Dog days

The sewing machine sits idle.

There's nothin' crafty for the blog.

I'm sniffling and coughing and feverish.

I'm sick as a dog.

 

I'm finding it quite puzzling;

it's a baffling mystery

how my fuzzy-thinking brain

bursts forth with poetry.

 

The relations have departed;

their Versa stretching its seams.

We're savoring our peaceful surroundings

and running the washing machine.

 

I'll be back to regular blog content

as soon as my brain fog clears

Is it true?  Can it possibly be?

This silliness is approaching seven years.

 



The looney bin

I think the time has arrived

for me to check myself in.

Hangin' with the crazy relations

made me fall and bang my chin.

Well, maybe it wasn't their fault.

I know it wasn't the wine.

But I sure can tell you for certain,

before the holidays I was doing just fine.

So I think I need a good rest,

where I can knit and read and recline.

I'll see if there's room in the looney bin.

I might even have a good time.

A holiday rhyme

It's the second day of winter

but it looks like fall.

I've really hardly noticed;

I've been at the mall.

My gifts are all wrapped,

well, I should say, "bagged."

There's even Chinese take-out

all whimsically tagged.

Mr. Gadget's still nagging.

He can't seem to stop.

I may tape up his mouth

and hand him a mop.

Darling daughter arrives today.
We'll meet her flight.
There will be dancing and singing
if the airport traffic's light.

Here's wishing you all a merry,
and a thanks for reading my blog.
Looking forward to putting my feet up
with reruns of the Yule Log.



A few of my favorite things

Persimmons!

I had forgotten how much I love them.

The farm market had bushels

on Saturday here in SoCal.

I bought four and lined them up

on the table by the window.

It's hard to be patient while they ripen.

But it's well worth the wait.

Mr. Gadget and I arrived last Wednesday.

I should have checked in sooner,

but Mr. G. has kept me busy.

"Let's go see if we can find a little tree."

"We'd better get busy on the cards."

"Feel like taking the car in for an oil change?"

etc. etc. etc.

We left Connecticut two days before

the horror.

I can't get my mind around it.

Can anyone?

It was very close to the Concondo.

10 miles at most.

The school's principal was the wife of

Big City Girl's junior high math teacher.

Last night around midnight,

here at the Calcondo,

I noticed flashing lights outside the window 

when I got up to use the bathroom.

A police car was sitting

in the middle of the road

and a helicopter

was flying circles overhead.

I wonder where we can find a safe spot?

Go give someone a hug today.

Tulips

I wasn't planning to post today, but after I finished the tulip bag I was so pleased I decided to share.  I bought the fabric several years ago with no idea of what I'd use it for.  Sometimes I do that, and if I keep it long enough the right project idea usually presents itself.  The fabric has a little sparkle to it, although you can't see that in the picture.  I lined it with bright orange--also with some sparkle.  I'm not entirely satisfied with how the ends of the zipper look, but each bag seems to be an improvement over its predecessor.

On Saturday I drove up to the old hotel to pick up my unsold items from the craft show the previous weekend. Four of the eight dolls sold.  Here are the ones that went to new homes:

After doing a quick assessment of my sales numbers I decided I'll try a little experiment next year.....that is, if I'm back in a dollmaking mood by then.  I'll make 2 chefs, 2 cats, 2 morning ladies, and 2 santas.  That's a brilliant idea from someone who doesn't even have a marketing degree, don't you think?

So now I'm off to pack......and I'm wondering if my gingerbread cut-out cookies  will make the trip OK in my suitcase.  If the TSA agents get wind of them in my carry-on they very likely won't make it to the gate.

Zip it!

I finished a couple of small zippered bags.  These have 7" zippers so are small enough to stick in a purse to hold lipsticks, mad money, or a little of this-and-that.  They require very little fabric, so it's a good project for using up remnants from other projects.  They are lined with a coordinating fabric...which probably sounds difficult but it's not.  Here is the tutorial if you'd like to make one, or a couple dozen, of your own.

Last Tuesday I took a fun road trip with my knitting friends up to Bernardston, Massachusetts--just south of the Vermont border.  Yes, I left poor Mr. Gadget at home to pine for me and scrounge up his own lunch.  Our destination was The Kringle Candle Company and Christmas Barn and Chocolate Cottage and Farm Table Restaurant--a complex of goodness that promised to infuse us with Christmas spirit.

Other Marcia--who now only blogs on very rare occasions like alternate leap years--dressed for the festivities.

There were Santas-a-plenty.

And gingerbread goodness.

And candles, of course.

I splurged on a snowman tea-light holder and 3 fragrant tea lights--all of which I could have, no doubt, found at the local dollar store for much less.  But I got carried away with the magic of it all and....well....you know how that goes.  He's in good company on the mantel and promises to keep his little feathered friends nice and toasty.

Mr. Gadget and I are getting close to our departure date for the Calcondo.  We're going out early this year.  I think I already mentioned this. Next weekend we'll be getting together with my side of the family, and soon after that we'll be heading up north to spend the holiday with his side.  By New Years we might both be ready for the looney bin.  It's possible.... 

Hair today, gone tomorrow

I don't think I mentioned that I finally made a decision about my hair.  I'm going gray.

Most people agree that it doesn't look too bad so far, but it could be that they're just being nice to me.  After all, I'm the lady who makes the tasty gingersnaps this time of year.

Today I have an appointment with Mr. Gadget's barber, I mean hairdresser.  I'm doing the unthinkable.  I'm trying someone new.  Do most women feel like I do?  We stay with the same one maybe a little longer than we'd like because we don't want to hurt their feelings?  Surely they will assume that we aren't pleased with their haircutting abilities, when really maybe all we want is to have someone else approach our heads from a little different perspective.

Mr. Gadget's guy, Daniel, did a bang trim for me a while back and I was very pleased.  In fact, the bangs still look good but the rest of it is now in need of work.  Daniel didn't look at me askance when I said I was planning to let it go gray.  Instead, he commented that he thought it would look nice when all was said and done because it was growing in with a pretty silvery look.

So in a little while I'll leave for the hair salon.....in the mall where my other hair salon is.....but I should be safe because I don't think she works on Mondays.

Meanwhile, I'm making a few little zippered bags with gift-giving in mind. 

There's not much to show so far, but they're supposed to be easy and quick to make.  I'll show you the finished bags and give you a link to the tutorial soon.

Wildlife

I know Christmas is just around the corner because I've had my first reindeer sighting.

Reindeer are usually pretty scarce in these parts, but over at the mall there's quite a congregation. That's where I was this morning.

I usually avoid the mall as much as possible, but I decided to look for a Christmas sweater...so I can be a real fashionista for the holidays.  Unfortunately, I came home empty-handed.  Nothing was quite my cup of tea, I mean eggnog.  But I did purchase 4 pairs of Christmas gift socks for nieces and sisters-in-law.

Mr. Gadget and I are leaving town for Christmas and Big City Girl won't be far behind. We'll be spending the holiday with Mr. Gadget's side of the family in northern California. It's all part of our changing-things-up project.  We don't usually give gifts, other than cash ones to the nieces and nephews, but this year, since we'll all be gathered around the Christmas tree, we think a little something for everyone is in order.  And whatever I purchase or create in Connecticut will, of course, have to fit in my 50-pounds-or-less suitcase.  

The knitting is finished on the fringie from whimsy and I'm now happily hooking.  It looks a little pathetic at this stage, but I'm hopeful it will blossom into something wonderful...or at least charming.

I've also re-started the Red Beast, although I know I told you it would be in the back closet till 2016.  I'm using smaller needles this time, and I'm going to keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn't get rambunctious. Rambunctious. That sounds like an old-fashioned word. Maybe something my Grandma Ferna would have said.  Like maybe when she was babysitting a gaggle of grandchildren. 

So....while I'm driving around town I tend to notice things.  Like how most of the cars on the road now are neutral colors--black, white, gray, tan, etc.  Red and blue ones have almost become endangered species.  I sometimes wonder why the cops give tickets to people going too fast on the local highway on Sundays, but disregard the Monday to Friday speeding commuters.  And I'm puzzled by why a new frozen yogurt store is about to open down the street when we're approaching the coldest part of the year.  Snow, sleet and freezing rain never stopped me from eating frozen yogurt, but what about the rest of the population....you know, the ones who wind around Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts....in their neutral-colored cars....waiting ever-so-patiently for their steaming cuppa pricy joe. And what about my neighbor who parks in a handicapped spot at the senior center but recently managed quite well to get up on her stepladder in the garage to retrieve something.

Now I'm getting pretty steamed up.  Too bad there's no place nearby where I can get a single serving of frozen yogurt....

White stuff

We're getting some light snow here in Connecticut.  It's a great day to stay home and play in the Treehouse.  I had plans to do some much-needed clean-up, but as usually happens I've gotten sidetracked.  It's all my friend Wendy's fault.  She sent me an email and in it she asked if I had seen the new fringy scarves.  Apparently it's something that's trending in the fashion world.  Or not.  Fashion is a subject I'm not well-versed on.  But she's been making them and she mentioned it's a good project for using up fancy yarn scraps.  So I found myself on a two-hour computer tangent looking for fringies as she calls them.  And I found a cute pattern--strictly from whimsy--that I think I'll start.  It's actually a combo of knitting and hooking.  Believe it or not, I used to be a good hooker at one time.  Rugs.  RUGS! 

I made several throw rugs back in the day out of cheap worsted yarn, so they shed and shed and didn't hold up well at all.  But that was when I had concrete block and wood bookcases and paper lanterns and other things you could get on the cheap to furnish early apartments.  I even taught an old boyfriend how to hook a rug, and as soon as he learned the technique he left me for someone else---who, I'm sure, was not in the least bit creative.  But at least he has a cheap, shedding rug to remember me by.

So I ripped out the Red Beast last night while Mr. Gadget was watching a man-movie and I was in the Treehouse watching The Dead Files.  That Amy....she's good at getting evil stuff out of a house.

I'm not too bad at it either.  In no time at all I had him reduced to rubble.

And having all of these balls of yarn on hand motivated me to order myself a ball winder.  It will wind this rubble into neat little balls with flat bottoms so they'll sit nicely on a table instead of rolling all over the floor and me having to chase them.  And while I'm waiting for the winder to arrive, I'm going to start the fringie from whimsy. It's gonna be pretty boring for a day or two while I do the knitting part, but once I get to the hooking.....there's gonna be all kinds of excitement....

A vexing predicament

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Ours was good, all things considered.  Since this is our first holiday season without Tech Guy, we decided it would be wise to change things up a bit, so we went out for Thanksgiving dinner.  We found a nice restaurant with some New England charm.  It's possible the pilgrims may have eaten there....We asked Big City Girl to order the wine.  Seems like only yesterday we were putting her in a high chair.

So....big surprise.... I've decided I like going out for Thanksgiving dinner.  No frantic food shopping, no long hours of cooking, no annoying clean-up, no pressure to make soup afterwards, no nothing!  I sat in my recliner and knitted instead.  Which brings me to the vexing predicament. 

Back in 2008 I started knitting a red cardigan sweater that at some point in the process became known as The Red Pest.  It just wasn't cooperating.  When I began the blocking process I saw that it was too big.  Not only that but the left and right sides were not matching up. So I did the only thing a reasonable knitter would do.  I ripped the whole thing out.  And then I stood over a hot stove (remember how not fond of this I am?) and steamed all the pesky bumps out of the yarn.

Now it's 2012 and I decided to begin another red sweater with a pattern that seemed fool-proof.  It's knitted in the round from the neck down which is especially nice because there's no assembling required when the knitting is done.  Also, it can be tried on along the way.  So I began knitting and donning and knitting and donning and was quite pleased with how well it was coming together.  Then I started the first sleeve (also knitted in the round) and was making good progress when suddenly it started to taunt me.  It was as if it was speaking to me. "Let's see how she feels when she realizes one of us will fit around both of her arms?" it chortled.  

So now the 2008 Red Pest has morphed into the 2012 Red Beast.  Again I'm faced with that "What's a reasonable knitter to do?" question.  I guess I'll rip the damn thing out and throw the yarn in the back closet.  Then I'll buy me some expensive chocolate.  I don't think there's any point to revisiting this issue until at least 2016.

Sent packing

Here is a sampling of my recent cast of characters...who've been ousted from the Treehouse and sent off for a little vacation at the old hotel.  Maybe we'll call it an attitude adjustment opportunity, although I will admit this was a fairly well-behaved group this year.  Please forgive the poor quality of the photography.  Taking pictures is the last thing I do....and always hastily....before setting off up the road.

 

I've made several nun dolls in the past and I always enjoy hearing why they appealed to the buyer.  One lady purchased one because it looked just like her aunt.  Another....a very talented artist who sells her oil paintings at the hotel shows....said she just loves to collect quirky things.

 He's dressed in a print of frogs doing yoga.

Cat dolls always seem to sell.  That's because the world is full of cat people.

This is my favorite morning lady so far.  Her coffee cup....which say "Got donuts?"...is full of coffee--which I made from the cat fabric.

Sorry about the photo quality on this one.  Sun was coming in through the blinds.  Her outfit is dark blue with tiny black polka dots.

So now I'm tired of making dolls.  I don't think I could make another blessed one.  I have stuffing on the brain, arthritis in my fingers, and threads and bits of fabric stuck to me everywhere.  Just like the characters, I'm in need of an attitude-adjustment op.  I'm thinking a nice comfy deck chair would do it, but since there are no cruises on the immediate horizon, I guess I'll knit. 

Back from sea duty

Mr. Gadget and I are back from our cruise.  Everything was very nice...in spite of the two days and three ports that Hurricane Sandy deleted from our program.

We had an easy trip to the pier in Manhattan...with only a 15 minute wait in line at the Henry Hudson crossing into the city.  The police were only allowing cars with at least 3 passengers to pass and we had 4 cruisers and 1 driver so we were good to go.  As a result, traffic along the West Side highway was very light which allowed for a quick trip the rest of the way.

Here are a few pictures:

Sailing along the Hudson River, just after leaving the pier.

Lower Manhattan and the Freedom Tower...with a brightly lit building in front.  Buildings on the left were still without power.

Formal night. Ladies in little black dresses....except for the one who didn't get the memo.

The beach at Grand Turk...from our ship and over the bow of the Holland America Eurodam.  We figured that GT is where old cruise ship deck chairs go to retire.

The view from one of those retired deck chairs.  Our ship on the left (the Caribbean Princess) and on the right the Eurodam.

A colorful shopping area in Aruba.

Mr. Gadget and I with our winnings....a bottle of champagne from the frequent cruiser gathering....which we shared with our friends at dinner.

And just so you don't think we have too much fun, this morning I had a colonoscopy. Mr. Gadget's is later this week. I'll spare you those trip reports...

Trick or treat

Mr. Gadget and I are still on dry land but treading water.  Our cruise has been postponed twice, and it now looks quite possible we'll be departing on Friday.  The cruise port in Brooklyn is flooded and will be closed through the weekend. Princess is trying to arrange for a berth in Manhattan and we should know something soon.

We have been extremely lucky to have only lost power for a couple of hours yesterday morning.  We are well inland from the coast.  If you've been watching the news you've probably seen the devastation at Breezy Point, NY with so many homes burned to the ground.  Mr. Gadget's parents lived there for many years, and we have fond memories of spending time there when our kids were young.  Their home was a small beach bungalow...as many were and are still....that they winterized and lived in year-round.  No matter how many family members came to town, there were never too many for my mother-in-law to cook for and feed at her long picnic table in the dining room/hallway, and to somehow find sleeping places for.  The current owner has done some remodeling, but has resisted the wave of scraping and McMansioning.  It looks much the same as it always has and, fortunately, it has been spared.

Meanwhile, I've been working on stuff.

A new morning lady.  She has an expression that says it all:  "Where the h@!#* is my coffee?"

And a couple of paper mache santa head ornaments that I made with some leftover pulp.  Not great, but there is potential.

So now we'll play more of the waiting game to see what's in store for the week ahead.  And no matter what it is, we'll count our lucky stars and be grateful.

A quick update

Thought I would post a quick one before we lose power.  The weatherman says we should be having the heaviest winds starting in a couple of hours and continuing through the night.

We feel fairly well prepared, especially since we now have a generator.  And thankfully, it's not January.

We haven't had word on our cruise, but the cruise line (Princess) advises they should know by the end of today and will let everyone know.  Thankfully, again, we don't have to fly into town.  Some have had to cancel, or hope the airports will be open and flights will be operating early Wed.  Our only concerns are whether the ship can return to NYC on time (it's now in Boston) and how flooded the roads will be enroute to the pier.

Meanwhile, there is lots of light in the Treehouse and I have handwork projects, plus many books to read.

I'll try to post from the cruise (I'm thinking positive), but if you don't see me for a while you'll know I'm out there having some sort of a water-related adventure.

A paper mache day

Today I did some painting on my paper mache Santa.  First, a coat of burnt umber.

I really have no idea what I'm doing.  I'm flying by the seat of my pants to use an old cliche.  Next, I add the colors.

Santa still needs lots of work, but I'm fairly pleased with how he's turning out.  I'm not happy with the bag color, so I'll change that.  And the fur around his hat and on his coat needs to be a little darker to distinguish it from his beard.

I'm also working on a couple of paper mache Santa head ornaments. They are hanging in the pantry closet to dry.   The great thing about ornaments is the little hanger on top.  They can be hung up to dry all over at the same time.  Does that make sense?  Rather than having to turn them like a piece of meat on the grill.  These are just an experiment....kinda like most things I do.

So I think I mentioned that Mr. Gadget and I have a cruise coming up.  We are planning to leave from NYC next Wednesday (Halloween) for the Caribbean.  There's just one little detail that concerns us:  the hurricane.  The 4-day cruise to Bermuda ahead of ours on the same ship has had an itinerary change, but so far the cruise line hasn't decided where they'll go.  Maybe Canada, or maybe a cruise to nowhere....where you just float around for a few days.

In our case, we may be delayed--like we were last year on this same cruise---when it snowed.  So much for October being a great month to travel.  Luckily, we don't have to fly into town for this trip like many do, so we should be ok.  But it sure would be nice if this ended up being the typical big weather hype that ends in nothing much.  The Weather Channel has to provide plenty of drama and suspense so they can compete with shows like Dancing with the Stars and The World Series.  We'd be happy if they declared The Sandy Show a dud---like a bad sitcom--and canceled it for the season.

Got yarn?

Sunday was a perfect day for a trip to Rhinebeck ...so unlike that day a few years ago when the cold and drizzle made us wish we had taken every hand-knitted item from our closets and drawers.

Being at a fiber festival is always a great opportunity for people-watching....many of whom wear interesting outfits nicely accessorized with colorful hand-knitwear.

Some even provided inspiration for future dollmaking.

Such a sensible nun she was....wearing smart and stylish hiking boots to match her habit.....but no knitwear that I could see.

The fiber was plentiful and colorful, but the buildings were crowded and dark, so I got pictures of the next best thing.  The eateries.

 

These sights, but mostly the aromas, made us hungry so we stopped for lunch. Then we shopped, or should I say "browsed," and one of our threesome bought a pair of knitting needles.  None of us bought yarn.  At 2 o'clock we headed for the exit....with nary a bag of fiber to stash in the trunk.  This was a first. I'm not sure we still qualify as real knitters.  If there were knitting police they might have demanded that we surrender our licenses.....or worse...issued a warrant for our arrest for bad knitterly behavior.

Out to pasture

I have no pictures for this little ditty of a story I'm going to tell, so here are some unrelated ones of my current dolls-in-progress.  You don't mind, do you?


I'm a coffee drinker, but Mr. Gadget insists on drinking tea.  He has one of those electric kettles that boils his tea water on-the-quick.  He's a man who hates to wait.

In recent days the kettle has begun to sing. It's not supposed to do that.  It's not a pleasant sound.  It has also taken to leaking, so once the puddle has cooled it must be wiped up.

"I think it's time to toss the ol' kettle and get a new one," I suggested to him just this morning.  "You know, when I get to the age where I'm singing and leaking you'll know it's time to put me in the home."

So I must confess, I've been sewing instead of blogging lately.  I'm whipping up a few things for the Christmas craft show at the old hotel.  The organizer of the show, a nice lady named Georganne, must know I'm a sucker for compliments.

"I want you to sew, sew, sew," she told me.  "It just wouldn't be a great show without your characters!"  In fact, she said I could even deliver a few last-minute guys on the first day of the show.  So I decided I'd make a hundred or so.  Well, maybe not.  I'll try for an even dozen.  But I won't be sewing tomorrow.  Tomorrow I'm going here with my knitting buddies.  Please don't tell Georganne.