CONNECTED!

By late morning, Bill had the lathe wiring finished 

and I was able to turn it on!  So exciting!

I had a lot of 'stuff' to find homes for and a lot of cleaning up to do but first I did a bit of playing!

I just put the mess out of my mind and played!  Very unlike me but I have waited 6 months to actually use this lathe!

I loaded a branch and began turning it and had a wonderful time!

And then the end cracked and the rolling pin I was making is going to have to undergo a transformation into a narrow vase! 

(there was a crack on the end of the log and I had hoped it wouldn't be a problem-wrong!  Sigh.)

After I had some fun, it was time to get to work!  I ended up cleaning it all up and Bill even took the junk away for me!  Oh, and he had to do all of the rearranging for me--I have the ideas and he has the brawn--what a great combination!

We have a fancy late-comer, another amaryllis is in bloom!  

So pretty!

And right next to it, the hibiscus has put out a bloom! 

 They look as happy as I am!

 

BANGING AROUND!

I cut a bunch of pieces of wood 

to put in shelves in that storage closet.

A level, a drill, a bit of paint and I have two more shelves 

which are just what I needed

 to get things off the floor and out of the way!

Now the closet is clean and neat while it still holds 'things'.

Like old quilts, a rollaway bed, and stuffies, for example!

While I was banging boards in the closet, 

Bill was doing some electrical work-he had to cut through my sewing room wall where a panel box lives-through to the garage where a new panel box is going in! 

 And then the conduit leads up across the garage trusses and down the other side....

....where a new panel box is going in for the plug for my new lathe-I just might get to introduce myself to it this Friday!

We took a golf cart ride out to the pond-

isn't it pretty reflecting the setting sun colors?

Look what is lurking in the pond-yup,

 Bill is happy about its visit-me , not so much!

 

GOLDEN WINTER FROST

It is so nice to be knitting a pair of socks again;  

this one is the quick knit with a punch called Winter's Frost, 

a free pattern on Ravelry.  

The lacy accent is only a four row repeat 

so you don't have to worry about where you are in the pattern!  

This one is zipping right along;  since I have two doctor's appointments this week,

 I know I will be finishing these by the weekend!

 

In the meantime, I will be putting two new shelves in the closet I cleaned on Friday!  This will help with the organization that is needed in that closet which is more storage than clothes closet.  Time for some tools, stud-finders, nails, screws and paint!

GOLDENROD SOCKS

 

I have a new pair of socks on the needles!  

Hawthorne Compass Kettle Dye

 but the yarn looks like goldenrod flowers to me!

These were picked out by my daughter-in-law when she was looking at the KnitPicks catalog and said that this was one of her favorite yellows-better even than butter colored yellow.

I was surprised but put an order in right away and ordered some Hawthorne Bare skeins, too, so I can dye them in a tonal color of my own!

My house is empty...all family have gone home.  

We are not going to let so much time pass before we visit again-no matter what!

It was so hard to let go of the hugs......

***Note to any airline travelers:  

Don't fly American Airlines!

  The headlines are not exaggerated;  they are stranding travelers everywhere.  When my son left Saturday morning for his flight from Jacksonville to Chicago, they left the airport here without a hitch.  Unfortunately, when they arrived in Chicago for their connecting flight to Seattle, they were told that all flights were cancelled and they couldn't get another until Monday night.  My son got right to Alaskan Airlines online and bought his four tickets-the last four tickets.  Then when he talked with the ticket agent with American, he did at least get compensation for the new tickets.  They will be home tonight.  He said that there are hundreds in the airport looking like they are never going to be customers for American Airlines    ever      again!

More Mobile

I received the next installment for the Casablanca Afghan and needed to get to work finishing last months rows--it was a new-to-me stitch and I had to do a bit of work to figure it out!  Soon, I was cranking along and added the second row of reverse crochet so I could begin the new rows.  This one will have some checkerboard with 3 squares at each corner.  Nice to shift gears.

I also wanted to do last week's block for the Sewcial Qal which is the one on the right;  a sewing machine.

 I made mine in reverse colors so that it would look like my sewing machine.  A new block comes out tomorrow so I am ready now!  

My body is struggling to catch up from all of the strain of Monday's trip but I am loosening up each day so it felt good to be able to be  up and about for short times! 

A Friday Feline

Each night when I head into my room for bed, Lena races ahead of me to play with our mousie tied to a string.  

I swing it towards her and she tries to act nonchalant. 

 until she can't resist! 

 I swing it high in the air and she jumps and twists 

until after 10 minutes she slows down and it is time for sleep.  We like our routine.

Respite

I didn't too much of anything yesterday while the house was quiet;  Jared and family went to spend the night with youngest brother.  Instead, I did a lot of couch time resting my body--I am not used to so much activity!  I reached for some easy knitting and made the dishcloth on the right, the coral one.  And then I had a thought to slip the first stitch with a purl-wise slip, then bring the yarn to the back between the first and second stitch and it made the edge look very differently-fun to see the 'what if' work out!

Yes, I like the look of the smooth edge!

We've been getting rain every day-usually in the afternoon but sometimes even earlier;  summer is our wet season.  The Rain lilies have exploded into bloom everywhere--they are an unruly bunch of green leaves the rest of the year!

I have red, red with white and white with red ones.  They have a sweet aroma, too, and you know how unusual that is to have a scented bloom!  

 

A Whirlwind!

I am not used to this fast paced life, let me tell you!  It is wonderful to be with the kids and see the world through their eyes but they sure run circles around me!  We went to Sea World on Monday.  Again, lots of attention to details of beauty which is very sweet to my mind!

These are stone walruses with a wave machine in the pool 

to give lots of movement!

Golden Rain trees are in bloom and add a wonderful pop of color!

We loved the aquarium-Aria really wanted to see a real sea horse!

We got to pet some sting rays--

they are really squishy, did you know that?!

  Like wet leather!

We enjoyed the dolphin show-what incredible mammals!

This says it all!  After the show, we went 'down below ground' to view the tank of dolphins and they swam around showing off with all of their 'techniques' in front of us! 

 Magical!

The jolt of going in to see the penguins was extreme-

like their habitat!  

It was 93*F outside with a real-feel temp of 103* and then you enter their 'world' and it was 32*F!  I had teased Krystle about bringing jackets but this place sure needed them!

Penguins were so awkward on the ground yet so graceful doing their belly rolls in the water!

And then we had a huge thunder and lightening storm and had to seek shelter!  The kids had waiting in line for 2 hours and then ride was then closed for the storm.  I will say, that amidst all of the beauty and wonder there are a lot of people and a lot of lines and short-staffed booths for snacks, etc.  It makes for a long and over-stimulating day!  Did I mention the miles of walking?!

But I enjoyed the little details of mosaics under my feet and on buildings.  I think I will be doing one in my next decade!

We ended the night with a bang-the orca show and another T-storm!  Let's say, it was an interesting walk back to the car!  I loved the serenity of Discovery Cove but the kids all voted SeaWorld as their favorite day!  I see a definite generation-gap in our likes! lol

I felt all of my years after our long day 

but I sure wouldn't have missed it for anything!

 

What am I Doing?

My mantel has a new piece of pottery-

purchased at Discovery Cove!  

The pool has been a very popular place!

Reading to the grands is a very precious time!

Silly boys--who are all men;  it is beyond wonderful to have all three of them together!

I interrupted the kids at play-all dressed to their own comfort-

how incredible to see them all play together!

Dads set up a three-lane slip 'n slide for the kids-what a group of fearless tricksters!

And all of this joy to celebrate Bill turning 70!