Cooperstown, the Place to Be!

  We had a special guest visit the shop Saturday during Induction Weekend at the BB H of F.  This gentleman and his wife have visited Cooperstown for the last 26 years for Induction Weekend and our shop for the last 12.  He sure looks like the Babe to us!  This photo was taken by Sharon Gibbons, our Chairperson, and that young man in the Atlanta Braves shirt is her grandson, Dylan.  It pays to come to Cooperstown during Induction Weekend!  The village of less than 2000 residents grows to over 35,000 and you'll never know who'll be at the next table for lunch or dinner.  Goose Gossage, Rollie Fingers and Pete Rose were just a few seen around town on Friday. There is one more big bb weekend planned for this summer for Aug 26 & 27 when the World Champion Chicago Cubs will allow  their World Series Trophy to be exhibited at the Hall of Fame.  Photos will be allowed.  Contact the HF for more details.

Life With Zoey Goes On

   Finally made the trip to Cooperstown this morning to restock the shop before Induction Weekend.  I had a very good day yesterday when Theresa sold 2 of my fair isle sweaters and 2 baseball hats.  Luckily I had finally got a baseball sweater finished.  It started out as a Mets' sweater but I've been informed that I used the wrong colors and it's closer to an Atlantic Braves sweater.  At any rate, it came out cute and it's in the shop!  A size 1 raglan-sleeved V-neck cardigan, it's hand knit in Red Heart acrylic yarn on US 5 & 7's with 4 baseball buttons.  I also managed to get 2 baseball hats finished last night, too.  They're done in Red Heart white acrylic on US7's and decorated with Red Heart Red yarn. I had to stop at Walmart on the way thru town to get a new memory card before I could take a photo of it.  You can see my Pin-stripe Special in the window display to the right of this sweater.
   I stopped at Hannaford's when I got back to Herkimer to pick up a few things (like lunch) and when I finally got home, Jeff was exhausted.  After eating his salad he had to go lay down. 

Zoey is asleep on the pillow under my computer table and Fanny on the floor next to her.  I'm the only one awake...and I wish I was napping, too!  Zoey isn't sleeping thru the night yet.  She sleeps about 3 hours and then is awake, hungry and ready to play for about an hour before winding down and crashing again.  But since this little performance usually happens around 2am and again at 6am we're all exhausted...except Zoey!  She naps several times during the day and I think we should take those opportunities to nap at the same time.  I've said from the beginning, I'm too old to have a baby or a puppy.
   I left the garbage bag on the stoop yesterday for Jeff to put in the garbage pail but he never got to it.  This morning something had torn into the bag and garbage is spread over the stoop and next to it.  Now he says when he get up he'll go clean up the mess.  I'm tired, too, and in a bitchy mood so I'm not going to let this pass.  He will clean it up.
   I've got to clean up the TV room...there is a pile of shredded paper thanks to Zoey...next to my chair, in front of the woodstove. If I can get away from the computer quietly maybe I can get it cleaned up without any help from her.  I doubt it but it's worth a try.
  I have never had a dog who was so interested in ferretting out my yarn stash.  Zoey's main activities these days seem to be 1) drive Fanny crazy 2) shred any and all paper she can find and 3) chew on any and all balls of yarn I may have put in plastic bags behind the chairs in the TV room.  She's surfaced from behind a chair or under the sofa with some yarn I had completely forgotten about, pulling it out of zippered plastic bags thru holes she chewed in them. She's even chewed into bags of yarn that were sealed before shipping and I hadn't opened yet!   And when all else fails, Zoey just drags the entire bag out and through the house!!  She might be small but she is mighty!!  Fanny had a liking for the handles of Jeff's screwdrivers but Zoey's after yarn.
  

Training Zoey...Day 2

   Day 2 with Zoey and the training goes on.  Jeff has put her doggie bed under his computer table and she gets leashed in at night (the leash is tied to a leg of the table and clipped to her collar) giving her the length of leashed to move around with.  Two rooms of the house are blocked off to her during the day but she still manages to go over the screens or knock them down  plowing thru!  Fanny is running along behind her trying to keep up until Zoey ducks under some piece of furniture and since Fanny's not a 'scent hunter' she can lose her for a few seconds.
   Zoey is a great climber!  She can get on the couch easily...and has no fear of jumping off...using the covered yarn stash basket for assistance.  She also enjoys napping in the yarn basket!  Fanny's chair here next to my computer is proving more of a challenge to her.  She  can just reach the seat by stretching but still needs a boost to get up into it.  This morning she discovered there is a pillow under my computer table, visiting it several times.  Her favorite daytime nap spot remains a cardboard box with a nice thick bath towel in it.  This one...about 10x15"...probably came with yarn in it.  Anyway, she likes to chew on the sides before dozing off.  It's a very portable crib.  Right now it's on the floor next to the pillow under the computer table with Zoey asleep in it.  Fanny is asleep on the other side of the box on the floor.  Last night when Zoey went to bed in Jeff's room Fanny stayed with her for a couple of hours then came to my room.  I guess she needed time away from Zoey, too.
  It's been hit or miss with house training.  We have 'pee pads'  in several rooms and Zoey hits or misses them...I think by accident.  I don't think she gets that part of life yet.  After all, she's only 8 weeks and 3 days old!
   I had asked Jeff to build a play pen out of PVC pipes...we have a lot of various lengths in the garage and greenhouse not being used this year...but he won't listen.  It would be a great way to contain Zoey instead of having Fanny and me follow her around all day.  Maybe I could even get some knitting done!  (If the idea doesn't come from him he doesn't act on it.)
We both don't like 'crate training' a dog but I'm not a fan of leashing her at night either.  I seem to be giving the larger share of care for Zoey right now but we'll see how it goes later this week.  I have to go to the shop to restock for Induction Weekend...if I ever get anything finished, that is...and Jeff will have to care for Zoey during the day. That might be a real eye opener for him!  In the meantime, my floors have never been cleaner!

Zoey

  Say hello to Zoey!  I worked in the shop in Cooperstown yesterday from 10-5 and about 4:30 I called Jeff to see if he'd like to go to Denny's for supper.  He told me that Linda, Doug's daughter and the dog breeder, had called and we needed to go to her place in Hinckley and pick up our puppy.   All the

pups but 2 had been picked up and she was
going to be out of town for a couple of days this week so we should come up asap.  I got home by 6pm and the 3 of us headed to Hinckley.  Since it's like driving to Speculator for the first 14 miles I was on auto-pilot and we made good time.
  Jeff and I discussed who would name the puppy but he couldn't come up with a name so I insisted on Zoey.  When we got to Linda's, the puppy's father, a nice beagle,  met us in the yard and we became friends.  After a couple of good head scratches that he deserved, we became good friends.  Fanny still wasn't sure exactly what Zoey was...still isn't...but she didn't have any major objections so we got back into the car and headed for home. 
  With Jeff driving and me cuddling the puppy, Fanny sat in the back seat like Queen Victoria occasionally coming forward to see what was making all that noise!  I ended up grabbing a cardboard box from the backseat and putting the towel I had on my lap into it.  The box was about 10x5x5" and the puppy fit into perfectly!  Once she felt secure she decided to take a nap and slept most of the way home.  And that was a good thing because Jeff took some backroads that were suppose to be short cuts but missed a turn somewhere and we got lost between Poland and Middleville, up in the hills, for about 45 minutes.  We finally found our way back to the road we were looking for and made it to Herkimer.  After a quick stop at Arby's where Zoey woke up and made a hit with all the staff at the drive thru window, we got home around 9pm.  I managed to drop one of our sodas and the bag of sandwiches when we got out of the car.  I saved the ice to Jeff's drink but lost his diet Dr. Pepper (we had more inside) and lost most of my curly fries.  Jeff, Fanny and I ate our supper while Zoey checked out the house.  Then Jeff went to Walmart and bought Zoey a dog bed, collar and leash.  She spent the night under his computer table...with Fanny sleeping on the floor next to her.

   This morning Fanny helped Zoey discovered the comfort of Jeff's bed...with a little help for me.  Fanny follows the puppy around the house like a nanny!  We know where the pup is at all times because Fanny is usually standing in front of that piece of furniture!  Fanny stayed with Zoey until about 6am when she

finally went out to pee and came to bed with me. 
   That little dog can sure climb!  I just found her standing on my
footstool on top of my knitting patterns.  And Fanny found her on top of the yarn stash (covered by the afghan)

chewing on one of Fanny's toys. It won't be long before she can get on the beds alone!  I think it's about nap time but I'm not sure for who
Zoey, Fanny or me!

Dinner with Old Friends and Other Adventures

   We went out to dinner last night with an old friend of Jeff's and his wife who are visiting from Arizona.  Actually, Jeff and Doug were custodial shift supervisors at a couple of Utica public schools together back in the 'old days'.   Christine (Doug's wife) and I got to hear about what the boys went through with their supervisors and principals, their 'nights out' together and the time Jeff got his crew to move Doug's entire office overnight into a storage closet as a prank.  (Doug's daughter is the dog breeder we're getting the beagle puppy from next week.)  We had dinner at the Knight Spot in Frankfort because it's about halfway between our house and where Doug and Christine are staying with their kids in Utica.  Jeff and Christine enjoyed the fish fry while Doug tried to work his way thru a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.  I settled for a hamburg and French fries and a small plate of greens (even tho my INR yesterday was just below the bottom of my range at 2.4.  My MD said to keep on keeping on and to retest next Friday so I ate my greens and enjoyed them!) Doug's eyes were also bigger than his stomach when he ordered a banana split for dessert and couldn't eat more than half of it!  Christine had a sundae and I had a slice of carrot cake.  Jeff kept to his diet and had another cup of coffee.
   On the way home we stopped for gas since the little gas pump icon had lite up on the dashboard of the Forester.  I knew Ilion was having a parade last night and when we went around the block in Frankfort to turn around we came out on Main St next to Stewart's so we filled up there in Frankfort.  I've been having trouble with the release lever for the gas cap door that's on the floor of the Forester.  It doesn't want to move for me and I'm afraid if I force it, I'll break it.  Jeff got it to release and filled the tank for me.  I went in and paid for the gas and we headed home.  I got on Rte. 5Seast between Frankfort and Ilion after I pointed out there wasn't any westward traffic coming out of Ilion because of the parade.  We had to stop and pick up a Rx for Jeff but they weren't ready yet so we headed home.  When we got out of the car we noticed that the gas cap door was open and the gas cap was missing.  Jeff said he'd to go back to Frankfort and see if he left the gas cap on top of the pump.  About a minute after he left I remembered I hadn't reminded him to stop for the Rx so I started to call him on his cell phone.  I kept getting his message board.  Finally about 10 minutes later he called me to tell me he was stuck in traffic in Ilion!  He had forgotten about the parade!  Anyway, I reminded him to stop for the Rx  and he muttered something about the parade and the general population of Ilion.  When he got home about 20 minutes later he had his Rx's and my gas cap.  It was sitting on top of the gas pump!  Talk about luck!!  If he had been paying attention to me on the way home he would have heard me talk about the parade, wouldn't he? I think I'll get some WD40 and spray that release lever.  Can't hurt!  That's the only thing about Subaru's I don't like...the gas door release lever got moved to the floor in the newer models.  Isn't the best place for it when you have a snowy winter even with those rubber/plastic trays that cover the floor.

   I received a package of goodies from my Yarn Pal, Heather Burton, this week.  It came from Westbury in Wiltshire, England.  The

yarn is so soft and the candy looks 
so good!  You can see the notions box with all the bits and pieces!  The one I'm currently using
started out as a tin mints box.  It's small and tends to open at the wrong time!  There's also a pompon maker in this but it slipped down in front of the yarn in the project bag.  We all know how much I need a pompom maker!  Every time I make a pompom using a cardboard circle it usually explodes before I get it sewed to the hat I needed it for.  And there's candles, tea bags and playing cards and lip balm and, oh, yes, the project bag!  What a great package!! I've seen the Caron Cakes yarn in stores and catalogues but never used any but the Robin Paintbox yarns are new to me. I also got a nice long letter from Heather introducing herself.  I like this kind of swap.  You send to Person A and Person B sends to you.  My package is almost ready to go.  Should get it in the mail this week.

Ah, Water!

   You just never know how much you rely on a water faucet, how many time a day you reach out to wash your hands, how many times a day you want to rinse off a piece of flatware.  We were without running water for a little more than 36 hours but it got to both of us.  Jeff took a shower last night about midnight just because he could!  I had washed all the dishes and countertops and felt like my kitchen was spotless again...it wasn't but who was I to argue with me?  And the things I learned while relying on bottled water...for instance, it takes 3 personal-size bottles of water to make a pot of coffee.  (But you have to remember to put in the coffee grounds...I forgot and we had a pot of hot water!)  Fanny's water bowl holds the contents of a personal-size bottle of water...and she rather likes it cold from the refrig! 
   There wasn't enough bottled water to cook a meal so we went out to lunch yesterday at Mona's (the purple house) in Mohawk.  She serves breakfast all day so Jeff had eggs, hash browns, ham and toast for lunch while I had a cheeseburger and fries.  I shared half of my burger with Fanny...it was too big for me to finish!  And the total was less than $17!  How can you beat that?  I settled for a bowl of oatmeal for supper but Jeff cooked something for himself later.

   On the way home we stopped at the Ilion library to pick up some books I had ordered and then Jeff decided to check our the Frankfort Marina, his new 'favorite fishing hole'.  The water was still high at the marina so Jeff drove down under the overpass along the canal to show me where he really like to fish.  He kept saying 'this road is practically paved' but it didn't seem that way to me!  It was narrow with bushes and trees on both sides and it was only 1 lane wide!  He stopped and showed me a couple of spots where the fishing was good under the overpass/exit from Rte5 to Frankfort.  It was a little wild for my liking...it was too wild for me!  I wish I had had a camera because some of the spots looked like they were miles in the woods not on the outskirts of the village!

  On the way home, after that, we stopped at Collis Hardware and got a recommendation for a someone to replace the bedroom windows and dry rot.  I called them last night and left a message.  If we don't hear from him by supper, I'll try again.  We really need to have those windows replaced and the dry rot removed.

  Oh, we even drove up Rte 28 to look at some used John Deere home tractors.  Wally told me yesterday he'll be going to Florida for the winter.  (Poor him, he hasn't been able to meet any new women in Herkimer so he thinks he'll have better luck in Florida!)  Anyway, that means we'll be responsible for keeping the driveway open...at least as far as his fence.  Our oil man and the garbage man both have to be able to get in that far and we don't think the walk behind snoblower we have will do the job. 

   I didn't realize how tired and upset the water situation had me until I went to bed.  I cried myself to sleep...from relief.  Living in this little old house has really started to get to me.  Both Jeff and I like it here but it's getting beyond our abilities to maintain.  And getting Jeff to agree to hire some one is...well, like with any man....

  Oh, FedEx delivered my new Kodak Pixpro digital camera this morning that I had bought online from Walmart! I had this model...FZ43...once before and liked it but I think I forgot how small it was. It fits in my hand and in the felt case I had made for it very snuggly. Hopefully, it will last longer than 2 years...probably will since that's the length of the protection/replacement plan I got for it! But I think I'll start saving my change for a larger digital SLR. It may take me 2 years to acquire that many nickels, dimes, quarters and don't forget the pennies! Jeff was surprised I got it so quickly...I ordered it Monday!
   Now I think I'll take a shower and use up all the hot water!  Jeff's gone fishing and Fanny's snoring in the chair next to me.  Friday I have an appointment with the Ophthalmologist in Cooperstown.  I have a cataract in my left eye and it's time to have it taken care of.  I'm not looking forward to that but it's starting to affect my vision.  Hopefully, the procedure can be done in Herkimer or Little Falls.  Jeff's were done in Little Falls but that doctor has since died.  Just have to wait and see. 
  One good thing that happened today, one of the office girls from Harbor Point, our fuel oil distributor, called to ask if I had heard that HEAP had a program this year to clean furnaces for seniors.  I called and since I'm 67, I seem to qualify.  I'll be getting an application in the mail.  When I do, I'll just fill it in and send it back and if I'm approved, Harbor Point will get the call and they will call me to schedule a cleaning.  We never got around to having the furnace cleaned last year so it really should be done this year! 
  Now it's time for that shower and then a trip to town.  I promised Fanny lunch at McD's. She loves chicken Nuggets!  And I just love the look at the girl's face when they ask what kind of sauce I want for the nuggets and I say the dog doesn't care for any! 

Waiting for the Pump Man

   Waiting for the pump repair person.  He was suppose to be here between 8:30 and 9am.  It is now 9:11am.  Jeff has been waiting at the mailbox for him for 20 minutes.  I just wish he'd get here soon...or call!  People find our house so hard to find sometimes.
   The kitchen sink is overflowing with dirty dishes.  I keep pulling flatware out and washing it so at least we have clean knives and forks but the last couple of days I've used paper plates!  But the bathroom....UCK!  I put a stainless mixing bowl in the sink and we've been heating water and putting it in that to wash with.  When the bowl is about half full, it's used to flush.  We also have water in laundry gallon containers that Jeff's old neighbor filled for us that we're flushing with but we don't flush every time we use the facilities.  I can't wait until I can wash the toilet!
   11:45am:  the repairman from Valley View Pumps & Drilling showed up this morning.  They were the 2nd group we had called but couldn't get them, they were so busy.  Valley View...or Gary Gay...was very nice and he and Jeff discussed our situation and we got an estimate.  Then I went to the library to fax a request to my NYSDC plan for a distribution.  When I got home I learned that the pump was alive and well and working!  The problem had been a broken pipe at the head of the well.  The cost for the repairs was only a fraction of the amount I had requested for my distribution and Jeff had been able to pay it in cash.  I'll pay him back when I get the distribution.  In the meantime, we're going to look into getting an estimate for fixing the 4 bedroom windows.  As long as I have the money available and they have to be replaced, we might as well do it now.  I am so thankful we have water and it didn't cost me what the estimate had been.  (A new pump alone would have been about $1200!) I'm going to treat Jeff to lunch at Mona's in Mohawk today as a thank you.  He's gone up and down those damn cellar stairs my father built so many times this weekend he deserves something special!!
 
  
  

Still No Water

    We still don't have any running water.  We've called 3 repair places (waiting for the 3rd one to call us back) and camping out is getting old...FAST!  A friend of Jeff filled up quite a few gallon jugs for flushing the toilet and gave us a case of bottled water.  Jeff had bought 3 gallons of water from Walmart and our Berkie Water filter/dispenser had been filled yesterday afternoon so we've got plenty of water to drink and for coffee.  Jeff is sorry the rain barrels aren't hooked up because with all the rain we've been getting that would have taken care of 'flushing' easily.  Oh, well.
   The delay with getting a repair service out here has given us the time to discuss the outside entrance to the cellar.  I don't remember why my father didn't replace it when he tore it down.  He just put a sheet of steel over the open frame and covered it with about 6" of dirt.  We have decided to put a pre-fab entrance back in place.  It will make pulling the pump out of the well a lot easier...as well as cleaning out the cellar.  There's so much junk down there that no one had any idea how to get out of the cellar that now could be carried out through an outside entrance! Jeff even thinks he could pull the pump out through that entrance with a hook and tackle.  We just have to see if we get a repair service or are left to do it ourselves.
   I ordered a new Kodak digital camera today online.  It's another PIXPRO...this time a FZ43. (My 1st Kodak digital was an FZ43, this 2nd one was a FZ151.)  It has 16.15 megapixels and 4X optical zoom.  AND this time I bought the 2 year replacement insurance!  (Both previous cameras lasted about 2 years for me.) I got free shipping and should have it by Wednesday.  So far I've been very pleased with these little Kodak digitals and the price has always been right (less than $75 at Walmart w/the replacement plan!)  Someday I will get another SLR...and a digital one at that...but as long as I like the features  Kodak offers on these little digitals I'll stay with them.  I hope I have it when the pump gets pulled and the outside entrance gets dug and the puppy comes home!  Oh, and I still owe my friend in Florida photos of these 2 old 'HC3 babes' that he asked for!
  The repairman is coming to check out the pump tomorrow morning 8:30am.  Fingers and toes crossed, please.

Beep! Beep!

  BEEP!  BEEP!  Some one just tooted their car horn outside and we all jumped thinking it might be the guys for the pump but it was the mailperson delivering a package for me.  I belong to an online knitting group that organizes quarterly swaps and we are in the middle of one now.  I just received a package from Heather Burton in Westbury, Wiltshire, England!  It was full of such treasures!!  Several skeins of yarn, a box of notions, a pompom maker, candles, candy and a hand knit project bag!  I'm suppose to take some photos of it and post them on the group's Facebook page but yesterday while I was in the shop in Cooperstown my purse hit the floor...and the side that hit the floor with a thick THUD held my camera. Yep, it broke.  It was a digital Kodak, a nifty little camera, the 2nd one I've managed to destroy this way.  I'm going to order another one today and should have it in a few days.  The price is right at Walmart less than $75...and no shipping...and I do manage to make then last for about 2 years.  In the meantime, no camera and I feel a little lost.  And, I've got to have a camera before we pick up the puppy!

Oh, No, No Water!

   When I was getting ready for bed last night I discovered that we were without water.  I had done a load of laundry w/o any trouble after supper but by 11pm there was barely a trickle of water coming out of the faucet.  Jeff checked the pump and all it's lights were on so he was stumped. He thought it might be a valve on the holding tank. This morning I called the usual 'pump repair' number but when they returned my call they said they couldn't help us...too many dairy calls, and suggested someone else.  I called the number they gave me and left a message.  Then I heated some of our drinking water and got ready to go to work.  I was at the shop in Cooperstown until 3pm but Jeff was home trying to figurer out what had happened.  We didn't want to think that it was the pump...at the bottom of our 300+ft deep well...but the only way to find out is to pull it out!  Jeff talked to the guys at Lowe's and between them they came to the conclusion it's probably a faulty valve.  Now, I'm somewhat of an expert on faulty valves and I resist repairing any and all valves for as long as possible, but the valve they're talking about here is under the pump so it still has to be pulled out of the well.  At supper tonight (which I served on paper plates) Jeff pointed out if we're going to go through the bother of pulling the pump out of the 300+ft deep well we might as well replace it, too. It's at least 10 years old and it has been sitting in sulfur water for all that time. Tomorrow we hope one of the pump experts will show up and render an opinion.  If it's something that has to be done, let's do it and get it over.  Jeff also suggested restoring the outside entrance to the cellar...that would be an easier way to pull the pump out of the well than dragging the hose across the cellar, up the cellar stairs, across the kitchen, through the enclosed porch and outside...since the well is just outside the cellar in the little room where the outside entrance use to be.  In the meantime, we can live  with bottled water and sponge baths. This is one of those times I can hear my mom telling me that there is an saying in Italian to never curse somebody, just tell them to buy a house. 

  

Let's Try That Shawl...Again

   I think I cast on my Annis shawl, the one I'm doing in silk, for the 4th time this morning.  I had to learn how to do a crochet cast on because the long-tail method I usually use was too tight and this shawl needs a loose cast-on edge.  I used an I crochet hook to get all 363 sts loosely on a short US9 needle and then began the first row of the shawl by working them onto a short circular US8. Then I put the needles down and walked away.  Part of my problem, I think, is that I'm trying too hard and I'm going cross-eyed by the end of a row.  I decided I have to take it slow and easy.  One row at a time.  I got the stitches cast on and the 1st row worked so it was time for a break.  The 2nd row is just a purl row but I don't know if I'll do that now or work on a baby doll for a little bit.  I definitely will not be taking it to the shop tomorrow to work on between customers! I probably should just do a baseball hat in case something sold today!

Shawl, Friends, Gifts

   Last night I started a shawl...'Annis', that I found on Knitty.com...with a beautiful 100% silk yarn called Luminance from KnitPicks.  It's in my favorite color, a dark jade called  Benevolence.  The directions didn't sound too difficult (HA HA!) so I thought it would make a nice gift for my old college friend's daughter who recently became engaged.  They live in South Florida so I didn't think the yarns I usually work with would be appropriate for the climate.  After spending the better part of an hour rolling the hank into a cake that would pull out thru the center (recommended for silk yarn...and frankly, the only way I like to roll a hank into a ball!) I got my little metal rings to use as markers and started casting on 363 sts. in 50 st. units--with a metal marker separating the units--on
to US10's (to make sure the cast on edge was loose.)  When my little pile of markers was almost
gone (meaning I was close to having 300 sts.on my needle) I realized somewhere along the line I had set the needles down and picked them up wrong so that my 'long tail' had switched hands.  That means for you non-knitters, I had about 4 yards of yarn hanging there going to waste!  I was so upset that I just put the whole thing down and went to bed.  This morning I carefully took the stitches off the needle and tried to rip them out but they had decided they weren't going anywhere!  I ended up with a big mess/knot that I just cut off and put to one side.  Hopefully, I won't need that yardage to finish the shawl.
   This morning I started to cast on for the shawl, again.  I got my 363sts cast on to my US 10's with a metal marker every 50 sts (or so...seems I can't count to 50 while casting on that well!). Then, instead of working the first row onto the US8's as the directions call for, I decided just to transfer the stitches on to the US8's counting them again.  Good idea, Mar!  Those little silk stitches slip and slide like ice cubes!  Finally I got all my stitches transferred and counted, and replaced  the ones 'that got away!'  Now I'm ready to start the lace border for the shawl.  The border is only 19 rows so once that's done the rest of the shawl will be a breeze!  Just regular knit and purl rows.  I hope.  I'll come back and post a photo of the lace right here X when I get it done.
   In the meantime, I've started another baby doll.  This one will be a girl with a flower hat and a pink polka dot nappie, (remember these dolls are British.)  I just called the shop to see how things were down there.  She's been busy but nothing of mine had sold today.  Oh, well, I guess that leaves me free to work on the doll or the shawl.  We're in another wet block so the grass is growing nicely and will require a trimming when we dry out again.  I'm glad we live 'high and dry'.  Some of our friends are not so lucky and have had water in their cellars again this year.
 

Mowing The Lawn

     Jeff went fishing this morning at the Frankfort Marina to try the super-duper catfish bait that he made last night.  I decided it would be a good day to mow the lawn...sunny, not too hot, a gentle breeze...so I pulled the lawnmower out of the garage and tried to take the gas cap off to see how much fuel there was in it.  No way.  I'm sure Jeff thinks Superman is going to come in the night and siphon the gas out of our lawnmower because he sure tightens the gas cap!  I couldn't get it off to save my life!  So I decided just to mow until I ran out of gas.
  I did in front of the garage where Jeff usually parks the Outback and then across the front of the garden boxes...or what's left of them.  Then I did the hill by Wally's fence and since I was on the west side of the house I decided to do that part of the lawn. It hasn't been done at all this year so there were a lot of tall weeds that mowed easily as long as I went slowly.  The hostas on that side of the house are doing nicely

and are in bloom.  The hill around the bean tower mows up nicely...unfortunately without any beans growing there this year.
Most of the raised beds need to be rebuilt...the

wood has rotted and Jeff wasn't able to do that this spring so we didn't get a garden put in.  It seems such a shame, too.  Even the little fire pit seems abandoned and needs to be rebuilt.  It's such a nice shady spot, too.   

The only thing that seems to grow well is this tall weed(below). Anybody know what it is?  I try to mow it every chance I get without touching it or letting it touch me!

 Oh, the lawnmower hasn't run out of gas yet, but this lawn mower has!
It's time for lunch and
then an afternoon of knitting.  I want to get that baby doll finished today.  The shop had a great day yesterday and

although I only sold 1 hat, I better do some more to have on hand next Sunday when I work...just in case some more sell before then!

Got the BaseBall Baby finished!  He's suppose to have a knitted nappy (he is an British pattern, after all) but I chose to put a fabric one on him.  He's based on Baby Boo by Claire, a pattern I bought on Esty.  He'll be in the shop on Sunday.  Maybe his sister, Flower Girl, will get finished and be with him.  Maybe not.  (added 7/11/17)

Small Favors

   Another rainy day but today I didn't wake up to the gentle patter of raindrops on the leaves outside my windows.  Fanny had a very restless night and kept changing beds, walking thru the house.  Ever hear the click click of doggie nails on hardwood floors?  Not a nice sound to wake up to.  Throw in a couple of rolls of thunder and a fast scramble back to safety?  There's that hesitation before the jump up onto the bed and if it's your bed, the bounce as the 89 lb. dog lands next to you, walks in a circle 3 or 4 times and throws herself down against your back or leg. Add to it the heat and humidity of last night and no one got a good night's sleep here in the little house in the little woods.  Maybe today I will get that long promised afternoon nap...but I doubt it.  At least my other major obsession...mowing the lawn...is beyond my grasp today.  Small favors....

  Around noon the sky turned blue and the sun came out so I decided it was time to take a chance and head for WalMart.   That baby doll I'm knitting needs a nappy...remember it's an English pattern...and I don't really want to take the time to knit one.  I thought maybe a cute flannel print cut into shape would work just as well.  Should have know not to expect much from WalMart.  Ended up with some

this is what the doll looks like so far

polka dot Waverly cotton  fabric that will work.  Got a fat quarter of each...blue and pink...and I'll wash and dry it before cutting it into a triangle and hemming it.  I think I'll still knit the hats...one a baseball hat , the other a flower hat.  I don't want to get too fancy with these dolls because then the price will have to go up and who knows if they will sell?  I'm just doing 2...one boy, one girl...to see how they go.  This is what it looks like so far...got one leg ready for the foot.  Don't know if I want to put any hair on it or not.  What do you think?
   Jeff got the fixing for some gourmet catfish bait today, too.  The 'cheapest' hotdogs, a box of strawberry Jello and a couple of tablespoons of garlic powder marinated in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.  Then he has to thread the pieces of hotdog onto fish line that hangs from his hook.  He saw it online and it's suppose to get you the biggest catfish you ever hooked.  He's hoping for some 10-20lbers out of the river.  We'll see.  I promise if he comes home with a big one I'll post the photos on Facebook and on the blog.
   By the time we came out of WalMart the blue sky had been replaced with black clouds and it was pouring again.  Got soaked running to the car...and we park in the handicapped spaces close to the building!  Had to make a stop for Jeff and then we went back to McD's for some cold drinks.  All sizes are only $1 there so Jeff had to have a diet Coke instead of his favorite diet Dr. Pepper that he has at Arby's.  The last time we stopped for just drinks at Arby's it cost nearly $5!  He can drink diet Coke once in awhile!
  Oh, oh, it's thundering again!  Fanny just ran back into Jeff's room for protection!!

Happy Independence Day!

   July 4th is over and our nights are quiet again.  For awhile there we had fireworks displays all around us every day and Fanny did not like them.  Not one bit.  She would start out in a chair near me either here by the computer or watching TV but at the sound of the first cherry bomb she'd be up like it had gone off right under her and head for Jeff.  If he was at his computer, she'd lay next to him or under his bed.  If he was trying to relax, she'd hop up on his bed and snuggle up to him  (Ever have a 89 pound dog snuggle up to you?  It's a real experience, believe me.)  She'd stay with him until 3am or so and when she'd finally get him up to let her out she might decide to come to bed with me.  I'd wake up in the morning to find her stretched out next to me.  She enjoys my bed because I have the windows wide open and the breeze thru the west-facing window flows over the bed.  But a roll of thunder would send her right back to Jeff.  I can't wait until the end of the month when we get the puppy.  I hope Fanny suddenly stops being afraid of so much...maybe the puppy will bring the best out of her?  Yea, I don't really think so, either.

   On the 4th we decided that instead of staying home we'd go exploring so the 3 of us got into my car and headed east...first on Rte. 5 then crossing the river in Little Falls on Rte. 5s...all the way to Amsterdam!  We hoped we'd find a good fishing spot along the river/canal but didn't.  Jeff had never heard of the Shrine at Aurieville but with the dog we didn't want to stop.  We ended up stopping at the marina in St. Johnsville for a little while.  It was nice but Fanny wouldn't drink the water I put in her dish. Fussy?  It was a nice day for a ride and not much traffic.  When we got home we left Fanny in the house with a couple of dog biscuits and went to Denny's for supper.  I got a burger and fries but Jeff's favorite steak was out of stock so he ended up with one of their platters.  Denny's was rather busy and the couple that sat next to us was a little different.  The guy talked but the woman stared at the table in front of her.  They ordered 1 meal and he ate most of it...she ate part of the salad.  Jeff talks to everybody so I though he was getting along with the guy but when we got back in the car he admitted he didn't care for him too much.  He thought the woman was intimidated. It takes all kind, right?  Fanny hid in Jeff's room when the local fireworks started so I watched the Capital Fourth on PBS with the  Beach Boys and then the fireworks display from the NYC show on NBC alone.  That's the way I like to watch fireworks...in a comfortable chair with a nice cold drink or a hot cup of coffee in my hand and in my t-shirt ready for bed.  Sure is different from the way we use to celebrate the 4th with the big parties at camp for my dad's birthday.  Those were the days!  Boy, does that make me feel old.  Fran Davey and I were talking about that and she reminded me about the year we saw the fireworks in Speculator and the professionals set a big tree on the beach on fire with a stray rocket! That was exciting!

   I bought a pattern online for a knit baby doll and have been trying to make it.  It's an English pattern and is coming along slowly.  I've found that I can't try to watch TV and knit when I'm working on it because I lose my place.  So far I've got the body- head and the arms done.  I'm stuffing them now and then will sew them in place.  Then comes the legs and the doll is finished.  It's called Baby Boo but I think I'll call it a Baseball Baby because the only clothes it comes with is a rolled brim hat...like my baseball hat...and I can make a bb hat for the doll.  I'd like to get a couple finished and take down next time I work (7/16).  Have to wait and see what I actually do.  (I'll post a photo of one here X when it's finished.)

 

UPDATE

The June Blog turned out to be quite long and you may have to click on OLDER POSTS to see it all.  There are also the first 2 chapters of a novel on the blog.  If you read it please let me know what you think.  There are more chapters but whether I'll post them depends on the response these 2 get.

Hello, JULY!

   Yesterday was the first time in about a month that I spent the entire day at the shop.  Usually I split a day with another member and get to leave around 1:30-2pm but we're into a stretch of time where I'll be working whole days and frankly, I'm not too excited about it. I'm also not too sure how I got so many full days!
   My stock bag looked like I was leaving for a week!  Besides packing the sweater I finished, I had to be sure I had the yarn to finish the hat to go with it.  And since it wouldn't take all day to do a hat, I brought yarn to do a baseball hat, too.  And the yarn to start the baby doll that I found online and bought the pattern. And the needles to do them all.  I knew I couldn't knit all day sitting on that high stool behind the counter in the shop so I threw 2 books in my bag, too. (They were serial and I wasn't sure which one was next.) 
   I filled my insulated travel mug with coffee and headed out the door about 8:45am.  I had to stop at the bank and I didn't know how long it would take to cash a check.  The lines for the drive-thru tellers were busy and  I drove away a little after 9am with my money and a dog biscuit.  One teller always gives Fanny a treat and since I have tinted windows in the back and she couldn't see I was alone...I was in the far aisle, she just assumed Fanny was with me and included the dog biscuit.  Fanny will enjoy it the next time she's in the car.  Since it was already after 9am I skipped McDonald's in Herkimer and just headed up the hill on Rte.28.  It was easy going, no big trucks, and I made it to Richfield Springs in about 15 minutes.  A quick trip thru the McDonald's drive-thru there got me a Southwest Salad...minus the chicken because McD's doesn't cook chicken at 9am.  Now that doesn't make any sense to me.  If the place is open 24/7 why can't I get chicken on my salad at 9 in the morning?  Oh, it was at a reduced price.  Big WOW! 
   The next few miles of Rt. 28 along Canadarago Lake are in a reduced speed zone...35mph...because of all the camps on both sides of the road.  But the lake is nice to look at and once I got thru Schuyler Lake it was 55mph or a little more all the way to Cooperstown!  Traffic was starting to pick up on Chestnut St and I had to wait a few minutes before I could make the turn but that's ok coz they could all be tourist from Dream's Park coming into town to spend their last pennies before heading home!
   The big parking lot at Doubleday Field was about half-full and I took that as a sign that I would be busy.  I unloaded the car, did the opening chores...put out the flag (it wasn't raining) watered the flower boxes, arranged a display on the shelves outside and on the side of the building, counted the  money drawer and got ready to work on my hat.

Flowers and Lace Set

I wanted to make a flower to match the ones I had embroidered on the sweater and was lucky enough to find one on Ravelry.com.  With that finished I put the care/price tag on it and put it on a hanger and hung it up.   It collected compliment during the day but no one wanted to take it home with them.  Maybe today.  After that was finished I even got a baseball hat knitted and embroidered and put on the shelf!  The baby doll proved a little more difficult than I had imagined or
my note taking skills have deteriated. The pattern is a download in my emails and I just copied it by hand instead of printing it out.  When will I learn?  I'll try it again this weekend...maybe even today.
  The salad wasn't bad for lunch but it would have been better with the chicken.  One of our newer shop members is a baker and she's bringing in cookies, etc. when she works.  Lucky for me she had been in this week because there were biscotti and sugar cookies for sale in her display.  I gave in to temptation and bought a baggie of sugar cookies for $3.  One went with my coffee after I got my opening chores finished and the other was dessert with lunch. 
  Judy came in just before closing and asked if I'd like to go out to dinner with her because she was on her own last night.  She offered dinner at Tuscana's, an Italian place in town that she and her family go to often and she raves about.  I called Jeff and asked what he was doing and when he said he was turning 
what was left of the pot roast into beef stew I said I
was going out to dinner with Judy.  Don't know if he was pleased but he had his dinner hot and ready for him and I was dying for pasta...a big no-no in our house since we've been trying to get his blood sugar under control. 
  Tuscana's is a small restaurant across the street from the Hall of Fame on Main St. in Cooperstown that specializes in cuisine from northern Italy.  If you are ever in town I highly recommend you eat there.  First there is a loaf of herb bread and a small bowl of olive oil and garlic on your table for dunking.  Then they start filling your wine glass...and I emphasize
'start filling'.  I had a very nice white and Judy had a
had a red that she'd enjoyed before.  We both
limited ourselves to 1 glass because we were driving but diners around us had their glasses refilled repeatedly. Lucky people!  Judy had a chicken dish in a white sauce and I had eggplant parm, both served with pasta.  I haven't had pasta in so long and it was so good!  The eggplant was so tender!!  Definitely, if you're in town and hungry, try Tuscana's,  You won't be sorry!  And while the drive home was slower than usual it was uneventful.  I saw only 1 sheriff's car...in Otsego County...and no Trooper's.  Jeff was a little put out when I handed him my doggie bag from the restaurant but I thought he'd enjoy the eggplant, too. (He didn't.  It's still in the refrid.)  I went straight to bed but got up a couple of hours later and we had coffee together.  Aw, men.