The first week

of summer vacation brought helpful kids from DH's bus route over here to help paint aluminum siding, columns and latticework! All were anxious to pick up $ for summer trips. Great workers! Think it helped they were plied with Gatoraid and water and lunch every day?

Somebody had a birthday

back on April 14th.

Spring Poppin' 2

Wild violets spread happiness by the pond.
















Apple buds are ever-bursting forth.















Young peach tree shares its glory.












Cinnamon ferns unfurl their harp-like magic by the moment.

Spring poppin'

After record-breaking Winter snows and temperatures and then record-breaking heat in the mid-80's for a week, Spring is poppin' really early.




Giant Eagle has many flowering trees planted in its parking lot for all of us to enjoy. Unfortunately the flowers are all white. At the S&T bank there are white and pink trees alternating around their drive.



Magnolias are flowering abundantly and early this Spring. DH pulled off onto the berm (shoulder) of a main road for me to capture this magnolia in a yard.




A driveway was our parking spot for these gorgeous trees in a front yard. I get embarrassed pulling into someone's driveway to take pictures of their landscaping but DH says the people would be happy others enjoy their handiwork.

The daffodils are almost finished but violets, grape hyacinths and early rhododendron are blooming. Some choke cherries and pears are blooming throughout the woods. Lilacs are budding with some buds purplish already. Our peach tree is in full bloom while the cherry, crab apple and apple trees are ready to pop today or tomorrow. Ferns are uncurling in magical harp-like shapes.

Green Sweater Progress

"Fir Green" colored single ply Briggs & Little yarn is a mix of greens, blues and golds just as none of nature's colors is solid, neither is this yarn.



These pics were shot this morning before I cut the two front steeks.




Why the coiless pins? Even working in bright sunlight, I am having a great deal of trouble staying on track while crocheting my 4 steeks. Astigmatism will not win this one, so I put the coiless pins in the gutter between the stitch halves being crocheted. It's really easy now to crochet on either side of the pins and to cut the steeks! The two front steeks have now been cut, ready to be tacked. Sleeve steeks are next.



Speaking of green, here's the back yard this morning reveling in warm sun after its first mowing! Apple, peach and cherry trees are just breaking forth leaf and flower buds. The neighbor's decorative weeping cherry burst into bloom yesterday and smells soooo good!

Clee-op, clee-op, clee-op

go my tennies in the dryer as I begin to catch up on the last month's activities!



Ravelympics ended with the closing ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics. That happened when we were starting our trek. Although I wasn't able to even begin to compete in my third event, the flyingcamelspin (spinning), I did win three awards! This first one was a very big surprise as it is an award for being a co-captain of the team SHPknitters!



Ah, the giantslalomghan event medal is for finishing Beth's afghan. We delivered it to her in person! She really loved it. She also thought that her son might just borrow it permanently for his apartment! Haven't heard if the afghan is still outside Austin or in College Station. Grin.




WIP's (Works In Progress) Dancing Ravelympics award comes with my completing a BSJ for charity. Knitting the collar onto it was a new technique for me. This little sweater just looks so much more 'finished' with its collar. Since this was knit in February, our record-breaking snowiest month, the colors came through in fine form to cheer me through that horrible weather mess.



These shots are the finished items that won the Ravelympics medals!




I miss being able to watch good television (the Olympics) every night rather than the 'entertainment' decided by network executives or the news and weather (also too much NBC entertainment) channels.

On Saturday, February 27th at 9:30 AM after seeing that the roads were finally clear because of a dry slot between storms overnight AND despite 14" on the level spots and mountainous drifts/plowed snow, Russ asked if we could be ready to go by 2 PM instead of 8 AM on Sunday? We still had to grocery shop for critter goodies, finish laundry, finish packing, catch the sitter up on things due to this kind of weather....

But the prognostications were 1-3 more inches of snow Saturday. The last two storms of 24" and 8" started out being predicted at 1-3".


Oh. My.


We left at 1:50 PM. On the road again only as far as Columbus; but, that's far enough to get out of the worst of this particular storm!

Sun-day, indeed

It was the first day of Spring. 72 degrees here in Cooperdale. Warm, clear skies brought out the Spring flowers in abundance!'



Crocus spread their cheer as the lilac leaf buds burst forth.






The 'early' daffodils bought last Fall opened first this day against the foundation.







Russ rototilled three rows of the garden where I planted white Swiss chard, sugar snap peas and carrots. Never have I been able to plant garden rows this early!







Russ was so pleased to be able to work in the garage this day.



Real thoughts of Spring included checking the oil in the mower, blowing off winter porch grunge with the leaf blower and working at the garage work bench.

We are so happy with this wonderful weather turn since three weeks ago there were 6 foot snow piles, 14 inches of snow and more snow on the way!

I haven't forgotten about sharing our wonderful trip.

The Green Sweater is growing!

St. Paddy's Day & 3417 miles

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Although some of my heritage is Irish, it's the orange Irish, rather than the green Irish. This year we are so grateful to be seeing green that we are celebrating Mother Nature wearing her green!


Look! The Green Sweater is lying on green grass! After all that snow, green grass has been highly anticipated. The Green Sweater has also been highly anticipated. Last night I swatched for it and it is coming out on gauge with a #6 Kollage square needle purchased in OKC at Gourmet Yarn Co.









Yesterday some of the maples started budding out, too!!! And today a rock iris is sharing the love.








Also at Gourmet Yarn with Russ, Linda and Jim, I bought a skein of Plymouth Yarn's Fantasy Naturale, 100% mercerized cotton. I finished a dishcloth in it in the Waterfall pattern p. 159 of Barbara Walker's blue Treasury. The cloth is light, cheery, Spring-like. It's the feeling we've needed along with bright sunshine, blue skies and today's 60 degree temperatures.



As a hint for what's to come as I'll blog about our trip of 3417 miles, here's a friend of mine who lives near Jacksonville, Alabama. Can you believe those huge eyes and long eyelashes on this cria?

Slalomghan

Beth's afghan is finished! Just in time for its Ravelympics slalomghan event.





The weather is still yucky, but no snow yet this morning.

Cable-y goodness

Afghan strips, not joined, are here laid on a cedar chest to show patterning and progress. The photo shows just partial strips, plus 5 out of the 6 I'm knitting. I'm on strip #6. When the two balls for 6 have been knit, then will add onto each strip from other balls, join and wash. They're acrylic so won't be blocked per se. These are also all 'bunched up', not nearly their finished size.

Hey Beth, it's coming along!



Today it's 40 with a lot of sun. Yeah! Melting is happening and we are so grateful to see sun and for the melting so some of the weight is off the roofs and gutters. Too many stories of collapsed roofs with so much snow weight are in the news.

A Gold Medal BSJ

A medal for Team SHPknitters has been awarded in the Ravelympics to BSJ Spring ;-) by fibernating.






The finished baby surprise jacket is knit in Spring colors, which happens by pure chance to mirror the colors of Vancouver. And the six buttons on yarn and pinned to the BSJ? There are five buttonholes on each side. The recipient can decide on which side to place 5 buttons with an extra included for that elusive lost button which always seems to occur!







Here is the Ravelympics medal in the WIPsdancing event.




The official ravthlete award is here shown.



And here is the list of those of us on the podium at this time.

EVENT: WIPs-Dancing

Please show your love to Ravthletes who have conquered their WIPs and transformed them into FOs!

HannahMathews Team Spatchcock 2 projects
Amigurple Team Knitural Selection
Plim Team Bitchcake
Kittenlion Team Seattle
Emmalein Team Germany 2 projects
insanKnitty Team Ravenclaw 3 projects
Derae Team True Blood
Racheltim Team Copper Boom
KnittinKat Team Wool-Aid
himawari Team Germany
shinyredtype Team Yarntopia NYC
tsukuyomi Team Germany
allicat Team Editors 2 projects
haramis Team Yarn Snobs
2gr8kids Team Happy
inoxia Team SKT
sarajay
hamstergal Team PANTS
2muchfun Team Yarn Hos Herding Cats
MLO Team Bitchcake
Sojournknitter Team WIP
Eevu Team Finland
yvonnep Team Pootje Over
Skookumgirl Team Michigan
berry149 Team Dodge Creations
sunrisedawn Team NoDak
orangeeener Team Tufty
loique Team Tufty
eyre Team Drool
beautyredefined Team Michigan
uncknitter Team Stashdown
knit2grow Team Afghans for Afghans
lovesmore Team Smart Ass Yarn Ho
shawn4equality Team Bundles Of Joy
fibernating Team Schoolhouse Press Knitters
Katri63 Team Starmore Knitdown
Grandy Team Madness in Progress
zanahoria12 Team Slytherins
Voxless Team Bad Knit Girls
JenDuzS0ks Team Rubberhoars
Littlemisssensible Team Ravelpaws 3 projects
thatdarnkt Team 4815162342
frenchiekisses Team Ooh Shiny!
kcknitter84 Team WIP
Plim Team Bitchcake
yarnvista Team Welcome
MamaMoo13 Team WIP
skookumgirl Team Michigan
knittlee
hiiragi
Debibo Team Sweet Stitchin’ Betties
springd Team UFO
Momo3Reds Team USA
FurmanKnitter08 Team ESK
Shellygirl Team Big Damn Heroes
velmalikevelvet Team COLORBOMBers

Please accept this lovely bouquet of snowdrops from the knit-clad Bobettes and crochet-covered Bobdudes.


Thank you, Ravelry! This is fun. I'm happy to add this to the other BSJ which will be donated to charity.

Cupid comes a courtin'

Mr. Cupid AKA DH Russ brought me a wonderful Valentine present... a box of locally made Valos candy. We have truffles and pecan turtles and walnut turtles and white chocolate/key lime bark. I am very happy with this. It will last longer than cut flowers and will create a good attitude adjustment against the weather.

The Olympics coverage (Day #2 as NBC calls it yet seems like Day#1 for events!) last night was exciting to watch our first medals won! We have a conflict this afternoon between Olympic coverage and NASCAR's 1st race of the season, the always exciting Daytona!

In my Ravelympics, the BSJ shoulder seams are sewn along with its collar picked up. Also, there was knitting on Beth's afghan.

Ravelympics, Day #1

Sharing this week's additional snow (which we'd love to send to Vancouver) and the first night's work on two Ravelympics events, up first we have --


a look through a living room window at the lilac bushes buried in snow. We cannot get to them to release them from their white blanket.




The eight inch snowfall following the 24 inch snowfall was able to be blown with our snow blower.

Really good news February 12, Lincoln's Birthday and the opening ceremony day for the Olympics and the Ravelympics is that Michelle sent out the emails for this summer's Meg Swansen's Knitting Camps. Really good? Oh, yes! We're in for 2.75!




During the Opening Ceremonies last night I worked on two of my Ravelympics events.

This Baby Surprise now has its ends woven. It's ready for shoulder seaming, collar, buttons! Its event is WIPsdancing for team SHPknitters.



The swatch for Beth's afghan grows. A reminder: It is Vanna's Choice in oatmeal, Lion Brand pattern Newbury Crossing. Event: slalomghan. No team on this one.

The event flyingcamelspin for team SHPknitters isn't up yet! Stay tuned for this one!

Wait till you see what Russ brought me for Valentine's Day!

From 11 to 24

inches of snow.







We spent most of yesterday digging out. Up to 6 inches more is being predicted for Tuesday-Wednesday.

Is it Spring yet???

SNOW

It's been snowing since 12:50 PM.
It took three hours for the snow to even stick.



It's snowing heavily, at least an inch an hour. We're under snow advisory until 6 PM tomorrow (Saturday). The snow is a wet, sticky snow, hard to shovel. I've already shoveled the entire driveway once and the lower part a second time. That was 4 hours ago. The good news: The wrist 'held'. The bad news: Tomorrow's shoveling will be Nasty. It may be too heavy for the snow blowers.

You're looking at the snow and a cyclone fence.



See all that snow on the gate? That's 11 (eleven) inches by the outer edge where the house doesn't block the snow.

The Weather Service wasn't kidding about 8-14".