PS4 March 4

North
(Yes, I changed the post title)

 

Standing on the deck, 3:30PM

Inspiration, creativity, and follow-through

This year it is my hope and desire to be more productive in my creativity. I do think about creating things, and follow through in some aspects of my life (mostly cooking it seems). Some of the things I create are all about "following the directions/pattern" (which I am capable of doing, despite what some people think), sometimes it is about taking a germ if an idea or image and seeing where it goes, and sometimes it is all about "what happens it I do this, and then this, and this?" Sometimes it takes a bit longer for some ides to come to fruition than others, and the ideas often wind up changing over time/maturation.
So how do I hope to be more productive? Well, I want to have more stuff out of my head and where I can see it with an actual connection to an idea. The breakfast rolls would be an example of "taking a germ of an idea", the Block Project is another aspect of creating fruition, so I am not necessarily talking hard core stuff here. It is more about making connections and self-discipline to follow-through. (I am more than willing to admit that follow-through is one of my weaknesses in life, at least I think so.)
So as part of that line of thought, I have joined Project Spectrum this year. The theme for this year (the fourth) is Cardinal Directions, starting with North. (I will leave it to you to click on the link if you wan to read more about it.)
I will be finding ways to incorporate this into all sorts of aspects of my life, not just knitting. Hopefully that will help with the follow-through and getting back to some of the other aspects of my self that I have set aside.
Who knows where this will lead me, but I will share the journey with you.
(If anyone else is interested, you can "sign up" too. To quote Lolly,"It is really about expressing yourself creatively - making something beautiful, and creating something unique with your hands. It is also about thinking outside of the box - perhaps taking up a new hobby, or a long neglected one, or finally dabbling in design. Projects can be big or small - whether you plan to lay tile in your kitchen or photograph a tree in your backyard - it is not a race, it is just about sharing your creative work to inspire others" and maybe learning something about yourself along the way I personally am thinking.)

Last week it warmed up

enough that all of the snow on the deck and patio melted off, which made Oribal very happy. She had been able to go out, roll around on the bricks for a proper scratch, and get her feet all muddy. Yeah, just what we needed, little muddy paw pints to go with all the big muddy paw prints on the white tile floor. (No, not really.) We told her it wouldn't last, but I don't think she paid any attention to our snow talk. Sure enough, it got all cold and snowy again on Thursday, just like we promised. (It was still only February after all.) After awhile the snow slowed down and Oribel got up from her nap to watch her private back-yard "TV" channel. She was happy to be watching all the birds at the feeder and on the deck and asked to go out, but I figured they could use the momentary lull in the storm to fill up their tummies without any help. All of a sudden she started making a bit of a fuss and dashing over to the window over the sink from the door. So I looked out the kitchen window to see the problem and saw that there was a squirrel in the bird feeder. Oh the horror! She really, really wanted to go tell it that those are her birds and bird feeder. (She is deluded about that, it is really mine. DTE made especially for me for Christmas; but I let her pretend.)
So I went ahead and opened the door for her, figuring the squirrel would dash off as soon as it heard the door, but it didn't seem to notice it at all. That was so much the better for Miss Oribel's plan!





She hightailed it out there, so fast and single-minded that she didn't even notice that the deck now had 3+" of snow on it that it hadn't had three or four hours earlier!

 

She was less than impressed when she realized what she had gotten herself into. She stayed out there for a bit, did a bit of a "see if I can dig myself a clear path back" routine, decided to hunker down for a while when she realized that she really was going to have to walk back through all that snow. It did start snowing again and she decided it would be best to come back inside and get a few kitty treats. (Probably a good thing she doesn't know about hot chocolate with whipped cream on a cold afternoon!)
I'll leave you with one more picture of her, just because I am not sure which one has the best perspective of her leaping tracks in the snow (though, as always, they will bigify if you click on them).

I really am here,

but I have to admit I have been rather distracted by knitting lately.
I finished a scarf recently,

 

and a hat. I finished the hat just before I went to (briefly) visit DTE and see the play she was running sound for. I did consider the possibility the hat would migrate north, as hats are known to do; the color and yarn were perfect for up north, but it got to come back home with me. I think it might have been a tough call, but she has "no need for a hat with a hole in the back of it," (of course, I do have such a need). I think if I were to find more of said yarn and make one without a hole, it would be well loved and taken care of up north.


I have also been working on another pair of socks, and as you can see, I had help getting a picture of its humble beginnings.

 

I also did a bit of experimental cooking, special for Hubband, because he never got to get his favorite breakfast, a Mighty Meal Wheel, while he was in Salt Lake City recently. (He had planned on getting one, or several, and seeing our good friends, the owners, but.....) He said mine was pretty darn close, but I think he may have been being nice (besides just taking pictures), or maybe he has forgotten since he hasn't had one of theirs in so long. (We did both agree that I/we need to cut them a bit thinner next time.)

 

Now, if you would please excuse me, I have some very important reading to go do and then I have a sock calling my name.

A Miss Oribel post

('Cause I am guessing that at least some of you out there are looking for one.)

Hanging out on the railing at the top of the stairs is one the things Oribel likes to do. It is not nearly as wonderful and fun as hanging out at the bottom of the railing to grab ankles and/or tails as they go by, but it is a pretty decent place to watch what is happening in her world.

 

She doesn't usually wind up staying there very long, mostly because there is too much stuff going on somewhere else in the house her kingdom that needs investigating. Either that, or she spies her tail out of the corner of her eye and decides she needs to teach it a lesson. Those kinds of lessons work out better on a scratching post.

It might be Whiskers on Wednesday, or maybe not, since it seems to be Strep-throat week!

 

Maybe

I should give up cooking for Lent?

4 of 12

AKA Hubband's Valentines Day Socks. I wanted to learn some new sock knitting stuff like Magic Loop instead of the standard double point needles, a square-toe start instead of a short-row toe, and I used a slightly different short-row heel than I have in the past (no wraps). I started these on Wednesday night at my weekly knitting group (so I could have a lesson on the toe and ML), one at a time (though with ML it is common to do both socks at the same time), finished the first sock and cast on the second one Friday night. I finished the second sock this afternoon and really enjoyed learning all the new stuff. I defiantly like ML, though I have nothing against DPNs. (In fact I have my next pair of socks on them right now, those were started last Tuesday night and worked on during the day before my ML lesson. No, I haven't picked them up since, but probably will tomorrow.) Yes, I do seem to have a new addiction to knitting socks, but no one around here seems to be complaining about it. Hubband has a poker game on Sunday and is very excited to wear his new socks. (I am sure he will tell the guys that I made them for him, like he did with his anniversary socks to our Super Bowl outing. Silly man.)

A romantic Valentine's afternoon

starts with dosing Sadie with Rimadyl before noon, bundling up for 25° weather, leashing the dogs, and heading out down the hill in the backyard.


From there you enjoy an afternoon together,

 

wandering about in the valleys

 

and on the hills around your neighborhood.

 

You get to see dogs enjoying the snow and their outing,

 

sunflower farms,

 

awesome ice formations

 

bassets snuffling stuff like bassets do,

 

geese overhead,

 

baby trees safe from deer,

 

and the water holding ponds you are grateful for.

 

Then you go out to the road to head home, enjoying your favorite tree in the cow field,

 

tell Sadie she has done an amazing job hiking and she is almost home,

 

and you are thankful that Simon will wait for her so patiently.

 

The last little bit of the afternoon outing includes telling the neighbor dogs hello, even though the beagle/basset mix Paco dog has taught Miss Louie Basset the bad habit of barking at everything and everyone.

 

Then you finish the afternoon off with a Valentine's day gift of a hand knit sock. (With the promise of the other one being done in plenty of time for their poker game on Sunday afternoon.)

A couple of ways to make my Hubband happy.

Go see a most excellent movie (which didn't have a midnight showing here, but we went opening night) and bring home the needed 3D glasses,









and knit him a hat to keep the wind and cold out. This is an excellent accessory for Minnesota wind chill and dog walks. I am not totally happy with the fit; of course, if I had tried it on him while in was in progress, I would have made needed modifications to make me happier, but it didn't come close to his head until it was all finished. He loves it and what else really matters?

It's a Dogs' Life

Chan and Gaylen have been fussing at me for new dogs pictures, even if they are boring, sleeping dogs. So, this is for you two (well, and anybody else that likes dog pictures).

Sadie spends a lot of her time sleeping in the family room while I am on the couch.

 

Though she wakes up just a little bit when she thinks she is getting some attention,

 

apparently having her picture taken doesn't count as enough attention to stay awake for.

 

 

Being a pack-oriented dog, she changes she sleeping spot as we move about the house. The landing is close enough proximity to the computer to make her happy,

 

and this end of the family room works out pretty well for her during dinner. I felt rather sorry for her on Thursday as I was doing some housework and she had to keep moving from the landing to the family room, upstairs to the bedroom, back down to the family room, back upstairs, back to the landing, and such. I kept telling her she could stay in one spot, but she really doesn't like to be that far away from her people. She is much happier when there are two people home and one of them holds still.

Simon starts his day with moving from his spot in the bedroom to a sun spot in the front room. From there he just sleeps and rarely even notices that the sun has moved.

 

 

 

Some things in a basset's life are very important, including having their heads scratched through the posts as we go down the stairs,

 

going outside on the deck (to see if there is any birdseed to eat),

 

and hanging out in the kitchen to help me cook dinner (or perhaps hope for some sort of manna to fall from heaven).

 

Of course two of the most important things in a basset's life after sleeping are food

 

and belly rubs,

 

which should never be interrupted with cameras! (Hubband says we hould have gotten her for half price since she is defective with feet on the top of her body instead of the bottom!)

 

(Now can I go back to the sock?)