I should be knitting,

but I wanted a break. The Shawl I am working on is over half done and Hubband and I will be spending two or three hours in the car tomorrow, so I figured I could take a bit of a break. (It might actually be done if I hadn't been been distracted with cooking yesterday and errands and cleaning the porch today, but hey....) Plus I missed you guys and had swap reports to deliver.
So, as I said, on Tuesday I got my WhoDuKnit Trick or Treat package from Patty, who did a great job with the cute wrapping thing.
(I fear that my wrapping jobs may leave something to be desired some days!)

 

She sent treats that included chocolates, warm and fuzzy socks, Halloween music, and some autumn candles.

 

Of course there was yarn and books as well, since this is an online Knit and Read group! Three great sounding books, at least one of which Hubband will probably read when he is done with his latest Terry Pratchett. There is some really pretty Peaches and Cream dishcloth cotton with a pattern I haven't seen before, and some great looking fall colored sock yarn with a pattern as well.
Thank you Patty! This was a great treat and I am looking forward to making the dishcloth as soon as my shawl is done (which means it will be going on our trip tomorrow just in case).

 

Then on Thursday, My All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Swap box came from Brenda,which of course was another cute wrapping job.

 

She sent a great Halloween glass (which I have used twice for dinner already), beautiful "Strawberry-Banana" sock yarn, chocolate covered raisins and cocktail peanuts. She also sent that cute witch, who is still guarding my peanuts in the pantry.

 

Since this is a dishcloth swap and all, she went above the call of duty and sent not just one, but two great Halloween dishcloths. The bat one is one I have been wanting to make for over a year, so it is great to have one without having to wait any longer, and the ghost one is really great too. There is some goat's milk soap and the Chibi was inside the spider bag. It is wonderful to have a second one as I don't always remember to move the one I had from bag to bag. Thank you so much for such a great package!
We had two groups of Trick-or-Treaters tonight. The fist one was the twins from down the street around six, and the second one was their neigh or and two of his friends around seven. Hubband thinks since we get so few every year we should give out something more exotic than candy. Something like a canned ham. I am thinking if he wants to do that next year, he is on his own.
Well I guess I shall go back to the knitting.....

Just in case anyone has the wrong idea

and thinks that I am a big sucker and incapable of saying "No" to a cute face, I just want to let you all know I really can, and do. Especially when it involves Someone asking to go out after curfew (aka dark). In fact, I am known to say "No" on a regular basis.

 

Don't forget to check out Whiskers on Wednesday, where some folks will have Halloween/costume pictures, or at least that is the rumor. I personally have no desire to get hurt mauled while trying to put a cute face in a costume.

I hope to get a bit more info up soon about my trip to Idaho, what I have been knitting and reading recently. Plus I got a WhoDuKnit Trick or Treat box in the mail yesterday. However, I had chose to put a bunch of stuff on hold for the next few days as of last night. I was begged asked if I could have a Prayer Shawl made by Sunday morning for a Baptism. So of course I said yes.

I want one.

I think this will be a really cool toaster. I just wish I could have one for my birthday this year.

Just in case anyone is wondering,

when making Five minute bread dough, one notices that after it has been sitting on the counter for a few hours and it isn't doing anything, and then one suddenly realizes they forgot to put in the yeast, it isn't too late. Just stir in your granulated yeast, leave it on the counter for awhile, put it the 'fridge and proceed like normal. It all works out just fine. Of course, I am sure no one would ever forget to put in the yeast when making bread dough.

With three animals around, one gets used to strange noises.

Most of the time I can tell what the noise is without looking (twenty-five years of motherhood probably helps in this department). For example, as I write this I can hear a "Thumpety, thumpety, jingle, jingle" over my head, which is known to be Sadie having a relay race with herself. It is also known around here that one should never let her catch you looking at her doing so; if she knows she is being watched, she has to stop and act all dignified. Sometimes though, one just has to look to see what is happening. I don't remember now what the noise was that I heard the other day to make me investigate, but this is what I saw. Oribel had to carry/drag that across the family room, then across the dining room, to get to the stairs. I guess she noticed that she had left some behind her and needed to gather it all up. (Before some of you ask, "No, I didn't make that sweater. I found it this summer at a sidewalk clearance sale for less than $60, so of course it went home with me.)
I attempted the "gathering up project" myself, but she did her best to take it away from me. Since it is a known fact that I am am a sucker for a cute face, I kind of let her win. (A cute face is the same reason I ended up with a pet hamster a few years ago, just to keep someone else's hamster company.) Then Sadie deiced she needed to see if this yarn was worth her time and energy.

As soon as she discovered that it was just plain old cotton yarn, Sadie had no interest and decided to leave Oribel and the yarn to themselves (it would have been a totally different story if it was animal yarn).
I decided I would try again to reclaim the yarn for my use,

but wasn't too successful. (I know, I really shouldn't encourage her.)


I did manage to reclaim my yarn a little while later. Of course, last night she grabbed the ball of yarn I was using and ran across the family room with it. There is a reason I am hesitant to use lace weight yarn with her around.
Oh, did you notice today is Whiskers on Wednesday?
(Maybe Oribel posts and/or videos are above and beyond what you all really want to be subjected to around Casa Coffee Yarn. Feel free to tell me if that is the case. No promises much will change besides a spoiler warning at the beginning of the post though.)

I read.

I read a lot, according to some people. Yes, I also knit, but if I could only do one, I would pick reading. Fortunately, I have perfected the art of knitting and reading at the same time. Well, if it isn't knitting that requires a lot of paying attention to that would take me away from my book. (I think I just let you know my priorities, right?)
I can knit on a plane if I am not too squished, and I can certainly read on a plane. I tried, briefly, to do both on the second leg of my plane trip recently. It seemed like it should work, especially since I had been doing both in the airport and there were three seats in our row, with only two of us, making for an empty seat in the middle. Well, it didn't work out as well as I had thought it might, so I put away the knitting for the flight and just concentrated on finishing this. It is our October read for WhoDuKnit, and a fair amount of fun. Apparently there is a series on HBO based on the series, but I have no personal experience with said program. I think I know what my knitted (or something crafty) project for it will be, maybe. After I got to my dad's house I realized I had left a book at home I had been planning on reading, but fortunately was able to direct Hubband where to find it so he could bring it with him. It was a good thing I had another book and my dad had a few for me to pick from until Hubband got there.
I also did some knitting while at my dad's house, some of which I can't post here just yet.
I can show you the Elongated Fetchings I made for DTY. She decided this summer that she really liked the the ones I had made for myself last winter, except she really wanted them to be longer. I couldn't find the brown like mine she liked, but she said she trusted my judgment on color choice. So I made these extra long and am mailing them off this week. I have told her that if she doesn't like the color, I will be more than happy to make her some different ones and take these back.
There were a few other things that were made while I was in Idaho, but I am saving those for a different post (or two, or more).

 

Due to the fact that I had started another book by the time Hubband arrived at my dad's, I didn't start the book I had asked him to bring right away.
I think that is a good thing as I started it the night before I came home and by the time I hung out in a couple of airports and gotten off my last plane, I had this finished except for the last chapter. I have obviously come to this book a bit late in the best-sellers cycle, considering the fourth in the series just came out this summer. Well, better late than never, 'cause it was really good. I looked up the next ones in our local library catalogue to reserve, and only to discover that there are only four or five copies and a waiting list of twenty-five people or so for number two, more folks waiting for the same number of copies for number three, and even more waiting for number four. Le Sigh. I was able to find a copy of number two for a price I was willing to pay (I found a used one and was going to order it, but then found one in town for only a $1.50 more.) I guess I had best get my name onto the waiting list for three and four, so far I haven't found many used copies of them. I am not sure if I will knit while reading this one on the couch at home. I'll let you know in a few days. If you don't hear from me until then, I'll be curled up with my book; I promise it won't take me too long.

Last night Hubband and I had soup and bread for dinner.

I was fortunate to be back home in time for us to support one of our most important community organizations, which also happens to be near and dear to our hearts. Empty Bowls is an international project implemented on the local community level. Check to see if it happens in your community and try to support it in any way you can if it is. (If it isn't, it is well worth considering finding people to help bring to your area.) We were able to enjoy a drumming group from one of the local schools during dinner; see some pretty cool bowls, some that were part of our dinner donation and some that were part of a silent auction fundraiser; and we then we wandered around and saw interesting art.


These are the bowls we decided to take home with us.

More information for you

I am safely back home with a bunch of stuff to catch up on. Bills, other mail, other paperwork, laundry, library trips, general stuff like that. Most of which I would rather ignore, but really shouldn't; doesn't mean I'll get to it all today, or even tomorrow, but I will soon.
Hubband had a wonderful time seeing folks at his high school reunion and I had fun meeting some of the people I have heard about over the years. Oddly enough, I have known some of the folks he went to school with for years, but none of the ones in his actual class; just folks a year or several older (odder still, he was seven years ahead of me in school).
After talking to the nice lady with 911 and then customer service with my cell phone carrier, my phone was all unlocked. Hubband thought it was very funny that I had called emergency services while we were driving to church. I may have found it a bit more so if he had been the one calling instead and I had been driving. Fortunately for him, I did find it amusing enough, but I may not won't take that advice from him again.
Sorry not to have a Whiskers on Wednesday post for you yesterday, but my Internet access in Idaho Falls is rather spotty. My dad doesn't have a computer, so we go off to the Villa Coffeehouse for connectivity with my hand-dandy portable computer. Since yesterday was my travel day and all, it just didn't happen. You might consider checking out the other folks that had it together though, and I will have one up next week. There are also some interesting and cool "Fun Facts" about cats. (Yeah, for those of you thinking "Yes, he does so have a computer," it is true; he actually has two in the house I believe. Fortunately, someone out there does know the password or at least one of them when the time comes for me to deal with all that stuff. It just isn't today, or this week. Thank goodness.)
Any how, I am off to go do some catching up around home and with any luck, will do some more catching up in the next day or two for you folks out in Blogland.

FYI

If you find yourself in situation where your cell phone will not send text messages when it used too (not that I do so very often) and the cell phone company gives you a new SIM card to fix the problem, remember to get the special new security code from them. If you didn't know you need a special code for the new card so that you could put in the security code you want, it may not be in your best interest to let your Hubband enter what he thinks might be the code, especially if he guesses wrong three times in a row. You might just then be locked out of your cell phone and need to contact customer service/your cell phone provider for further assistance. Just for the record, when your cell phone says it needs a PUK, SOS on the display screen isn't there to help you contact your cell provider for help. Seriously, one would think it would shay 911 so you would know you can still dial for emergency services even when you are locked out of your phone and need to call customer service. Just information for anyone out there who might be interested.
So what have you been up to lately?

Trip report and Oribel's adventure.

I had a rather uneventful flight, transfer, second flight, and then a mostly uneventful drive with mom north to my filial destination. Those kinds of flights are always best in my opinion. That is pretty much all I've got for a trip report so far.
As you know, Hubband and I had our cool adventure on Saturday. On Sunday Oribel decided she needed her own adventure/excitement, inflicting a certain amount into our life as well. I was working on stuff in the kitchen when Hubband stuck his head in the door from where he was working on stuff outside, “I think Oribel might have a bit of a problem.” He didn't sound too worried, I came out onto the deck where she had been about five minutes before, and looked around. I didn't see her, so I looked out into the yard toward the bird feeder to see what she was up to, thinking she may be having another standoff with a rabbit. I still saw no sign of her, but Hubband pointed up and then I saw that she had decided to add another level to her domain. She was looking a bit like she wasn't sure how to get back down from the tree she seemed to think needed exploring up close and personal; Hubband jokingly said something about calling the fire department. I reminded him that this is the volunteer department that the first time we encountered them they were down the street at our neighbors trying to decide if the house they had been called out to was on fire or not, and our other experience was that they couldn't find a fire we called them about once. (Seriously though Chan, I am not worried about them, I have never heard of any problems in the nine plus years we have been here of anything burning down in their jurisdiction.) Anyhow, I, of course, went back inside to grab the camera to document said adventure; not that there was really anything else we could do about the situation anyway.





We watched her figure out how to get higher in the tree before she figured out how to get closer to the ground, but she finally got herself back to the lowest crotch of the tree, but it took her a bit longer to figure out the “I just need to point myself downward, go a little way, and then jump” thing. I told her that she was rapidly working herself up to being an indoor only cat. (Like that would really work, she pays attention to when the dogs need in and out and is very fast about zipping out the door into the garage if that is her only means of getting to her outer domain.)



As soon as she was out of the tree onto the ground, she was off at a high rate of speed to explore something else, so I didn't have a chance to bring her in then. About five minutes later I looked out the kitchen window to see her up in a different tree. Seems that since she figured out that her yard has just expanded upwards, she need to explore and stake her claim on all that she can. The noise level of the blue jays seems to have gone up too.
Don't forget to go check out the other cats and their stories at Whiskers on Wednesday!

They're Back!!!!

Do you remember last fall when I told you about bugs and showed you this? Well it is that time of year again, but the Asian Beetles seem to be a little bit ahead of the Box Elders this year. Yesterday I left the house to run a few errands and there wasn't much happening on the house. I got home just a couple of hours later and we are covered, more and more seem to be coming, and they are finding their way in. Maybe they will have all piled up and gone to sleep by the time I get home next week (wishful thinking, I am sure).
I am just about to leave for Idaho and may or may not get access to the magic unseen tubes that transports me to you and you to me Internet tomorrow to share Oribel's latest Whiskers on Wednesday adventure. I'll give it my best shot, but I might not have it up until Thursday.

Hubband and I went on an adventure.

Thursday night I during dinner, I asked Hubband if he was up to a drive on Saturday; he was a little leery at first, but when I clarified that dinner was involved he was up for it. So around four-thirty Saturday afternoon, we loaded ourselves and our needed stuff into the truck and headed off on the historic highway that was the start of our adventure. We headed north and through the Home of Water Skiing, and saw a bunch of these. We kept on driving and went through the home of Grumpy Old Men (sorry, no pictures for that spot). We kept on driving and finally ended up here after a beautiful fall drive. We got our names on the list for seating and consumed a beverage,

 

then we decided to walk down the street to look around and kill some time. We walked across the railroad tracks to look at boats and flags.

 

After looking at boats and stuff for a bit, we headed back up the street toward the restaurant. The colors were beautiful,
but the the source of the sound was rarely visible.

 

We stopped back by for a second beverage and hanging about for awhile, then headed up the road to look around at the other end. There was plenty of stuff to see, but this is what gave Hubband and I a laugh. Seriously, I remember Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond as bigger than that "family home"!

 

Then we headed back down the street toward the restaurant, watched this settle over the lake and the dark move in while we waited for our names to be called.

 

Hubband may have had this to drink last night while waiting for our turn, but it is no reflection on the company he was with! And yes, for those of you who are not in the know and are wondering, it was worth the drive and two hour wait to eat their food!

I am still knitting, see?

Just in a case anyone out there has been wondering about knitting and what I may (or may not) have been getting off the needles, here is a quick run-down. Fell free to skip over this post all together if discussions and pictures of knitting makes your eyes glaze over.
First off I will cover Ravelympics, which has been over for so long. In addition to the stuff I showed you in August, I finished one of the three socks I had in the queue
(not for me, if you want to know more about these, keep reading).

 

I also made four more dishcloths (for a total of six out of the eleven I had for some DA reason thought I might get done).

 

I worked on the Lost and Found socks a bit, as well as the second Dr. Who scarf, but didn't finish either of them. Which is OK, 'cause at least I picked them up and made progress, which was my goal for them.
As well as the missing dishcloths, I didn't get the pair of Fetchings made for DTY, but that had mostly to do with not finding the yarn she wanted for them. I have since found it and am thinking about working on them in Idaho next week. The WIP hat I had planned to do for Ravelympics, but didn't finish in time due to problems with the right size/length of needles.


All in all, I got a ton bunch of medals for several different events. Just for the record, any one item can be entered into more than one event, except for WIPs, so I got more medals than actual number of items over the finish line. All medals are icons, which of course I can add to my sidebar, but since I could order a Ravelympics 2008 pin, I did.

 

Since the Olympics were over I got the needed needles and finished the hat in early September,

 

as well as the above pair of socks for DTE.

 

I also have made DTY's planned Banana Slug socks; done enough to check the fit before she left, but the pair wasn't done until about a week later.



I have plenty of yarn left to make her more slugs to leave about campus if she wants to.

 

A lunch bag was made for Hubband, that I managed to over-felt, making it a bit too small, so I will be making him another one. Which brings us to something I mentioned a while back, Hubband is no longer working at home every day. This summer he left the company he was working for and is now working for the Mayo Clinic again. Yes, this is a good thing and he is very happy to be working with his (great) group again. Well, except for the not having me fix lunch for him every day thing.

 

There has also been a pair of socks made for my friend in Idaho Falls. I love this yarn (yes, it is the same yarn I have used before) and especially these colors. Good thing I have a couple more skeins to make more socks to match my jeans. I have also made (or am working on) several gifts (that I'm not going to post here just yet), dishcloths, and more wee tiny socks. So there you go, just in case any one was wondering if I was still knitting.

The one where it is a day after I have an epiphany.

So yesterday while I was talking to my mom, I suddenly realized I am leaving next Tuesday, not next Wednesday, for Idaho for a week. Hubband's 35th High School Reunion is on the weekend, I am going early and coming home late so as to spend a bit of time with my dad, mom, friends, and maybe my brother if he isn't working.

It is a good thing today is October first.

It is almost 6 PM, the temperature is currently 57°, and it is supposed to get down to 40° tonight and 38° tomorrow night. It is a well known fact that if you turn your furnace on before October first, your house will explode. Well known to Hubband, though I am not sure he was ever able to convince any of our children as to the veracity of this fact. (This fact, and several others, I might add.) Thus, I went to the store today just to get these. (Well, obviously not Oribel, she just had to approve it being in her house.)

It's Whiskers on Wednesday again

A few weeks ago I was at the garden store, looking around and saw a pretty cool water fountain for the deck. The extra cool thing about it was it was on "end-of-the -season-clearance-sale." I brought it home and got it all set up. Of course Miss Oribel had to check out the new thing on her deck right away.


It got her stamp of approval and she seems to enjoy having her own personal drinking fountain outside. I haven't let her in on the fact that I saw a dog using it at least once. (Yes, those really are her whiskers. Did you think she would hold still long enough, or put up with having extension put on to make them that long?)

BTW, you might want to check out Whiskers on Wednesday for entertaining links to cat photos.