Hey, that was supposed to be my sandwich, you little thief!

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Originally uploaded by tonkitty.

We have a lot of squirrels on our property. Uninvited, but here all the same. Jim feeds the birds, the deer, the pond fish, all the little critters that inhabit our neck of the woods. He can't help it. That's how he shows he cares - he feeds you. That is, all except the squirrels, but they don't know that. They think all the anti-squirrel contraptions he's rigged around the bird feeders to deter them are merely pieces of exercise equipment put there for their amusement. Or ours. They perform all kinds of acrobatics and trapeeze tricks, and they're really quite good at it. The best one I've seen yet is the Fireman's Pole Slide. They hike themselves up the pole that supports one of the feeders, grab a mouthful of seed, and then WHOOSH !! down they slide. All they need are little fireman's helmets to complete the picture. Too funny.

Water Dancing

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Originally uploaded by teach42.

Water Dancing is what my friend calls my twice weekly-water aerobics class. I love it. Brings to mind all kinds of graceful, which it is, and lots of fun. No, this photo isn't my water aerobics class, but it's an inspiration, isn't it? Would that we all looked like this. Sigh...

I love my water aerobics class. It's actually called something like Water Rythymics. Anyway, it's fun, and we feel like we're getting a lot of exercise, although according to my husband our mouths are probably getting the most. (He calls it my Social Swim.) Regardless, we can't help ourselves. We're women, after all, and it's undoubtedly programmed into our XX chromosome wiring.

I'm thinking of posting this photo on my fridge as a dieting incentive. Or not.

Knit Wits Dinner Table at K's

Knit Wits Dinner Table
Originally uploaded by tonkitty.

Isn't this a lovely table setting? Martha, take notes. K made us all feel so special when she hosted our Knit Wits dinner last Friday. We had to capture it all in a photo before we dove in. The little hand painted flower pots were our favors, complete with compressed peat pots and a package of flower seeds. The main dish was chicken made in her crockpot and dressed up with dried cranberries.

It was delicious!

Hmmmmmm .... I did not know this

easterbunny
Originally uploaded by tonkitty.

Sorry, I just couldn't resist. But it's spring, love is in the air, and some of us are conflicted, nearsighted, or just plain opportunists.

Spring Has Sprung ... !!!

Funny Bunny
Originally uploaded by bigdusha.

After a drenching day yesterday, today was great. Sunny, dry, warm-ish. The daffodils are pushing up all over the yard. I love it.

Went to the grand opening of the new Michael's in Westminster today. Very new smelling, fully stocked, and oh so tempting. After walking down every aisle at least twice, I can't believe it, but I actually left the store without making even one small purchase. How is that even possible? I guess I just know I have so many projects already started and materials to start new ones if I wanted to, I can't justify starting anything new. No more hobbies. But I sure was tempted. All that scrapbooking stuff, amazing paper making projects, cigar box purses to put together, yum yum! They had a lot of fun fur and novelty yarn, but I think most of their yarn is ordinary acrylic, so that didn't tempt me.

The afghan knitting project is moving along pretty rapidly after an earlier sluggish restart. I was going like gangbusters last night. This afghan is the famous war blanket. I'm in the groove now, and I can imagine actually finishing it within a few days. Hooray!

The Beginning of a New Week

I hope I have greater success with knitting this week than last. Friday Night Knit Wits was frustrating for all of us. For some reason we were all making mistakes, having to rip back, and start over. The good news is that P perfected her knitting and did a beautiful job, after some starts and stops, but at the end of the evening she had graduated from practicing and was ready to start a baby sweater. K made a fabulous chicken dinner in her crockpot, and we all loved it. Once again, the best part of the evening was just being together and sharing laughs.

I'm working on my war blanket - the afghan I started when Iraq invaded Kuwait, but abandoned after the rout. A mistake was discovered that required starting over, and I didn't have the patience. It was taken up again when the U.S started the war with Iraq, restarted after correcting the error, and 3 out of 5 strips finished before once again being cast aside. Well, it's back on the needles again. Let's hope this time is the charm and I can finally use it. It's really soft and pretty, a harringbone/checkerboard pattern in mauve, green and ivory. Maybe if I finish it the war will be over. Good thought, anyway.

St. Patrick's Day

Moss fungus and lichen
Originally uploaded by Photogopher.

I couldn't resist this photo. It's gorgeous, a natural setting with moss, fungus, and lichen, and shamrocks. How lovely. This was taken, not by me, along the trail at Silver Falls, Oregon.

Today is the day for a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner, which is what we will be having. Afterwards, will tackle the horrible sweater again. I must remember what I was told yesterday in a yarn shop. I should not be afraid of my knitting projects. They are only sticks and string. If they fail to behave properly, I should talk to them and threaten them with being ripped out unless they obey me. They are not the boss of me. I am in charge! I am woman, hear me roar ...

Fighting with Lace Knitting

There's one thing about being an ambitious beginner. You don't know what you don't know. And you don't know when a pattern is beyond your grasp. As I wrote earlier, I'm working on a Paton Divine Lace sweater that I fell in love with in a weak moment, knit with Divine yarn - soft, mohair-like, tufty, catches easily in the needles. I made the back and the front, and am working on one of the sleeves. That's where the lace begins. Well, that's where the trouble also begins. One thing I've learned while combatting the pattern and the tufty yarn is that you really need to concentrate when knitting lace. It's really, really hard to put back on the needles when you make a mistake. Not impossible, but it's very discouraging. And time consuming. Instead of liking the sweater more and more, I'm liking it less. I hope this feeling turns around, because I don't want to just abandon it, but knitting is supposed to be fun, and I'm not having fun right now.

Meet the Tonkers

Paddle, Ball, and Pong
Originally uploaded by tonkitty.

I'd like to introduce our Tonkinese felines. From left to right - Paddle, Ball, and Pong. Tonks are a breed originally crossed between a Siamese and a Burmese. Their distinguishing characteristics are beautiful aqua eyes (a blend between the Siamese's sapphire and the Burmese's yellow.) Paddle's eyes are more a light green than aqua. They have beautiful, soft, mink-like coats. The colors are blue, natural mink, champagne, and platinum. Ours are a platinum solid, a platinum mink, and a blue. Our Ping was a gorgeous natural mink.

Tonks are very sociable cats, quite muscular and athletic, and great talkers. Pong has a purr so loud you can easily hear it across the room. It carries over the telephone and can drown out the caller when he's in full purr mode. They love to be up high, and have even jumped up onto the top edge of doors. Paddle is a shoulder rider.

They're all sweet and lovable and very intelligent. I've heard Tonks described as the cat for dog people. I used to call Ping my puppycat because she followed me around just like a dog. Each of our kitties has its own distinct personality. Ball is the smallest cat, but he's the alpha male, loves to ambush and take pot shots of the others. Pong is nearly twice Ball's size, but he's just a big old marshmallow. Very easy going, a lover not a fighter. Paddle is our whiney cat. She can drive you crazy with her meowing, usually because she wants attention or she's lonely - can't find the other kitties and wants to cuddle with somebody. If she's shown where the other kitties are sacked out, she's happy and curls up in the pussy pile.

Oh, woe is me ...

Defaced Scream
Originally uploaded by t-squared.

I've spent the past few days in cyber hell trying to recreate - yes, FROM BLOODY SCRATCH - my ENTIRE blog. Somehow, when I tried to post it on Thursday, it had disintegrated. It was "Not Found." Huh? I pulled it up from my Bookmark Bar, and there it was, just as I'd left it. I could read it, but could not post to it, access the template, or in any way, shape, or form change or manipulate it. NOT FOUND. It's like it was encased in a glass box that I could only view from the outside, nose pressed flat. After poking around for a couple of hours, and in the process only screwing things up even further, I wrote to Blogger and waited patiently for them to respond. And waited. Imagined those nasty little computer nerds snorting their Coke out their noses laughing at me. Read other blogs. Got posting envy. When I hadn't received any help by Saturday, I figured if I waited for Blogger to extricate me from my mess, I might end up like one of those cobweb covered skeletons draped over my computer.

Well, that charming image finally motivated me. I decided to dive into HTML Land alone, armed only with the internet and Google to guide me. You see, I am not only a newbie to blogging, I'm a newbie to all things HTML. All those little squiggles and symbols make about as much sense to me as Egyptian hieroglyphics. Less, actually. The Egyptians had the good sense to draw their words as pictographs that translate into letters we can relate to.

Of course, since the old blog was defunct, I had to get a new web address. That's how disintegrated it was. The web address I wanted was already taken. By me. But even though it's mine, I can't have it. How mean is that? Now I'Il have to go through the embarrassing exercise of telling everyone my new blog address, and they probably haven't even looked me up yet on the OLD address. How pathetic is that? Don't mean to be a whiner, but I'm too old for this nonsense. I have, after all, a life to lead that actually consists of things other than a laptop computer. All this squinting at the computer screen is giving me wrinkles. I think I need Botox.

Woolens shop in Avoca, Ireland

Woolens shop in Avoca, Ireland
Originally uploaded by tonkitty.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a photo inside the woolens shop. The colors were incredible. A feast for the eyes.

Avoca, Ireland (Balleykissangel setting)

Avoca, Ireland (Balleykissangel setting)
Originally uploaded by tonkitty.

Isn't this gorgeous? On our trip through Ireland this past October, one of our stops was at a woolen mill in Avova, Ireland. Avoca is the location where the PBS series Balleykissangel is filmed. The whole of Ireland is absolutely lovely, and this photo captures the feeling of being a true fairyland. Just looking at the photo transports me back.

Ping - Tonkinese Extraordinaire - 1996-2004

Ping
Originally uploaded by tonkitty.

Here's my beautiful Ping. She was an exceptional kitty, unfortunately developed a liver problem and stopped eating. I miss her a lot.

It's a Winter Fairyland Out There .....

Yesterday's balmy breezes were just a spring tease - we're back to a winter white out. Probably won't stick, but it's beautiful right now, and coming down pretty fiercely. The birds are fussing and fighting on the suet cage and seed feeders. Right now it's a quarrelsome bunch of starlings flapping to edge out a foothold. Earlier there was a flock -a FLOCK!- of cardinals brunching between the feeders, sampling a little of everything. I couldn't take my eyes off them. I've never seen so many cardinals in one spot. Usually I've seen a pair or perhaps two pairs, but here today there were a dozen, probably more. The shades of red are gorgeous against the white of the snow. The smaller birds have had to wait their turn - finches, grosbeaks, warblers, sparrows. The woodpeckers are there as well, hammering away at the suet cakes. A bluejay is patiently waiting his turn off to the side. I could watch them all day. Must get busy.

It looks like a great day to knit. My current project is a Patons Divine Lacework Sweater in a color called Halo Blue, a soft icy blue. Fell in love with the pattern and yarn, so bought it, not noticing until I got home that the pattern is designated "Intermediate." Hmmm.......I think I'm more an advanced beginner. The yarn is very tufty and soft to the touch, although a bit troublesome to knit up. The back and front are finished. I've started a sleeve, where the lacework kicks in, so we'll see if I'm up to the challenge. I hope so.

The Tonks have been keeping a close eye on the birds, and now they're feeling sleepy. They've decided to settle in early for their afternoon nap. A good day for it, all in all.

Friday Night Knit Wits

Friday was our twice monthly Knit Wit get together at J's. We alternate between each other's houses for a true girls' night out with dinner, wine, and knitting. In her usual even better-than-Martha style, J served up a wonderful Italian meal before we got started on knitting. It was delicious, and J's table was beautiful, complete fresh spring flowers and little Easter favors at each place. After finishing off the meal, we remembered we were there to knit and began with oohing and aahing over patterns we might try before breaking out the current projects and beginnng in earnest. While we all know how to knit, none of us is very experienced, and we help each other with advice and excouragement. K has given up on knitting altogether, and instead crochets circles around the rest of us. She's currently working on an elaborate baby's dress that is truly gorgeous, a real prize winner. It's great fun to see the progress we are making. We have six in our group now, and have discovered that we knit differently. The former and current crocheters all knit Continental style, while the rest of us use the English style. After comparing and trying the opposite way, we decided to go back to our own most comfortable style. It was too much like trying to write with the opposite hand. Gave us lots of laughs in the efforts, though. What a hoot. Another great evening with good friends.