My Little Tribe

Finally, the busy weekend

On Saturday, Richard, the kids and I headed out to Springside Alpaca Farm for their annual Memorial Day weekend shearing festival with Beth and Julia. It was very interesting to see very dirty sheep, when I've grown used to Loren's very clean and coated sheep. And much like Beth already posted, we missed the spinning demos, and the trading post was a wash for fiber lovers. With that said, I still didn't come home empty handed. I laid down a whopping three dollars and fifty cents for 2oz of Icelandic Tog roving from Shepherd Falls Farm.
I didn't get many pictures, so go see Beths! But it seemed I was far too busy herding my kids. Perhaps I should put Richard in charge of picture taking. Then again, he ribbed me last night for taking pictures of scones (see previous entry) Oy, non bloggers!
On Sunday we got up bright and early for a trip to the zoo. I completely forgot to take pictures. Sorry. And I really should have taken some of the elephant. I can't remember her name, but shes pregnant, and 2 weeks overdue. Her keeper brought her out to the low gate for the crowd to pet her, and the most amazing thing to see was her enormously pregnant self, and that baby elephant inside, just squirming around. It reminded me of my absolute favorite part of pregnancy.. watching the itty bitty toss and turn inside my belly.
Once home, Connor went down for a nap and we got busy clearing out the grapevines on our front hill and pruning pine trees. Yikes what a mess. What a freaking work out! But that was a cakewalk compared to Monday's chore, clearing away what we thought was a small pile of brush and construction debris near our patio and driveway. See the house photo album for pictures. OY!
Sometime this week.. I'll get back to blogging about knitting and spinning. I promise!

Orange Cranberry Scones.. YUM

Last week, when it was very cold and damp, I felt like baking something. Since it seems I'm forever craving scones (and buying far too many orange cranberry scones at Green Hills) I decided to make my own. I pulled out my favorite cookbook, Homemade Bread by the editors of Farm Journal (my copy was my step mother's and copyrighted 1969) I found the basic scone recipe. I then tweaked and adjusted, added cranberries and orange...and here you go. Orange Cranberry Scones!
Jump inside the extended entry for my adapted recipe

I'm actually still alive..

We've just been horrendously busy this past week! Its not like me at all to not blog, and I actually feel a little lazy because I haven't. However, we've had lots of activities this last week in addition to passing a nasty cold around to each other (not to mention the allergies!)
I will be posting later tonight, maybe tomorrow, with pictures, of a trip to a shearing festival in Fabius NY, a trip to the zoo, and LOTS of work here at the house. We started clearing out the massive amounts of grape vines growing everywhere, plus cleaning up a monster of a mess left behind by the previous owner. Which included, but was not limited to bags of garbage, a large fish tank under an amazingly large amount of brush, vines, leaves and construction debris. YUCK!

Taking The Long Way

In case you live under a rock, and missed the massive attention this cd release has gotten, Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way was released yesterday.
Consider buying it and supporting three brave women who used their right of free speech, and were treated to death threats by Bush supporting turds. Turds who, not only were whacked too many times with the stupid stick but were born with it stuck up their arses. Death threats, how um.. original.
I'm not a country fan, by any definition, but I adore these women, and have since the first time I saw/heard them in 1998, promoting Wide Open Spaces.
Even if you don't dig em, gift to a friend or family member.
Its about free speech.

Also check out video of their appearance on The David Letterman show earlier this week courtesy of Crooks and Liars

Monday Monday

And what a freaking Monday its been!
I'm in battle with my dentist's office manager over my insurance benefits. Even after official word from my insurance company, that I am indeed correct about our benefit coverage, she still insists on fighting with me. I say, time for a new dentist! UGH!
I knit my fingers raw all weekend, working on the custom little girls swing top.. my first 'designed by me' project. Knitting cotton, even on turbos could be compared to aerobic exercise, I swear. And I would be done by now if I didn't get all the way to the top of the 'skirt' portion and decide that the way I did the decreases, sucked. Out came the ball winder, 10 inches of knit stitches unraveled onto the winder, and I started over, above the lace hem edging with a new plan. This plan works much better, and I'm truckin' along, over halfway up the skirt. I should be able to finish that part and get to the bodice portion by tonight.
No pictures however, until its all done. And if I feel like torturing myself some more, I may put on my math hat, and work it out in other sizes, then offer it for sale.. I'm just not sure yet.

And how about some cyber high fives for wee Connor, who has signed "please" several times already today. This is HUGE progress!

What do we tell our children?

Well written, to the point, originally published at Democratic Underground. Its posted here with permission.

What do WE tell our children?
by Nancy Greggs

An Open Letter to the Republican Representatives Who Control Our Government:

We heard it over and over during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal: What do we tell the children? It was a phrase obviously premised on the fact that the average first-grader was parked in front of CNN all afternoon, asking uncomfortable questions about the sexual conduct of the president.

Well, there are some very uncomfortable questions being asked by our children these days, and they flow from the very circumstances you have created. Therefore, I think it only appropriate that you give us some advice on how to deal with the queries being posed by the children of ordinary Americans across the country.

What do we tell our children when they ask why their grandmother's health is failing, due to the fact that her life-saving medication is no longer within her financial means? Should we explain to them that the multi-billion dollar profits of the pharmaceutical companies are more important than Grandma's health, or anyone else's?

What do we tell our children when they ask why soldiers in Iraq have to fight without the necessary equipment, or have to use contaminated water to bathe in? Should we explain to them that Halliburton has been handed billions of dollars that were earned by mommies and daddies all over America, but that money goes into already-wealthy people's pockets instead of being spent on the welfare and safety of the men and women who may die fighting for their country?

What do we tell our children when they see us crying because we have lost our jobs, and we can't find another one? Should we explain to them that someone in another country was given that job because they agreed to do it for less money, so that the children of the people who own that company can have $250,000 birthday parties?

What do we tell our children when we have to feed them cheap meals four nights a week, because the price of gas just went up again and we had to use the grocery money to get to work? Should we explain to them that the oil companies can't get by with the billions of dollars they are making already, along with the subsidies that mom and dad have to pay for as well?

What do we tell our children when they ask if we can help them go to medical school, or law school, or even a community college to learn a trade, when we can't afford to contribute a single penny? Should we tell them to get a job that pays minimum wage, and maybe in ten years they will have saved enough for their first semester? Should we explain to them that training for any job right now is a waste of time, because it will wind up being given to someone in another country anyway?

What do we tell our children when they see photographs from Abu Ghraib, or hear stories about Guantanamo Bay? Should we explain to them that because we go to church on Sunday and sing `God Bless America', God just looks the other way when we imprison and torture our fellow human beings?

What do we tell our children when they ask why the kid down the street who was caught with drugs had to go to jail to be punished, but when one of your kids got caught with drugs, they went to the hospital to be cured? Should we explain to them that the difference between being a criminally inclined addict and a non-dangerous substance abuser depends on the financial wherewithal of the parents?

What do we tell our children when they ask why multi-billion dollar corporations are allowed to pollute our air and water? Should we explain to them that if the air is unbreathable and the water undrinkable by the time they are grown up, that's because you thought it was more important to look after the companies that give you campaign contributions than to think about the world you were bequeathing to future generations?

What do we tell our children when they ask why there are people living in cardboard boxes on the street, when they've seen you and your colleagues argue about million dollar bridges-to-nowhere? Should we tell them that real people in need don't matter, in comparison to people who might vote for someone who brought the bacon home to their state?

What do we tell our children about honesty and integrity in government, when the president gets caught lying or ignoring the laws of our country, and you make yourselves busy looking the other way, or come up with endless excuses for his behavior? Should we explain to them that although our country was built on the Constitution and the rule of law, once you get to be president you can arbitrarily decide that those concepts are no longer valid?

What do we tell our children about American democracy and its system of representational government, when you, our representatives, pay no attention to the needs or desires of the people who elected you? Should we tell them that this whole "democracy" thing has been a scam all along, and they'd better smarten up and get used to it?

What do we tell our children when they ask about The American Dream? How do we explain to them that it is no longer within their grasp, that it no longer exists for kids like them, that it is only available to your children, and not ours?

I'm truly curious. On the off chance that any one of you has inadvertently raised a child with a social conscience, with morals, with compassion for their fellow citizens, when they become adults and look at what you have allowed to happen, what will you tell your own children?

You may not deign to answer the questions I have posed, but when that one is asked by your own child, you'll have no choice but to respond. And I'd give almost anything to be there when you do.

Yuck, allergy season

I feel like the walking dead.
I'm not sure if its a flu, or my allergies in overdrive, but I have truly felt like pond scum for the past few days. Congested, weak, body aches, and plum exhausted (and no, I'm not pregnant Kris. I know your thinking it!) Today I feel like I'm bouncing back a tad, but I could still really go for a nap (and you know I'm sick if I nap) And since I feel so damn icky, my creative side has really taken a hit this week. I pick up my knitting and bleh, I'm just not into it. It could be the feeling of liquid concrete in my sinus cavity, or the chills, I'm not sure. But few stitches have been made this week.
Instead I've been spinning (or rather plying). Its just so damn relaxing, and I needed to clear some bobbins since three of my five were full.
I did hit a bump in my plying however. You'll notice, especially the 'fruit salad' targee all the way to the right, looks a bit lumpy. And the green merino AND "roses for you" targhee are not plied evenly. I was having a hell of a time keeping tension. That and the uptake on my bobbin as I plied was awful. Turns out my scotch tension needed to be adjusted, or rather looped around the bobbin differently. I had replaced my tension string the first week I got my wheel and apparently I did it wrong, or at least, not in the ideal manner. Its the one thing that bugs me about this wheel.. no diagram. I'm a diagram sort of person, much like I'm a charted knitting sort of person. I guess it comes from being a visual learner? Ah well.. its fixed now. Some have suggested UNspinning those three hanks of yarn and re doing them, but seriously,.. that makes me feel faint. I wouldn't know where to begin, or end. So I'll leave them be, and call them designer yarn!
And once that was done, and my bobbins were empty, I started the blue/green/gray merino that I dyed a few weeks ago. I have to say, its going much easier now, so it must be the improved tension. Not completely consistent, but damn close. I love it. I can't wait to finish it up and ply.

On Mother's Day..

It certainly was a weird one! And this is not to say that I had a bad day, mind you. I actually enjoyed myself, but it wasn't typical, at all.
It turned out that Richard's friend (and mine!) and former work colleague from Madison was out here for a work conference at Lake George, with only one "night off". Our original plan was for the whole family to go and spend the weekend. However if the weather was bad (and it was), or there wasn't anything fun to do, we'd have four kids stuck in a small hotel room, and two parents pulling their hair out. Instead, Richard drove out by himself to spend the night and hang out with Janet, leaving on Saturday afternoon, with a scheduled arrival back home late morning on Mother's Day.
See my kids, I love them to death, but they seriously know how to work in a pack. When Daddy is gone, they are completely different heathens children. I'm not sure how Richard has never come home to find me locked in a closet or tied to a chair while they gorge out on chocolate and jump on the furniture (or worse). So perhaps you can imagine how my Mother's Day started out.. Chaos.
Things did calm down a bit now and then, but by the time Richard got home at 2PM, it was far too late to make it to the zoo (something we considered if he got home early enough) And besides that he wasn't feeling well and laid down to nap. I got busy making dinner (chicken parmesan and homemade canoli for desert), made myself a white russian, and talked to my mom on the phone for nearly an hour.
Dinner was delish, the white russian certainly was good, my canoli rocked, and Mother's Day was not a bust! Why? Because look what Janet sent Richard home with! Two of the most recent issues of The Isthmus (oh how I miss thee!), The Onion (A Madison born institution), a sampler pack of beers, including, all the way there to the left, Yokel from New Glarus Brewing Company. The sixth bottle from the pack is gone, and I forgot to ask Richard what it was. If it was New Glarus Brewing's Spotted Cow, he'll have a lot to answer for! Oh and CURDS from Brennan's (there were two bags, but that first one is lonnnggg gone!)
Janet, THANK YOU! And because I suspect you will read this and email me saying your sorry for pulling Richard away on Mother's Day. To that I say.. I'm delighted that you two got to hang out, thats a good enough Mother's Day gift for me (but the beer, papers and curds didn't hurt either!)

Edited to add..Yikes I forgot to put the Cow Pies in the picture, as they had already been placed in the freezer.

More adventures in the dye pot

I had some more fun with the dye pot this week!
This time its corriedale cross and I was shooting for Gryffindor house colors (crimson and gold) For the most part I got what I intended. I didn't single layer it in a baking dish, instead this time I did it in my dye pot. I'm delighted that I didn't get big splotchy spots, however I did end up with non dyed spots in the section that was closest to the bottom of the pot (the inner part of the spiral in the picture).
What did I learn from this? Not to dye 8oz of roving at a time, no matter how big the dye pot is. Its not un-usable though! As I spin, I'll alternate sections of the roving, so that I can more uniformly incorporate all of it.
And I seem to be in a knitting funk. I haven't touched the flower basket shawl, and although I started a pair of socks, I'm really not enjoying them. Instead I've been working on some custom shorts for a HSY customer, and patterning the little girls swing top to go with it. Think summer swing style tank top with lace/picot edge...its dreamy in my head and on paper. Just waiting for the yarn I custom ordered for it to come in to Mission Rose before I can cast it on.
Now I'm off to pajamify four children, get them in the 'settle down' phase of the night, and before too long I'll be sitting at my wheel for a while.
Have a great weekend y'all!

And the winners are...

I expected Kris to take the top spot, but wow, I wasn't expecting her husband to take second place! (Way to go Rog!) So Llamie and Roger, I'll either mail you something sweet, or the next time you come up guys, I'll send you home with my specialty, an entire double chocolate espresso cheesecake. You choose!

Courtney your the top spot knitter, so send your snail address to carla at mylittletribe dot com and I'll mail out your Opal Petticoat.
Mom (peeps, "Nana" is my mother in law) I have some blue Cascade Fixation for you since you can't use wool (that cotton lycra yarn you were oogling when you came to visit)

Now, as for the explanations... see the extended entry