Twenty acres and NO sheep...

on the four year plan

2011-11-07T19:56:00.002-06:00

I had a trip to Boston last week (for work).

This allowed for plenty of airplane knitting time.

I dug out an old UFO.

Old, I tell you, OLD!

But I finally finished.

One ounce of silk caps that I dyed in 2007 and finished spinning in 2008.

It's funny how lace looks all scrunchy before blocking.

After blocking.

Finished size 8' x 6"

And worn!

Montego Bay Scarf from Interweave Knits Summer 2007

MEA October 2011

2011-10-30T10:00:00.001-06:00

Last weekend was the MEA school break in Minnesota.

We traveled to DeSoto, IL to meet with Harlan and Coleen. They live in Georgia. We tried to find a place in the middle to meet for the long weekend. We rented a cute log cabin in DeSoto, IL.

We fit in plenty of activities in the long weekend.

We visited several wineries on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.

We also visited an orchard.

We ate, drank yummy wines, cooked, played games, launched sky lanterns, shot slingshots, fished and geocached. (note the icky snake that put an end to our geocaching for the day)

I had lots of time to knit on the 650 mile trip.

I knitted and napped and relaxed.

Perhaps I got a bit too relaxed.

I worked on the second sleeve of Paul's sweater.

Can you see how much larger the right sleeve is, compared to the left?

Yeah, the gauge is a full stitch per inch off.

Well, I hadn't knit any part of his sweater twice yet...

I was able to get most of Bekky's sweater finished.

Just needs weaving in and clasps.

Now this sweater, I've knit almost twice in its entirety.

First it was too big.

Once I got the body size right, the sleeves were too small.

So I've knitted the body twice, and one sleeve twice.

It's worth it.

It looks terrific on her.

Once I get it blocked and clasped, I'll get a picture of her modeling it.

This sweater will be just in time.

Ben and Bekky are moving to Denver very soon!

Girl of the House is almost finished with classroom drivers education.

Paul had her out driving in the yard yesterday.

Permit test soon!

Life keeps moving.

Windmill

2011-10-14T20:00:00.001-05:00

Carleton College has a new windmill, easily visible from our deck.

Well, OK, it's not quite as close as it appears.

It's slightly less than a mile away.

I like the look of it.

Simple pleasures...

Luna Frypan!

2011-08-13T13:46:00.000-05:00

Somethings happened at our house.

It requires getting all my baskets up off the floor.

The contents are far too interesting.

(Note the messy green yarn.)

Luna Frypan.

4 months old.

Former Prairie's Edge Humane Society resident.

Lab/Bloodhound cross - but that's really just a guess.

Our big dog is 11, and he's beginning to slow down.

I want to keep a big dog as a running companion.

Luna will be ready in a year or so.

In the meantime, welcome to our zoo!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have basket reorganization to finish.

The kittens are down

2011-05-28T10:10:00.000-05:00

The kittens have come to ground. Mama cat Yasmine has placed them under the steps. They DO like to come out and nap in the sunshine - much better than being under the cool dark steps!

There was a question of how we knew the kittens were in the tree. We saw mama cat climbing the tree on a regular basis, so we had to wonder why?

I'd have loved to see her bringing those babies down, wouldn't you?

This year the babies have W names.

This is Willis.

This is Willow.

(Wyoming was too shy for a picture this morning.)

Kittens in a tree

2011-05-15T09:49:00.001-05:00

We've got a mama cat that has figured out the safest place for her kittens.

16 feet up.

In an old squirrel nest in a tree hollow.

Three babies safe and warm.

Can't say I've ever seen that before...

Waitin' for the bus

2011-04-25T07:37:00.000-05:00

Girl of the House this morning, waiting for the bus.

Isn't it great when you have a really good book?

Starting over

2011-04-23T13:38:00.001-05:00

Here's a last look for Bekky:

17 inches of warm Dale goodness.

Turns out, the only way this would fit tiny little Bekky is if she gained more than 50 pounds.
I think that's too much to ask, don't you?

I did some calculations when I started her sweater, as I needed to replace the Daletta yarn for the Heilo yarn. They have fairly different gauges.

Yeah, I miscalculated. Yeah, I knit and knit and knit, and didn't do any measuring.

Yeah, I was having fun!

Now that I'm ready to start the sleeves, I actually did some measuring.

40 inches around.

Never going to work.

Keep telling myself I'm a process knitter. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it...

A full basket

2011-04-17T18:14:00.000-05:00

I've a full knitting basket lately.

Three Dale of Norway sweaters in rotation.

Begun March 9, 2011.

Sapporo 2007

for Bekky

She chose the colors for a lovely grey/green colorway.

A pullover from Dale Book #138

for Ben

Gjende pullover

for Paul

I knit along on each sweater in rotation. When I come to the end of a ball of yarn, I join on the new ball and move on to the next sweater. This way I never get tired of any individual sweater. I stay eager to move on to the next.

And in between, I still get a few small projects completed.

My most recent carry around project: springy fingerless mittens for the daughters of a friend. Just need weaving in ends, then they are ready for the Easter Bunny basket.

Sky lanterns launched!

2011-02-06T17:51:00.001-06:00

Ben and Bekky came home for a visit this weekend, and we were able to successfully launch our sky lanterns.

We didn't put on the snowshoes this time. We just headed out to the widest part of the driveway. It was much warmer - 24˚ with no wind at all. Much easier to light the lanterns and definitely friendlier to any exposed body parts!

The lanterns looked amazing as they floated away into the night.

And while he was home, Ben picked up his fingerless mitts and a matching knitted hat.

I think they were a hit.

NaKniMitMo 2011

2011-01-31T19:52:00.000-06:00

I took part in National Knit Mittens Month (NaKniMiMo) over on Ravelry this month.

While the hedgehog mittens took me longer than I expected, I did manage to finish two more pair of mittens.

The Winter Wonderland Mittens from Classic Elite.

I used the yarn called for by the pattern - Classic Elite Fresco. It's a cuddly soft mix of wool, alpaca and angora. I really enjoyed this yarn, and the mittens are already getting a fuzzy angora halo.

Ben asked for another pair of fingerless mittens.

I used some handspun coopworth/sari silk yarn that has been aging in the stash.

These are so quick and easy - long tubes of ribbing with large button holes for the thumbs.

I made five pair for my co-workers holiday gifts, all from handspun.

It must be a coyote den

2011-01-29T07:57:00.000-06:00

This is the second coyote we saw trotting past the house this morning.

Managed to capture this one on film:

Absolutely beautiful.

As long as we don't have any livestock, that is...

Fail (and a success)

2011-01-23T22:29:00.002-06:00

I picked up a long abandoned spindle today and spun for an hour while we listened to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" on the radio. The spindle had quite a bit of fiber already on it, but I thought I could add a bit more before winding off.

I was wrong.

The spindle was too heavy for the size of the thread. It fell to the wood floor, bounced, and repositioned all the fiber. I tried to make repairs, but finally gave up. I took it to the ball winder to try to wind it off, but gave up. I pulled the yarn off the spindle, admired it, frowned a bit, and gave it a toss in the trash.

It was pretty, though, wasn't it?

Paul and I were able to go out for some snowshoeing.
(Girl of the House, who spent the past two days at ski meets, declined the opportunity for more outdoor time.)

We found a den in the pasture.

Coyote? Fox? Anyone know the distinguishing characteristics?

I love the indentation in the snow where the critter lay and soaked up the sun.

We'll keep an eye on it and see what we can determine.

And a success!

Hedgehog mittens from a kit by Morehouse Merino.

Very putzy knitting, but definitely the way to a 15 year old's heart.

New Years Eve

2011-01-07T22:11:00.001-06:00

On New Years Eve we headed out into the 6˚ (-12˚ windchill) cold just before midnight.

Crunched out into the pasture on snowshoes with sky lanterns in hand.

(Surprisingly, the long necked lighters don't work in that kind of cold.)

Paul trotted on back into the house to get the kitchen matches, while Girl of the House and I waited.

After a bit of a struggle, we finally got one of the lanterns lit.

We only launched one of the lanterns. The winds were pretty high and they were hard to handle without tearing.

We'll go out sometime soon on a quiet night and launch the others.

Happy New Year 2011!

Grand Targhee 2010

2011-01-06T21:45:00.003-06:00

We had a fabulous time at Grand Targhee over the holidays.

Besides the snowshoeing on Christmas Day, we skied four full days.

Ready to launch on the first day.

We snow tubed after a full day of skiing.

Girl of the House had her 15th birthday.

We had fresh powder.

Just an awesome family time.

Christmas Day Snowshoeing

2011-01-05T21:21:00.000-06:00

While we were out at Grand Targhee, WY, we were able to do some snowshoeing on Christmas Day. On that bright sunny morning we headed down the hill to Teton Canyon Road. There's a marvelous 13 km groomed nordic ski trail back into the Tetons.

The area receives enthusiastic use on the groomed ski trail, but it was fresh and untouched for snowshoeing.

With seven inches of fresh fluffy sparkly powder on top of a deep snowpack, we couldn't ask for better snowshoeing. We headed off the ski trail and made our own trail just a slight distance from the river.

The Grand Teton in the background.

What an awesome afternoon in the snow!

Paul's been given the opportunity (via Snowshoe Magazine) to take some Columbia Bugatech Lite Omni-heat boots for a test drive.

The boots performed well in the deep powder. His feet stayed warm, dry and comfortable. He frequently swaps out the footbeds in his boots and inserts Superfeet footbeds, but found he didn't need any changes to the support. He's worn these boots while we've hiked in the Carleton Arboretum and they've been very comfortable for hiking. Good traction on icy trails, and they've kept his feet warm even at -10˚ F. While he's accustomed to a slightly taller boot, the only thing he'd like to see improved was the lacing on the top portion of the boot. Some hooks or D-rings would certainly make it easier to achieve the snugly comfortable fit around the ankle.

All in all, he's quite pleased with these boots, and will use them a great deal this winter!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T09:29:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas from Grand Targhee, WY!

In the ditch in front of our house

2010-12-11T15:23:00.001-06:00

Blizzard warnings:

Good day to take the fish house to the lake, don't you think? Particularly if you need to take a country gravel road. (The nearest lake is still eight miles distant.)

"Aww honey, I'll be OK. I've got four-wheel drive and the plow."

At least he's got the fish house as a winter survival kit!

Sometimes, stupid should hurt.

2010-12-11T08:48:00.000-06:00

I guess I didn't really need to be concerned about the windows.

Happy blizzard to all my fellow Minnesotans!
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I don't do windows

2010-12-08T08:39:00.001-06:00

I don't do windows.

I prefer to move.

Seriously.

This is only a slight exaggeration.
In 12 years, I have washed the windows in this house upon a handful of occasions.

On this bright and beautiful morning I see I should have done a wash in November, back when it was still 70 degrees outside.

Now you know the real truth about me.

Snowy Weekend

2010-12-06T21:27:00.003-06:00

Friday night we had 11 inches of light powdery snow.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny.

It made a great day to go skiing at Welch Village!

(No pictures there, I'm afraid I didn't carry the camera.)

Sunday we lazed about the house.

After a big brunch, we roused ourselves enough to go out for the first snowshoeing of the season.

The dogs went crazy in the deep snow.

Paul had his first chance to use the Dale of Norway mittens I knitted him at the end of last winter.

They're the perfect weight and breathability for snowshoeing.

Kinetic Cowl

2010-12-03T22:59:00.001-06:00

Yesterday's mystery turns out to be a Kinetic Cowl from the most recent Interweave Knits. Pattern by Amy Polcyn.

I crocheted it together this evening and gave it a try-on.

For a quick mindless knit, I'd highly recommend it. The pattern calls for a skein of worsted weight yarn. I used approximately 2 and 1/4 ounces of my worsted weight handspun.

Now I'm ready to ski tomorrow!

120 inches of what?

2010-12-02T22:03:00.002-06:00

One and one-quarter inch wide.

120 inches long.

How do you even block something 10 feet long?

Is anyone else knitting this thing?

GotH cooks!

2010-11-20T10:28:00.000-06:00

We recently picked up 20 frozen chickens from Finca Mirasol, a branch of the Hillside Farmers Cooperative.

Once a week, Girl of the House cooks a meal. This week, it was to be chicken! She chose a recipe a few days in advance and assured me we had all of the necessary ingredients.

She began with some of our home-grown purple potatos.

She added some of our yukon gold potatoes.

Mmmmm, mashers!

While they warmed in the oven, she began her surprise: Fried Chicken.

I'm sure I haven't made fried chicken in 20 years. I wasn't much assistance to her.

Note the recipe ~~book~~ computer open on the counter.

I'd say she was pretty successful.

It was delicious!

She's the chief piemaker for Thanksgiving.

Here she tried out a new recipe: Pear Frangipane from Relish magazine (Relish is one of those freebie little magazines that comes in our Northfield paper)

This is amazingly delicious! And it looks elegant too. It will definitely be going to my brother's house for Thanksgiving.

I've been working on a new sweater.

Muted Musician Gansey (Ravelry Link) from Beth Brown-Reinsel's Knitting Ganseys.

Knitted from Cascade 220 in a lovely periwinkle color at four stitches per inch. Anyway, that's the gauge called for, but I'm not sure I like it. It seems a bit loose and 'sleazy'. I keep knitting though.

Well, we'll see...

Knitting in the dark

2010-11-13T09:38:00.001-06:00

What do you do, sitting in the dark, while attending a two hour high school concert?

Are you able to sit quietly and attentively throughout?

Or do you bring a project you can do in the dark?

Simple fingerless mitts of my own handspun.

Two hours of two by two ribbing in the round, with simple buttonholes for the thumb openings.

It was a lovely concert and a productive evening!

Big pointy teeth!

2010-11-10T21:09:00.001-06:00

We went walking in the Carleton arboretum this past sunny November Sunday,

We found fresh evidence of snacking beavers.

I like the artistic teeth work on this tree trunk.

The beavers chewed off this tree, then went to gnawing off the branches.

And dragging them toward the river.

It was a good day for sitting on the deck and giving that newly dyed alpaca a spin.

64° - warmer than Atlanta!

(I wanted to call this post "BEAVERS", but I was afraid of what the search engines would bring...)

A forgotten scarf

2010-11-06T19:36:00.002-06:00

My future daughter-in-law, Bekky, sent along a picture of another summer project I'd forgotten to photograph.

And now it's cool enough to wear it!

A simple Kauni garter stitch scarf. I love the way each color morphs into the next...

Warm feet

2010-11-05T07:21:00.004-06:00

Girl of the House has outgrown her slippers. Small dog of the house managed to pull my

slippers into his kennel and snack upon them. The temperature is dropping - we've finally turned the furnace on.

It's time for new slippers!

Here they are before felting.

My slippers are the mismatched pair (made from yarn leftovers).

And here they are after felting.

I love this Fiber Trends felted clog pattern. I've know I've knit more than 10 pair.

And I know know I'll knit more.

Sun setting on the old silo.

It's a very simple view, but it makes coming up the hill after a run all the more satisfying. I catch my breath, slow down and truly see the light.

Roaming alpaca

2010-11-03T20:19:00.001-06:00

After a little alpaca dyeing, I had four ounces draped over a chair on the deck to dry.

Checking on the fiber later in the afternoon, it wasn't where I left it!

The outdoor cats found it irresistible and took it off to play.

At least they didn't drag it into the milkweed in the pasture.

MEA break

2010-10-31T21:54:00.000-06:00

We headed to Alpharetta, Georgia for the Minnesota Education Association fall break. (Really just a long weekend - Thursday and Friday there was no school.)

Wednesday evening, we piled into the truck and headed south, dogs and all.

20 hours later, we were at our long-awaited destination.

Paul's brother Harlan and his fabulous wife Coleen, have been living in Georgia for more than a year, and we've intended to get there for a visit for a quite some time.

We feasted!

(Repeatedly. YUM!)

Dogs ran amuck!

Their two and our two.

We spent one day at Stone Mountain Park, climbing the big rock.

People have been climbing the Stone Mountain for years and years.

(We managed to restrain ourselves from marking our passage up the mountain with our own carvings.)

We geocached on the way up. There's a ton of geocaches on that big ol' rock.

Part way up the mountain, a gal coming down said "Be sure to check out that ancient gum tree just ahead". We were prepared to be impressed.

Impressive, eh?!

The view at the top was amazing.

Harlan pointed out one of the few trees at the top.

We found a few more geocaches at the top.

(Some times you really need to get down and look closely...)

There is a tram that will take you to the top of the mountain.

Or in our case, to the bottom of the mountain.

While waiting for the tram, we discovered the penny machine. When was the last time you've seen one of these?

Of course, at the top of the tram, there was a gift shop. At the bottom of the tram there was a gift shop. As you ride the tram down, the tram operator makes a pitch for coming back to Stone Mountain.

Perhaps for Snow Mountain in December?

Yes, they were making snow, getting ready for a sliding hill. A sliding hill you can buy tickets for now, to slide for a two hour period in December.

Be sure to get your tickets now!

At the base of Stone Mountain is a carving, a full three acres in size, featuring three confederate Civil War generals. This was an early work of Gutzon Borglum, who later carved Mt. Rushmore.

They do laser light shows at the base of the carving.

Saturday evening, we piled back in the truck for the overnight drive home. By Sunday evening we were home, tired and lonesome for Harlan and Coleen.

Many thanks to the Georgia branch of the family for a fabulous time!!

Mountain spindling

2010-10-18T07:52:00.004-05:00

This summer we had a lovely week camping in the mountains of Wyoming and Montana.

No, not Yellowstone. We hid out in several National Forest Service campgrounds in the Bighorns and the Absarokas.

Even though it was late July, the slopes were still full of flowers.

It was an amazing time.

Even though we were just across the mountain pass from where the bear killed a man and mauled another woman while they were asleep in tents.

We didn't hear about that til we were home.

Yeeks! Made me happy we don't sleep in a tent!

While camping, I spindled up this four ounce bump of merino/bamboo fiber.

I kept looking at the mountains, and then the fiber, and back to the mountains. The colors were perfect: sky blues, high meadow grass green and the color of the mountain rock.

This may need to be woven into a scarf, full of mountain memories.

A Freeze?

2010-10-16T19:44:00.000-05:00

The weather service says it's going to freeze tonight. I could have told you that. Want to know how?

We have two hibiscus plants on our deck. They come in the house and suffer through the winter. The pink hibiscus gets happy right away when it goes back outside and produces beautiful blooms all summer.

The yellow hibiscus produced its first bloom today. Just before the frost tonight.

Oh yeah, I knew it would freeze tonight...

Baby booties for a soon to be mom. Undeclared baby gender.

I'd put these on a girl baby, wouldn't you? Blue isn't just for boys, and the variegation helps, eh?

Reassure me.

These are from one of my most favorite bootie patterns: Christine's Baby Booties. They're a good use for sock yarn leftovers.

(And I've got a bin full of those.)

The turkeys are bulking up

2010-10-15T08:45:00.001-05:00

The wild turkeys, that is.

We've developed quite the little crowd of turkeys that come up and eat under our bird feeders.

It's almost a shame that no one here is a turkey hunter.

Summer knitting again.

Generic socks from Trekking yarn.

I can't resist rainbow yarn.

Girl of the House LOVES her honeycrisps

2010-10-13T19:50:00.002-05:00

Enter our refrigerator with care. Dangers lurk.

Actually, it is the last apple...

Another summer project. (Doesn't everyone knit mittens in the summer?)

Fiesta Mittens from a pattern by Lucy Neatby. Purchased as a kit from Blackberry Ridge at the Shepherd's Harvest Festival in May.

These were a fun knit, and Girl of the House has claimed them.

Ribbed Shrug (summer knitting)

2010-10-12T08:31:00.005-05:00

For the Girl of the House, on those cool winter days when she wants to wear a sleeveless or short sleeve to school.

Two-tone Ribbed Shrug, from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel.

I've made one for Bekky, too, but need a picture.

(What d'ya say, Bekky, can you send a picture?)

Five months? For real?

2010-10-10T19:58:00.001-05:00

Hasn't the summer just melted away? OK, I do know it's October...

Although this past weekend in Minnesota has been very summer-like - upper 70s and even 88° on Saturday.

Anyway, it's time to get back on this blogger-horse.

Have you seen this clip? Yes, essentially it leads to information on a book, but I think the clip has alot to say to all women about body image and what we are teaching the next generation. It made an impact on me, as parent to a teen-age girl. (I'll probably even check out the book!)

Have a look, won't you?

Shepherd's Harvest 2010

2010-05-09T21:49:00.000-05:00

Shepherd's Harvest Festival in Lake Elmo this weekend.

This year I didn't take a class, so I was able to sleep in on a Saturday morning. Nice treat!

It was cold and drizzly. I almost cannot remember attending a Shepherd's Harvest that wasn't cold and drizzly. I didn't get there til 11:30. The parking lot was full, and there were people all over - body to body.

It's always interesting, attending a fiber festival. There is such a fascinating mix of people. If you've ever been to a fiber festival of any sort, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I managed to keep my purchases within control.

One fabulous Cormo Fleece from RiverWinds Farm. Can you see the crimp? Oooooh...

One mitten kit from Blackberry Ridge.

It was a good way to spend a few hours on a rainy cold afternoon!

Last night of our spring break weekend

2010-03-29T20:52:00.001-06:00

There's still some snow left up here. High temps remain under 40˚.

The mouth of the Temperance river as it enters Lake Superior is still blocked with ice.

We hiked, following the Temperance River upstream.

I've done some knitting in front of the fire.

Even managed to crochet a steek, readying to make this into a cardigan.

The full moon is tonight, and it was gorgeous rising into the clouds.

Bluefin Bay for spring break 2010

2010-03-27T12:31:00.001-06:00

For the second year in a row, we've headed to the north shore of Lake Superior to Bluefin Bay. Once again, Girl of the House and Ben have different spring breaks. However, they overlap on the weekend, so Ben and Bekky have joined us for the final weekend of their college break.

It's drizzly and cold (36˚) but we've got a wood fire in the fireplace, good tunes on the stereo and games, books, jigsaw puzzles and knitting to keep us entertained.

Well, OK, the knitting only entertains me.

I've got a lovely view and a comfy chair in my knitting spot.

Silent Auction

2010-03-14T21:00:00.001-06:00

Every year, we have a silent auction at my hospital to benefit the local food shelf. Last year I got a really sweet deal on a years worth of free range organic eggs, delivered right to my desk once a week. Awesome.

I usually contribute a baby sweater.

This year, I've got a couple of different items.

A little pair of tiger baby socks.

A pair of Hippocampus mittens (my third pair - these are so much fun!)

In other news, spring has finally arrived in Northfield! We still have piles of snow in the yard, but it reached 55 degrees today.

Paul joined me for a run, then we sat on the deck for our cool down. Yup, he's wearing shorts on the 14th of March! It's spring, I say, SPRING!

Snowshoeing

2010-02-21T19:06:00.001-06:00

While we are really enjoying watching the Olympics, restlessness set in this afternoon, and we headed out for some snowshoeing. It was sunny and in the 20s, a beautiful February afternoon.

We headed out to our pasture, just to check the borders. This deer path is in the west pasture directly next to the house. The deer have tromped quite a path. They like to eat out of the bird feeders on the north side of the house.

Next, out to the southeast corner to check out the bench. It's a nice place to head in the summer mornings for a cup of coffee.

It was buried to the seat.

We moved on. No rest for us there!

The little dog was in charge of checking out all the rodents in the snow. His snout gets covered.

All in all, it was a good day to be a dog out in the sunshine.

Not bad to be a snowshoer, either.

2010-02-07T12:11:00.001-06:00

High School season is over, and only the Devo season remains. On the weekends, Girl of the House skis with the Welch Village Junior Devo Team.

Saturday we drove up to Powder Ridge in Kimball, MN for a Devo race. It was 22 degrees. Down right tropical in comparison to a month ago when she raced in -25 degree temps.

You just gotta love these small Minnesota ski hills.

You see such a wide variety of skiers and snowboarders.

When I learned to ski in high school, we wore blue jeans. It just wasn't cool to even admit to owning snow pants. Boys wore long underwear beneath their jeans, girls wore pantyhose. Good to see that still works!

A true Minnesotan ski family. For lunch, they set up in the parking lot. It was amazing to see all the equipment come out of the back of this Suburban.

Burgers, wieners, and a Mich Golden Light - what more do you need?

(Love the cow apron.)

Two finished objects, on the third of the year

2010-01-03T15:25:00.003-06:00

The Ten-Stitch Twist blanket has been completed, tested, and has been found satisfactory.

I like it much better than the sweater the yarn was in its former life.

The Noro Kureyon makes a pleasant light weight afghan. Finished size is 42 inches across, just right lap size.

This pattern doesn't require a great deal of attention when knitting. This made it a great knit for movie watching, or visiting with company.

Hippocampus mittens knitted with leftovers from my Kauni cardigan. They have gone to live with Bekky.

They were so much fun to knit that there is another pair on the needles for Girl of the House.

Have you discovered Settlers of Catan?

Girl of the House received the game for Christmas, and we've been playing quite a bit while we're huddled around the fireplace for warmth. (Once again, it's severely subzero in Minnesota.)

It's good for three or four people, and there's an expansion set to make it fun for more people.

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T09:33:00.004-06:00

Did you do something memorable to bring in the New Year?

Did you do something pleasantly memorable to bring in the New Year?

I'd like to think my days of doing regrettably memorable things for the New Year are far in the past. So far, so good, I must say.

In honor of the rare New Years Eve Blue Moon, we snowshoed out into the subzero temps to fully experience and celebrate the frosty glow. Even the dogs frolicked in the cold snow.

It was difficult to get decent photos - my fingers darn near froze off. Naked hands for photography did not work so very well. I finally had to give it up and be satisfied with what I had.

Do you think, in 19 years when there is another New Years Eve full moon, Girl of the House will remember the bright, cold snowshoeing celebration she had when she was 14? Will she tell the story? Will it be pleasantly memorable?

IT'S BACK

2009-12-28T14:21:00.003-06:00

After struggling with the blog for a few days, doing intensive research online, and just about kicking the computer into the snow, I've finally got it back where it belongs.

I have no idea why it went wonky.

I'm just glad to get it back in place!

Merry Christmas 2009!

2009-12-25T15:33:00.007-06:00

We have traveled to the north shore of Lake Superior in hopes of some Christmas skiing.

We have traveled to the only area in all of Minnesota that does not have piles of fresh snow. It's sleeting here, the temp is a bit too warm for snow. It keeps trying, unsuccessfully.

But it's a great storm to watch while we sit in front of our fire and play board games. The big lake is always mesmerizing.

Santa found us. There were socks, jammies and boxers in our ski boots.

Here's the traditional boxer shot of my men.

I have 17 years of Christmas boxer photos of these guys. Someday I'll put them all in a frame, together.

If you look closely, you'll see Paul's new scar. He's healing well after having his ascending aorta replaced and a new aortic valve installed. (Part of the reason there has been very little blogging going on 'round here...)

And yeah, I forgot to pack the Christmas stockings again.

Maybe it'll become a new tradition?

Repurposed Kureyon

2009-11-17T19:22:00.005-06:00

This basket of Noro Kureyon has been sitting waiting for years.

Once upon a time it was a clever sweater, Round Trip, from a 2003 Knitter's magazine pattern.

Knit in my pre-digital camera era, I don't believe I ever got a picture of that sweater.

It was a very pretty sweater, and I looked like a moose in it. (Actually, if you go look at the completed sweaters on Ravelry, you'll see that it makes almost everyone look like a moose. There's a reason that the majority of the pictures are taken from the rear view. Great concept, ugly in reality.)

So it became balls of yarn again.

Til now.

I finally found something to make with the poor old yarn. It's becoming a blanket. A Ten-Stitch Twist

It's a strangely addictive knit.

Kureyon is always fun to knit. I just want to knit to the next color change. (or the color change after that)

I'm swatching two shades of Kauni yarn for a sweater for Paul.

While this is not the best combination of the two yarns, it will still give me a good idea of my gauge.

I foundz yarnia!

2009-11-15T08:06:00.002-06:00

For all my fellow yarn aficionados, courtesy of I Can Has Cheezburger

Blocked

2009-11-12T21:10:00.002-06:00

Washed and blocking.

Awaiting drying and buttons.

Behold the Kauni cardigan!

Generation gap?

2009-11-08T21:03:00.004-06:00

November 8

66 degrees!

That's just flat out nicer weather than we had the entire month of October.

How do the visiting college students spend the late afternoon?

Snuggled on the sofa.

How do the older, wiser residents spend the late afternoon?

Out on the deck, with a beverage and the Sunday paper.

(We had to drag out the dining room chairs, as we had put the deck chairs away for the winter.)

But we all managed to get out for a walk in the arboretum at dusk.

Apparently it was the right time of day for adults of all species to get their youngsters out and about.

Best Knitting Line

2009-11-06T20:04:00.003-06:00

We're watching "The Road to Zanzibar" for our family movie tonight.

Classic Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. Great black and white stuff.

Bing's trying to talk Bob "Fearless Frazier" into jumping into the octopus tank to wrestle the octopus for their show.
Bob: "You'd do better teaching him to knit. He could knit four sweaters at once."

Yes, I'm easily entertained...

It's time

2009-11-03T17:36:00.003-06:00

It's time to finish knitting the Kauni cardigan.

It's been neglected for a very long time (last touched in March) awaiting only the front button bands. When I picked it up, I wondered what made me bury it in the pile.

There is NO reason. I loved knitting with its light-weight yarn and bright colors.

This'll be finished on this cold, dark, damp evening. (Have you adapted to standard time yet?)

Girl of the House has come down with an "influenza-like illness". High fever and a headache. We've been a bit subdued around here the past few days. Makes for nice snuggling time, though!

A finished Pioneer!

2009-11-02T17:20:00.000-06:00

Bekky was kind enough to send me pictures of the final version of Pioneer.

Yes, I first began knitting this sweater for her in May!

After several starts on the first version, I completed one in August. Girl of the House ended up with that sweater.

With better planning and persistence, I finally completed Bekky's sweater.

Fits great, too!

Thanks for pics Bekky!

(And thanks for being so patient!

Sunday randomnicity

2009-11-01T15:57:00.004-06:00

Girl of the House made delicious apple muffins this morning.

What a great start to the day!

I've finished a few small projects this week.

An odd looking item, eh?

It's a hand-holding mitten for Ben and Bekky out of some handspun.

A pair of mittens for myself.

Pattern from Dale of Norway St. Anton 2001 pattern book.

It feels good to knit some colorwork again.

Last, and least, because it was easiest: fingerless mittens for me from handspun finn fleece.

We live in the country. We don't rake leaves.

Except in the house.

Yes, this is my dining room floor, under the two hibiscus plants I brought in for the winter.

I don't think they're too happy with the transition, do you?

Brussel Sprouts geniuses, I tell you!

2009-10-28T17:13:00.005-06:00

You are ALL geniuses!

I had never seen brussel sprouts 'on the vine' before. Once they are removed from their stalk, they look amazingly like a human spine! creepy

And, does anyone have a recipe that makes them taste good? You all seem to like them. We roasted them in the oven with olive oil and sea salt. Everything's supposed to taste good roasted with olive oil and sea salt.

Yeah, not so much with brussel sprouts. (Or kale, for that matter.)

I do like my brother's idea - wrapped in bacon and cooked in butter.

Isn't that kind of like the old joke 'how to smoke a carp'? If I recall correctly, it involved exacting instructions for putting the carp on the cedar shingle and precise details on the smoking process. At the end of the smoking, you 'throw away the carp and eat the shingle'.

Can we throw away the brussel sprouts and eat the bacon and butter? YUM!

What is this?

2009-10-24T09:56:00.000-05:00

We've had plenty of interesting veg from the CSA lately.

Bonus points to anyone who can identify this skeleton.

Blue Fest

2009-10-23T19:33:00.000-05:00

I have managed to get a few things knitted lately.

A sampling of recently finished objects, all in blue:

Plain vanilla socks.

I dyed the yarn just before our trip out west this summer. I could have made these socks identical twins, but I went for the definitely fraternal twins.

Ain't it fun havin' weirdo socks sometimes?

Wooly camping sleeping socks for Bekky, who tolerated sleeping in a tent in 30 degree temps in the high Rockies this summer.

The yarn for her socks was spindled on that trip.

Some handspun, knitted fingerless mitts for Girl of the House.

There is one more finished sweater, but I'm hoping the recipient will model it for me when I see her this weekend.

Remember our potatoes?

2009-10-22T21:05:00.001-05:00

The potatoes growing on our deck?
With the beautifully colored flowers?

We harvested in mid September.

Our yield was approximately 18 pounds of wildly colored potatoes. White, yellow, red, and blue.

The red ones are actually pinkish throughout the flesh. Kinda freaky.

And the blue ones make tasty mashed potatoes, once you get your mind wrapped around the color.

Definitely an eye-opener.

I think it's an experiment worth repeating next summer.

Otters!

2009-10-21T19:50:00.010-05:00

We saw otters this past weekend!

Real, live otters in the wild. Awesome!

It was a family of three otters, catching and gobbling up trout in the Temperance River. It was a treat to watch them frolicking.

Over the MEA school break, we headed north to Temperance River State Park.

We needed to get our fall fix of Lake Superior.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon, in the drizzling rain. The weather was actually 10 degrees warmer than it was at home. Sweet!

This was the view from our campsite high on the bluff over Lake Superior.

We hiked,

played on the beach

(notice a certain similarity in the rock skipping posture?)

and had a nice, though short, fire. The drizzle drove us into the camper earlier than we had hoped, but we spent the remainder of the evening in the camper playing three handed cribbage.

Saturday dawned clear and bright. After a big breakfast, we spent more time on the beach.

We headed home in the late afternoon after enjoying the sunny shores (and the otters!)

2009-09-16T19:39:00.001-05:00

We spent the past weekend at one of our favorite Minnesota State Parks, Beaver Creek Valley.

Beyond the two weeks we spent in Colorado, we've only had two weekend camping trips this year. Both have been at Beaver Creek Valley.

It's in a very narrow valley in southeastern Minnesota, with lovely little Beaver Creek running through it. The base of the valley is only 200-300 yards wide with steep wooded bluffs rapidly rising alongside. The temperature in the valley is usually 10 degrees cooler than the surrounding area.

It's also only about 45 minutes from Ben and Bekky's college. This added even more pleasure to our weekend - they came to visit!

Ben visited on Saturday afternoon, and then stole Girl of the House away to college with him. He surprised her by taking her to a campus concert of Rockapella, one of her favorite groups. She even overnighted with him.

Ben, Bekky and GotH returned for Sunday brunch and hiking.

Beaver Creek is a trout stream, pure and clear, bubbling from several small springs in the rock at the base of the bluffs.

We walk down to the 'Big Spring' every morning for coffee.

On the drive home, we stopped in Rushford for a few geocaches. The search led us to a scenic overlook, high on the hill.

Another amazing place we never would have visited save for geocaching.

2009-09-15T20:07:00.005-05:00

A new sign popped up on our road last week.

The one hundred year old bridge across the Cannon River is finally going to be replaced.

The township plan is to leave the bridge in place for walking and bicycling, and build the new one just slightly up river.

It was a bittersweet final ride across the river last evening.

The downriver view, soon to be obscured by a big fancy new bridge.

Meanwhile, til completion of the new bridge in July '10, our commutes have been lengthened. Now we'll have to go all the way into Northfield and then back north to our jobs.

It's a minor whine. Paul's commute will take fifteen minutes rather than ten. My commute will take ten minutes rather than eight.

I guess we'll live.

But it won't be as pretty. Crossing the bridge on my drive home has been my cue to take a deep breath, relax and really let the workplace go.

Off to school

2009-09-09T21:00:00.002-05:00

Did you feel like this on Tuesday?

Were you ready?

Girl of the House was actually well prepared with her backpack of school supplies and her soccer bag.

The stressful "what to wear" decision of the day was made for her, simplifying things significantly. She was a Web Leader, one of a group of kids chosen to provide help to the incoming sixth graders. All of the Web kids needed to wear the red "Web" t-shirt.

Wouldn't that be a great idea? If everyone had to wear the provided clothing for the first day or two of school? I think there is too much stress and importance applied to the choice of clothing for the first day of school.

Wait, I think I'm advocating school uniforms? Now I'll have to contemplate that...

2009-09-07T19:14:00.005-05:00

On the final day of summer, we played.

Yes, I do know it isn't really the last day, but for those of us with children returning to school it certainly feels like THE LAST DAY OF SUMMER.

I understand it feels that way for the Girl of the House, too.

We took a long hike in the still wildly blooming Carleton arboretum.

We loaded up the canoe and headed to the river.

Paul's parents first obtained this canoe in 1973. We took possession when we bought the 'home place'.

We've lived here since October 1998.

And yet, somehow, this was the first time we took the canoe down the hill and put it in the river. This was also the first time Paul ever used this canoe. 36 years? Yikes.

Let me tell you, in case you were wondering, this canoe is heavy. Really, really heavy. But well worth the battle.

I didn't bring the camera, for fear of drowning it. Next time I'll find a way to carry it. The river was quiet, peaceful, and full of birds. We saw an eagle, an owl, a kingfisher, multiple types of ducks, a great blue heron and more. We're already planning a return trip, without waiting another 10+ years.

And finally, on the last day of summer, the outdoor cats have decided that my potato bags are a great place to relax.

We'll be digging those puppies up soon.

2009-09-07T10:51:00.007-05:00

Our house smells like onions.

We're making a crockpot full of caramelized onions.

They've been cooking since last evening and smell delicious, even though that's not the smell to which we typically wake up!

We slivered up five pounds of onions, and they should caramelize down to two or three cups. We can freeze them in small batches and use for adding to a quick supper.

Sunday we made 24 pints of salsa, seven pints of dilly beans and even a pint and a half of spaghetti sauce (see it hiding in the back row?).

We still have remaining tomatoes. 14 pounds!

Perhaps we'll try some sun drying?

Girl of the House, not to be left out, made some delicious pumpkin bars.

What a treat they were after a day of chopping, simmering and canning!

Peppermania

2009-08-30T19:33:00.006-05:00

The vacation spindled yarn came out quite nicely, once plied.

I think it will be knitted into some warm sleeping socks for Bekky. It won't make for good daily wearing, as it is not a very firm, tightly plied yarn.

But for keeping her feet warm in a tent when it's 30 degrees, they'll be toasty!

The kids went to pick up our share at the CSA farm last Wednesday.

They have a real 'thing' for green peppers. They picked some giant peppers.

Don't look that big, you say?

Well, here's two of them, next to a Colorado peach.

Gigantic, I say!

We got more delicious green peppers and tomatoes from my parents.

Today, Girl of the House and I chopped and froze 3.5 pounds of green peppers.

We're ready for any green pepper emergency that should arise!

What I did on my summer vacation

2009-08-25T17:44:00.009-05:00

Well, besides hiking and reading and cooking and eating and general laying about?

I knitted Bekky's sweater.

Although, due to a few gauge problems, it has become Girl of the House's sweater. It just needs the crocheted edging to be finished. I didn't carry any crochet hooks with me on the trip.

This was my second attempt at Pioneer from Knitty.. The first attempt was frogged in early June - too small. I changed from a size five needle to a size seven. Now it's too loose.

I will not start the same sweater a third time! (But I'm looking at more yarn to make it for Bekky. Third time's the charm?)

The weather was a bit chilly in the mountain mornings, down into the 30s.

Paul was in need of some fingerless gloves to wear when we had our morning coffee. I had a loose skein of handspun with on the trip, so I whipped these up for him.

The yarn was spindled in the fall of '07. I've been carrying it in my travel basket, just waiting for the right project.

I finished spindling up some Corriedale singles.

I plan to ply them on the wheel.

I started spindling the most recent Chameleon Colorworks shipment of a lovely merino/bamboo blend in the Seaglass colorway.

And, wouldn't you know it, that damned little dog chewed up the tip of my new spindle when we left him in the camper one afternoon.

What is so tasty about my spindles?

Sigh

2009-08-23T22:29:00.003-05:00

We're back from two weeks of camping in the high country of Colorado.

Let the fall begin. We might be ready.

2009-07-26T19:45:00.002-05:00

Paul and I took a walk in the Carleton Arboretum today while Girl of the House was at the pool.

The prairie is full of blooming flowers.

I really need to find out the names of all the varieties.

This was one we hadn't seen before.

Do you know what they are?

Turns out, they're the seed heads of the yellow echinacea.

(At least, I think they're echinacea?)

I finished spinning and plying four ounces of merino from Chameleon Colorworks.

240 yards. I didn't think I liked the colors in the roving, but I like it now that it's all spun up.

Reminds me that fall is coming...

CSA - OMG

2009-07-12T21:08:00.011-05:00

We are so overwhelmed with the quality/quantity of our CSA. It's the best thing we've done, nutrition-wise, for years!

We pick up on Wednesdays, so we're ready for the weekend.

Here's what we picked up last Wednesday:

Cabbage, carrots, yellow and green string beans, sugar snap peas (all you cared to pick), shelling peas, beets, strawberries (all you cared to pick), scallions, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, broccoli, kale, swiss chard, head lettuce, and mixed greens.

There were a number of fresh herbs, too.
However, we've got herbs growing here at home, so I didn't take any.

Strawberries!!!

How do three people possibly eat all this? I've been carrying a gorgeous salad for my lunch most every day.

Truth be told, this is more veg than Girl of the House can handle. "Beets? Again?"

And flowers! All the flowers you would like, to make a bouquet. Isn't that a lovely addition?

GotH arranged this beauty.

Our potatos are flourishing in their bags on the deck.

I'd never seen potato flowers before.

Have you?

This weekend I did some dyeing of the Coopworth fleece I picked up in May.

I washed the fleece in June. It filled this big tub.

This is about 22 ounces of the huge fleece. I estimate I have more than five pounds left.

It's been nice weather, so it was great to work outdoors with the dyeing.

Malanaphy Springs

2009-07-01T21:30:00.007-05:00

This past weekend, Paul and I headed down to Decorah Iowa to visit Ben and Bekky. We all headed to Malanaphy Springs State Preserve, just outside of town.

We hiked through the woods along the Iowa River and came upon the rocky cliffs where the spring is hidden.

We climbed up to near the top.

Paul had a look at the spring cave.

Little Bekky checked out the inside of the spring cave.

Malanaphy spring starts with a rivulet down the stone face,

it picks up steam and makes a larger falls as it enters the Iowa river.

It was a great day of hiking and exploring, made even better by the company of the kids.

I've done a bit of mindless, relaxing spinning. Two 4 ounces skeins of BFL from Chameleon Colorworks. They'll go into the basket of unplanned yarns, to be a project someday.

Strawberries!

2009-06-27T14:49:00.005-05:00

Our CSA has strawberries!

And they're all you can pick!

Girl of the House and I picked over seven pounds and headed home, feeling greedy.

The berries were perfect and delicious.

For the first time in our lives, Paul and I canned strawberry jam.

We tried two recipes and made 17 eight-ounce jars of jam.

Girl of the House exercised her baking talent, and made a fabulous strawberry pie.

That pie didn't last very long!

Take a deep breath

2009-06-25T22:28:00.004-05:00

We've been soccer parenting like crazy.

Six games in seven days.

Tonight we didn't have ANY soccer. Ahhh, take a break.

After a leisurely grilled supper, Paul and I took a walk in the arb with the dogs.

There are more new prairie flowers and even some berries. It's good to step back once in awhile.

If I were to buy a car

2009-06-19T14:17:00.002-05:00

rather than another truck (more practical for living in the country), I'd get a Mini painted up like this one!

Way cool.

From The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

A happy weekend to you all - we'll be soccer tournamenting.

Bad Dog part two, or was it three? Or maybe even four...

2009-06-12T18:23:00.001-05:00

It's always nice to come home to a package in the mailbox.

A new Emily spindle from Adam's Workshop (Mielke's Farm). Love the quick service, love the spindle!

With your sharp eyes, I bet you can detect why there was a spindle in the mail. The new Emily is to replace the most recent no-no-bad-dog disaster.

We thought we had dog proofed the house, at least enough to leave the younger dog out of his crate during the day. The big dog has never been a chewer.

My spindle bag was left on a side table. When we came home, he had taken the bag down, ripped it open and scattered the contents through the house. He chewed up my favorite spindle. He chewed up my lovely little niddy-noddy. I just can't believe he ate right through the bag!

Paul sent a photo of the ski team up on Beartooth pass.

They're having a blast.

Doesn't look much like June, does it?

TMI?

2009-06-11T20:35:00.003-05:00

I rode bicycle to work the past two days. The internets said it would be nice. They (mostly) lied.

Finally, today when I came out of the hospital, the sun was shining. YAY for spring, even if it is June 11! It was actually 70 degrees.

You know it's been a long spring when you put on capri tights to bike in, and you can feel your hair blowing in the breeze. Yeah, my leg hair. I'll spare you the picture. It wasn't really that long, but I could certainly feel it this afternoon! Luckily, it's blonde and not that obvious to the casual passerby.

Let's just say it's been a long cold winter...

Anyway - this morning, going across the bridge down the hill, I spotted an eagle. I only had Girl of the House's little camera with me, but I got a quick picture.

It was a great start to the day.

Back to the prairie

2009-06-07T20:05:00.009-05:00

They made it to Red Lodge safely.
Their house this morning, down near town.

Up at the pass, they had 10 inches of fresh powder. That's what they're there for, so let it snow!

I headed back out to McKnight Prairie to see if the cactus had bloomed. It rained almost an inch here on Saturday, so the tall grasses were wet.

The dogs and I got soaked.

And the cactus isn't blooming yet.

Plenty of other prairie flowers are blooming!

Back home, in the pasture, the raspberries should really go to town now they've been watered!

At least we shouldn't drive through snow...

2009-06-06T13:39:00.002-05:00

Paul and Girl of the House left at 0500 this morning, driving to Red Lodge, Montana.

They're headed to a week of ski camp with the high school ski team at Red Lodge. The team is caravaning out with the adult chaperones driving their own vehicles.

It's a 13-14 hour drive, but Paul was certain it would be easier than our usual ski trip drives. "At least we shouldn't drive through snow."

Yeah, so look at the weather map in North Dakota. No-one to blame but himself - he jinxed it.

He texted me me from Bismarck. "Snow is visible on the grass. 34 degrees."

I checked the weather. They are expecting 2-4 inches of snow on grassy areas in Dickinson.

June 6. "At least we shouldn't drive through snow."

Fresh from the farm

2009-06-04T07:02:00.004-05:00

After a year of being on the waiting list, we are IN!

I picked up the first installment of our CSA (Community Supported Ag) allotment Wednesday, on my way home from work. (Another cool thing - the farm is on my route between the hospital and home. I can watch this stuff grow all summer!)

There were tons of fresh greens, some for salads, and some for cooking. Some spicy greens and some mild greens. There were fresh scallions and garlic, and the nifty white things that resemble radishes, but aren't radishes.

I'm going to have to take notes when she explains what everything is so I can tell Paul and GotH what they're eating. It all made sense when she explained the veg, and they were labeled. But I don't remember what they all are!

I can't remember what she said the greens with the flowers are, but I DO remember that they are for stir-fry, and the flowers are supposed to be included. Now, that'll be a change for us!

Thanks to Open Hands Farm!

Success and failure

2009-06-02T21:13:00.004-05:00

Some of the deck garden veg pots are doing well.

The potatoes are emerging. (I guess that soon I need to cover up most of these greens with more soil so they produce more potatoes?)

The tomatoes are growing like crazy.

The parsley has filled the pot. Should have used a bigger pot?

And then, there is the basil.

Who'd have thought you could overwater basil? At least that's where I believe the problem lies. These look worse than they did the day I potted them!

And, you'll notice, there are no pictures of the poor nibbled up tomatos and peppers from the garden out by the shed. They are very sad to see.

A battle with gauge, again

2009-06-01T21:42:00.008-05:00

Several inches into Bekky's sweater, I realize it's going to be too small. She's a tiny little thing, but this would have been a very snug fit.

So I battle again with my old nemesis - gauge.

I'd been using the size five needles called for in the pattern. I believe I'll have to go up to a size seven to accommodate my loose knitting.

Goodbye sweater number one. Here's hoping there is only a sweater number two; not a number three, or a number four.

I've been gradually plugging away, washing the Coopworth fleece.

It has a wonderfully long staple,

and washes up a beautiful soft white.

Girl of the House has a soccer problem. She's addicted, I think.

She got a last minute call this evening. "Can you play up with our team? We're short several players." They literally discovered they were short when they turned up at the soccer field.

She threw on her soccer duds, and we were off to the game. Luckily, it was a home game!

She has practice Tuesday evening, she'll play up with the U14 team again Wednesday evening, she's off to a game in Rochester on Thursday, and practice Friday evening.

It's gotta be love.

Move along, no knitting to see here

2009-05-31T21:38:00.007-05:00

It's been a busy week. Ben came home from college for a whirlwind week of organizing his things, preparing to move into a summer house with friends, and spending our money.

Funny how much money you can spend on a kid that's only home for a few weeks each year....

I helped him move back to Iowa on Saturday. I drove down one truck load of stuff, and we stopped at the grocery store to stock him up on healthy food. He's sharing a house with five friends and his sweetie, Bekky. (I don't know why there is a flaw in the picture from my fancy new camera?)

Sunday we did some hiking and geocaching.

Did you know there were cacti in southeast Minnesota? It sure was a first for us!

We're going to head back out to McKnight Prairie in a few days to see if this prickly pear bloomed.

2009-05-17T11:07:00.002-05:00

I should have known better than to furminate the big dog out on the deck.

I thought all the fur would blow out into the yard, and the birds could pick it up to put into their nests.

But it all blew right to the deck door, in a nice pile, attaching itself to the semi sticky doormat...