Okay, it's time to admit it, I have been unfaithful. That's right, I have been absent from this blog, squandering my little computer time with a new and exciting pursuit. Move over blogging, I have been seeing a lot of FACEBOOK lately.

Facebook is so laid back, requiring almost nothing from me, and offers so much in return. Enough said. There is room for both.

Little news to report, no news is usually a good thing.

Here are a few tidbits ......................

Dave returned from deer camp with what i called a "two-pointer", he called it a spike buck. Semantics aside, it sure tastes yummy. We had some loin steaks Saturday that rivaled any beef steak!

The grand kids and their mother all had the H1N1 flu, it was tough, but they are all well now.

My firstborn is returning to Wisconsin tomorrow for a short visit, it will be nice to see her again.

My computer died about a month ago, I am writing this from a new laptop and using Windows7

I like it.

A blog post needs a photo, so i am including a shot of Em and yet another diorama she has made.

News, or not

Cold

A cold snap has arrived here, and we had snow flurries all morning... Today was the annual pumpkin pick at Good Earth Farm.

Both Dave and my sister Mary Beth have worked all summer at this CSA, and we all have enjoyed their efforts. The pumpkin pick day is a chance for the families of the CSA to come to the farm and enjoy a little autumn fun.

Here is a photo of Dave and Gael at the farm, cold, but having a good time with the turkeys.

Here is Gael, all warmed up and happy on his Grandpa's lap.

Fall color

powerful voice

A great loss.

Spending time doing nothing

Recovering from surgery is often considered a time to take it easy, rest, and heal. I have been doing these things, but it seems I have been as busy as ever. Busy with good things that I often don't have much time for while I am working....

In no particular order........................................................ I have been knitting a blanket, using Noro Silk garden in several different colorways....mostly simple knitting using short rows for shaping the swirls

We spent Labor Day weekend at the cabin... I sat on the porch and enjoyed the quiet of the woods.

We took a day trip to Kohler Andre State Park to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary on the 3rd of September.

Our feet in the sand of Lake Michigan

Visited with my grandchildren while their mother..............................

cleaned my bathroom!
I have been going to therapy and doing my exercises, and results are showing. I have good motion in my knee, so I have permission to drive again.... Driving tires me, but the idea of being able to hop in the car and go is nice. Independence and all.

I have been back to the pool, and that is another pleasure.

I have been reading lots of books and I watched the entire first season of The Tudors series.
My art journal is expanding...I try to do a little drawing or something every day.

Today I worked at the shop for a few hours, then Dave took me out to lunch at the new Mexican restaurant that is down the street from the shop. I had the fish tacos.....yummy!

The down side is that I have not been sleeping very well....but I am sure that will get better with time.

I am looking forward to a quiet weekend at home coming up....and Emili's birthday is tomorrow. So hard to believe she is 9 years old! The year she was born it was COLD, so cold we had the furnace running...not this year.....the weather has been beautiful lately...and that makes my recovery time on the porch pleasant.

Back from the Brink

I have safely evaded the reaper yet again! No, just kidding, it wasn't all that bad, but there were some moments that were hard to endure. You really don't want to hear about it, do you? Call me if you do, but trust me, it's a long and painful story.....

I am so grateful to be home and intact. My dear husband is taking such good care of me, I think he should have had a career in nursing. Today we walked to the end of our city lot, about 100 yards each way... doesn't sound like much, but on day 3 post-op, it is pretty darn good. The grass seems so much greener and the flowers are so vibrant. Hospitals need to be sterile and institutional,,,, but.........Home is good.

I did have some issues with pain control and my body's reaction to the drugs. Some drugs had no effect at all and other were so strong I hated it! You hear about people addicted to oxy-contin,,, I can't imagine that...I had one dose and felt like the world had turned upside down.....no more of that stuff for me. I simply cannot understand what might be "recreational" about that drug.

That's all for now, more later..........

Summer flying by

Summer is flying past, soon the snow will deep all around and the memories of summer days will have to warm us. We spent the day today in Wisconsin Dells and despite a drizzling rain we had a good time.

Shopping for trinkets was high on Emili's list of things to do.

Bouncing on the bed in the hotel room was a priority, too

We have had lots of family gatherings lately. Anniversaries, birthdays and just hanging out/

Oh, and some family members have been put to work when they drop by.
Clay and his friends did a great job removing the roof. It just happened to be the only truly hot day of this unusually cold season.

Signs of fall are all around. The corn is tall, kids are planning to go back to school and I have been spotting flocks of blackbirds... I intend to enjoy every day that is left of summer.

Oh, but I do love Autumn......

August 1

It's raining, just a little. It has been a dry and cool summer. Rain would be welcome, but I am enjoying the cool temps. Our little house is hard to keep cool most summers. Summer means the air conditioner runs almost every day. Not this year, only for a week in June and just an occasional day since then... should be good for the budget, too.

What have I been doing?

We went to the cabin last weekend, it was cool and rainy, but time spent there is always good for me, even if the weather is yucky. No swimming, but we did pick blueberries, and a few raspberries in between raindrops.

This weed grow in the ditch along the road at the cabin.. I identified it as "Fireweed". Beautiful.

A very cool coffee pot was hiding in the cupboard at the cabin all these years... I found it and tried it. The coffee was fantastic! maybe it was the north woods atmosphere, but still....

I became a coffee drinker in the early years of the MR.COFFEE phenomenon.. my parents drank instant coffee back then, and my Nana had her own way of making coffee. She would boil the grounds in a kettle and then pour in COLD water to settle the grounds...yum....I loved her coffee..

Over the years, I have owned drip coffee makers, and drank instant(yuck), used a french press, and now I have a fancy Kuerig that uses coffee "pods". I have never used a coffee percolator before.Except those huge ones used at funerals and such occasions when huge doses of coffee must be at the ready. (?)
I was fascinated by the mechanics of this little marvel. Being clear Pyrex helped, I watched as the water became drinkable coffee.... I literally stood at the stove and watched it bubble up and drip down... Maybe that is why it tasted so good... I am easily entertained. And it was raining.

I have been sewing mittens

And staying healthy....except for my used-up knee.

Where have I been?

I have been here , there and everywhere, but not blogging about it... Emi was staying with us for three weeks. We packed a lot of activity into those short weeks. Here are a just a few of the things we did.

Slept when we were tiredEnjoyed nature

Made a garden sculpture

made a sock monkey

Stayed at the cabin

Made art . Lots of it

Walked to the pool every day. Early....very early.
Watched birds

More art

Ate good food

Gardened

Learned to knit, lying down

Relaxed, read, went to work. Got pulled over by the police, went to several birthday parties.
Laughed, cried, we did it all.........It's no wonder I am tired!

Making stuff

So, I haven't written a thing on this blog in almost a month,, what a month it has been...

Running here and there and taking care of business and making stuff.. Making stuff like socks, bags, dinners, my opinion heard, and a cool doll.....I took a class with elinor peace baily as the instructor. Each student could choose one of elinor's many doll patterns to work with.I chose the Bead Merchant pattern. Here is the original doll made by elinor.This thing that looks like a penguin is the "stump" for the doll. That means that under her skirts she does not have legs, just bare feet. I made this first.Then I made the head. The head takes a lot more stuffing than one might think. After this, the photos get fewer, I was having too much fun making all the layers of clothing.This chick really believes in the layered look. She wears an underskirt, then a dress, a bodice drape, an apron, a coat, and a vest.

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I didn't take any more photos until we arrived home.Dave named her ZORKA...

This is a rear view.

Her hat is not finished, it needs more beads.She has a bindi.
And bare feet.