Still No Snow

But Durwood said he saw a couple flakes goofing around in the back yard this morning, so maybe we'll have some for Christmas. I hope we do, just enough to make it look Christmas-y and Norman Rockwell-ish, then it can go away. I know, I have a snow blower, a nice big red one, but I'd rather have it spend the winter in the garage with the snow shovels.

Just in case Christmas really is coming, I've been working on knitting prezzies. Here's the purse I'm felting for my beautician. It has to be ready on the 19th. No problem getting that one done.




And here's the beginning of Stealth Project 4. It's going to be a challenge to finish this one in time if I keep veering off to play with other projects that need bigger yarn, etc., but I won't. I'm going to be a monogamous knitter on this one. Cross my heart. Pinkie swear.







I'll let you know how that little vow works out. I have to admit my track record on project monogamy is not very impressive. But I try and I have the best of intentions.

(Are those the Gates of Hell I see yawning open at my feet?!?)

Brother Dear's Hat

Greater love hath no sister than she will use some awesome RED wool tweed chunky yarn that she's been hoarding to make her brother a hat instead of one for herself. But (and it's a very important but) I do have enough left to knit one for myself if I use a different yarn for the edge and braided ties. Can do.


I love this hat pattern and the way this one turned out. It looks very elegant but toasty.

Finally! Yarn Stuff!

I'm sorry I haven't been very yarn-ish lately. I've been really busy writing every day because I signed up for NaNoWriMo again and that means I have to write 50,000 words this month. Have to. Not because there's a big prize or some sort of award, just because I said I would and I want to keep my promises. I'm having a blast just pounding out the story and not worrying about continuity or grammar, although I am appeasing my innerHitler by running spellcheck once before I quit for the day. Once. And no editing. No going back and replowing the same ground (which is my worst habit) before I get the entire story on the page. I'm into the home stretch with 48,597 words written, only 3 more writing days left, so I allowed myself to play with yarn a bit yesterday. Ahhh.




I added a few rows to Brother Dear's hat,








and I cast on a hat for me just because I wanted to (gloves to follow),










and last night at Friday Night Knitting Circle at the Harmony Cafe at our neighborhood Goodwill store, I cast on a purse that I plan to felt for my beautician for Christmas. I'm loving the yarn. Look at those colors! Yummy.




I did finish Stealth Knitting Project #3, but you won't get to see that until after the holidays. Sorry.

But look up there! Yarn!

Not Exactly Wintery

It hasn't been very cold here. We've had little frost, and no snow. I know! No snow in Wisconsin in November? Let me tell you, the deer hunters were not pleased. But it has allowed us to give free rein to our procrastination skills.


Last Tuesday I finally managed to pick all the leeks from the garden and rinse off the main dirt with the hose. I put them in the bucket and brought them in for Durwood to clean and chop up for freezing. He likes cutting onions and he's great at it. Now we will have bags of lovely pale green and white onions all winter. Thanks, dear!

Thanks Giving

I give thanks for this lovely meal with my beloved Durwood on Thursday. We had cornbread and sausage stuffing with a Cornish hen half, carrots and chocho glazed with crispy bacon and onions, homemade orange cranberry sauce, and a sweet potato half. (Pumpkin pie with Reddi Whip not shown) It had very little, in fact, no relation to the guidelines laid out in the food plan I've been following fairly faithfully for 6 months now, other than a fact that it was food.

Now I am paying for it with increased numbers at the scale. Grrr. Sometimes I feel like the universe is punishing me. It tasted good, really great, though.

I suspect I'm good for a while now, so the numbers will slowly diminish again. Oh, I complain about the "slowly" part at times but I'm happy with what I've been able to accomplish with Durwood's excellent cooking and meal planning, and my just-about-daily working out on the Wii. He is a keeper, you know. And I guess one big, huge, gigantic food freak-out in six months isn't bad.

Backyard Follies

I put out a new feeder last weekend, a shelled peanut feeder for the nuthatches and chickadees. Naturally the squirrels discovered it and are doing everything they can think of to get some of those peanuts.






Last Sunday it was a gorgeous day and there was a home Packers game. When we have a home game we also get a military fly-over. That's the only part of football I like, so I am always in the backyard because they fly right over our house. I wish I could take video so you could hear it. My ears buzz for about 10 minutes after they're gone. Zoom! I love 'em.

It Doesn't Feel Like Winter's Coming To Me Either

I looked out the kitchen window yesterday at the leafless honeysuckle and couldn't believe my eyes. Flower buds! A couple of yellowish leaves and flowers just as bold as brass.




So I walked around the yard this morning to find other indications that Mother Nature is a teensy bit confused as to the season. The forsythia is budding and the sedum is sprouting. See the tiny green shoots way down in there?














There's one tiny flower no bigger than my thumbnail on the shrub rose.




And one very small mum plant is just a festival of flowers.

The crocuses are confused--again. They spend all their energy sprouting in the warm autumn and have nothing left for spring when I really need them. Foolish crocuses.






Only the rose hips have it right. They're growing big and plump, orange and gorgeous, just the way they're supposed to.