The cats and I love spend lots of time watching the birds at the feeders outside my office window.  We also watch squirrels. The house is surrounded by very tall, densely packed oak trees.  In the tops of many of them are huge (and I hope cozy) squirrel nests.  Everywhere you look, there are brown, oak leafy nests.  They (the squirrels) are fat, happy. and well fed at my squirrel bird feeders.  It’s a challenge that most folks don’t win; how and where to place the feeders to discourage the squirrels.  First off, squirrels LOVE a challenge.  I believe they take it as personally as Bostonians take a Patriots playoff game, or whatever.. go ahead, imagine your own local sports fan.  It being equal to the squirrel vs. feeder challenge psyche.  Got it?  My Dad came up with a challenge this year that actually lasted, hey I don’t know, a week?  Oh probably not, it’s far more likely that no one saw the squirrels win earlier.  It was a good one too, lots of ropes tied between far apart places and a suspended feeder.  My feeders..  they’ll use either, but the hanging platform is by far their favorite.  It’s easy to sit on while feasting.  I decided to move it the other day to give the cardinals a chance.  Here’s the result.

step 1: jump from post to feeder #1

step #2: use round top to jump to feeder #2

NO Problem! 

Here’s a hint.. it is a very handy thing for a knitter to
have while traveling, particularly if
the knitter is also a passsenger. Which,
is exactly what I had in mind when I went out searching for this little
bugger. Now, notice the handy clip
mounted with a rotating ball and socket at the top. This little light can clip onto your seat
belt. Point it down and directly at your
work in hand, and voila.. the driver
barely notices. The knitter, however,
can extend the knitting hours into the night. I tested it on my trip south Sunday night. Perfect! See the 3 led lights? The
batteries should last a very long time.

 

Next up, the Shetland I spindle spun on the Golding
Tsunami.

Ninety-five yards, spun and plied on the spindle… off one
spindle. That’s a lot of yarn. Maybe I’m easily impressed.

I spent the rest of my ‘free time’ working on the typepad
account. It’s winning, not me.   But, I’m still standing, thanks to Norma and her steady stream of email advice.  By rhe way, what is with this thing?  Now, it’s working, and the screen looks IS different.  I can do things it would not let me do only hours ago, like use the ‘strikethough’ button and ‘insert pictues’.  It’s NOT me, it really happened, I swear.
 

Update:  It’s taken at least a full two hours (and that’s only counting the hours spent since I returned to RI and started working high speed cable) to get the Bloglines button up and working on Typepad.  Learning any new program is at the least frustrating.  This goes into the ‘DO I REALLY NEED THIS’ category along with “IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT”.  I’ll blame it on my curious nature and Norma.    She emailed me that I really needed a RSS feed.  I know it works, I love using Bloglines.  but what the h#%$ is an RSS feed anyway?   I could have been knitting.  I could have finished the last sleeve.  I could have, hmmmm… I used the time to set up a Bloglines button, its working, so subscribe NOW, OK?  Click the damn button!
That parts easy, its fun. 

Next up.  It was so good to be in VT, even if our stay is continually cut short these days.  We drove north through dense fog most of the way.  The last bit of snow had not been plowed, and it was a very good thing.  Warmer than usual temps had made the ice / snow pack into slush on ice… very thick ICE.  Any bare of snow area would have been like driving on an ice rink, UPHILL…  ahhh, Vermont in winter.  I worked for hours cleaning off as much as I could chop and scrape from the decks and walks.  The barn would require the tractor / snow blower in the morning.  It poured all that night.  If it had been snow, I’d still be digging out and my now ruined forearms might never recover.   Around 6am the temps dropped and 5” accumulated quickly on top of another 5” of now mushy ice slop.  We did not leave the property Friday.  Driving or plowing the snow off that combination would make a luge run out of my ½ mile downhill driveway for who knows how long.  Could’ve been dealing with that for the rest of the winter, never know.   Anyway, the upshot of all this weather crap is that I stayed home all weekend.  I left once, for a very short trip (after everything finally froze solid under the snow), over the hill to see my friend, KP.  She gave me this.

She made it.  It’s perfect for storing my extra bobbins and some of whatever I’m working on, and keeping my cup of tea handy while I’m spinning.

 

Saturday night, ‘cause I was so much in love with my Tsunami, I spun the spindle full of shetland.  Then (as per Rita Buchanan’s instructions) made a center pull ball, wound (using both ends together in preparation for plying) it onto my not yet felted ball,

and proceeded to ply it onto the Tsunami.  Now, I love the Tsunami doubly.  That was its first time plying.  I’m amazed at what it held.  AND, it’s balanced.. the yarn, that is. 

Just because I could, and I WAS SO HAPPY to have all my stuff in front of me, I also spun a bobbin full of wonderful very dark brown llama on the Dixon.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE MY DIXON ?!!

See, all that shouting is because I was so happy.  Meanwhile, I’m looking outside at my pond.