October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!
I love this picture! Years and years ago my best friend came over with her little girl for Halloween. My little Ninja Turtle and Miss Piggy weren't too sure of her and she looked like she wanted to get the heck out of there! I love the way Miss Piggy has her protective arm on Donatello's leg. You never know about those ballerinas!

October 27, 2010

Today In History....

Twenty-six years ago today I married my best friend. Well, I wasn't so sure he was my bestest friend at the time, but I had an inkling he would be! I was scared to death that day! I thought I was doing the right thing. However, as my Dad and I walked down the aisle, he kept telling me, "We can turn around anytime you want. Just say the word." He was as responsible for me marrying RL as anyone else was. At one point we had stopped dating and Daddy went out to lunch with RL and arranged a little 'meeting' later that afternoon. I was sitting in the car for the drive home from work and Daddy pulled alongside the road where RL was standing. I was furious with Daddy! How could he do that when he knew I wasn't even speaking to RL!!! My window was rolled down, RL didn't say a word, just threw a large envelope in the window and off Daddy and I drove. I wouldn't even touch the envelope! (Yes, I was, and can still be, a brat!) I finally picked it up and inside was a marriage proposal. Needless to say, I said yes. Twenty-six years later and I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I married my best friend. We have been together through thick and thin - and I'm not just talking about weight here either! We've raised two great kids. Stood by each other as both of our fathers died and supported one another while we supported our mothers through the grieving process. We've moved 600 miles away from everything I ever knew to find that the new place was a pretty good place after all! We've had lots of happy, tearful moments too - like when he was baptized by my Dad. Or when both of the kids were born and we were both scared to death! It's been a good run so far and I look forward to the future.


Now, onto fibery goodness! The stupid picture loaded wrong! Oh well - turn your heads. You'll get the general idea. My Ravelry buddy has been a real stinker! I wasn't expecting it, but she dyed this yarn for me just for Halloween. It's called "Bootiful". I love it! The colors are perfect and I cannot wait to knit some cool socks with it! She also sent some peanut butter cookies and an adorable pumpkin bucket. Gee, you would think I never baked for my family! They ate those cookies like there was no tomorrow. I guess I need to get the recipe. Send it on Aredhel!
As for other 'goings on'....well, it's starting to be fall. The acorns are falling from the trees like I've never seen before! I thought I would have to start wearing a hard hat just to get the mail. We can hear them hit the cars late at night. Scares you to death the first time you hear it! Then add tornado warnings to that and you have a fun time! I stayed up with the kids last night until the tornado warnings expired. RL was comfy in bed snoring away. One of us had to be awake to move the kids into the center of the house and slap a mattress over them! Of course I would have had to flip him off of the mattress first....but I was prepared! And I wasn't even a boy scout! Go figure. Hope everybody else is enjoying fall in their neck of the woods!

October 16, 2010

Fair Time In The City

Fall around these parts means lots of things. Acorns pelting you when you walk down to the mail box. Changing Leaves. The fair. This year we didn't have anything entered, but we decided to go and take in the sights.
Boo! It's a sheep ghost!

These poor little sheep! They were in these covers, in a barn that was a little too warm. We wanted to liberate the sheep!
This is highly unusual. There are normally lots and lots and lots of mega pumpkins. However, this year we haven't had much rain, so we haven't had many pumpkins. These were the only three. At least you were guaranteed a ribbon!

This is Bob. He's a 22 year old Percheron. This picture doesn't show just how MASSIVE this horse was! They had eight of them. RL loves VWs. So, when we were looking at the horses and saw how much they weighed - between 1,700 and 2,200 pounds - he said, "Wow! That's more than a VW!"

These were some wooden turned bowls. Beautiful! Unfortunately we didn't get to see the demonstration, but we still got to admire the handiwork.

The chainsaw artist was there - we missed his demonstration too! They had these sculptures for a silent auction. They were really cool!

Quilts were hanging from the rafters in the arts and crafts building. So many beautiful quilts!

And while we were at the fair, Ginger was enjoying a nice, warm pile of clean laundry! Does she know how to party or what????



October 5, 2010

Fall is Here!

Fall has finally arrived! The weather has been in the low 60's for a few days now. So nice to pull out some long sleeved shirts and have the windows open for fresh air. The nights are perfect for sleeping under blankets.


With fall comes some fun things to do around these parts. The local alpaca place had an open house. I love to go there! It is so peaceful. I don't know why it happens, but it seems every time they decide to have an open house, it rains! We needed the rain, so I was glad they scheduled it when they did. They are starting to downsize a little so most of their yarn and fiber was 50% off as well as some of their alpacas. Since RL will not let us have an alpaca - and the town would probably frown on it too - we have to settle with pictures as well as fibery goodness! R got quite a bit to spin and I got some more to go with the last batch I bought. Hopefully I'll have enough to make something like a shawl.
Don't you just love the bowl cut? This alpaca has some serious bangs! I don't know what her name was. Bless her heart, she had a serious chewing problem! She would chew on the right side, then the left side, right, left, right, left. She'd swallow - then it would work it's way back up and she'd chew, chew, chew some more! She kept us quite entertained! And because it was raining, we got to see most of them up close and personal.

This is Sugar. She was born on a Thursday and we were there the following Sunday. She was really getting around! It was fun to watch her try to sit like the other alpacas. It looks like hard work with those long skinny legs!

Here's Sugar and one of the future mama alpaca's. I don't know why she stuck closer to this one than the others, but they were big buds. I think the big alpaca was due in another month or so. They have a gestational period of almost a year! Can you imagine? Whew! I was upset when I went three weeks over with L!

The owners children kept us quite entertained. They have five year old twins. That would be enough to keep one hopping, but they also have two older children. Anyway, we were talking to the twins about the dogs they have around there. They have three dogs who are definitely pets. They love to be oohed and aahhed over more than the alpacas. Then there are two 'work dogs' who are in the fields with the alpacas and watch them. The little boys told us they they protect them for 'ky-dough-dees'. I couldn't figure it out at first and then it was, "Oh, coyotes!" They were interesting little fellas and really in the know!

This is probably my favorite of all the pictures R took while we were there. They were just resting and watching the rain. I think they had the right idea!