Molly Bee's Attic

Coins

2012-02-15T07:50:00.001-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T14:30:00.001-06:00

I hear a lot of folks grousing about how Valentine's Day is a commercial holiday or how they are alone and the holiday just 'rubs it in', but I LOVE Valentine's Day. What better time to tell EVERYONE in your life, not just a significant other, how much you appreciate them, cherish your connection with them and love them for who they are? People don't do that enough as far as I'm concerned. We get busy. We take each other for granted. We lose sight of what's important. Here's a whole DAY to remind you of that. Take advantage!

I made some Valentine's treats last night.

They were uber easy. Put a round waffle pretzel on the bottom. Top with a Hershey Hug. Bake at 200° about 4 minutes until shiny and soft-but not all the way melted. Squish the chocolate down into the holes with a holiday colored M&M. Cool. They were gone in 60 seconds once I put them on the treat table! You can use the red and green M&Ms at Christmas, the pastel ones at Easter etc. Fun!

So Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! I love, appreciate and cherish each one of you, whether I saw you a minute ago or 30 years ago. Each one of you has made an imprint on my life and I'm grateful you are in it!

MMMMWWWWAAAHHHHH!!!

This and That: The Update

2012-02-09T19:54:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to get back in the swing of things at work and at home this week. It took two full days to clean up the mess that being off for a week and a half created at work but I finally got that done. Now I'm buckling down on some projects that need doing and anticipating spring cleaning.

At home, I've gotten back in to the drawing thing big time. When I was sick, I didn't draw at all because it was just to uncomfortable to sit up at the table, so I read and knit mittens instead. Yet despite being sick, my housework got done. Now that I'm back at the drawing board so to speak, the nest is going to H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks again. Correlation? Hmmmm... I have two pieces done that I want to have printed on note cards, but need a third one. Do you think I can come up with one that I'm happy with? Not so much! But I'm having a wonderful time trying.

On the knitting front, I am still working on the cable sweater and since I still have scads of the lovely colors from the Finorkin Fiddlehead mittens left over, I've decided to add a skein of cream colored wool from my stash and knit another pair in reverse colors. The colors I used for the 'fiddleheads' are now the background and the fiddleheads will be cream color. They should be a lot more colorful than the last pair and I. swear. to. G*d. I will not rip them out no matter what thing goes horribly wrong this time! On a positive note, I am now a leading world expert in i-cord cast on and LOVE it!

Although it sounds like I've been keeping myself uber-busy, I've only been drawing and knitting for an hour or so each night. The little, head, cold I contracted Monday (I KNOW, right?! With all of the antibiotics I have on board, I should be 10 feet tall and bulletproof but... not so much !) has wiped me out and I've been dragging my sorry butt to bed at 8pm or so. I was looking forward to the new 'Smash' and 'The River' tv series this week and had to tape them both because I started nodding off on the davenport or kitchen table at 7:30! But I've got the cold on the run now and so now I'll have something to watch this weekend.

Friday night the girls are coming over for Knit Night. We go to the Sow's Ear on the 1st and 3rd Fridays, my house on the 2nd Friday and a local coffee shop on the last Saturday of the month. I can't begin to describe how much this group of ladies means to me. Each one is like a family member I got to choose for myself. Sisters In Yarn we are!

Saturday I'm going to lunch with a friend I haven't seen in ages. She's another one of those people. You know the ones you don't see forever and then you get together and pick up right where you left off with nary a glitch.

And I get to go back to the farm on Sunday. I haven't worked a shift since Jan 22nd and I miss caring for my feather and fur buddies terribly. I did go out last Saturday to watch a horse training but the time had apparently been changed and so I found myself alone. I got to say 'hi' to everybody and get some skritches and snorgles in. That helped some but I need to get back to toting that bale...literally.

So my derailed life is slowly getting underway and back to normal...or as normal as it gets for me. How are you guys doing?

A Quick Hello

2012-02-02T18:50:00.001-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I've been out of commission for the last week or so (8 days now, but who's counting) and believe me, you wouldn't have wanted to hear what I had to say about those last eight days, let alone see photographic evidence! I'm starting to come around now so I whipped up a recipe for supper that has been floating around 'Pinterest' for a while now; Sweet and Spicy chicken. This is the second time I've made it. It's wicked simple and uber tasty and holds lots of possibilities; salad topper, in a taco shell with all the usual taco stuff, with rice and veggie as an Asian style meal or with potato and veggies and a weekday supper. I put the recipe with pictures over on my recipe site-Molly Bee's Kitchen.

I did get a bit of knitting done during my confinement. I finished one Finorkin' FiddleHead Mitten. Be kind... it will look better after it's blocked.

and am on the thumb of the second.

See the problem? I have quite a bit of thumb left and only that little-bitty ball of light grey yarn left. Will I make it? Oh the suspense! Come on people, this is ME we're talking about. I will have to search for and buy another entire skein of the same yarn in the same lot number because I will be short about a 6"piece! Maybe even less....I'll probably make the last stitch and not have enough to weave in! You'll be seeing some fancy spit-splicing then if that's the case, lemmetellya!

I've also been picking away at the cable sweater. It's slow going. And Jen and I are doing a crocheted sheep knit along. Been doing a little drawing, but not much and lots of reading! I read 6 hardcovers last week! Lemme know if you need book recommendations because I read some stellar ones!

Anyway, that's all there is for now. I'm feeling better all the time so will try and update more often. What have YOU guys been up to?

******************************************************************

(Later)
Such a lot of fuss over nothing! I had plenty of ash colored yarn left over!

The Agony Goes On.....The Finorkin Fiddlehead Fiasco

2012-01-23T08:50:00.001-06:00

It's bad, People. It's very, very bad. As you recall, I knit half a Fiddlehead Mitten (heretofore known as 'The Finorkin Fiddlehead Mittens') and decided that I needed to go up a needle size. I did and was very pleased with the results. I knit the blue. Groovy. I even started to like the icord cast on. Then I knit the teal...Oooo! Nice transition. Then I got to the sea glass green and the thumb and all of that jazz. Still going really well... I switched to the purple heather....hmmmm, not wild about that but I'll keep going....Then I got to the fifth color, a darker purple, and knit all the way to the top decrease and look what happened.

#1. There are two colors of purple there and even though they don't look like it on the skein, they are too close in color to tell apart when knit side by side.
#2. All the blues together and then the purples looks ok when I laid the skeins out, but clearly it is too dorky to live in reality.

So....sigh....look away, People. You know what happens next. I'm frogging the whole thing AGAIN and will rearrage the contrasting colors so it is Navy, Heather Purple, Teal, Dark Plum then Sea Green on the finger tips. The only thing I'm debating now is whether to keep the ash gray as the main color or use the darker colors as the main color and the grey as the fiddle heads design? Anyone want to weigh in? I have absolutely no faith in my ability to put colors together now. But at least I'm getting my money's worth/ 'enjoyment' out of the pattern and yarn, no? Aren't Knit-Alongs fun, Nanc?

The Agony of Defeat Or In This Case...Da Hands

2012-01-17T11:08:00.000-06:00

So Miss Nancy and I started our Fiddlehead Mitten Knit Along on Saturday last. I had a devil of a time getting the i-cord cast on even enough for my liking and then I started to put the thumb gusset on BOTH sides of the palm before I stopped myself after five rows, but otherwise the pattern was pretty straight forward. I am almost through the gusset. In fact I'm this far:

Don't know why that's upside down and I don't really care... because as of tonight...it's all coming out! We talked about it this morning and both of us feel that since our stranded knitting is pretty tight, we'd better frog the whole works and go up a needle size or too-particularly since there is a liner mitten that has to go in there too. The plan is to go up two needles sizes on the outer, stranded, mitten but drop back, either one or two sizes down, for the inner liner which isn't stranded and therefore should be knit a bit looser. It's a good plan, but after ripping out a huge chunk of sweater front out on Friday, ditching another two nights of work gives me a little heartburn. But at least I'm not alone! The joy of a Knit Along, eh Nanc!?! Rip it, Sistah! Rip it!

Relaxing Weekend

2012-01-15T21:43:00.002-06:00

We had a pretty relaxing weekend around here for a change. It was finally sunny again.

My Knit Sisters came over on Friday night. We watched a Harry Potter movie, had warm apple dumplings and they commiserated with me about having to rip out 6 inches of the sweater front I was almost finished with. Le sigh.

Saturday I did some spiffin' up in the nest which included cleaning out my bookshelves. Two huge bags are out the door! A bag of knitting ones for the Knit Sisters and a bag of cookbooks for St. Vinnies! Ahhh... space! My place will never be Zen, but I don't want it to turn into an episode of Hoarders either!

I also started the Fiddlehead Mitten KAL with Nancy. I haven't done i-cord cast on before and I love the way it looks but it took a bit for it to click for me. But I've finally got one mitten on and about 8 rows of the palm!

Today I had a barn shift. It was nice to see the gang again. Colder than heck though. Took a while for Anna to get up and going. She was so asleep when I got there that she was groggy for quite a few minutes; yawning and blinking. It was so cute. The pigs surprised us by not running from their stall out to the pen like they always do. Maxine stopped to dine on some duck food on the way out of the barn and Beatrice started down the back path for Verona before we enticed her back with some sweet feed. They must not have been too hungry this morning because usually all you can see is piggy butts bouncing straight for the troth, be it in the barn or in their pen. Toby is growing and we had a snuggle session that included a surprise French kiss. I've always allowed that I didn't like beef tongue on principle but it wasn't that bad. (I'm joking. It was GROSS!)

I was so cold when I got home that I warmed up with a shower,fleece jammies and hot tea and Big Doggie B and I sat around, watched movies and relaxed.

And now he wants to know....

"How was your weekend?"

Fiddlehead Mittens Knit Along

2012-01-12T08:33:00.000-06:00

Nancy, a friend of mine from back in the day in Maine, and I are embarking on a Fiddlehead Mittens Knit Along on Saturday. I haven't looked forward to a knitting project so much in quite a while. Nanc is taking a class at her local yarn store and sent me an email wishing that I still lived in Maine so I could go with her. I told her that I have had the pattern forever and would love to knit it along with her as she takes her classes. We'll chat about it and send progress photos online. I've never done i-cord cast on so I may even learn something! (Won't Nancy's knitting teacher be surprised when she has to conferences me in by iPhone because I have questions! )

Here is my yarn:

The ash grey is the background color the 5 skeins on the bottom are the accent colors and the two balls of purple are 100% baby alpaca for the lining. Sah-weet!

The Countdown has begun!

The Power Of Positive Delusional Thinking

2012-01-10T08:25:00.000-06:00

So I went to the filling station this morning to get a cup of coffee. I do this a couple of times a week. They rotate flavors through but I almost always get hazelnut. For the last month or so though, there has been a wee sign on the hazelnut carafe that says try 'French Toast Muffin' . I did and I LOVE it. It's very unique- way different than my normal hazelnut. Sweet somehow. You can really taste the maple overtones. It quickly became my new favorite. Today when I bought some, I used the last of the carafe so the following conversation with the Filling Station Lady ensued:

ME: I just maxed out your French Toast Muffin coffee.
FSL: What?
ME: I just used the last of the French Toast Muffin coffee.
FSL: (blank look)
ME: I just took the last cup of French Toast Muffin coffee (pointing to the carafe).
FSL: Oh! You mean hazelnut!
ME: (patiently) No, it's in the hazelnut carafe, but it says French Toast Muffin.
FLS: No, the coffee is hazelnut, the sign is just to get you to try one of our new French Toast Muffins.
ME: (Stunned silence)

That's right, People. I had been drinking my same old hazelnut for a month now thinking it was something brand new and exciting. There's a lesson in there somewhere but I don't have time to learn it. I have to figure out a way to invent my beloved, though imaginary, French Toast Muffin coffee!

Wild and Wooly Weekend

2012-01-08T18:12:00.002-06:00

No farming this weekend. I was supposed to attend a horse class on Saturday afternoon but was ill and couldn't go so I haven't seen any of my babies since last Wed. and won't see them 'til THIS Wednesday! It's still been a pretty full weekend even with not feeling well.

I went to the dentist on Friday. I woke up Christmas morning missing a chunk of my bottom, front tooth. I'd already chipped the other one. I blame Santa. After eating all of those cookies year after year, his own chompers must be falling out by now. But to steal them while you sleep seems a little extreme. In cahoots with the Tooth Fairy no doubt. So I went in and endured the 'all I want for Christmas is your two front teeth' jokes and got them fixed. $149!

Then I took Ben to the vet to get his nails trimmed and have someone look at his boo-boo ear. He is prone to ear infections in his left ear because of the way it's designed-not a lot of air circulates in there and it stays moist. He has a lulu this time. $149! I was beginning to think it was a conspiracy!

I went to Knit Night for a bit in the evening. My girls always make everything all better. That and the peppermint hot chocolate. I've picked up this sweater again and am making good progress. See! there HAS been knitting!

And I'm also looking forward to having a Fiddlehead Mitten Knit Along with my bud, Nancy, back in Maine. She's taking a class at her local yarn store and I've been wanting to knit them forever so we'll do it together over cyberspace! I am lining mine with 100% baby alpaca! SOFT!!!!

Saturday I was pretty much down for the count but felt better enough this morning to get up and go to early breakfast with friends, Scott and Michael. We went to a new restaurant called The Egg and I and it's pretty yummy. I love hanging with Scott and Michael. Lots of laughter mixed with soul searching.

As you know all dogs on the planet belong to me. I just keep them different places. Scott and Michael have my golden-doodle, Duchess, and take excellent care of her. She was along for the ride this morning so I go snorgles and snogs and she also gave me a belated Christmas gift.

Purple elf shelf sitters! Aren't they adorable? She has excellent taste, no?

This week brings Knitter's Guild, farming, shoe shopping and carpet cleaning. Who could ask for anything more? Have a good week everybody!

The Great Goat Rodeo

2012-01-04T21:53:00.003-06:00

Since it was Wednesday night, to the barn I took flight,
To do chores in this cold winter season.
Tonight there was a note, said, 'Put coats on the goats,
To keep cute, fuzzy butts from a'freezin.'

How hard could it be? There were just two, not three,
That didn't have coats on already.
The coats had some straps and went over their backs.
We just had to hold them real steady.

It seemed easy enough, for these two were not gruff.
The task should go smoother than butter.
And the goats were both Billies so the belt for their bellies
Wouldn't get all hung up on an udder.

But the two it turns out, had heads filled with doubt
'Bout the statement they'd make, so important,
To the llamas and mare and the other folks there,
Should bright-hued winter coats, they be sportin'.

So they dodged and they weaved, on the run they believed
From our efforts to wrap up their torsos.
But they were so wrong, because even head strong,
WE were determined and more so.

We flung out the clothes, o're their backs, where they'd go
Trying to cinch round their tummies with Velcro.
It required some skill and a great deal of will
And the wrestling moves of a Sumo.

But finally we won, the enrobing was done.
Each boy snuggly-warm like the others.
But next time there's a note about dressing a goat,
I'll decline it if I have my druthers.

Heartland Farms 2011 Recap Video

2012-01-03T08:39:00.000-06:00

As you all know from my yammering since July, Heartland Farm has become one of my favorite places to be. The setting, the animals, the people, the work they do...all very soul restoring. They have put together a heartwarming video of the highlights of 2011. I encourage you to click on the link and watch it. It's about 4 minutes long. Please consider Heartland when you make your charitable contributions for 2012 so that they can continue this amazing work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7SCPcNrFPY

Born To Run

2012-01-01T18:45:00.000-06:00

This morning at the farm, we took Anna and Cherish down to the big back pasture for the first time. They had previously been in a small yard off the side of the barn that would shelter them a little better and confine them a bit while they healed and gained strength. It was a chore getting Anna, the mule, down to the new pasture. Sarah, the barn manager, led her, but as you can imagine Anna was more than a little scared and all kinds of excited to be in a new place and took poor Sarah 'off-roading' a couple of times before she finally went through the pasture gate. Cherish, the horse, is much more subdued than Anna. She's had a longer journey to get back to 'healthy' . But even she stopped in her tracks a couple of times at the prospect of all of that wide open space, and had to be persuaded to move forward. Once she got through the gate and saw all of the field grass she commenced munching and was happy as a clam to just amble about sampling the different plants.

Anna, however, was ecstatic. She ran in big circles in the pasture, kicking up her heels and trying to entice Cherish to play with her. [This involved Anna charging Cherish and nipping her butt. Cherish would just give her a 'For-the-love-of-G*d-Anna-can't-you-see-all-of-this-grass-I-have-to-eat? I'm-busy! Bug-off!' look and resume perusing the buffet. ]Then Anna would come back to the gate and stand in front of us for a minute as if to say, 'Did you SEE how fast I was going?!' Then she's take off again for another lap around the field.

After being neglected and keep in a too small enclosure, having untrimmed hooves that prevented her from even walking properly and then confined for health recovery, this was the first time in her life (she's about a year old) that she was allowed to run! The absolute JOY was written on every part of her. Brought tears to my eyes. I can't think of a more significant way to begin 2012. May all of us find the simple things that give us unrestrained joy in the New Year!

Anna and Cherish Update

2011-12-30T10:34:00.000-06:00

Hold on to your hats, People! One of my New Year's Resolutions is to be back in the saddle with blog posting!

Today's entry is a little update on Cherish and Anna. These two came to us suffering from SEVERE neglect. Cherish, the horse, had broken her hip and been discarded and nearly starved to death. Anna the mule was also starving, on top of being kept in a too small enclosure that wasn't tall enough for her to fully lift her head . She had never had her hooves trimmed so they laid out on the ground in front of her feet about 8-6 inches, impeding her ability to walk correctly. They were both covered with sores and infested with parasites. They were both about as big a train wreck as you could get and still be alive. But look at them now!

Anna's hooves were trimmed back much more quickly that was originally thought possible and her legs are getting stronger every day. After slowly being reintroduced to food, they both have gained weight and have been given the meds they need for parasites and pain.

You looking at me??!?!?

You looking at ME!!!!!???

I think Anna looks just like a female moose in the face. But she is 100% mule and then some lemme tell ya! She's the epitome of stubborn and not above kicking and biting to get what she wants. In fact, in my experience, she would just as soon bite you as look at you if you are just standing in her general vicinity, but if you give her an apple slice, you can put your whole arm in her mouth up to your shoulder and she does this 'rubber lip' thing like she would never dream of biting you. After starving for so long, both girls are VERY food oriented. It's not that Anna's mean. She's just a mule. And if I had been through what she's been through, I'd be standing up for myself too! You just have to care for her with that understanding or you could end up getting hurt. Hopefully as she continues to learn about the people who care for her and trust us more, she will calm down a bit.

Cherish's pretty blond mane was originally braided to keep it out of the open wounds on her neck but I think it's a good look for her! She still has a significant amount of rain rot, which is a fungal skin infection from not being kept dry, but it's slowly clearing up . She is a beautiful girl; very gentle and loving.

I so admire this pair. They embody the true meaning of survival. They are the essence of what Heartland Farm Sanctuary is all about !

The Great Possum Debaucle of 2011

2011-12-29T09:12:00.001-06:00

I got to the barn last night and went in the water room to check on the cat, Miss Leroy, first. I worry about her; she's such a sweety but is deaf and getting up in years so I always pop my head in her 'bedroom' and make sure she's OK. She was there alright. She was cuddled in her open cat bed on the work bench...right beside her enclosed cat bed which contained... a possum! He was all snuggled down in the assorted blankets that are stuffed in there, toasty as could be. They both blinked at me grumpily in the glare of the bare, overhead bulb, no doubt trying to telepathically tell me to turn the light back off so they could get back to their slumber party.

I am one of those rare folks who thinks possums are finorkin' adorable. They can't help it that their tails look like that. I went and got a cat crate and put it gently up to the opening of the enclosed cat bed and tried to entice the possum into the carrier by crooning compliments about how cute he was and how I wasn't going to hurt him. He immediately put his wrist dramatically to his forehead, swooned, whirled twice, eyes rolling back into his head, and collapsed into a heap in the blankets, playing dead (or 'playing possum' ...if you will). If you have never seen this, I strongly encourage you to go scare the crap out of one and watch. It's hilarious!

ME: Come on Mr. Possum, get in the cat carrier so I can take you outside and set you free.
POSSUM: No. I'm obviously dead. Have a little respect.
ME: Come on now, you can't stay in here. Other people aren't so accepting of your kind.
POSSUM: Nope. Still dead. Besides it's cold out there.
ME (changing tactics): Get in the cat carrier or there will be a rake or other farm implement involved!
POSSUM: Move along. Nothin' to see here.

And the EMMY goes to...! He even had his little mouth partially open, drooling. Clearly he had played this gig before. I finally fixed his little, red wagon by tipping the entire cat bed up on it's end, thus sliding him to the bottom, threw a towel over the opening so he couldn't attempt any Vampire Possum shenanigans and lugged the whole works down to the compost heap.

The way things go in my head and the way they go in real life rarely match up. I set the carrier down with visions of him taking one sniff of all that garbagy goodness and scampering happily away. Not so much. The lure of the crocheted woobies and other assorted, soft, blankets in the warm, enclosed cat box was too strong. He wouldn't budge. Still dead. So I unceremoniously dumped his fuzzy butt out. The 'Thank-you-kind-lady-for-not-impaling-me-with-a-hoe-and-instead-setting-me-free-to-continue-my-wonderful-little-critter-life' moment I anticipated didn't happen. What I actually got was a 'Seriously? Sheesh-lady-we're-only-40-yards-from-the-barn-like-I-can't-find-my-way-right-back-in-there-the-nanosecond-you-leave' look before he bumbled, huffily off.

So... in review...Awesome Possum? Lost 'im! Possumectomy successful! I now I can add 'Marsupial Removal Specialist' to my resume of oddities!

Note: No possums were harmed in the making of this blog entry.

Thor: Overseeer of All

2011-12-27T12:33:00.000-06:00

Yowza! How 'bout them holidays, huh? I haven't posted in...like... forever it seems. Nothing outstandingly exceptional happening, just lots of little stuff. I took some pics for you.
Now that the girls have opened them, I can show you the headbands I knit them for Christmas.

Their high school colors are orange white, and black I think. And now I've dug out the Irish Cable (Alice Starmore-St Enda) sweater I've been working on for two years and am determined to finish it before St. Valentines Day. So SEE! There HAS been knitting!

I've also been drawing since another goal is to have my Etsy Shop up and running in the next couple of weeks or so. Here is the piece I did last weekend:

11x17

But I will be concentrating mostly on the more saleable bags, note cards, bookmarks and jewelry on my shop site. Maybe I will add prints of the larger pieces once I figure out how to do that.

Glass Pendants

I worked every day of my Christmas break at the farm since I couldn't get home to Maine this year and volunteers who live around here have families and stuff.

It wasn't hard to go every day since Santa brought us this little present. This is 4 week old Tobias Valentino (Valentino for the heart on the top of his head and forehead.) He had a rope halter put on when he was very small and then not removed as he grew so it cut into his skin. That's what the scar is about between his eyes. He eats from a huge baby bottle and loves to jump around and play. Then when he gets tired, he snuggles and suckles and kisses. What a sweetie! Nope it wasn't hard to go in at all...in fact, it was difficult to leave him.

I was putting feed hay out in the back enclosure so that I could let the llamas outside on Sunday. There is no grass in the pasture now that it's winter so we put 3-4 pats out and scatter it around for them. I felt like I was being watched. There is a hunter guy that roams the fields a lot and I thought it was him...I looked all around and nothing....and yet....I still had that weird feeling. It wasn't until I finished with the hay, was brushing off my jacket and turning to go inside that I realized who my supervisor was;Thor...watching me from the plastic- covered, barn window to make sure I got every last piece of hay off my jacket and into his pasture for him to eat. All I could think of was that 'Weet, weet, weet' suspenseful sound/music things that they put in movies. You know...like when you're going to get stabbed while you're in the shower....

WEET!

WEET!!

WEET!!!

I hope you all had as wonderful, peaceful and gratitude-filled, Christmas break, as I did, and that you are looking forward to welcoming in 2012 next weekend! Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas! May The Force Be With You

2011-12-16T18:58:00.001-06:00

We are having a snowflake decorating thing going on at work. The first one I made was a seahorse. I saw one out on the web but didn't like the clunky seahorse design so I designed my own. Encouraged I made an octopus one...and mistakenly cut it's head off thus turning the hose on my desire to spend too much more time designing my own.

So I hauled these out. I have been holding on these templates because I absolutely abhor all things Star Wars (No offence George Lucas; it has absolutely nothing to do with you or your stories). A lot of my friends don't, feel similarly, I thought I'd make them for their amusement.

C3PO

Darth

Some Kinda Trooper-not Storm

Storm Troopers

I have no idea WTH this thing is!

YODA

Merry Christmas, you I wish!

Company Art Show

2011-12-12T15:01:00.000-06:00

Every December my company puts on an Employee art show. I put in several entries this year.

I put in 4 tote bags but only managed to get a picture of two.

A Tangled Lobster

The Tangled Cubes that friend Brian Stum framed for me. Did a great job didn't he?

He did these too. 9 tiles, cut apart and drawn in no particular order, and then reassembled.

Here's a little closer look. It was a fun surprise to see how it turned out when it was put back together!

And this is called "It's The Little Things" The entire thing is done with a small repetitive motif. Brian did the frame on this too. It won 3rd prize in the show!

Fly Away Home

2011-12-06T09:13:00.000-06:00

This guy lives in the prairie across the street. For the past three years I have been trying to get a decent picture of him...any picture of him really. I usually see him when I am walking Ben and don't have my camera. The following pictures are blurry and awful but they ARE pictures...and you can see his beautiful markings...

Tree top sentinel

Fly away!

Beautiful markings

(Insert theme to "Top Gun' here!)

Chrismas Season Has Begun!

2011-12-05T13:10:00.002-06:00

The Christmas Season kicked off in a big way this week. My cards were done, most of my shopping is done, now is the time to enjoy all that the holiday has to offer. On Saturday night I got all tarted up and we went to the Promega Christmas Party:

We had a lovely dinner, played blackjack and listened to music until Midnight. Didn't win any 'major awards' but has a wonderful time. Steve is such a sweet guy. Handsome too! Winning!

Sunday afternoon was time for my favorite Midwest holiday tradition....Caroling in the Caves at Mt. Horeb's Cave of the Mounds. There's seating for about 50 people per concert inside the first cavern of the cave. This year they put candles everywhere. It was really beautiful and the acoustics are amazing.

Beautiful light in the darkness...

Reminds me of religious grotto's I've visited.

Candles and Christmas lights up the stairs

The singers stand on the stairs. This year's group was 'Tangled Up In Blue' a women's a capella band from the UW. They only sang 2 Christmas songs, but all of the other songs they sang were so beautiful, I didn't mind. Those little ladies have some pipes, that's for sure!

Hard to believe all of that was going on under this pastoral scene no?

I hope you all take time to do things during the next few busy weeks that make you happy !

Happy Christmas Season All!

How to Photograph a Llama

2011-11-26T11:36:00.002-06:00

I think llamas are beautiful mystical creatures.They are a study in opposites. They look so delicate but are really sturdy. They look friendly at a distance but are really shy and stand-off-ish. That said, they put aside their demure, retiring attitudes when the cameras come out apparently. Llamas, at least some llamas, are media hams...

Hey there Thor and Mick. You boys are looking particularly handsome today!

Mick, since you're already standing up,

do you mind if I take your picture?

Just hold still for a minute...

Oh. OK. I guess a little closer wouldn't hurt .

That's good...now just stand still.

Uh, now you're getting a little too close there, Mick.

Can you please back it up just a bit?

Uh, Mick...which part of stand still don't you understand?

Oh probably you don't speak English, being from South

America and all. How do you say 'stand still' in Spanish?

OK-Now we have to have a serious talk about personal
space and boundary issues, Mick. Plus you need a tissue.

No, you can't see me by looking in the lense.

You do have beautiful eyes though.

Back up now....that's it, that's a little better.

Don't you want the ladies to see what a handsome boy you are?

I thought so. You're a rock star, Mick!

Thanksgiving With A Twist!

2011-11-24T12:16:00.000-06:00

Had another first to mark off my life list today: prepared Thanksgiving dinner for the turkeys at the barn. That's right. Thanksgiving FOR the turkeys! I was surprised at how like a human Thanksgiving it was...

The feast was prepared by cutting up acorn squash and filled them with yummy things like pumpkin puree, cranberry sauce, string beans and grapes. The dishes were arranged on a linened table. Pretty no?

The guests started to waddle in...

The guests of honor arrived. At first they were more interested in visiting with guests than eating.

Other guests started hovering around the table waiting for the feast to begin. Crazy Phil was particularly anxious to dig in!

Finally the feast began and guests started coming to the table.

Eddie prefers to be served rather than dine 'buffet-style'.

It's just not Thanksgiving until someone jumps directly on the table to eat the pie is it Rosie?!

Food coma commencing in 3...2...1...

Rosie takes care of the bill!

The best part of this feast was not having to wash the acorn squash dishes. Maxine and Beatrice were glad to do them for us!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL!

This One's for Dale Harriet: King's Landing Photos

2011-11-22T11:58:00.002-06:00

I've been promising these pictures for two months now! When I was home this summer, Mum and I popped across the border into New Brunswick and went to King's Landing Historical Settlement in Frederickton. This is a living working historical settlement composed of late 1700s to early 1800s homes and businesses that were moved from all over the province to this location on the bend of the beautiful St. John River. These pics aren't in order and I have so many it was hard to narrow them. But these are most representative.

Homestead on the banks of the river.

View across the village common.

Beautiful parlor set in one of the wealthier homes.

Peddler's Cart

Rug hooking frame set up in a small bedroom

The Saw Mill.

One room schoolhouse

Spinning wheel in the kitchen

Grant's General Store (Grant was my maiden name)

Piggies (have to have animals in every post! )

Horse drawn hearse at the livery. It could be outfitted with wheels or skis for winter.

Spinning wheel in a beautifully outfitted bedroom. Embroidered sampler on the wall.

Pantry filled with crockery

Horse trough in front of the store.

Almost all homes cook on a hearth. No stoves to speak of-even wood stoves.

Village Geese

Glen, the handsome, blue-eyed cart driver. You can walk all the way down
the other end of the village and he'll give you a lift back.

It's such an idyllic place and every time I go, I like to think that I could live comfortable there. I've honed quite a few post-apocalyptic skill and all of the homes look so cozy and inviting. Maybe Glen needs a bride?
Hope you enjoyed the pic, DH!

Diva Challenge # 48: Red Thread Challenge

2011-11-22T09:11:00.000-06:00

This week's Diva Challenge was to tangle around a red line.

It was fun to add a little splash of color! It kind of looks like it was corrected after the fact. LOL!

Diva's Weekly Challenge # 48: Tri-Shapes

2011-11-14T20:53:00.000-06:00

The challenge this week over on The Diva's site was to tangle a square, circle, triangle combination. Here is my line:

And here is my finished tangle.

An additional part of the challenge was to use tangles you've never used before. I have a ton of them so it was fun to choose which ones to incorporate. Thanks again Diva for the wonderful challenge!

Crockpot Apple Bread Pudding

2011-11-13T19:27:00.000-06:00

Cut 8 slices of bread (I used home made bread-don't use Wonder bread type loafs) into cubes and mix in a large bowl with 1 stick melted butter, 1 c. packed brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and a dash of salt until thoroughly coated. (Can also add 1/2 c of raisins and/or nuts if desired). It will look like this.

Peel and dice 4 medium sized apples-the juicier the better. I used Honey Crisp.

Layer in the crock pot as follows : apples, bread, apples, bread, apples (layers will be thinnish).

Let her rip on high until the apples are done to your liking. I like mine fairly soft so I let it go 2 and a half hours or so. I checked it every 30 minutes. I even gave it a couple of stirs in there somewhere.

Oooh ya baby! Ooey gooey good!

It would be great warm with ice cream or:

Whipped cream!
Bonus: It smells heavenly cooking! Enjoy!

Diva Challenge # 47: Lest We Forget...

2011-11-09T08:37:00.000-06:00

I was kind of disappointed that I wouldn't be able to do the Diva's Challenge this week. It's a poignant one about Canada's Remembrance Day and our Veteran's Day. She has Flander's Field posted which explains the significance of the vets handing out red poppies. Lovely challenge, stressing remembering not only our warriors but friends and family that are no longer here and working the poppy into the piece....But I really wanted to get the test for the warm colored 'motes' done to see if it would be OK for the upcoming art show and time was running short. So I forged ahead on the 'Motes' piece but specifically set the time aside for memories....

I reminisced about my Dad, my grandparents, childhood pets, and friends who were taken away too soon. When I finished I realized...

The poppies were there all along.

Remember your loved ones and smile and celebrate the family and friends that are with you now. Tell them that you love them often because things can change in a heartbeat. Thanks for the wonderful challenge, Diva!

Diva Contest

2011-11-08T08:43:00.000-06:00

The Diva extraordinaire is sponsoring a contest over on her site to celebrate 200,000 hits. The link here will lead you to her awesome site and detail what you have to do to enter the drawing for amazing prize packages. What are you waiting for?!?!?! Go!!!

My 'Nzepple Period'

2011-11-07T19:27:00.001-06:00

I've been working on this piece for a couple of weeks for the art show at work. I call it 'It's The Little Things' because the entire piece is made up from one little, repeating motif called 'Nzepple' which is a repeating triangle with a bean shape in it. Yesterday while I was scooping up llama poo, I was struck by the fact that the little llama pellets look just like the bean shape in the triangles. Maybe I should have called it 'It's The Little Llama Things'?

The sheet of paper is 19 x 24. I gridded it out into 1/2 inch squares in Sharpie pen.

Then I drew an 'X' in each square and drew the bean shape inside each one.

Once I did that I started outlining circles and coloring them in in my favorite 'melted peacock' color palette.

Circles on top of circles...

Circles over circles. Just lots and lots of circles.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. It kind of looks 3-D in person and the photos don't do the colors justice. My friend Brian, framer extraordinaire, is picking it up tomorrow to frame it for the art show. My new idea is to do the same thing, only in reds, oranges and yellows and them fill the background in black. I'll do a small test piece first rather than a big one like this. My next one after that will be curving the grid lines and warping the design around. I've got a million ideas. The possibilities are endless. I may never draw anything other than Nzepple again! Guess I'm going through my Nzepple period! At least my 'Lobster Period' is all over!

BOO! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2011-10-31T08:21:00.002-05:00

Serendipity! I created this tote bag for a lady and then today The Diva called for Halloween-themed tangles! (Challend # 46: All Hallow's Eve).

Trick or Treat!

I've Apparently Only Scratched The Surface

2011-10-28T18:19:00.001-05:00

I've had one of those weeks. I was driving to a doctor appt this afternoon, feeling world weary and jaded. Wondering that the point of everything was. Feeling like I'd seen it all... and then I saw this!

(Click to biggify, you won't be sorry!)

Yup! Those are all glued on there.

Love the water ripples painted on!

Are the boots sitting next to the car not the piece de resistance? A+ for attention to detail!

And they say G*d doesn't listen. This is a clear message that I haven't seen it all. I've only scratched the surface!

Farm Photos

2011-10-27T10:10:00.002-05:00

I have more bag and pumpkin photos to post, but I thought I'd break it up a bit today and show you pics of my two favorite boys at the Farm:. I didn't take these picture which is why they are so good. They are from the farms Facebook site. I encourage you to click on them to biggify.

This is Sonny. Lore has it that the entire sanctuary started with Sonny. The owner got him when he was a chick and raised him in her house. He is quite the people person, in that he LOVES people AND he thinks he IS one. He follows us all around the barn and loves to be picked up, cuddled and talked to. I never thought much about barnyard birds until I met Sonny and realized that they all have their own, distinct personalities. Sonny was my main man until very recently when I found my snuggles and attention divided between him and ...

PHIL! Phil was an urban chicken who was supposed to be a girl (hence his name "Phyllis Diller"). The family he was with treated him like a pet and cuddled him a lot. They were very sad when he grew up to be a rooster which the city ordinance prohibits-hens only in town for noise reasons. So Phil came to live at the farm. He loves snuggles even more than Sonny (although Sonny gets wicked jealous when I'm holding Phil so he stomps around all puffed up and pouty until it's his turn).

I love these two pics of Phil. He stands up as tall as he can to 'talk' to people, then settles back down a little more 'lump-like' when he's chillin'. He reminds me of the Snerfs on the Muppets. (Kudo's to you if you know what that means before you click on the link and watch the video.) Phil likes it when I sit on the steps with him in my arms and rock him in my arms. He tucks his head down the the crook of my elbow and drifts off to sleep. What a cutie.

Phil and Sonny are such social creatures that they have been chosen, along with Clark and Diana, the mini goats, to be sanctuary ambassadors at the Children's Museum on November 5th from 1-3PM. Stop on by and meet my little buddies! We'd all love to see you!

Diva Challenge 45-Punzel

2011-10-24T22:09:00.001-05:00

Two entries in one night. Here is my Diva Challenge for this week:

The challenge was to use a new pattern called Punzel. It's braidy ribbon thing in the middle. This challenge was a real challenge for me. I couldn't keep track of my ribbons! I'll have to practice a bit more on that one!

Wild Weekend

2011-10-24T18:44:00.001-05:00

Friday night was Knit Night at the Sow's Ear. I am knitting and have been knitting but not posting about it because Hristmas-cay Is-ay Oming-cay. Shhhhh! The Naughty Girls' ranks were down but we rallied the best we could- telling dirty jokes and irritating the others around us. Business as usual but it just wasn't the same. Jen and Bethie were sorely missed!

Saturday morning found me out at the farm loading the Nigerian Dwarf goats into the back of a pickup truck to take to Mounds Pet Food Warehouse to promote Heartland's upcoming Barn Dance. Diana is about 50 # and jumps into the back of the truck easily. If not, I don't have much problem lifting her. Clark who is somewhere between 70# and 80#...not so much. It was all I could do to lift him onto the tailgate-both coming and going. It wasn't pleasant for him or me. Note to self: build ramp.

Sarah bravely drove the goat-laden truck over to Mounds and we set up shop inside the store from 10AM-1PM. The kids went crazy for Clark and Diana. That's always a given. What I didn't expect is how nuts the adults went over them...and the dogs! The adults turned into mush, baby-talked, scritched ears and made kissy faces at them. And I thought we would spend all morning comforting quaking goats; imagining dogs growling and lunging at them, but it was the opposite. The dogs wagged and sniffed and kissed them. Clark and Diana sucked up the love and returned it with sniffs, kisses and gentle headbutts of their own. It was so much fun even though I spent most of the morning picking up goat poo and mopping spilled water and potty accidents. Next up we're taking them to the Children's Museum downtown on November 5th. And Sonny and Phil, my two favorite roosters are tagging along too! I can't wait. Life is a zoo, you might as well provide your own animals for entertainment!

Saturday night, I was supposed to go to a corn maze after dark with a bunch of friends but didn't get to go. I totally forgot I promised my neighbor that her golden retriever could come over for a doggie slumber party as a trial run for when he stays with us over Thanksgiving weekend. It's probably for the best. I'd probably still be in the maze yelling 'MARCO' over and over; never hearing 'POLO' and never to be seen again until the corn died completely away at the end of the month.

Ben largely ignored my neighbor's dog once he discovered that Brett was so submissive that he wouldn't play tug-of-war with him. If Brett had the toy and Ben picked up the other end, Brett immediately dropped his end and rolled over. Ben kept running over to him with a toy in his mouth but couldn't convince Brett to take the other end no matter what he did. Finally he gave up and just let him be. Brett curled up with me all evening and then slept with me on the bed. Ben slept in the living room. Nothing like when Brinkley comes to visit and they both play together and then spoon in on my bed while they rest up. But at least they didn't hate each other so Thanksgiving ought to go just fine.

Got cow? Come and play with mine, Brett!

Sheesh! Is he a downer, or what?! I wish Brinkley was here!

Sunday, more farming and I worked on a tote bag commission and got sucked into a 'Real Housewives of LA' marathon on Bravo. It was mostly a Kyle/Kim Richards fest. I had such fond memories of Kim in the Witch Mountain movies. Yeah. Those memories are gone now, replaced with the image of her as a burnt out meth addict. Thanks Bravo. Someone please shoot me if I watch 'reality' TV again!

Anyway, here's the commissioned tote:

The customer wanted a tote for her mother who likes Scrabble, baking, books, family, cardinals and quilts. Can you find all of them on there? (Click to biggify.) It was fun to do, but I was a little leery with the finished product because I don't normally draw 'things' just patterns and stuff. I gave it to her today and she seemed pleased with it.

Here is the other one that I promised to post once the owner had it in her hands. Dale's husband, Paul came to the Sow's Ear Show and wanted me to make Dale a wallet size bag with a cat theme.

FRONT

BACK

She seemed to like it when she got it on Friday night. Now I only have four more commissions left to work through. Hopefully I can get two done this week since one of them is another wallet sized one. I don't know why I think it is quicker to do those because they are smaller. Since they are the only bags that are doodled on both sides, they are as large, drawing space wise, as a 3 pocket bag, or 1/2 of the largest tote I do.

On Sunday I go to the Sow's Ear to pick up my remaining inventory. The owner has another show coming in in November so I'll bring my stuff home and set up my Etsy shop. For those of you who aren't in the Madison area and have asked for a bag, the shop should be live by Wednesday of next week. I'll post when it's up and running.

Speaking of running, I'm off to do more doodling! Later!

It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

2011-10-21T11:18:00.000-05:00

So the MollyDoodles Tote Bag Show is over and you thought I'd stop talking about them finally didn't you? That's one of the things I love most about you; your Charlie Brown 'please-let-me-kick-the-football-again' positive attitude. Nay I tell you! It's still all totes all the time at Chez Bee! Now I'm working on the custom orders that I got after the show!

Here is one I finished last night for Brenda. She took pics of several bags and pointed out the aspects she liked most about each bag and then asked me to combine them on a 3-pocket model. The pic looks kind of yellow because I took it right after I finished it in the dark at middle-of-the-night o'clock. But if you click on it to biggify, you can see the details.

I finished another one on Monday night but can't post a pic of that one until the owner sees it. It's a wallet size one with a specific theme. So guess what? Probably another tote bag entry tomorrow!*

*Several of you have expressed a wish that I update my blog more often. Pretty food example of the 'be careful what you wish for' rule, eh?!

I'd Like to Thank The Academy!

2011-10-20T14:26:00.002-05:00

Renee Anne over at Confessions Of A Yarn Addict bestowed the above award on me this week. (Check out HER blog! It's got everything; yarn, babies and great narrative!) Squeee! As a blogger I love comments and recognition and this one is really cool...the deal is that by accepting the award I must:

1. Thank the blogger who presented it to me and link back to their page. (Thank You Renee Anne!)

2. Share 7 things about myself.

3. Pass this award to 15 newly discovered blogs.

OK, # 1 was a cake walk. #2. Not so much. I'm all about the sharing so ya'll know all of my deep dark secrets already. Telling you 7 things you don't already know may be tough, but I'll give it a shot...

1. I bonked my head hard at the farm last night and literally saw stars. See! You didn't know THAT because it just happened. I misjudged my staggering height (5'2") and stood up quickly in the chicken coop, which I had just crawled into on my knees. Apparently, I'm not particularly bright, and now I'm really not because of the brain damage from a 2x4 rafter I connected with . So this incident provides you with a twofer here. Fact 1:She's not bright. Fact 2: AND she's clumsy!

2. I've been in accidents in just about every motor vehicle I've ever been on; motorcycle, snowmobile, ATV, car, moped. In most cases I wasn't driving either. I should just stick to walking, but, per factoid number 1, that hasn't proven to be a bulletproof safety plan either....especially walking the dog...in the winter.

3. When vacuuming, I've been known to pick the same piece of stubborn fluff off the carpet and put it back down up to 5 times to give to give the vacuum a another shot at it. It's only fair. That's its job and it shouldn't be put back in the closet feeling like a failure.

4. When I was younger, I hiked the tallest cliffs on the East Coast. It was a great joy to stand on the very edge of Monhegan Island and look doooowwnnnn at the churning sea. Now I get vertigo going up the backless stairs at work.

5. I don't know if this classifies as flighty or fickle or just simple ADHD, but if I'm drawing I want to knit. If I'm knitting, I want to spin. If I'm spinning, I want to make pine baskets. If I'm making baskets I want to bake. I'm always thinking about the NEXT thing. Except when I'm doing housework...then I consistently want to take a nap.

6. I sometimes pitch the business end of a hissy fit when I receive really bad customer service. Being in the customer service field for years, I know what is acceptable and what's not. My Hiss's fit will be professionally delivered , probably to the manager, but these situations are ones in which I consistently stand up for myself.

7. I recently discovered that there is an actual number dyslexia called 'Dyscalculia'. This explains a lot of my mathy problems over the years. I NEVER get a number right. If the number is 342, I might say/write it as 243 or 432. Telephone numbers, street addresses, zip codes-all a crap shoot. Accounting doesn't make sense to me at all. It's all number salad.

8. (Which explains why I am making a number 8 when there are only supposed to be 7 things.) I laugh in the face of rules!

And now for some new blogs that I have discovered and are worthy of this honor.

That Artist Woman (Beautiful Art)
Tracy's Culinary Adventures (Yummy recipes and lots of photos)
Celebrate Possibilities (Beautiful Art and Fun Things To Do)
The Intangible Blog (A completely hand drawn blog!)
The Barefoot Crofter (Knitting, Scotland)
Life On The Farm (Knitting, Farm Life, Great Writing)
Tangled Ink (Zentangle Goodness!)
Kass Hall (Artist, Writer, Photographer)
My Rainbow Elephant (Doodles, Sketches and Scribbles)
The Doodle Daily (Art)
When Did I Become a Knitter (Knitting, great writing)
At Home With Us (Knitting, Recipes, Farm)
Today I Am (Knitting, Family, Crafting)
Tangle With Me (Tangles)
My Life in a Maine Campground (Fiber crafts and Coastal Maine Life)

There you have it. Thanks again Renee Anne for the award and the fun blog pondering opportunity!

Diva Challenge # 44

2011-10-18T13:52:00.000-05:00

Not much time today but I wanted to try this week's Diva's 44th Challenge; to take one tangle and use it as a string and then completely fill it with a different tangle. I went fast, cheap and dirty and used HEARTY as my string and AAH as my fill. Simple and easy!

I've missed the last several challenges while I was getting ready for my show. It's good to get back in the saddle!

Today's Creation

2011-10-17T14:36:00.003-05:00

Actually last night's. I got orders for custom bags at the show but couldn't get started on them because I didn't have the bags themselves so I indulged in some good old fashioned doodling on paper for the first time in two months. Here's a scan of the piece I did. I like the concept of this, but there is something intrinsically wrong with it that I can't put finger on. The spacing of the magnifiers maybe? It's an 8x10 idea of something I'd like to do a lot larger but not if I can't figure out what's up with it.
Anyway, for better or worse....

Any suggestions greatly appreciated!

Sow's Ear Show

2011-10-16T17:20:00.000-05:00

First of all, thanks to everyone who came to the show on Friday Night. It was a huge success and I had an absolute blast seeing all of you. I've had several requests for photos from friends and family who couldn't be there. So here are the photos I took after I set up in the afternoon before the festivities began.

This is the front room where all of the large bags were displayed.

Here's a little better close-up of them

And another view

The medium and small bags as well as the door prizes were displayed in a smaller room in the back of the store. Here are the mediums.

A couple more mediums.

Another shot of the mediums

Only had three wallet sized ones

Here are the small ones and the door prizes: a doodled pumpkin, a small bag with sock yarn and needles and a doodled hat.

Here's a close up of the hat.

And some doodled necklaces.

The show went really well. I think the real drawing point was the free cake but I didn't get a shot of that. In the two hours I was there, we sold 1/2 of the things I brought in . The store displayed them prominently over the weekend, so I'm not sure how much more sold. But it was an absolute delight to work with The Sow's Ear and to see so many friends stop by. Best. Birthday. Ever!

Molly Doodles Tote Bags Gallery Show and Sale

2011-10-11T20:44:00.001-05:00

The big day is almost here! Friday is a big day for me. It's the reason I haven't been posting regularly and have spent every spare minute drawing. The Sow's Ear will be showing and selling my bags from 6-8 on Friday night! It's a big day for me because it's the culmination of a lot of long hours. And it's a big day for my friends and family because at long last I will stop yapping about it! But before I do, here's one more reminder

(Double click to biggify for the deets!)

I have over 40 bags, each a unique hand-drawing-not a screen print. Different sizes, colors and prices for all of your holiday shopping and knitting project needs! Here are a few examples.

Small gift bag-black and white'

Small gift bag-color

Medium 3 pocket knitting bag

Medium 3 pocket tote

Large tote-black and white

Large tote-color

I'll also have 30 doodle necklaces for sale:

And best of all...FREE CAKE! :-) Hope to see you there!

Up The River Without a Paddle

2011-10-09T18:31:00.002-05:00

I am happiest on a boat; speed boat, leaky dingy, rubber raft, doesn't matter. One of my very parts of summer is going for boat rides on Mattawakmeag Lake in Maine. This summer, my Uncle Donn took us up the lower lake and up into the river for a ride on a gorgeous day in September. (Double click on the pictures to biggify-it's worth it!)

Uncle Donn and his first mate, Aunt Marion

Top of the lake nearing the mouth of the river.

Just inside the mouth of the river.

I love the reflection in the still water.

River Bend

Double clouds-above and below

Wasp nest on the side of a tree right on the water.

Beaverhausen

Good Fishin' Hole!

Headed for home

The mountain in the distance in Mays Mtn. The lake sits in a bowl at it's foot. Heaven on earth!

Next Time: Mollydoodles Totes!

Noelle's Baptism Gown

2011-09-25T20:17:00.001-05:00

Today was Sweet Willie Browne's sister's baptism day. Here is her sweet self in the christening gown I knit for her. Is she not the most beautiful little angel? As her Aunt Min, I may be a little biased, but I don't think so!

Fire At The Camp

2011-09-16T08:19:00.000-05:00

My Aunt and Uncle have a camp on a lake about 10 minutes from my Mum's house. My Grandfather built it and it's been a family tradition to spend lots of time there each summer.

The recent hurricane dropped a lot of rain and the water is really high! Usually there is a shore line to walk, but not this year! The docks are even all floating!

The camp is the first one on a cove so the water is shallow and calm. I love evenings there.

My Grandfather drilled a hole in the granite rock in front of the camp for the tractor seat when he built the camp in the 1940s. It's an awesome spot to sit and reflect on things.

One of my favorite things about camp is having a fire in the granite stone fireplace. This year, the DNR had allowed my uncle to remove a pesky beaver dam near the camp and it had been out drying all summer. We used the sticks and logs to start a wicked good hot dog roasting fire!

My aunt, uncle, cousin-Eric, Mum and I roasted hot dogs and fed the fire all evening. It was a perfect chilly night for it. My pink sweater still smells like smoke. I'm going to take it out and breathe deep when I need a hug from home.

Next up: Up The River Without A Paddle.

Sherman Old Home Days

2011-09-15T09:16:00.001-05:00

I was lucky enough to time my trip this year so that I could attend the Sherman Old Home Days Festival. I haven't been since I was a kid. There were games, a parade, a craft fair, a talent show, and live music but the highlight is the homemade pumpkin donuts! Once a year a bunch of folks get together for one day and make hundreds of pumpkin donuts at the festival. They are cooked in the front yard of a house.

The Donut Hole! Get it?

The ladies at the head of the line make the dough and then the next ones cut out the donuts.

The guys fry them up in hot oil.

Batch after batch! The smell is amazing!

We got a couple and then went back to our spot to watch the parade. It was pretty good for such a small town; lots of floats, music, art displays, Shriner's go carts, etc. Here is a pic of my favorite entry; literally a 'dog and pony show'. I love that the dog is bigger than the pony!

(Click to Biggify. It's worth it!)

Had a wonderful time and got to see folks I hadn't seen in years. Guess that's why they call it 'Old Home Days' ya?

Tomorrow: Fire At The Lake

Maine Doodles

2011-09-14T15:16:00.001-05:00

Just got back from two weeks back home in Maine. Had a wonderful time with Mum as always. Over the next several days I'll post pics from my adventures.

I got some doodling done while I was away. I drew this cat for a Humane Society Benefit in Houlton Maine.

And thus encouraged by filling in animal outlines, entered my 'Lobster Period'. Here is one that is finished and in the Marion Burton (of the Rancho Cordova Burtons donchaknow) collection. All of the designs in it are sea based; jelly fish, shells, starfish, trap rope, buoys, fish, clams, scallops, eels, anemones, coral. Hopefully that will distract the viewer from noticing that it's a mutant lobster with two too many legs. I have another two lobster ones, with the correct amount of legs that that aren't complete yet. I'm thinking about Maine tshirt designs.

Anyway, wonderful trip. Loved rammin' around with Mum and the folks. More pics and details to follow.

Experiments With Color

2011-08-19T08:07:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all of the great feedback yesterday you guys. I think some color and some black and white is the way to go. Now to experiment with color. I'm not comfortable with merging lots of colors and coloring the whole thing in. Here are a couple of things I tried last night. I'd love to hear what you think!

Just a couple of color pops...

Limited three color palette with less saturation/intensity.

Question of the Day

2011-08-18T13:38:00.000-05:00

A dash of color or no?

Exciting News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-08-14T18:19:00.001-05:00

I've been doodling tote bags recently and someone suggested I go down to The Sow's Ear and talk to Heather about selling them at the store. I called today and Heather agreed to meet with me this afternoon. I walked into the store with 5 bags hoping that she would agree to take them on consignment. I walked out with the five bags and so much more! Plans are in the works to have a kind of gallery night on a Friday that isn't Knit Night. The store will stay open later and I will hang my totes on the walls so people can come in and look at them and hopefully buy them. This will kind of push the point that these aren't litho-printed, mass-produced bags. Each one is completely unique, and drawn by hand. Heather even mentioned having me there drawing so that people can see. Then after the show The Sow's Ear will carry them for sale with their regular inventory. Cool Beans huh? ! Here is what they look like'

This one has triple pockets on the front. 100% cotton. Natural colored. Permanent ink.

100% cotton. White. 13 1/2 x 13 1/2. Permanent ink.

This is a mini 5" x 6" bag. I fill them with chocolates and use them as gift bags, They could be used for small projects as well.

100% cotton. White. 13 1/2 x 13 1/2. Permanent ink.

We didn't set a date, but I think I'm going to ask her about October 14th. (Happy Birthday to me!) I'm also going to make some more bookmarks, note cards and necklaces to bring along as well. Lots of planning to think about!

♫ I' m so excited....and I just can't hide it...♫ You'll come to the show won't you? ♫

Tolja! Two in a Row!

2011-08-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

Finished a pair of socks too! Since there are two socks I'm counting it as 2 projects finished! Don't snarl at me. I know how many of you have cases of Single Sock Syndrome! I think this was Jawool. Doesn't matter what the brand was... purple, now that's what matters!

Basic ribbed legs with ribs continuing down top of foot.

The weather is almost cool enough to dig out the cable sweater and get it finished. It was just too much to work on in the humidity. Also working on another pair of socks but then again , I've ALWAYS got a pair of socks going. Also have another Swiss cheese scarf on the needles. Three projects at a time, unusual for me! It's slow going since I can't seem to tear myself away from the doodling! What are YOU working on?

Noelle Renae Browne

2011-08-10T09:34:00.000-05:00

My honorary nephew, Sweet Willie Browne's, sister Noelle arrived on Sunday! 7# /4oz/21 inches long and absolutely adorable. She gets that from her Aunt Molly Bee! (NOT!)

Here are some pictures of the christening gown I made for her. She received them yesterday so it's safe to post now.

Closeup of the bodice.

Full length view

I was a little disappointed when I realized as I was blocking it, that there were color shifts in the yarn even though it's white and all the same lot number. You can see where I started a new skein twice although it's not all that noticible unless it's laying flat. The yarn got a shiny thread running through it and I wonder if it has to do with which direction the skein was knit from-outside or inside-might make a difference in the sheen and be noticible. Don't know for sure.

I also knit little Mary Janes from a free pattern that I found on the internet. It was only when I was packing them that I realized that they both button on the same side. Doh! You get what you pay for pattern-wise!

So, see! There has been knitting. And, hold on to your hats, People! I'm posting ANOTHER finished project tomorrow!

Animal Cookies And Broken Piggies

2011-08-09T13:26:00.003-05:00

Yummy Whoopie Pies, no? Actually...no.

I didn't think so anyway, but Ben sure did. These are tiny dog treats that Mum found on her foray to the coast of Maine this summah! Ain't they cunnin, Deah?? Ben consumed them too quickly to appreciate their cuteness but he gave them two paws up for 'hazzing flavor'!

In keeping with the' cookies for animals' theme, I made some Camelid Cookies for Llamas/Alpaca last weekend.

Shredded zucchini, oatmeal, wheat flour, salt and a dash of molasses. Yum-NOT!

They were only slightly more appetizing looking when they came out of the oven, but with those ingredients I though the llamas would love them. Not so much. They turned up their llama-ly noses and went back to munching the stinging nettles and thistles in the pasture. They preferred the prickly texture and toxic taste of prairie weeds to the rubbery concoctions that I baked for them with so much love. Now THAT's an insult!

I'll take them to the barn and try them on the goats Wednesday night. So far, I haven't found anything they WON'T eat, or at least try to eat, including my pink bandanna and an empty cat food can. If they turn them down, then into the trash they go.

In other news, I worked at the barn on Sunday, rough and tumble style, and escaped unscathed. Eddie-the-turkey-1/Molly Bee -0 but it was a half-heated attempt and didn't hurt all that much. Our 'personal best' day was Eddie-4/Molly Bee-0. I was not a happy camper that day! But I came home from lugging heavy things, wrangling pigs, goats and what not, dealing with Eddie and climbing fences only to stub my foot on my own dining room chair, that was just sitting there placidly minding its own business, and broke my pinkie toe.

It hurt like a sunuva when I did it, but it's not so bad now, although it looks worse now than it does in the photo. I have to wear flip flops because I can't put my shoe on. I walk even more like a duck that I usually do in the flip flops. Especially since I have to keep my foot kind of sideways and lead with my thumb-toe so that the pinkie toe doesn't bend. At least my ring-finger-toe, my pointy-finger-toe and the toe I give bad drivers are all ok! The true test will be tomorrow night when I have to put on my boots and deal with Eddie again. Not only will the boots hurt, by I may be a bit lacking in the agility department so he may get more than 4 licks in ! I'll keep you posted as to the score!

Tote Bag

2011-08-08T08:58:00.000-05:00

I have ventured into the world of tote bags. Here is a knitting bag I doodled on Sunday night. It's 100% cotton and hand drawn in permanent black ink.I'm thinking about trying to sell them at knit shops locally or maybe open an Etsy Shop to sell doodled bags, necklaces, note cards and book marks but I haven't really investigated and don't know if there would be enough interest to bother. All of my stuff is pen and ink/black and white. I think people tend to lean toward bright colors. At any rate, I kind of like this one. That will be the hard part if I decide to try and sell them, letting it go if someone wants it and not adding it to my already bulging bag collection!

Do any of you all have an Etsy shop? Do you sell any crafty things through local shops? Any hints/tips/tricks! All suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Barnyard Spotlight: Sonny The Rooster

2011-08-07T18:08:00.001-05:00

This here's Sonny. Sonny is a sweetie pie and loves to be right around seeing what is going on in the barn.One of his favorite things is positioning himself to walk in front of you and then turning around and puffing up to defend himself because you are 'chasing him' . His other favorite thing is perching somewhere close behind me and crowing to scare the bejessus out of me. He is a handsome boy with a good sense of humor. My kinda guy. Unlike some turkeys we know.

This here's eggs. They are not from Sonny. He's not that kinda bird. Some of his lady friends gave these to me this morning. They don't look like this now. They look ~~kinda~~ exactly like egg salad.

Diva Challenge: Pendrills

2011-08-02T08:42:00.001-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/08/pendrills-challenge.html

Olbrich Gardens: Butterfly Days

2011-07-31T19:32:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to get to Olbrich for the last few weekends to see the butterflies and well...you know how it goes.... So today, since I think it ends in a week or so, I finally went over there.

I took my buddy Hannah Banana from next door with me.

We saw waterfalls...

Canaries

Koi fish (Hannah calls the white one with black spots the 'cow fish').

Beautiful flowers (Doesn't this orchid look like it's in the depths of a dark cool glen? In actuality the conservatory was eleventy-billion degrees and humid! Butterfly weather!)

We saw a lot of butterflies but only Monarchs and Yellow Swallow Tails. I think maybe the others have lived out their two week lifespan and we missed them.

Double click on this one to biggify. It's worth it.

The beautiful colors of the butterflies and the vividly hues of the flowers was breathtaking.

My Swallow Tail photos didn't come out because they were in constant motion so it's all Monarchs I guess. We even got to see one that had just come out of it's cocoon and was still wet. Pretty awesome.

We went to Culvers for lunch afterward and stopped quick into Pet World to see all of the animals. I got to hold a Fat-Tailed Gecko and now want one....of course. He was much cuter than the one in the Geico commercials! I didn't hear him talk though. I was kinda relieved about that.

After we go home, there was a knock at my door and there was Hannah with a wonderful thank you card and a beautiful bouquet of flowers to thank me for taking her to Olbrich. I should have thanked her, she was wonderful company!

Next time: I finished a couple if knitting projects to report on!!!!

Zentangler Pattern Sampler

2011-07-29T08:29:00.000-05:00

They are starting a bingo like game over on my Zentagle group on Yahoo. The 'entry fee' is to make a sampler of 9 patterns out of the 30 specified on a list. My sampler is posted on my Doodle site.

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/07/sampler-for-new-zengo-game-on-my-yahoo.html

Doodle Post: Diva Challenge # 32

2011-07-25T20:50:00.001-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/07/diva-challenge-32-art-is-for-everyone.html

Dane County Fair 2011

2011-07-24T18:04:00.001-05:00

Hit the Fairgrounds early on Saturday to beat the heat. Joey and Steve and I made the rounds in the barns. The animals were so hot. I love this photo of three different sized/patterned cows.

Then we perused the arts exhibits. This stained glass cabinet caught my eye.

As did this fabulous quilt of all of the counties in Wisconsin.

Couldn't get it all in one shot.

There was a hybrid car show. This old Gremlin brought back high school memories...

I don't know what this was but it was Molly Bee sized....

There was even room for Mr. Bentley if he wouldn't wiggle so much. I think it gets such great mileage because you have to pedal it to make it go. Maybe the solution is to make Ol' Ben pull it?

There was a sign on the midway that outlined how tall you have to be to ride on the rides. Steve makes the grade. He's 'this big'.

This girl wasn't tall enough but got in line anyway. She suffered the consequences.

(Actually, this was a great photo in the inside exhibits. LOVE IT.)

I was going to go to the Olbrich Butterfly exhibit after the fair but I had CCOB (Cotton Candy On Board). Friend Scott loves cotton candy (cleverly renamed by Steve... 'Scotton Candy') and so I got some to drop off to him on the way home. It was so hot that I took it inside with me when we went to lunch at Red Robin. No one even looks twice at you if you take your scotton candy out for lunch apparently, but I couldn't picture taking it into Olbrich and being swarmed, killed, and eaten by a battalion of butterflies trying to get the sugary treat. Oh they look beautiful; all fluttery and harmless, one or two at a time, but they are decidedly vicious and deadly in numbers (in my mind). Thought I'd go today but then got all caught up in stuff around here and didn't go. Next weekend for sure. I don't think they'll be there much longer.

Anyway, it was a great weekend at Chez Bee. How was yours?

Sad Day Down on the Farm

2011-07-22T14:36:00.001-05:00

Got a call today that the old rooster at the farm was discovered dead in the pasture last night. Roberto was a nice rooster. He didn't peck me and he liked to be picked up and snuggled. He always kept a close eye on everyone and supervised the chores. He was old and it was really hot out and I'm thinking it was a combination that cooked his goose...er...so to speak. The farm owner said that she didn't see any signs that he was attacked by any of the usual suspects out in the yard but you know how that goes. The other inmates always claim they never saw a thing. She's thinking of having an autopsy done. I don't think that's necessary really; sounds like natural causes to me, but it's not my call. Although if a certain tom turkey should happen to turn up, uh... ' life-challenged'... possibly with his head on backwards and his sharp, pointy, evil, beak pointing over his tail, just bury his feathery a$$ and don't ask any questions OK? Just sayin'. I'd hate to be sent up the river to the big house for turkey murder when there are so many more worthy charges.

Roberto, you will be missed.

Farmer's Tan On My Shins...

2011-07-21T10:08:00.000-05:00

I've been wearing clam digger pants a lot this summer. Pardon me, 'capris' is the proper term I guess. It's been so blasted hot. I can't wear shorts to the farm because of barn fowl who will remain nameless so capris seems like a pretty good compromise. Cooler than jeans and less bare leg to protect from sharp beaks and talons. I didn't realize how much I was wearing them until I happened to glance in the mirror after a shower the other day and realized I have a farmer's tan from below the knee down. Sheesh! Time to get some self tanner and try to even it out. Chances are it will still be farmer's tan on the bottom and orange skin on top. Does this crap happen to anyone else?

I've been working on a knitting project that I can't talk about and some art work that I can't talk about and relationship issues that I can't talk about. Hmm. Makes it difficult to blog. All will be revealed soon enough I guess.

Diva's Challenge #31: Fairy Land

2011-07-19T14:17:00.003-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/07/divas-challenge-31-fairyland.html

Busy Busy Bee

2011-07-19T10:06:00.001-05:00

Between work, the farm and socially things, I've been running around like a headless, barnyard fowl again. I know ONE barnyard fowl I wish was headless-or at least beak-less. Eddie, the attack turkey, has formally decided that I am public enemy # 1 in his 'hood and has become relentless. He tries to mate with the other volunteer and tries to kill me. Story of my life. It's hard to do my chores when I'm defending myself with a leaf rake. I'm not always successful even with that!

But it hasn't been all work and no play. The Naughty Girls came over to my house Friday night for Knit Night. It was uber hot so we decided to set the AC on 'arctic' and chill (literally and figuratively) at Chez Bee this time. I made a taco salad and an apple pie that I wasn't ashamed of for a change.

Dale brought cheese and ice cream for the pie. Elizabeth brought cookies and caramel sauce and Jen made a fabulous kohlrabi/beet/peanut sauce salad and a fresh, peach, upside down cake. We had a lovely supper and then rolled ourselves into the living room to get some knitting done. They didn't leave until after midnight and not of us turned into a pumpkin. I love my knitting sistahs!

Saturday morning I awoke to find this lovely in my sink. (Primal Scream!!!!!!) I grabbed a tissue....then another....then another...but I couldn't bring myself to squish him fearing I'd only wound him and he'd turn on me. So I went and got something more substantial ( a shoe- just like in the phone commercial) for the job. Problem solved. I needed the three tissues to clean up the monumental schmoosh spot in my sink.

I recruited Joey and Steve to come over for coffee on Saturday morning to dispatch the remains of the apple pie. I had a small piece on Friday night and was determined not to finish it off over the weekend. They are obedient lads and scurried right over. They brought me a lovely bouquet of Farmer's Market flowers. Joey said that if I'd baked them an entire pie, I would have gotten the vase too. I have the best friends ever!

Saturday afternoon found me in Mt. Horeb at the Art Festival. It was uber hot. I can't imagine wearing a wool tam and a Santa Claus beard in that humidity, but this gentleman did it, and made beautiful music to boot!

There was a new troll in town. I'm assuming he's the mayor with all the medals and the key and all....

I was pretty much a grumpy troll by the time I made it up and down main street. Hot! Hot! Hot!

But I did buy myself a spoon ring which is really different and I got to stop in the air-conditioned comfort of Witchery Stitchery and say howdy to Delma and Mary Ellen which is always a treat.

Sunday morning I was back at the farm and despite drinking tons of water, I was heat sick by the time my shift was done. Came home with a headache, nausea and leg cramps. Spent the afternoon on the couch but revived somewhat by evening. My next shift is tomorrow which is supposed to be 99° with a heat index of 110°. I'll take double the water with me and hope for the best. If it has to be that hot, I hope it's at least hot enough to roast a ^&*#$ turkey!

Bookmarks

2011-07-14T15:22:00.001-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/07/bookmarks.html

'Initialize' Diva Challenge Entry on Molly Doodles Blog

2011-07-12T22:29:00.000-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/07/string-theory-vv-initialize.html

All Creatures Great and Small

2011-07-10T20:05:00.001-05:00

I've had requests for pics so I finally took my camera to the farm today to get mug shots of some of the perpetrators...

These are the kids. The second from the left is Frosty. He lost some of his ears to frost bite. The one on the far right almost ate my bangs off today when we were snuggling on the goat jungle gym in the background. He was all nuzzley and then *chomp*. Thanks goodness he let go; I woulda had a hard time explaining that to Stylist-Scott!

This is Gracie. She has given me new appreciation for geese. I'd only encountered nasty ones in the past, but Gracie is like a big, old, goofy, dog. She likes to see what everyone's doing and supervises most activities. When Beatrice and Henrietta, the pigs, broke loose of their outside pen on Friday night, she was at the head of the pig parade, honking and running full tilt ahead of them the whole length of the barn when they thundered down to their inside stall. Always part of the action.

This is the turkey herd. Tom has gotten over pushing his boundaries with me and ignores me pretty much now. I am in love with the turkey on the outside of the fence. Why is she on the outside of the fence you ask? Because every time I put her over the fence and into the pen, she flies out, comes back in the barn, finds me and starts a distressed 'I don't know where my friends are' call. Then she turns around backwards and gets in position so I can pick her up and lug her back outside and put her back over the fence. Lather, rinse repeat at least a dozen times today alone. Why? Because she's discovered that she likes to be picked up and given 'rides' by her human slaves. She is such a sweetie! A real snuggle turkey.

We have three ducklings. I swear to G*d we do. Here are two. Do you know how difficult it is to get two ducks in the same frame, let alone three? These guys have grown a lot in just the last week!

You can't tell by this picture, but this rooster is the size of a pigeon. He more than makes up for it in personality. He is in the pen with the three ducks and spends his days monitoring the swimming pool whenever one or more of the ducklings is in there. He only lets them stay so long and then he badgers them out of the water but flapping at them. He is the lifeguard on duty. I call him Hoff...short for Hasselhoff of course! He also loves to be held and petted.

This is Thor. We have another llama, Nick. The only thing worse than trying to get the three ducks in one frame is getting the two llamas to pose together. Nick was in the pucker brush so I couldn't even get a clear single shot. On my first day, they wouldn't come to anyone and wouldn't stand to be touched. Every time I've been in, I go in their pen and just stand in there and talk to them. I don't approach them or try to touch. Today, I went out in the pasture and called Nick and he came bolting clear across the field to me. Kinda freaked me out! I thought, "Oh this will be a great blog entry, 'Molly Bee Viciously Attacked And Eaten By Mad Llama'. But he stopped just short of me and put his nose on mine. And Thor let me pat his neck! It's the small victories!

Working at the farm is hard physically. It's a sweaty, filthy job, especially in the heat and humidity we've been having. And I can't think of one thing I'd rather be doing. Being with the animals restores my soul in so many ways. Also, even though it's within minutes of my house, it's in 'the country' and reminds me so much of home. I've been needing that for a long time. I'm not a city girl.

Flowers and Barn Boards

This million dollar view is worth the price of admission!

This is actually my favorite view, but I stupidly got my poo-covered wheelbarrow in the shot. Oh well, that gives you an example of one of the things I do when I'm there right? Mucking stalls and sweeping the barn comes with the territory!

May each and every one of you find something that fills your heart with this much peace and joy!

Pretzel Parades and Tylenol Tacos

2011-07-05T11:47:00.003-05:00

So I spent the 4th over at my new volunteer job at a farm animal sanctuary near my house. I have a four day internship on animal care before they set me loose on the poor critters. I had idyllic 'All Creatures Great And Small' pictures in my head of how things would be; me gently cradling baby lambs as the wind whispered softly through the meadow...that kind of thing. It couldn't have been less like that. As I put on my Facebook status when I got home, "I'm exhaused, sweaty, smelly and covered in goat poop, pig slop, llama spit and duck feathers. I haven't been this happy in a very. long. time."

The main tasks in the morning are to feed and water all of the animals and take the ones outside that are allowed in the pasture. This seemed along the lines of what I expected, until I was told to take a Tylenol taco to the black pig in the sty out back. Uh, you want me to take a what? Where? To Whom? The lead volunteer took a lettuce leaf, loaded it up with copious amounts of peanut butter and 3 Tylenol, rolled it up like a taco and had me take it out to Betty-the-black-pig who has arthritis in her legs. Betty snarked'er right down so it wasn't a problem, but none of my previous dreams about farm life had anything to do with Tylenol Tacos.

I lugged water and feed and hay and animals too and fro until the leader summoned me to the goat pen. My next task was to take a plastic bucket filled with pretzels and walk the length of the barn and out into the fenced in yard with it. Because I don't know nuthin' 'bout no farmin' I did as I was told. When I looked behind me I had a parade of 4 goats and two sheep hot on my heels. Yes the ovines and caprines (look it up, I had to) are pretzel junkies apparently. Getting them into the pen was uber easy. We closed the gate and spent a few pleasant moments rewarding their addiction with the salty snacks. Then I realized that to get out of the pen, I'd have to climb out over the 6 foot gate because if we opened it again (particularly since I was still holding the pretzel bucket) the hungry hoard would come right out with us. I was built for comfort, not scaling tall buildings, but it wasn't bad. Good thing since I was up and over the thing twelve more times before I came home.

My favorite task was socializing the new ducklings. These ducks are bigger than the Easter babies you commonly see. It's say they are 1/2-2/3 the way full grown. The farm emphasises animal therapy so the ducklings have to get used to being picked up and held. Score after 45 minutes of work? Molly 1: Ducks 2. The little one was OK with it, the middle one settled down for a bit before he totally flipped out and then large one nearly beat me to death. I'll be back ducklings!

I think I did pretty well for the first day. There were no injuries to myself or any of the animals. I also feel especially skilled that I could do all that was asked of me on one leg since the other one was stretched out to the side most of the time keeping a particularly amorous Tom Turkey at bay. He only nailed me once in the hip when I wasn't looking. It didn't hurt so I wasn't quite sure of his intentions-if it was an attack, it was halfhearted at best. If it wasn't an attack...well I'm not interested in bein' one of his 'womens'...especially since he has two 'womens' already!

Overall, I LOVE my new job and am eagerly awaiting my next shift. Something tells me, with this cast of characters, there will be plenty of stories to tell!

♫ I Always Feel Like...Somebody's Watching Me...♫

2011-06-30T08:37:00.000-05:00

So I was up working on this nine tile mosaic into the wee hours the other night (10:30 PM...this is ME we're taking about).

I finally decided to go to bed and took Ben out for his last watering of the night. I turned on the patio light and got the eeriest feeling that I was being watched. I normally feel like this but this was different. This isnt' like when the neighbors are peeking out their window to see what stoopid stunt I'll perform next or when aliens are monitoring me...this was creepy-weird. Ben did his 'bid-ness' and when we went in, I noticed THIS:

All along the eaves...laying in wait....The BIRDS!

They are too big to all be in the nest anymore but they are still nearby. They really don't like to have their photo taken. The flash at night makes them 'swear' at me in addition to staring at me with those cold, beady little eyes. I'll definitely be sleeping with my windows closed from now on....if I can sleep at all!

Friends Are The Family You Choose

2011-06-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

It was a busy weekend around the Bee house. I spent lots of time with my Wisconsin Family. Being out here in Wisconsin all on my own would be really scary if I hadn't cobbled together quite a family of friends that I love dearly. Friday night found me at The Stables at Quivey's Grove with Scott and Michael for a fish fry supper. You know the food is good when you're willingly to wait about an hour to get in, it's so packed. We had a wonderful meal and visit. They are truly brothers from another mother.

On Saturday, I spent the afternoon with my Last Saturday Knitting sisters, Jen and Elizabeth and Wisconsin Mom, Dale. Had an excellent time as always and got some more sock knitting done. Dale and I had tentatively planned to go out to supper and shopping at Joanne's but my tummy was acting up so we cancelled for this month. Next month though...look out. Hopefully my twin sister Mary will be able to join us...unless she gets a better offer like she did this Saturday. A better offer, Mary? Really?

Sunday found me at Cuco's with Joey and Rob, neighbors extraordinaire and Ben's favorite uncles. Cuco's is a new Mexican place in Verona, located where the old Stockade restaurant used to be. I sure hope they are successful and stick around. They are pretty busy and the food is fantastic so I can't see why they wouldn't. I highly recommend the grilled fish or spinach quesadilla. The company was awesome as usual. I haven't been much time with J and R so it was nice to catch up.

After lunch I headed out to Ridgeway to Ayers to look for a sleeper sofa. I've been watching the sale ads but haven't seen what I was looking for. Then Sunday Ayers had an ad in the paper 40-60% off so I headed out. I got a heckuva deal on an Englander queen size sleeper. It's hard to find one that is comfortable to sit on and to sleep on but this one fits the bill. It gets delivered Saturday!

This is Ben's morning spot to sun worship!

Over and around all of that, Ben and I did some porch sittin' in the lovely weather. He's feeling lots better and Sunday was especially nice with warmth, low humidity, and light breeze. The only detriment to sitting out there is that it perturbs the barn swallows that are trying to feed the four babies in the nest in the corner. They fuss about and swoop down at us but eventually settle down, until you move and then they start all over again.

Angry birds (click to biggify-it's worth it to see his grumpy expression!)

This morning there was a baby robin bouncing around the patio and lawn. He can fly short distances but he is sorely lacking in landing skills. He generally runs into a wall to stop and then falls to the ground. Reminds me of my ice skating skills. He'll get it though. It's still early in the game.

Baby Should Be Grounded

So it was a weekend that I needed. Time with family to ground me, relaxing time with my best pup and wee bits of wildlife flitting about. Restorative and recharging....Hope you all had a great weekend too!

PS: I updated Mollydoodles tonight with a Diva's challenge as well for those that interested.

Stitch and Pitch 2011

2011-06-22T19:04:00.002-05:00

I went to my first Brewer's game in the new Miller Park Stadium with the Sow's Ear group last night. The park sponsors a Stitch and Pitch game every summer. They invite knitters/crocheters from all over the state to a game and they have special contests, raffles and even a Miller Park Chorizo Sausage bobble head souvenir...and he's knitting!

Got on the bus at The Ear and rode to Milwaukee. Got a lot of knitting done on the bus. We tailgated in the parking lot before the game-hotdogs-YUM and then went in to the stadium just as the black clouds rolled in. Got to watch them close the roof which was really amazing. We signed up for the raffle, collected of Chorizo and headed for our seats on the second floor.

The new stadium is beautiful though I couldn't help but remember the big crane disaster that occurred during it's construction. So sad. Our section was mostly all knitters except for two guys behind us who were so freaked out by all of the crazy, knitting ladies with pointy sticks that they vacated the premises fairly early in the second inning.

I quickly discovered that though the concept sounds good, knitting and baseball are a kind of oil and water mixture at best. Between being squished into the seats, trying to pay attention to the game, juggling your drink and gigantic sesame-garlic pretzel, having beer splashed on you, having to stand up and gather all of your belongings from the sticky floor in front of you every two seconds for someone who has to get out of your row to go get a snack or go to the bathroom, knitting just wasnt' in the cards. I put it away and spent the rest of the evening enjoying the game. Really enjoying it.. I know! Me! Liking a sport!

The Field

The Jumbo tron

Of course, true to form I was more amused by the fun stuff like the racing sausages and when the mascot, Bernie the Brewer, slid down the water slide into a hot tub when there was a home run!

There was a wicked thunderstorm during the game with strobing lightning flashes and thunder that could be felt and heard over the crowds and announcers! The power flickered once and led me to entertain what would actually happen should the lights go out while I was surrounded by 40,000 of my closest friends in what is essentially a giant, ramped/corridored/domed gerbil habitat for people, but it didn't happen.

Open roof before the game

Closed roof during the game

We won the game which was exciting-don't think I've even been to a game where we won before. When we left the stadium, it was pouring. The bus was parked way out in the dooryard so it was a 10 -15 minute walk in the crowds and we were all drenched for the ride home. All in all I had a great time and I'd go again in a minute. But next time, I'll remember to leave my knitting bag on the bus!

Diva's Challenge # 27 Entry

2011-06-20T21:01:00.001-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/06/divas-challenge-27-dex-and-verdigogh.html

Mollydoodles Update: New Tangle Pattern-Mendz

2011-06-19T13:58:00.001-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-tangle-pattern-mendz.html

Sensational Saturday

2011-06-18T21:03:00.001-05:00

My pinkeye is gone. Ben is doing fabulously and things are starting to look up at The House of Bee! I was mighty worried about the boy Thursday afternoon and Thursday night, but by noon on Friday he was back to his old spunky-monkey self; noshing on extra treats and slaying dragons.

Whatta??? Is that a dragon?!?!? In MY living room?

I will nom the dragon! Nom! Nom! Nom!

I wasn't comfortable leaving him alone on Friday night for Knit Night so I had Knit Night come to me in the the form of Dale Harriet and Jen. Ben solicited copious amounts of skritches, snuggles and snogs from both of them, not to mention extra charlie bears to munch. Dale even brought him a new, purple, puppy toy that he loves. His cup runneth over!

Dale was fortunate that she had to bail early to go meet friend Donna because Ben and I subjected Jen to horrendous movies (Superstar and Blades of Glory) until she finally couldn't take it anymore and went home around midnight. I made good headway on my latest knit project. My cup runneth over as well.

My berry basket also runneth over as luck would have it. I popped over to my local berry farm and picked two and a half pounds of berries.YUM! It's the first weekend of the season and they are still quite small but very, VERY tasty. I farmed a few out to the neighbors and selfishly horded the rest. I was nearly eaten alive by small cricket-like critters the likes of which I've never seen before to obtain them after all so I get the lions share!

I also got yelled at by a crazy guy in a bathrobe for turning around in his dooryard . My front tires were in the entrance of the long drive to his manse over in a Swankville neighborhood and I was just about to back up when he and the Mrs. and their two shi-shi little dogs came running down the grounds towards me. I didn't know what was going on and I didn't want to run over the dogs so I just sat there thinking that they were coming to pick them up. Turns out, she was. He was coming down to knock on the hood of my car, give me a stern look and waggle his finger back and forth at me. It was such a lunatic-sit-com situation, that I'm afraid I'm guilty of laughing in his pretentious face. Honey! After the week I've had, your wiggle-waggle finger and the sight of your bloated, terry-clad body are the very least of my worries! Thanks for the smile!

How was YOUR sensational Saturday?

Wanna See?

2011-06-16T20:06:00.000-05:00

Wanna see what $3500 looks like?

Wanna see what $1500 more looks like?

Wanna see what a stoned dog looks like?

He had surgery this morning to remove the metal plate from his previous surgery onhis leg and repair a meniscal tear in the front of his knee as well. He's not happy about the big bandage on his leg, He's having a hard time waking up and is crying a lot. All in all it has not been a good day for Mr. Bentley. Me thinks it's going to be a long night for us both!

Diva Challenge # 26-Spirals

2011-06-15T21:09:00.001-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/06/weekly-challenge-26-string-theory-viii.html

More Parade Photos

2011-06-14T12:00:00.001-05:00

I love the New Glarus Firemen. Every few yards they stop and unload the ladder and hold it up straight...

And one of the guys climbs to the top and then back down.

Trinity Irish Dancers

Be sure and biggyfy this one. Grandpa's little dears slept through the whole noisy parade!

Maynard the Madison Baseball team mascot Finorkin' zombies just keep coming!

Dogs and cow wandering the streets....

You know your summer job sucks when.....

Again With the Not Posting!

2011-06-13T18:40:00.000-05:00

Sorry! I seem to be running around like a headless barnyard fowl more than ever these days! The warm weather brings lots of opportunity to do fun things. This in turn allows me to escape household chores which is my one true goal in life, so out the door I go! Recent events include: movies with friends (Pirates of the Caribbean and Super 8-both of which were awesome), dinner and Verona Hometown carnival with friend-Steve, Knit In Public Day with the Naughty Girls at The Sow's Ear, Tai Chi practice, sofa-bed shopping and other things that I'm sure I've forgotten!

While we were Knitting in Public Sunday, the Verona Hometown parade went by. It was pretty awesome-over and hour long! Here are some photos.

Cottage Grove Belly Whistlers (this was my favorite float of the parade)

Biker Bears

Very cute circus train with a lot of cars

Circus Cars

It's always fun until the buzzards show up

Everyone knows that buzzards always herald in the giant zombies

The zombies were part of a Haunted Barn that holds a Zombie Prom.

Holy Molar! There were so many cute things, I'll have to post more tomorrow!

Doodle Blog Update-The Big Kahuna Adventure Continues...

2011-06-11T22:20:00.001-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/06/still-working-on-big-kahuna.html

Mollydoodles Blog Update/Diva's Challenge

2011-06-07T19:22:00.001-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/06/zendala-magic-challenge.html

String Theory Challenge-MollyDoodles

2011-06-01T20:03:00.001-05:00

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/06/string-theory-version-ii-stripes.html

Milwaukee Public Museum

2011-05-31T18:32:00.002-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful long Memorial Day weekend. I certainly did. I started it on Friday by going to Milwaukee to the Mummy exhibit at The Milwaukee Public Museum. I'd been wanting to go but it never seemed to fit into the schedule and then I heard that the exhibit was packing up and moving on today so I figured I'd better get moving. I find looming deadlines motivational.

First of all, if you've never been to the museum you should go. It's an AWESOME natural history museum that covers all regions and major cultures of the world. It even has a live butterfly room that I could spend all day in if it wasn't 1000° in there! The Mummy Exhibit in particular was simply amazing. They had it set up so that only a certain number of people got in at a certain time which was fortunate because it seemed that every school age child in the tri-state area was in the building; spring field trip season being in full swing. First you started off with small things that were naturally mummified; cats and squirrels found in attics etc. I thought, "Uh Oh, this is not what I signed up for. These aren't mummies, these are just gross dead things!"

Pretty soon it progressed to the Coptic mummies and then South American. There were displays of the tools used in the mummification process (in the case of the Egyptian mummies) and the artifacts interred with them (South American). Numerous TVs showed various related videos. There was one particularly good video of the oldest mummy ever found; a 6,000 year old infant whose skin still held it's original peachy tones. It was unbelievable!

There was a room that held a mother, father and child that died in Germany in a 17th century TB epidemic. They were accidentally discovered in 1997 behind a wall in a church along with 151 of their towns folk who had also succumbed to the disease. Conditions under the church were such that natural mummification was possible. The same was true of a 16th century baron and baroness that were found in the 'basement' of their castle; preserved right down to their hosiery.

But of course, my favorite, and the reason I wanted to go, was the bog mummy. They only had one and she was pretty beaten up but I was fascinated and spent most of my time with her...oh and the bog dog. The only dog found mummified in a bog! I don't know why I'm so attracted to this phenomenom. Maybe I was a bog mummy in another life? Wait, if that's true that I probably still am. Given the very nature of bog mummies....I must still be out there somewhere! Attention! People of Eastern Europe! Please go to your nearest fen and poke around with a stick and try to find me immediately, won't you?

I WANT MY MUMMY!

New Post over on Molly Doodles Blog

2011-05-28T08:27:00.000-05:00

I have several folks complain that they forget to check the Doodle Blog since I update it so infrequently. Doodles take a long time the way I do 'em! So when I update that blog, I'll just put a little tickler in there so that you can pop over there if you want. Save you remembering to check both blogs:

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/2011/05/string-theory-challenge.html

My work here is done. Have a happy Saturday!

Everything I Need To Know I Learned in Tai Chi Class

2011-05-25T09:48:00.003-05:00

I took my first Tai Chi class this morning. I'll give you a minute to stop picturing it and pull yourselves back together. OK now? Good. My company is offering a 6 week introductory class. Even though it starts at 7:30 AM I still loved it and learned some valuable lessons:

Chai Tea and Tai Chi...two totally different things as it turns out.
While I do have some beautiful tea cups, I don't have any 'loose and comfortable' gym clothes that I wish to wear around my coworkers . I agonized over this for days, then when I got to class, I realized that no one else does either. I have come to view my coworkers in a totally different and disturbing light.
Tai Chi is an actual martial art. The moves are slow and graceful (theoretically graceful in my case) but the premise behind them is that they are strike postures. Today we learned the 'poke someones eye out' move. So don't tick me off and then stand totally statue-still without blinking for 3-5 minutes because I can now blind you. Or myself, depending on how good my grasp of right and left are on that day.
You can technically use Tai Chi to kill someone, but chances are they will die of old age while they are waiting.

Crane Pose

When achieving the 'crane posture' you make your hand into a little bird head that looks like a crane. This is meant to be totally symbolic so don't make it 'talk' to your neighbor. Teacher doesn't like that.
At one point you create a magical- mystical 'energy ball' between your cupped hands. Teacher said that we could push the energy back into our bodies or rub it into an achy place on your body or anything you wanted to do with it really. I hurled it at my neighbor. Teacher didn't like that either.
The lessons are really paying off already for my neighbor who moved with lithe agility to dodge my lobbed energy ball.

And I think my teacher learned that Tai Chi isn't the calming, meditative experience she'd been peddling in the beginning. She looked close to tears when we left. Maybe she'll just miss me over this next week. I'll bet that's it. Can't wait to see what I learn next Wednesday!

Must Be Related To A Bad A** Honey Badger

2011-05-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

The little pond across the street from my house is a source of endless fascination for me. I'm a water girl. I LOVE the ocean but I'll placate myself with a lake, pond, stream or large puddle if I can find one, so the little pond with its cat tails, ducks and geese fits the bill nicely. This morning while Ben and I were out for our morning constitutional, I stood for a minute and watched two ducks paddling around near the far shore. They paddled to the edge and then hopped up into the grass. Suddenly, there was a flurry of activity as they ran all around then then flew back into the water. Apparently the spot they had chosen to come ashore was where the resident muskrat was working on his new digs. He chased them all over the place until he got them out of his neighborhood and back in the water. It was hysterical. I've never seen anything like it before. The ducks were totally shocked, feathers flying, and quacking their heads off in a manner that sounded like 'Ohcrapohcrapohcrap', and the muskrat was clearly PEEVED. He kept chasing them in circles long after they were away from his new home. All I could think was that he must be closely related to the Bad Ass Honey Badger. If you haven't seen this video on the Bad A** Honey Badger, you NEED to. Click HERE! Honey Badgers (and muskrats apparently) are just CRAAAAAZY!)

Busy Bee

2011-05-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

It has been brought to my attention that I've been neglecting my bloggerly duties of late. I'll try to remedy that by updating more often. I've been busier than a one-armed paper hanger but have been doing the same old-same old and it hasn't been particularly blogworthy but if folks don't hear from me in a while, they assume I've been abducted by aliens so I'll try and check in more often.

Took Ben to the vet today-AGAIN. He has begun limping again and the vet doesn't know why. We're giving it another week and if he's still limping, he needs to start antibiotics-AGAIN. If that works, we'll know it's an infection. If it get infected after the antibiotics run out, the titanium plate has to come out of his knee and I get a $3500 key chain. It also could be a miniscle (sic) problem which means another surgery. Or it could just be lame. I just feel so bad for the guy because he doesn't deserve to be in pain of any kind. A braver, truer soul there never was.

I know folks who have a jig saw puzzle laying out on their kitchen table, or a card table, or whatever all the time. They stop by and put in a piece now and again. I decided to adopt that strategy to Mollydoodling. I got a 2' x 3' piece of really nice art paper at the University Book Store and it now lives on my kitchen table. I pick away at it now and again, adding a pattern on one side of one block at a time. It's really relaxing. Good thing no one is depending on me putting actual food on the table three times a day. Ben eats on the floor and I eat at my kitchen bar so it's all good.

I've been totally obsessed with the Camden Pierce Hughes saga back in Maine this week. We all see a million bad things on the news everyday, and every once in a while, one really gets to you. This one is it for me. It's been nice to have the distraction of drawing to push the nasty thoughts out a bit. Poor little sweetheart. Rest with the angels in peace.

Tomorrow night is Knit Night. I'm cranking out socks to beat the band in between doodles. I am determined to knit only from my stash this year and I have a plethora of sock yarn. Guess what y'all are getting for Christmas?

Better wrap it up...the season finale of Bones is coming on. Loves me some Hodgins! And then the aliens will be here for my nightly probing....

Mish Mash

2011-05-15T14:05:00.000-05:00

My 1,000 mph life hit a small roadblock in the form of an ear infection that gave me a case of vertigo that dropped me like a Southern belle with the vapors last week. I'm so far behind on my blogging that I no longer know what happened when but I'll plop it all down here and let you sort it out.

I got a mysterious email message from an address I didn't recognize one day. It said only, "Tardis at Westfield Comics." Nothing else. Now when one receives such a message, it can only mean one thing...THE FINORKIN TARDIS IS DOWN AT WESTFIELD COMICS!!!! Sure enough, The Doctor had parked her right out front! I went for a spin. 1934 was lovely.

My twin sister, Mary had sent the mysterious message. She took a spin too!

This time traveling only added to my timeline confusion, so i couldn't tell you when I actually finished this pair of socks, but it was sometime in the last two weeks and here they are. They're knit from a Plymouth yarn that I picked up at Yarn, Glass and More in Presque Isle, Maine. I hadn't seen a colorway quite like it and they knit up like a dream. [Note to self: Go back in time and find out what you did with the other sock blocker...how does one lose ONE sock blocker?]

Friend Jen and I went on a Girl's Day Out shopping excursion to Chicago's Miracle Mile. A bus from a local travel agency took us down and dropped us off on Michigan Ave. supposing that we would shop 'til we dropped at Tiffanie's, Prada and Harry Winston. All of the other ladies on the bus were giddy with anticipation. Once we landed, despite the 40 mph winds and driving bitter cold rain, Jen and I broke from the herd and headed to the beach. We're not much for shopping. We just tagged along to see what other trouble we could get into. As far as I'm concerned a day in this weather on the beach is better than any day trying on Jimmy Choos and getting facials! Don't let that get out or they'll take away our 'Girl Cards'.

Lake Michigan was really rockin' and rollin'. We only had one 'incident' when we were nearly washed out to sea! And it turns out getting your skin blasted with beach sand is way more inexpensive than a spa.

We went to Navy Pier and walked the entire length. What a cool place-especially the stained glass and mosaic museum.

Harbor Light

Cruise boat

Jen has three kidlets so we went to the Lego Store to appease them for having to endure an entire day without Mommy. The Lego sculptures were magnificent. I wonder if they've noticed that I took T-Rex's left bicuspid yet?

This guy is sitting in the lobby outside the store. Love the bird poop on his shoulder...just like a real statue.

We created madness and mayhem around the entire city and still managed to make it back to the rendezvous point in time to catch the bus home. The other ladies were laden down with packages and they eyed my empty hands suspiciously. Jen at least had the Lego bag so she was less suspect. I just said that I bought so much that I had my stuff shipped home. They seemed OK with that. My 'Girl Card' is safe for now.

What have you been doing?

Weekend Update May 1, 2011

2011-05-01T16:35:00.000-05:00

It was a fun-filled week: Cirque du Soliel on Tuesday night, movies with Steve and Joey on Thursday night, lunch with Pat on Friday and then there was the Royal Wedding reception of course. Saturday I went to Joey's Seafood with Mary, Jen and Elizabeth and then to knitting. Our normal Last Saturday Knitting place had to close early at 3PM, so we moved the party over the The Sow's Ear until it closed at 5PM.

I had forgotten that the Alpaca Festival was this weekend until someone mentioned it yesterday afternoon. I'm glad they did, I would have felt bad if I had missed it. I got up bright and early and went down there this morning. I usually go on Saturday and there are a lot of folks around and the animals are wicked skittish, but this morning was really quiet and I got plenty of alpaca kisses and love. It was wonderful. I visited each and every alpaca and then watched the judging for a bit. I went to the vendor area but stayed true to my vow to not buy fleece/yarn this year. I had to make a 2 skein exception recently to make a project that someone asked specifically for, but as of today-May 1st, I haven't bought anything fibery!

To top it all off, I finished a Molly Doodle. (Click to biggify for detail. Finally! One I'm happy with!)

And gave myself a snazzy Mollydoodle manicure.

There just aren't enough hours in the day around here lately!

I'll leave you with pics of some of the cuties I got to commune with this morning...

Love the punk hairdo. He was a real 'party animal'.

Doesn't the one of the right look like a white alpaca with a brown hooded coat on?

Here's looking at you.

This is the 'Push Me Pull Me' from Dr. Doolittle.

What have YOU been up to?

Tally Ho! We're Off To The Royal Reception

2011-04-29T15:25:00.005-05:00

The kids and I were mightily disappointed that our invitations to Katie and Willie's shindig got lost in the mail, but always open to an opportunity to party (and eat cake), we decided to crash their reception. Who else would lead the Chicken Dance if we weren't there? So we parked the little bus around the corner and waited until the guys on the gin bottles had consumed enough royal punch to be more than a bit tipsy.[Aside: They also become very 'tippy' when tipsy, what with those top-heavy fur hats; more fun than cow tipping and less work...just sayin'.] Then, with the kind of stealth that only 15 Ph.D. scientists and their sleep-deprived nanny can pull off , we stormed the gate. There were a couple of tense moments when we discovered two of the Beefeaters upright, but found that we could easily distract them but asking "What WAS that thing Beatrice had on her head"? While they were arguing about what it actually was, and if it constituted a significant breach in National Security, we slipped right by.

Oh the wonders! We were formally announced and addressed by our Royal Wedding Names (Lord/Lady+Grandparent's name+one of your pet's names (of) your street) like the Lords and Ladies we were. Lady Mildred Bentley of Talc, if you please! It says so on my royal sash!

The reception hall was stunning and the banquet tables were laden with a feast.

The cake was beautiful. (Bonus that it was a 'cake fail' for spelling 'Will' incorrectly!)

And the ginger ale toasts (we WERE on Company Time after all) were divine.

The kids were placated with the wedding bubble favors and were remarkably well behaved.

At least as well behaved as a bunch of folks who had crashed a high-security international event could be. If we got caught doing naughty things, we smiled, waved like a royal and said things like 'Pip pip', 'Pish Posh' and 'Wasn't the cake simply smashing?' in our fake English accents. Worked out rather well.

Not all of us could make the trip across the pond. Although he couldn't be with us physically, he was with us in spirit...and in cyber space. That's Lord Arthur Pepper Dorian checking in from his home office.

And here he is in the portrait that hangs in the great hall of his estate. Isn't he dapper?

We ate cake, drank toasts, chicken-danced and reveled until ~~the morning light~~ the changing of the guard when the newer, sober-er guards caught onto our little scheme.

We beat a hasty retreat to a lorry we had parked down by the river. We bailed into the boot and got safely away. All in all it was a wonderful time. We have identified the kinks in our plans and will have them all worked out by the time it's Harry's turn. Ta ta for now Duckies!

Embarrassment of Riches

2011-04-27T15:13:00.003-05:00

Today is Administrative Professionals' Day. This morning, as a treat, we admin types were treated to breakfast and a neat video about goal setting called Mt. Fuji-The Fool Climbs It Twice. It was very amusing and inspirational. I recommend trying to find a copy if you haven't seen it.

And I've gotten little treats from my kids and my company all day. One of my kids gave me this lovely pen and note paper set...

Later on these arrive from all of my kids! They know how much I LOVE tulips and pink!

Then my company sent this box of chocolates....

Great day! I'm a lucky girl!

PS. (Later)-To thank my 'kids', I baked a batch of Snicker's Brownies tonight. The recipe is over on my kitchen site:

http://mollybeeskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/04/snicker-bars.html

Weekend Update

2011-04-25T16:13:00.001-05:00

I had the best of intentions of starting a new knitting project this weekend but time got away from me. I puttered happily 'round and 'round in circles for two days. Saturday I went to lunch with a friend I hadn't seen in almost a year. She brought two friends and their 3 children. OOOEEE! Cheeseburger in Paradise was not prepared for our party. It was good to catch up.

Afterward, I trotted over to Michael's Crafts to buy some of the spendy pens I like since I had a 30% off on my entire order coupon. The best laid plans to run in, nab the nibs and run out met with disaster when I saw the watercolor tables were BOGO and the fixative that will keep my pencil shadings from shading everything BUT my drawings was right there... Sigh.

I went to World Market next to pick up Easter treats for friends and the line was 20 people long-no exaggeration. I thought maybe I had spent so much time (and $) in Michael's that it was Black Friday already. It would have been OK if they had had more than one line open. I won't stand in a long line if the store has an opportunity to do something about it and doesn't. You know me and bad customer service. There are plenty of other stores with Easter treats willing to take my cash.

Saturday night I went to Denny's with friends Steve and Joey T. I wasn't uber hungry so I ordered their pancake thingies.. they looked like donut balls. Meh. It was nice to catch up with the boys. I hadn't seen them in a few weeks. They are both big sweeties.

I had plans to go to Pewet's Nest on Sunday to see what it looks like in high water, but life intervened and I didn't go. Ben and I spent a good amount of time outside in the afternoon, walking and deck sitting. He found a stick as big as he was so I hauled his dog bed outside (can't make him lay on the cold concrete and his sofa was too heavy to get out the door by myself!) and he contented himself with whittling the branch down to a more manageable size while I finished up several library books I'd been working on. I highly recommend any of them if you're looking for good reads:

A Discovery of Witches-Deborah Harkness (Awesome! Reminded me of Diana Gabaldon's Highlander series-only with vampires and witches and it's the first in a trilogy)
I'll Sing You Home-Jodi Picoult (About infertility, music therapy and marital relationships).
Tiger Tiger by Margeaux Fragoso (About a girl's relationship with her pedophile. Disturbing but well told and very interesting)
Numbers by Rachel Ward (about a girl who sees peoples 'expiration dates' when she looks at them

Last night I doodled and watched a BBC DVD that I had on loan from the library; 'Shakespeare Retold-Volume 1'. On this disk was a modern retelling of 'Much Ado About Nothing" and Macbeth." I loved ' Much Ado', but 'Macbeth' went too far a field for me with it's Gordon Ramsey-esque restaurant setting and garbagemen ghosts.

See I told you I covered a lot of ground, all the while getting very little accomplished, but it was a relaxing couple of days which I needed to contend with this upcoming week full of Cirque de Soliel and work functions. Then it's Knit Night and Last Sat. Knitting. Maybe I'll get that new project started after all!

Rude Awakening

2011-04-21T08:46:00.002-05:00

Night before last, my imaginary husband, Colin Firth, and I were walking, hand in hand, in a lovely English garden. There was a light breeze and the sun dappled through the cherry blossoms. Colin was telling me how he couldn't have won all of those awards for The King's Speech without my love and support. He was showering me with compliments, kisses and expensive jewelry, when the light breeze turned decidedly fetid. I felt several huge drops of rain and looked wonderingly at the sky. It felt as though a storm was coming but there wasn't a cloud in sight. What was going on?

Suddenly a clap of thunder ...Waaahhhh Shooo! I awoke with a start. Colin and the cherry blossoms were gone in a 'pooff' as were the breeze and the sun. Wait a minute...since when does thunder go 'Waaaaaahhh Shoooo'!? I opened my bleary eyes and peered into the darkness of my bedroom. First the clock...4:45am. Then, once I focused... directly up the double barrel of a dog nose. I began processing as fast as my recently slumbering brain would allow...the fetid breeze, the 'thunder'...the rain...GROSS! I had just been the recipient of a Bentley sneeze at the all too close range of about 6 inches. As soon as he perceived that I was lucid, he curled up and went back to sleep.

This creeped me out on many levels....the main one, of course, was biological...but the more I thought about it, the more psychological it became. Why was Ben sitting on the bed, a la Vulture-Snoopy-On-His-Doghouse, peering at me so closely? Did he do this often? Should I sleep with one eye open? (My mother insists that after the things I put him through, I should thank my lucky stars that he doesn't have opposable thumbs or he's be pressing a pillow over my face. Not helpful, Mum.)

I decided to investigate the next night. Several times I sat bolt upright and threw the light on with a snap, only to discover...

Now either he's really asleep or he's really fast at throwing himself down and pretending he's sleeping....In the case of the latter, I have bigger problems than I thought...So, if anything should 'happen' to me....the Bentley did it.

Introducing

2011-04-19T21:36:00.000-05:00

A new blog for Molly Bee! I've decided to move my Zentangles to another spot. Check out:

http://mollydoodlesallday.blogspot.com/

if you are interested. I will add a link to it in on the side bar as I move the Zentangle blog links to the other site. Otherwise, all of the usual suspects; life, knitting, spinning, baskets, books, Ben and the typical messes I find myself in will remain on this site.

Relaxing Weekend

2011-04-17T20:02:00.000-05:00

Went to Knit Night for a while on Friday night. I had my cranky on and left at 8:00PM to catch up on some much needed sleep. I have the pair of socks that I've been working on for a month almost done. I do almost no knitting at home anymore. I've been doodling up a storm in order to get pieces ready for an art show this fall. Fortunately and unfortunately, I can lose myself for hours in the pen and paper.

I had several plans this weekend. I wanted to go to the Bat Festival and see the African Fox Bat. I was going to go see Jayne Eyre at Sundance Cinema. I was going to go to Farmer's Market. I was going to go shopping at Hilldale for art supplies. But the wind, snow, sleet, and cold put the kibosh to all of it. The roads weren't bad, it's just after spending a week in Vegas and then coming home to 80° weather...I couldn't being myself to venture out in the slop except to quickly walk Ben three times a day.

So I spent hours doodling, reading, taking a long hot bath, doing my nails, catching up on TV shows I've taped and just basically recharging. I'll get back in the swing of things when the weather warms up. I'm looking forward to going to Cirque du Soliel at the end of this month, as well as Stitch and Pitch, Knit Safari and a shopping tour to Chicago in May. This little soiree back into hibernation is just temporary, but I sure am enjoying it.

What did YOU do this weekend?

I Love Paris In The Springtime

2011-04-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

The day after we got home from Vegas, we rested up for our big trip to Paris on the weekend. We drove there. No, I don't have water wings on my car; Paris IL where my brother and his family live. 5.5 hours down in the haze and clouds then it was 80° and sunny when we got there. Their magnolias, cherries and tulips were all blossomed and springy.

We got to see beautiful niece, Kelsey, in her prom gown. We went to see her in the Grand March at the High School gym before she left for dinner and then we spent the evening with my brother, BubberKev, and his lovely wife, Shiela. We ate Monocal's Pizza, which I'd never heard of but is awesome, and played dominoes.[Aside: I always play dominoes when I go to Maine, but by the time I get back here and think to ask folks over to play, I've forgotten the rules. If you are a Mexican Train player, call me while the rules are still fresh! It's wicked fun!]

Sister Shiela too us shopping at Goodwill in Paris and I brought back a brand new $180 Fossil purse for $4.99. Mum brought back the flu. We have to face a discussion on how to shop.
We went out to breakfast at 7AM on Sunday and were on the road for the long drive home at 8AM to beat the nasty weather we were supposed to get in Madison in the late afternoon and evening. Turns out we didn't get it, but they got hammered just north of us so I'm glad we left early.

Mum spent the next three days coughing and hacking and trying to recuperate enough to go home on the plane this morning. I think it would have taken quite a lot to make her stay. She's on death's door but she misses her cat...you do the math.

Now I need a vacation from my vacation! What have YOU been doing?

Home Again Home Again Jiggidy Jig

2011-04-14T07:11:00.000-05:00

Our flight didn't leave until 3PM and we didn't have to be out of the resort until noon, so we spent the morning on the casino floor playing pennies. Despite the fact that we tried to play a slot machine or two in EVERY hotel we toured, we both came home about even which was nice. Our biggest wins were in the neighborhood of $80-100 except for this one:

Vegas was a blast. Everyone told me that it would be fun but that you only need to go once. I totally disagree. I loved it and would go back any time.

Next up...I Love Paris in the Springtime!

Viva Las Vegas: Day Three

2011-04-12T19:46:00.001-05:00

We decided to take a more sensible approach to Day Three and The Bellagio and Caesar's Palace. The Conservatory in the Bellagio was amazing

Poppies

The Carousel

Poppy Lane

A 'painting' made out of flowers

A class greenhouse full of butterflies.

Dozens of Daffodils

Tons of Tulips

A Sweetheart Tree and a Ferris Wheel...

Flowery cranes in the fountain and a water tunnel.

This was the amazing fountain in front of Caesar's.

I even ran into Elvis in our travels!

We had a nice buffet dinner and then went to Freemont Street for the evening. It was like Madison's State Street on steroids; shops, saloons, gentleman's clubs, casinos, live entertainment, celebrity impersonators (I saw Michael Jackson, Austin Powers, Stevie Wonder and Prince) and even a zip line that ran the length of the entire street. Plus the entire street is covered by a curved television screen (two blocks long) which plays a music video show on the hour every hour. It was pretty wild! Too dark to take pictures though

All too soon it was time to go back and pack for our flight out the next day. To be continued....

We Interrupt The Vegas Trip...

2011-04-12T13:33:00.000-05:00

To bring you this week's Diva Challenge entry. Look away...it's awful. The challenge was to make a tangle in only 15 minutes. I take lots of time when I draw but I told myself that I would do it and post whatever I came up with. I wish I wouldn't tell myself stuff. Obviously my test anxiety in HS and University was because of the time contraint. I panic under pressure, but here it is in all its glory!

Viva Las Vegas: Day Two

2011-04-12T07:53:00.001-05:00

We hit the ground running on Tuesday. We went to the discount ticket place to buy tickets for the show we would attend that night and then started touring hotels. We took the bus to the other end of the strip and started with Mandalay Bay.

We went to the Shark Reef and Aquarium there, had lunch and then toured the Luxor.

What an engineering feat that is!

Then it was off to The Excalibur, Monte Carlo:

Paris

New York New York

MGM Grand

Which has a lion sanctuary...

Then we walked to The Rio for our show. Everyone kept telling me that things are farther away then they look and they weren't kidding. Turns out the Rio is on the other side of a major highway. Getting there was much like playing the amphibious role in the old Frogger video game but we made it just in time to see....

Chippendales! That's right. Not as prim and proper as I look am I? It was fun and very campy. I got kissed by one of the guys who came into the audience. They didn't allow pictures so I had to obtain proof. Here is a tshirt ~~that I ripped off~~ ...er... that is to say, that one of the other guys ripped off and threw to me. Everything else that happened at the show is a secret...what happens in Vegas...stays in Vegas...

We were smart and got a cab home after the show and fell into bed exhausted. We literally walked from 9am to 9pm that day!
To Be Continued...

Viva Las Vegas-Day One

2011-04-11T17:36:00.000-05:00

Actually Day One was Day Two because we didn't get into Vegas until 10:30PM-T.I. Hotel at 11:30 which was 1:30 central time so we just crashed. We were raring to go the next morning and toured the Fashion Mall, The Encore, The Wynn Hotel, The Palazzo, The Venetian and The Mirage. We had front row seats to Cirque de Soliel: Mystere at 7PM and then Siren Show at our hotel.

My favorite things of the day were:

The waterfalls at The Wynn

The Venetian Shops complete with a ceiling that looks like the sky and changes depending on the time of day, and canals with gondola rides .

This couple had just gotten married. The priest is still in the boat.

Sigfried and Roy's Dolphin Research and Tiger Sanctuary at The Mirage

Mystere was AMAZING. So much going on! Colors, lights and shiny things. I was in heaven. It was very funny too with lots of audience participation. It was a very full day but so much fun. We caught the pirate/siren show at 9PM and then hit the hay in preparation for Day Two.
To Be Continued...

Happy April Fools Day

2011-04-01T19:00:00.002-05:00

Here are the treats we made for April Fools Day.

I took one to work...

And one down to the Sow's Ear.

Pizza Cakes-Yellow cake 'crust', red frosting'sauce' grated white chocolate 'cheese' and fruit roll up 'pepperoni'...all snuggled in a clean pizza box.

Hope you all had a great first day of April!

Molly Bee's Attic

Coins

Happy Valentine's Day!

This and That: The Update

Recommended Reading

A Quick Hello

The Agony Goes On.....The Finorkin Fiddlehead Fiasco

The Agony of Defeat Or In This Case...Da Hands

Relaxing Weekend

Fiddlehead Mittens Knit Along

The Power Of Positive Delusional Thinking

Wild and Wooly Weekend

The Great Goat Rodeo

Heartland Farms 2011 Recap Video

Born To Run

Anna and Cherish Update

The Great Possum Debaucle of 2011

Thor: Overseeer of All

Merry Christmas! May The Force Be With You

Company Art Show

Fly Away Home

Chrismas Season Has Begun!

How to Photograph a Llama

Thanksgiving With A Twist!

This One's for Dale Harriet: King's Landing Photos

Diva Challenge # 48: Red Thread Challenge

Diva's Weekly Challenge # 48: Tri-Shapes

Crockpot Apple Bread Pudding

Diva Challenge # 47: Lest We Forget...

Diva Contest

My 'Nzepple Period'

BOO! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I've Apparently Only Scratched The Surface

Farm Photos

Diva Challenge 45-Punzel

Wild Weekend

It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

I'd Like to Thank The Academy!

Diva Challenge # 44

Today's Creation

Sow's Ear Show

Molly Doodles Tote Bags Gallery Show and Sale

Up The River Without a Paddle

Noelle's Baptism Gown

Fire At The Camp

Sherman Old Home Days

Maine Doodles

Experiments With Color

Question of the Day

Exciting News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tolja! Two in a Row!

Noelle Renae Browne

Animal Cookies And Broken Piggies

Tote Bag

Barnyard Spotlight: Sonny The Rooster

Diva Challenge: Pendrills

Olbrich Gardens: Butterfly Days

Zentangler Pattern Sampler

Doodle Post: Diva Challenge # 32

Dane County Fair 2011

Sad Day Down on the Farm

Farmer's Tan On My Shins...

Diva's Challenge #31: Fairy Land

Busy Busy Bee

Bookmarks

'Initialize' Diva Challenge Entry on Molly Doodles Blog

All Creatures Great and Small

Pretzel Parades and Tylenol Tacos

♫ I Always Feel Like...Somebody's Watching Me...♫

Friends Are The Family You Choose

Stitch and Pitch 2011

Diva's Challenge # 27 Entry

Mollydoodles Update: New Tangle Pattern-Mendz

Sensational Saturday

Wanna See?

Diva Challenge # 26-Spirals

More Parade Photos

Again With the Not Posting!

Doodle Blog Update-The Big Kahuna Adventure Continues...

Mollydoodles Blog Update/Diva's Challenge