the house needs to be tidy (We're mostly there). I have knitting projects at hand, so I need to choose where to focus. We have a shopping list, so P and I can go shopping for groceries.
We have committed to starting the South Beach Diet on Monday. As P says, "I cringe to hear myself say it.", but we both feel like we have reached critical mass (emphasis on the 'mass' part). We have friends in Oregon who tried it and it worked for them. Mostly P and I eat well anyway, what with the farm and our grain CSA, but poundage is a problem, so it's time to focus. An at-home weekend makes for a good time to do some pre-prep for lunches, shopping for appropriate snacks and the like. Wish us luck!
On the knitting front, I am feverishly working to get things done before the next Northcoast Knittery contest. My scarf turned out nicely, but I am facing some very stiff competition
Here is my entry:
My competition all crafted up very different scarves. Mine is the only felted piece. There is one lovely lace scarf, a really well done mosaic knit piece, two crocheted scarves, including one made by a 91-year-old gal, that is amazing and really showcases the yarn, and one plain knit mohair with a copper metallic edge that is very pretty. The public will choose and I guess there are a lot of votes already in. My thought is that the lace will win. Still, my scarf hangs proudly with the others, and I am pleased with it. They will announce the winner in the next week or so.
There will be a shawl contest this summer and I am feeling ambitious about the pattern. I think I want to do it despite the things I have to do in my knitting basket. I am using this down time to try and get things done or ready to go, so the bulk of my time can be used for the shawl if I do the contest.
Still, it's slow going. I have mostly picky or boring things to do, and it's difficult to stay focused. Most of the things I am working on are items I have blogged about before, so this list is yet another rehash.
I thought I was done with Belinda, but, despite following the pattern, the width wasn't right so I had to unpick and need to add 22 more rows. This isn't trivial. It IS very annoying however. Fortunately had some scrap kidsilk haze yarn of the same color, so I don't actually have to BUY more yarn. I was not 100% happy with Clapotis, and I didn't want repeat that sentiment. I want to finish something I am totally happy with, so that means more knitting.
I am plodding along on the back of Jiada, and am almost done, but it is godawful tedious plain stockinette. I am resorting to taking it to work for my lunch hour project so that I have no choice but to work on it. Jiada or nothing, so I can at least get the back done. I might then back-burner it for a bit.
Zarah is being sewn up slowly, but it has been difficult getting a nice seam on it. Still, once the sleeves are done, I can try and fix the collar, which is the last challenge.
I am also doing a bag to be felted on big needles. It is a new project--the Tinkknit 5-Alarm bag-- that should be a reasonably quick knit. I also got the specific hardware last weekend during a trip to Oregon Leather in Eugene, Oregon. That place is a crafter's paradise; they have metal findings, hides, dyes, etc.
P and I both liked Eugene. There are several really good bookstores, two very nice yarn stores (OK, P wasn't fired up by those), a good kitchen store, and a nice downtown. It's a typical college town, with all the fun and funky goods a place like that has. We will definitely drop by there again for a visit.
I know, another very knitting-oriented post, but that be my thing these days. Now it's off to do some laundry. Have a great Memorial Day, everyone!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Watching the Clothes
Watching the Clothes
Oh, Saturday night
Mmm, everyone's having fun
I'm down at the laundromat
Trying to get my washing done
Like I done before
Time and time again
Watching the clothes go 'round
Another week sees it's end
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Oh, I've been working hard
Mmm, trying to make some money
Would you like sour cream
On your potato, honey?
I been kissing ass
Trying to keep it clean
Serving the middle class
Yeah, it's a clean routine
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
There go the whites
Mmm, getting whiter
There go the colors
Getting brighter
There go the delicates
Through the final rinse
There goes my Saturday night
I go without a fight
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
--Chrissie Hynde, The Pretenders
Hwaet! Last weekend the water heater died. Yesterday the washing machine died. If bad things happen in threes, one more appliance is circling the drain. ARGH! My brother just threw in that the next thing to die will be the dishwasher. At least the washer died AFTER I felted my scarf for the local scarf contest.
With a weekend trip in the offing and clothes to be washed, I did what any other desperate person would do: I scrounged all over the house, in pockets, in decorative dishes, on my dresser for every quarter I could find.
Fortunately for me, one of the linacs at work ,went down today and I cheerfully volunteered to take one for the team and go home. I had an ulterior motive; daylight hours at a public laundromat might be slightly less scary than after dark. (I also have knitting group this weekend and idn't want to miss it! Not tonight when I turn in my scarf!!)
P asked rather insistently if I wanted him to go with--he was in protective mode. Frankly, I said yes. I had a TON of laundry (well maybe 40-50 pounds, about 4 very large loads), and he could help me carry it. So he got me settled, ran some errands and came and got me. Since the laundrette was also in the same complex as my current fave Mexican restaurant (Luzmilla's--tasty beans, really good salsa!), we got lunch and some Mexican Cokes to go. Not too bad for an afternoon.
I learned some things about modern laundromats today:
1) This one no longer use quarters. You can use any form of money you like to buy value on a card. I find this thoroughly civilized. You bring in cash and buy a card. Any money left, they'll cash out for you. Neat!
2) Front-loading machines use A LOT LESS detergent than their top-loading cousins. I found this out the hard way. I couple of tablespoonfuls will do. This begs another question: am I oversoaping my wash at home? I bet I am.
3) Watching clothes in a front loading washer is almost as soothing as watching a fishtank.
4) My local laundromat has free wi-fi, so if I go again I can bring my laptop and surf.
5) The local laundry place also has ultra large capacity machines--double, triple or quadruple load sizes, so now I know where I can go to wash my king-sized comforter.
All useful information, I think!
I am drying my duds at home as I blog this. I only spent an hour washing all my stuff. One load had to be run twice at the laundrette, since I got medieval with the soap, and I re-ran it to rinse it more. The kind people there let me do it for free--can't beat that with a stick for service!!
Well, there goes the dryer--another load bites the dust...
Oh, Saturday night
Mmm, everyone's having fun
I'm down at the laundromat
Trying to get my washing done
Like I done before
Time and time again
Watching the clothes go 'round
Another week sees it's end
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Oh, I've been working hard
Mmm, trying to make some money
Would you like sour cream
On your potato, honey?
I been kissing ass
Trying to keep it clean
Serving the middle class
Yeah, it's a clean routine
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
There go the whites
Mmm, getting whiter
There go the colors
Getting brighter
There go the delicates
Through the final rinse
There goes my Saturday night
I go without a fight
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
Watching the clothes go 'round
--Chrissie Hynde, The Pretenders
Hwaet! Last weekend the water heater died. Yesterday the washing machine died. If bad things happen in threes, one more appliance is circling the drain. ARGH! My brother just threw in that the next thing to die will be the dishwasher. At least the washer died AFTER I felted my scarf for the local scarf contest.
With a weekend trip in the offing and clothes to be washed, I did what any other desperate person would do: I scrounged all over the house, in pockets, in decorative dishes, on my dresser for every quarter I could find.
Fortunately for me, one of the linacs at work ,went down today and I cheerfully volunteered to take one for the team and go home. I had an ulterior motive; daylight hours at a public laundromat might be slightly less scary than after dark. (I also have knitting group this weekend and idn't want to miss it! Not tonight when I turn in my scarf!!)
P asked rather insistently if I wanted him to go with--he was in protective mode. Frankly, I said yes. I had a TON of laundry (well maybe 40-50 pounds, about 4 very large loads), and he could help me carry it. So he got me settled, ran some errands and came and got me. Since the laundrette was also in the same complex as my current fave Mexican restaurant (Luzmilla's--tasty beans, really good salsa!), we got lunch and some Mexican Cokes to go. Not too bad for an afternoon.
I learned some things about modern laundromats today:
1) This one no longer use quarters. You can use any form of money you like to buy value on a card. I find this thoroughly civilized. You bring in cash and buy a card. Any money left, they'll cash out for you. Neat!
2) Front-loading machines use A LOT LESS detergent than their top-loading cousins. I found this out the hard way. I couple of tablespoonfuls will do. This begs another question: am I oversoaping my wash at home? I bet I am.
3) Watching clothes in a front loading washer is almost as soothing as watching a fishtank.
4) My local laundromat has free wi-fi, so if I go again I can bring my laptop and surf.
5) The local laundry place also has ultra large capacity machines--double, triple or quadruple load sizes, so now I know where I can go to wash my king-sized comforter.
All useful information, I think!
I am drying my duds at home as I blog this. I only spent an hour washing all my stuff. One load had to be run twice at the laundrette, since I got medieval with the soap, and I re-ran it to rinse it more. The kind people there let me do it for free--can't beat that with a stick for service!!
Well, there goes the dryer--another load bites the dust...
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