Under Siege
Life in the country has been interesting lately, as it feels more and more like we are under siege. I'll work backwards in chronology:
There are presently two farmers with two tractors and two unidentifiable attachments kicking up a bunch of dust out in the fields. I can only guess at what they're doing - one, the dustier of the two, appears to be even more finely breaking up the soil; the other appears to be pulling what looks like a giant grass seed (you know, the kind you usually fill up with seed and push around your yard). I don't see any swirls of seed coming out of it, but then again it is very dusty out there and of course they're kind of far away for all that.
A couple of times over the weekend we heard a loud knocking noise coming from one of the external walls. Oogyhubby looked outside and saw nothing; I remained inside and tried to figure out where the noise was originating. And banging on the logs to see if I could scare it off, whatever varmint it was. That didn't last long - those logs are very sturdy. Yesterday I ran out and saw it in action - a woodpecker!!! It was UPSIDE DOWN and pecking away at one of the eaves. I threw a couple of rocks at it, and off it flew. Today I staked out the area at about the same time of day and thought I heard a rustling so I played my HAWK CRY sound clip. Game on, peckerhead!!
Last week, we discovered a dead animal underneath our porch. The space between the floor and the ground is blocked off on all sides by a wooden grid and wire mesh, but critters always seem to be able to navigate these things. I'll spare you the details, but in summary it involved a couple of shovels and an odor sponge (which appears to be a giant version of what you get shoes, for example).
Now for some yarn news:
In a fit of woodpecker rage, I finished working in the ends for the MKAL shawl. I'll take some pics once I've got it pinned for blocking.
In a separate fit of some other kind of frustration, I ran out this morning and procured yarn for a get-well afghan for SRS's hubby (the other yarn mule). He is having some kind of scary procedure next month and a hat or socks just didn't feel right (besides, I have actually met him!).
The pattern is Granny's Log Cabin Afghan. I've actually made this pattern before, and really liked it (the last one was a wedding gift for a colleague). You can make it bigger if you like, and it makes for a nice rectangle. And it's double crochet, so it goes pretty quickly. And not too many ends to work in!
I can hear you gasping. YES, this is crochet. I actually learned how to crochet before I learned how to knit. I don't love it as much, but I definitely prefer it for afghans. And, YES - this is acrylic. What better to give to someone who doesn't know yarn and also has about 7 dogs? Practicality wins over yarn snobbery any day!
There are presently two farmers with two tractors and two unidentifiable attachments kicking up a bunch of dust out in the fields. I can only guess at what they're doing - one, the dustier of the two, appears to be even more finely breaking up the soil; the other appears to be pulling what looks like a giant grass seed (you know, the kind you usually fill up with seed and push around your yard). I don't see any swirls of seed coming out of it, but then again it is very dusty out there and of course they're kind of far away for all that.
A couple of times over the weekend we heard a loud knocking noise coming from one of the external walls. Oogyhubby looked outside and saw nothing; I remained inside and tried to figure out where the noise was originating. And banging on the logs to see if I could scare it off, whatever varmint it was. That didn't last long - those logs are very sturdy. Yesterday I ran out and saw it in action - a woodpecker!!! It was UPSIDE DOWN and pecking away at one of the eaves. I threw a couple of rocks at it, and off it flew. Today I staked out the area at about the same time of day and thought I heard a rustling so I played my HAWK CRY sound clip. Game on, peckerhead!!
Last week, we discovered a dead animal underneath our porch. The space between the floor and the ground is blocked off on all sides by a wooden grid and wire mesh, but critters always seem to be able to navigate these things. I'll spare you the details, but in summary it involved a couple of shovels and an odor sponge (which appears to be a giant version of what you get shoes, for example).
Now for some yarn news:
In a fit of woodpecker rage, I finished working in the ends for the MKAL shawl. I'll take some pics once I've got it pinned for blocking.
In a separate fit of some other kind of frustration, I ran out this morning and procured yarn for a get-well afghan for SRS's hubby (the other yarn mule). He is having some kind of scary procedure next month and a hat or socks just didn't feel right (besides, I have actually met him!).
The pattern is Granny's Log Cabin Afghan. I've actually made this pattern before, and really liked it (the last one was a wedding gift for a colleague). You can make it bigger if you like, and it makes for a nice rectangle. And it's double crochet, so it goes pretty quickly. And not too many ends to work in!
I can hear you gasping. YES, this is crochet. I actually learned how to crochet before I learned how to knit. I don't love it as much, but I definitely prefer it for afghans. And, YES - this is acrylic. What better to give to someone who doesn't know yarn and also has about 7 dogs? Practicality wins over yarn snobbery any day!
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