It had rained from the time the family left on Thursday morning until about 5ish yesterday afternoon. When the sun finally came out, the Pi Shawl and I went out to set a spell on the front porch and watch the world go by. I've forgiven its naughtiness and just enjoyed the mindless rounds. As EZ claims, it really is a great vacation knit. My life of leisure would be perfect if only I had room service, I've been living on instant mashed potatoes, rice cakes and ramen. When I get home, I'm going to eat ALL the green things.
The one thing I like about house sitting is that most people have more light inside than I do back at home. It's such a pleasure to work in front of big windows that let in light. I can see what I'm doing so much better.
I've been appliqueing my way around another Patchwork of the Crosses block while listening to Dateline podcasts. There's nothing like a little murder and mayhem to pass the time.
First the fluff. The Mister and I had words this week. I've been trying to convince him to buy a little travel trailer but he insists that I have too many hobbies to fit in one. When I packed to come up to Daughter's for a week I brought ONE bag for all my hobbies. It is one of those, reusable Marshall's type bags and in it was four knitting projects, two embroidery projects, my paper piecing project including my mini iron and....my drop spindle. I don't need a wheel to keep my fiber thing going. All I need is one of these and it fits in a pencil case. I can easily pack enough to keep my hands busy for weeks so I think I won this one.
As for felines, back at home the plumbing folks showed up bright and early to install our new shower surround. After they put on the final panel they could hear a faint meowing coming from behind the shower. It seems one of our skittish kitties had somehow gotten herself lost in the walls while they had the bathroom door open that morning. Off the panel came and away went the plumbers. They'll be back another day to finish the job.
It was this kitty to be exact, seen here relaxing last fall when we were in the process of doing the downstairs floors. It was weird that she was even upstairs to begin with. My kitties are semi-feral. They keep to themselves, are very territorial and disappear completely if a stranger is in the house. Happily, it didn't take too long for her to find her way back out and back downstairs where she belongs.
My babysitting adventure is officially over. Today I get to watch the family drive off on a five day road trip so Daughter can attend a far away skating competition with her team. Packing for a toddler and an infant is quite an undertaking. There are piles of stuff all over the place that have to be squeezed into their SUV.
The delivery people have been busy bringing packages of things for the trip. Big Grand was excited to get a new pair of Crocs in one of the boxes. Now I get to sit here all by my lonesome with their four kitties. The house is going to seem awfully quiet.
The Pi shawl had a misadventure this week. I was transferring the stitches over to a longer cable after the last increase on Monday morning when I thought to look at the pattern. I had increased at 34 stitches from the last increase and I was actually supposed to have increased at round 48. I was three rows in so tinking back all those hundreds of stitches was not much fun but it got done. Happily this is the last increase I have to remember. EZ's directions say to knit 40 rounds after that or to stop whenever you get tired. I wasn't having a good time right then but I just had to laugh.
The April Fool's addition of TNT has the Garden of joy at the beginning of another row. This is only the top half of the pattern. There's still a lot of row left to stitch in each one of them.
Snort Stack in sitting pretty on its mound of flowers. I'll be starting piggy #2 soon.
I'm starting to join the sections now on Patchwork of the Crosses. I've packed the paper piecing to take on my adventure today so I should have a lot to work with when I get back.
The center section of D 11 is finished. It did not go down without a fight. I think a good steaming will help it lay flat. There's still a lot of applique work to do before I can declare this war over. And I thought this would be an easy one.......ha.
Ouf....it's been hot here. Everything has burst into bloom at once. Even the vinca that I cut back so savagely a few weeks ago managed a few blossoms.
This is an invasive species that I'm supposed to kill but we love it. Here, where nothing grows, it is a welcome sight every spring and makes a pretty picture on otherwise bare spots.
My new mini rhododendron made it through the winter and has burst into color up against the house.
I have several clumps of these mystery buds. Every year they get this far and then never fully bloom. Could this be their year? I'll have to wait and see.
My poor camellias have burnt edges from the cold. The dark red one shows the least amount of damage.
My pale pink one looks pretty bad this year as does my darker pink one.
My one big daffodil clump seems very happy. I keep kicking myself for not planting more every fall but I forget. I need to write a big note on the calendar.
But the most exciting thing is that my poor little baby hydrangeas, that I thought had died over the winter, are finally showing signs of life. I almost tossed them.
There are tiny little buds happening in the joints. These were a couple of those cheap plants you get at Walmart in a box for $1.97 and when you open the box there is a tiny stick with some roots on it. I potted these up and they seemed happy enough all last summer but I thought winter might have done them in since they were very slow to react to the warm weather. I'll have to keep an eye on them for sure. Those babies look pretty fragile.
And....for Valerie, here are my concrete critters which I am sad to say have seen better days. The rabbit used to have ears but I made the mistake of picking him up by them.
I also have a kitty along with a cement bird bath base adorning my side yard. If you ask me where these came from I couldn't tell you. They might have been my mom's or my grandmother's. All I know is that they have always looked this bad. Well, maybe not this bad but their slow disintegration is what I find the most charming about them. Sort of like what's happening to me these days. Sigh....
.jpg)
.jpg-large)
