The Caves Project

Girl Cave, a photo by chaimann on Flickr.

Phase One of the Man Cave/Studio project is complete. The major furniture and equipment has been moved to the new locations. I am computing from my new digs in the basement - not at 100%, but getting by. T still has some network issues to straighten out.

There is still a lot of work to be done. The entire wall to the left, extending back beyond where I am standing, is piled with boxes. It's moderately well organized as clutter goes. Except for a few boxes that T packed when I wasn't looking, I know where everything is. I also have a general idea of which boxes of stuff need to be attacked first, and which have the highest potential to be leaving the house.

But look! Even with lots of stuff, there is floor space! We never had floor space before! Seeing that empty floor every time I walk into the basement is my encouragement to keep chipping away at it.

The best part is, I managed to snag one of the easy chairs, so Katie still has her favorite place to sit when she comes to visit.

Random acts of sprucing up

Slowly but surely, I am cleaning up the basement. We've hauled away some ratty old furniture, thrown away some stuff, and donated some stuff to charity. Today, I put a lot of the remaining stuff in neat rows, which will have to suffice as "order" for the time being. I set aside more things for a Goodwill run, and bagged up more garbage.

The ultimate goal is to make the main room of the basement my creative space, a studio. Really, I just wanted a place where I could set up a sewing machine, but you know how it goes - you clean one little area, then the area next to it looks bad, so you clean it, too.

To celebrate my industriousness, I sat down in a patio chair and did a little spinning. No photos - I've taken dozens of photos of the Pepto Pink fleece, and they all look about the same. But I didn't want to be picture-free, so please enjoy this artist's rendering of "Spindle, Laden with Fiber".

While I was working in the basement, our neighbor and her friend, unbeknownst to me, were doing yard work on our shared border. Suffice it to say, there is now a huge trailer in our back yard for yard debris, and tomorrow's agenda includes chainsaws, heavy ropes, and a dash of Round Up. When it is over, the sideways lilac should be upright again, and the grapevine and volunteer sycamores should be dead.

Katie at rest

100_2683 a photo by chaimann on Flickr.

I took off my sweater and folded it up. Before I could put it away, someone adopted it. You can't see it, but she is also lying on the iPod earbuds. I'm flattered that she wanted to be near me, but she always finds the most inconvenient way possible to do it.

Happy Birthday(s)!

PD_0244 a photo by chaimann on Flickr.

i can always remember when I started this blog, because it was on my brother's birthday. Tomorrow, he and the blog will both be six years farther along the path than when I started.

Like this picture, the blog has no discernible fashion sense, and I don't see it developing one any time soon. I've always said that the blog is basically stuff I would have told my parents if they were still alive. If a few people wander by and read, that's cool, too.

Once a year, though, it's also a chance to tell my big brother that he's still awesome and memorable, no matter how he is dressed.

Kobo-Kindle smackdown

Kindle v. Kobo
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Last month, I finally broke down and got an e-reader. I wasn't absolutely desperate for one, but the situation aligned itself so that I could get one at a reasonable price.

I've heard numerous reader-types say, "Oh, I wouldn't like that - I love real books too much!" To them, I can say that my little Kobo has not replaced printed books in my heart, at all. If anything, I have been reading more. I still have a couple of books going at home, but I also have a some on the Kobo for when I am out.

This picture is T's Kindle and my Kobo, side by side. It was the illustration for my review in the Piker Press.

Life is serious

ATC004
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Some days you've just gotta play.

(watercolor and ink on paper, ATC size)

Katie helps out

Katie helps out
Originally uploaded by chaimann

"Your art sucks. I'll hide it for you."

Kansas Day

KScent
Originally uploaded by chaimann

January 29, 2011, is the 150th anniversary of Kansas statehood.

In 1961, when Kansas celebrated its centennial, Pratt had a parade, and mom made sure my brother and I were decked out in our frontier finest. I know she made my dress, and a matching dress for herself. I wouldn't be surprised if she made Phil's vest, too.

Happy Sesquicentennial, Kansas!

A poem for the season

Recent conversations with a couple of football-loving girlfriends reminded me of this little ditty. I composed it when I was in junior high, back when the frozen north ruled the NFL - sort of like this year. What could have been more old school than seeing the Packers, Bears, Steelers, and Jets vying for the Super Bowl this year? I always got a vicious little thrill, seeing southern teams play up north, in falling snow, or in single-digit temps. Namby pambies. You should try living up north ALL THE TIME.

Ahem. Anyway, this is the only thing I ever wrote that I can recite in its entirety. If you would like to enjoy it for yourself, sing it to the tune of Jingle Bells.

Football games! Football games!

Frolics in the snow, 

Sitting on a frozen bench

It's just thirteen belo-ow! 

Pass received? Pass received?

We will never know, 

For the guy who made the catch

Is buried in the snow!

Dashing through snow, 

A wishbone T in play--  

There's faith though we're behind 

Nineteen to three today. 

Our team just can' t fit in

The place where we now play. 

You see, we are from Florida

And playing in Green Bay!

(repeat chorus with gusto)

(Disclaimers: Yes, I know nineteen is an uncommon score, and I know Miami didn't run the wishbone, and they certainly didn't run it across divisions against the Packers. But it's a poem, dammit, and these words scanned, and that's the important thing.)

(P.S. Go Steelers!)

My life, circa 1970

70s shirt
Originally uploaded by chaimann

I was cleaning the basement today, and found this, which my mother hung onto until she went into the nursing home. I can't imagine why. It certainly doesn't have the same sentimental value as my baby shoes, my toy telephone, and my first 4-H sewing project, all of which she also saved.

Even after all this time, there is nothing on here I would remove. I especially like the name patch. On an olive shirt, it makes it look like I am the brake repairman... of LOVE.

Wordy McWordson

My Nano pal, Holly, contributed the word list to Creative Copy Challenge this week. Then she dared me to take that challenge, and write a story using all ten words. Really, go look at that list. Note that they refer to it as the hardest list ever. How many of those words could you use with confidence? Anyway, Holly dared me by name, on Facebook. What could I do?

I could do this:

It seemed like only yesterday when Agathe had taken Heinrich under her aegis, tasking him with a panoptic study of the nature of life, and of death. Townspeople whispered about their peculiar relationship – her, a widow of a certain age, and him, a young university student who had barely a wisp of a beard. It was easy to assume that the boy had provided Agathe with certain “services” in exchange for an education. That he had long since finished his formal schooling, and continued to live in her magnificent home, further convinced some, and vaguely baffled others.

She watched from the hallway as he worked, and recalled the shy student who had come to her door one evening nine autumns ago, inquiring about lodging as several canids howled in the nearby woods. His shabby clothes had made it clear that he possessed no wealth. Heinrich had roomed there for several weeks before he had admitted that he suffered from taphephobia, the same condition that had plagued Agathe’s beloved Wilhelm. At that moment, she decided to open her entire home to him, including the laboratory and the library. He had heard rumors of her late husband’s experiments, and when he saw the long-dormant rooms, full of dusty journals and test tubes and a large Tesla coil, Heinrich’s face lit up with such verve that Agathe knew she would allow him to stay indefinitely. It was an eleemosynary gesture, of course, but she delighted in the fecund spirit that filled house while he was at work.

Heinrich stood facing a device that appeared to be a small wood stove with semaphore arms attached to either side. After adjusting several pieces, he looked up and saw his patroness in the doorway. “I think it’s ready,” he said. “Would you like to be the first to try it out?”

Junco

Junco
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Some time in the last week, our finch socks were knocked to the ground. I blame the deer, especially since every new snowfall is accompanied by hoof prints across the back yards, showing the itinerary of their grand tour.

The finches are skittish about eating that close to the ground, but the juncos love it. A few minutes after I took this picture, there were half a dozen of them pecking away at the nyjer seed.

More snow is in the forecast. I need to get a new sock for the finches - and figure out how to keep the deer away from it.

Ignore this post

I'm just testing Blogger's email posting capability.

A Major Award

Though no diligence of my own, I won a prize drawing on the Never Not Knitting blog. I couldn't get a good picture of it because it is cloudy and dreary here today. Just go to Alana's blog to see everything. The yarn, especially, is squee-worthy - shiny and soft and squeezable. Thank you, Alana!

The sweater, meanwhile, has been stalled, for reasons about which I do not feel at all guilty. The body is worked up to the armhole, though, and a little bit beyond that. I feel like a major part of it is out of the way, and I hope to be able to get back to it soon. In fact, it is supposed to be cold and icky this weekend, so that may be a good time. Whenever that day comes, I will freshen up the photo gallery.

While I haven't been knitting, I have been spinning.



I bought this fiber on a lark, but I really love the way the color changes happen in it. The spindle is packed full, though, so I have started winding this batch off. It is taking FOREVER.

NaKniSweMo

Cafe Bastille, day 4
Originally uploaded by chaimann

My decision to knit a sweater this month seems to have been a good one. I'm having a blast and making good progress. This photo was from a couple of days ago, and shows one repeat of the Trellis motif. I now have two repeats done, so it's double this size. The body of the sweater will have about 5.5 motifs, so I am well on my way.

I've been wanting to try NaKniSweMo for at least a couple of years, but kept getting sucked in by writing instead. I'm glad I switched this year. The other two sweaters I have knit have taken me YEARS to finish, because I lose interest and ignore them for months. The deadline on this one, even though self-imposed, has kept me focused on the task. The sweater promises to be really warm, and I'm looking forward to having it when the snow flies.

Good effin' luck with that

In a few more hours, it will be November 1, and the beginning of NaNoWriMo 2011. I've participated several times, with varying degrees of success, but this year I am begging off.

My friend Aser said of my intentions to bail out--

Cheryl (...) refuses to do it. In fact, her slogan for the rest of us who do make the attempt is, "Good effin' luck with that."

I justify my decision thusly:

• I complain constantly while I do it. Ask my husband.
• I have never produced a first draft worthy of polishing into a real novel.
• By the time December comes, I hate writing. Really, really hate it.
  

It's the last one, especially, that keeps convincing me that this is the right choice for me.

By now, though, I am completely accustomed to thinking of November as the month to take on a big and slightly crazy challenge. After weighing several ideas, I've decided that my official crazy challenge will be to knit a sweater in November. I've been eying Cafe Bastille Cables ever since I (re)started knitting, and even bought yarn for it a few years ago. Now, I think, is the time. I knit my gauge swatch this afternoon, and I should be ready to cast on tomorrow.

I won't be leaving writing behind completely. My friend K just received a response from an editor with specific ideas to incorporate in re-writing one of her novels. Because of this, she is ditching Nano and working on editing/rewrites. Since several of the things the editor mentioned are also observations I have made, I have appointed myself her drill sergeant. We are tentatively planning a writing retreat in a couple of weeks, and if the knitting is on schedule, I will try to take a writing break for myself.

Whether you are Nano-ing or setting yourself another challenge this month - Good effin' luck with that!

Summer's last gasp

Roses
Originally uploaded by chaimann

It was blustery last week, and we even had a couple of light freezes. Apparently the house protected the little rose bush from the worst of the north wind. Yesterday afternoon, it was covered in blossoms.

This week's excuse

I've whined here about how I should spend more time blogging and less time Facebooking, to little effect. Recently, though, Holly pointed out that October is National Blog Writing Month (or National Blog Posting Month, depending on which way you swing). She followed that up with a witty post where she infused a common daily activity with tons of drama. "I could do that," I thought.

First, I just needed to pop in to see the dentist about a mild toothache. It had been worse over the weekend (naturally, when every dentist office in town is closed), but was barely noticeable yesterday morning. I was expecting, "We need to replace that filling," or "It looks like you have a crack - have you been eating almonds again?" But no. To summarize his diagnosis, "That wisdom tooth needs to go, and that tooth next to it isn't looking so hot, either. Here's the number for the oral surgeon."

I wasn't all that surprised that the wisdom tooth - my sixth, and last - was the culprit. I knew it was sitting up there, impacted, and would probably have to go someday. I called the oral surgeon's office, expecting to get an appointment in a few days, but instead was told, "We can get you in at 1:00."

Five hours after my first appointment, I was minus two teeth and dropping off a prescription at the pharmacy, trying desperately not to look desperate for the meds. Then I went home and dipped into my good meds from a previous illness, and that helped me keep my cool for the rest of the day.

I'm doing better today. There isn't a lot of pain, but I'm sort of groggy. Apparently, I didn't sleep as well last night as I thought.

And that is why I didn't blog yesterday.

Buckeyes

Buckeyes
Originally uploaded by chaimann

This dish of buckeyessits in the Garst farmhouse at Whiterock Conservancy, Coon Rapids, IA, where it is VERY windy. Autumn, it has arrived.

Still trying to photograph ink samples

Still trying to photograph ink samples
Originally uploaded by chaimann

This sample is a little better than the previous one. I'm still having trouble getting the green to show up - proving, I suppose, how subtle the color really is.

Review: J. Herbin Ink, Vert Empire

Awhile back, inspired by Chas Wallace over at The Piker Press (this review in particular), and bored at the mall while T got a haircut, I decided to buy a fountain pen. The managing editor of the Press knows this, in part because I keep sending postcards to her house, just as an excuse for using my nice pen for something besides scribbling sticky notes at the office.

When the nice folks at Jetpens offered to send her some inks for review, she kindly passed one of them along to me, with the disclaimer, "I think it's green." That was okay with me. I have wine, turquoise and purple inks in my small collection, and green would make a nice addition.



The ink she sent me is J. Herbin Vert Empire. Empire Green, I determined from my rusty college French. J. Herbin should know about empires. According to their web site, this French company has been making ink since 1670. Louis XIV used their ink, as did Victor Hugo. Judging from the color sample on the top of the box, this ink would be a deep, solid, green.

The bottle is square and squat. Unlike some other ink bottles, I felt confident that this one was not likely to tip over if the cat whacked it with her tail while I was mid-fill. It also has an indentation at the front of the bottle - a pen rest. If you are using the ink with a dip pen, that is probably quite handy.

As I started writing with the pen, I was a bit disappointed in the color of the ink. It was a little more grayed out than I expected, more of a dark olive green. It wasn't a bad color, just different.



After a few days, though, the color started to grow on me. Sometimes it looks more gray than green to me. In fact, it was hard to photograph the writing sample so that the green showed very clearly. It photocopied well, and the color was subtle enough that I had no qualms about using it to sign documents or write checks. The ink is water-based, but it survived my low-tech attempt to remove it from a piece of paper. It is also supposed to be light-fast.

Feathering and drying times varied, depending on the paper. In the sample above, it feathered far less than the black Uni-ball in the comparison. On decent journal paper, it dried within a second or two, but on regular office copier paper, it took six or seven seconds.

This seems to be a good-quality ink, and if you are looking for a signature ink color that is not too flashy, Vert Empire might do the trick.

The Tiny Turk

I know, I know. Bad blogger, no cookie. It's truly sad that I have gone almost 5 months without a post. It's sad that I've had a couple of comments awaiting moderation since June. But then, they came in three months after the post, so I'm not alone in my tardiness.

Sometimes I just get out of the habit of public self-reflection. Sometimes I get busy. And sometimes I spend my free time doing other stuff.

This month, I have been spinning. You know, yarn. Spinners have taken to adopting the time of the Tour de France as their own Tour de Fleece. Participants strive to spin every day that the Tour rides.

I decided it was time to put up or shut up about learning to spin. I "learned" several years ago, but my progress has been sporadic. Just like many things, you need to practice regularly in order to improve. What a concept.

I jumped in with with abandon this time, and finally, something clicked. I finished my yarn from last year (at left, below). I tried some new fibers and new techniques. I made some mistakes, and I learned some things. I got comfortable enough that I have kept spinning even after the event is done.



As my own personal reward, I ordered a tiny Turkish spindle on from Threads Thru Time on Etsy. It arrived today, and oh my, is it cute!



You can see in the first two photos on the left how it is in three pieces. That is interesting because once the yarn is spun and wound onto it (center photo), you can just remove the arms and have a nice little center-pull ball of yarn.

Gone

T checked as soon as he got home from work. Apparently our friends from the city figured out how to remove the deer.

I hate finding dead wildlife on the property, especially if they are regular visitors. Even if I've only watched them from the window, I feel like we are friends. I'm a sap that way.

Ah, homeownership!

Remember when I posted that a deer was spending hours hanging around our shed, and I wondered if it was sick or injured? And it finally wandered off?

Well, it came back, and it ain't wandering off this time.

I opened the blinds when I got home from work, and there was the deer lying in the classic dead-deer position, at the usual spot in front of the shed. T went out and checked, and it is indeed dead.

Then we hemmed and hawed about what to do. I mean, you can't just bag up a dead deer like you can a groundhog. Fortunately, a little web searching turned up a city number we could call, and they have a contractor that will come pick up dead animals.

The contractor called to ask questions about the corpse in question. Where is it? Will one person be able to move it? T replied, just a tad brusquely, to the second question, "I don't know. I've never had to move a deer."

They are supposed to come pick up the deer tomorrow. I hope so. Seeing it outside my window harshes my vibe.

In other "news", if you want to call it that, Friday marked five years that I have had this blog. As you can see, it has languished recently. It seems like there is always some new shiny spot on the intrawebs battling for attention. It's easy to dump a bunch of photos on Flickr, or make a quick comment on Facebook, but it misses some of the narrative storytelling that is possible in a blog.

We hear about kids having shorter attention spans because of the fast pace at which information can move, but I see myself in that, as well. I've been thinking about how I can slow down a bit, and give more attention to quality than to quantity. Maybe this is a place to start.

Our latest shed animal

p2060123.jpg
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Long-time readers of this blog will recognize our garden shed, background for many photos, and temporary shelter to numerous animals over the years.

This was a new one.

We took a few pictures and then went off to a meeting.

Four hours later, the deer is still out there. Now we are wondering if it is injured or ailing. There is a hole nearby, courtesy of Chuckie, and it could have stepped in it and injured a leg. It doesn't seem agitated or frightened, though.

Any animal people have any suggestions?

Update:By midnight, the deer had wandered off. Animal lover angst averted. Whew.

Pimping my pals

One of the happy side-effects of participating in NaNoWriMo over the years has been getting to know lots of interesting people who love words. A couple of those people have new stuff going.

Holly Jahangiri has written almost everything, from poetry to tech manuals. Holly has just published her second book for children, A Puppy, Not a Guppy. It's the story of Irma, who really wants a dog, but ends up with not just a guppy, but three of them. Irma is visiting a number of blogs this week, so you can get to know her and hear a bit more about her story. The tour starts here, with a visit to the book's publisher. (And if you have a kid who is freaked out by the monster under the bed, check out Holly's previous book, Trockle, about a monster who is freaked out by the kid above the bed.)

Jon Renaut has been writing in his blog, Ebooks Yearn to Be Free, about finding a new model for for digital distribution of content . Last month, he launched Manfred Macx, a new kind of publishing company. The idea is to let authors make money by selling any number of things (not just print books), while still allowing free distribution of e-books. An author could sell a personal letter, or a batch of fudge, or a phone call on your birthday, as well as print copies of a book. Once her monetary goal has been met, the e-book is released for free.

Check them out!

Hanging around

Ginger cat
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Video may have killed the radio star, but Facebook killed blogging - or at, least, diverted some attention from it. Within seconds of activating my Facebook account a few months ago, I received a Wall message from a friend who said, in essence, "Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated."

I'll give Facebook credit - It has attracted people who would never have a blog, including some technophobes I know. Updates are quick, and it's pretty easy to check up on a whole bunch of people with not too much effort. Seeing an update from my best friend from junior high or my college roommate makes me happy, since I know neither of them is likely to read this blog, and we are all pathetic letter writers.

Also, my work schedule has been crazy, and my attention span has shrunk to nothing. (Keep your fingers crossed that this situation will improve in the near future. The work, at least. We'll see if that helps the attention span.) Who has time for a thoughtful, entertaining blog post?

But, my desk still faces the back window, and I still watch the finches working the feeder, watch the leaves change and fall, watch the shifting colors of the sky.

The picture is of our current four-legged hanger-on. Unlike the late Shed Kitty, Ginger Kitty is extremely friendly. He tries to rub against me if I approach him, and tries to come into the house if he thinks there might be food in here.

Like him, I'm still hanging around.

A sweet night

Last night, we had a visit from my college roommate and her husband. They live in New England, and I used to get out there every few years to visit, but haven't been out in a long time. How long? I think the last time, her youngest was not in school yet, or possibly in kindergarten. That one is now a college graduate and planning her wedding this fall. They had never met T, and we've been traveling together for 14 or 15 years now.

We picked them up after we got off work and went to Raccoon River Brewing Company for dinner. Then we drove around the old haunts, and ended up at a coffee shop with a patio, where we sat and visited until they ran us out.

My friend once said, "Even when we haven't seen each other for awhile, when we get together, it always seems like it was just yesterday." I wondered, though, if that would still be the case, after so many years.

It is.

If you fill it....

Peaceable kingdom
Originally uploaded by chaimann

They will come.

Animal guru Sand advised me to be patient. Eventually a bird would find the feeder. Then he would go back and tell his buddies, and pretty soon it would be THE lunch spot in town.

Well.

Just this morning, I have seen several pairs of goldfinches (I had never seen a goldfinch until I put up the feeder), the usual house finches, and a bunch of chipping sparrows. A larger gray bird also stopped by - catbird, maybe? I didn't get a close look.

The social interaction is entertaining. A goldfinch will eat with its mate, but doesn't want any other pairs horning in on them. They don't mind the house finches, though. The house finches are larger and flap their wings occasionally, as if to say, "Pipe down, kids, I'm trying to eat here."

It works!

Goldfinch
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Recently, I bought a finch sock. I filled it with nyger and hung it in the back yard, and waited for the neighborhood house finches to flock to it in gratitude.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Today, I just happened to glance up from the computer to see a bright goldfinch perched on it. According to noted bird expert Sand, one finch will find the food, then go back to the tribe and brag about this great new restaurant he found, and then they all will come check it out.

I can't wait.

The spring collection

We've had a couple of weeks of delightful spring weather - a little warm during the day, a little cool in the evening, rain every now and then. With the windows open, we go to sleep to the sound of crickets, and wake up to bird songs at dawn.

Last night, I saw fireflies. Just a few, a tease of fireflies, if you will.

With the demise of SK, other critters are more active in the backyard. A rabbit wandered in today. The cardinals and robins are there, of course, and occasionally I hear catbirds, although I haven't seen them. I assume the finches are still around, too, although I hung a finch sock for them today and haven't seen anyone come near it. Three starlings showed up the other day, talking loud and strutting around like they've had that last drink you can have before you get incoherently stupid. Fortunately, they also had a drunk's attention span, and after posturing for a couple of minutes, they wandered off. They look like badasses, though, so I'm going to keep an eye out for them.

T and I have been hacking away at the stuff growing in the backyard that we don't want growing there. Ideally, at some point, we will replace it with stuff we DO want to grow there, but one step at a time.

Meanwhile, indoors, I have been taking leisurely tour through "The Discovery Of Poetry" by Frances Mayes (of "Under the Tuscan Sun" fame). While it is described as "A Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poems", it is much more about reading and understanding poetry, with just a smattering of how to put that knowledge into action. It is also a simply wonderful collection of poems. Every time I take a half hour to read from it, I feel like I am a little better than I was before.

I don't know if this book had anything to do with it, but I went on a poetry writing frenzy today. I picked up a literary journal at the bookstore this afternoon, and the poems in it were awful. Really, really, awful. "Is that all it takes to get published in a literary journal?" I asked my friends. "I can do that in no time."

I picked a few random words out of the magazines on the table and started writing. (T gets special muse credit for daring me to use the word churlish. With pleasure, my dear - what a nice, juicy word!) Within an hour, I had written four poems, two of which were actually not too bad. It turns out that even when I try to write self-indulgent crap, my brain still tries to find a theme and put layers of meaning into it. That's me, always trying to make sense of it all.

Good times, bad times

The holiday weekend was quite enjoyable. Saturday was a yarn crawl with my knit buds. Sunday was a barbecue. Monday we did some long overdue yard work. We now have a big pile of limbs and whatnot waiting for disposal. Today is a little cool, and a little rainy, and it is going to be good sleeping weather.

When I got the lawn mower out to whack the grass in the backyard (it was a few days overdue for cutting), something caught my eye in the dark corner of the yard. A cat - a dead, black cat. I called Terry over, and he confirmed it. "That's the Shed Kitty."

The cat has been hanging around our property for a couple of years now, and was mildly tolerant of us, at least when we took food out on bitter cold days this winter. I was hoping that I could spend more time outside as the weather got warmer, and could entice the cat to take a trip to the vet for a check up and shots. I figured I owed the cat that much, since the feline presence has apparently driven away the groundhog(s).

Thanks for that, Shed Kitty. May the hereafter give you bountiful hunting and a warm bed.

Midwestern Spring

Cardinal
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Nineteen days ago, I was watching it snow, and trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to take a picture of a cardinal in the back yard without opening the window.

Today it is 86 degrees. Every window in the house is open, and I put on a sleeveless shirt to mow the back yard.

And, after I work for a few hours tomorrow, I will be on vacation. Not a furlough, but an honest-to-goodness vacation.

I love spring.

The promise of spring

Not quite lilacs yet
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Easter morning started out sunny, but by afternoon it was cloudy, cool, and breezy. Still, little spots of color on the lilac bushes just outside my window remind me that spring may be a little slow to arrive in these parts, but it will arrive.

Palm Sunday in Iowa

Robin
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Nothing says "Spring" like a snowstorm on Palm Sunday.

The coming of spring

SnowBud
Originally uploaded by chaimann

We had some lovely spring days last week, and some lovely spring rains. The finches are going crazy with their turf wars or mating or whatever it is. This year, they found a little nook over the kitchen window for their nest. The grass is greening up. The lilac buds are sending out tiny leaves, which made a nice little basket to catch today's snow.

In rogue cat news, we haven't seen Shed Kitty for a couple of weeks. I hope s/he is just out walkabout, and not the victim of a car or a jerk that doesn't like black cats.

FYI for commenters: I turned on moderation because I was getting spammed. I don't need insurance in Australia, and I don't think most of you do, either.

Catloaf

Catloaf
Originally uploaded by chaimann

T bought a digital SLR camera recently. It has a ton of tasty features, but the true test of any camera we own is, "Can I take gratuitous photos of the cat and post them to my blog?" The answer? Yes!

He got the camera for astrophotography, but doesn't have the connector doohickey that will make that possible. And outdoor scenes aren't that charming yet, although confidence is high that spring is approaching. The irises and the tulips are starting to push through, the finches and the cardinals are making a ruckus in the lilac bushes, and Shed Kitty is spending a lot of time sitting in the sun.

News from the backyard

I'm Shed Kitty! Who are you?
Are you Shed Kitty, too?
Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.

--with apologies to Emily Dickinson

As we pulled into the driveway just now, we saw Shed Kitty zipping through the neighbor's yard, headed for high ground. Then we saw Shed Kitty, sitting in the neighbor's yard, staring at us.

This would explain why I think SK looks different at times, and maybe why Sand and I disagree on whether it is a boy or a girl. Runaway SK has a fluffy tail. Sit & Stare SK's coat is more sleek and velvety looking.

Maybe if both SKs are piddling around the groundhog burrows, Chuckie will decide that the neighborhood is going to hell, and will pack up and move out. I like watching Chuckie, but I would also like to put in a little garden this year, and that will be a lot easier without a woodchuck around, mowing down everything that gets in his way.

A bit of snow

A bit of snow
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Despite the recent warming and melting, it is not spring yet.

Daytime moon

Daytime moon
Originally uploaded by chaimann

It's warming up, finally, and I took a short walk this afternoon. It was cloudless and clear, and the gibbous moon was high in the sky.

Finally, some new socks

Jitterbug Socks
Originally uploaded by chaimann

I think I have spent almost a year working on these socks, but I finally buckled down and finished them. Love the yarn (Colinette Jitterbug, Toscano colorway), love the pattern (pinched from a British knitting mag and tweaked to suit), and love that I finally get to use the cute sock blockers I bought at Stitches Midwest last fall.

Houseplant 911!

This pathetic specimen showed up in my office today.


The stalk is nice and green, and tied to a support stick. It has a couple of little sprouts of new growth down low. You can see one of them below the lower tie. The pot is probably about 8 inches.

So... What is it, and what should I do about it?

Why proofreading matters

From this post about the peanut butter recall (emphasis mine):

This month's King Nut peanut butter recall is different. That brand isn't sold directly to the public, so consumers don't have any sitting on their shelves. But on the other hand, it might be contained in some other products in their panties, which could make it even more dangerous.

No frostbite here

We survived the cold snap last week with not too much trauma. Thursday, it was - 18 F when we left for work, and that is not including wind chill. Temperatures like that can make your nose hairs hurt. But today it got up to, and possibly even above, freezing. I wheedled T into taking the car to the car wash. I know it won't stay clean for long, not with all the snow and slush we have around, but it was nice to rinse off the old mud and start on a fresh layer.

Shed Kitty also survived the cold. T took food out to her a couple of times during the worst of it. (I have no idea if SK is a he or a she. I just say "her" because I have not observed any cojones.) Today, we saw her sitting outside, so I took some more food out. She ducked under the shed when I got close, but I didn't get very far away before she came out. She looked at me in that calculating way cats have, and I talked to her. Finally, she finished her risk analysis and concluded, "I'm more hungry than scared." She strode over to the bowl and tucked in, and let me stand there and watch her. We may get to be friends yet.

Best garbage ever

Tonight was my tai chi class, and we were a little late getting home from work. I didn't even go into the house, just dropped T off at home, took the car, and went to my class. But before I left, T pointed out that he had a couple of packages - some gear he had ordered in hopes of being able to revive his broken telescope.

When I came home, I was greeted with this:


And this:


Whatever he got, it was packed in a bunch of six-inch discs of soft pink foam rubber. They are so much cuter, and so much more substantial, than packing peanuts, that it seems a shame to toss them out. But I also can't think of a good reason to keep them.

I haven't been to tai chi for a couple of weeks due to the holidays, and oh, boy, can I tell I am out of the groove. Note to self: Clear out a spot in the basement so you can practice even when there is no class.

Welcome 2009!

Here's to a year in which some of the things that are broken get fixed. (Insert your own list of broken things that need fixin'.)

Last night, I managed to stay up until midnight, barely. The clock said 12:00 when I got into bed.

I am resolutely trying to avoid resolutions, although in my heart I have some. In my heart. Don't go looking for the list here.

I did commit to write some Backyard Astronomy articles for The Piker Press this year, in honor of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. The introductory article went up this week, and I'm planning to write them more or less every other week.

I also got a Twitter account for Backyard Astronomy. You can see the feed over there on the sidebar. The account is BackyardAstro. This introverted geezer doesn't quite know what to make of this social media stuff, but new year, new beginnings, what the heck, give it a whirl. At the very least, I can report when new articles go up.

Ready for her close up

Ready for her close up
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Terry got me a camera for Christmas - a small, pocket-sized one that will be easy to tote around for emergency photo-taking opportunities. For a little thing, it did a nice job catching the details on Katie's fur.

Don't be like the Pixie

The current scoop from Weather Underground:

Temperature -2.2 °F

Windchill:

-19 °F

And the Weather Pixie still isn't wearing a hat or mittens.

She's not going to be so smiley when she learns the hard way what the treatment is for frostbite.

Last night I did my Christmas thang and watched "White Christmas". None of the plot holes have been filled in the 54 years since it was released, but it's still my favorite holiday treat.

Pointless goodies

--Long story short, I had to drive T's truck today, and only made it two blocks before I got stuck in a snowdrift. I had a shovel, but still wasn't able to get unstuck. Good Samaritans came to my rescue. First a guy stopped and helped with the shoveling, and then the guy whose yard I was stuck in came out with some rock salt. Together, they were able to get me going again.

--I'm glad I live in a place where I feel comfortable letting a total stranger get into my vehicle, even with my purse in there, and drive it. Why? Because his truck was nicer than mine, so I figure he had no reason to drive off with it.

--We went to Target tonight, and I bought some wine. The cashier carded me. I probably haven't been carded since before that cashier was born.

--It's cold outside, but it's warm inside.

Your Fourth Sunday of Advent weather

Weather Underground says:

Sunday

Mostly cloudy. Bitterly cold. Windy. Blowing snow. High zero to 5 below. Northwest wind 25 to 30 mph with gusts to around 40 mph. Wind chill readings 20 below to 30 below zero.

That's just the daytime forecast, friends. Better light some extra candles. I'll be curious to see how the Weather Pixie (on the sidebar) dresses for this one.

T is working an extra shift today, and I plan to stay home and knit. Maybe not "knit like the wind", as Brenda Dayne says, but certainly knit against the wind.

Pimp my spouse

T came home last week with a lovely photo of a frozen waterfall in a park near his office. I immediately showed it to Sand over at The Piker Press, and this week it is the Peek of the Week. Nice job, T!

Whew.

Much like my first year of NaNoWriMo, 2002, I lagged mid-month, and had to make a mad dash to catch up at the end. I wrote almost 16,000 words in the last four days. Unlike that year, I had a semblance of a plot, and I wrapped up with The End. (It says "The Minty Fresh End", if you want to be technical about it.)

Chuckie's replacement

Shed kitty
Originally uploaded by chaimann

We haven't seen Chuckie for several months. We suspect he has gone to the great beyond of grounhogdom.

One reason we think he is gone for good is that this cat has started hanging around the burrow entrance. If we make too much noise or get too close, it ducks under the shed and waits for things to settle down. Smart kitty.

Mystery Beret

Mystery Beret
Originally uploaded by chaimann

At least when I avoid writing, I do something productive. As soon as this dries, it will be the Mystery Beret from the Wooly Wormhead Knitalong on Ravelry.

Oh, yeah. I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this year. Have I mentioned that? I'm not doing it well, or quickly, but I'm still soldiering on.

Small, but finished

Baby cap
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Amy's baby arrived a few days early, and the only thing I had ready was this hat. The knitters are thrilled that it's a girl, because some of those girly knit patterns are cute, cute, cute.

I delivered it last night. It's too big for her yet, but it is still adorable.

Crochet is fast

Seraphina
Originally uploaded by chaimann

At least, crochet is fast when you use big yarn, a big hook, and a lacy pattern. I spent less than two weeks on this, counting a couple of false starts and a time-consuming error correction. The yarn is the pretty but annoying Lion Brand Homespun from my stash.

This is probably going to be kept close to my desk for those times when it is a little chilly. Like now. The temperature outside is right at freezing, and it's headed downward tonight. We have crossed the divide from late summer into early winter.

The Mantis Movie!

Praying Mantis

Praying Mantis
Originally uploaded by chaimann

We've been seeing more praying mantises this year. This one was in our driveway this afternoon. T tells me it is a side effect of climate change. They were thick at the dealership where we bought our car. The salesman said parents were bringing their children out to see them.

Despite their peaceable name, they are wickedly carnivorous little rascals who will even pounce on nesting birds.

I should warn the Finches.

We interrupt our lack of knitting

Rook Hat
Originally uploaded by chaimann

When I saw the Rook Hat on Lime & Violet's Daily Chum, I realized I had some yarn that would work for it, and that a crocheted hat would be the fastest project EVER.

It took me two nights, but it could easily be done in one night of TV watching.

Look what followed me home

2009 Ford Focus
Originally uploaded by chaimann

T has been wanting a new, more fuel-efficient, car for awhile now. I have been dragging my feet, not wanting to take on another series of car payments. Then I saw the new gold color added with the 2009 models, and "Ooh Shiny" pushed me over the edge.

Barn

Barn
Originally uploaded by chaimann

The really big air vent in the barn at Whiterock Conservancy. The lectures at the Iowa Star Party were given in this building, just below this opening. When the talk got all sciencey, I entertained myself by looking at the cool angles and the old wood.

It's autumn already?

Technically, not quite, I know, but after a beautiful sunny and clear Labor Day weekend, it turned cloudy and cool and wet, and the most delicate of the foliage is already starting to wilt.

Let's see, immediately after the last post, our astronomy club hosted a convention, so we were busy with that. Then after that was over, we relaxed for a week. Then, because it was almost August, AKA The Month When My Eyes Act Screwy, my eyes started acting screwy. Six weeks, several specialists, and some fancy-pants medical treatments later, I'm pretty much back to normal or at least my eyes are. While I was Abby Normal, though, I didn't spend a lot of time hanging around the computer. T kindly gave me his rarely used desktop computer, with a 22 inch monitor (love it!) and Windows Vista (hate it!)

That didn't deter me from making the annual pilgrimage to Stitches Midwest, but it did help keep my shopping in check. Shopping just isn't that much fun when you can't see what you are doing, or aren't sure if you will ever be able to see well enough to use the purchase. (Of course, except for making my annual tithe at Black Water Abbey, I bought all lace weight, so don't listen to me.)

I can read again, and knit socks and lace, and even stargaze. Last weekend, we went to the Iowa Star Party at White Rock Conservancy, about an hour from here, and I did a little binocular viewing. In fact, once night T's telescope went wonky, and I actually did more viewing than he did. The weather, as I said, was perfect for camping and astronomy - cloudless and moonless and temperate. It did get warm one day, but it was also windy, so it was still pleasant.

Now, with the cooler weather and clearer vision, my knitting mojo has returned with a vengeance. I keep diving into the WIPs (works in progress) and finding something else that I absolutely must have before winter. Maybe one of these days I will even have some photos of finished objects to share.

The brains of the outfit

Terry looks at the moon
Originally uploaded by chaimann

This is Terry, making the previous photo possible. As I told someone last night, he's Data, I'm Lore. He spent several minutes fussing with the equipment and swapping out eyepieces. I said, "Ooh, shiny!" and started snapping pictures.

Shoot the moon

Moon1
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Terry pointed his telescope at the moon last night while waiting for it to get dark. I sneaked up and stuck my camera up to the eyepiece. Pretty nice for a first attempt, huh?

Last night at Ashton

After being cloudy all day, it cleared off in the late afternoon, so Terry packed up the telescope and we headed off to Ashton Observatory.

At dusk, we saw some deer feeding at the edge of the woods near the observatory. I got as close as I dared without spooking them, but it was just dim enough that I couldn't get a clear photo. I decided to let the motion work FOR me, and switched over to video.



The auto exposure flopped the colors around randomly, but darn it, those are fawns, and they are eating, and they didn't really care that I was watching.

It stayed clear and was long-sleeve cool by the time the sun went down. The moon and the humidity kept Terry from doing any serious observing. Even though it was not an "official" public night, a few campers came over to through the telescopes. One couple had binoculars and had figured out that you could point them at the sky. Terry spent quite a bit of time showing them things, and I gave them some tips on bino and naked eye observing. That's me - the evangelist for cheap observing.

Geese and goslings

The last of the vacation videos from Blackhawk Lake. Sorry for the noise. It was windy.

I could watch geese babies all day long.

How to hypnotize a kitty

Starring Katie!

Vacation photos, at last

100_1400
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Since it is a long weekend, I'm trying to get some backlog caught up - such as putting some of last month's vacation photos on Flickr.

We went to Blackhawk Lake, a couple of hours from here in Lakeview, Iowa. We had rain and thunderstorms almost every day, but at least that kept the temperatures pleasant. The campground was almost empty - only three or four units in the whole place - so it was as close as we could get to being all alone (but still with flush toilets and hot showers.)

Pelicans

When we went on vacation last month, there were pelicans hanging out near our campground at Blackhawk Lake. At about :10, a cormorant pops up and mills around for a few seconds, and then dives back under water.

Cat alert for Minnie: There are bird noises.

Fireflies

When Sand and Bernie passed through Iowa last summer, Sand admired the prolific fireflies in our backyard. (They don't have them in California.)

It's June again, and we still have 'em.

Still knitting, too

Charlotte's Web shawl
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Even though I haven't posted any pictures for awhile, I am still knitting - just not finishing anything. I'm seriously beginning to envy those folks who practice project monogamy.

I jumped back in to the Charlotte's Web shawl, and I love what the colors are doing. I'm doing pretty well with the lace pattern. I'm getting where I can fix mistakes a couple of rows back if I concentrate. I even survived having a needle break in the middle of a knit row, 14 rows away from the lifeline. I was sitting near a KnitWit who had a sock needle handy to rescue the stitches that fell off the needle, then I carefully picked the stitches back to the beginning of the row. And lived to tell the tale.

We're having thunderstorms tonight. I hope it is enough rain to wash some of the stink away in the recently flooded areas. I would put up with the stink awhile longer, though, if I could send some of the rain (minus the lightening) back to California, where my friends are dealing with fires, smoke, and the threat of evacuation. Stay safe, y'all.

Rainbow, first day of summer

Rainbow
Originally uploaded by chaimann

We went to Ashton Observatory yesterday for a work party with the astronomy club. A quick little rain storm blew through while we were there. Once the sun started to peek through, people hovered near the door, looking for a rainbow. We thought we might not get one, since the sun was still rather high, but soon someone spotted the top of an arc. Work ground to a halt as folks wandered outside to enjoy a fleeting view. (More pictures here.)

In the Bible, of course, the rainbow is the sign from God that he will never again destroy the Earth with a flood. How appropriate is that, as Iowa gets back on its feet after two weeks of floods? We stayed safely above it at both home and work, but we drive through recently flooded areas regularly. The recovery seems to be coming along well, but it still stinks, even in the car, even with the windows rolled up. Out in the country, it just has that fishy river smell, In town, though, it smells like river, and fish... and mold... and people laugh at this, but I swear I smell sauerkraut.

Early morning drive

We got up early so we could see just how much water there was along I-80/35. The answer: Just about as much as there was in 1993.

Turn down the sound if you watch. T & I mutter incomprehensibly, but mostly it's just road noise.

Two Way Traffic

Two Way Traffic
Originally uploaded by chaimann

This is my favorite photo so far from my flood tours, although it doesn't actually show any flooding. I love the contradictory signs and ominous clouds.

There's now a Flickr group for flood photos. Some of my photos are there, including some I took today after a levee breach last night caused evacuations and road closures just a few blocks from my house.

Floodwatch 2008

To see how things have changed since Tuesday, go look at this picture of the Simon Estes Amphitheater as it appears today. I also took some pictures Thursday, and they (as well as Tuesday's pix) are on my Flickr. Today, the water is covering the tops of the arches on the bridges,and is getting ever closer to the road surface. The powers that be asked for a voluntary evacuation of downtown and the entire flood plain area. My office is a couple of blocks outside of the flood plain, but I had put in my forty hours, and I was happy to comply.

We are okay. Our house is, we hope, high enough to not be in danger, and we can still get to it by one of our normal routes. The water was pretty high along that route this afternoon, though, and it is just one leaky levee from going under.

The flood begins

061008_14331
Originally uploaded by chaimann

Des Moines is getting ready for a flood. The good part is, we know it's coming and we are getting ready for it. But still, seeing scenes like this just down the street from my office, before the bad part gets here? That's sobering.

More pix here.