What's Going On ...

My how time flies...in your face...

It was April 30, 1990 when I started my first day at Origin...a computer game company here in Austin known for the Ultima and Wing Commander series...There were 4 of us in Customer Service, and we had to pull multi duties like answering the reception phones, answering letters (there was no internet as we know it today, although we did all work on Mac SE computers and had the most awesome email capability to one another inhouse...once, a co worker sent me a Simpsons sound file and brought the entire email system crashing to its knees...sweet), answering CS phones (due to no phone system, this was a much bigger nightmare than you can imagine), taking care of replacing disks (a 4 months backlog when I first arrived, this task was assigned to me and I would spend full weekends there, off-clock, trying to get caught up)...

It was a hellacious job and a fantastic job...we made no money, which was tough, but we all had a good time while we were there...We participated in the Haunted House that the owner, Richard Garriott would produce at his mega-house (recently featured on HGTV for his secret passageways)...People from NY and CA would fly in just to take a tour...people would camp out for a week in his driveway/street (he lives out in the Hill Country, so it was like a massive picnic for these guys) just to get into the house...I worked there for 8 years, in various capacities, eventually taking my 7 week sabbatical and realizing there was nothing left for me there...so I moved on...the company no longer exists, it was purchased by EA (Electronic
Arts, perhaps you've heard of them) and they were good bosses, but eventually things went haywire and things fell apart...On a related note, we had a really good audio system where musicians wrote the music, made sound effects and recorded voices for the games...(I did some really bad voices once, and they were never used, thank god..professionals were hired shortly afterward..heh)...One of the musicians that worked for us was in a part time band, that he eventually left Origin to try and make it in the big leagues...So far he and his band have been doing pretty well, he's not a house hold name, but there are many people who do know who he is...so last night Brian and I are watching one of the Season 2 Veronica Mars discs and at the coffeehouse where she works (also a karaoke house), a musician comes on stage to sing the Elvis Costello song 'Veronica'...they are calling to him 'Britt, Britt' and I think 'Geez, is that Britt Daniel from Spoon?'...sure enough...the little musician we worked with years ago at Origin is on Veronica Mars, singing...I think that means we are 2 degrees of separation from Kristin Bell (Veronica on the show) because we worked with Britt, who worked with her...Stephen King (yes, that one) said his fave song of 2005 was Spoon's "I Summon You"...how cool is that?...

rock on...

Sweet Sweet Sunday

Its all good today...I've removed all the pics that were probably driving you mad, and will get to work on posting new stuff for you...i have 10 or 12 of the bunting at my bird feeder, I have some really bad Clementine pics, and who knows what else on my memory stick...

We visited two nurserys yesterday looking for metal arches for the front yard, but alas, there were none..one of the nurserys is in the backyard of a home owner and they have the most active butterfly garden around...we saw bugs we had never seen before...it was fantastic...

After striking out, we visited the local 'cowboy days' party in the small town and wandered the streets looking at all the handmade stuff (junk did you say?)...there was one booth that had some nice outdoor garden benches and such, but we still came home empty handed...I dunno if it was my hat or sunglasses or both, but I had a raging headache that just got worse as the night wore on...so bad that I could not lay down to sleep because the pounding would get worse...so I had to sit up to try and sleep...I haven't had a headache like this in ages, and eventually after about 90 minutes of it, I finally fell asleep...and I feel fine today...sometimes when I wear myself out, don't get enough sleep for a few days, don't drink enough water, this will happen...

Its gonna be a quiet day here...we have made a conscious decision not to go to Austin, not to run errands, just do stuff at the house...Brian has some pipevine (for the swallowtail) to plant, there's always stuff here at the house to do...We have 3 voracious monarch caterpillars who are doing some good damage to the plants as they grow...I hope we can spy where they cocoon so we can watch them turn...there's an old, dusty monarch (male) that visits the garden...he's worn out but I'm glad we're here for him...We saw an Acacia tree in bloom yesterday that was loaded w/ bees (maybe the only bees left!) and butterflies, and now we want to plant one too...all in good time...

No Go On the Toe...

After waiting nearly an hour, the Dr. comes to see Brian and in 5 min tells him they won't do the procedure on his toe because he has an infection...reschedule for next Wed after eating a lot of anitbiotics the next few days...not really a surprise, I guess...

I wore two new bracelets into town yesterday and they were a hit, so I'll def be listing them...yes, they will have some of my cooties on them, but I promise to wipe them off and make them shiny and clean...I want to keep them, but alas, I promised beads and I'll have them for you...I still need to work, tho, so not today...

I'm hoping to find some garden art and perhaps some daisies for the yard...they bring in ladybugs and other beneficials...I need to plant for those bugs as well as butterflies, so that its a wellrounded garden...I saw a neat striped whiptail lizard roam thru the grounds the other day...he was awesome...and there's a seminar all about spiders next week...they'll even have live black widows and brown recluses so we can see them up close and personal...did you know that wasps kill and eat black widows? In one of my bug books it talked about discovering a space with 11 or 12 dead black widows in it...so the next time you swat or spray a wasp, remember they can do you big favors...and now that the honeybees seem to have disappeared, the wasps are doing the work of polinating my flowers for me...I respect wasps, they aren't my favorite bug, but they are beneficial to the garden...they also control my outta control caterpillars who will strip my plants in a hurry...wasps are my friends...I have a few red jacket and black jacket hives going on in my mailbox right now...but they don't bother me and I don't bother them...we all get along like buds...

Get going...get going...get going..

Mornings...ugh...I started a new continental bag last night and was up till midnight working on it...so 6:00am didn't arrive shiny and happy as you might expect...I never expect it to arrive that way, and today was no different...but I have appts to get to and beads to clean and I wanted to get stuff done early...

One of the hazards of my new tiny studio is the a/c vent that blows right on my torch...the flame flits around just enough that I can't do any decent stringer work...at all...and we all know that evenings are better for me than mornings to get beads made...so yesterday Brian (after hearing me complain about this long enough) picked up some 'vent covers' that are in essence magentic plates to cover the vent...

and last night I tried one and it worked perfectly...I was able to make beads and the room was warm...after I was done, I popped the thing off, so as not to ruin the a/c air duct and we'll put it on again when its time...pretty cool solution and keeps me working..can't complain about that...

I've found that I've turned into an Etsy junkie...I have spent way too much time (and money) on little things...worthwhile little things, things that I love, new artwork that I covet, but I had to stop...put it away...back away from the Etsy...until I can control my urges...I think this is how I felt about eBay back in 1997 when I first discovered it...I searched for All Things Titanic and kinda went loopy...I did find some fantastic deals on eBay, I'm not sure you can find them anymore, with all the corporate-ness that's there now...I could cruise for antique diamond rings and find real ones that people were selling from their jewelry boxes...now its all 'antique style' and the prices are what I'd pay in NYC...not so much of a deal anymore...I do enjoy when Jay Leno does his bit about 'weird things we found on eBay' and asks the audience to guess if the item sold or not...last night he showed a rock that looked like Al from Happy Days (sold for 8.00 and change) a fish stick that looked like HIM (didn't sell) a piece of meat that looked like Africa (offered at .50, didn't sell) and some other things...people are funny about what they will buy...and so am I...

Oh, I'm here...but I wanna be outside..

Its just too pretty to stay inside, but I"m up here in the dark cavernous studio getting work done...I've got a nice set of lentils ready to go, but I have more to do...I saw two bright yellow gold finches on the feeder already, but not the Bunting...I managed to get a ton of pics of him yesterday afternoon, but they aren't all that great, as I was in my studio shooting thru a window w/ a screen on it...still, I've got lots of pics to post (clogs, birds, beads, etc.) just prob not today...I've got tons to do and not enough time to do it..what else is new...I like having wide open days where I can just work and don't have to worry about emails, shipping, errands, phone calls, and all the other stuff that takes me away from making beads...

I'm still finalizing our tax info...they filed an extention for us and we're almost done, just have to finalize some details about the new size of the studio and prices on some purchases...I've got to line up a storage facility so we can store our lawn equipment, since we have no garage and i'm paranoid that this stuff will grow legs and walk outta the backyard...not that we live in a bad part of town, we don't...but there are punk kids everywhere, no matter where you live...even at our house in Austin our fence was tagged twice with graffiti - and this was considered a 'good' part of Austin where stuff like that wasn't supposed to happen...it just learns ya that it happens everywhere, unless you live in a gated community or are in the Batcave, but then it probably happens there too...We walked home from dinner last night and our neighbor had the moo cow on her leash and was letting her eat by the side of the road...she got spooked as we came near her (slowly) cause I think she thought we were there to 'heard' her or wrangler her...she started trotting off pretty briskly and the dude had to scramble after her...we stopped and she settled and we walked around her and she was ok with that...such a cool moo cow...
I won't have beads tomorrow because I have to take Brian to the foot doctor to have his toe operated on (again)...he had the nail cut out about 6 months ago in an out-patient kinda thing, but its grown back and now looks terrible...hopefully this more invasive surgery will knock out the nail so it won't grow into his toe...his other foot seems fine...I had ingrown toenails all thru high school while in Drill TEam...being cooped up in tights and shoes and putting pressure on them was murder..now I can wear sandals and it keeps everything good...I know what he's going thru...So, tomorrow is out, and I doubt I'll get anything made, so it might be a few days before you see something from me...I'll letcha know, tho...I will prob work today and see what I can get accomplished..its all up in my head, i just need to get it onto the mandrel...

A bunting we will go...

I ventured outside into the bright sunlight to see what damage last night's storm did to my yard...I heard words (once again) like 'large hail, damaging winds, tornado activity' and with storms that show up at 2:30am, you can't really get prepared for them...I figured whatever happened, happened, its Mother Nature doing her thing...thankfully, so far I haven't seen any damage at all...But I did see an exciting new visitor to our bird feeder...a Painted Bunting...The bright colors are not what we typically see here, I've been in Austin for 20 years and have never seen this bird...

So my first thought was that it was an exotic pet that had escaped and was living in the woods...I'm glad to know that its a local who might come back and see us all summer while vacationing here...Its electric-bright and really stands out...maybe he'll make a nest and settle down...the other birds didn't seem to mind him at all...After doing a little more reading, I see that the males are being captured and kept as pets in Mexico, which is why we are seeing less and less of them...great...

Its a truly gorgeous day here, one that I will have to watch from inside while working...whaddya gonna do...Its all good, I am up early, dressed and clean and ready to get started...some breakfast first, I think...

Tasty and delicious...

Bunnies do Pirates of the Carribean in 30 seconds...

all cupcakes, all the time...

If RuPaul had a cooking show, and William Shatner showed up...

$4 gallon gas...get ready...when it takes $40 to fill my 10 gal Miata, I know the end is coming soon...

Which kitty do you choose? And of course, the famous Viking Kittens (turn down your sound if you're at work)

Bright new day...

I don't know the story with this kitty, but I found her last night on Etsy and she seems very happy, even tho she's kinda weird looking...if you wanna be a kind-heart, you can donate $1, $5 or $10 to the shelter where she hails from and get a neato pin for your trouble...I think she has a birth defect, I don't think she looks like this due to human intervention...I like weird looking kitties, so I can appreciate her funky little face...I bet she gets around just fine, tho...I gave her $10 just cause I wish I had a kitty who looked like her too...

I feel better already...some Bleak House on PBS last night, some Veronica Mars from Netflix and a good nights sleep...

Its fun to take pics of our yard as it progresses...I ran across some from Christmas when there was nothing but a few decorations in the mud...and now its bursting with color and flying bugs...and its changed even since this pic, Brian mowed the weeds and planted some hummingbbird plants yesterday...i haven't had a chance to get those in the pic yet...things move so fast...and I move so slow...but eventually it all gets done..

We have a new light in the hallway now...it looks great...very old-timey, it even has a beaded tassle hanging down...i like the warm yellow glow the glass lamps give off...makes the house feel warm...once we get some color up on the walls, it won't feel so stark...I think we have lots of hot-weather activities planned for inside the house, like fixing the flooring, painting and all sorts of other stuff we don't know how to do...we are 'outdoor' people, landscape people...but we had to learn that from scratch, so I'm sure we can learn how to paint, or replace carpet (ick, time for it to go), or how to remove that awful popcorn ceiling that I despise...I'd love to put up some faux tin ceiling tiles...this house has great bones, but it needs more personality...we'll get there...we have the front door, that's a good start...

I'm headin' to the torch soon...rock on...

Overload..

I think i've overdone it...I've had a headache all day, I'm tired, I have a sunburn and I have no energy...I'm just here regenerizing, Amelie the Fat White Lump is keeping me company and Brian is hitting the grocery store...its probably out of milk, bread and the staples...this town really hammers the grocery store, and the best time to go shopping is during church on Sunday morning, but we were outside planting more plants - for the hummingbirds...and now, we are paying for it...I'm taking the rest of the day off but I hope to be up and going tomorrow...see ya'll then...

Moving and grooving...

We started out in Austin picking up 3 cross stitch pieces that have been sitting in closets for literally YEARS...i think one of them is dated 1997...even better, the next two pieces I have in to be framed are dated 1987...but at least they are being brought out of the dark and into the light...I should take pics of my samplers that are on the wall...eventually...I've tried taking pics of Clem, but she's just very wiggly, even when Brian is here to help me...everything I've taken sux...I will post what i have, but it doesn't do her hilarity justice...
So after the cross stitch, we headed BACK to Lowe's to try and find a light for the hallway...

We grabbed a kid who was nice enough (that sounds nice, huh) to phone another Lowe's who had what we were looking for...and of course, its all being discontinued...so they were nice enough to mark the new light 50% off...so we now have two lights to hang, in case we don't like one of them...sigh...its almost done...and then we move onto a new project in the house...dunno what yet...paint? flooring? bathroom? we'll figure out something...

Once home, we've been in the yard, eating our Subway sandwiches, and Brian has been mowing while I've been dead heading the roses...our yard is a sea of color and movement...the most exciting visitor so far - a small all-green hummingbird spent a few seconds at our salvia gregii and then onto our mexican sage...I think he was here for about a minute, but it seemed like forever...of course, after that treat, we had to head to the local nursery (with dog in tow) and pick up MORE hummingbird plants...my favorite blue spires sage...and a few firecracker plants...tomorrow they go in the ground (the other part of the yard that we are slowly creeping into)...I found our lone monarch caterpillar way across the yard, so I scooped him up (he froze when I picked him up) and placed him back on his milkweed (its the only thing they eat, if he was gone too long, he'd starve)...

The days are so nice, breezy, warm, not too hot or humid (they say its 90% humidity, but it sure doesn't feel like it)...I haven't taken a single pic from yesterday's class...I haven't even unwrapped the cross stitch pieces, they are just leaning against the wall in their brown paper...why is it that some days are full of excitment and others are dry? I have too much to say, too much to show and not enough time to get it all done...Thanks for checking back, I've got a new (well, its a repeat, but a fave) color scheme to make some beads with, I'll start on that Monday...so expect beads next week if all goes as planned..............go look for a hummingbird in your own backyard now...go...do it...

Roaming and Roving

9:30pm I'm all smarted up on knitting with roving now...its really quite groovy..and a lot like knitting with yarn, except you can't be really tough with it or you'll just pull it apart...more on that later...I'm glad that I'm home now, it feels like I left here a week ago...after class Brian and I hit the theatre for Aqua Teen Hunger Force...funny, but if you don't know the cartoon, don't bother...More info tomorrow about the class, meeting Amy Singer and Jillian Moreno from Knitty.com and some pics of my class examples...i'm tired...!

9:30am I'm gonna learn how to use roving for things other than spinning today...the team from the Knitty.com website is here in Austin and I'm taking a class with one of them this afternoon...I have plenty of roving for spinning, but I don't know how to use a drop spindle just yet (and no, I don't have a spinning wheel just yet either)...

so I figured, until I can spin, I can at least use up this roving on something else...should be fun...I'm waiting for a spinning class, tho...a drop spindle one preferrably...I watched an episode of Knitty Gritty about dyeing your own wool...that looks fun and easy too..they mentioned using Kool Aide as well...I think I could do that...

The butterflies are starting to gear up here...I saw a variety in the garden yesterday...now that I planted the passionvine, I've seen a gulf fritilary laying eggs and hanging out on the zinnias and lantana...we should be overrun with fritilaries very soon, I'm sure...

Not much else is going on here...Its been a wonderful April, not hot and humid as it is typically...we've had plenty of rain so the wildflowers are still up and going (some years they get beat down by the heat so badly they just dry up)...I watched a show on PBS last night about flowers and seeds...how they are adapted to their area...once palm on the Seychelles has seeds that weigh 45 lbs...and they are travelling 40mph when they fall off the tree to the ground...get outta the way for that...and there were coconut crabs that weigh 10lbs who crawl out and crab coconuts as they drop and can bust those things open and eat the coconut meat inside...impressive...it was a good show...I wish I could watch Planet Earth on Discovery but there's too much animal death for me...its a pretty show when they aren't showing animals being eaten, tho...

Beads have been delivered

The Bead Fairy dropped off her stash and ran...I think a butterfly was chasing her...

I discovered our lone monarch caterpillar today...we lost him for a few days, but he was out chomping on leaves this morning...the roses are starting to open on the Heritage, although my other rose bushes have been going bonkers...its a great time of year...the milk cow is outside, the goats are making noise, the cats are hunting and the squirrels are chittering at the dog...

I hope you get to see some sunshine this weekend...I think we may work around the house this weekend...groovy...

I'm up too early...

Well, too early for me...but the good news is, i have beads from the kiln...just not enough to post today...I'm shooting for tomorrow IF IF IF everything goes well today and I get more made this evening...I have some errands in Austin which I'm finding tends to blow holes in my day, so I'm hoping that I'm home by 3:00 and can get back to the torch...as of right now, I don't see any reason why I can't...the rain has moved on and its supposed to be a nice few days...lets hope it all works out the way I planned...

I'm really happy with the beads I made, I've discovered the 'secret' to making truly ROUND lentils...round..not 'axe head' shaped...not fat and thick...these are round like a quarter and the edges are nice and sharp (not to cut you of course)...Its only taken me 4 years to figure out how to do this...I'm sure I'll prattle on about it more tomorrow once I get pics posted...I haven't worked with the lentil shape in ages...so its nice to spend some time with it...

I've kinda stopped knitting for the week until I can figure out if the lace pattern I'm doing is coming out correctly...its a whole new area for me and it just doesn't look right..I'll take it to my instructor on Fri and get her opinion...she's working the same pattern and her piece looked so good, but mine is a bit like a fishing net...there's no pattern, just thread looped everywhere...I think I need to start my next fair isle tote...the yarn is wound, just waiting for me...time to get those new patterns going...

All the cats and dog are fast asleep...zzz...except Amelie who is waiting for me to walk to every food bowl and make sure its loaded w/ nuggets...the thing is, i've already checked them all but she doesn't know that...she's my little 'empty food bowl' alarm...if there is a bowl empty in the house, she runs to it and chirps...no wonder she weighs so much...poor little stray kitty...

Ah yes...and then the soreness settles in...

I spent from 11:00am to 5:00pm planting and mulching yesterday...sure, I took a break to go buy more plants, and then I put all them in the ground as well...I was so zoned last night all I could do was sit and stare ahead of me...Brian even made me a sandwhich cause I was too tired to get up...I feel better today a little more sore (tomorrow will prob be the 'big day' of soreness, I'm already looking forward to it)...I can feel it in the back of my thighs and my lower back...but exercize is good for you, right? They say that gardening is a form of exercize and after lugging around bags of dirt and mulch, as well as digging holes and such, I believe it...

We had our purple martin house prepped yesterday...the dude who sells them is knowledgeable about where the bird house best sits on your property to ensure you'll get the birds...they aren't like typical birds, they are very picky about where they nest - you can't have trees too close, or anything that might allow preditors to perch and wait...so while we thought it would go in the backyard, it actually ended up in the front...I just hope the birds find the house and want to get in it...we have to keep it all 'boarded up' (with black tape) so the sparrows and other birds don't take over residence first...so we wait and watch for the purple martins to sit on the power wires and in trees, and once they congregate, we can start letting them in...once they establish a home, they'll return year after year to the same place...they are great at consuming loads of mosquitoes and are rely on humans for habitats because we've cleaned out their natural nesting locations...all in all, I hope we see birds this year...

Thanks for ALL youre nice comments/emails about the fair isle tote...I'm tickled that its made such a splash...I still haven't attached the handles or lined it yet, I need to make a trip to town and get my supplies...so for now, its just 'resting' on the television table where I can see it and enjoy it and where the cats and dog won't destroy it...ha...

Busy day..need to get started...its supposed to rain..i hope so...all those new plants would love a good rain...

Its time to work off some energy...

While the kiln is heating up, I'm in the yard...digging..planting...mulching...and of course sweating...its only 66 outside accoridng to Weatherbug, but if you're just rocking in on the porch with a lemonade, I'm sure its quite comfy...but when you're diggin in the sunshine, pulling weeds, moving dirt, and hauling bags of mulch and soil outta the truck, you get a might bit worked up..still, it could be worse...its gonna be in the mid 80s later this week and I know I don't wanna be workin outside then...bah...hope ya'll in the East fared well with that storm that passed thru here...we had tornadoes in downtown Austin and it took out loads of old fantastic trees...gah...the humans rip out enough trees as it is, they're making Austin look more and more like Houston every day, we can't handle losing more trees...it was quiet where we live, just some rain...the soil is actually rather moist as I dig into it, and I'm glad about that...

So, more beads this week indeed...my kiln was making weird words when I was trying to get it to come on this morning...I hope that doesn't mean its little memory has fried...its been a good little digital controller for many years, I don't want to have to get another one and program it too...boo...but it seems to be working, I can hear it clicking from here...

I've been working on a few rows of this new lace pattern made using flax thread...Its a total change from using Cascade 220 with the tote...I'm not sure I like it just yet...but i'll give it a little more time...it might be one of those projects that I need to leave until I'm further along in my knitting knowledge...not that the pattern is hard, its not at all...but the thread, while I love linen, is weird and not inspiring...its monochromatic and I miss my color changes...I do believe I like the variety in color, even if its 6 shades of the same color...I like looking ahead...I feel like getting more flowers for the yard...I think I smell a road trip before I settle into the torch...

Why does this have to be so hard?

The ultra cool light I bought for our hallway is just too big...so Brian packed it up and we took it back...but the store didn't have the new light I wanted, so we went to TWO other Lowe's, only to discover that they don't carry the same styles of lights...wha??? Needless to say, after all the running around, we came home empty handed...I figured I'd just order it from their website, but guess what...its not listed on their site...good grief...now what...

We found the Apple store at a very hard to find new shopping center in Austin called The Domain...its built like Rodeo Drive, with very hoity shops (Neiman, Tiffany's, Macy's, Ralph Lauren, etc), but it was a bitch to find from the freeway...

Eventually Brian found a back entrance and we got to the store and I was able to actually punch some keys on a Macbook Pro..pretty sweet stuff in there...I used a Mac ages ago and had an iMac for a time, but hadn't really played w/ any of their equipment lately...I'm not ready to put my pennies on the table for one just yet, but maybe eventually I will...I like the packaging of all the stuff, everything is so streamlined and sleek compared to PC driven goods...still I do love my PC, I've been troubleshooting on IBM machines since 1990 and while I grew up on DOS so to speak, I have no plans on giving it up entirely...its what I know...I like my right click button, I like how quick I can move around in a PC...but for what I do, I don't really need a PC...a Mac can do it for me just as well...

My felted tote was a real hit at my class yesterday...we met for our second session, and I was the only one who brought a felted finished bag, but two others brought finished unfelted bags and they were able to wash them in class (the shop has a washing machine on site, the buildings are actually 3 small funky houses, so there are plenty of sink/washing connections for all your felting needs)...it was so cool to see all the color combos too...oh, and if you like the pattern, the instructor said she plans on selling it, so I'll letcha know when its available..she's also putting together new fair isle tote patterns for the Fall...cool...I can see some in autumn colors, maybe w/ pumpkins and leaves in the borders...oooo!

Ok, so I'm a cold weather wuss...

Its cold here...Brian has all the windows and doors open but its windy as heck and its blowing 45 degree weather into the house...I finally closed most of them (in the rooms where he wasn't) and its feeling a little better in here...Clementine was trying to climb under my denim shirt to get warm...she's a little more relaxed now...

I'm glad ya'll are enjoying my foray into knitting...the tote is still crammed with towels to help it dry in shape...i suppose I can take them out now, but believe it or not the bottom is still damp...it was overcast and rainy yesterday so I couldn't stick it in the sun to dry properly...i'm working on a the little felted clutch that I started in the Continental class...it'll be a great little bag for the tote...pics to come when complete, of course...

I should be wearing my felted clogs right now...heh...

Do you watch the show on PBS called "Everyday Food"? They have a magazine on the market as well, its all produced my Martha Stewart I believe...its a really neat little show about making simple meals...the hosts aren't as obnoxious as certain chirpy chefs on Food Network and the meals are things you might actually have in your fridge...like sliced apples spread w/ peanut butter and topped with walnuts...a great little snack...todays show is all about easy sandwiches...I bought their mag a few months ago and ran across it while rifling thru my skeins of yarn the other night...now they are making chocolate sandwiches on cholla bread...awesome...

More beads to come next week...I'm trying to take weekends off to spend w/ Brian doing various home and garden improvements...but I will have plenty of time at the torch next week, and I have ideas that didn't get done...more lentils, more mini dots, neato!

Lots to see today...

I've been busy behind the scenes and today I'm posting it all for you to see...loads of beads, and some new felted projects...

I walked out the door this morning to take pics and our neighbor had a cow in his yard...dunno what that is all about...its a cool looking cow, tho...

The funny thing is, I'm outta words...nothing much is going on...I was supposed to hit Austin to help Brian, the but the car is ready and he's getting a ride at lunch, so I don't haveta make a trip in...tomorrow is my second class for the fair isle tote, but since I'm basically done, I'll see if they'll help me with something else..I bought some linen to make a lace shawl and I can't figure out how to read the pattern...its too cryptic...

So, I shall retire and fire up the kiln and get to work...blah blah blah...

Appreciate where you are...wherever you are...

After making the 90 min trip (one way) to drop off my taxes, I took the long route home (having to stop at our fave nursery)...it really made me appreciate the move we've made to the country...there was so much traffic and noise and construction and large trucks and removal of trees and countryside in Austin that I was happy to get home...I swung by the Post Office and folks smiled and said 'hi'...i don't know them, they were just polite...and as I was almost home, I saw a truck and trailer go by, carting a saddled up horse down the road...I sat on the porch, ate my lunch and visited with the mailman..he just stopped his truck at my mailbox and talked for about 15 min...

my old mailman in Austin quit his route because our neighbors were calling to report him for stepping on their lawn...and he was working 12 hour days because his route was too big...and he'd been bit by a dog...such a change of scenery out here...not that its perfect, mind you...but its quiet...and for that, i'm grateful...

I'm staying home today because I have to make more trips into town tomorrow and Saturday...time to get some work done here..I already have in mind what I wanna do...

I finished my class project (well the handles still need to be made, but the body is complete)...I'll get pics of it in the pre-felt stage because I love a 'before' and 'after' shot as much as the next person...

I watched a monarch lay eggs on our plants yesterday, and then I think I washed the eggs off while watering last night...I suck...there was also a swallowtail flitting around...lets hope we see some instars in the next few days...the 3 in the backyard didn't survive the sleet over the weekend...(its gonna be 80 today, how's that for a change of pace)...I also tossed the forest tent caterpillar that was hiding on my Heritage rose...too much foliage was missing for me to keep him around...he's in a pile of bedstraw weed (its the stuff that beds used to be stuffed with, back in the day)..lets hope he stays there...or a bird finds him...

Its a sunshine day...

Most parodies suck...I'm a sucker for a pretty decent one...the Lego Matrix was pretty good...I like this Grocery Store Wars as well...Ham Solo! Obi-Wan Canoli! pretty ingenious...

Nice weather for a drive...and I'm gettin' ready to take one...I have mucho paperwork in hand, ready to drop off...it won't get filed by MOnday, I'm sure its too late and we'll need an extension, but they'll take care of us...

I was rather productive at the torch yesterday, but am not ready to post anything till I get some more things done...I'll letcha know when its all ready...

And what else...hmmm...I guess that's it for now...I gotta get on the road...maybe I'll see something cool when I get outta the house...

And...exhale...

I 'think' my taxes are done...as much as I can do for now at least...next up, drive them to my accountant...not a short trip...

Did you see the Peeps Diorama...cute stuff...

I was sorry to see that 'Grindhouse' didn't fare well at the box office, but I only have myself to blame...we never made it out to the theater this weekend...But I have been enoying watching Kurt Russell on all the talk shows...I think he's the bee's knees...so cute....great smile, great laugh...I remember him from Disney movies back in the day...we just watched Escape from NY and The Thing the other night - great movies both...Can you believe I never stalked him while he was here filming Grindhouse? What's wrong with me?

I'm nearly done w/ my class project that's due Saturday...still more knittin' to do...I might not get it done...not that it has to be done, really...the point of the second class is to help with any questions or problem areas...I'd like to be finished, tho...we'll see...

I've downloaded my first podcast..I'm so out of touch, but i'm trying to catchup...I've decided to try the Harry Potter "The Leaky Cauldron" podcast...its full of the latest and greatest info...Hey, there's Neville talking to me right now...crazy...

One word: TAXES

Yeah, that's what I'll be working on today...gathering up receipts, organizing numbers, etc...the best part is, I don't have to DO the taxes, I take them to a great CPA I've been using since 1990...so after I eat my Cheerios with strawberries, I'm going into hiding and dwelling in the land of paper and numbers...horror...

It was a weekend full of home improvement projects...we could be the poster children for Lowe's...First, we installed a new ceiling fan upstairs that's all acrylic and metal...very modern...and it works great! Next, we tried to tackle the new light for our landing, but the electric box won't support the weight of this (its a big big light!), so we moved onto the front hallway light instead...

its a smaller version of the big one, and it went together pretty easily..the instructions are really weak, but between the two college graduates of engineering, we managed to get it hung and it works...it reminds me of those old ice cream parlors, the glass is a warm yellow w/ etched designs in it...very groovy indeed...

So today has been catchup around the house...cleaning up what didn't get addressed over the weekend...I took inventory of the yard, it looks like the purple morning glory took the hardest hit, I'm not sure it'll survive...and the three instar caterpillars all seem to be 'not moving' so I'm not sure about them, but I relocated them from the grapefruit to the lime tree...we'll see...everything else looks like it survived the 30 degree sleet pretty well...I uploaded seed for the birds, dumped the compost of old grapes and apples and secured the young growth of our tree to a sturdy pole so the branches won't break...now if I can only get the dog to stop barking at nothing...

Happy Easter!

Load up on eggs and chocolate...Enjoy your Sunday...

I'm...Dreaming...of a White....Easter...

Oh heck no! Its 31 and sleeting outside...we've brought the baskets and loose flowers onto the porch...I'm worried about the citrus trees...as long as it doesn't get TOO cold overnight, we should be ok by tomorrow...I see lots of pink and white on radar - snow and ice...On the good side, we picked up the new lights for the hallway, did some grocery shopping and are having chili for dinner...tasty...

Oh heck yeah! Its 36 outside right now...chilly bumps...So, what do you do if there's 4 ft of snow on the ground and you've got Easter eggs to hide? Keep them white and hide them in the snow to make it harder for the kids to find? Do people even hide eggs outdoors? We always found our eggs inside..probably because it was freakin' COLD outside in April in Chicago...I can remember ice skating at Eastertime when I was growing up, so I guess its not all that crazy for this weather...it is for us in Texas, tho...its gonna be in the 80s in just a day or two...what scares me is there is ICE coming deep into Texas...I worry that all my plants will have their own icicles on them...maybe I'll stay outside w/ a hair dryer...ha...just kidding...today and tomorrow are the dicey ones, after that its smooth sailing into sunshine...the house is cold, I think I need my felted clogs...how weird!

I'm still watching the Masters even tho poor Tiger is having trouble...I must admit I'm a Tiger groupie...I enjoy watching him play...he's just so good and exciting to watch, if you can call golf 'exciting'...its not quite football, but he makes things fun to watch...I played golf once...just once...that was enough for me...freakin' hard! I'd rather ride in the cart and drink bloody marys...

We have a ceiling fan to install and I've found some lights I want to install in the entryway and hallway...indoor projects...Brian is still asleep, I think the Denver trip wore him out...can't blame him...

Amelie is zipping around from foodbowl to bowl, checking to make sure they have food in them...she needs to be stocked up at all times, and she'll sit and chirp next to a bowl that's empty...even if all the others are full...she's so funny about having enough food to eat, something about being a hungry stray on the streets...I wanna take pics of Clem outside so you can get a good view of her, but its too chilly today...soon, tho...and you're gonna laugh...she's def back to her old self now, tho...being silly, jumping around the house, playing and having fun...she's a hoot...

Gimme more ice in my lemonade!

P.S...yes, i screwed up the column setting..sorry..will fix it eventually...bah..

I had some fun and found loads of beads to offer...who knew? I strung some of these up just today and now I want to wear them, BUT I won't...I promise...Cootie-free beads!

While I was on my trips yesterday, I enjoyed the wildflowers that are all over the hillside..we haven't seen them for a few years due to the drought...but this year...is really nice! here are some examples...

Yesterday was filled with road trips and garden adventures...no snakes appeared, tho...I drove into town and picked up my ceiling fan that's been on order for a month...and then ventured to the far (very far) north yarn shop for some more Cascade 220 because I'm running low on some of the colors in my class project...alas, they had none of what I needed...so I bought a Subway and some Starbucks and came home....the dog loves to go for rides in the truck, so I shuttled her to the nursery where I picked up some really neato little annuals and made two hanging baskets (pics to come) for the front yard...folks started talking to the dog and so I brought her out of the truck...

and she leaned against everyone, asking for pets...once I tried to get her back in the truck - no dice...she insisted we go for a walk instead...so around the nursery we went...reluctantly she did get back in for me afterward and then spent the afternoon digging and planting with me...it was a big day for her because Brian came home and took her for another walk...she slept soundly, indeed...

The cold front that is bringing ya'll snow up North is dropping our temps as well...its 52 outside, which I don't think its been since February...I think I have to get my poncho out..in April...crazy...but I need (NEED) to take pics of the plants and goodness...and I wanna take pics of Clem outside...so I've got some outside work to do..

Beads? I do have some, but haven't been on the torch for a few days...Lemme see what I can do...

Its that time of year...

You know what's on television this weekend? That's right...The MASTERS!! Must...watch...pretty...television...Grindhouse opens this weekend...Easter is this weekend...eventually one day I must put together my taxes and take them to our CPA...I'm pretty sure they'll have to file an extension, but it'll only be for a few weeks...

I really like Texas this time of year...we had a cold front blow thru, and it was 88 yesterday and 61 today...the rains brought all the wildflowers up and the countryside is a sea of blue and mixtures of fuchsia, gold, orange, pink, yellow, white...just gorgeous...

I got some beads made yesterday, but not nearly enough...so more today...i'm happy with them...perfect for the spring/summer time...i've got more ideas of stuff to make, and want to get it done before I post anything...

And there you have it...life is good...

The world keeps churning along..

I'm at my torch...Brian is in Denver...I'm trying to get a really groovy sewing center table from a very nice lady off Craigslist, if I can only arrange a time to have it loaded into my truck...I want to go to the nursery and load up on nectar flowers for the butterflies that are teasing me by flying right by the house, but not stopping...I have plenty of host plants, but not enough nectar ones...i feel a roadtrip coming on...good thing the local nursery is just down the road about a mile...I checked on that dandelion that was as tall as the 6' ladder, its about 7.5 feet now...but dying quickly...the morning glories are still blooming, and I want them to grab hold of the fence and never let go...so far they are being a little shy about that...

I've been working my magic new continental knowledge on my fair isle felted tote project and its coming right along...I LOVE having a yarn in each hand, knitting English and Continental at the same time...Its not very fast right now, I'm still practicing and the needles are bamboo so the yarn doesn't slip easily, but still its a blast a minute...I've also found that I will need to get more yarn for this project, while the directions say you need '5 colors' they don't mention that you probably need at least 2 skeins of each color...I have been rummaging for yarn from my stash, and so the tote will be very mulitcolored, but ya know what? that's O-TAY...

I hear my generator running, I think my O2 valve might be releasing all my precious O2, so I'm gonna go check on it...and make some beads in the meantime...rock on!

Here they come...

Over the weekend, we saw 4 monarchs...I think they are on migration...we have lantana and butterfly weed that is flowering, so I hope they stop and lay some eggs...Brian put in the fennel and dill I bought, so the swallowtails have a place to lay eggs...we keep looking and so far, nothing...but as soon as I see some wiggling movement, I'll get some pics...you know it...

I thought I was the only one who felt '24' was sucking this year, compared to how great it was last year...apparently, I'm not alone...

Sure, this is a day late, but I only just found it today, so there...if you are a geek, or know a geek or just like funny pranks, this page has loads of them...funnily, we used to do some of these when I worked at Origin...the 'removing of the mouse ball' was common..the 'changing how the mouse moves in the opposite direction' was also fun...before we all got PC's, we were on OLD Mac SE computers that were tiny little machines, but had a great email feature - you could send an email and then recall it before the person read it...there were 4 of us in one small room and you could hear the 'ding' when an email would arrive, and watch the person hunt for it, and get confused when no email was there...we were easily amused...

My continental knitting is coming right along...up till 1:00am working on it...my tote is getting further along...I've had to add a new color to the mix, as I'm running out of some colors...so far, I'm pretty happy with it...

Its starting to get humid outside now...can't open the doors/windows as much as we could last month...we have such a small window of Spring/Fall, we have to enjoy it while it lasts...the pecan trees are coming into leaf and the wisteria has dropped all its petals...but our yard is looking good...!

Who Fooled You?

Every year I want to do an April Fool's prank on this site, but every year I choose not to because I'm afraid someone will take the prank as serious and it could cause a lot of trouble...you know, like saying I'm quitting the bead making business, or that I'm moving to Buenas Aires or I've adopted a kangaroo because the zoo had too many...but alas, I wuss out and don't pull the prank afterall...did you get pranked today? So far, I must say its been a pretty tame day...no outrageous gags...

I know how to Continental knit now...woohoo to that...Actually, we learned not only to continental, but also to do fair isle at the same time...I'm actually knitting with yarn in both hands now, a little throw here, a little conti there...its fantastic...loves it...we didn't get to see how to purl in Continental, (at least the instructor never made it around to us to demonstrate) so I'll just refer to some of my TiVo'd KNitty Gritty episodes...I've seen such quick knitting/purling on there that I could watch some of the guests forever...Its fun and I'm glad I know how to do it...

Brian is leaving on business for 3 whole days this week, so I'll be running the show alone...loud music, late nights, too much hershey's syrup, you know the drill...chocolate ice cream and pizza every day! well, not really, that actually sounds kinda nauseating right after eating dinner, but I will get stuff done here, I'm sure...like pics and shipping and beads etc...I'm ready to jump on the torch, indeed...

And so, now that I have the hiccups, I'm gonna go get some water and try to get further on my felted tote from yesterday's class..now that I have this new knowledge of the fast and furious knitting technique, i'm gonna give it a whirl...maybe I won't wind up with a fistful of knots...I can only hope...