Thursday, March 26, 2015

Spider Death Count help from a friend


"Smash it" and "run like hell" I've done many times.  More running than smashing, truth be told.

"Shoot it"...I have two feet that are more likely to be hit than the spider.

"Set it on fire"...now that's one I should try!!
  
I'm adding flame thrower to my birthday list.

(Thanks Cathy Burch for this lovely Spider Identification Chart!)


Wednesday, March 25, 2015

SPIDER DEATH COUNT

Most of you know of my on going hate relationship with spiders.  Now, I know, rationally, that they are beneficial insects.  They eat bugs that are bad for the garden....blah, blah, blah.  Rubbish!!  They spin webs that are strategically located so you walk into them, they hide in the car and conveniently drop down on a thread right in front of your face, while you're driving with no where to pull over (this actually happened to me), they crawl across the floor just out of eyesight, trying to find a quick route to enter your space and scare you to death, ok, well, you get the idea.

Today is March 25.  So, Spring started this week, right?  Winter is still hanging on here, temps this lovely morning in the low 30s.  Anyway...Spring (concentrate Brenda!  see what spiders do to me)and Spring means that all those bugs that were tucked away for Winter are starting to emerge.  I actually killed two spiders on Monday. Spiders in the HOUSE!! No one was around to kill them for me so I had to do it.  I wish the Hulk had been around, not so he could SMASH the spiders for me but so that I could borrow a shoe of his (does he even wear them?!) and SMASH it myself!!  I did find the biggest, heaviest, deadliest shoe around and smashed the poor spider to oblivion. Poor spider my Aunt Fanny, as my mom would say!!

And just for the record, in case you're thinking I'm so cruel and horrible to SMASH and innocent, helpful, just-crawling-around-minding-his-own-business spider...here's my rule.  My space is the house, his space is the world outside.  I don't kill him in his space and he shall be squished in my space.  Ya know, in all fairness, his space is a lot bigger than mine.

Bring it on spiders...I'm armed with my shoe and ready for ya!!

And to make it interesting...I'm keeping a SPIDER DEATH COUNT  on the blog.  It's located on this right side bar, down at the bottom.  I'll tally up all my kills this year.  Now, if you find MY photo on the side bar, under a new heading, well then you know the spiders have won.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

No, I didn't knit this cute leprechaun...I sure would love to! He's an Alan Dart creation. You can find his amazing creations here on Ravelry.  My one time attempt at making one of his patterns ended in...well, actually, didn't end at all.  I never finished it!  Oh well...maybe I'll find it in the stash and finish it.  It was a crow in a straw hat and dress, holding a sunflower.  Three of us from the Jax knit group decided to make it...and only one finished!

Today I start a KAL with a bunch of gals in my knit group to make this hat:
It's Sheep Heid by Kate Davies!
My colors will be a little different.  I'm using up scraps from previous fair isle projects and also some Knitpicks Palette I have in the stash.  We're all excited to knit such a fun hat!

Hope the luck o' the Irish is with ye today!

Thursday, March 12, 2015

I can't stand it.



Here's the video of the song.  You have to watch it...

Welcome Spring!

Spring.  Feels like it's here, that's for sure.  It's warmer...the crocus are popping up, snow is almost gone (just piles of dirty, side-of-the-road snow left) and the birds are very active.  But is it really spring, the vernal equinox?

Here's what I found: Astronomically speaking, the March equinox occurs when the Sun crosses the celestial equator on its way north along the ecliptic.  This marks the start of the spring season.  Meteorologically speaking, Spring starts on March 1st.  This is because weather scientists use annual temperature cycles instead of the position of the Earth in relation to the Sun. Technically, the March equinox happens this year on March 20th at 6:45 pm.

This year on the Vernal Equinox there will be a rare event... a total eclipse of the Sun! (Did you sing that in your head like me?...da-doo!)  The next time this will happen will be 2034. It won't be visible from North America but if you happen to be in Greenland, Iceland, Europe, North Africa or northwestern Asia, enjoy it. But don't buy any unusual plants that day...just walk on by (good for you).  You might unleash this...



(If you're scratching your head, you've probably never seen Little Shop of Horrors.  I recommend it, it's a musical, great cast, funny...I LOVE it.  My mom will enjoy this post.  She's in Vegas now but she'll, hopefully, see it when she gets home.  You're welcome mom.)





Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Wordless Wednesday...Um, Nope.

 For the record, I'd like to state, I have not gone insane.  I also have not knit everything in the world I've wanted to knit nor having knit these projects should you assume I've run out of things to knit and now you may start suggesting projects for me.  Having said that, here's the story behind these gifts.  Yes, gifts.

My friend, Becky, in California was sharing with me her newest "grand pets" via texting a few weeks back.  She baby sits and helps out whenever she can.  When grand kids come on the scene, she'll be so ready.  She's the best wife and mom I know, so being best grandma is a given.  Anyway, I was fascinated with these creatures...a bearded dragon, Short Round and a blue tongued skink, Sallah.  I'm not used to reptile pets and I had a few questions; how big? what do they eat? When she sent a picture of Sallah, I may have said I was gonna have nightmares. Shes said, "Just imagine him with a cute hat." Me, "He'd be adorable with a cute knitted hat." Beck, "If you knit him one for him I'll be sure to get a pic of it on him haha!" Snowball from here.  I found out Shorty was sleeping wrapped in a washcloth.  Well, that will never do! Auntie Brenda is on it!!  And as any good Auntie (or Granny) will tell you, you can't give something to two of the three grand kids...so Rocco gets something to chew.  I thought of a knitted bone, but I know this dog is big and would destroy it in seconds.  So there's the story...now back to my regular knitting projects.
I didn't get a picture of the finished blankie (dishcloth) so there's the pattern picture so you can see the lizard knitted on.  Cute, huh?
Ok, yes, infinitely cuter with a hat on...no nightmares.  haha!
Don't you just want to scratch his belly?!

I really had fun making these projects. It's a blast to break from traditional projects and knit something that makes people scratch their heads...or think you've gone insane.  You should try it.

Or am I doing enough for all of us?

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Icy Ten for Tuesday

On Sunday our whole world was covered in ice. Freezing rain.  This means that rain falls and freezes on contact to whatever it touches.  Trees, cars, plants, streets, bridges...the smallest to the biggest of things.  Covered.  In.  Ice!
It was surreal to see and touch.
 I touched a leaf on this plant and it was at least 1/2 inch thick with ice.

 The simplest of things turned in the works of art, courtesy of Mother Nature.
 Aunt Bea is a trooper, she wasn't even shivering.
 Maybe when this defrosts, I'll finally trim this rose.
 The berries were beyond beautiful.

 Where do birds go when the weather is like this?!  Poor babies!
 Even big leaves and branches were coated with ice.

So yesterday was a "snow day"...they really should consider changing the name.  This is the second snow day we've had due to ice (Ice Day?) and the 4th of 5 days allotted for snow days.  If we use more, they come off of Spring Break and/or are added to the end of the school year. Mike went to work late, after the roads had been treated and snowplows scraped up the ice.
Then the sun came out and melted it all.  That's when I ventured out for errands. I'm glad it melted so quick, well, if the sun hit it, it melted.  The houses across the street are still icy. I'm glad we face the afternoon sun, very glad.  Ice is very scary, you can't walk on it cuz it's so slippery, it's dangerous to drive on, it's heavy and it brings down tree branches and power lines.  Not good.  

Weather update...
Today is supposed to sleet/freezing rain around noon-ish, tomorrow just rain all day and Thursday morning, snow.  I think we'll see the sun on Friday, but it will be cold...mid 20s. I guess March is coming in like a Lion.  Will it go out as a Lamb? We'll see.