I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes unto the Hills.....

While I build up the posts about my summer list (many, many pictures...) I thought I might show you one of the big reasons I like where I live.

These are all views I enjoy when I take a walk around my neighborhood. Today, I share them with you. Happy October from Pennsylvania.

What I Did on My Summer Vacation - Part 1

Yes, I know it's October, but I've finally got some free time and a whole lot o catching up to do.
Every spring, before school lets out, I make a list of the things I would like to accomplish with all the free time ahead of me. This year's list?
House
Re-decorate Elder Son's room and make it our bedroom
Re-decorate our room and make it the new sewing room
Re-decorate the sewing room and make it a TV/guest room

Sadly, due to the whole boom, poof (when the bedroom ceiling fell down?) we had to table the redecorating until we could get a contractor to remover the present ceiling, clean the joists (?) to be sure there is no mold growing, insert insulation, apply dry wall to new ceiling, sand floor, and repair the closet. Now that it's October, The Husband has promised to get on with it.

Knitting/Yarn
Sweater for a friend (promised who knows how many years back)
Nona Shawl (KnitPicks kit)
Steggie sweater for great nephew
Lace Shawl for me!
Warm Shawl from Knitting Classic Style
Another Fish Hat for someone....
Afghan for DIL to be
Dye yarn blanks

Sewing
Eldest niece's wedding quilt (They have a six-year-old child, I really need to get on this!)
Youngest niece's quilt (Four-year-old, and don't think I don't hear about it)
New Duvet cover for our newly decorated bedroom
Snowman embroidery I've been working on for years, years I tell you.
Cat embroidery, ditto
Doll for Great Niece
Tote bag from dragonfly materiel

Gardening
Mulch Lavender and Roses
The Husband's Zen garden
Plant annuals in the corner garden
Make Lavender Vinegar

Craft
Refinish Oak Desk
Refinish Oak Bookcase
Refinish Dressing Table
Refinish Oak Chair
Refinish armoire

Miscellaneous
Finish all the books in my book box
Take a trip
Lose twenty pounds
Swim three times a week
Digitize all my Ed Ames Albums

Well, that was this summer's list. Next time I will let you know how things worked out and even post some pictures. Now, where's that gift list for the winter holidays?

Thrown Off Lime and Violet

Ok, not thrown off, just Miss Violet herself suggested that I should go listen to something less edgy if I couldn't deal with the last two episodes (and she called me "sweets" Humph.). In case you don't listen to Lime and Violet (beware: the page that pops up may not BSFW), the last two episodes were light on the whimsy and knitting and heavy on the (IMO) smut. Now, I like a dirty joke as well as the next mildly repressed person, but I always perfer content and maybe some context. Flashing the UPS man? Funny and related to the dye shipments. Excising the guest speaker's penis? Not so much. Lime's stripper pole? Interesting and related to the re-decorating. Miss Violet's Gay's pierced nipples? Ouchies. If they ever get out of the porn shop (a place I would love to visit, but hate to be seen in, giggling is so unattractive in a women of my advanced years) and back to fun and whimsey (loved the letterboxing posts) let me know. Thanks.

Later That Evening....

We still have the bat with us. He is currently hiding behind one of the cupboards in the kitchen. I closed the pocket doors in the living room and we have isolated the kitchen as much as possible..... The Husband said he thinks it just flew out. Let us be truly thankful.

Is It Halloween Already?

Last night I was hot and tired so I retired to the bedroom two hours earlier than usual. I snuggled into the cool cotton sheets and enjoyed the breezes from three different fans. I had taken my current book with me (She Shoots to Conquer a good read and fun, too). Apparently I was really tired and fell asleep with the book in my hand and my glasses still on. The Husband came up and was getting ready for his shower. He took the book and glasses and put them in a nice safe place, turned out the light and went off to shower. Some time later, I don't know how long, I was awakened by the sound of something fluttering in our bedroom. EEK! A bat. I screamed, The Husband came and did his manly duty by escorting the vermin out with a broom. Peace was restored.
I decided that I didn't want to fall asleep until he was finished with his shower and there to protect me so I went back to my book. Sure enough about twenty minutes later (little did I know The Husband was trying to finish his book (P. D. James, but I don't know which one)) I looked up and there was either the same bat or one of his little friends circling the ceiling. Screaming ensued. As did turning on all the lights in the house, taking the screen out of the window and opening it, and the front door WIDE, getting dressed (in the hall, thank you very much) and ducking. Eventually we herded the little fellow out in the hall and we hope he made it out of the open door. I really hope he didn't just find a nice dark bookshelf to hide in until tonight....

Random Sunday

Someday I will have pictures of what's up with the knitting. I finished my Roulette sock and am currently waiting for some sizing info on the second Roulette sock (for Sue in Oz). I have wonderful yarn for her, all shades of purple with actual silver spun in. Whee!! Can't wait to start knitting.
Also finished the Warm Shawl by Veronik Avery. It's wonderful. Soft as a kitten and should go with a lot of my wardrobe. It's been cool enough around here to wear it.
I started an Aran cardigan for a friend's husband. She asked me to knit it a while ago and provided the yarn. It's Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Sapphire Heather. Not only is the yarn fun to knit with (all the marvelous shades of blue) but I am designing it as I go. Living on the edge......
Big News!! Younger Son proposed to his Sweetie and she accepted. I've always wanted a daughter. Hee. They came by last week and we took them out to celebrate. The wedding won't be for a few years as they both want to get advanced degrees before the wedding. Gives me more time to lose some weight. Speaking of...
My summer goal was to lose twenty pounds. I was doing really well. Had lost 12 pounds. One day The Husband comes downstairs and says, "I think we need a new scale. It shows that I've lost 15 pounds and I know that's not right."
Bought new scales. Weighed self. I had gained eight pounds. Argghhh!

Aunt Barney Rides Again

As you may remember, I was headed East to take a knitting class with Youngest Niece. Her Little Guy was all excited to see me, as you can see. He's three and is still working on pronunciation. Therefore, Aunt Barney. Thank G-d I didn't wear purple (and I hate that song).
The whole reason for the trip was to take a knitting class (or three) from Annie Modisett. Now, I have been knitting since I was four. That's more that 50 years. I learned a few new tricks. Whee.
Wednesday night we knit with wire. Not something I will do a lot of, but we all learned that some 26 gauge wire is thicker than others. Naturally, I had chosen a thicker one. YN chose a thinner one and her sample was gorgeous. Annie gave each of us a spool of the kind of wire she uses and I will definitely be trying again with that one.

Thursday morning we learned a new/old way to knit. It is the way I used to knit until Aunt Grace told me I was doing it wrong. Yes, it makes a beautiful stitch. Yes, it's familiar to me. No, I won't be using that method. Julie asked some of her readers to knit an afghan square for a good cause and I tried the new/old way. It took twice as long and my hands really hurt from tightening up my knit stitches. The pattern is from Barbara Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. I've always wanted to knit this castle and now I had a reason.

Thursday afternoon we tried out some new decorative details. The i-cord bobble was worth the cost of all the classes. Wow, what a great way to bobble. Makes me almost not hate them. We also learned to make dreads, horizontal i-cord and some spiffy bind offs.

Before I left home I finished the Kai Mei socks from Cookie A's new book. They were really fun to knit. YN says she might not knit them because the lacy part won't show in your shoes. I don't care I just wanted to try them.
Friday, before I headed home we went to a yarn shop in Nazareth PA. I bought some yarn spun and dyed in Pa and some yarn with possum spun along with the wool. Lime and Violet were talking about it and I just had to have it. Now, if I knit a scarf from it will I have to play dead when someone scares me?

Drive-by Blogging

Hi! Well, the last time I posted I gave a few reasons why I might be a little busy. Have you heard that Mercury is in retrograde? Since the last post the art teacher at my school has become gravely ill (nice thoughts should be directed to Ann in Tyrone) and, as I am the one sub who gets along with her and can follow her (somewhat wandering) lesson plans, I am in charge of art for the rest of the year (which means I write the lesson plans for myself and my sub because the regular teacher is too sick, and I prepare all the supplies for classes, I organize the end of the year return of projects and get as much as possible ready for the art show). Naturally, just before this I volunteered to bake dessert for the entire congregation at the Rabbi's last service before she goes off to do her summer thing, and I signed up and paid for Annie Modisett's classes in Stroudsburg, Pa. Now, the wonderful secretary will not let me give up these two events. I stayed at school until 5pm last night to get some things ready for the annual art show. The head of the arts department went to the principal, who asked the Superintendent if I could get some over-time pay to cover all the work that needed to be done for the end of the year. Wanna guess what he said? Go on, but remember he's a member of the administration and I'm a lowly sub. Yup, no pay beyond my measly $75 a day. Therefore and hence, the other subs, the secretary and the teachers will not let me stay past three o'clock. The Husband keeps trying to get me to switch school districts (which would mean new clearances and learning all new names). The pay is just a tad higher but I like it where I am as long as I stay away from admin.
In knitting, I am working away on the shawl, I'm on row 291 out of 483 of the garter stitch center. That's all good, I'm too fried to knit complicated. That said, I finished the right sock of Cookie A's kai-mei socks and I'm at the heel of the second. Thank G-d we have a three-day weekend. I'm planning a movie, a picnic, and a whole lot of knitting. And you?