Kate Davies, Bruce, Foula Wool 'n' Me

I have just placed my 2nd order for 7 cakes of Foula Wool !...and now... I wait and watch for the mailman   with sweet anticipation! It will take about 3 weeks to get here from Scotland; lots of time to dream and seek inspiration for what I will make with it.
 I learned to crochet, (the gateway drug!) just a couple years ago and, to my surprise, I really like it! This year, having been heavily inspired by Amber of Amber's Ambry and the deliciouse designs of Kate Davies; I took up a pair of circular knitting needles and now I am collecting needles, yarns and patterns and reading blogs and perusing Ravelry like one possessed!
  With my first stash of Foula Wool; I made a pair of fingerless gloves using Kate's Tortoise and Hare pattern.

  I have only, up to now, used the wool and wool blends that are available in the big craft stores, and, a few skeins from a smaller boutique store here locally, so the difference in this wool blew me away!  It is soft and thick, a little lotion-y, and feels wonderful right up against my skin, which I thought could only be achieved in a blended yarn. The colors are deep and rich and beautiful; it smells wonderful! Fresh and clean; can't quite describe it.....I now know that there is something missing from the "mainstream" yarns available and want to discover and learn more about the harvesting and production of these products!
  My  "discovery" of Foula Wool came through the interview Kate Davies conducted with the owners and posted on her blog: a blog my friends, that is a complete delight! I look forward to every post. She is such an engaging and creative writer and teacher! I especially love, and look forward to, the stories/posts as told by Bruce, who,  I think, should try his paw at writing a children's book!
  Well, the morning is getting on here, the sun has moved around to my favorite corner of the room now, and that means it is time to gather my tea cup, needles and yarn and settle in for a few hours of bliss....have a wonderful day!

all we are saying is; give bees a chance.......

I have been waging a small battle against the clover patches that have been threatening to take over my front yard and, to a smaller extent, my back yard. A few patches of clover popped up last year. It did not bother me over much and I knew the bees were having a rough go of it so I thought I'd let it ride and give the bees a reason to visit my yard and make my other flowers happy as well. Of course this year the patches have grown substantially wider and thicker and I decided they really needed to go. I try to be as chemical free as possible, so I've been tackling the problem hands on. I know it's improbable that I'll completely eradicate it this way, but, I am stubborn, and I have actually made some headway and, it's been kinda fun just to be out ripping long strands of clover out of the ground by it's roots. If I find a bit that is not so dug in, it's a sensation like unraveling a knitted sweater. Something about it satisfies me.
   This morning I had enough gumption to get out early before the mercury hit 80. The air was cool, the ground still moist. Our neighborhood is typically very quiet most times of the day and this morning my task was accompanied by a lovely variety of bird sounds.
   I have no guilt now over pulling away the bees' clover as I've planted more flowers in my backyard this year and the lavender that's been growing there for many years now has become a bee favorite

CDB? I think it's just it's butt. Bees, I find, are not very co-operative photo subjects, especially for the amateur photog!
  I think I was lucky just to get it's butt in the picture!

I saponify, therefore, I am

now that I've got 70+ batches of soap under my belt, I'm feelin' fairly salty; almost grizzled in this pursuit, this obsession of mine! Still havin' fun and looking forward to my first full season of craft shows/farmers markets. Here's a little sample of what I've been up to lately. Working on my swirling technique, experimenting with clays and essential oils.

aack! whew!cough!sneeze!

just dusted off this poor old blog site o' mine; couldn't believe it really still existed! I figured it had long since floated off into some remote corner of the web never to be seen again!
But, now I'm back and I'm re-learning how to format, post, link, etc...I think I can feel a new brain cell or two forming!
A couple of months ago, I dipped my toes into the wonderful, lathery, bubbly, aromatic world of soap making, and, like so many others, am completely smitten! As have all of you soaping pioneers before me, I spent hours pouring over everything I could find before daring to make that first batch from scratch. Tried melt and pour first, (very timidly even then, I might add), then, decided it was time to conquer my "fear of lye-ing" and just do it, like the shoe says. Haven't burned myself up yet! Have even sold a few bars, and am learning what it takes to start a small business; so far, it's fun. Want it to stay that way!
Well, the labor day weekend is upon us and we may make our way into the woods. Hope everyone gets some great R & R!

Soggy Sunday

A warning bell should've gone off in my head when DB innocently asked me yesterday afternoon if I thought the water pressure seemed kinda low when I flushed the toilet. I hadn't noticed any real difference, so we both shrugged it off. Fast forward to this morning when our doorbell rang (very unusual for a Sunday morning!) and our next door neighbor greeted us with the news flash that a small swamp was forming on his side of the fence due to water that appeared to be coming from our side! Immediate investigation found one of our sprinkler pipes gushing forth a river ( probably since yesterday about the time DB posited the water pressure question) right into the neighbors' yard. We sprang into action, calf-deep into mud, bailing water with mixing bowls from the kitchen. I ran to Lowe's to buy the "key" that's needed to shut the valve off and we managed to finish bailing just as the snow storm hit!
That's probably the most adrenaline I've pumped on a Sunday morning in years......had enough extra energy, in fact, that the drive and the walk got cleared right after breakfast!
The face of Redmond's Downtown is slowly changing. I can't wait to see what's going on up close. As soon as we get a good 40+ degree day, I'm going to stroll the main drag and do some seriouse window shopping.

Lord's Acre Offerings in God's Country

The deep pit bbq at the Lord's Acre sale in Powell Butte, OR, has got to be on of Central Oregon's best kept secrets. My family discovered it the first or second year we lived here and have only missed one or two ever since. It's funny, most locals seem to either not know much about it, or, if they do, they've just never been. From the time you turn into the pasture/parking lot, directed by guides on horseback, you feel immediately the strong sense of community that bonds the people in this small, beautiful rural area that is pretty much just a dot on the map between Bend and Prineville. The routine is this: walk immediately from the car and get in line to buy tickets for a slice of homemade pie. It's a hard choice to make, but you do it and are never disappointed! Get a cup of coffee and eat your slice standing up. People watch or chit chat with whomever happens to glance your way. Once fortified with pie enough to tide you over 'till it's time to line up for the main course, wander over to see what's new this year at the Country Store; tole painted wooden decorations, hand sewn and knitted hats, aprons, linens; furniture. Take a look at the quilts that will go up for auction later that afternoon. At around 11:30 it's the cue for everyone to start lining up for the bbq that will be served smorgy-style from behind long make-shift tables on saw-horses. Chit chat with others in line or have someone save your place while you check out the official opening of the deep pit. Once the pit is open, the air is filled with that mouth-watering smell; the reason most of us have come; huge helpings of beef, lamb and ham are piled on plates accompanied by potato, and beans. This bbq is the most succulent, flavorful meat I have ever eaten. The pleasure is only intensified by being out in the fresh air and sharing my meal, standing at one of four rows of waist-high tables, family style, with scores of friendly people. I've never seen anyone in a bad mood while eating this meal! There is only pleasant talk and laughter between bites.
After you've eaten, head on over to the school and get a good, comfortable seat for the the auction. It's a real honest to goodness live auction with a lightening-tongued auctioneer. The pace gets pretty fast and furiouse when the quilts start to go on the "block". I've seen some quilts go for 1-2 thousand dollars! When the last "sold!" has rung out, it's time to make out way home to relax the rest of the day. There will be not rest for the community of Powell Butte, though! The ladies of the church will start the very next day baking the pies and making quilts that will go on sale next year on the first Saturday of November as it has been for the last 61 years!

kiddie craft: make your own bug catcher/viewer

If you've ever ordered a frappuccino or other cold beverage in a cup from FourBucks coffee or any other coffee purveyor, keep the cup (lid, straw and all,) for your own handy, dandy bug catcher. I always have a stack of them around that I reuse daily just for other beverages. They come in really handy when my grandson, or friend's children are over. Less worries about breaks or spills. My grandson is into bugs these days and I realized one day that these clear cups, especially the ones with the dome top, are perfect for catching and looking at bugs. The cup is a great scoop and the hole in the dome top is perfect for poking in food, twigs, more bugs, etc. Scooping up more than one bug without the previouse ones escaping can be tricky, but it adds to the fun of the chase!