It's Hot

It's hot around here. The Seattle area is experiencing 90 plus degree weather for an extended period of time, and we are now in the 5th day of it. The heat is supposed to be around 100 today. Ugh. I don't like the heat, and never have. Even as a small child growing up in Portland I hated the heat. When it got hot I would spend the day sitting under shade trees reading or playing. Now as a grown child I'm still sitting under shade trees.

I realize some of you from other parts of the country are wondering why Northwesterners can't handle the heat, at least we don't have the killer humidity. Simple answer really ... WE DON'T HAVE AIR CONDITIONING. In the NW portion of Washington only 13% of the residents have air conditioning in their homes. We do, fortunately, have air conditioning in our work places, so attendance at work is high right now.

I feel like a walking balloon bloated with all of the water I have been drinking. I have been drinking about 3 gallons of water, in addition to other liquids.

As I said it's hot, too hot to eat, sleep, garden, and knit. The only knitting I've been getting done lately has been when I'm in a moving vehicle or inside a mall or building with air conditioning. Monday was knitting guild night at Crossroads Mall. When David heard I has heading over to Crossroads with Susan, he volunteered to drive so he could spend a couple of hours in air conditioning reading a book. Worked for me. I got to knit with the air conditioning blasting on me while David drove.

It's hot.

TTFN

Sue

Hair

For many years I have wanted to donate hair to Locks of Love. I know many women, and young girls who have had hair loss due to chemo treatments or other medical conditions. Locks of Love has helped many of them by supplying them with wigs. I figured I have hair, it grows pretty quickly, and it hasn't gone gray on me yet, so for the last three years I went from a really, really short cut to this ...
It's interesting how the last six months have been like the last month of pregnancy, lasting forever. Marlaina, my dear friend and hairdresser, has been like a rock in all of this for me, styling my hair and keeping the ends trimmed so we can get the hair to grow. Thursday night, it was ready!

I had more than the requisite 11 inches so Marlaina put it in a pony tail, and ...

snipped, snipped, snipped, and then it was off.

I was surprised by my reaction. I was so thrilled to see this lock of hair all ready to go, knowing that some little girl would have a beautiful wig on her head.

What a great cut Marlaina gave me, and I feel great. I'm done with the Mother Earth look, I got to donate my hair, and now I look pretty again. Marlaina, thanks for the support, encouragement, and reminders when I wanted to chop the mess off too soon.

Yes, I'm a happy lady now. David's happy too despite the look on his face. I am sure he's glad he doesn't have to look at the scraggly long hair, and listen to me complain about too much hair, and too much hot weather. Thanks David for going along with me on this crazy idea.

TTFN

Sue

Back to Reality

Yesterday was our first day back from vacation, and even though our jobs were pretty stress free, the reality of our surroundings was a shock to our systems.

It's a good thing we weren't at Edgar's Acres for another week. The return may have been too much for us to handle.

It's much warmer here in Seattle, and the air smells heavy. The air in Sequim is so clear and sweet. The air in Seattle is old, and all the smells of city life are lingering.

While having my coffee in the morning on the courtyard at the building where I work I missed the cheery sound of the goldfinches, and instead heard the sound of jackhammers and heavy equipment on the street next to us.

Last night David and I had an appointment to see Marlaina to get our hairs cut. David left the house at 4:00 to come downtown to pick me up. It took him 2.5 hours because of a 7 car wreak on the I-405 floating bridge. Believe it or not, I didn't have any knitting with me so I spent the time going through the library and checking out exactly what Bartells carries.

The temperature is hot here. In the high 80s, while in Sequim the temperature is in the high 70s. We also had to put up with humidity yesterday evening. Ugh!

At least I have my pictures.

There is one big plus to being back to reality. We're back home with Abby and we missed her, and she missed us.

Well, off to work!

TTFN

Sue

Busy, Busy

David and the sun arrived on Tuesday and the vacation continues to be wonderful. On Monday I was wearing knitted wool summer socks (which we need in the Pacific Northwest), long jeans and fleece (which we also need), and then on Tuesday changed back into the gardening jeans and tank tops to work in the yard. As you can see, David also brought me my camera. Wednesday morning the dogs and I took a walk about the yard to survey what we had done. The Friendship garden is all cleaned out, and the lavender plants planted.

This is what we call the Acid Lovers Garden. These are the shrubs we moved from the front of the old house last fall before it was moved out. There are a total of 16 of these dear shrubs, and I cleaned, weeded, fed, and watered each one of them. I also chatted with each one to let them know we love having them in our yard and hope that they enjoy their new surroundings. The have responded well and are flourishing.

Here it is ... the garden work station David built for me. I love this. Now I can wash the produce outside and keep the dirt where it belongs in the garden. Until we can get the "plumbing" perfected, I collect the waste water in buckets, and then water the roses in the garden. We are all happier now.

Wednesday night I went to the Ladies of the Elks Bag Auction with Leslie and her mom Ramona. What a fun time. I bid on two bags, one for David and one for me. The bag for David was a brown yard bag with a tag "for the guys." Inside the bag was a tool box, and it was heavy. When I was unwrapping it I was surrounded by the men at the function so they could see what was in the tool box. Beer. Yep, Beer. David was pleased to have a toolbox here at Edgar's Acres. My bag will make a great knitting bag, and it was full of lotions, etc., for the delicate female skin overworked in the garden.

Thursday Marylou and Laurie came to visit and to have dinner. Marylou is Mom's cousin and Laurie her daughter. Instead of trying to figure out if we are "second" cousins or "first cousin twice removed," or whatever, we all call ourselves cousins. What a fun time we had. David roasted a chicken on the grill, and everything else came out of the garden. Laurie is a vegetarian, so was in heaven with the broccoli, beets, carrots, and potatoes and onions. After dinner, we tarried out to the pie cherry tree to pick cherries for Marylou. She loves cherry pie, loves to bake cherry pie, and wanted the cherries. At one point we borrowed Marylou's cane to pull down some branches, but she assured us she was fine, she had the tree to hang on to. It was such a treat to see them again.

Our vacation officially ends tomorrow. To be honest, I hate to go back. This has been such a relaxing and rewarding vacation. It's right up there with our trip last July to visit the Jersey Boys.

Well, it's time to get dressed so we can head up to the lumber yard and grocery before the Lavender Festival traffic hits the streets.

TTFN

Sue

Rain Rain Go Away

I'm on vacation so it's not supposed to be raining. The rain storm moved in on Saturday night with a bang, literally. We had thunder and lightning all night long. The dogs finally wanted in their crates, where they felt safe. They went to sleep (as well as they could), so I went to sleep (as well as I could).

Yesterday it really didn't rain much, but we sure did have a continuous stream of drizzle. And it was cold. We didn't get out too much. I did have a surprise visit from Cliff and Michelle, a great couple I worked with while with Small Paws Rescue. They, and their three fluffs, stopped by and we had a nice visit. They are still rescuing and fostering bichons for Small Paws. The little fluffs are lucky people like Cliff and Michelle are there for them.

Last night we actually turned on some heat and the lights early in the evening because it was so dark with rain clouds. It's supposed to be summer!

This morning Louie again got me up at 4:30 a.m. so we could go out and see the barn owl. Well, I couldn't see it because of the dark cloud cover, but I could hear the flap of his wings. Amazing.

David is on his way over to join us for the rest of the week. The doggies and I are excited to have him with us. He's also bringing my camera.

Well, it's a bit chilly so we are all huddled on the couch. Maybe Louie will let me take a short nap. The sun is supposed to return tomorrow.

TTFN

Sue

Greetings from the Lavender Capital of the World

Leslie and I went on a tour of lavender fields BEFORE the Lavender Festival kicks off next weekend. The weather was clear and warm, and the lavender fields beautiful. First stop was to see Leslie's friend, Mary, at her farm, the Olympic Lavender Farm.

Her farm is charming and so welcoming. Mary is a delight and I enjoyed meeting her and visiting with her as well. I bought three plants for the friendship garden (seemed appropriate, Mary being Leslie's friend), one being the Royal Velvet that I love so much.

What a view with the Olympic Mountain Range in the background.

Next stop was Jardin Du Soleil Lavender with an amazing panaromic view of Lavender.

Then on to Cedarbrook Lavender & Herb Farm. The gardens were peaceful, and I love this farm house.

Last farm we visited was Purple Haze Lavender Farm. Another beautiful farm. By the time we got to Purple Haze, however, it was warming up and the scent of lavendar was driving my poor little nose crazy.

Look at the three varieties of lavender in this field. It really is beautiful, and even though my photographer (thanks again Leslie for taking pictures with your camera for me) took outstanding photos, they just can't capture the color of the lavender in all of the fields in the pristine sunshine in Sequim.

After lunch, it was back home and tell the doggies all about the morning. They could smell the lavender that I had brushed up against going in and out of the various gift shops.

After they decided it was really me through all of that lavender, I mowed part of the back 40, decided it was too dang hot to do more, cleaned up and knit for the rest of the afternoon.

Funny, but as I'm writing this post, I'm smelling lavender.

TTFN

Sue

A Lovely Day Overall

Well, Louie let me sleep in until 5:30 a.m., so I didn't get to see the owl again. I did, however, got to watch a beautiful morning wake up. By 7:00 I was out working in the yard cleaning around the shrubs, all 19 of them. They were weeded, trimmed, fed and watered, and are all happy shrubs now. I spent about a total of 9 hours yesterday and today working on them and am pleased with the results. Too bad I can't post a picture today. By 1:00 this afternoon I was done so had lunch, showered, and spent the afternoon knitting, and walking about the yard.

This evening Leslie and I went to 7 Cedars Casino for dinner, and $20.00 worth of slot machine effort. Again, another fun evening. The dinner and company were great. The $20.00, a donation to the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe. There are seven cedar totem poles outside the casino and they are so beautiful. I tried to find a picture to post but couldn't, which is too bad. Each one is hand carved by an elder craftsman, with the help of younger tribal members learning the art of totem carving. Each totem pole has a story based on the faces and the order they are shown from the bottom to top. There is a book written about the totem poles of the S'Klallam Tribe and I looked for it at the gift shop. Unfortunately, they were out at this time.



Tomorrow morning Leslie and I are doing a tour of the lavendar farms (a week before the Lavendar Festival). I haven't been to any of them so I'm looking forward to it. In the afternoon I'm picking my first batch of raspberries. Yum!

Well, I'm tired, the dogs are tired, and it is finally dark enough to go to bed.

TTFN

Sue

Why Are We Getting Up at 4:30 a.m.?

Louie has been getting me up at 4:30 a.m. the last couple of mornings. He's persistent and won't let up until I crawl out of bed, make the coffee (he at least let's me do that), and then let the dogs out. I go back into the house, grab the first cup of coffee out of the coffee maker, and go sit on the deck while the dogs are romping around and the sun is coming up. Then it happens, I see the barn owl swooping down over the neighbors wild foliage area, grab a mouse (or something), and fly off into the sky.

Not only do I see the owl flying, I can hear the flapping of its wings. It's a sight to behold, and a true wonder.

Next I hear the mourning dove sing it's wake up call. Edgar's Acres is the only place where I have seen and heard the mourning dove. What a beautiful bird.

Then along comes our neighborhood mule deer, Darla, without her baby, starting her day. All this before 5:30 a.m.

Hence, the reason why we get up at 4:30 a.m. It's a killer, but you know, it's worth it.

Later in the morning I saw the first of the American Bald Eagles flying over. Each time I see one I am in complete awe. I never tire of see the true majesty of this bird.

And then there is the goldfinch, which is a delight to see anytime. They are such cheery little birds. The color alone is cheerful, and their song is so sweet.

Then, later on in the afternoon is the local raccoon. Not too fond of them, but they are beautiful in their own right. It's odd to see them during the day, however, since they are primarily nocturnal animals.

I haven't done one stitch of knitting today. I knit so much yesterday while it rained that I spent most of the time outside working in the yard. Leslie, and her mom, Ramona, had me over for dinner tonight and we had a nice time and wonderful dinner. Good company and good food, what a perfect combination for a good time.

Well, I'm heading to bed early tonight so Louie can see the barn owl again tomorrow morning.

By the way. I'm sure it's obvious, but the photos are not mine. The images section of Google gets all of the credit.

TTFN

Sue

Same Sweater, Different Yarn or Same Yarn, Different Sweater

I decided that while I was here on vacation I was going to knit a sweater I know fits well with yarn I love. I started on it last summer, but the trip to see the real Jersey Boys took up vacation, so it didn't get done. Since I am hopeful that I'll have it ready for Stitch N' Pitch in late August at the Mariners game, I brought it with me to knit. I decided to take the yarn from a complete mess of a sweater project, and combine it with a sweater I loved knitting, fits well, and love wearing.

This is the failed project. The yarn is Knit Picks Shine in sport weight in the color Cherry. I love this yarn. I hated the fact that the sweater was a dismal failure, but was consoled by the fact that I love the yarn and would find another project for it.

This is the successful project. It is the Neckdown Shaped T Shirt by Knitting Pure & Simple. Love the sweater, and am very happy to have some yarn to knit it again because the fit came out so well. The texture of the knitted fabric is a bit rough because I'm using yarn from a frogged project, but it is coming out very nicely. It has such a nice hand to it that I am enjoying knitting with it again!

(In case you're wondering, I still don't have my camera, just old photos in my dear computer's memory.)

Speaking of which, I did have a picture of one of the baby projects in progress. It's almost done now. This is just the classic log cabin pattern (which seems to be hot right now since the Yarn Harlot is knitting one). I'm using Encore Colorspun by Plymouth Yarn, in "Baby Boy." I've brought along a stash of baby boy yarn for the other projects, since all of the expectant mothers are having boys this year.

Yesterday I went with Leslie to Taco Tuesday at the the Elks Club and had a fun time. I met some more neighbors, and many friendly and fun people. The more time I spend in Sequim, the more I am convinced Edgar picked the right place for us. God blessed us with our home here, and with the dear neighbors we have living next to us. They have become dear friends as well.

Since it's been raining for most of the day I did a little housework, and a lot of knitting. When there is a sunbreak, the dogs go out for a walk about. On one of their walk abouts, Johnny found something and decided he wanted to bring up to the house for me. A DEAD MOUSE!!!!!!. Fortunately I had the broom and dust pan in my hands, so the DEAD MOUSE was quickly swept up and tossed over the fence where Johnny couldn't get it again. Of course, after that, Johnny is looking at me like "don't you like my special present for you?" Don't worry, I very calmly explained I love all of his gifts, but A DEAD MOUSE needs to be kept in a special place ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE. With that he went back out into the yarn and brought me a rock. I love the rock.

I've been listening to music while knitting with dogs all around me napping (we got up at 4:30 this morning, they're tired). Poor little Johnny, he's not used to a good sound system with the Bose speakers so some of the bass drums coming through the speakers startle him. He's getting use to it though.

Well, here comes a sunbreak so time for me to go take another walk about.

TTFN

Sue

I Wish I Had Remembered My Camera

Today was another busy day at Edgar's Acres. Got some knitting done, and will be doing some more. Still knitting on baby knitting. I've got three babies to knit for. One was born on July 3. Nolan Patrick, another Jersey boy. I'd post a picture of the knitting except (1) I forgot my camera, and (2) I want the baby boy to be surprised when he sees it. I received a report that this is a very smart baby because he said "Susie" already. Love him.

This morning we had a LOUD thunder storm which sent all three dogs in my lap. Edgar was pretty cool about it but Louie and Johnny were shaking like little leaves. I would just get them calmed down when we had another LOUD clash of thunder.

This afternoon David finished my garden work station and I love it. David asked if I liked it and I told him it was so beautiful I could cry. Again, I can't post a picture, but wish I could. Now I can clean my garden produce outside and keep all of the dirt and yuck outside where it belongs. Thanks David. I love it!!!!!

After that we helped Leslie trim back some trees along the property line. She is such a wonderful neighbor, and a very good friend. Now the garden will get some more sun, and both of us won't get slapped in the face by fir trees when we are mowing the law.


Tonight we are just hunkering down for the evening. It's a little chilly and windy. It will be a good night for knitting.

One final note --- I love being on vacation.

TTFN

Sue

FACEBOOK?

I'm on a 17 day vacation at Edgar's Acres. The intention is to keep current on my blog since I've been too busy or too tired to check in. My vacation consists of gardening, knitting, reading, visiting, and just plain resting. No TV, no newspaper, and no stress. I do have the internet to keep up on REALLY BIG NEWS.

On Friday, Gov. Sarah Palin announces her resignation to "pursue the bigger picture." Whatever that may be. I've not been too impressed with the Tina Fey look alike from day one, but I read today that Sarah is using Facebook as her political forum to announce her "higher calling." Facebook? You've got to be kidding. Next thing I'll read is where she is solicitating campaign funds via Craig's List.



Back to Edgar's Acres. I brought lots of knitting with me. I'm still working on socks and baby items. I also brought a sweater I started last summer and hope to finish this summer. Pictures? I forgot my camera. David is heading back to Bellevue on Tuesday and will return on the weekend, with the camera.

Too bad I forgot the camera too. Susan and I harvested cabbage, brocolli, onions, lettuce and potatoes this morning for her to take back with her. She said she likes the exchange of weeding labor for fresh produce. We've been eating good all weekend too, with the fresh produce, and great meat from Sunny Farms.

Today the dogs are so tired they're letting me comb the sticky seeds and weed burrs out of their fur. It's a bit windy today so Edgar's hiding under the end table.

Facebook ... I just can't believe it. Sarah, just what in the world are you thinking?



TTFN

Sue