Fixing to Get Ready

Painful as it was, I cut the linen warp from my 22" Mirrix loom when Allison and I got together for our last Tapestry Club. I want to learn cut-pile weaving and I had to take this tapestry exercise off to make room for a new wool warp. I decided to string up my cast-off project onto a heddle and hang it in my studio. I can't relegate it to trash, at least not yet. The yarns were from natural dyes.

These are the skeins that I'm planning on dyeing with indigo. I have five colors and hope to have a nice range of blues when I'm done.
I have these colors from other natural dye baths so hope I'll be able to apply them, along with my new blues to a tapestry or cut-pile weaving. The wools are all various luster long-wools, which I gather aren't ideal for the cut pile, something else I don't know about yet, but I started this collection before my interest in cut-pile.
I'm planning on using these skeins for weft on my yet-to-be-
deter-
mined weaving project. Did I mention that I'll start that project tomorrow which is when the retreat starts, and that I'm not packed, I do not have a clear idea about what I'll work on, knit, spin or eat. I can't believe that I left food for last. But - I do have five bottles of red wine. Allison says only five bottles - what *are* you thinking?!

The tradition is that after we have completed our day of fiber challenge and discovery and eaten our evening meal, we remove ourselves to the huge front porch of the magnificent old St. Mary's Hospital in Virginia City, now arts center, to visit, talk about books - it's true - sip red wine and watch the sun set. I've learned why it's called Sun Mountain. I will be doing that tomorrow evening and wish you all an equally lovely evening and rest of the week.

Nevada in June

Because we had such a wet spring, we are still having wild-
flowers in June. This is Prickly Poppy. I tried to use it as a dye plant one year but it's so prickly that you have to use leather gloves and knippers. In the end the color was an insipid yellow - not worth the work. At least I don't have to wonder.

The lupine hasn't been blooming long. I also tried this as a dye plant and also got an insipid yellow though not has bad or as painful as Prickly Poppy. It's another wildflower that I'd just as soon admire.


I think this is Sulfer Flower, a member of the buckwheat family, but I wouldn't swear to it. I haven't seen it in many places, but it does like the north face of the canyon notch leaving the top of our valley.
You have to look closely to see the yellow in the bank, but it's there and it sticks out to me when I'm driving though there. Yes, I am standing in the middle of the road.
There's as much color in the lichen but it's a nice subtle palette. I couldn't resist these pictures on my way to work yesterday.
Nor could I resist taking pictures of the horses on my way to church this morning. I want to dispel the notion that Las Vegas is synonymous with Nevada.


And I conclude with a gratuitous cat picture. Charlie lives in a house in Nevada. He doesn't get to experience Nevada - it would not be kind to him.

June 10th

This is a date of reflection for Chrissie and me. She gave birth to my first grandson on this date. She had just turned 16. She had told that me she was going to spend the night with the neighbor girl, but the two snuck out the window. Chrissie ended up at a party and was introduced to White Russians. She loved them and had several - they tasted so good - but they were loaded and ended up knocking her out. And while passed out, someone knocked her up. It took months - three exactly - for her to realize it. Her friends counseled her to get an abortion, but when she confided in me, she said - Mom, my baby has fingernails. He had become a person to her and abortion wasn't an option.

I contacted a friend who did counseling for situations like this. She was our angel. In the course of things, my friend told me that she knew a couple on the East Coast who were approved for adoption, had in fact, arranged to adopt a baby but the mother walked out after her baby was born. I told Chrissie, but she wanted to keep her baby until-- until the day she came from the program our county has for unwed high school mothers when her friend sobbed because she only had enough money to pay for Robert's prescriptions *or* his diapers. She said, I can't put my baby in Robert's position. He never asked to be born.

She asked our friend to help her place her baby with those friends she had told me about. It was a remarkable journey. The adoptive couple were wonderful. When they learned that Chrissie wanted to name the baby for my father for the three days he roomed in with her at the hospital- they were receptive. My father's name coincidently was both the names of the adoptive father, only in reverse order. It is the name they gave him. They wrote her for five years and sent her pictures. At the end of five years, they agreed that the contact would stop. His father has a web presence. We have always know where he is and been able to observe that he has a wonderful home and a rich live. Given the circumstances, who could wish for more.

As always, June 10th is a poignant date. Chrissie phished on MySpace. I have an account that she set up for me so I can be in contact with her little brother. It seems all kids are on MySpace, and it seems that as they age, they migrate to Facebook. Anyway, this year in her meanderings, she found his MySpace account and sent me the link. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to know how well he is doing. I doubt that he will ever know that we peek in on him. We are both aware of what an emotional earthquake that would be, but, you know - it's nice to know.

So this is a picture - yeah, he's got the goofiest of smiles - but he's got the prettiest of dates. It's my youngest son who was five when my first grandson was born.

And this is the picture of his nephew, if we're not mistaken. It takes my breath away.

A Day at Home

When I got back from my walk this morning, the free range cattle had moseyed up to almost our fence and Zephie was keeping a close eye on this on this odd group of square creatures.

Huh? What are they and what happened to their necks??!!!





Three years ago I bought three Rocky Mountain Penstemon plants from High County Gardens out of New Mexico. It's rated browse resistant to rabbits - yippee. I'm glad something is. I do believe it is a *wee* bit invasive, not that I mind all that much since anything pretty that wants to grow is fine with me. Once it the blooming is over though, I'm cutting the stalks off to the ground. Until then, the hummingbirds seem to like it.

Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn sheep sighting - this is Nevada's state animal so I am very excited to see one for myself. Wait - is this poor animal jaundiced or merely mirroring the nearby mule ears. I think closer inspection is required.

And upon closer inspection, I can see that it is one of the Artown sheep, come to live in the wild. As you can see for yourselves, he has horns, coming and going. Reno artists were challenged to decorate sheep for the annual arts month a couple of years ago. I don't remember this one, but that's because he escaped to the wild.
Yesterday was one of those days when even I was impressed by the big sky. I must have taken a half dozen pictures on the drive to work. I need a bumper sticker to the effect, Caution - I brake for the sky. Someone at work asked me what I do with all my pictures. I said, upload them to Flckr? I don't know the answer. That little smidgen of yellow out there is the clustering of mule ear.
That long mountain in the back-
ground is Dogskin Mountain and it is the only 7.5" USGS quad-
rangle in this state that isn't printed as a single map. It's printed on the same paper as a 1:100 map and that mountain is my back yard. Huh? I don't know what that means either.
Rit dye remover for my indigo dye bath in a couple of weeks is why I went to the store on my way to work. I was waiting for the signal to turn and just had to grab my camera. The sign advertises a Starbucks drive through and a WalGreens drug store drive though, and the sign is flanked by Kentucky Fried Chicken, US Bank and Jack in the Box, all with drive through windows. Don't we ever get out of our cars?!

A Couple 'a Books

I loved this book. I had only thought of Reeve Lindbergh as a children's author, and though I was aware she was a daughter of Charles Lindbergh, I didn't hold against her. I was surprised to find a fellow sojourner and long-time sheep raiser when I read her essays. She is a wise soul with a wicked sense of humor.

Wisdom: "I have also learned to know the ambiguity inherent in the keeping and caring for animals and children. However much I may care for them, any "keeping" of these living creatures is temporary, moving between tight embrace and full surrender, whether we like it or not."

Humor: Promises, Promises...or, What I Did On My Sixtieth Birthday

When I turned sixty
I found in the store
A world of temptations
For girls of three score.
.......

With our Anti-Wrinkling Serum
We who have Fine Lines won't fearum
No, we'll be Regenerating:
Moistly, Actively Hydrating!
With these products we'll be using.
We won't age. We'll be Diffusing.
We'll be dancing, we'll be prancing
While De-Crinkling and Enhancing
No ones footsteps could be dragging
While her face cream's Anti-Sagging).
......

I left the store happy, though.
Isn't that funny?
I'm learning, at sixty,
how NOT to spend money.

I don't want to ruin the poem for those of you decide you need to read this book and I also don't want to wade into copyright violation.

I came across this book when I was looking in Overbooked for book club candidates. It received a starred review in both Booklist and Library Journal - that means they liked it a lot. I am not a fan of mysteries, but for those of you who are, it's touted as an "original and clever mystery, with a flock of endearingly woolly detectives." - a witty philosophical murder mystery with a charming twist, the crack detectives are sheep, determine to discover who killed their shepherd."

My Day Off

I got half my display for the library installed yesterday morning. They have two display cases and I was asked to be the June gig - pretty cool. The other case won't be empty until next week so I have some time to think about it. This one is hats and bags, and while I was putting it together, one of the staff bought a bag which paid for lunch and my museum tour, with change. Amy, Allison and her daughter Phoebe and I met for lunch at the museum restaurant, an extension of the Cheese Board and Wine. The food and company was delightful.

The Nevada Museum of Art only permits photo-
graphy of the rooftop gallery, and I thought this sculpture against the Porsche Building was pretty cool. Beryl had emailed me earlier in the week to tell me that they had driven over from California to see the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit and that it was wonderful. I live here and I hadn't seen it! He's one of my American icons and so her email had put the wheels in motion.
I liked this sculpture a lot, but those sharp pointy bits are just as sharp and pointy as they look. I think its looks like an idea for an episode of Monk, which Ian and I are totally hooked on through Netflix. I don't know why we pay for satellite when all we watch is Netflix. And when we finish with Monk, I think we're going to watch Northern Exposure. By the way, the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit was just as wonderful as Beryl said.
This exhibit is Mt. Rose, recently recrowned with snow - I love living in the Sierra's backyard. I am a huge FLW afficionado and just glad I didn't miss the change to see this collection. Ian and I got to see his windows exhibit at the Building Museum in DC. I need pay closer attention to our local museum's schedule. Note to self~

Three Bags Full(ed)

These are my last three felted bags, and they may truly be my last as I hate the part where I have to assemble them, and I'm none to hot on carrying a bag with two straps. They are knit with roughly the same number of stitches but the different wools is how they end up being different in size.

I used to block them with cereal boxes but we have eaten most of the cereal so now I block them deacces-
sioned library books.
If you're going to full something in the washing machine, you must encase it in a zippered pillow case bag and this the reason why. This is all the link I pulled out of the bags, which would have otherwise gone into my washing machine pump.
I am a bad bag mom - I do play favorites, and this is my favorite. I love the way Border Leicester fulls. I dyed the locks, carded them whilekeeping their colors as separate as possible and then spun them. The other wools I've used haven't fulled into this boucle-like yarn and I love the way it looks. My own bag is from this wool. I bought about five fleeces from Ralph Groefsema before he retired so don't worry about running out any time soon.
Drum roll please - three complete bags. I'm going to knit on my Sonnet sweater for a while - phew. Glad these are done.
I got out of the car to open the gate tonight and just had to drive right back in for my camera and so will leave you with yet another gratuitous Big Sky picture.

Memorial Day Red Rock Breakfast

Laura was down from Oregon this past weekend. She and Linda share a birthday year and they wanted to celebrate their landmark birthdays together. We decided to have breakfast together out here in Red Rock since she had to drive home this way anyway. We?? Friends already, our friendships really began to deepen as a sheep-to-shawl team at the Conference of Northern California Handweavers. The event was in Grass Valley and one of those days you could fry eggs on the sidewalk. Ian reconnoitered and found a couple of fans for us since we were stuck in a corner of the unairconditioned building. It was so hot that one of the members of another team passed out, and while paramedics attended, the team labored on - a race to the finish, a finish that's another story in itself.
Of course, we want to see all the lambs. Mim had a horrible lambing season and and it appears to be a problem with line breeding. She will use another ram from another line next year. The grass that appears to be above our heads is where the ewe and her blind twins are. There used to be a nice tree in the middle but Mim cut it down. The poor blind lambs figured out the fence, then would dark across the pen and right right into the tree, completely stunning themselves. Finally, she took the tree out.
Their house is a log cabin that they built 25 years ago and is charming. Doesn't it look like all the trucks are pulled up to the feeding station??
Mim's husband Bob is a landscaper and their yard is stunning. Also, in the first picture of the group, Mim is holding JoBeth, their Jack Russell terrier. She alternates between calling him a Jack Russell Terriorist and The Verminator. They don't have rabbits and they don't have squirrels. A lot more grows when you're not feeding rodents. I could almost want a verminator of my own - almost.

This is the view from their front porch and it's the view I fell in love with when I came out here for a spin-in seven years ago. I still feel like I need to pinch myself to be sure it's true that I live out here too now.
The Tapestry Club! Though we've been trying to start since the first of the month, tomorrow is our day, and I have everything in the car. But first we're going to meet Amy at the Nevada Museum of Art for lunch and then see the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit. After that, we'll launch the first session of the Tapestry Club.

Huggable Chickens

DSCN3969
Originally uploaded by oktopus garden

Who would 'a thought~

I've Been Tagged.

Michelle recently tagged me for a meme and asked me pretty please to play, so here goes:

The rules: Posted here at the beginning. The player answers all questions. The player then chooses six people you want to know more about and tags those people by listing their names at the end of the post and going to their blog and leaving a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Also, you let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago? That was a pretty rough time - Ian and I hadn't even been married two years yet and still had a teenager under our roof, and not just any teenager, but a very troubled boy whose friends were in the same boat. I never knew when I was going to get a call from the Sheriff's department and was relieved when he was finally court-ordered into a drug and alcohol treatment program, which he had just finished at this time ten years ago. I had only been spinning a couple of years but found it was great therapy. I enjoy my son so much now, I hardly think of those days and am glad that Reno had a treatment program when we needed it. That program is gone and jail is the substitute. I know a blessing when I see one.

2. What were five things on my to-do list today (not in any particular order)? 1) I need to felt the last three bags I knitted so I can put them in the display case at the library on Thursday - they're in the third cycle through the washing machine right now. 2) I also need to skirt Mickey's fleece so I can get it shipped for processing. I have completely run out of his roving - I had forgotten to send his fleece in last year because I put it in the State Fair. It's still raining so I am deferring that until Wednesday, which means I'll have time to start a new book today. 3) I carded some more Border Leicester so I can finish the bobbin I'm spinning and ply it up. It's white and I want to put it in the indigo dye bath next month, along with two different grey Romney skeins, yet to be spun but *not* today! 4) The first thing after drinking my coffee was to make a fruit salad for breakfast this morning at Mim's. Several of our friends drove out from town and it was such a wonderful visit, short but sweet. I'm lobbying to make it an annual tradition. 5) Start a new book.

3. What snacks do I enjoy? Salty - anything salty; pickles, popcorn, corn or veggie chips, though I'm not really much of a snacker. Years ago when I was a runner, I recognized that one of the secrets to keeping my weight down was to not eat in between meals, so if I do need to snack on my break at work, I tend to make it fruit or veggies, which I have actually come to prefer over time. Lately I've been taking a cold artichoke for my break but that season is just about over, dangit. It's easy to do in the microwave while I'm getting ready for work. I put a little water in a small, deep bowl, then add a splash of lemon juice, a splash of olive oil and a sliced clove of garlic. I cover it with plastic wrap with a vent hole, then nuke it for 7-8 minutes. I only have one left and my mouth is watering, just typing this.

4. Where are some places I've lived? I began in Alaska, then my parents wended their way to San Diego, arriving there when I turned five. They were just looking for a place to live where they could get some sleep since my asthma kept them up at nights, bless their hearts. I moved to Pensacola, Florida as a Marine wife for a year, then spent two in the Philippines, ending up in Applegate, California when Mike got out of the service. We came to Reno when he was accepted at the University, and while I've also lived briefly in Winnemucca and Redding, Reno has pretty much been it since 1975. With three children and four grandchildren also in this area, I'm pretty sure it's going to stay "it."

5. What things would I do if I were a billionaire? Oh boy, I'd pay off the house and car so Ian could retire, buy him a new truck so he could retire his 1994 Toyota, set up trust funds for all seven kids and grandkids, contribute to the educational scholarship that my brother-in-law and his wife developed as well as give to my favorite charities, and then take a long trip since we could afford to hire someone to take care of our animals. Oh, and while the fantasy continues, I'd have a larger area of our property fenced, pay for excavation so we could erect a barn and then fill it with hay. That's why this is called a Meme - it's me, me, me, me....

But 'nuff about me. I'd like to hear from: Robin, Marie, Cindy, Kathy, Leigh and Lee. You are all folks I've "chatted" with from time to time and I'd like the chance to know more about you. I didn't include Valerie since she's at Penland for a couple of weeks, and we probably won't see hide nor hair of her for quite some time, though I am eager for her reports!

Springy May

Well, Spring made a liar out of me. The weather has continued to hold and we are still using the wood stove. We are also getting more rain than I can ever remember for a May which in turn is causing the wildflowers to pour it on. The hillsides are literally golden. The weather is so unusual that they had to close Tioga Pass into Yosemite due to snow. Those poor folks at the Strawberry Music Festival!

This is source of the golden hillsides - Mule Ears, a member of the Composite Family. Another never - I have never seen them grow in such thick carpets.
I drove in for grandson Kiernan's Little League game. These are two of his biggest fans, hard core for sure to endure the wind and cold. I left after an hour and Chrissie called me minutes later to say they had just left too. At least it didn't rain during the game.
Kiernan loves baseball - bet you can see that without me telling you. Those coach dads are dedicated and infinitely patient.
I am really enjoying this May and I'm sorry that it's almost over.

The Shoe Tree

The other morning driving into work, I saw a number of cars and trailers parked by the Shoe Tree, and realized that it's been a while since I've taken any pictures of it. On my way home, I became the tourist myself.

What's on the tree changes from season to season, storm to storm. Piles of shoes appear on the ground under the tree after heavy winds. I always wonder who picks them up - not their mother!
When California DOT did major roadwork two years ago to widen the shoulders, they circled the tree with protective barrier tape. This poor broken tree has become the object of affection and three-year-old Granddaughter Alexia is saving a pair of red glitter shoes hang on it.
Storms completely and repeatedly empty the tree through-
out the year and I'm always amazed to see it fill up again. Who? Why? I am reluctant to help Alexia hang her shoes because these shoe adornments are temporary and I won't know how to explain to her why her shoes are no longer there.
Who?
Why??!!

High Desert Spring

Spring is very brief in the high desert and it comes and goes, never lasting more than a couple of weeks. Fruit trees are more for looks, as the fluctuating temperatures kill the blossoms more often than not. I think Walls of Water are the best invention since sliced bread. My tomatoes have doubled in size already and have blossoms - yippee!

I wish I could capture the delightful colors of the pink desert peach and the yellow mule ears growing side by side - you have to click for big. They seem so vivid when I'm driving and not so much when I stop the car to take a picture. Anyway, that's how it appears to me~