Surely You Jest

Earlier this week, my friend, Gina, welcomed her second granddaughter. I made a bunny hat for the new baby, but I wanted to make a hat for her first granddaughter. I decided on a jester hat. I love the fun colors of this yarn and think it goes well with the type of hat. I started knitting it when we were in Houston earlier this month. Not thinking, I finished it off before I measured the length. It was too short. I put it aside and pretended that I didn't mess it up. Once the new baby arrived, I pulled the hat out and began to think about how to fix it. I planned to knit a strip to sew onto the bottom. That looked horrible. I was stumped. Finally, I checked to see if anyone on Ravelry had run into similar problems. Eureka! There are others out there who have not thought a project through and found a link for a blog where suggestions are given on how to fix projects that are too short or too long. I cut out the bottom row and picked up the live stitches and was able to finish it correctly. Why didn't I think of that before?

A Hat Again?

I am slowly working through my stash of yarn. Unfortunately (not!), I will never find the end because I keep buying more. As stated earlier, I can't help buying it, especially when it is on sale. This hat is a combo of two yarns. One is a "speciality" yarn that has bits of eyelash and multi-colors running through it. It was on sale for 71 cents. I "had" to buy the second regular type of yarn, that was not on sale, to knit with the other. I have made a couple of other hats with the multi-colors running through them and I love the way they look.

If you look closely, you can see the tip of Skitttles' tail peaking out on the left side. She was my assistant photographer this morning.

I Want To Be A Cat

And yet another post in the series of why being a cat would be a good thing to be. This is what Whiskers does 28 hours a day. I made my point.

Taking Back My Hoard

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the parish library site and put a ton of knitting books on hold. Some I had been reading about on Ravelry and others just looked good. Once they came in, I had something like 20 or so knitting books out. I was in book heaven. Finally, it was time to reduce my stash down to those I really wanted to peruse deeper. I jumped in the car with my trusty car pals and off we went. Jasmine truly does not like the CRV. The seats are much narrower than the van, so she did more whining than usual. Skittles is happy to be in any car. Once I dropped the books in the return, I jumped out to take their picture. I got some real strange looks. I thought that was just as amusing as they thought we were.

P. S. It was hard to return the books. I loved them all.

Handmade Louisiana Southshore Meeting

Most of the Handmade Louisiana meetings have taken place on the Northshore. We have added several new members to the group who live across the lake. We made our end of the month meeting in Metairie, so those who live too far to travel to the Northshore can attend a meet. We had a good turn out. Most of them were members I had not yet met. It was nice to be able to put a face with a name on the internet.

Handmade Louisiana members: Left to right- front- New Orleans Umbrella Company, Debi Deaux, Miss Malaprop, By Apryl, Bayou Tatter; back- Cheese and Chocolate, Lisa Raspino, Mamas Little Monkeys

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

We went to see the latest Harry Potter. It was good. The scenery was gorgeous. It has been a while since I read the book. They did a pretty good job transforming it into the movie, but I will never understand why film makers feel the need to add in stuff that was not in the book. I enjoy thinking back on the first couple of movies and remembering how young the lead actors were at the beginning. They were so young.

Robyn's Knitted Zoo

Robyn has been knitting some really cute animals lately. She has created a wolf, a bunny and a tiger. I love how they turn out. Each one has its own personality. She plans to donate them to Children's Hospital in New Orleans. I know they will love them. You can see her "softies" here.

Looking for Sirius Black

Last night before bed, I noticed Whiskers standing in front of the fireplace. That is one thing about cats. They can stare at what looks like nothing for hours. She must have stared into the fireplace for 20 minutes or so. This morning I noticed she has soot on her side. I guess we took a trip into the fireplace to get a closer look. It reminds me of when Harry Potter talks to Sirius Black in the "Goblet of Fire". Maybe Whiskers was waiting to see if Sirius' face would show up at our house as well.

Our Last Check-in

Checking in with our last fruit tree brings us to Gerson the Grapefruit tree. Gerson has not done much since my last photo. His fruit looks to be the same size. I am curious to see what size the fruit ultimately turns out to be. When I was out taking the picture, Phillip picked one to give it a taste. The review was that the fruit was not ready. Really?

Our Next Contestant

Our next featured fruit tree is Mr. Sam the Satsuma tree. We last saw Sam here. He has grown a little, but not a huge amount. I am fasinated by the growth of our fruit trees. Some grow qiuckly and others not. I wonder when it will start to turn orange. It's fun to watch though.

An Update on the Fruit Trees

It has been a while since I updated the progress on Phillip's orchard of fruit trees. When last we looked, our lemons looked like this . Now they gotten a lot bigger. Phillip says they are starting to turn yellow, but I don't see it. Maybe one of us is colorblind. Come on Leonard the Lemon tree. Get a move on!

The Things I Find Funny

I think this sign is hysterical. I always have. When I would come home on the weekends while in college, I would pass this sign and crack up. I have always wanted to take a picture of this sign. Baptist and Pumpkin Center are two small towns outside of Hammond. That they would be on the same sign is wonderful. I think about whether there should be a Methodist Pumpkin Center, a Catholic Pumpkin Center, or even a Jewish Pumpkin Center. I had to take a picture of this sign on the way home from Nana's. Robyn thought I was nuts. She doesn't see the humor in it. That's ok. I laugh about it enough for the both of us. By the way...the sign is only funny if you are heading east on I-12. Going west it reads Pumpkin Center Baptist. Not as funny.

We Are Safe

I love when you come home and find evidence that your dog or cat has been working in your absence. Today, we took a trip over to the mall. As usual, we could not resist a visit to the book store. We came home and Nana put her purchase in her room. Later, we went out again. When we returned, my sister called us into Nana's room. There we found the evidence of an epic battle between Hanna and the notorious plastic bag. The bag was no doubt up to no good and had to be dealt with. I am glad that we didn't have to witness the struggle that must have ensued (but that would have been fun). Thank you Hanna for keeping all safe while we were gone.

Exactly What Is This?

When we were on our way to eat out (again!), we drove by this stand outside of a store. The girls loved that it was a stand that looked like a lemon, but the biggest topic of conversation was the sign on the side of the stand. It reads "Now Serving Cup of Corn $2.00" People buy cups of corn? Maybe the ducks we saw yesterday come by for dinner. What kind of corn is it? We talked about this sign and the silly lemon shaped stand all throughout dinner. On the way home, I made my sister swing around so I could take a picture. A girl was sitting out by the back, talking on the phone. I know she had to wonder why some strange woman was taking a picture of her, the stand and the amazing sign.

Get Me Away From Her

It has been several days and Hanna is still not interested in meeting us. I know we are loud, smell funny, and increase the number of people in the house over her norm. Today, Nana and I took a drive to see Papa's grave. Hanna loves to ride in the car as much as Skittles does. It is a battle to see who can get out of the garage door and to the car first. Hanna jumped in the back of the car. As I passed by, I stopped to talk to her. She immediately decided she was moving as far as possible and sat in the passenger's seat. I guess I was expected to ride in the back. When I moved to the passenger's side, she moved to the driver's side. Poor Hanna. Here is was messing up her fun. Nana got Hanna to move to the back and we took off. Hanna did let me pet her, but she would have been happiest if I had been back at home...my home.

Should You Invite Us for Dinner?

We all went out to dinner at Cheddar's. Robyn, as usual, ordered Fettuccine Alfredo. It came with broccoli mixed in. She tried a piece or two and decided she was not a fan. Once she was finished, she and Cara decided to "play" with it, cutting it up into pieces, arranging it in the bowl, and other assorted things one can do with broccoli. The poor broccoli was a major hit for them. If I had known it was so good at entertaining them, I would have packed it in my diaper bag when they were little.

Oh, and as to the questions asked in the title? Maybe not.

Over the River and Through the Woods...

...to Grandmother's house we go or in this case, Nana's house. Each summer, my mom, sister, Robyn, Cara, and I take a girls trip. This summer we decided to forgo that so the girls and I took a trip to see them. It is about a 6 1/2 hour drive from here, so it is not too bad. It is easy to break up into a couple of stops so I can walk around and stuff. We were particularly excited about seeing their new dog, Hanna. Hanna is a dog from the Austin German Shepherd Rescue. She was found after Hurricane Hanna, so that is what the rescue named her. Unfortunately, Hanna was not to excited about meeting us. She is a very sweet dog, but very shy. She spent most of the day in her crate in my sister's room. Hopefully, she will get to know us better in the coming days.

Our Sentry

Sometimes people moving around the house need to be checked out by security. Whiskers is happy to provide this service. She likes to sit at her post on top of the stereo. She sits there looking beautiful and she draws each person passing closer to her. We cannot pass without reaching out to pet her. That is when we undergo inspection. She is tricky like that, taking care of her security duties without our realizing it. Later she moves to the back of the sofa where she "appears" to nap. We know that cannot be the case because she is ever vigilant in her quest to keep us in line.

Bunny

After taking a brief jaunt out of my hat making box, I have proceeded to jump back in. A friend of mine is expecting another grandbaby, so I thought I would make a baby hat for her. I have seen the cute animal hats in books and wanted to try one. I love the way it looks. Robyn wants me to make one for her and Cara wants me to make one for Whiskers. I don't think Whiskers wants a hat though. The hat was super easy since it is a variation of the hats I usually make. I had to improvise the ears a little, but I think they came out ok. I am making a hat for her other granddaughter too. It is jester style hat. Who would have thought I would be have so much fun knitting hats?

Finger at the Window

The girls and I are huge fans of Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers. We love them not only because the chicken fingers are wonderful, but because of their mascot, Cane. The founder of the company had a yellow lab, named Raising Cane, and named his restaurant after him. Skittles looks a lot like Cane. We smile and think of her while looking at the pictures of Cane on the walls of the restaurant. Cane looks like a friendly guy, just like our girl. Once Skittles took a ride with me to pick up chicken. As usual, she had her head stuck out of the window to check out all she could see. When I pulled up to the drive thru window to pick up our food, the lady at the window took one look at her and yelled back to the people in the kitchen "Finger at the window!" Quickly, a small container with one chicken finger was handed to me for Skittles. Skittles and Jasmine were thrilled to get the chicken and have been fans of the restaurant ever since. Skittles continues to take rides with me to pick up food, but that was the only time she received a complimentary chicken finger. The kids working at the window always point out how much she looks like Cane. Skittles will probably never have a restaurant named after her, but as long as she continues to get love from us and occasional rides in the car, I think she will be ok with that.

Growing Pains

Sometimes growing pains do not end once you have become fully grown. Sometimes you experience them throughout your life in one phase or another. I am in a growing pain phase. Robyn took her senior portraits today. I am so proud of her. She has accomplished so much and has such a bright future ahead of her. As she took her pictures, I thought back on her life. She is our first born. Phillip and I were absolutely terrified of her when she was born. Neither of us had any experience with newborns. Luckily for all of us, we made it through the baby years. The older she grew, the more fun she became. That continues to be true today. She is almost ready to leave us and find her happiness in the world. The problem is I am not ready. I have the next 12 months to get my act together about this. I can do it for her.

The Bridge

We live across Lake Ponchartrain from New Orleans. To get there, we go "across the bridge". The bridge is the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway. The Causeway is the longest bridge in the world that is over water and the second longest in the world overall. The Causeway consists of two parallel bridges that are approximately 23.87 miles long. We have to pay a toll if we are going southbound to New Orleans, but there is no toll for the return trip. This picture shows the toll booths for the south bound traffic.

Driving across the bridge brings some interesting sites. Sometimes you will see a pelican sitting on the railing or seagulls looking for dinner. Many boats are seen along the trip...sailboats, fishing boats, those who are crabbing, and those just out for a ride. I don't think we give much thought to how amazing the bridge is. It is just a part of life here on the Northshore.

Volunteering

Today, Robyn started volunteering for S.T.A.R.T. (St. Tammany Animal Resource Team). They are a local animal rescue agency who offers pets for adoption at our local PetSmart. Robyn will be cleaning the cat cages and helping on Saturdays when the bring the dogs to the store in hopes of finding their forever home. Today was cage cleaning day. I did this job several years ago and had to stop because my allergies were going crazy. I am allergic to both cats and dogs, but I seem to be able to handle it in a house a lot better than in a tiny room with no ventilation and 8-12 cats. It is so fun to play with the cats while they are loose in the room. Some of the cats are scared and you can help to get them used to humans.

Robyn enjoyed her work. Like I did, she has found a favorite or two. It makes you feel good when they are adopted out. They will have a family who will love and cherish them as all cats should be.

Multilingual? I Wish

We had to head back to Lowe's to pick up something we forgot and saw this sign. I wish I could speak a second language. It was be so cool to be able to go to another country and feel as though you could do what you needed to do without worrying about being at the mercy of hoping they knew English or understood your game of charades. Bk, before kids, I went on a tour of Europe with my parents and sister. In Rotenburg Germany, I saw a lovely pitcher I wanted to buy. The owner of the shop was away at lunch and the clerk handling the store didn't know English. We were both able to point and act out what I needed for my purchase, but it could have been so much easier. I would have love to have been able to talk with her. I think she felt the same way. When I look at the pitcher I remember the transaction. It brings a smile to my face and I wonder what that clerk is doing now.

Still Pitiful

Jasmine is such a silly thing. She moans, groans, and sleeps in all sorts of contorted positions. She is comfortable and doesn't seem to mind. I frequently pass her "room" throughout the day and find her in all sort of crazy ways. This is one of her latest. She is sleeping on her back (her favorite position) and on top of her bowl. I had come in to take her bowl out of her room (see here as to why she eats in her room). I guess I was not fast enough and the sandman came for a visit.

A New Family Member

Such is the life in Southeast Louisiana. As soon as the end of May nears, we start thinking about hurricane season. We bought a generator in Houston while we were evacuated for Katrina. Phillip used it when he had gone back to check on the house and his office. It was a cheapish model and served its purpose briefly. We bought a second generator year before last. It was used last year when Gustav blew through. It was tossed around a bit when the small tornado ripped though the back yard. Phillip tried to get it up and running for this season. It was not cooperating. He has tried everything and Bill, our next door neighbor, came over to lend his expertise. Nope, nothing, nada.

We headed over to Lowe's and bought another generator. You really don't want to go too long without power. Trust me on this. Hopefully, it will be easier to put together than the last one.

Added 7/6/09 Phillip decided to take the air filter out of the old one and rinse and let it dry as a last resort. He is convinced that the old generator started up right a way because it saw the handwriting on the wall with the new generator sitting next to it.

Happy Independence Day !

I love the 4th of July. Seeing the colors of red, white and blue makes me happy. I also love Christmas because of the colors. But anyway...we had a mini party with Uncle Gary, Shelby and Tessa coming over to eat, knit, and watch movies (Phillip and Gary refrained from knitting). It was a wonderful day spent with family and friends.

Cara decided to wear her new outfit to show Tessa. I was telling Nana how cute she looked in it and wanted to send her a picture. I called Cara in for the picture. This is the pose she liked best. I just love that girl!

Make New Friends, But Keep the Old...

A couple of times a year, my pal Tina comes into town. A couple of buddies from Baton Rouge come down as we meet at Tina's daughter's house to catch up on each other's lives. Paige is so gracious to let us use her house as our base. These ladies are my some of oldest friends...the ones I have kept in contact with the longest over the years. We initially met in college and later worked together. Debbie and Gina were in my wedding and Tina has given me support and strength (although she might not realize it) throughout the years. We don't get to see each other as often as we would like due to work and family commitments as well as distance.

Friends bring so much richness to your lives. These three ladies are my a few of my "golden girls". They are gold treasures in my collection of friends.

Vernon

Robyn has been back at the needles again and has created yet another cute "softy". This one she has named Vernon. I have no idea where the name came from, but it seems to suit him. She says Vernon loves music and can often be found by the stereo, jamming to his tunes. Vernon joins an already filled softy area of her room. He will have plenty of buddies to hang out with.

Adventures in Felting Part Deaux

The next step, in my bag creation, was to felt it. I put it in the washing machine with a tiny bit of soap and a pair of jeans. I put the water on hot and added some big time agitation. I got on the computer to start working on these blog posts and kinda forgot about the time. I was supposed to check it every 5 to 10 minutes to see how it looked. All was well and I love how it turned out. It is the perfect size for what I wanted. I put a box in it to hold its shape as it dries. Once it is dried, I will get all of the fuzzies off of it from the felting and I will be good to go.