Molly Bee's Attic

Just posted recipes for Asian Cole Slaw and Apple Dumplings over on my kitchen site: http://www.mollybeeskitchen.blogspot.com/ Enjoy! Have a safe Memorial Day! Much Love, Molly Bee and Ben

As many of you close to me know, Harry Potter and I have not been on speaking terms since his first movie came out. I had planned to read the books because I'd heard great things, but hadn't yet done so before I attended the first film of the series. I was loving it up until the Quiddich scene which was so poorly filmed that I got physically ill from motion sickness. If there's anything I hate more that getting sick it's paying $15 a ticket to get sick and woofing up a perfectly good $97.99 popcorn. To say I was incensed and outraged would be an understatement . I SO wanted to punch Harry right in his lightning-bedazzled little forehead! Then strangle him with his stripedy scarf. And step on his glasses, all the while calling his bad names, for good measure! Since that wasn't an option, I did the next best thing. I banished all things Potter from my life. Like the books? Don't wanna hear it. New movie out? Better not tell me within swinging range. Got a Potte...

♥I had a serious case of the blues last week. I had a cold. Ben was miserable. Seemed like everything was going wrong. Life seemed bleak and I lost my positivity mojo big time. Finally by Saturday I'd had enough. I pulled myself up by the bootstraps, scheduled lunch with a friend who always makes me smile and made a conscious effort to just enjoy each moment as it came along and go with the flow. My 'luck' turned around immediately. Was is 'luck' at all? Lesson: Happiness is a conscious choice. ♥I happened upon a freakishly huge spider on the bathroom floor. One minute I noticed it and the next minute I found myself in the middle of the living room chanting ' OhGoOohGodOGod '. Once I pulled it together, I wondered who I initially thought was going to deal with the thing as I had run away like a big sissy. So I ammo-ed up with a wad of tissues and snuck back in the bathroom (thus gaining the element of surprise donchaknow ) to eradicate it. Like I told fri...

With the Benster still on the bench, I prepared myself for a ho-hum weekend at home. I don't like to leave him if I don't have to because he has to wear the cone of shame and he HATES that. Back in The Before Times, those collars used to be an opaque white color. The new fangled ones are see-through clear so he can't see it. It's like a force field around his head and he doesn't know where it ends, so when it's on, he stands perfectly still. I had to teach him to sit and lay down. He still won't put his head down to sleep. Poor guy. When I take it off, he's so exhausted he goes and gets Percy Porkloin and they take an uber nap together to get over the trauma. But what was supposed to be a low key weekend was not. I did escape for a little bit to lunch with friend Scott and get my hair cut. Then I went shopping for Mike's (of Mike and Hef fame) birthday gift. I was so pleased to find the perfect gift for a sci- fi geek over at Williams and Son...

I was thinking of canceling Wisdom Wednesday today because I am down with a head cold and in such a grumpy state that I figured there were no viable lessons to be gleaned from my virus laden stupor. About 2 minutes after that thought, I discovered that there is indeed valuable experience to be gathered and passed along in every situation... ♥I'm not going to go into a lot of detail, I'm just gonna tell 'ya. DON'T... as in DO... NOT...EVER... use one of those fancy tissues laced with Vick's VapoRub and then try to remove your contact lenses. Just sayin '. Again, I perform these experiments so you don't have too. What did YOU learn this week?

From the good folks who brought you the 'One Is The Loneliest Number Single Knitted Item Puppet Show Only In My Head' extravaganza a few entries ago, we now present, The Lonely Singles No More Reunion Tour. The lights go down and the crowd goes wild!!! ♫ Reunited 'cause it feels so good....♫ (My first pair of Selbuvotter Norwegian Mittens ) ♫Reunited ' cuz we understood♫ (First pair of Toe Up Socks-'And they match! Sole Mates'...Get it?!?!? ) ♫There's one perfect fit. ♫ And Sugar this one is it.♫ (Top Down Socks. Uh...not so much with the matching. Oy!) ♫We both are so excited ' cuz we're reunited, hey-hey!♫ OK. So these aren't a matched pair but I did finish TWO scarves so I'm counting it. On the right is the Noro Entrelac Scarf. On the left is an unblocked drop stitch scarf with woven drop stitches that's kinda cool. And there you have it. There has been knitting. All of the lonely singles projects have been finished up, pair...

Ben is doing very well. He's healing nicely and already weight bearing on his new knee. The task now is to keep him from OVER doing it. Not an easy task. He can't get up on the couch or bed, two of his FAVORITE things, and when I leave the house he has to wear the cone of shame because he can't hold his licker . We have to maintain calm and control until a week from Friday when we go see his doc again. Did I tell you that I think his doctor is 11 years old? Seriously! Doogie Schnauzer! He has to have a note from his mom saying that he has permission to practice veterinary medicine! Anyway, Ben and I want to thank you all for the well wishes, calls, cards, treats and gifts that have been pouring in from across the country. Mike and Hef stopped by and gave him a zebra which he loves. He took the 'brains' out of its head immediately 'cause apparently he likes his zebras stoooopid . Uncles Joe and Steve stopped in with treats yesterday and gave him all of the love...

Ben says to tell you he's fine. He had surgery yesterday to repair a torn ACL. He had to stay at the vet overnight which was traumatizing for both of us, but I got to go get him at 9:30 this morning and he is home resting comfortably now. The surgery went well-no surprises or complications. He has a shiny new plate in his knee which will make just breezing through airport security a thing of the past when he goes on his world tours, but sacrifices had to be made. I'm working from home today to keep an eye on him. We're having lunch right now and then it's back to the coal mines for me and back to recuperating on his new dog bed for him! ( Here are some post op pics. The site looks really good, but I will make the pics small so you can avoid them better if you are squeamish. If you are a science/med geek like me, just click on them to biggify.) /> /> Boo Boo Ben Chicken Leg! Good looking site Epidural haircut and sexy bare chicken leg IV Haircut

♥ Ben was gimping pretty bad again so I took him to the vet on Friday for x-rays etc. He didn ’t use his left leg at all going down the steps to the garage. He didn ’t want to jump up into the back seat. Once he did get in, he just lay there like a good boy…and that NEVER happens. He is always more spazzy than usual in the car. He's constantly begging to have the windows rolled down, be in the front seat or to drive. When we got to the vet, and he hobbled to the entrance. I opened the door and he ran across the lobby to get his treat. He bounced. He jumped. He knocked the vet over (when will she learn not to skooch down to say ‘Hi’ to him?). No sign of a limp. No indication of pain. Even when she did all of the poking and prodding, he gave her kisses. After we got home, he resumed his pitiful limping and making groaning noises. Lesson: Taking my dog to the vet is exactly like taking my car to the garage when it’s making a weird noise. Some kind of miraculous healing phenomenon h...

When I got up this morning , the temps were in the low 30°s. It was raining. The wind was blowing. So I thought 'What perfect weather to spend the day outside! " First I met friends Joe and Steve at the Farmer's Market where I encountered some of the local wildlife and purchased some lovely asparagus and spinach. There was an antique car show all the way down State Street. It was really neat to see the evolution of what we drive today. Like this one for instance; I don't know how you could see to drive with that thing sticking up in the front. Thank goodness they've worked out the bugs since the old days.... I asked this guy to take me back to 1988 but the Flux Capacitor was out of commission... This delightful production number is coming to the Orpheum Theah - tah . Ah, I love a lighthearted musical in the springtime! After I left the guys, I went to Lakeside Fibers to look for some yarn I needed. They didn't have it. And it's good to know that the '...

When I went to bed last night, it was cool but I left the window open a dite anyway and snuggled in for the night. Sometime in the wee hours, unbeknownst to me, the planet was plunged into an ice age the likes of which have never before been seen. I woke at 4AM, freezing cold and covered with only a wee corner of the top sheet. The fur beast was all coiled up at the foot of the bed in a nest which consisted of every stitch of bed linen except for the aforementioned sheet smidgen...and he was shivering. I wheedled and cajoled until I finally convinced him to reluctantly leave his spot and come up the bed, commando style on his belly of course, until he was next to me. Up to that point, at least his tummy had been warm, but that ship sailed quickly as his underside made contact with the fitted sheet which was stiff and had a thin rime of ice on it. Oh, the groaning and moaning! You would have thought he was a 90 year old man! He looked at me forlornly. Yeah, cold up here isn't it? ...

♥On Sunday an unexpected storm blew through; the wind kicked up, the heavens opened and thunder grumbled menacingly. Ben and I hunkered down, watched and marveled. After 30 minutes or so it tapered off and the sun burst through the gray, c reating the most brilliant rainbow I have ever seen in my life. Lesson: Batten down the hatches and weather the storm as best you can. You need to survive the dark to appreciate the light. The darkest storms often produce the most amazing rewards. ♥I took this photo at about 10 pm. These two barn swallows have been roosting on the rafters above our patio every night for a couple of weeks now. They put up with us turning on the porch light and galumphing in and out at bedtime, and with my upstairs neighbor performing what sounds like clog dancing on the deck right above their heads. Lesson: Home is what you make it. Bloom where you are planted. ♥Mr. Ben has been bearing up under his confinement very well even though his leg isn't getting better...

I've been pretty blog-prolific this week so I'll try and keep this short.... ♥I went to the Alpaca Festival and was talking to one of the owners who said that one of her alpacas wouldn't hang with the rest of the herd. She only wanted to hang with an old horse that the lady also owned and oddly enough a duck. Lesson: Sometimes who you love and how your family is constructed isn't 'conventional', but it's still love and it's still family. Family is who you make it. ♥Sweet Willie Browne (age 1)and his folks came down from the Twin Cities last weekend. They came over for supper on Monday night. I couldn't have been more excited to see Aaron and Terri and my honorary nephew. Within 3 minutes of entering my house (and on my watch I might add) he fell and whacked his head on my spinning wheel giving him a goose egg on the forehead, a cut on the cheek and a bloody nose. He recovered in minutes. I still haven't. Twofer! Lessons: 1. Again, Family is who...

♥Sticks and strings make tangled mess♥ ♥Lay it out. Better I guess.♥ ♥Stuff each part with love and care.♥ ♥Sew the ears on; 'right 'bout there.♥ ♥Add some spots, mane, tail and horns.♥ ♥ And TA DA, Jorge is born! ♥ ♥A knitted friend for a wee, sweet boy.♥ ♥ Auntie Min's pride and joy!♥

I went to Alpaca Fest on Saturday. Every year I learn more and more amazing facts about these incredible animals. They are ' nesters '. Here a mama alpaca prepares a nest in which to lay her large cache of eggs. Sometimes they have to be re-inflated. Here's a couple that have really l ost their oomph.... Each pen has huge fans attached to the side. You just position the saggy alpaca just so in front of it and p resto ! Here are some that are about halfway through the re-inflation process. It doesn't take long. Here is one of the oomphless alpaca in the first photo, re-inflated and back to his perky self. Magic! Some alpacas earn their keep testing mascara for Maybelline . We're hoping to score this one a contract with Crest White Strips too. Even the smartest of alpacas will fall for the 'dare you stick your tongue on the frozen fence' gag every time . ('Cause, quite frankly, much as I love 'em, even the smartest alpaca isn't all that smar...

We are supposed to have a rainy gray weekend here in The Flat Lands. Everyone is kind of grumpy about it since we've been horribly spoiled by the spring we've had so far. Rain or no rain, my weekend will be bright and shiny. Tomorrow is Alpaca Fest people! Literally hundreds of alpacas and creas to snog and snuggle! This year I vow (as I have every other year) that I will not snuggle alpacas and then touch my eyes. This year I will fail (as I have every other year). So if you see some chick with red, runny eyes trying to smuggle creas out of the Dane County Coliseum, it's me. Be sure and say hi and be prepared to aid and abet if called upon. Look nonchalant. Hopefully I will recover by the time Last Saturday Knitting comes around in the afternoon. I always look forward to knitting with the girls and sipping a Victor Allen's icy coffee concoction. I just finished a big project, so maybe I'll take my entrelac scarf and finish that off. Or my top down sock. Once I f...

♥ Last Friday, Friend-Terri found her 11 month old son, William, slumped over his highchair tray- unresponsive and blue. She managed to revive him and call 911. He recovered quickly but spent the next 24 hours in the hospital with his worried parents trying to figure out if he chocked or had a seizure. Twofer! Lesson: #1. Hold the ones you love tight and tell them how much you love them. Things can literally change in a heartbeat! #2. EVERYONE should know Infant First Aid and CPR! ♥ I was behind a Mo-ped type scooter on the way home from work yesterday. The driver was decked out, helmet to boots, in Harley Davidson gear and his scooter handlebars had fringe. Twofer ! Lessons: #1. Work with what you have. #2. Don't let anyone else define you! ♥ On Sunday, our friends went to a local casino for the day. They lost $300, suffered through a horrible meal and came home bickering with each other. I, on the other hand, got up early, went to the filling station and purchased a Sunday ...

I've had a wicked case of One- itis lately. I'm devoting the rest of the month to finishing up and pairing off all of the lonely singles I have kicking around here; one Toe Up sock, one Toe Down sock and a Sulbu mitten. When I envisioned this post in my head, I saw it as a puppet show: [Top Down sock pops up over the back of the sofa]: "♫ Onnnnnneeee .... is the loneliest number that you'll ever do♫" [Toe Up Sock pops up next to him and joins in...] "♫ Twwwwooooo can be bad as one...♫" [ Sulbo mitten joins the odd pair...] "♫It's the loneliest number since the number one.♫" (Don't get excited, it's just the back of the same Selbu . He's quite a dancer!) And they all start rockin ' together Three Dog Night style!!! There's stage fog and lasers!!! The crowd goes wild!!!! Uh...Ahem. But then I thought, 'No that's just weird and you probably shouldn't even admit that you seriously entertained the thought...