Lovely Gloomy Day

It was a drizzly day, but still unusually warm. I had a wonderful afternoon with Michelle and Dianne (RaveLink). We met at Yellow Dog Knitting and then went across the street to the Acoustic Cafe for soup. Michelle and I also stopped at Dessert First for their famous cupcakes (holey moley!!!)

The gals introduced me to Melissa at the shop (hi, Melissa!) She also keeps sheep. It's nice to live in a small town where everyone loves wool.

I was thrilled to find that Dixie (RaveLink) had set aside the latest Garnstudio Drops pattern booklet for me. I swear that lady must have ESP - I was on my way in to get it, and found that she'd saved the last copy with my name on it! Now that is service! (They are checking to see if they can get more copies in, as Michelle also wants this issue, so if you're interested, feel free to give them a call.)

After seeing a sample shawl (RaveLink) that Dixie had knit from the book (#108-47 on the Garnstudio page), I knew I had to make it. Dixie used the Garnstudio Alpaca yarn with a thin thread of soft, silver, sparkly stuff. It gives the impression of beading without the work, and doesn't alter the feel of the shawl in the least. So I purchased the yarn to shamelessly copy her efforts, as well as a skein of Kureyon sock yarn in greens and purples. I'm always a sucker for the Noro colors, and Cindi (RaveLink) said people are making nice little shawlettes with this, so I had no choice. Ahem.

I meant to take lots of pics but I was having so much fun gabbing that I forgot to take out my camera until I was on the way home and saw this leafless oak in a newly-harvested corn field. Hope that will give you a little taste of this fall day. I also intended to take a pic of my Turtle Turtle cupcake for you, but I ate it as soon as I got home - sorry.



The sun shone for a few moments today but for the most part, we had sprinkles, and then very high winds - I came home to find the lid of our grill blown clear across the yard, and many fallen branches (yay, kindling with no hard work.)

I also saw three redtail hawks gliding over the stubbly corn fields; no hiding places for rabbits, voles, and mice now that the stalks have been cut. And yesterday, I was lucky enough to see nine or ten wild turkeys in the field behind the donkeys' pasture; if you look closely you may be able to make them out behind Tikki.



The Annie Modesitt Silk Corset has been driving me bananas. Below is yet another attempt - see how far I got this time before I realized I was reading the chart wrong for the wrong side? I simply can't transpose lace charts when they use a "-" for purl on the right side, and the same symbol for knit on the wrong side - just can't wrap my brain around it being a symbol for two different stitches, though I completely understand the fabric construction. Doesn't make for "mindless" knitting (which I crave) at all.



Solution? Do it in the round! I should have listened to my instincts earlier and done it this way from the start.



Now we're in business. No more chart mistakes.

But I'm thinking the variegated yarn is looking splotchy. I haven't alternated two balls so far on this piece because I was having enough trouble with the pattern... I'm thinking I'll start alternating now to break the colors up a bit, but will the splotchiness of this neckline section bug me later on? I wonder if I should put a lifeline in? Then, if it does look wonky later, would I be able to rip this part out, pick up from the top of the next section I'm about to do, and re-knit this part backwards?

I think I think too much.



Yoda thinks I should just have a little more coffee. I think she's right. Nothing like friends, fiber, and a good cuppa' Joe on a blustery fall day.

Enough With Red And Blue - I Need Green?

You Need Some Green in Your Life

Green will make you feel alive, renewed, and balanced. And with a little green, you will project an aura of peacefulness and harmony. If you want stability, you've got to get a little green in your life!

For extra punch, combine green with blue or purple. The downside of green is that it can promote jealousy in yourself or others.

The consequences of more green in your life? You will be drawn to a new life path. You will feel free to pursue new ideas and interests, no matter how strange. You will be released from the demands and concerns of others.

What Color Do You Need?

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The guilt won out and I voted. I forgot that I had one more choice. What a country! But I didn't get cookies and I didn't get a sticker - I was bummed.





Thought I'd show you the one-room schoolhouse that serves as our voting place. One booth. Five nice ladies who remember who owned our farm 25 years ago. No line. No other voters! But it had apparently been a busy morning, with 36 people voting before we did at 8 a.m. We didn't have to present any identification - Otter Creek is a small community and as newbies, we kind of stand out (Jeff was voting in a suit in a community where most folks wear John Deere hats.)



Chef Jeff signed up to be a poll worker next year, as his company encourages employees to dedicate a day to volunteer work. The polling ladies were impressed with his Declaration of Independence Silk Tie.



Since there is only an old outhouse behind the "town hall" they have to rent a porta-potty for election day. Hee hee.

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Another glorious day here in Wisconsin, so I took the dogs up to the playpen a little early and let them blow off some steam. If you need a quick dog pen, cattle panels and posts are inexpensive, and an easy way to go. I don't know what I would do without an area where they could all safely romp and get out their P&V. Daily exercise makes them so much more well-behaved indoors, and being youngsters (except for Valentine), they really need to work off some adrenaline every day.



Exercise is a better option, I believe, than crating a dog who suffers from boredom when its "parents" are away. A crate is great for giving a dog a den for a feeling of security, or for playing a role in housebreaking a puppy in-between letting it out every three hours... but it's no replacement for the daily workout that every healthy dog needs, and which will help prevent him from releasing his energy through chewing up your sofa cushions while you're at work.



That being said, if you have a young dog, expect some household losses; despite all of Molly and Emma's exercise, they still destroyed a recliner in a single afternoon. God made puppies cute directly in proportion to their penchant for mischief.



Our dogs beg to be taken to the playpen at a set time every day. They have some kind of internal alarm clock that goes off (and which has not changed despite the Daylight Savings Time switch, throwing me off), and suddenly they are all jostling me, trying to lick my face, and panting vigorously. One word - "Playpen?" - sets off a frenzy of excited barking, and we are on our way up the hill to the little run. It's shaded in summer by giant maple trees, and sunlit in winter, being on the south side of the apple orchard on the hill.

Want to see the Tuppinz Pups in action?



Molly is not supposed to dig in the pen but when she's worn out from playing tug-of-octopus with Emma, she resorts to excavating tree roots. Don't tell Chef Jeff, but I think it's funny when she does it. He's the one who fills in the holes so he doesn't find it quite as humorous.

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What a wonderful fall day! Now that the trees are a bit bare and the fields have been harvested, I can show you the layout of the farm. I took a couple of pics on my way back from voting.



The photo above is a view of our farm from the south:

A - the house amongst the old maple trees
B - the brooder house (chicken coop)
C - the goats' barn
D - the "long barn"; it's falling down so only the upstairs is used for light storage
E - the "big barn" which is being repaired; it's a former dairy cow barn
F - the donkeys' and sheeps' current shelter (will eventually be the big barn)
G - Nellie The Tractor's garage
H - hay storage
I - two more hay storage buildings
J - the neighbor's cornfield
K - another neighbor's land; we call this area "Dr. Zhivago-land" because it's full of beatiful birch trees and looks like Russia.



In the picture above, A is Jazz, Tikki, and Eli; B is a Jacob sheep to the left of a little sheep shelter; C are the guinea fowl; and D is the "basement" of the chicken coop where the sheep have excavated a hole so that they can go under the building in the summer and stay cool. They have a large building and large trees in their pasture to provide shade, but apparently the walk is too far for them, or it is cooler lying next to the rock foundation. In any case, it's quite a scene when they all decide to pop out from underneath the coop at once.

The white building is an ugly garage with a roof that leaks; it's going to have to be torn down before it falls down. I will be glad when it is gone because it is hideous and useless, and blocks a beautiful view.



Right. Here we are looking towards the south. A is the road where I took the first photo, looking north. B marks two huge mounds of dirt - a new neighbor is putting up a tractor shed on that site, prior to building a house on that land. C is "Dr. Zhivago-land" along that same road, which curves east and then south from our property. And of course in front we have Tikki and Jazz.



The sumac berries are nice and red. The leaves are almost gone. I think this is the last day of Indian Summer. I'm off to enjoy the afternoon, and curiously await the outcome of the election tonight. Have a good one, and may the best candidate win!