For the Love of Fiber

Post Boo

I intended to post yesterday but just plain ran out of time.

Saturday began with knitting at Panera's.  There was a great crowd and a lot of knitting going on - Lynn and Dee were working on a baby hats out of self-striping yarn ( so cute and colorful), Pat was crocheting the edging of her grand-daughter's baby blanket (when a group member has a grand-baby, everyone knits blanket squares and then the grandmother puts them together and does the edging), Mary Anne was knitting and about to finish yet another cardigan (she's a prolific knitter - I think this is the 3rd or 4th child's cardigan she's knit since I started going to the group).  Dot and Connie were there but were at the other end of the row and I failed to see (or can't remember) what they were knitting. 

Next, there was the dreaded trip to the grocery store.  Every area resident was there which made the chore full of "excuse me's" trying to get around people, waits in aisles that were blocked, etc.  I usually don't mind the trip to the store quite so much but just had so much I wanted to do this weekend.  

I finally made it home - just in the nick of time!  Tom followed me up the driveway with his truck loaded down with red oak hardwood for my floors!  Yes, people --- Phase Two of project "Make This House Mine" will get underway tomorrow.  Should take two days for the nasty carpet to come up downstairs and the hardwood to be put down.  Next week, is Phase Three - the nasty carpet upstairs and on the stairs gets replaced by new pretty carpet in a dark gold.  I will be posting before and after photos.

I had just a little bit of time to do some cleaning out before having to get ready for the Ghost & Goblets Dinner and Tour at the Hammel House Inn in Waynesville.  Waynesville has a reputation for being the most haunted town in Ohio and it is well-known that Hammel House Inn is the most haunted site in Waynesville.  So, it seemed like the perfect place to hang-out for Halloween.  The dinner dinner part of our night was delicious.  Served by the Hammel House, we dined on a salad of mixed greens with roasted pumpkin seeds, Craisins, and pecans, a chicken dish with a cornbread/grit cake and spinach souffle, melt-in-your-mouth buttery rolls, and an apple bread pudding w/ caramel sauce.  Yummmm!  During the dinner, we were entertained with ghostly tales from the owner of the Hammel House Inn and two volunteers from the Museum at the Friends Home.  Then, we were able to walk off at least some of the dinner calories as we continued our night touring through the town with the museum volunteers leading the way and pointing out points of paranormal interest along the way.  Afterward, we drove two blocks up the hill to the Museum at the Friends Home.  The structure was built in 1905 and was used as a boarding house for Quakers.  The Quakers remain quite active in this area.  

Reasons for Waynesville being so haunted????  Well, I have read that it is built over Indian burial grounds and also this area was very active in the Underground Railroad.  Throw in a triple ax murder by an eighteen year old boy and a murder by a former Hammel House Innkeeper and you've got yourself a haunted town!  Four out of the five bedrooms of the Inn were reserved last night by people who attended the dinner / tour.  I wish I could find out how they slept!  Two of their rooms continue to be reported as VERY "active" with spirits.  You can read more here and here.

Some of Andy's family are coming this afternoon for lunch/dinner.  We'll be improvising since we don't have any real chairs to sit in on.  Thank goodness it's nice out - very sunny - not a cloud in the sky!  So we'll put the patio to good use.  Andy will grill chicken and I'm making three bean salad, copper pennies, and corn pudding.  We'll finish up with a peach pie and apple caramel cake (no, I did not make them!).  

Enjoy these few pictures of Halloween here at my house.  The row of burning bushes has been gorgeous with its fiery red color.  Now, their leaves are shedding and they'll soon be a row of sticks.  Not sure how I'm going to like that as I'm used to huge evergreen English boxwoods - green all year - along my walkway.  

I love this pumpkin cat!  Mom sent me the metal attachments to turn this plain ordinary pumpkin into a scaredy cat.  He's so cute!  I especially love his toenails.

We'll be getting ready for turkey-time soon!!!

Thoroughly Pooped!

That's me ---- thoroughly pooped!  Why do Virginia and South Carolina have to be so far away???

Andy and I left Ohio Friday morning and headed to Virginia.  Took us about nine hours pulling the trailer.  We arrived in South Boston, VA about 4:30 PM and cleaned out / closed the safe deposit box at the bank, closed the credit union account, met Mom and Daddy for dinner, loaded the old washer and dryer and coffee table into the trailer, and then bedded down for the night at the Holiday Inn Express.  

After dinner, we rode down to see our old house.  It looked gorgeous!  Just like I always dreamed it would.   Funny, what I waited for for twenty-five years it took the new owners less  than two months to achieve.  Not fair.  They had painted it, made the old shed into a two-car garage, added a beautiful lamppost, planted some pretty trees/bushes, etc.  They even took my idea and were squaring off the end of the house to make walk-in closets and a nice master bathroom.  

Saturday morning, Andy and I hit the road again.  This time, we were headed to Columbia, SC by way of Danville, VA to pick up Mom and Daddy.  I switched cars so I could ride with them.  It was great seeing them again.  I don't think I've ever gone almost two months without seeing them.  

We arrived in South Carolina early afternoon.  After picking up Taylor and eating lunch, we toured the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.  Taylor had his coworker, Bill, show us around and Bill even arranged to present us each with a gift bag.  The convention center was very pretty.  There was artwork by local artisans throughout the center.  One stunning example was this glass light fixture.  Beautiful!  There were rows of magnolia trees outside and even a few palms.  

After our tour, we went back to Taylor's apartment and unloaded the washer, dryer, and coffee table.  We  also brought paintings and his hooked rug for him to decorate his apartment with.  I found these oil paintings in the Parsons-Bruce Gallery in South Boston, VA earlier in the year.  I couldn't resist them because I knew Taylor would absolutely love them.  I was right!  He is crazy about them!  My favorite part of the larger painting is the steam rising from the pans.  They were painted by a local artist there - Phil Ramsey.  My sons went to school with Phil's sons so they are extra special since Taylor knows the artist.  Mom hooked this vegetable rug for him and did a great job.  Look at the detail in the hooking.  I bought curtains at Target here in Ohio  and took those.  They matched a throw he had on his sofa perfectly.  In fact, all the colors went together so well - browns, tans, rusts.  Very comfortable.

Mom, Dad, and Lily left late afternoon and then the fun part of our visit began.  After a quick trip to get what we needed to install the appliances, it was down to business.  Andy and Taylor worked installing the washer and dryer and Rachael and I washed dishes, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen and put away clothes. I think she and I emptied at least a dozen boxes.  We were able to make a good-sized dent and the apartment looked nice when we left for the hotel that night.

Sunday morning, Taylor and Rachael joined us for a cup of coffee before we hit the road for Ohio.  The drive home took us about ten hours.  We averaged about fourteen miles to a gallon pulling the trailer.  This weekend was a very expensive, quick - but at the same time - very long trip.  Mom and Daddy are planning on coming to Ohio for a visit in November and I hope Rachael and Taylor can come soon, also.  

One plus about the trip ---- it allowed me about twenty-four hours or so hours of knitting time.  

I started and finished this super cute pumpkin hat.  I combined a couple of patterns and then added a bit of my own.  I used the basic rolled brim hat pattern from Ann Budd and then the stem and leaf from Itty-Bitty Hats.  Then, I added vertical rows of purl stitches to make it look like the indentations of a real pumpkin.  I knit the whole hat - even the I-cord stem - using the Magic Loop method.  The yarn was Schoeller Stahl's Bahia - a 50/50 blend of rayon acrylic.  

I really made progress on this baby afghan.  I hadn't posted a picture of it before because there just wasn't  enough to even show but now it is!  I'm into the second skein and am  knitting it out of Encore 75% acrylic, 25% wool.  Perfect color for a little boy.  

We passed lots of pretty scenery on our trip.  Here are a couple of pictures.  The tree colors had dulled a bit to rich rusts, golds, greens, and oranges.  Still very pretty.

One reason we had to go clean out the safe deposit box was to get our car titles so we could register in Ohio.  I went to the license bureau today and guess what ----------------------- we have to take a written test.  UGH!!!!  I brought the book home to study and am dreading taking the darn thing.  They "inspected" - that's what they called it - my car.  The  "inspection" consisted of writing down the model of my car and the VIN number and that was all!  Seriously.  I asked the lady if she was going to check my tires or my lights, etc.  She said no - Ohio is mostly interested in whether or not you're driving a stolen vehicle.  I can drive a broken down piece of junk but it better not be stolen!  No REAL vehicle inspection but I have to take a test!  Go figure! 

The North Pole --- Or Dang Near It!

Tuesday, I had two work appointments scheduled - one morning appointment in Dayton, OH and the other one in the afternoon in Celina (pronounced with a long "i").  Now, the appointments were too far apart and not conducive travel-wise to go home in between.  So, finished with the AM appointment, I headed to Panera's and ordered my absolute favorite Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.  I set up my little notebook computer, checked my email, and worked a bit before packing up to hit the road north.

There were several things wrong from the get-go with the Tuesday schedule - 1) the lay over in between where I couldn't go home to work, 2) a 4:15 PM  appointment, and the worst thing - especially when combined with #2 , 3) Celina is a 4-hour minimum round-trip drive from my home. 

I left Panera's and was about halfway to Celina when I received a phone call from the claimant I was scheduled to meet  in Celina at his appointment.  He informed me that the doctor had been called out for an emergency surgery and they wanted to push his appointment to 5:45 PM.  He asked me if that would be okay.  Well, I was already halfway there so I agreed.

I arrived in Celina with time to spare.  I'm pretty sure I was not too far from the North Pole.  Not really - but it sure felt like it.  I was only about an hour from Fort Wayne, IN.  

The town of Celina is located on Grand Lake St. Mary - a 13,500 acre inland lake.  (Read more about this  area here and here.)  I drove all around - checking out the walkways, picnic areas, playground, etc. along the lake's edge.  What a really pretty area.  I noted several benches just perfect for a good "sit and knit".  It was a little breezy and I had work to do, so I opted for a cozy spot in a nearby coffee shop - TC Coffee Co.  I still had a view of the lake over top of my computer and gigantic almond latte.  

I was gathering up my things to leave at 5:30 PM when I received another call from my claimant.  He said that the doctor had been called to do two more appointments and canceled all his office appointments for the day.  We decided he would join me at the coffee shop so we could at least meet each other.  GRRR!

All was not lost.  I got to inspect a new area of Ohio, meet my claimant, and was treated to these  spectacular sunset views on the way home.

And, as I came through Springboro, I realized that there were just a few minutes left at Knit Night at Wooly Bully.  So, I stopped in and got a few rows done on the baby blanket.

So, Tuesday was a fruitful day after all!

More Fall Fun

After another busy work week, I could hardly wait to get to Panera's to knit with my peeps on Saturday!  I  was running late but still had plenty of time to knit, ooh and ah, and eat my weekly Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.  

Karen was working fast and furious to finish a baby blanket with this really pretty Dark Horse yarn.  The yarn was so soft and had flecks of turquoise in it.  She got all her ends threaded in and proudly held the blanket up for all to see.  She had enough yarn left over to make a hat for the baby, too.  Karen was also knitting a scarf for the big sis of the blanket recipient.  Goodies for everyone in this package!

Lynn showed us this great striped cardigan she knit  for her grand-daughter with a chunky yarn.  She lives out west and will put this sweater to good use.  This sweater looked like such a comfortable "go-to" sweater -- one her grand-daughter will pull on or "go-to" over and over again to stay warm and cozy.  Made me want to knit myself a "go-to" sweater for this upcoming Ohio winter.

This pink fluffy hooded cardigan is being knit by Mary Anne for her grand-daughter.  Check out the bit of froo-froo on the cuffs and the edge of the hood.  How cute is that!!!!?!  Just the right touch and perfect for a little girl.  

Debbie was working on shoulder shawls for her daughter's bridesmaids to throw on to keep the chill away.  Beth showed us some very pretty baby bamboo yarn she purchased.  We also got a glimpse of the pink and brown baby afghan  squares all laid out.  The gals have done such a great job.  

After leaving knitting, I stopped to get groceries and then stopped at a couple of farmer's markets and took some pumpkin pictures.  I also bought a butternut squash and need to find a good soup recipe for it.

Sunday morning, Andy went to Dayton to pick up Gerald - the fellow who works with him that still flies back and forth between Virginia and Ohio.  I know the traveling and being away from his family has got to have long ago gotten old for him but it's enabling him to  keep his job and he's very good help  for the plant here.  Anyway, Gerald had agreed to help us move stuff - boxes and furniture.

First things first, though.  We all had to go across the way and check out the Harvest Festival at Caesar Creek State Park's Pioneer Village.  It was a beautiful day but very cool - 29 degrees overnight.  It looked like we were the first ones to arrive even though it was supposed to have started at 10:00 AM.  We walked around and toured all the open houses.  Andy was a little disappointed that the blacksmith wasn't working today.  His shop was open and there was a fire but we didn't see the smithy or ever hear the ring of the anvil as we walked around.

We met up with up with a British soldier and learned about life back when.  At the moment, he was busy using his housewife (his sewing kit) to sew a button on his uniform jacket.  He said that every smart  soldier kept a housewife with him to make repairs to his uniform.  It was neat to see that he was wearing fingerless gloves.

The village was crawling with critters.  Pumpkin critters!  Very clever!

We were treated to a couple tunes but this father-daughter team on the hammered dulcimer and the merimbula.  I LOVE the hammered dulcimer and have dreamed of playing one since college.  The merimbula (here and here) was new to me.  I had never seen or heard of this instrument.  A merimbula is also known as a thumb piano.  When played , it sounded a little like a bass.  Deep and resonating.  

As I walked around and talked with people, I learned that the merimbula player would really like to have a wing chair for his house in the village.  I went over and told him that we had two very worn wing chairs that he was welcome to have.  He was thrilled!  I stressed to him that they were VERY worn.  He said it didn't matter and he has a friend that refinishes furniture.  We later took the pair of old wing chairs to him and he declared them perfect!  

In the herb house, there was a roaring fire that Gerald and Andy had to check out.  There was also a very nice display of herbs and things made from herbs  on the long table.  Look at these little bows made out of Lamb's Ear.  I haven't  seen these before.  I had tons of Lamb's Ear in Virginia but never knew about these little bows.  Very cute and oh so soft! 

After our visit to the Pioneer Village, we all returned home and got to work.  We hauled extra furniture down to the basement and some up from the basement then some boxes upstairs from the basement and others down to the basement.  We have so much hand-me-down furniture -- all old from my grandparents.  It would have looked great refinished and placed in our old house if it ever got finished.  Here in the new one, it all just looks very old and  almost ratty.  And, some of it - we just don't have the space for.  It's so nice to finally have more space to walk.  Now, I need to get super busy going through boxes - organinzing, throwing away, etc.  

By 5:00 PM, we were all pooped!  Andy started the grill and we fed Gerald a meal of steaks, mashed potatoes, green beans, and apple pie with ice cream.  We really appreciate his help!

Hope you all have a great week!!

  

Festival Fun

Can't believe I haven't blogged since the 6th.  Time flies.  This new Typepad is really bugging me.  First, when readers leave comments I no longer get an email notification with the reader's email address and web site if applicable.  So, I'm not able to email the reader back.  I can respond to the comment on the post but I like responding privately.  Second, I just typed this whole post and lost it.  The new Typepad doesn't save automatically save periodically while you're typing nor does there seem to be any way to retrieve a lost post.  GRRRRRRR!

So, thanks to everyone who is reading and/or leaving a comment.  Please know that I appreciate it even if I'm not able to email you back.  Hopefully, Typepad will fix these issues VERY soon or For The Love Of Fiber may be forced to look for a new home.

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Friday, I spent the day driving to/from Columbus, OH for an all-day staff meeting.  When the meeting was over, I got in the car to head home and wondered how far Knitters Mercantile was.  I punched it into the GPS and found it was only about 6 miles away.  Then, I was off!  I enjoyed my visit but with visions of all  the yarn I had just unpacked in my basement fresh in my memory, no big purchase was made.  I couldn't resist however, Cat Bordhi's new sock book and a couple of patterns.  I also got to fondle some yarn so I left happy.

Saturday morning I was so indecisive about what to do.  I wanted to go meet the ladies at Panera's and knit but also wanted to go to Yellow Springs for their Street Fair.  I wasted a lot of time looking for my knitting needles in the basement.  Gave up without finding them and headed to Panera's.  I was very late but did get to visit with them a bit.  I almost finished the back of the baby sweater - am down to the last rows before I bind off - but have decided that it's going to be too long so I'm going to pull it out and start the decrease rows again but a few rows sooner.  I also started a baby blanket so I'll have a simple-to-knit project going.  I'll show a picture when I get more done.  

After lunch, I met Andy and we headed to the Yellow Springs Street Fair.  It was very interesting.  Lots of different food vendors and craft booths.  If your tie-dyed T-shirt has worn out, you could replace it with a newer version from several of the booths.  There was also musical entertainment.  We stood and watched this one interesting ensemble.  Costume is everything.  This one fellow in the foreground of the picture had  on curved toe shoes and a tail - looked like from a horse.  I told Andy I should have brought him the chipmunk that the kitty cats so graciously deposited in the garage that morning.  The fellow probably could have used it for a headband or something.  Different though they were - we enjoyed the beat of their Middle Eastern music.  As the vendors were packing up, we got a really good deal on some metal garden art (a heron, cattails,and a fishing pole with a fish hanging from the hook) that I'll place around the pond once it's cleaned out.

On the way to Yellow Springs, we stopped and took a picture of this cute little Corner Market.  There were lots of pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, etc. for sale.  Displayed was a Gulf gas sign.  My uncle used to deal with Gulf so he'll really like this picture.  

Sunday morning, we headed out early to the Sauerkraut Festival in Waynesville.  We picked up the fellow from Virginia who works with Andy.  Gerald still flies back home every second weekend like Andy used to.  This is his weekend to be in Ohio and the plant worked Saturday but not Sunday.  He doesn't have a car in Ohio so he really enjoyed getting out of his apartment for the day.

The thought of last year's Sauerkraut Festival's attendance of over 300,000 people was a slight put-off to  me but it turned out to be a lot of fun.  They had great weather both  Saturday and Sunday and what looked like great attendance.  We got there early so had no problem parking near-by and made it about 3/4 way down Main Street before the crowds got heavy.  The street was lined on both sides with vendor tents and there were more vendors down the side streets at the intersections.  The newspaper said over 400 vendors were participating this year.  

There was a lot of quality craft vendors.  We purchased some metal garden art (very cool flowers that hold food for the birds - I'll show you pictures later), some curly willow branches, 12 oz. of perhaps the clearest honey I've ever seen, and I bought some sunflower prints from Leo (the artist I photographed the weekend of A Wool Gathering as he painted the field of sunflowers in Yellow Springs).  

Then, there were the food vendors - sauerkraut balls (tasted like hush puppies with sauerkraut mixed in), Reuben sandwiches, German sundaes (potato, cheese, bacon, sour cream, sauerkraut, and an olive on top), sauerkraut fudge and pizza, cabbage rolls with sauerkraut (a local church made 13,600 of them for the festival this year), bratwurst with sauerkraut, mini-doughnuts, funnel cakes, etc.

As at the Yellow Springs Street Fair, costume is everything.  The Sauerkraut Festival raises a lot of money for different school groups and other groups in the town.  These kids were really in the spirit.  You can say --- they really have "kraut"!  

Please look closely at the street photo - at the line of people in the street between the white tents.  The festival is the whole length of Main Street, Waynesville - probably at least a mile long.  I was not at the end of the street when I stood on my tip-toes and held the camera above my head and snapped this shot.  Do you see the street FULL of people????  Did I mention over 300,000 people over the two-day festival in 2008????  

Fall crept into the area and is showing off her beautiful colors.  These two pictures are my recent view as I cross over the Caesar Creek Gorge on one side and the lake on the other.  The view never fails to disappoint.  The other morning, mist was rising  between the trees on the gorge side - it was just beautiful but I didn't have time to stop and take a picture.  Sunday morning, we had to scrape ice off the car windshield.  As we crossed the bridge, the mist had totally encompassed the gorge and was shielding the bridge, as well.  Again, it was beautiful.

I'm enjoying this area as you can probably tell from my posts.  I'm really impressed with how much there is to do for free or for just a nominal fee.  There's so much for families with young children to do and so many outdoor offerings - parks, hiking, a wonderful bike trail, river sports (canoe / kayak), etc.  I'm also impressed with how well maintained the areas are.  Way to go Ohio!

Discoveries

I saw something new today.  A white squirrel.  From a distance, I thought it was a cat and then I saw it up close.  Definitely a squirrel.  Ohio has squirrels of many colors - gray, red, and now white. 

Do you see him hanging upside down on the tree?

I also caught him running to the tree.

Where did I see this squirrel? 

In the Miami Cemetery in Corwin, Ohio -- right down the road.  I had to go to the post office and I cut through Corwin to get to Waynesville - I think the roads are better (less thumpy) and it even feels faster.

If you visit this blog, you'll discover that the Miami Cemetery began as a  pioneer family graveyard and then became the old Methodist graveyard.  It was incorporated as a public cemetery in 1866.  

Miami Cemetery has over 3,000 graves and is the resting place for veterans of every war since the Civil War and several members of Ohio's legislature.

I love cemeteries - especially old ones.  I'm going to have to go back to this one and park the car.  It seems to be a lovely place to walk and meditate.  With its curvy paved paths and large shade trees, it seems so peaceful and serene.  

There were also some really pretty monuments and statues.  I love reading the names, the epitaphs, and the dates on the tombstones.  

On the way back home, I stopped at the Caesar Creek Spillway.  This is a very interesting site.  I always see people walking slowly or bent over appearing to be studying something on the ground.  Turns out, this is the place where you can hunt fossils.  You have to stop at the Visitor's Center first to get a permit and you have to follow the rules (no keeping anything bigger than the palm of your hand, no digging, no use of tools, etc.).  There were nine people "hunting" today.  Wonder if they found anything.  

When I searched for Caesar Creek Spillway, I found someone on a fossil forum who said they discovered "5 enrolled trilobites all smaller than a marble, lots of broken brachipods, a few cephlopod segments, and lots of crinoid stem segments but no crinoid crowns".  I have no idea what any of that means -- need to look all that stuff up.  

I also found this information.  It says that the spillway was created by blasting away the rock to make it 12 feet lower than the top of the dam.  The exposed rock is approximately 450 million years old.  At that time, southwest Ohio rested at the bottom of a shallow ocean.  It also says that he fossils are just lying on the surface waiting to be found.  I'm sure it's not that easy but it sounds like fun.  

Gosh!  There's just so much to do in this area!!!

This Weekend's Shenanigans

Thursday night was the second watercolor class in this 6-week session.  I didn't know much re: what to do - had never attempted to paint this subject matter before - a mix of flowers including hydrangeas and geraniums.  In the background, there's a column and the geraniums are in pots on the steps.  I might still need to add a little more shadow in the hydrangeas.  I think it turned out okay -- still not sure about the greens.  Sometimes, I feel that they just look too splotchy.  

Do any of you remember back to November 2008 - right before Thanksgiving when Andy and I visited this area of Ohio to look at his company here re: the possible move??  When the plant manager was showing us around, we stopped in the Panera's in Centerville - I was wearing a Multi-Directional Diagonal Scarf and a knitter came up and commented on it.  She told me that they meet there every Saturday morning.  

Well, yesterday, I headed to Panera's and sure enough, there they were!  There were about eight or so of us.  What a nice friendly group of ladies!  

Dee was working on a Debbie Bliss Shawl Collar baby sweater.  I loved the construction of this pattern.  She said it's one of her favorite baby sweaters to make in all types of yarn.  

Mary Anne was finishing up a precious cardigan knit from her scaps.  It looked as if she'd spent hours picking out the yarns - they went together so well.  

Pat showed us her hooded vest that is ready for its buttons.  Was that chenille yarn?  I forgot to ask.  It felt very cuddly. 

Lynn was knitting socks and Karen was knitting a square for a baby afghan.  Whenever someone in the group has a grandbaby, etc., everyone knits squares and the new grandmother puts them together for a blanket.  Karen brought her friend, Kelly, who works for GOOGLE.  Kelly had many interesting stories to tell about the company and internet usage.  I told her I love the GOOGLE Doodles - the artwork and then also when the children submit artwork.  I can't remember what Debbie was working on.  

I hope to see them again next Saturday.  There are a couple of outdoor events /  festivals scheduled for next Saturday so I'm not sure what the agenda will be.  They were a really nice group - reminded me of my Tuesday Night Knitters in Richmond, VA in many ways.

I worked on the Katia baby sweater and am ready to bind off the back and start a front panel.  Will have to get more done so I can post pictures.

Today, started out cloudy but has turned into a beautiful fall day.  Andy and I went to Cincinnati this morning for the Hyde Park Square Art Show.  It was a juried show with approximately 250-270 artists with a farmers' market just around the corner.  Lots of talent and creativity - pottery, fiber art, watercolor and oil painting, metal sculpture, etc.   

Grandma's Garden Center is the scene for more autumn scenes.  Doesn't this chair look like a cozy place to settle with your knitting or a book and a cup of hot cider?

And, I ask you ---- who is that masked man????

Have fun this week and thanks for reading!

The Day After

I want to thank everyone who commented and emailed me regarding George.  You just don't know how much your caring thoughts mean to me.  Today was tough.  I miss him terribly.  I called the fellow today who found George in the ditch and brought him to the house.  I wanted to thank him for his kindness.  He didn't have to stop and find me but he did.  Most people probably wouldn't have.  Certainly, the person who hit George didn't.  How do you not know you've hit a 15 lb. solid white cat.  I hit a squirrel the other day and I knew that.  

I was beginning to think something might have happened to Gracie, too.  I thought I remembered seeing her for breakfast on Monday but hadn't seen her since.  She showed up tonight and got a hug and a scolding.  

Tonight, she and Earl Gray are in the garage with the outside door shut.  They hate it!  They love going outside at night.  But, I don't feel like letting them tonight.  I'll let them out again tomorrow morning and just hope Gracie will be OK.  

Earl Gray - I can hardly get him to leave the garage!  He spends all day in his bed curled up right inside

 the garage door where he can see all the outside goings-on.  He's gotten to be a little butter ball - even more than he was.  If I walk around the yard, he will follow me.  If I go where he can't see me, he meows until I meow back or call his name.  As soon as he can see me, he's fine.  He's always done this - too cute!  Spoiled kitty.

By the way, I called the county engineer today re: them blocking off the entrance to the vet.  I told him that it was just like blocking the emergency entrance to a hospital.  He said the state will not allow them to put an access there while they're doing construction.  He said there were signs that leg the way to the vet center.  I certainly didn't see any.  Believe me, I will go back and look.  I also have a call into his boss.

I went to meet the fellow about the flooring late this afternoon.  He's going to replace the carpet downstairs (in two rooms) with hardwood and replace the carpet upstairs and on the stairs with new carpet.  I much prefer hardwood all over the house but replacing the carpet is cheaper and I thought that keeping it in the office and bedrooms upstairs might help with noise level.

I also met with the woman who is going to come out Thursday to discuss window treatments.  She had the most beautiful fabric!!!! 

You can see all my choices above - two carpet samples and lots of different fabrics.

I can't decide between the two carpet samples - they're very similar. 

The two chairs in the living room / den will be upholstered in the fabric shown above at the lower left.  The additional fabrics will be used in other rooms - pillows, window treatments, dining room chair cushions (maybe), bedspread, etc.  I LOVE them!  

My paint colors are in these fabrics - I plan to paint the upstairs bedrooms in shades of olive / sage green and terra cotta.  The bedroom downstairs will probably also be in a shade of green.  The office upstairs is already gold and I can live with that.  Not sure yet about the bathrooms up and down.  The main part of the house - kitchen, breakfast room, living room / den, and dining room, the hallway, the upstairs hallway, and the library - all flow into one another.  I'm thinking a shade of tan - not a pinky tan but a brown / gold tone tan.  Might decide to paint the library another color - not sure yet.

Let me know what you think!  

George - You Were Only Two - 2007-2009

This afternoon, I was working upstairs - trying to catch up on reports on the computer.  The doorbell

 rang.  I went downstairs and a fellow asked me if I had a white cat with a red collar.  I told him I did.  He said he had him in the back of his truck - looked like he was hurt badly.

I ran and grabbed my pocketbook, a bedsheet, and the pet carrier and met him outside.  

It was George.  The young man saw him in the ditch along the road in front of our house and said he just couldn't leave him.  One look at his eyes and I knew he was in shock.  We wrapped him in the sheet and he helped me slide him in the carrier.  I got his name and number and thanked him profusely and headed off to the vet.

I had spotted a veterinary center on Highway 73 just past Waynesville and had planned to take George and Gracie there in October for there annual check-up.  So, I headed there.  

I got to the veterinary center and the road had been closed by the construction people.  Mind you, the vet office is RIGHT ON Highway 73.  I should have just pulled over on the side of the road or driven over the curb like I saw some people had done.  Instead, I called out to someone exiting the office and asked how 

to get in the parking lot.  She gave me directions that would take me around to come up on the back side of the office through some country roads.  [I made sure I got the number of the road engineer before leaving the office.  He will definitely be hearing from me.]

Well, I came all unglued.  I took off to follow her directions and couldn't find the road.  Stopped two people.  The first one didn't have any pets and didn't know how to get to the center.  The second one, told me to follow her and led me straight there.  

The vet was wonderful.  They took George back and I asked them to x-ray him even though the vet said the prognosis wasn't good.  He was probably hit sometime overnight or early morning.  

A fracture that severed his spinal cord.

I asked the vet to put him to sleep.  He said that would be his recommendation.

He and his assistant were so kind.  So very kind. 

I stayed with George while he went to sleep.

I brought him home and buried him in the backyard.  

I will so miss his antics.  How he loved to get inside things - baskets, bags, pots, boxes, etc.  How he would scare me to death by how high he would climb in the trees to catch a bird.  The way he just loved to be brushed and rubbed -- like it was the best feeling on earth.  

Never once did I have to take you to the vet for a fight or because you were hurt or sick.  You were only 2 years old.

Why oh why, with this big yard did you have to go to the road?  

I will miss you so much.  So very much.

My friend.

Why Are Weekends So Short?

Why are weekends so short?  They seem to be over so much quicker than two week days.  

I had a visitor outside my office window as I got the forms for work off the floor and into folders yesterday.  

After Andy got home from work Saturday night, we drove to Yellow Springs to the Young's Golden Jersey Inn and ate supper.  Dinner was delicious!  They start you off with cinnamon applesauce, cole slaw, and sweet potato bread.  For dessert, I couldn't resist a scoop of Cow Patty ice cream -- chocolate ice cream with chocolate and toffee pieces.  Very good!  

This is where A Wool Gathering was held last weekend.  The place was hopping!  We went walking after dinner and saw the petting zoo with pigs, sheep, goats, a calf, and ducks.  There were pumpkins of all sizes for sale everywhere.  Udders and Putters was doing a booming business with both courses pretty well full of miniature golfers.  The Dairy Store was very busy with people sitting inside and out.  They make their own ice cream and their own waffle cones. The aroma was divine!  

There was more unpacking this weekend.  Andy is working 7 days a week so that leaves just me to unpack, haul stuff up and down the

 stairs, move furniture, etc.  I need some heavy-duty muscle around here to help do all this stuff. 

By 5:00 PM Sunday, I was tired of doing stuff around here so I headed into town.  I wanted to go to The Secret Garden in Waynesville.  I keep driving by it with no time to stop.  I had to get gas in the car for tomorrow so it seemed like a good time.

What an interesting place!  There was stuff to see in every direction.  Windchimes made out of old door locks, cold-frames made using old windows, fountains, lots of metal and cement 

garden accents.  Then, there was the little shop, called The Bird House, with candles, birdseed and feeders, etc.  Friday through Sunday, you can grab a snack in The Bird Seed Cafe and take it out and enjoy it as you walk through the grounds.  Heck! You can even get married here!  Check out the Chapel in the Woods.

On the way home, I drove down the main street of Waynesville.

Isn't this store front decorated nicely?  I love the Fall season!  Love the colors.

I hope you all have a great and FAST week so we can hurry up and get to another weekend!  

I leave you with what's got to be one of the best signs I've ever seen.  

Later!