Inside and Out

New Kids on the Block - I can't seem to keep track of the time when I am doing the last detailed hand sewing. However, it's clear that I spend at least three hours on each critter and make far less than minimum wage when they are sold. This litter is all linen, vintage and designer.

The Red Sox chemo cap is ready for its new owner, thanks to Tracy Wheeler in IA and Ravelry for the yarn that I needed to complete it. Tracy gifted me with it a skein-plus when I put out a cry of panic as I was falling short.
Meet Daphne, the Wild Queen of the Woods.

Gardening Again

It took twenty wheelbarrows-full, thirty shovels in each load, to cover my flower garden. While I worked I heard the return of the phoebes who inhabit the same nest under the eaves each year, mating osprey, a woodpecker though I couldn't see which one(s). Last year at this time I saw a yellow-bellied sapsucker and sometimes we see a pair of pileated peckers. But this time, I just couldn't see them.

Explosions of color are small, but thrilling, like this chinodoxa forbesil, a perennial favorite of mine.
Tête-a-têtes bloomed all at once during the day.
A bee died in this crocus. Do you suppose s/he overate in the glory of spring? It was very hard to photograph for some reason, but if you look closely, you can see the furry body.

Mifflettes Stage Two is done; that is, sewing the fronts to backs and turning them right side out. Stage One, done yesterday, was comprised of cutting the parts out, sewing and stuffing the smaller parts together.

Time investment so far for six mifflettes:
Stage One = five hours
Stage Two = four hours

This particular batch is 100% linen, nice for spring and summer.

Next comes Stage Three; stuffing them up! That is my least favorite stage.

About to hatch

Six new mifflettes are about to be born. I haven't made any since Christmas. This is an all linen batch, some vintage, some designer sample fabric swatches. They're all going to POD in two weeks.

My reward for finishing them will be to start a capelet from recycled yarn.

More Easter Weekend

We dyed eggs, of course, and look at Dylan's little piggy bib - the same one Ethan wore as he really WAS a little piggy.

Even though the ice isn't all the way out, we took a boat ride with Ethan's nifty one horsepower electric motor that he brought from home/Boston. It is so quiet, it's almost like canoing. When Sophia saw me don my twizzle tops hat, she put hers on too!
We explored a patch of sand on our property in the loon cove that isn't usually accessible.
and we played a few very loose games of Hide and Seek. Loose? Yes, because Sophia counts very fast and expects that you won't hide at all, nor will she, but we all will be found almost immediately and spontaneously. One hides in the same place each time too, to make it easier. Dylan loves to be found even though he isn't hidden, and then chased.

Your turn!

Internet Disability

We have lost internet access this weekend and it is an inconvenience. I like to think of things as inconveniences, rather than problems, BUT, I rely on the internet for connection, and I relay on connection for survival at the end of the dirt road on the lake.

In my house-changing-cleaning frenzy, I emptied out the lower cupboards and put toys in them all, moved the largest oriental carpet up close and hoped that the visiting grandchildren from Boston would play happily right there. Except for the pull toys (which NEED to be pulled all over the house), it has worked well and cushions the noise of the construction toys as they rise and fall.
Isn't it perfect as baseball season begins to make a Red Sox chemo cap for a friend who is a devotee and beginning yet another round of intensive treatment??
Spring has sprung in a big way on Lake Androscoggin. Walking with a friend and her Soft-Coated Wheaton Terrier, Mt. Washington was visible this week, and the ice was on its way out.
Spring has sprung in small ways too, including ticks on dogs and this little daffodil reminiscent of a graceful bird (ibis, swan, even bird of paradise?), springing up literally from the sleepy earth.
In order to move the filing cabinet, T cleaned up some files. He was impressed with his pile of saved receipts, which had gone crumpled one by one into the file for HOW long? They made a nice fire AND filled up the shredder.

No more posts till the darned satellite connection is repaired.

Weekend-end

Was it just me, or was the sky unbelievably beautiful Sunday afternoon in Maine?
I finished the Noro Little Girl Capelet and I like it. I hope someone else will too.
The current entrance to MFA is on the Fenway side.

On Dog Bites and CVS Minute Clinic

On Wednesday I got a dog bite. Thursday morning T suggested I get a tetanus shot. I agreed but promptly got involved in other activities. Friday night I was in Boston and retelling the dog bite story to a friend who said I should DEFINITELY get a tetanus shot. Sure enough, we researched it and recommendations were to have one within three days if a person, such as me, couldn't remember when the last tetanus shot was administered.

It wasn't too convenient to get one that night. I was in town to attend a 60th birthday party. The same friend suggested the Minute Clinic at CVS for the following day. I chose one in Plymouth MA as it was enroute to the Cape where I was headed on Saturday.

What a boon! Simple matters are taken care of by nurse practioners at certain CVS stores. I signed in, waited a short amount of time and got my shot for $62. Blue Cross of MA will cover some treatments, unfortunately not this one. Still, it was fast, easy and I felt much better being safer than sorrier. I made the three day limit within ONE HOUR of the dog bite!

Instead of getting down to it...

I've started a little girl capelet instead of doing all the things that I SHOULD be doing. As I am about to attack a dutiful cleaning task, my eye hits the yarn and needles and it's "Just one more row..."

Transitioning Again

I really like this time of year with new growth and birds returning. However, I am transitioning back to normal life, having been away for nearly six months. What I notice is that when one is away, one is away from one's head as well and getting back to normal means getting in touch with ones self which isn't a pretty picture. Always there are gratitudes to be expressed such as these delicate little flowers.