Spring Colors

We have no spring colors outside yet so yarn has to do.

Just finished up a shawl out of these colors.  I will take a photo soon.

I am in between projects, only because I have not decided what to do next.  I knit on my socks and worked on some crochet squares for a charity project.

I am taking a day maybe two off of spring cleaning. 

Today I get a chipped filling fixed at the Dentist...they are allowing only one person in the office at a time.  I will pick up groceries during Far Guys Infusion, deliver a few items to my parents and come home and disinfect everything. 

Just a couple of thoughts;  I realized I am not high maintenance.   My hair has not seen dye in many years, I only get my hair cut twice a year and if worse came to worse I could hack some of it off.   I do my own toes and finger nails.  I have never had a spa day...what ever do they do for a whole day anyways? 

Far Side 

Pussy Willows and Spring Cleaning

The Pussy Willows are at the pollen stage.

They are done being cute individually.

However they still look good en masse.

The lake on Monday.

It was supposed to rain yesterday, it was cloudy but it didn't rain.

I worked on spring cleaning in the living room and I am a third done!  It will be slow going for a day or two...we have lots of woodcarvings on display that need to be cleaned.

 I broke a mirror so seven years of bad luck will follow me around unless I throw salt over my left shoulder. 

Far Side

Monday Moments

It is going to rain this week so I finished raking the front yard while the weather was nice.
I can wash walls when it is raining!

Our mostly brown is showing a bit of green
The yard is hard to rake when the grass gets growing.

I just concentrate on the front yard, the part I can see from the patio. I raked some off to each side and then called it good.  Yeah me! Cross spring raking off my list!

I went to let Annie out.  My sister's dog.

I went down to the lake, Annie hung around the house and didn't go near the lake.  I hollered for her but she has a mind of her own or my sister has told her to stay away from the lake.

There was some splashing going on down at the lake.

Snapping Turtles mate quite aggressively.  They didn't seem to mind that I was on the dock watching!

Far Side

Wood

Far Guy finished his carving.

What began like this...

Progressed...

It is a black walnut yarn bowl!  It works to hold my yarn so it doesn't roll all over.

This is the wood on the back...I love the color variations in some of the black walnut.

In other wood news both levels of log stairs have been spring cleaned!

Yesterday I made it off of the stairs and around the corner headed for the living room.  Pictures were taken down and cleaned...the wall washed and the floor scrubbed...section by section the living room  will be my project this week.

Far Side

Isolation 2020

46 days since all of our lives changed.  I don't expect that anything will change for us until there is a vaccine.  We will both get tested for the antibodies when the tests become available just in case we had this in early January....Far Guy was pretty sick for a number of days.  It is doubtful that it was Covid-19 but we want to know for sure.

We led a solitary life before Covid-19.   Going out when needed for doctor and pulmonary therapy appointments and a weekly trip to town to go to the grocery store and to run errands...those necessary trips to the yarn shop!

We have stayed away from crowds for a really long time.  We didn't go to movies or crowded places to eat.

After 46 days at home Far Guy feels pretty good...I am his only irritant!   He goes into the Clinic for his infusions...the gals up there do not wear perfume or put smelly junk in their hair.

Allergy season will be here soon, the Pine pollen is especially bad for Far Guy.   It usually just makes my eyes itch so I use eye drops twice a day.

Our church has finally made it possible to watch a live stream of church...too bad it took a pandemic for them to try this ministry.

We stay busy and are never bored...we have eased into  a comfortable relationship with isolation.  So much so that going into town for Far Guys Infusions makes us both nervous.  We are best at home.

Gas is $1.49 a gallon here...we used about 7 gallons of gas in a month. 

Far Side

Projects galore

I stay busy.  I am still spring house cleaning..I attacked the area under the open stairs and put away winter boots and coats.  Miss Miney likes to lay under the stairs...so I crawled under there and scrubbed the floor and the grout really well. I began washing the log stairs... my arm got really tired so I took a day off and did some raking in the yard.  We had a really nice day yesterday almost 70 degrees!!

I carried the electric snow thrower away...Far Guy said I may have jinxed myself. The ice chisel and one snow shovel also made it back to their non winter spots.

I almost finished my afghan this week.  It still needs a border so technically it is not finished...I have to think about what border I want...

I put it out on the couch just so I could look at it a few days.  It is very colorful!  I learned so much doing this project. Many different stitches were added to my list of crochet skills.

I am still watching Ozark on Netflix.  I got out my socks to do some knitting...a little retraining for my crochet brain.

Far Guy has been woodcarving outside.

His project is nearing completion.

We are prepared now so I can patrol for Poison Ivy soon and drag the leveler around on all our back roads...fun stuff!  I am also ready to mow should the grass change from brown to green and grow.

Far Side

Fiber Art and more

Some more items have been finished.

This one came together nicely the join is hardly noticeable.   I think it might be a little large...I really need someone to try it on besides me.   I does fit over my head nicely and  can be tucked into a coat or worn around your neck.  The yarn is Sheepjes  Cotton and Acrylic every two rows a different color...so the possibilities are endless.

Another red cowl/shawl was finished and blocked.

I love this pattern.

The yarn drapes beautifully.  This yarn is Incan Spice;  Extra fine merino, baby alpaca, silk and yak.

We made it through another Thursday.  Far Guy went to get his infusion while I went to pick up our grocery order...this week no ranch salad dressing, no ammonia and no outshine fruit bars.  I stopped by the meat shop and ordered some hamburger and several roasts for the freezer.  You call their number and they bring out the meat.   I went by the bank.   I waited for Far Guy in the Parking lot of the Clinic...spent my time disinfecting groceries.   I disinfect them and put them in my own bags.  We should be good for another week.

Groceries have to be ordered early Monday for pickup on Thursday.  No one asked me but if I were in the grocery business I would hire the people necessary to keep the delivery times within 24 hours.   I know the grocery business is all about volume...a little more customer service to increase that volume would be a good thing. 

We are both feeling just fine as frog hair:)
Far Side

Another one biting the dust

Barns that held cows to be milked and fresh hay in the haymow.

 Can you hear the soft swish swish of the milk as it foams up in the bucket?  Cows shifting in their stanchions, the radio on some station that plays old tyme waltz music...sure to soothe the cows so they will give more milk.  The calves in the calf pen bawling for their mothers who are being milked and the milk replacer filled bucket with the fake nipple is no substitute for four pointed leaking tits of a full udder, the calves head butt the bucket.   The sound of a fresh cow pie hitting the gutter. Plop...and plop is better than a squirt.  The sound of urine splashing into the gutter, it sounds like water but you know it is not.  The barn cats are meowing and the Banty Roosters are crowing. 

The sweet smell of silage and the smell of long ago summer hay mix with the other smells that are not so sweet in a barn. 

The barn the hub of a family farm.

It's back now broken and it's side caving in.  The animals it sheltered from harsh Minnesota winters are long gone...the farmers are long gone too.

Only the memories of sounds and smell remain.

Far Side

Scarf or Cowl

I finished the last row on this scarf /cowl and will commence sewing the two ends together hopefully I left enough yarn on the ends to do a seamless job.

I may keep this one for myself or not...it may go in the donation/gift box.   This one will go with just about anything you wear...so I wouldn't have to worry about being all matchy matchy.

I worked on the afghan while watching more of Ozark....who writes this stuff anyways?  I have one more row to finish and then figure out a border.

I spring cleaned the dining area today, it is not a huge area so it was an easy job.  I went through the cubbies in the dining room and sorted out some cookbooks.  Far Guy was busy washing the ceilings.

We walked to the mailbox, it is still chilly here...we saw some lake people out walking and talked with them from far, far away.

Far Side

Construction

I am working on getting 80 crochet squares joined.   It is a logistical nightmare consisting of several oh no moments....when two flowers were next to each other...the sequence is supposed to be ...a flower square...and a plain square...well someones brain must have been on vacation so she had to frog some of the joining and correct her mistakes.   I thought about leaving it...them..as there were two small easy to fix mistakes but one whole row was off...my CDO would not have allowed it.  Fix the errors and carry one correctly!   It is heavy and cumbersome...all the horizontal rows have been joined and I am working on the vertical ones now.

I threw it on the couch when I got out from under it for supper.  Far Guy cooked Hawaiian chicken, romaine salad and veggies. 

I have been watching Netflix while working on this project.  It Takes Two was a hoot and I enjoyed it very much!  I give it 9 out of 10 stars.   My sister recommended Salt....oh my...I watched it but all the time wondered about the stunt woman!  I give it a 3 out of 10 stars.  Jen recommended Ozark  a series so I started watching it...it is a bit gory and morbid too but I will probably continue to watch it...I give it a 5 out of 10 stars.

About that plate rack.  Far Guy and I built all the kitchen cabinets and drawers.   I wanted a plate rack...but one that was easy to clean.

See that tiny screw in the front?   If that screw is removed the whole rack comes out and you can clean the entire shelf. 

Our design works great...we had several different prototypes...this one  fits perfectly!  The wood is angled with dowels in between...the piece of wood at the back meets the wall perfectly.   I learned all about cabinet carpentry skills the summer we built the cupboards and drawers.

We are still feeling just fine, we went for a walk...it is downright chilly here.  It spit rain on us but neither of us is that sweet that we would melt.

Far Side

Dust and the lake

The dusty open shelves have been cleaned up...everything is sparkling again.

I have a love hate relationship with the open shelves...I love that dishes are in reach to use and to put away. I hate them when they get dusty...and that top shelf is a real dust collector.  Far Guy did the ladder work for me and took the plate rack apart...it all helped!

I am done in the kitchen for now, the fridge and the oven await my attention some other day.

After our kitchen accomplishment we took a ride down to the lake.

There is still ice...I figured as much as the wind has been real cold.  Where the water isn't rippled is the ice.

Something large plopped into the water near the dock...a beaver, muskrat or maybe a turtle.
The Pussy Willows are out.

Spring might be coming soon. The light in the evenings is pretty much a waste as it has been too cold to enjoy an evening outside.

We are both feeling just fine.  No new cases of Covid-19 in our County the count remains at 2.
Far Side

Keeping busy

Our trip to town last Thursday was uneventful.  Groceries were picked up.  Far Guy is getting real good at getting other supplies ordered online.  My sister in law and other baby brother were kind enough to do our Walmart shopping ...some stuff is only available in the store.

My other baby brother was by and fixed our driveway.

He has a soil conditioner attachment that works miracles fixing and leveling a driveway!

I have five skeins of yarn the same color.  It was a sale!

This is a wrap...or a scarf...Lion Brand Yarn Shawl in a ball colorway Restful Rainbow.
 This is a shawl...the front.

It is very pretty from the back.  I still have three skeins left.

I spent most of Friday in the kitchen.  All the cabinets and drawers are cleaned, I have a few of the open shelves left to do.  The window was washed and the curtain changed.  The backsplash  was scrubbed and the top of the stove cleaned...the oven was opened quickly and shut again.  Far Guy says I will probably have lots of time this spring and summer to keep on cleaning.

We are both feeling okay.  There are still just two cases of Covid-19 in our county.

Far Side

48

48 years ago I was nine months and 18 days pregnant.  She was born on her Great Grandmother Meade's 79th birthday just as Grandma had predicted 7 months earlier.  We welcomed our oldest daughter shortly after noon.   We had a little bit of snow on the ground in places that year...the spring melt had begun.

We were both convinced we were having a boy and his name would be Travis.

BUT  He was a she and she was perfect.

Trica about three weeks old the dress was very pale blue.  She was baptized in that dress. The dress had lace and tiny pink rosebuds on the bodice and on the ruffly panties.  The blue booties were a gift from Far Guys Grandma Meade...she crocheted four pair...blue and yellow booties and pink and white Mary Janes.

Her first birthday was celebrated in Colorado where Far Guy was stationed.

She got a new rocking chair just her size.  She wasn't feeling real well the day of her birthday...I think she was getting some new teeth.

She had a beautiful cake. But she was afraid of it!  The cake plate was a wedding gift and we still call it the fancy birthday cake plate.

She cried real tears.

Hardly seems right that we are parents of a child that is 48...but I guess the years keep flowing one to another and another.

Happy Birthday Trica!  Love you lots!
Mom

Happy Birthday Maddie!

Maddie our middle granddaughter is 22 today.

Maddie and Hey Mikey  by the Shiny Brite Tree Christmas 2019.  We have not seen her since Christmas.   She is a busy Mom with new baby Cee Cee and Hey Mikey...who we hear is potty trained mostly.

I sent Hey Mikey a Easter Card with some money inside and instructions to take Mama out for ice cream.

Seems like all the ice cream shops are closed in Michigan.  I got this photo yesterday.

Looks like a great solution!  They can have ice cream many times!   His hair will grow...I guess his Grandpa gave him a buzz cut...it makes him look older.

Maddie and Savannah at my parents lake home in 2000  Maddie would have been about two years old in this photo.

Happy Birthday Maddie!
Love you lots!
Grandma

Yarn, snow and busy work

My new yarn arrived, the walk to the mail box was worth it!

I am happy with these earthy colors.

It snowed off and on all day....some were real flakes and some was graupel or snowy balls.

I worked in the kitchen again yesterday.  Progress is slow...I have 1 cupboard and 3 drawers left. I have an open cupboard above the microwave...Far Guy said he could skip his upper arm exercises because I took my sweet time cleaning under the microwave while he held it up in the air.

I finished up a shawl while watching Love Wedding Repeat on Netflix...I give it an 8 out of 10...it is a romantic comedy.

I made steak enchiladas for supper.  New York Strip Steak fried to perfection...sliced thin and dumped on a soft tortilla shell rolled up and covered with green enchilada sauce and some cheese...yummy.  Better than any restaurant. 

Far Guy helped me with the cupboards, ran his vacuum,  did dishes, worked on his woodcarving and walked inside.

This is day 37 of Isolation for us.

Far Side

My Projects

I can get lost in yarn colors and types for a long time.  Mindless looking and wondering what colors would look like together. 

I balled up this yarn as soon as it arrived.  The project is a wrap and every two rows you switch colors.   I just wasn't feeling those colors together.  I looked a long time before ordering more yarn.

One project became two or more projects...the two colors on the left the torquoise and the peach were thrown out of this group...and they await brighter colors...the other colors are earthy and I was feeling them.  This yarn is Sheepjes River Washed series on the right, Stone Washed on the left.

I finished a bunch more kitchen cupboards and drawers.  I have four cupboards, three drawers and the open shelves left...so I am making progress.  Then I should probably give the stove and fridge a good clean....and the backsplash.

I still have a couple of shawls in the works.  I have done absolutely nothing outside as it has been snowy, windy and cold.   I started watching Hart of Dixie on Netflix...I am curious to see how it ends...but not sure I want to suffer through it.

I made vegetable soup yesterday...the way I make it takes all day...chopping and adding....Far Guy made some bread.  Soup will be frozen into individual servings....I should be good for the summer.  Far Guy eats it only once  the day I make it...he has other freezer food he likes better...Gumbo and Chicken Tortilla soup that I don't care for.

We still have 2 Covid-19 cases in our county...no more lately.

We are both feeling just fine!

Far Side

Far Guy's Woodcarving Projects and Graupel

Far Guys facebook friends voted on the color...yellow won. 

I helped him a bit choosing the right color yellow.

It is a lovely rose!  It was packaged up and mailed to one of his high school friends.

I asked him what he was going to carve next...he had no idea...but I had an idea for him!

The wood is Black Walnut....and this treasure will be all mine!

Ever heard of Graupel?  That is the word they use to describe the soft snowy balls that have been falling from the sky.  One minute the sun is shining and the next graupel is falling from the sky.

The Juncos are back along with two Purple Finches.
Far Side

Easter

We had a quiet day at home.  We watched the Sunrise Service broadcast from a local cemetery.  Pork chops, rice and squash were on our Easter supper menu.

I had an idea for Far Guy to carve...so that kept him busy designing, measuring and carving.

I messed around with a new crochet pattern for a shawl...ending up supporting another small business this one in Kentucky.

We both had a nap.

Last week when I was in town I saw an egg tree.   It made me smile...perhaps it will make you smile too.

Note the scar in the lawn...made by a snowplow.

Our County now has two people who tested positive for COVID 19.  We knew it was coming we just hoped it would be later than sooner.
Far Side

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!  Hallelujah he is risen indeed!

Far Side

Luke 24 1-6 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! 

Another Shawl

I finished another shawl.  This one is a soft acrylic yarn.  I started this one over...the first pattern was just too heavy.  This one is heavy too but seems less so because of the pattern.

I love the colors...this shawl took three skeins of yarn.  The yarn is Caron Simply Soft Paints in the color Peacock Feather.

This shawl is machine washable and dryable so it is a good one to be donated to the church prayer shawl ministry or the nursing home after all this Covid 19 stuff is over.

We had a quiet day...we made chili...two crock pots full so our freezer can be restocked.   No cupboards were cleaned and no yard was raked.  I carried away some leaves that had swirled in front of the door...the wind has been nasty cold.

I watched the rest of the season of Northern Rescue...of course they left us hanging at the end of season 1.  I give this series a 7 out of 10.  I don't  like shows that have text messages or notes dropped on the floor that you should read to follow the story line or bratty kids.

I have another shawl upstairs that is being blocked and another just completed while watching Northern Rescue.

Far Guy is busy painting his woodcarving...I will take photos of the finished project soon.
Far Side