Friday, June 19, 2009

Mr. Oatmeal Nose



is particularly fond of the oatmeal pan, Daddie's oatmeal remnants with a dab of peanut butter on the side and toast crumbs in that 'awful stuff' marketed as dog food. Where's a dog? Tawny sees no dog....


Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Rain, sheep, tornadoes,hail, flooding

have all been seen in the Pittsburgh viewing area today. The best part of our day
was talking with Amy and these lambs, even though it was raining. (Click to embiggen!)

Since 4 PM there has been torrential rainfall and radar rotation and Doppler indicated tornadoes in eastern Ohio, West Virginia and southwestern PA. There is flooding almost everywhere. Flooding continues and deepens as the Monongahela River flows north from Morgantown, WV area to join the Allegheny River at the Point in Pittsburgh, forming the Ohio. Pittsburgh is a mess; for example, there were some people who were rescued off the tops of their cars. There has been constant local weather TV broadcasting tonight. Right here we have been having rain and some lightning, though our lightning has not been anything like the storm that had over 1500 (yes, fifteen hundred) lightning strikes in Ohio and West Virginia in a five minute time span. That storm and the one following it have tornadic rotation. Other storm cells tonight have also had tornadic rotation. Usually this area gets only 4 or 5 tornado warnings a year and there have been 3 tonight. The Oakland section of Pittsburgh, which includes the University of Pittsburgh, is flooding and seldom has problems. The back parking lot at Monroeville Mall is impassable, totally flooded. There are landslides. Basements flooded. Sewage issues. Residual damage tomorrow will be dramatic. We have been under up to 5 weather warnings simultaneously this evening. It is 10:30 PM as I write this; this kind of training and redevelopment, suspected to continue through the night, seldom occur in this area.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

progressing

with the first coat going on the woodwork this muggy, cloudy, some-time rainy day, doesn't this area look a lot different than it did stripped to original red/gold wallpaper and paper wallboard?

soon, soon the furniture can go back into the hallway and entry. curtains and valances can be hung.

it has been a long time since may 15th.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Keeping warm

This fella appreciates warm rocks by the pond as of a few minutes ago.

As long as it prefers bugs to warm-blooded birds and dogs and people, it is welcome here.

Monday, June 08, 2009

Sometimes

flowers and sox just go together.
On the way to take pictures of Russ' sox these beauties are opening right before this week's rain. I never know which color of foxgloves have reseeded.






Single mock orange blossoms perfume the yard with heritage white lilac and rockets and peonies. It's a wonderful time of year.

Peonies are opening in the neighborhood. These I covered with sheets a week ago when there was patchy frost. Peonies are sensitive to frost and they are too lovely to freeze until next year.

The sox? They are toe up on two size 0 24" circulars, inspired by Joyce Williams' KAL. The yarn is a dream to knit, being Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock gifted by Gwen who felt it was time to knit some Russ socks. They are one of a kind millends and Russ doesn't mind one little bit that the skeins are coordinating.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

painting

the painting is coming along.

here, painter don is putting final coat on stairwell this morning.

a man of many talents, painter don trimmed some yews out front in preparation of bleaching and repainting the front step entry area after repairing cement steps and repainting them last week.

tomorrow? priming and first coat on inside entry hall.