Love it!

Hope you can see the texture in this scarf. Remember you can click to enlarge the picture. I really like this, think both the texture and color look very manly. This is the start of a scarf for Daddy. It's slow going though, so wonder if I'm gonna get it done anytime soon?

I've never used this yarn before, and probably won't too often ($12.50 a skein); though it is the softest yarn I've ever felt! I love working with it, but at this price it's only for special people! And, since I only bought 2 skeins, it won't be a long scarf; though Daddy wouldn't want a long one anyway. The yarn is made in Peru. Rowan Lima 84% Bably Alpaca and 8% merino wool and 8% nylon. A cake is only 109 yards, requires hand washing in cold water etc. So, expensive and lots of care. But...I LOVE it.

I'm using Checks and Ridges stitch which is a nice completely reversible stitch in multiple's of 4 +2

Inviting you all to hop over to my travel blog and enter a contest! Click here, or on my Traveling Suitcase badge on the side./

Magical Bookcase

Magical bookcase? The title and the picture must have you scratching your head. Let me fill you a bit. The bookcase is old, it's scratched and in need of paint...that you can see from the picture. It's sitting in the garage here, in what hubby calls the staging area. It was loaded onto a moving truck about a week ago and hauled out to St. Louis for our daughter. There it received 2 coats of new paint. No pictures yet of that. Maybe in a couple of weeks, but back to the story.

This bookcase will now reside with our daughter, as I indicated. It's the 3rd home for the bookcase, the 3rd generational home that is. We've had it since she was a baby or soon thereafter. I think it was black when we received and it got painted white, cream, and yellow along the way. Magical, the shelves were moved around and my daughter and I turned it into Barbie's house. We covered the walls with paper, covered blocks and other items to make furniture for Barbie. It was a town house of course with multiple levels. I wish, really wish I had a picture of it. She and I played and spent many great mother and daughter hours together around this bookcase.

When I was young this same bookcase, the magical bookcase was in my parents home. There again it received multiple layers of paint and a variety of colors. During the year it was a bookcase in the living room; but...at Christmas it became the chimney that Santa came down. Yep...Mom used to remove the books, cover it with crept paper. In those days one could purchase crept paper that looked like red bricks. She made a fake fire with a little flickering light bulb. I guess we kids weren't too bright. We watched her do this, and I think even helped from time to time. Then she hang the Christmas Stockings. I need to look through old photo's, I think there's probably a picture somewhere. (though my scanner's not working). We'd sing Christmas Carole's around this magical bookcase. On Christmas morning it wasn't uncommon to find Santa's footprints in front of it, proving of course to us...that he did indeed come down the chimney using his magic dust.

Yes, this bookcase may be old; it may be beat up a bit; but to me........IT'S MAGICAL!

Mom was very creative indeed. Do you see a chimney when you look at this ordinary bookcase? Fond memories for me, both as an adult and as a child.

No More SNOW. No more PLEASE

Please click to enlarge these photo's so you can see what I was photographing. Just to the left of the 2nd tree.....the tree on the right is a sign. A for sale sign for the house of the bad neighbor. The sign is almost 100% covered by the snow!!
We often go outside, even with snow on the ground to sit and enjoy the serenity. Thus the furniture and outdoor heat thing you see on the table top are still in place. Too much snow, even for us. Our neighbors, I'm sure think we're way way beyond odd for going out and enjoying the weather in winters past. This year.......NO, we've not gone out and sat. Way way too cold.
Chairs? Only an inch or so and you'd not even be able to tell the difference between the top or bottom of the chair. I should add, chairs in other's yard are probably taller with snow piles because these chairs aren't solid...they are steel mesh....so lots and lots of places for the snow to fall through BEFORE it become solid and starts adding up.
Looking to the right out the deck door . The longest ice cycle there is about 5 foot long. Probably would have been longer, but I've knocked some of these off a few times.
If this picture doesn't make you feel cold...yikes. This is out back. The V...in the tree at right is about 3 feet from the ground. Across the back...are large grasses....you can't see them, they are totally covered with the white cold stuff.

I am soooooooooooooo very tired of snow, so very tired of ice, so very tired of CoLd. This picture is after the 3rd or was it the 4th storm? I've lost track. Early morning out the back, looking at our deck through one of the back bedroom windows. Look at the ice hanging from the roof. I've knocked it off a couple of times, not that you can tell. We've had a record of 27 inches of snow so far this half of the shortest month of February...AND drum roll, that's 26 inches MORE than is normal. I am, tired of it, as are most people in the area; but bite your tongue please, there are over 12,000 homeless people living...........or trying to stay alive in these conditions in this area. Can you Help? Yes, you can...everyone can, not perhaps in the same way..........but each and everyone of you CAN HELP, so PLEASE, Please, PLEASE do.

Before the Second Snow Storm

Day before yesterday, this is what we traveled home to. It was pretty, sun out, but cold and snow was everywhere. Our street had been plowed but look at the volume on the edge. Our community always does a good job with the streets; but then they can since it's a small community and not a large amount to work on. Others sure aren't that lucky.
Our wonderful neighbor used his snow blower to take care of our drive and walk which made getting in with the luggage easier. It wasn't long though before the sun disappeared and the 2nd storm hit. We got snow during the night and hubby shoveled before work (couple of inches), and again when he came home for lunch (couple more inches). It continued snowing all day. When good neighbor got home for work, he got out the blower and he and hubby together went at it again. It was slowing down a bit when we called it a night last night; but as I look out again this morning....street, walk, and drive are once again covered.

This weather is difficult for all of us, but I keep thinking about those homeless folks without a roof over their heads to ward off the cold snow.