Having twins is no easy matter.  Ask Risa or Cate, but not all mom’s have the choice to just say, JUST ONE, ONLY ONE!  KEEP THE CHANGE!  Juliet butted lamb #1 (now known as Kathryn or ‘sweetie pie’)  when #2, Lilith, was born.  No, I did not name them.  I’m just the auntie and baby needs to be feed all day while Grammy goes to work.  She, ‘sweetie pie’ (I can’t do the ‘Kathryn’ thing yet) is terribly sweet.  She was born precocious.  She’s just 24 hrs. old, knows that she is privileged, has begun speaking in a language that we all understand, runs, is interested in botany, and I’m pretty sure she’ll take up reading today.  Grammy spent the whole day with her yesterday, in the house.  Today, she’ll learn about gardening, planting annuals and potatoes, in particular.  All of a sudden, it’s summer.  It’s hot!  Now, there are two kinds of blood thirsty bugs attacking.  The mosquitoes hatched out in the heat of yesterday.  Screens were hastily gotten out of storage and were washed and installed first thing this morning.  No time for fiber, except on the hoof.
Ooops… feeding time, baby wakes..  mmmaaaaaa…

  get the picture??

What a difference a day an afternoon can make.  The sun came out, it got very warm, the poisonous bug juice worked (the blood sucking horrors are still out there waiting, I am not naive enough to believe that they just stop biting all at once, and all in the same day).  But it was good, pretty great, in fact.  The vegetable garden is all but planted.  I’m still shy brussel sprout seedlings.  The potaoes can go into the ground tomorrow (weather permitting) and I could still use a few more cherry type tomatoes.  The flower gardens, well…. they are still muddy down near the pond, and will never be really under control.  It’s fortunate that I believe in garden fairies, like the spontinaity of mother nature, and think that gardens should only partly be controlled.  There are annuals leftover from jobs that I’m making room for in the gardens and assorted planters.  I’m back on target.  C has most of the hostas split and potted up that we need for delivery in the next couple weeks.  I checked the apple trees.  Little pinkish red buds are getting ready to pop.  Let’s hope the bees are in place.  If I can get this clod of mud out of my eye, where it lodged itself this morning before I could see the light at the end of the tunnel… then, maybe I’ll get some knittin’ done.
The frogs, the big loud mouthed ones, started up today.  The peepers get louder every night.  Nights are wonderful, perfect music to sleep by.

If this post is posting today, it’ll haveto go without pics.  I’ve got to warm up my back, have another cup or two of the ‘elixer of life’, and then head on down to the barn.  C and I must load several hundred pots of hostas into the truck, drive them down to the field, unload same and carry and place them inside the electric fenced in enclosure until delivery sometime in the next two weeks.  Almost everybody likes the taste of young hostas.

The sun was shining in Burlington yesterday.  It felt great to be outside without the man eating blood sucking bugs, even if it was just trapsing across parking lots into various stores.  I was outside, it was warm, and (other) people actually thought that it was summery.  They were in appropriate (shorts, sandels) attire.  I would have felt a little like Nanuk but decided to ignore the feeling and just soak up the sun while it lasted, that being exactly as long as it took to drive back across the mountains and into the cool, damp, bug ladden hills.  Yep, I know, I’m whining.  The sun IS out today, along with the man eating beasts, and I’m inside doing office stuff.  It’s the end of the month billing.  I did put on capris and birks and figured I could make pretend.  I did buy two new containers of DEET.  I hate the stuff.  This staying inside stuff is not in my nature and I’ve already gained 3 lbs in the last week sitting around waiting for the weather and the bugs, eating my way through.  It’s still way too wet to put anything into the ground.  I just checked, it’s mud out there in the garden.  oKKKKKK… enough!

I have been spinning.   This..  I think it’s from Persimmon Tree a couple years ago.  The color is really lovely in the sun (or good light).

The sleeves to the Ribby Cardi are nearly half done, it’s 2X2 ribbing, nothing really interesting to show. It’s a great project to take with.  Nothing challenging.. nice colors changing as you go.   

It’s time to stop pretending.  I’ll put my body armor back on, spray up and go out and enjoy the sun fresh air.  I think I really need a walk.

SP5 List:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural
fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same
to you?
yep, I am a snob.  If it’s a natural fiber, I’m there.  Of course, I’m always fascinated with anything that’s new… colors texture and did I mention glitz?

2. Do you spin? Crochet?  I’m a spinner, dyer, knitter.. the only real crochet work I’ve done has been sculptural

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)  cigarette smoke, molds, and tree pollens get me in a bad way, tha’s about it.

4. How long have you been knitting?  I think I was 6 or 7, nearly half a century ago( I just had to try out what it feels to write that, plenty weird

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?  I’m working on it

6. What’s your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)  I love spice, jasmine, copal and simple fragrance like lemon.  I’m a big fan of amber (gris) and try to buy it when I can find it

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?  I’m female, I love chocolate. The darker the better, and coffee and nuts.  I went low carb a year and a half ago, so I limit my sugar intake.  When I ‘cheat’, it’s with the dark stuff.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I trained in photography and architecture.  I love building, designing and just plain figuring stuff out.   

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) My taste is eclectic, I love jazz, opera, classical, blues… oh yes, the blues.  I listen to "world" music, almost anything.  I have an MD player, and of course CD. 

10. What’s your favorite color? Or–do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can’t stand?  I’m into purples, blues, chartruese and moss greens.  I love earthy reds.  Color is beautiful, I rarely find one that I don’t appreciate but can’t think of any time that I’ve worn yellow.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?  2 very spoiled cats and C of course.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?  Anything with silk, alpaca, most wools.. I spin and/or dye most of my stuff. 

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?  not acrylic but I definitely see a use for it and have on occasion

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?  Lace, shawls, things with beads

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?  couldn’t say, if it strikes my fancy, I’m there

17. What are you knitting right now? I’ve got the Ribby Cardi on my needles, a beaded stole, too many socks to want to count, and then there are the stored in boxes projects, waiting to get out

18. What do you think about ponchos?  I may make one more ponchette.  I find them to be not very practical as an outer garment, but lots of fun

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?  10" is the longest straight needle I like, for socks I use the 5" and generally keep my bigger projects on circs.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?  there’s room for everyone, different yarn, different needles
21. Are you a sock knitter?  aren’t we all?

22. How did you learn to knit?  my Mom and the mother of a friend.. must have been the first year of Brownies or there abouts

23. How old is your oldest UFO? I’d have to find it to tell.  That would be a challenge.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?  the hummingbird, hands down, then the chickadee, frogs, turtles, lizards

25. What is your favorite holiday?  I think New Years,  I used to decorate for all the holidays, now I have to do it for business and don’t do so much for myself.  I like the off holidays, solstice, first day of spring, promise of new..

26. Is there anything that you collect? I’m a magpie, I collect everything.  Rocks, shells, interesting pieces of things.  Fiber tools, books, pens, blue pottery.. and fiber, and music, and crafts & textiles from Central America, I’ve collected for years

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?  IK

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?  I haven’t looked lately, there’s always something interesting.