Berea, Kentucky

Last Night we stayed at the Boone Tavern in Berea. It is an hundred year old hotel and restaurant. Very fancy and very nice. For dinner we had a fried green tomato appetizer, salmon on polenta with pea shoots and spoon bread. Not only was it tasty but it looked really pretty. Kittalog would have taken a picture but we aren't that together and our phone doesn't take pictures. This morning we visited all the craft places on campus. Most students do not pay any tuition but must work 10 hours a week at a job in a craft shop, making brooms, woodworking, etc. or on their farm.

Going on Vacation

Tomorrow we are leaving for Florida. Hubby will do the driving. We plan to stay the first night in Berea Kentucky. I am all packed, have been since yesterday. Hubby will do it tomorrow morning. He will plan to leave around 7, get up at 4 and will actually leave about 8. I have one large suitcase, he will take about 5 smaller bags. He has a huge check list just like the one Jack Nicholson does in "As good as it Gets." It even includes clothespins to hold the motel drapes closed (because they always gap). I have cleaned the entire house, vacuumed and dusted and even changed the sheets. I can't leave a dirty house ( what if there was an accident and the whole world found out I had a dirty house). We should have a wonderful time, we usually do when traveling together.

Clothing Store Security

Last Month I bought 2 pair of tall slacks at the Dress Barn. One of the pairs was a light weight material and I had not worn them yet. ( We haven't had any warm weather yet here in Michigan) Today I was packing for our little trip to Florida and got out the pair of slacks. Unfortunately the store had left on that security device. I couldn't find the receipt but I took the slacks and my Visa bill in to the store and they were very apologetic and took the thing off. At least the store was less than a mile away and I noticed it as I was packing the suitcase, not after I was in Florida.

Today was beautiful

The temperature finally reached 70 degrees. The forcythia and daffoldils are just beginning to open. I opened the window in my craft room and took a walk.

Not So Green

I really try to be environmentally conscious. I recycle everything the waste company will take as well as returning my plastic bags to the grocery store. We use all those funny new light bulbs. We don't use pesticides on our plants or lawn but it turns out I still probably have a large carbon footprint. Hubby just bought me, at my request, a battery operated stick vacuum. I know the broom and dustpan method is more environmentally friendly and there is something to be said about the reward of seeing the huge pile of cat hair as you sweep. I have more cloth rags than I have cloth not rags but still I love my Swifter duster. I even have a paper cup dispenser in the bathroom. My children go as far as to use cloth napkins and the cleaning ladies on TV say to wash windows with old newspapers but I use paper napkins and paper towel for washing windows.

A Bridal Shower

Yesterday I gave a bridal shower for my nephew's fiance. She is a lovely girl and the shower went very well. She is a vegetarian so I served a Greek salad, spinach pie, pita bread and Baklava for dessert. I also gave her the quilt I made for their wedding. It is a queen size and in the Dresden Plate pattern. I think she like it.

Arnold Kneads Me

Every night just before I go to bed, Arnold comes looking for me. If I am playing on the computer, watching TV or sewing, he will meow and put his paws on my hips to get my attention. If I continue with whatever I am doing he will start to get mischievous. He might scratch at the speakers in the family room or jump up on the fireplace mantel and bat at the pictures on the wall. If I am in my craft room he will either lie right in the middle of my sewing or climb to the top of the bookshelves or walk between me and my light. If I am playing on the computer in Hubby's "cubical," he jumps up on the desk and starts to shred papers, which really gets my attention. He is saying it is time for bed. Arnold sleeps right next to me with his head on my arm. But something happens in the middle of the night. I understand it is kitten behavior where they knead the mother cat to get milk. But Arnold starts kneading me. He is one strong cat and I think he could easily bruise your arms doing this. I find myself using my hands to protect my own mammary glands because nothing will dissuade him in his quest. Finally he will settle back down again and we can both sleep.

The Big April Snowstorm

The weather forecasters said we would get 5 to 8 inches of snow. Hubby moved the snow blower toward the front of the garage. We took a nice long walk on Sunday and got ready to hunker down. Well, as Hubby said, we got 6 inches of snow but none of it stuck. It was really weird to see it snowing so hard and yet the eaves were all dripping because it was too warm for snow. By nightfall there was no snow left. This morning we had a little bit of snow but that was because the temperature dropped below freezing over night but most of it is gone by now. I could handle this kind of snow in January, in April I don't want any. You can tell I am not a winter enthusiast.

Multi-Tasking

I worked with a woman, Carole, who always laughed about the fact I was incapable of multi-tasking. She could work while listening to books on tape or had the television on while she read a book. I remember the worst automobile accident I had was when I heard on the car radio that Liberace died and turned left in front of on coming traffic. This inability to multi-task goes along with the fact that I hyper focus. At work, because I had my own office area, someone would always have to come and get me at lunchtime or I would work right through lunch. One time at 7 in the evening my boss found me working because I didn't notice everyone leaving at 5:30. So today I started another baby sweater. I turned off the TV and sat alone in the family room. I knitted the back first then I divided the yarn into two separate balls and did both fronts at the same time(so they would be the same length). So far so good. Tomorrow I will start the sleeves the same way. I wonder how I managed 6 kids without multi-taking?

Baby Sweater

I had earlier posted on my difficulties in knitting a baby blanket. Well, I finished it. I still have to weave in the ends. It is not spectacular but Mary says it will look better when I block it. I am not sure how I do that yet. I started a baby sweater. I was undaunted when the two fronts did not turn out the same length but when I did the sleeves the yarn kept getting tangled and I kept dropping stitches. Hubby says that is because I was watching television while I was knitting. I used Bernat Softee and it came with knots in it. Anyway the tangles reached enormous proportions so I threw the whole thing out. Hubby says it will make good nesting material for the hummingbirds. I know I can keep to quilting but I really want to learn to knit. I probably could use a knitting class.
Meanwhile Hubby has been busy making Maple syrup. The season is over know. You can only use the sap before the trees bud. The weather didn't cooperate so it was not a high yield year. Last night Hubby made pancakes for supper and we tried the syrup. It was wonderful!

Mary's Video

Video.