On Multiple Fronts the Day After the Long Visit Yesterday

Yesterday was a lovely day spent with a dear, longtime friend. We've known each other since junior high and what a delight to still be getting together to gab and gossip and drink wine. On the Fur front... When my friend was in the house yesterday, Bonnie was almost absent. She threw her squinty eyed hateful looks from her perch on the lap top. Clyde was all over our guest and telling all sorts of lies about how awful Momma is. Later in the evening Bonnie made multiple brief appearances. As the evenong wore on later both Bonnie and Clyde were clearly ready for bed...and Momma wasn't showing any signs of heading in that direction. There was much pacing in the hallway and urgent looks at us. They finally gave up and perched on the arm and back of my chair grudgingly settling in for the long haul. Finally the company left and Momma went to bed! My goodness it was late. There was some jumping and leaping about on the bed and the chair before finally settling down. Even though I was tired, I still picked up my hefty 800+ page paperback and dove into the Kalihari desert of Africa. Before I knew it, it was after midnight! Needless to say, I am dragging today. It's kinda nice to not have an early alarm. On the Fiber front... I did some knitting as my friend and I traveled about in our visiting. Today I've been working on a pair of socks for a friend. I had started the socks for myself, but my friend was so complimentary about the colors that I decided to make them for her. This is a yarn that I've not worked with before. I found it in the sock yarn area at Joann's. It's Bernat Mosaic in the colorway called Psychedelic. It's thicker than sock yarn. Hopefully I'll get a full pair out of it. I'm knitting my standard sock (Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd) and using size 3 needles. The yarn is bulky enough that I've only had to cast on 40 stitches. The intended feet are size 11, so I'm thinking I'll make the foot 9 inches before starting the toe decreases. Entertainment while knitting today has involved my Molly Piglet. She's a happy assistant. Despite periodic interruptions to throw the crusty hedgehog, I've been able to get the sock knitted to the foot and I've got almost 5 inches of the foot done. Molly also carefully has licked my right calf from ankle to knee. (Silly me didn't know I needed that extra gold medal service.) Molly and I are working on her recalls in the house and breaking her concentration when she's prey focused on the kitties. She's done well with it today. The Piglet is highly motivated by food and this chicken jerky stuff must be tasty as she will come a running for it. We've also been working on sit and down. Clyde has done his part to be a distraction on the dog training front. The clunking, thunking, and shifting noises from my room indicate that both B&C are in on the dog training. They've given it up for the time being, or perhaps it's a union break, but things are quiet now. The rest of my knitting entertainment, I know...as if knitting isn't entertainment enough, is movies on Netflix. Today I've enjoyed Ladies in Lavender and Good Will Hunting. I'm currently mired down mid-way through A River Runs Through It. I've not seen this one and it's quite slow...or maybe it seems slow because I'm tired of sitting and knitting. Enough for now. Ta.

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

Hmmm...well....I'm back. It's been a long, long while. Here I am again. I seem to start a lot of things over, but in light of the options (ending permanently), starting over seems to be a pretty good choice. This blog, thus far, has been about the fur and fiber in my life. I think I'll keep it that way. In the many months since my last post, I've become a sock knitting fiend. I've certainly enjoyed knitting socks since my begining with them. Now I knit one pair right after another. Now that I think about it, it's like having books in a stack and ready to read. I have multiple skeins of sock yarn in stock and as I finish a pair, I cast on another skein. This last weekend I added to my stash by visiting a yarn shop on the beach. Specifically T-Spot in Manzanita, Oregon. The phone number is 503-368-SPOT. They can also be friended/liked on Facebook. The shop also carries teas and chocolate. I must admit that I didn't see any tea, that I recall, I did eventually see the chocolate (it is prominantly displayed beautifully and it's the pretty and special fancy chocolate sans Snickers et al), but I was focused on finding sock yarn. I chose a beautiful tonal orange from Shibuiknits and two skeins out of the discount bin (Tofutsies in a lovely solid green and Berroco Sox in a variegated salmon, peach, brown). The green Tofutsies will be my very first solid colored pair of socks. That's enough of the fiber I guess...reluctantly... On to the fur... Bonnie and Clyde are well and prosper. They still are not gainfully employed. This certainly disappointments me as the currently unemployed Momma of the household. We will get by in some fashion. Molly prospers as well. She seems to be doing just fine with out Henry. She has gathered all of the knuckle bones from the back yard far and near and settled them in a halo radiating out from the back door. Her focus is the back door. She wants in the house with every desperate and excited fiber of her Rottweiler being. I've been slowly transitioning her to life in the house. Poor, poor Molly. She wants the kitties so very much, but the kitties don't want her. Well, more on all of this later. I gotta go...off to a lunch and visit with a dear friend. Bonnie is sending her hateful looks as I finish this.

In The Thick Of It on Thursday

It's a catchy title today, but I don't think I'll really get there with it.
This morning, so far, involves a spider running up the wall beside me and no spider hunter in site! I took a deep breath and let the spider run. I'm pleased that I didn't jump out of my chair or exclaim. The spider hunter is back at his post and no spider in sight. I think I'll kiss his head just because.....

Non-plussed, he remains on the edge of the desk.

Bonnie meanwhile is grooming her shoulder while balancing on a card board box that looks like it could give way at any moment. Why do cats do stuff like that? Is there an element of fear or challenge that excites them? Are they adrenaline junkies? Is it just that cat cocky confidence and insolence at work? So many questions for a Thursday morning.

Onward into my day I go.

Weird Wednesday

Very little feline terrorist activity this morning. Minimal walking on my reposed form. Minimal scratching on boxes. Minimal interruption as I sit at the computer.
Now, nothing....
What are they planning?
If I don't return to my blog, send help.

Tuesday Terror

The attacks commenced when the rooster crowed. Bonnie dive bombing me from the window sill above my head. When I didn't stir, much, she walked the length of my reposed form and settled on my hip. In a matter of seconds she was off again. This process was repeated until I lifted myself out of bed.

The destruction was then focused on cardboard boxes, a table leg, and her brother. Pulling and clawing, ripping and tearing, they both went at the boxes. Bonnie focused her attention on the table leg. Then the Tuesday Morning Death Match took off. Running and chasing and tackling down the hallway. He caught her and she screamed. She could have run off and eventually eluded him, but Bonnie is a fighter. She turned on Clyde and they were at it again.

Things are quiet now and the dust is settling.

Another Tuesday.

Monday Morning Syndrome

Good Morning,

Monday morning came again. I will go to work today and be grateful.

It was a nice furry weekend.

Saturday the house was livened up by a visit from Molly. I've not talked about Molly much, if any on my blog yet. She is the daughter of my heart...shush...don't tell Bonnie....who am I kidding? Bonnie won't care.

Anyway, Molly is a female Rottweiler who is nearly two years old. She is a sweet submissive personality who appears to be having a good time most of the time.

Molly was intended to be an inside dog, but circumstances last summer were such that it was better for her to be outside. We are working on transitioning her back to the inside. Just like Bonnie and Clyde, Molly can be counted upon to find weaknesses in the household armor.

When she was in the house on Saturday, she found an errant ball of yarn and a previously Rottweiler brutalized sheep tape measure. The yarn went into a drawer. The tape measure to the trash...sigh....it was so cute....it expired valiantly.

Clyde and Molly have an interesting and mutually satisfactory relationship. She stomps on him and he teases her. There seems to be no true canine/feline malcontent and they seem to enjoy each other. Clyde cannot resist joining a room that contains Molly and Molly cannot resist walking on Clyde's head.

I'm sorry, I'm quite distracted at the moment as Bonnie has lit up her crack pipe and is twitching and jumping at things that only she can see. These babies (Bonnie and Clyde) have to be where I'm at and this morning I'm in husband's work room accessing the desk top computer. Clyde is sulking on Dad's office chair; sulking because he was smacked twice for clawing the seat back. Bonnie is doing her crack smoking thing in the closet and leaping over and onto the various boxes in the room. Sorry, had to smack Clyde again.

Well that's used up my allotted time for this morning.

Onward and upward.

It's Been Sooooo Long

My Goodness! I haven't been here since April! I knew it had been a while, but sheesh!!

Looking a bit to the future (rarely a good thing for me), I won't be on the blog much as the summer progresses. When I do, it won't be much about fiber, but will be about fur.

I'm scheduled for Carpal Tunnel surgery on August 12th and no knitting for a while. Typing will certainly be limited to zero for a few weeks.

I'll be back....