TdF... I missed it...

I missed Tour de Fleece this year! Bummer. A few weeks ago I was reminded of it and thought I might manage it, but the starting date came and I had forgotten. A few days into it I thought of making a mad dash and hopping in, but the truth is I have SO much to do what with the new house, etc., etc., so I decided to sit this one out. I'll be all the more gung-ho and raring to go next year.

The list of projects-to-start-and-finish is rather lengthy at the moment. I'm currently absorbed in re-doing the bathroom at the top of the stairs. I like it better than the one downstairs because it has a shower stall instead of a tub, and seeing how I never take baths (don't quote me out of context!!) it suits me better. Besides that it seems bigger. It's disadvantage is it has no windows. I'm thinking of getting a ventless fan for it, should help a little. Anyhoo, I can't do a remodel at this time--$$--so I decided simply to do a make-over.

It was 100% panelling in there and not just ugly panelling: UGLY panelling. So with ~$60 worth of supplies I locked myself in for 5 hours a few Saturdays ago and painted and papered.

Before (I almost forgot to take 'before' pics as you can see that I'd already started painting):


After the paint and paper:

As you can see, I need to finish painting over the shower stall.

I had planned to have some ceramic tiles installed for the floor. There were some nice blue ones in the bargain bin at less than $3 a tile (12" sq.) so I thought that would be nice and had them come over to give me an estimate. The room is not very large so we're not talking about a slew of tiles. Nonetheless I was shocked at the estimate for installing them. Cannot see myself forking over that much money for such a small space for a make-over. I have yet to get other estimates and may even wait. I've taken a fancy to painting a faux rug on the floor and I spent a couple hours today doing just that. It's not finished so I won't have pics until tomorrow.

I haven't even started on the out-of-doors yet! So till next year, TdF. It's OK, I'm spinning anyway!! Today I wound the warp for my new hand-spun stole and got some more time in on the Great One.

Just Great! ...

I could no longer resist. What can I say? I succumbed. Can you blame me? I'd seen it sitting there every time I visited the shop since arriving here two months ago. The longer it sat the more it's price dropped--down, down, down. So for $99 I have obtained a Great Wheel... and it's BIG, coming up to my nose and 7 feet long at least. Here it is out in the entry room--the only place I have room for it!

It wasn't in perfect shape: The accelerator is missing, as is one of the small posts that would hold it in place. No matter--the wheel can still be set up in direct drive mode which is what I've done. On my future junk store, thrift store, antique store jaunts I'll be keeping an eye out for an accelerator. The accelerator is simply an intermediate pulley system that makes the spindle twirl even faster than it does now. Given the huge ratio between the wheel and spindle it zips right along even on direct drive.
It's pretty exciting and a little intimidating seeing how I've never spun on one of these until today. I put clothes line bearings on to hold the spindle. Will continue to experiment with braided corn husks for this function but I gave up on that for today. The small nails that should hold the braids weren't doing a secure enough job. I've since picked up a few more tips on this from Ravelry and will try them. I'd rather use corn husks, seems more authentic.
The drive band is simply cotton string that I coated with some of my cello rosin. I tried to use raffia and also twine. Neither were suitable enough, though I wouldn't mind more experiments with the raffia.
This wheel may be the answer to my exercise dilemma! One stands at this wheel and there is a constant shuffle backward and forward. Better than sitting, even if only a little!
I spun on it for about half an hour this evening. Really quite loads of fun. It makes a wonderful purring noise and the spinning goes fast.

Golly! Who'd a thought it?
I brought it into the living room when I arrived home with it, not yet knowing where to put it. Here it is in that room to give you an idea of it's size.

You can see on the floor in front of it is the granny square afghan. It is done! At this hour it is out on the chair in the entry room drying from it's bath this afternoon. Finished pics in the next day or so. :)

Sharing with the turkey ...

The turkey has been spending time in the back yard and for good reason: wild strawberries. Strawberries that I thought I'd pick for myself, but after careful consideration decided not to make bones about it seeing how I have other resources and s/he probably doesn't. I'm happy the turkey can enjoy such a wonderful treat.

This afternoon I took a stroll to see if there were any spoils left and lo! I picked enough for a single shortcake. Lovely. Free for the picking and a hundred mosquito bites. Worth it though. There's more flavor in one of these 1/4" lovelies than in a whole pint of those cardboard-tasting things sold in the supermarket. Oh, happy, happy. I will go out again later this week to see if there's more.

The act of picking these tiny berries has some commonality with crafting. After the first few berries a thought crosses the mind, "This is going to take forever!" But with perserverence, a place I call the "zone" arrives and time melts away. Pleasantness reigns and the process becomes fulfilling. It can even be difficult to pull oneself away from this natural high. Such it was this afternoon.

Ticks, picks, finishings, flowers, and a new quote...

That will be ticks as in check marks. Another big item ticked off my essential-to-do list, another sigh of relief. I had new tires put on the car. They were very badly needed as there was little to no tred left on the old tires and it was noticable in wet-weather driving. New 4-season tires just in time for my trip to NY this week.

That will be picks as in thows of the shuttle. I've decided to alternate work on the Summer & Winter pick-up blanket with work on other woven projects. So I spent an hour yesterday deciding on structure, colors, measurements, and yardage for a hand-spun shawl. I have enough greens to get going, so as soon as I find a break I will warp up these yarns to get weaving.

"Finishings" as in the granny square afghan is down to 5 squares remaining! When the final row is attached, I'll crochet a border and that will be that! Pics soon.

Flowers as in new blossomings this week. Among the flowers I would love to eventually have here (holly hocks, honeysuckle, delphiniums, cosmos, foxgloves, rudbeckia, ... well, you get the idea) is a peony or two, or three, (well, you get the idea). Much to my happiness is the discovery of a peony already here and it started opening it's few blossoms this week. The plant is in need of some care: compost, food, and weeding, but despite it's growing conditions it's putting out a few blossoms. A very pretty flower.

I cannot not share these fabulous wild daisies while I'm at it. "He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, ..."

And as we're almost half way through the year I thought it would be a good time for some new quotes. Enjoy! :)

Keeping up...

... can be a challenge. I just noticed it's been ten days since my last post. Lot's of good things have been happening.

Starting with today... Finally, after three months of waiting, the title for my car arrived from NY's DMV. They told me it would be sent sometime in June, but I was having doubts. Good thing it's here because strictly speaking I'm supposed to register my car in NH within 60 days of moving here. Next week will be 60 days--already! There was a contingency plan if the title failed to arrive in time. I spoke with the town clerk about it. Still, relieved to have it in my possession. I'll soon be sporting NH plates. Been wondering if I should go for vanity plates, something birdy themed? Hm. Pretty pricey.

Yesterday saw the sign-off with a contractor for building the bird room. It will be an addition to the house off the living room. This will be good and convenient, and best of all if the power should fail in the dead of winter it will get heat from the wood stove that is in the living room. This alleviates the need for a backup generator to keep the birds alive, though I plan to get one anyway.

A few skeins finished this week. Another skein for weaving. It joins those in the background destined for shawls:

Also a skein of silk spun from hankies. This is about half the hankies spun up. It is going to make a fabulous neck warmer as it is ultra smooth and soft with a lovely sheen:

I continue to find new flowering plants on the property. Some are quite lovely surprises. I can't wait to get my gardens all planned out to start transplanting some of these. The Cranesbill, for instance, is hidden away between some very large shrubbery. The yellow Lily has a most wonderful (almost sophisticated) scent. Aren't the wildflowers pretty?

Saturday night I drove down to Concord to take part in Granite State Gay Men's annual pride dinner dance, only I went just for the dance which started at 10pm. It was good and I'm very glad I went. It was nice to connect with the community, made me feel a little more "here". It was almost like going to the dances at the LGBT Center in Manhattan. Like in NY, I had to plan an hour to get there: 20 mins. from here to Plymouth, 30 mins. from Plymouth to Concord. Not bad! In NY that hour would be spent waiting for buses and trains plus actual travel time, total miles: less than 4.

Faces of nature....

I'm most fortunate to have set eyes on some awesome spectacles of nature this week. They are examples at extremes from one another yet co-exist. I'm starting to realize what a wonderland I've moved to, almost gobsmack in the center of this beautiful state.

The geology here is fascinating. My gardening research turned up this week that New England is not only the founding grounds of our nation, but is also geologically the oldest part of the country. The White Mountains, part of the Appalachians, were polished by the last ice-age's diamantaire into the gems we enjoy today. Their work is visible almost everywhere, from the pristine Stinson Lake tucked away up above Rumney to the humongous falling rocks on the way from Rumney to Quincy Bog. All so exhilarating to experience.

This week's encounters...

On a whim I decided to take a stroll up along the stonewall on the NW edge of my property. Just a short way. I got no further than 50' before my eyes noticed something among the ferns. I could NOT contain my excitement. Luckily my neighbors were out at the time so only the forest was witness to my shouts of glee. I'm spared having neighbors thinking I'm completely bonkers.

A friend of mine says it takes 7 years for a lady's slipper to flower. How incredibly fortunate I feel to have this gorgeous flower just 50' from the house! I've been going out every day since to take in it's radiant beauty.

I was out on the front "porch" this evening spinning some silk hankies when, upon lifting my head to look up, I was greeted by a black bear at the foot of the steps. Holy cow! It must have come from around the corner of the house and I never noticed. With a gracefully brisk maneuver I was through the door. Not a panic. Not a picnic. Just a focused exit from the outside to the inside. After a few breaths I was calm enough to go back out with camera in hand. It had walked about half way across the lawn by now so I felt more comfortable and spoke to it. I wondered where it had come from? No answer. Wondered what it was doing here? It took a step forward--to my surprise! Unnerved that it wanted to talk back, I snapped my fingers a bit and it turned around, then scurried into the bushes at the flash of my camera. I have a feeling it was made to feel comfortable around humans at some point. Now, if I can only manage to convey to the beautiful creature that I--human being--am not so comfortable around it!


I made good progress on the silk. The bobbin on my wheel is also full this evening, ready for plying tomorrow. And I finished a row on the granny square afghan and decided that the next row will probably be the last. Made a leisurely drive up to Stinson Lake this afternoon to see what it's all about. It's rather like a puddle stuck between the mountains, but a gem. Oh! Quite a little gem indeed, all secluded and gorgeous.

Bugs...

They're here, lot's of them, and many different kinds. In this respect, country life is quite different than city life: I can't remember when I was last so bug bitten! All kinds of bites. Some itchy, some not.

Small rapid flyers, large rapid flyers, squatters, winged, non-winged, noisy, and quiet. The worst are the stealth biters: Those I'm not aware of until the bite of proboscis drilling through skin triggers my reflexes. Oops. Too late. They're into blood sports these bestiolae.

Some darned noisy ones at night bouncing off the window screens as if they were trampolines. The gymnasts of the bunch. I think they're attracted to the light inside. Somehow a few manage to squeeze through the gap between screen and sill so I have to catch and release them outside.

A terrible sight of carnage this afternoon out in the entry way--which screen door is ineffective due to a large gap between door and jam. Some lethargic "June bugs"--as we used to call them--were being torn into by some very large winged ants. At least that's what they looked like. I wondered if the "June bugs" had succumbed to the heat? For some reason the winged ants reminded me of "The Wizard of Oz". How frightful.

The real beauties are here too. Butterflies fluttering about. I've always got the impression they were only half in control of their flight. The wind seems as determined as they regarding their itinerary. Still, they manage to get to the right place at the right time I suppose. I saw some very pretty pale yellow ones around this afternoon.

And toads! Yes, a teeny tiny little toad. I've seen him twice by the side entrance. I've half a mind to kiss him to see if he'll turn into my prince charming. At any rate he's got it made vis-a-vis sustenance. It's a smorgasbord around here for critters like him. And for the birds like the robins too. I've seen a lot of them since my arrival last month. It makes me happy to see and hear them.

Oh! And last night as I was standing on the front "porch" looking at the Milky Way I witnessed some "lightning bugs". It was as if the specs of light that are stars were falling from the night sky down to tree level. Lovely to see their light show.