Hello snow!

Good morning doves. (I had it in the wrong exposure mode)

This morning arrived with about 3 to 4 inches of wet sloppy snow.  Schools were closed.   The weather forecast last night kept calling for up to 6 inches.  Eh, not so much.  Enough, however, to drag out trusty Yardy.  A 14 year old 21" 2 cycle Yard Machine snow blower.  She has never failed to start, manually.  She came with an electric start, which no longer worked after her first winter of service.  However, as long as I feed her a fresh gas/oil mix, turn the key to on (I forgot one day and was confounded when she wouldn't start), prime the pumpy thing 3 times, and put her in choke, she roars to life with coughs of blue oily smelling smoke.  Let me repeat, the important thing is that she roars to life!

Neighbor's other worldly tree.

Driveway before Yardy.

Driveway after Yardy!

Yardy back in the garage, job complete.

The snow was wet and heavy, not the kind that yields well to shovels.  Thank goodness for Yardy.  I zipped out the driveway in about 20 minutes.  Enough time left over for a walk around our block.  I encountered lots of shovel wielding homeowners.  One shovel holder informed me he didn't need to go for a walk because he had just received plenty of exercise, as he gestured at his now clean driveway.  I just smiled smugly to myself.  Yardy, you may be loud and stinky, but you get the job done.  You've earned yourself a future on the alpaca farm.

D :)

Ready, Set, Knit

I can't decide whether I want to explain why I want to raise alpacas or whether I want to talk about my initiation into knitting.  Hmm.  

I think the knitting wins, since it is relevant for today.  The alpaca story will hold until a later date.    My adventure began last Tuesday 2/19 when I arrived at 9:30 a.m sharp for my first class, excited to begin.  The date however, didn't correspond with the beginning class date of 2/26.  What was I thinking?  Apparently I wasn't.

So last week instead of beginning my foray into the intricacies of knitting I instead was assisted in finding a knitting project and the proper tools to complete said project.  I was afraid it would have to be the ubiquitous scarf.  Don't all beginners have to knit a scarf?  I was assured, however, that I could knit something more interesting.  So I decided on a vest.  The first two contenders were nixed as being a little too ambitious for a beginner.  Okay, so maybe ruffles are harder to knit than I think.  I finally settled on a pattern by Berroco Karma (give a shout if you have heard of them, I haven't), the Vasya.  Doesn't that sound so Italian?  To be knitted in a soft bulky 100% cotton yarn the color of coral.  Berroco Karma 1.75 oz color 3418.  I walked out with my $80.00 worth of knitting supplies, dreaming of the stunning vest I would need to create to compete with the one I could buy in the store for that price.

What my finished Vasya vest should look like and my Karma yarn gauge rectangle.  

Over the weekend my daughter and I had attended the Michigan Historical Museum's Stitch Lab, www.michigan.gov/museum, where we were coached through the basics of casting on, knitting and purling.  At the end of the two hour lab I had completed a small two inch square and my daughter had completed an artistically airy four inch square.  Hers may have contained some strategically placed dropped stitches.  It was quite lovely.  The coach asked if I would mind if she just undid mine?  Braced with this quick course I was confident that I could start today's lesson/session ahead of the ball (or skein so to say).

So today, at last, my first knitting lesson/session.  My instructor, Lori, asked if I had knitted before?  Yes, a long time ago.  I didn't want to give away my quick weekend refresher course, in case I couldn't remember anything.  Did I remember how to cast on?  Blankness.  Lori demonstrated.  Did any of this look familiar?  Um, not so much.  Did I know how to make a slip knot?  A what knot?  Not exactly the confidant start to my first knitting project.

Two hours later, however, I am proud to say that I had achieved a a rectangular shaped piece of  knitting, to which Lori applied a ruler, announcing I had managed to knit the proper gauge.  Whatever that is.  Sounded good to me.  Now, she instructed, I just needed to undo what I had done today.  Really?  Then she gave me a set of directions to work on for the next week.  Ta-da, the start of my Vasya vest.  The book pattern instructions say cast on 48 sts. Knit 1 row on WS for Garter Ridge.  Work even in St st until piece measures 2" from beginning.  Say what?  Lori said I didn't need to worry about those instructions.  Hers were much simpler.  I'll go with simplicity any day.

D :)

Contemplating Gray

So, being a 50ish woman, I have reached that age in my life where the color of my hair is, lets just say, less than the original.  Meaning I've been sporting hair color based on the color on a box for about 30 years.  My hair started turning gray in my early 20's.   I went through an auburn phase and a close to the original phase and now, crap, I have to color my hair again, after only three weeks, phase.  That's a lot of time and energy and chemicals expended in the name of youth.

I'm tired of it.  I'm ready to kick the habit, go cold turkey, go natural, go gray.  I'm going to do it.  I told my mother for years that I could never quit coloring my hair until she did.  I love my mother dearly but I didn't want to be mistaken for her younger sister.  That would reflect well on her, but didn't say much about me.  My mother, bless her heart, finely quit coloring her hair about four years ago.  She is now 80.  When she did people complimented her on the beauty of her lovely white locks.  She was pleasantly surprised.  

I don't know if people will compliment me on my gray, white, dark brown roan mixture (provided there is still dark brown left).  You know what, I don't care.  I'm taking a stand for women my age.  My husband sports gray hair, as does my younger brother.  Men in their 50's have gray hair, why don't women?  I can think of three women, Jamie Lee Curtis, my sister, who is a redhead and a recent acquaintance, who aren't afraid to be gray.  I'm ready to jump on the band wagon.  We'll start an uprising, a movement of great momentum....    Well, maybe not.  The thing is, I have to listen to my heart, and it's beating to the tune of yea gray, yea gray.

I do have a plan,  because I don't want to have the dreaded demarcation between the old and the new.  I will continue to color my hair with shampoo-in color until such time as my roots, in all their glory have grown out.  Then there will be a gradual fade to the loveliness of God's will for my hair.  I have already started the plan.  No more permanent hair color will cross my thresh hold.  

I want to end with this thought.  I can always go back to coloring it if I don't like it, right?  That is what people have been responding with when I tell them of my plan.  You know what, I'm not going to end with that thought!  I'm going to respect, embrace and love my hair for the stupendous color it will be.  Period. 

I'll keep you posted.

My daughter, me and Mom in San Diego 2012.  Notice my Mom's lovely white locks.

P.S.  In case you are confused on how this brings me closer to obtaining an alpaca farm, I'm thinking natural, all natural.  That's all I have to say.

D :)

Welcome To My World

I've finally gone and done it.  I'm blogging!  I've been creating blogs in my mind for the last two months.  Now that I can put type to page, I'm speechless.  Such a large blank white space to fill.    Also my heart is racing a mile a minute.  I've finally committed myself to exposure and scrutiny.  Terrifying.

See, to understand, you have to know that I'm a 50 something, less than computer literate farm woman trapped in a part time job of no consequence living in suburbia.  Yea, that about sums it up nicely.  I'm on a journey to find something more invigorating, creative and soul satisfying.  Who isn't?  My dream involves moving to remote parts of Michigan, husband in tow, and creating an alpaca farm, with chickens, and maybe a goat or two and a garden and oh maybe a horse or two.  Actually the goats are more my husband's dream than mine, but I can compromise.

How do I plan to get from my suburban lifestyle to my dream?  Lots of patience (not my strong suit) and a plan.  My husband (to be know henceforth as J) will retire from one of the big three (for those non-Michiganders that is GM, Ford, and Chrysler) in March of 2015, after 30 years of lots of overtime and night shifts.  By the way that is only 2 years away, in case anyone is counting.  We will be packed and ready to buzz the minute his time is up.  In the meantime we are busy scouring realtor.com for potential property.  Also I'm trying to stay in the moment and live life now, instead of in the future, dreaming of what's to come.  Not to say that dreaming is a bad thing but too much of it will numb you to the here and now.  Who knows what you may miss along the way.

So, I'm trying to expand my current horizons so my stuck in a rut life has a little variety.   I've just signed up to learn how to knit.  A six week class on Tuesday mornings (I had to request Tuesdays off at work).  Next I want to conquer crocheting.  I have visions of stylish sweaters, vests and maybe freestyle wall art bouncing around in my head.  

My plan, over the next two years is, number one, get our current tri-level home ready to sell.  Obviously we want to get as much as possible for our current home so we can apply any profits (hopefully) towards a down payment on our farm to be.  I have several unfinished projects that need to be completed.  More about those at a later date.

Two, I also want to winnow out unnecessary or unwanted furniture and accessories.  I foresee a large estate sale in our near future.

Three, I want to spend the next two years working at a place I enjoy, with hours that somewhat coincide with my husband's and that allows me to be creative.  I foresee a job change in the near future.

I foresee a lot of changes in the future.  Hmmm....

Four, I want to become as knowledgeable about alpacas as I can and become prepared for "farm life".  This year I vow to have a more successful garden by utilizing square foot gardening www.squarefootgardening.com.  My gardening the last couple of years has had limited success partly due to it's location lacking sufficient yellow rays and partly due to marauding wildlife (deer, groundhogs, rabbits and perhaps a skunk or raccoon or two).

If any of this sounds remotely interesting, check back and join me on my journey.

D :)

Demon cat, Lucy!

Backyard snow.

The birds are wondering what happened to the food?

My backyard shed, winterized!