I'm melting, I'm melting

The high temp today was 96F. It's 10 pm and the temp is 80F. It's hot. It's humid. And I'm melting. Need I say anymore?

Rendered Speechless

I have friends. Correction. I have some of the best friends in the whole wide world. So many of you have helped me through ongoing "stuff" throughout the years. Your emails, thoughtful gifts, phone calls and visits have brightened my days. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.


Today I will concentrate on a special act of kindness. A few of you know it's been a rough year. On Tuesday I was counting my blessings and thinking of the people who entered and touched my life in some special way.
That afternoon the UPS truck dropped off a box. I hobbled and waved telling him that he had the wrong house. I knew I didn't order anything. He confirmed the address and plunked it on the porch.
I picked up the box wondering if one of the sons ordered something to be delivered here. You know? car parts or some such fiddle faddle.
I took the box inside and checked the addy once again. Yep! It was mine.

I carefully opened it thinking it was still a mistake and I would spend the next couple of hours on the phone/computer trying to correct it.





Lo and behold there were two cards addressed to me. I must admit at this point I was shaking which is totally out of character for me.


I opened the first card which was the silly dog in a pick-up. It was from the "Fur-Babies" with each name listed. I immediately recognized the names of beloved pets.
The next card choked me up. A beautiful hand-written note inside with the list of friends who wanted to send something special to lil ole me.






Carefully I removed the paper, uncertain what was inside. And this is what I found......an e-spinner! For the first time in my life, I was speechless. (Of which the oh-so-funny family couldn't believe I was speechless. Don't worry, it didn't last long ;).


The DD walked in to find me sitting with tears streaming down my face. At first she thought something was wrong until I said, "you won't believe what some friends of mine have done."
She grinned and I know the grin. I shrieked and started firing the questions, "You knew, you knew...how did you know...how did they pull this off....."

As many of you know it's been a year of trials. I've longed to spin at my wheel for solace but could only hope for a "good" day to tolerate the awkward treadling. I finally made peace with my spindles but that is a s-l-o-w process. The Vespera spinner is perfect.

I grabbed some wool and began to spin. I LOVE it! It is easy, comfortable and fast. It is well handcrafted, portable and I can't rave enough about it. Go here to check out the beautiful handcrafted products.
I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. I have no idea how I'll ever repay the kindness...and there I go again...*sniff sniff*...please pass the Puffs.

THANK YOU, to the Fur-Babies, Anita, Chan, Gaylen, Jan, Jessi, Jul, Nichole and Shelly.

At the rate I'm spinning I could run out of fiber soon, so look-out fur animals......even Mr. Bettis isn't safe.....lol

A Big Day....

I have BIG news to post but you must wait until tomorrow to read about it. This day must pass first.
Today is a very important day. There are events to celebrate. Party time :D!
First, (because it is in sequence) HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY HUBBY! It's been 26 years since we tied the knot. We've had trials above and beyond what most couples endure but we've made it.
Most of the trials have been financial and medical. We've endured multiple traumas i.e. broken back, table saw incident, DVT and the list goes on and on.......
We should've seen this coming when the hubby was put in a leg cast 2 weeks before our wedding. He hobbled down the aisle of the church with a lovely blue leg cast. Little did we know.......LOL
Oh and don't forget raising 4 kids!!

Two years after our wedding our firstborn daughter made her entrance to the world. DH begged that I not allow the baby to be born on our anniversary. He wanted the day to be special. (As if I had a say in the matter...eyeroll). I said "no problem as the dear little thing was due on June 13th."

Apparently she had other plans. I suffered an extra 13 days in EXTREME heat with her. She finally made a grand entrance on our anniversary.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DD #1. You've been a joy (well except for the endless shrieking and yes you could've cracked a glass with the pitch). Saxophone, piano and dance lessons and then of course the switch to percussion lessons in the 9th grade for Band. Your obesession with My Little Pony led to Horse lessons and shows. Correction. Endless horse shows and you loved every minute of it even when you bounced off the back of Smokey 2 days before your State competition.

You've returned to college and you're holding down a full-time job. Stay true to you and you'll go far. We love you, kiddo!

Is it a plane? A bird?

Lacking finished knitting/spinning projects to post I'm taking a trip down memory lane.

I don't know if any of you remember the DD took a trip to AZ with Earthwatch last year or not. But she and I were reflecting about it over the weekend and remembered I didn't post the Themis photo.
She was one of 6 students to work the Themis camera on Mars. They captured a picture that was not previously taken. It was immediately sent to NASA and has recently posted on their Themis site.


This is the picture.
Quite fascinating (although I have no clue about it). She has prattled for days about the discovery. If you go to the picture site, you will note the description recognizes the MSIP: Earthwatch SCAP 2009 for capturing the photo.
It's hard to imagine it's only been a year since she took off on her first plane flight and her first time away from home. As I told her, "you've come a long way, baby."

I promise I'll have a more interesting knitting/spinning post soon ;).

What makes a dad......

What makes a dad ……
Any man can be a father but it takes a real man to be a dad.
I have been blessed with a father and a husband who are dads. They’re the first to admit they were not perfect, but then who is? The flip side is they stuck it out in spite of the trials and tribulations along the way.
This blogger's list on what makes a man a real dad:

One who works hard to provide medical and everyday expenses .
Patching his own shoes and wearing clothes for years in order to see to it there were little extras in life.
Trips to the local fair and bringing home bags of penny candy.
Sugar bread (when mom clearly stated no sugar bread during dinner).
Sled rides even though it was after dear old dad spent hours shoveling the stuff
That special Christmas gift that you just knew would not be under the tree (because it was too expensive) yet it mysteriously appeared and dad was beaming with pride.

Making fudge and potato candy (while mom was shopping and clearly stated, Don’t make a mess while I’m gone)

Scooping new fallen snow to make ice cream in the middle of winter

Dragging out the wooden ice cream bucket on a hot summer Sunday to make homemade ice cream

Never scolding when a child "helped" weed the garden and was pulling carrots instead of the weeds.

Attending "funeral processions" of childhood pets and informing the buddies who were helping to put on a new roof to remove their hats during the "funeral."

Trying in desperation to find a new kitten for a little girl who couldn't stop mourning.
Deer hunting and knowing oh-so-well the young girl in tow would chatter too much and upon seeing the graceful creature squealed, “Oh look, look! A deer, a deer!.”

Attending dance recitals, school concerts, ball games, art exhibits, Science Fairs and bursting with pride through it all.
Getting up at 4 am to work a 12 hour day in order to make it in time for the football game to get a glimpse of the son/daughter’s band performance

Horse shows (and I won't even begin to list the work involved with those)
Boy Scouts and many memorable camping trips (including the one in an ice storm when mom clearly stated NO camping and dad responded with “we’re making men of them." At the age of 10 yrs? -_-)

Taking scrap lumber and building an A-Frame fort with the boys
Teaching driving skills and handing over the keys to the car with confidence (can’t say as much about mom's confidence)
Never saying a word when a certain teen driver (ahem) accidently drove right through the brand new garage door
Teaching sons and daughters how to change the oil and a tire.
Tolerating way too many vehicles parked in the driveway (because a certain son found a “good” deal)
Encouraging the sons to get a trade along with their degree because one never knows when they may need a trade in life (to pay for those “good” deals)

Emphasizing the need for a good education (because he didn’t want his kids to work as hard as he has in life)
Attending each and every graduation with pride.

Life goes on and these men in my life continue to be good role models. Each and every event and each moment spent with these men was a time to learn and a time to cherish. Whether or not others appreciate the sacrifices remains to be seen. I for one, am very blessed to have these men in my life. :-)
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

sshhh.....it's Bambi

We are fortunate to have my parents living right across the road from us. My dad said he heard bawling on the wooded area of their property.
He approached with caution and found a doe giving birth. The doe turned her head and looked at my dad as if to say, "ahem, do you mind?"
Having respect for wildlife, dad quietly walked away.

He went back to the area the next day to make sure all was well.




.....and it was :).














I will be quiet now as you admire this little beauty.












Just another reason why I enjoy living in the country.

Breakin up is hard to do.....

"They say that breaking up is hard to do
Now I know, I know that it's true
Don't say that this is the end
Instead of breaking up I wish that we were making up again"

Hop on over to this Link. Alabama Fiber Dreams (aka Jessi) moved and she's having a contest :D.

Luck of the Leaf

We have a problem here. I have an allergy to honeysuckle. Mind you, I love the smell of it and way back when I would pluck the flowers and sip the juice from it.
A few years back I developed a sneezing, tear-watering, coughing allergy to the stuff.
So last night I awakened coughing and tears streaming down my face. I sniffed a strong aroma of honeysuckle coming in the window over my head.
This morning I informed the DH that he needs to cut down all the honeysuckle on the property. He headed out the door with the sickle in hand. He promptly returned with sad news.
There's poison ivy and Virginia creeper intermixed in the shrub beds and the bank.


May not sound like anything big however the DH is VERY allergic to poison and the creeper. It requires a trip to the ER for shots so looks like he won't be cutting down much of anything. I'm not allergic to poison or the creeper but can't be anywhere near the honeysuckle.
We could be overtaken with ivy, creeper and honeysuckle.....wait.....where's Little Legs (aka the college kid)? I don't think she's allergic to any of it. :)




While we're waiting for the college kid to whack down the stuff we'll enjoy the scenery on the porch. A lovely pot of blooming flowers.

It's hot and humid here and we're not doing much of anything. How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

Carnival Eye Candy

I've been a spinning fool here. My spindles and are in overdrive.
These are dyed handcarded batts by your's truly. A lovely mix of BFL and silk.









I debated on leaving this as a singles but decided to Navajo ply it instead. I enjoy plying, it's so relaxing.
A skein of worsted weight yarn with approximately 125 yds resulted from this quick spin.
As one spinner noted on Ravelry, "it reminds me of carnival food." Hence the name Carnival Eye Candy. I may add this colorway to my list of fiber to be dyed.
Recovery from surgery is s-l-o-w and I'm itching to get back to dyeing even if it's in very small batches.
What eye candy fiber/yarn is in your stash that your anxious to spin/knit?

Date Night

Hubby called on his way home from work and suggested we go out for the evening. Since we haven't been anywhere to speak of for awhile. Date Night. Woo-hoo! Where did we go?
Well let me see, we grabbed a sandwich at the local diner, Wal-Mart (to get dog treats), the market (to get human food) and of course the evening would not be complete without a trip to Lowe's. I'm not a fan of Lowe's unless I can look at paint or I have a craft project in mind. Other than that....meh....not my kind of store. I stay in the car while he shops. Too much walking (otherwise known as hobbling in my case).


Lately I have been smitten with spindles and have wanted to try a support spindle for quite awhile. Cotton and angora are anxiously waiting in my fiber stash and they need a support spindle.
I've looked at them online and wiped the drool from the monitor for weeks now. I also wanted to try one first before I actually saved the cash to purchase one.
DH found a dowel, some kind of closet wheel thingy (don't ask, I forget the specific name of the thingy) and hooks. Cost? $4.36


At that point, Date Night was over for me, I wanted to make the spindle and give it a whirl immediately.
So we went home, we put away the groceries and at 9 pm last night, hubby made a spindle. Took about 15 minutes and boy is it a spinner. My youngest son is an artist and he made this bowl for me a long time ago when he was in high school. It is the perfect support bowl until I can find a smaller one. This little spindle spins forever and I love it.


There's a running joke between my sis and me about flamingo decorations in the Appalachian Mountains.
She presented me with a flamingo light set. Oh thank you so much, Sis.....LOL
So here they are in all their pink glory hanging on our deck.







Just so you get the Full effect, here they are lit at night.....













She also presented a package of Flamingo napkins for a future picnic. Now all I need is a Flamingo lawn ornament....LOL And if I wake up one morning and find a Flamingo lawn ornament in my front yard, I'll know who put it there.

Anyone know where I can find one of those dress-up geese? I have a sister who needs a lawn ornament.....LOL

In the Spin

Life. Somedays it's stressful beyond words which is why when I found this wine container I snagged it. Love, live and laugh are the words I plan to repeat daily.
It's not holding a bottle of wine although I may have to purchase a bottle if life continues to dole out stuff.....
It is the new house for a few of my new spindles :)





Hubby had some "mad money" stashed. Each of our daughters chipped in on the mad money stash and they purchased a few spindles for me. I will show the other two spindles in another post. These are from Zebisis Designs. This is a hematite rainbow and you know me, I love color.








The seller included this spindle and a small braid of mulberry silk FREE! Now that's customer service. These spindles are well made and a work of art. They appear to be fragile but they're no more fragile than wood.
I love the flower design and the photo does not capture the true color.
Hubby did well (with the help of our girls) and these are so much better than my normal gifts i.e. a swiffer.These mean so much to me as I know he and the girls saved their money to get something special for lil ole me. They're keepers in my book :).

We visited my parents over the weekend.
Mom and I dug around in her fiber stash (which rivals her yarn stash). I did some carding for her and she shared the above grey fleece with me. The staple is approximately 4-5 inches long with a beautiful crimp and I have about 13 ozs.
She also shared her Angora fleece and gave about 10 ounces to me. Trust me when I say, she still has plenty of stash...lol
Dad went to his garage and made us each a spindle. Mind you, it's not as fancy schmancy as the above spindles but because Dad made it for me, I'll cherish it. It has a great spin and is very lightweight so it's perfect for fine spinning.
Looks like I have a lot of spinning to do:).