Purling Oaks

Look for the ears

We should all be so lucky.  (photo taken Saturday morning)  White Dot is on the left, curled up.  Fuzzle is on the right, sprawled across the family's favorite blanket.  These blankets can be found at your favorite army surplus in colors other than camo, if camo doesn't fit your decorating scheme.  My Uncle David brought one of these nylon blankets back with him after three tours in Viet Nam.  My cousins, my brother, and I coveted the blanket and always loved being wrapped in it, in front of the television on a winter weekend.  

I attended a gun show with my father and mother in the 90's and found a similar blanket and was in heaven.  Since then, I've also found them at a surplus store in the Los Angeles area and purchased about four of them.  They are good to keep in the car since they roll up to a small pack but are valuable in case of an emergency.  They wash and dry easily.  They're soft and silky-feeling.  Love.  

 

Fuzzle Sunday

Hai!  Fuzzle here.  Mom took this picture of me right before she said "Go make yourself useful, somewhere else."  So here I am!

Mom's home and has been pretty busy, so busy that she hasn't found that comb I pushed under the sofa.  (Whew!)  I like it when she's home and Dad's home because there are so many things to help with and watch.  Dad's making lots of noises with machines in that room in the basement he calls the SkunkWorks and Mom is rattling paper and stacking boxes for me to play with.  Well, I think I should play with them.  Mom makes noises when I do and carries me to another room.  But that is part of the fun game we always play. 

There are a lot of good smells, too.  Last night, Dad grilled some venison and made garlic-coated red potatoes and Mom made a salad.  My pesky brother, White Dot, had to stay in the garage for a while because he really has a nose for venison.  (I'm a little lady and wait politely for my share.)  After that, we all put our feet up in the room with the firebox that makes it feel like summertime.  Mom said something about frogging when she was holding her knitting but I didn't see any frogs in the room.    Frogs aren't quite like mice but they are interesting.  Mom forgot that frogs are only around when it is green outside and right now it is REALLY white, so she must have been really tired to forget that.  

Today, Mom has been carrying laundry baskets to the room that makes the scary noises.  We talked to Grandma for a little while, too.   Mom and Dad are busy but they seem happy and keep saying something about vay-cay-shun, what ever that is.  When you're a cat, you don't have to know what that word means because there is no word for it in cat language.

Have a happy Sunday!

 

Saturday perspective

I really have to share a few moments of the trip to the vet with our four cats for their annual visit.  It makes me laugh and as you'll read later in this post, laughter was a good thing. 

Black Dot and Blue are featured but White Dot and Fuzzle can be heard full voice, as well. They all voice their concern each time we take this trip. At the Vet, they're more quiet; just generally scared and trying not to move. Everyone is healthy although Black Dot should probably join me on WW.

As I noted in my post yesterday, the washer needed repair.  Yes, it did.  In fact, in needed enough repair to cost justify a new one.  O.O  The good thing is, the new one is installed and I can now conquer the laundry mountain. 

However, for me to use the washer, the septic system has to be able to handle the liquids flow.  And, you guessed it,  the septic system had a problem.  Late in the afternoon, Wilson discovered water/liquid on the floor of his shop and the utility room and something *ahem* had backed up into the basement shower.  But it was all fixed with a late call to the plumber, buckets, bleach, and a beer or two.

The laughter earlier in the day and finding out really good news about two friends in the evening and this morning more than balanced out what are truly minor annoyances.  Life is good.

Happy Saturday!

Energy! Sun!

Wow.  I woke up this morning and found that my get up and go that was previously MIA was present and accounted for.  I don't know how long it will hang around so I'm taking full advantage of it.  I've dust-mopped and vacuumed the first floor, put in a load of laundry, started a new batch of artisan bread in five, and I'm about to post this entry.  *blink*  I think a lot of this energy must be from the sun streaming in the south windows and my anticipation of warmer temperatures (up to the mid-30s F, folks!!) this weekend.  Fuzzle is enjoying the sun, as well.

Another thing that makes me happy is my recent purchase.
Felted coiled coasters from Cheryl's etsy shop. My pretties! I love the colors and texture of them. They are almost too pretty to use, but I will use them. It is silly to have a lovely handcrafted item and not use/enjoy it daily. 

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This week, I've started an exploration of social networking.  I set up accounts at both Facebook and Twitter.  Interesting.  (visualize my Mr. Spock eyebrow)  I think Twitter will hold more of my interest, but time will tell.  It has been interesting following Neil Gaiman's tweets after he won the Newbery Award this week.  No small amount of controvery with that award this year.  Are you using a social networking site?  What do you think of them?  I'm Purlingoaks on Twitter and I use my "real name" on Facebook.

Happy Friday!

Getting lucky

Snow is this Saturday's weather word.  It is light and fluffy and quite pretty to look at but difficult to capture in a still photo. 

We're expecting just one to two inches today, which by this time of the winter is really nothing and very drivable, in a careful fashion, of course.  DH and I are going over to Hooker's Resort (yes, that is really the name) for lunch and a Duck's Unlimited meat raffle.  Neither of us have been to a meat raffle before but it is for a good cause, so we're going to experiment with being social.  O.o  Maybe we'll get lucky.

Stacey is hoping for a photo or two of her two favorite felines that reside at Chez Purling Oaks.  Since they are so cute and I've had a good ration of coffee this morning, she's gonna get lucky.  May I present Blue and Fuzzle......

Doesn't Fuzzle have a glorious tail?

ETA: None of the facts of this post were fabricated. :D DH and I had a nice time, saw a lot of beef, lobster, and shrimp, had two terrific burgers, won a door prize but no meat. Cookie can come out of the naughty corner any time now.

Warm and fuzzy

We had our first fire in the woodstove last night.  Here's Blue looking quite happy about the whole thing.  Our construction project, which is the addition pictured here and the renovation/repair of the basement, is complete minus a few items (for which we have a holdback from the contractor.)  The woodstove is a new Jotul F500 and we are having to go through a "breaking-in" process.  The first fire was small and got up to 200F.  The second fire (firing?) was to 300F and it was enjoyed with coffee and scrambled eggs this morning. 
(Don't ever say I don't love you guys....that photo is definitely a morning photo of me.  At least my hair is combed.)

Here was one of my views this morning.  The ladder is there because the chimney pipe installers used a ladder with no padding on the interior wall (duh!) and now some touch-up is needed.

DH and Fuzzle this morning.

Can you tell I'm happy?  It looks like this major project that we were propelled into by the summer water/septic disaster is just about finished at budget and about 3 weeks late.  Not bad.

I started moving a few things into my studio this weekend.  There are a few paint touch-up areas that I need to keep clear so I'll be able to finish my move in a week or two when I'm back home.

I'm typing this in front of the woodstove.  (Tonight's goal is 400F.)  I'm all packed and ready to fly back to DC in the morning for another week of team instruction.  Back on Thursday.  This week's travel knitting project is a mitten or two with bulky yarn.  You win, Nora.  :D

Fuzzle says......

.....you did what?!?!!!  (Isn't she cute?  DH says she looks a bit scary in this photo.) 

I'm definitely feeling better now that my work back-log has been dealt with today (finally!) and now there is just my normal to-do list.  No bets on whether the situation that led to it won't happen again.  However, now that I know the signs, I'll be watchful and try to head it off at the pass, so to speak.  I have no desire to repeat the mental malaise that accompanied the back-log.  Yes, it appears I have OCD, to some degree.  I'm back on the road to almost northern Wisconsin then home again for the long holiday weekend.  Once again, I'm looking forward to the drive, which often proves to be relaxing. 

The construction crew has been busy today but there is no photo-worthy progress.  A plumber did nick a water pipe with a drywall saw this morning but he took care of that situation very quickly.  So, I'm pretty happy NOT to have water photos to share this evening. 

Sunday's brat fry was fun and it was nice to see family even though it seemed impossible to have a good long conversation with everyone.  I am posting tonight since Aunt Jane needs new reading material.  (Hi, Aunt Jane!!)  You should have a blog, Aunt Jane, of your own.  Then I can read about your exploits.  I played a new game, Baggo, on Sunday.  It is certainly addictive, easy, and fun.  I'll have to put it on my wish list.  Anyway, I didn't get any knitting done on Forest Canopy since DH and I found time to just talk on the drive to and from the family event.  I cannot knit, count stitches in excess of 100 and talk at the same time, so I settled for the talk.  :D  

I think cats can read...

Look what my twin, the Marvelously Evil Stacey, sent me!  She's so creative.   I love the stitch markers!  They are very cool (or should I say hot?) and quite seasonal with the "bite me!" and the SOS08 markers.  Here's the whole package with the very clever handmade card and hollyhock seeds.  Thank you, Stacey!  I know exactly where I'm going to start a few this week. 

I think Black Dot can read.  She was VERY interested in Stacey's stitchmarkers.  And here is what she was trying to do to the black marker..........

It was a lovely day on Monday.  We had very low humidity, blue skies, and temperatures right around 80 degrees (F).  I made a bunch of calls and emails for the basement-related reconstruction, read through the great studio re-organization contest entries, and then ran errands and did some shopping in Madison in the afternoon.  When I returned home, I wandered around the yard, camera in hand, primarily to properly blog my Stacey-gift.  The cats were following me and DH as we discussed the chain-sawing of several large trees that fell in the recent storms.  Blue and White Dot were wrestling, as they do regularly, and I was able to capture the fun with the video feature on the little camera.  Watch for the hanks of fur on White Dot's paws.  Fuzzle enters into the video near the end to check out what the boys were up to.

Please enter the CONTEST!

Fixation with footies

I decided on the ankle socks.  I'm using this pattern (pattern number 6) with Cascade Fixation Spray in Harlequin.  I started out with US 3 dpns and 56 stitches but that was ripped just past Rockford.  I'm now using 48 stitches and US 2 dpns.  The yarn is very stretchy and this combination seems to fit over my foot without too much extra fabric.

Our trip to the Chicago-area was worth the time and effort.  We attended the Ordination of Deacons held at St. Cletus Parish in LaGrange......since the ceiling of Holy Family Cathedral fell in several weeks ago. *yikes*   This was the first Mass I've ever attended and I found it to be quite interesting.  The Archbishop of Chicago was there, too, to add to the special nature of the event.  According to DH, it was about twice as long as a typical one.  A friend and former (two-levels up) supervisor (now retired) was ordained as a Deacon yesterday.  Definitely a career-change, don't you think?  I think it is an interesting path to take, especially for a guy in his late 50s. 

Since I've been thinking of potential new careers I may want to take up in about five years or so, his achievement has altered some of my internal stereotypes of what paths are open to me (or anyone).  Not that I'm thinking of the church as a career now, but this new career of his is *so* different than the one he held with my employer.  It makes me realize that I should expand my horizons.  He's was so happy yesterday....I'm so glad for him and that DH and I were able to witness the ceremony.



As you can see in the first photo, the irises are in full bloom.  I have two more patches of irises just like those.  So, I'll say it again, I would love to share some rhizomes with you (and you and you and you) later this summer.  I have to divide these irises and I have no idea where to put them all.  Please email me or leave a comment if you would like some for your garden.

Hot date Friday

DH and I had a hot date this afternoon. 

We burned a brush pile!  I just couldn't resist the funny.  We have a burn permit but you can only burn between 6 PM and midnight.  Probably because it is more likely that the volunteer fire department members are home and not working away from the area.  DH has been battling buckthorn in our woods.  It is an invasive tree species that will take decades, if not forever, to eliminate but he's making great progress in the woods behind the house.  Buckthorn saplings pulled up last fall made up a big part of this brush pile.  What did I do?  Well, I enjoyed the fire. 

The cats enjoyed running around today in the lovely weather.  (Yes, I'm still knitting the brown bag project so no knitting photos.)  (You get cats, instead, like any good knit blogger would give you.) 

Fuzzle and Blue in the violets and a Fuzzle Glamour shot, just so Fuzzle's girlfriend knows she is still around.  And the pear tree is blooming.......