Halloween happenings

I noticed these big guys yesterday on my walk around the neighborhood. I don't think they were destined to be jack o'lanterns, since I'm sure the carving job would take several days. When the kids were living at home, we always carved two. One for each kid. Fair and square. Seems I usually ended up getting the innards out, since that was an icky job they didn't like. But then us moms usually find most of the icky jobs falling into our laps. It's in the job description.....somewhere.

I'm feeling sorry for a couple of my neighbors. They're new to the neighborhood and went all out with their decorations. Lots of jack o'lanterns on the porch and lighted luminaries along the sidewalk. We've had a grand total of 5 kids at the door....up from last years' 2. Maybe next year they'll be more sensible and buy a $1.77 (on sale) package of Snickers and just turn on the porch light. Maybe I've become a party pooper. I used to think it would be fun to dress up like a witch and sit out on the porch in my rocking chair doling out the goodies. I'm glad I didn't get into my witch garb tonight and drag out the chair. It would have been lonely and boring. Maybe just me and the bats, and a little knitting....

So Tech Guy did dress up in the scary-man-with-the-box costume for work, and I made a special trip over to take his picture.

Here he is holding the box with the real arm on his left and the fake on the right. You can see him poking his fingers out of the box. He wisely decided not to gore it up too badly, since there would be little kids coming around and he didn't want to give them nightmares. He actually hand-sewed the gloves to the box and I was impressed with the nice job he did.

He sewed the fingers in such a way that they look like they're gripping the box. It will be fun to hear how his evening went, and whether the paramedics were called for someone who may have been overcome with fright.....

So I asked Big City Girl if she and her boyfriend were dressing up for Halloween, and she said they were and that they would be taking part in a parade in the village. Oh, that BCG! She's talking like a native now. That would be village as in Greenwich. They were planning to dress up as Scully and Mulder from "The X Files." Never having been a watcher of that show, I have no clue, but she said a red wig was involved. Thankfully, she didn't ask me for help with the costume. I'm always happy to consult, as I did for Tech Guy. I just no longer want to have myself or my sewing machine involved. Or my glue gun or my fabric stash. And definitely not my yarn.....

Angel wings

Here are the wings for one of the angel dolls. It's butterflies for Katherine; the other one, for Brynn, will have bees. I've learned a few helpful hints for dollmaking along the way....mostly from my own mistakes and not being happy with the finished doll. I used to cut a slit on the back side for turning the wings (they are sewn right sides together with a layer of batting thrown in.) But then I realized that the back side will show, and the middle of the front will be up against the doll and won't show at all. It always seems crazy to be cutting into the side I've just finished all that hand-stitching on, but it works well in the end.

I've been fiddling around with ideas for the Santa ornament. Here's what I have so far. I think I'll use black beads for the eyes instead of drawing them on with pen. I'll make a hat that will hang down a ways and decorate it with a small gold bell. I'm not sure about the hat trim. I do have some small holly leaves on wire that might work nicely and it would be easy to attach. I've used this in the past for Santa ornaments I made with driftwood. I kinda stole, I mean borrowed the idea from some Santas I'd seen done on oyster shells. I think I mentioned once that I'm not one to buy things at craft fairs, but I had to have one of those! So cute. I'll try to remember to take a picture.

Mr. Gadget did indeed go out and blow leaves today, in spite of the windy conditions. It won't be long before he'll be looking out the window and noticing that lots of his work has been undone. And I did see that the man across the street--the one who blew his leaves into a huge pile around his tree--is out raking those leaves onto a tarp for dragging to the wooded area behind his house. I guess he wasn't saving them for his grandkids after all.

So I bought some Halloween candy last week so we'd be ready for the crowds of trick-or-treaters on Tuesday night. If we're lucky we'll get two or three. That was the count last year. But you never know, and it's good to be prepared. I asked Tech Guy if he was going to dress up in a costume for work and he wasn't so sure. Then he perked up when I reminded him of a great costume he wore one year. It was jeans, a sweatshirt and a pair of work gloves. He stuffed one of the sleeves of the sweatshirt and attached a glove. He carried a box....with one real gloved hand and the phony gloved hand taped or glued on somehow. He had cut a hole in the side of the box so he could put his free arm and hand inside and he gored it up with fake blood and a nasty injury. I only hope his boss has a sense of humor......

Mr. Gadget informs me that we're well prepared for Halloween this year. He made a trip up to the attic a couple of days ago to stash a window fan and noticed 5 bats hanging out up there. Here's hoping they don't find their way inside for another close encounter. Things are batty enough around here.......

Carrot top or auburn?

So I'm making a couple of angel dolls for a lady who requested that they have red hair and blue eyes. They are to resemble the two little girls for whom they will be Christmas gifts. While at the fiber festival last weekend I was on the lookout for red locks (not to be confused with roving) and found the bright red on the left. Then, just before leaving, I found the more muted shade on the right. I was so happy to find it because I was thinking the other one might be too much. Then I asked the lady who ordered the dolls whether she wanted a carrot-top look or more of a reddish-brown, and she said, "definitely carrot top." So I guess I'll stick with my first find.

The lavendar yarn has nothing to do with the angel dolls. It was a gift from a friend of mine who also loves to knit. She's a dear lady who has had some health problems in recent months and just doesn't get out and about very much. But she knits lovely sweater sets for babies (for which she doesn't charge nearly enough) and she can hardly keep up with the orders. Yesterday I was going to be in her neighborhood and I offered to pick up some yarn for her....seems there's been lots of boy babies born lately and she was running short of blue. So I took her the two skeins of blue she requested and included several more skeins in pink, yellow, and a pretty varigated blue as a gift. She was so thrilled that she sent me home with the lavendar, and a copy of a pattern for a cute little rolled-brim baby hat. Not only that, she gave me a lesson on seaming. Not that I needed it......

We've had lots of rain today and finally the sun came out this afternoon. Here's a fall view from the treehouse....dirty windows and all. Looks like Mr. Gadget has his work cut out for him and his leaf blower what with all those leaves on the ground. A little while ago I spotted about 300 grackles out there on the lawn, but of course they were gone by the time I found my camera.

So I've decided to do a craft fair the first weekend in December. I usually do a few during the fall, but this year I just couldn't get energized to go through the process of applying, making stuff, packing the car, and then schlepping it all in the wee hours. I think I'm getting too old for it. But then I thought maybe I could do just one, and I could take all of the various crafty things I've got stashed. Maybe I could just call it a "stash reduction project." I've promised myself I won't make anything new. Well, maybe I'll make some Santa ornaments out of those snow-white locks I bought last weekend. And maybe a snowman or two. But that's definitely all.......

Million Dollar Baby

When Big City Girl was very small, I made her a pair of pink rompers and embroidered these cute little bears on the front. I do believe it was the last time BCG wore anything this colorful.....until now. Yesterday I received an email from her in which she informed me that she had just purchased some pink boxing gloves. It seems she's taking boxing lessons down there in the big city, and she says she's pretty good. And it seemed reasonable for her to get some gloves of her own, since the ones at the gym get pretty grungy what with all the girls having to share.

Strange as it seems, I'm not too upset by this boxing development. Well, I am assuming it's taking place at a respectable gym where they require head protection and mouth guards and all, since these days we live amid lots of litigating lawyers. She's getting some good exercise, has a great outlet for her stress, and she might be able to bop an unruly subway rider if one should cross her path. I just hope Mr. Gadget and I don't receive an invitation to an actual match. But I sure would like to see those pink gloves. Maybe I can ask her to bring them home for Thanksgiving.

Here's another pair of rompers, sewn in a more neutral color to better show off the giraffe. I haven't been able to part with these. I'm not sure what I'm saving them for, except that maybe Big City Girl will have a little romping toddler herself one of these days and would like to have these for old times' sake.

So today I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. Somehow the basement treadmill didn't seem too exciting. The fall colors are still beautiful and they will be gone soon. It's a little blustery today. Not a good day for raking leaves, but definitely a good one for gathering a little firewood for later and making sure there's hot chocolate mix in the cupboard.

It might even be a good evening for tackling second sock syndrome, or doing a little swatch for the elderberry pullover. Darn......now that nagging Noro guilt is creeping in.....

A few things about Rhinebeck

On the way into Rhinebeck for the fiber festival on Saturday, we passed this montrosity, I mean house. You will notice that the paint job is not quite complete. Maybe they are reconsidering....do you think? It makes me wonder why I bought a can of red Rustoleum for my mailbox. I could have just bought some of this color and painted the whole house, and never would have ever again had to worry about pizza going to the wrong address.

Blogger Bingo was a big success. There was lots of meeting and greeting, and much picture-taking. Shrieking was minimal. Hand-knit sweaters were plentiful, as were scarves and shawls.

Here is my friend Marcia in the center of the picture. She is probably involved in a very interesting conversation with the other bloggers about spinning. When going to a fiber festival, it is helpful to have at least a small knowledge of "spinish," or at least to have taken a night school class in "conversational spinish," so you won't miss anything interesting. I didn't think to do this, so I was rather embarrassed after going into a vendor's booth to purchase "washed locks" for Santa beards, and mistakenly referring to them as "roving."

These two fellas were walking through the crowd, probably for the entertainment of the children. I'm sure the spinners were having visions of the wonderful yarn they could spin from these guys. It's all just doll hair to me. Well maybe one or two santa beards. And see those leaves? There was still lots of color around. Just the right kind of a day for a fiber festival. Cool enough to keep us running from one barn to the next, and not so warm as to have us searching for a bench and iced tea.

So I should probably share about my loot. I did pretty well in sticking to my shopping list. I bought some Mountain Mohair from Green Mountain Spinnery in elderberry to make their basic pullover sweater (pattern purchased on an earlier yarn crawl). I also bought some roving, I mean curly locks.....some in green for witch hair and some in red for the two angel dolls I'm planning to make for a special order. I also bought some purple sock yarn. I passed up the Socks that Rock booth when I noticed the 1/4 mile long line. I'll be happy with my STR Toucan socks from last year. Maybe someone can tell me what makes sock yarn worthy of such a long wait. Then again, maybe if you knit socks while waiting in line for sock yarn it isn't so bad.....

Bingo Blogging

I suppose I've always been a little square, but tomorrow my being square will have a whole new meaning. I've signed up to be a square in the big game of Blogger Bingo that will be taking place among the fiber enthusiasts attending the New York Sheep and Wool Festival at Rhinebeck, New York. Being a Bingo square means that all day I will wear this cute little pin that I made and allow myself to be discovered by those who have taken on the role of "player." These will be the fiber-loving folks who have decided they want to hunt among the throngs of attendees to find the bloggers (all wearing squares) whose blog names appear on their game cards. I figure that since I've never been able to walk and chew gum (or talk while driving through freeway interchanges....just ask my cousin) being a square will allow me to shop for fiber while I play. It should be fun and there will probably be lots of shrieking....

I did have fun making my square badge. This is the second version. The first had the mini penne pasta pieces hanging down in a fringe effect. It was just too much. This version is much simpler and should not get tangled up in any of my fiber purchases or those of others in the event that there is a crush of shoppers converging on any one particular popular fiber vendor.

My camera batteries are fully charged and there's good weather in the forecast for Rhinebeck tomorrow. I should have a few pictures, not to mention a few stories to tell, when next I post. And did I mention, I'm riding with Marcia who is threatening to drive her husband's truck? There could be quite a fiber haul.....

Niagara Falls

I've been away from the blog for a few days, and enjoying a road trip to Niagara Falls with my cousin who was visiting from San Diego. She'd always wanted to see it, and offered to treat us to a suite on the 33rd floor of the Embassy Suites with this amazing view. Before we checked out yesterday morning, she suggested we drive around to the long narrow parking lot and stop for a few minutes for one last close-up look. Fortunately we checked with the hotel people first and found out that it was $18 to park there, so she wisely decided that the view from the hotel was sufficient.

We had a wonderful visit and did some touristy things. A must-do is the Maid of the Mist boat ride that goes right up close to the falls and requires the wearing of a plastic slicker. Not terribly fashionable, but very helpful in staying somewhat dry....well, I guess I should say less wet.

My cousin is now winging her way back to San Diego as I type. I delivered her to the shuttle pick-up point this morning at 3:30, and returned home for a few more hours of sleep. I can only hope she is able to catch a few winks along the way. She did confess to me that one time she fell asleep in the boarding area and a nice airline employee woke her up before her flight departed without her. It's always nice to get a little extra service.....

So now I'm going to gear up for the big trek to Rhinebeck on Saturday. The Noro shawl-collared sweater is still sitting in the time-out area, and I will finish it up before starting something else....I promise! But I will be looking for some yarn for the next project which will probably be a pullover sweater. I picked up a pattern at the Green Mountain Spinnery on an earlier fiber crawl. I'll also be looking for some roving for doll hair. I just got an order for a couple of angels with red hair and blue eyes. They'll be gifts for young girls and I've been asked to embroider their names on them. One will have bees on the wings and the other will have butterflies. And after that, another red hat lady. I may only have time to fondle my fiber purchases for a while.....

Friday the 13th

"Did you do a blog post today?" asked Mr. Gadget.

"No. I don't do them everyday," I replied.

"But today is Friday the 13th. I thought for sure you'd put some scary-looking witches up there."

"I've put a lot of witch pictures on the blog lately," I told him. "I'm sure my scores of readers are getting tired of looking at them."

"Hmmmmm," he said, obviously giving this some serious thought. "Maybe I could go get my chainsaw. You really shouldn't let this day get by with nothing to show for it."

So off went Mr. Gadget to get his really big scariest of gadgets from the garage. With the hooded sweatshirt and Big City Girl's collaged paper mache mask from her high school art class the look was complete. Good thing he didn't start that sucker up is all I can say. Now, if I'm just able to convince him to stand in the front window on Halloween night, I probably won't have to bother buying any candy.....

Back roads

So today I had my yearly appointment with the lady doc--you know, the one who's concerned with my southern hemisphere. And as I headed down my driveway, I decided to take the back roads.....since the fall colors are so pretty and all. Mr. Gadget thinks I'm silly not to take the highway (a/k/a freeway) since it would, after all, get me there 3 minutes faster. But I like the back roads and the slower pace and the lack of traffic......and the chance to take in nature. Not to mention, I figured my blood pressure would be somewhere in the normal range by the time I got there.

Now I probably shouldn't fess up to taking these pictures while driving, since I've already made my feelings known about those irresponsible driving cell phone users. And you probably wouldn't believe me if I said it was my imaginary friend taking these photos. I will say I put the camera down the minute I noticed other cars on the road. And I promise not to do it again.....well, at least not until winter. I did notice some awesomely-decorated houses for Halloween along the way. Fodder for a future post.

Here's a drawing of one of my witch dolls. It was done by my friend Sandi, for whom I made a doll. She was so pleased with it, she sketched it and sent me the drawing. At one time she mentioned sketching up several of my dolls with the idea of creating a calendar, or some note cards, or what-have-you. Then her grandson got married (the big Block Island wingding) and her house flooded, and she took a little tumble. You might say she got sidetracked. But things are much better now and maybe she's back in a sketching mood.

So Mr. Gadget just intercommed me up here in the treehouse (I think that's a word) and he wants to give me a lesson on operating the GPS system (a/k/a Carol). Did I mention that my cousin is coming for a visit and we'll be driving up to Niagara Falls next week? I'll be taking careful notes during this important tutorial. I'm sure there will be a few references to "thingies" and "whatjamajigs." I can already see Mr. G. scratching his head......

Mitzi and the hags

Here are the 3 witches I just finished, plus Mitzi. She didn't sell on eBay, so she's joined the coven. I did a Google search to see if I could find the names of the 3 witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth, since that would have been an easy way to name them. It seems that Hecate was the head witch, but I'm not sure if she was one of the three. At any rate, Mr. S. did refer to them as the "black and midnight hags" and some of the other characters called them the "weird sisters." Apparently they were known for their "eye of newt and toe of frog" recipes. I'm so sorry I can't share one with you.....

So yesterday I answered the phone and it was Melva looking for the Sweethart bus. Melva was an elderly person and the Sweethart bus is part of our municipal bus system that has been set up to provide rides to the elderly. Our phone number is very similar to their number and it's easy to transpose two numbers. We've been living with this for over 20 years. Melva understood that she had the wrong number and told me she didn't have a pencil when I offered to give her the right one, so I suggested she try again. She did, and she got me again. I took down her info, which was fairly simple. She didn't want the bus to pick her up today. Then I called the bus company on her behalf and canceled the bus. Good thing I didn't get a busy signal. Mr. Gadget thinks it's funny when I do this for people, but I just tell him that we'll be old and confused one day and I hope I'm fortunate to get someone on the phone who's friendly and helpful.

So as if the phone number wasn't enough of an issue, we also have an address issue. There are two #4's on our street. It's a long, boring story about how this came to be, so I won't go into it. This is our mailbox....which I suggested painting red so as to make giving directions much easier. We've even added a 4th line to our address for shipping purposes by putting "red mailbox" right under the street address. Sometimes this works and sometimes not. What we hate to miss are those pizza deliveries....

You might notice that the mailbox post is a little beat-up looking. That's because Mr. Gadget has had to resurrect it many times because of mailbox vandals who like nothing better to do than to drive through neighborhoods in the middle of the night with baseball bats. Some folks have encased their mailboxes in concrete or bricks in their efforts to outfox these rascals. We haven't gone that far, but I must say that things have calmed down since the teenagers grew up and moved out.

So now I'm going to start a big pot of veggie soup. It's gotten a little cooler here in the northeast and can now officially be called "soup weather." I'll throw in some carrots, celery, onion, tomato, cabbage, and pasta. And maybe I'll check the cupboards to see if I have any eye of newt.....

Weekend sky

At first glance, this might look like a picture of the sky, but it's really Mr. Gadget's latest project. He was doing some work with his spackling gadgets in Big City Girl's room over the weekend. When I went in to check on his progress, we both remarked that BCG must have thought every square inch of every wall was her personal bulletin board. I should mention that two of the holes he spackled were actually ones left from her actual bulletin board. Maybe this was her revenge for the times we said she couldn't go to those co-ed sleepovers, even though every one of her friends' parents said yes. We can only hope she has teenagers herself one day....and plenty of walls to spackle.

In my last post I promised the cookie recipe, and here it is. They're chocolate chip by the way.

• 1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
• 1/2 c. Crisco
• 2-1/2 c. flour
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1- 12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

Cream the butter and Crisco in mixing bowl. Add 1-1/4 cup flour, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, baking soda and vanilla and mix well. Add the remaining 1-1/4 cup flour and mix. Add the chocolate chips and mix til blended in. Drop on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for about 10 min. My family likes soft cookies rather than crunchy, so I take them out of the oven when they are just barely browned on top. I also use milk chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet.

So the three new witches are coming along nicely. They've been assembled and are now being accessorized. I decided to give them shorter hair so as not to get all tangled up in the boa. I'll leave the naming up to their new owners. I'm hoping they'll be ready to fly outta here by Thursday or so. After that, I'll be getting ready for a visit from my west coast cousin. I'm sure she'll want to see the treehouse. I can only hope the characters will be on their best behavior......

Happenings in the 'hood

It's a very beautiful and quiet day here on our newly-paved street. As you can see, the leaves are "gettin' on with it," although there are still lots of green trees. Now matter how hard we try to predict the peak of the color, it seems to always happen about the 15th of October.

Now that the totally disappointing and grossly overpaid Yankees have finished their season, Mr. Gadget has been watching football and I've been doing some witch construction and cookie baking. We thought it might be a good time to go say hello to a couple of new families that moved into the neighborhood months ago.

I was able to use my new Hefty plates with the neat and clever locking mechanisms. They are just the right size for a friendly, neighborly gesture. Unfortunately, no one was home at either house, so now I must put them in the freezer for a day or two. Too bad for them. They were still warm.

These cookies are very easy to make, and they've been shared at all kinds of occasions. They're from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook--the one with the red and white checks. There's no sifting involved; you just throw everything in the bowl at once and mix away...well, just about. I always keep the ingredients on hand because I just never know when my cookies might be needed. I will share the recipe in my next post.

So while we were out trying to deliver the sweets, I noticed something strange going on across the street. Our neighbor--the one who mows his lawn several times a week--has been blowing his leaves into a pile around this tree. And since I enjoy trying to solve the neighborhood mysteries, I'm guessing he's saving this for his grandchildren. They are young, and I'm sure they would like nothing more than to jump in this pile o' leaves. Grandpa will no doubt have his video camera ready to record the event, and will happily clean up the leaves...again....after they've gone home. Twenty years ago the same thing was happening on our side of the street...heh....heh.....Rest assured that I will let you know what happens to this pile, as I'm sure you're just as curious as I am.....

So Mr. Gadget is wearing a couple of bandaids on his left cheek--evidence of a little mishap that occurred a couple of nights ago. We were at the home of some friends who have two Jack Russell terriers. They always greet us warmly. Mr. G. decided to pick up the smaller of the two to see if he would give him a friendly lick on the cheek, but the dog had something else in mind. I'm happy to report that he's recuperating nicely though, and no doctor visits were necessary. Now that I know bandaids aren't just for home repair jobs, I guess I'll have to start carrying bandaids in my purse. Poor Mr. Gadget. I just can't take him anywhere......

It's about the garbage

I'll get to the garbage, but first....here's a cute little ceramic pin I bought when I was in California last. It was one of those impulse purchases. It reminded me of the bat stories I've shared. Thankfully there haven't been any more, although Mr. Gadget did report there were plenty of bats flying around when he went to take out the garbage last night. Well, I guess I am feeling a little batty now that I've delivered two special-order witches which somehow acted as advertisements for my witch factory here in the treehouse, and now I have special orders for three more. I'd better get to crackin'.....

So before I get to the garbage story, here's what finally happened on our street yesterday. I didn't see any cops, maybe because we're a cul-de-sac and not a regular street, but there were plenty of worker guys and plenty of coffee drinking. Mostly they were drinking their coffee right on their equipment as they worked. Apparently, like the youth of today, they've mastered the art of multi-tasking whereby they can drive, talk on the cell, drink Starbucks coffee, smoke, change the CD and chat with their friends all at the same time. That's all ok I guess.....as long as they aren't driving behind me.

So Mr. Gadget and I have a long-established garbage tradition. On Wednesday nights, after watching Jeopardy, we kick into gear. He gathers the trash from the wastebaskets around the house and I clean up the dinner dishes and eliminate anything old from the fridge. Then I stack up the old newspapers and tie them up. This I only do every other week. I'm always happy when I realize it's on off-week. It leaves more time for knitting. Then Mr. G. takes everything down to the street, refusing my offers of assistance. Retrieval of the garbage cans the next day, however, is not a task that has been permanently assigned. This morning I took it on when I noticed one of the cans had blown into the street....the nice, newly paved street. Neighborly neighbors will sometimes rescue an errant one, but you never know. And God forbid that we be one can short when next weeks' garbage event rolls around.

Some couples have real issues with garbage. Not us. We're secure in our roles when it comes to garbage. Now, if I could only get Mr. Gadget to stop squeezing the toothpaste tube in the middle.......

Bad hair day

Here's glitzy Mitzi with her jewels and her bad hair. Notice that spider on her cheek? I don't think she knows it's there! I noticed a little spot on the fabric after I got the head stuffed--maybe something from the tea-dying process. I debated about whether to just leave it, make it into a mole, or stitch it into a spider. I think the spider makes her a little scary-looking, just in case the eyes and the hair aren't scary enough. I'm working on her hat and will probably sew it on tonight while I'm watching a baseball game. I'm a big Yankees fan.

My eBay auction closed this afternoon and the primitive cat and pumpkin are going to a very nice lady in the Boston area. She already owns one of my other cats--Henry who was pictured in an earlier post sitting on the piano. She has lots of real cats and I can only hope they've been kind to Henry.

So here are the results of the water drinking. The blood test started out well, but then turned nasty. The nurse blamed it on her equipment. She said I did fine with all the drinking, and she apologized. At least she got it on one try, which is a big improvement over many previous tests when the entire nursing staff took a stab at me.

And as for Weight Watchers, I lost 2.5 lbs over the last 2 weeks. I was really hoping for more, but I'm happy the numbers are going down and not up. It's kind of depressing though, when I realize how hard it is to lose it, and how easy it would be to wipe out that loss with one good day of cruise eating.

So Fall is here in the northeast. The trees are turning color. There are a few pumpkins appearing on porches. The hummingbirds have left. We've cranked up the kerosene heater in the mornings to take the chill off. Mr. Gadget changed the oil in his leaf blower. And the highway people still haven't re-paved the street, although they tease us by sending out the street sweeper every few days to clear the leaves. They'd better hurry if they want to beat the snow. If it's like the usual road work around town, there'll be two or three cops to direct traffic, a couple dozen worker guys, and lots of coffee breaks......

Clair (de lune)

Here is my latest witch. I've named her Clair for clair de lune....the French term for "moonlight." She has moons all over her outfit. I wasn't sure what to name her, but I was pretty sure I wanted to steer clear of "Looney." A few days ago when I was on the treadmill in the basement, I noticed a couple of my old college books on a shelf and realized they might be helpful when writing the blog. One is Webster's New World Dictionary and the other is The Synonym Finder. So as I was perusing the synonym book, after a quick look in the dictionary for the proper spelling and meaning of peruse, I saw the reference to clair de lune. But I have to be truthful, they didn't actually call it "moonlight"...heh...heh.....they called it "moonshine."

It's too bad I have such a fondness for seeing my dolls in purple. It's just a you-know-what (might just rhyme with witch) to photograph. And the tweaking gets frustrating. Once the purple is good, the rest of it looks like pond scum. Maybe I should just take myself across the street to see the owners of Clarence and Henry who are professional photographers. Maybe they would give me some neighborly advice. I'd pay handsomely for this kind of advice too.......chocolate chip cookies.


So a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I was going to start trying to drink more water. I bought myself a 1.5 liter bottle of Poland Spring and I've been carrying it around with me. I'm happy to report that most days I've been able to down the whole thing. So far, I've noticed two benefits. One is I haven't been very hungry in the afternoons....which is when most of my grazing usually occurs, and the other is that I've been very happy with just one cup of coffee in the morning. I haven't even thought about the usual afternoon cup, or three or four. I'm counting on a couple more benefits too. One will be an easy blood test tomorrow at the doctor's office. The nurse always nags me to drink more water before the test to make it easier on both of us. And on Tuesday, I'll check in at Weight Watchers with hopes that two weeks of eating well, and all that exercise I've added from running back and forth to the bathroom, will be nicely reflected on the scale. After all, I need to get in condition for my next cruise.....

So you don't want to know about the Noro shawl-collared sweater. I started taking it apart a couple of nights ago when I was tired and in a bad mood. Not a good idea. A major repair must now be done to one of the sleeves. I'm hoping to just frog it back a few rows and re-knit it. So while it sits in a time-out for a few days, I'll revisit my sock knitting, and drink some more water......