Sunday, July 28, 2013

Scenes from the Fair


Sunday July 21, 2013 - Saturday July 27, 2013









Keeping Cool in the Cow Barn



Hog Heaven (Josh, Cora, and Jake's 4H pigs)



Swine Showmanship: Controlled Chaos


And the Winners are:



Best Dressed 



Best Haircut



Best Six-Second Ride


Best Fair Food


Best Costume


Saturday, July 20, 2013

Fair Checklist

Hat -- check.
Map -- check.
Tickets -- check.
Snacks -- check.
Water -- check.

Heading out early tomorrow morning to Paso Robles with Jerry's grandson Z.  The plan is to be there by 10 am to watch the Sheepdog Trials and then check out the 4H/FFA livestock before the Fair opens at noon (and it gets too hot).  Our neighbors' kids will be showing their 4H pigs again this year -- all three kids with a pig a piece.  Our 2-for-1 Season Passes will come in handy this week.

Looking forward to the sights, sounds, and smells of our County Fair.  Yee Haw!



California Mid-State Fair, July 17-July 28, 2013



Sunday, July 14, 2013

Mr Spock

"It is only logical to knit."  achrisvet

"Sometimes the needles of the few outweigh the needles of the many." Alibeee

"This strange custom you humans call knitting . . . is oddly relaxing and stimulating at the same time. I am at a loss as how to account for it. I believe it could become rather addictive." Prizzm

(eta: used with permission from Ravelers: achrisvet, Alibeee, and Prizzm.)




For the first time in my life, I was happy.  Spock


SABLE

(Sable: Stash Aquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.)

Summertime: the weather is fantastic, the sunsets are amazing, and yarn sales are plentiful. What?

Lately, I have been noticing major closeouts from LYS (Local Yarn Shops) and LYS Online. My guess is that the shops are getting ready for fall and selling discontinued yarn lines or colorways.

On Ravelry, knitters have also been putting their yarn up for sale.  The reasons are varied: a moving sale, to fund a vacation, spring/summer cleaning, or just to lessen the stash.  Which makes for a whole lotta destashing going on.  

All so tempting.  Because, let's face it, knitters and fibery folk have a stash.  They love their fiber and yarn.  It's not hoarding (I don't think) it's potential.  Potential that a little bit of fluff can be turned into a pretty scarf or shawl/ette, a pair of cozy socks, or a beautiful sweater.  Some have a small stash, others not so small.

For the past couple of months I have been adding to my own stash.  What makes it different this time is I have been purchasing sweater quantities in addition to my usual single skein amounts.  Behold the yarny goodness:

Madelinetosh Yarns Vintage, 2-mixed bag single skeins (10) from Little Knits.com ~


"One of a kind" colorways


mmmMalabrigo Worsted, 6 skeins plus a bonus wound ball (7), from a Ravelry destash ~


Olive colorway


 Cascade Yarns Venezia, 2-full bags of 5 skeins (10), from Little Knits.com ~


Black Forest and Silver Lavender colorways


I think my stash (in comparison to other knitters on Ravelry) is "small".  I have not reached SABLE . . . yet.




Saturday, July 6, 2013

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Heat Loss

Our weather is finally starting to return to a normal pattern: hot during the day, cool at night.  It was only 101° today but right now you can feel a nice breeze with the cooling coastal marine layer moving in for the evening. Very different weather compared to this past weekend when we were engulfed by the heat wave: 103° on Friday, 105° on Saturday, 107° on Sunday with hardly any cooling at night.




Three consecutive days of hot weather stressed the animals and on Sunday we lost one hen to the heat.  Who knew that chickens could get heat stroke?  I was worried about the remaining Girls (weird to see a chicken pant) but they were fine the following morning.

On Monday, The Man went to our local hardware store and bought a water mister to help keep the animals cool.


Bebe "Bowling Ball"


I'm going to miss Bebe.  She was a very Good Girl.