The Sweet Life

Dear Mom,

With two beekeeping seminars behind me and still a lot to learn, I've decided to just do it--beekeeping!  I ordered my bees from Wildflower Ridge Honey Farm in Anderson last week.  I will pick them up there on April 24. 

Photo of an Italian honeybee from Wikipedia

"How will I get them home?", you ask.  Um, I'm not quite sure how that part works yet.  But I can tell you that the bee colony is in California right now, pollinating the almond trees there.  When they come back to Wildflower Ridge Honey Farm, the colony will be split.  A new Italian queen will be added to the split, and the bee colony will become Italian!  Volare!  

The Italians (bees, that is) are less defensive, very clean, and make good honey supplies.  Michelle from Ohio, whom I met at one of the seminars said, "Italians are lovers, not fighters!" 

Here is a sneak peek at the "Bee-Ginner's" kit I am ordering.  The hive is an English garden style from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm, Inc.

La dolce vita!

Love, Bonnie Jo

Loved and Remembered

Dear Mom,

Meg was the sweetest little chicken!

 

  She was a friend to Darwin the orphan duckling...

...and she helped him learn how to fly!

She was the flock leader when the new kids came along...

...and she was still the flock leader after they grew three times her size!

She was a beautiful Belgian Bearded D'Uccle hen.

 

And she was loved.

Meg will be dearly missed.

Love, Bonnie Jo

Socks

Dear Mom,
It is warm and breezy and sunshiny enough that I pegged some socks out on the clothesline to dry.

Can you spot sock #10?

 It's the one with the needles still in it, waiting to have the toes kitchener stitched together.

Vesper Sock yarn "Candy Swirl"

Love,
Kim

The Clicker

Dear Mom,
I am happy to report that the new puppy class went well for Patsy. As I suspected, she is a playful girl who is eager to please. She is also growing fast, and we need to get a handle on some bad habits before it is too late.
Here you see Patsy, with her lunch box full of dog treats, ready to go to class.

The Young Lady and I found this mini lunch box at CVS in the post Valentine's Day clearance. It was filled with heart shaped dog treats. We decided that every girl needs a cute lunch box for school.

This class uses a "clicker" as a training tool. Based on Pavlov's dog, Patsy gets a treat every time she hears the clicker. Good behavior? Click, then treat. In theory, eventually the clicker will be enough.

This is the harmless clicker. For Patsy, this is a good thing. One click and I have that dog's undivided attention.

Unfortunately, this thing has struck Bumper with unprecedented fear. As I post this, he is hiding out upstairs in our bedroom. I found him trembling in the back yard yesterday. We have tried desensitizing him to the clicker by bribing him with really good treats every time we clicked. We even used STRING CHEESE. Still, the dog hides.  So as I get Patsy sorted out, I may be needing to find a therapist for Bumper.

With the warmer temps and sunshine, I was able to prop the back door open, giving the dogs access to the screened porch and doggie door. Yippee! They both spent most of the day outside. Hurray!! It was very good. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that Bumper's clicker issue became obvious.  Until then the napping in the sunshine (Bumper) and running hard in wild circles and chewing on sticks (Patsydoodles) made this Mom very content. And hopeful.

On the knitting front, sock #10 is more than halfway done, and the green sweater has about 4 inches. I thought I would be farther along with Green, especially since it is knitting in the round and I can go pretty fast when I get in the zone, but I guess all that fresh air yesterday wore me out and I was too tired to knit much and went to bed early. I've also found more things I want to knit. This sweater ( yes, I have yarn for it in my stash) and this scarf, which I think I can adjust and make for the 2012 Superbowl Scarf Project. I also saw this book, thanks to the Mason Dixon blog, and ordered it. There are some beautiful shawls in there. Which reminds me of the shawl I started four years ago and have only about 20 more rows to finish but haven't.

So, I have knitting that I want to do, ironing that I need to do and I dog that has emotional issues that I had better go check on because he may have wedged himself under my bed by now.

Love,
Kim

8 and 9

yes! that is GREEN grass!

Dear Mom,
I'm back on track. Socks 8 and 9 are finished!
Last night I started a new project, The Green Sweater, an Elizabeth Zimmermann design. The sweater has an interesting story behind it, which you can find here (scroll down) and here and here, too. I worked up my gauge swatch and cast on last night, only getting this far before admitting to myself that "one more row" would put me way past my bedtime.

Except for the chicken sweaters, it has been awhile since I last worked on a sweater design that was not my own. It felt good to sit down and have the math already figured out, and once the gauge was worked out, to be able to cast on and knit away. The yarn I am using is Quebecoise from Schoolhouse Press. I ordered the pattern and yarn at Thanksgiving, I think. After a desperately needed re-organization and straightening of the guest/knitting/sewing room, I feel a renewed commitment to knit my way through the stashed yarns and patterns that have been patiently waiting their turns. Not too long ago, GinaWhoCanParallelPark and I combined our efforts and placed an order for some yarn that was deeply discounted. The price was too good to pass up and we went for it. Last week I saw this sweater on this blog and went hunting for the pattern. Thanks to the wonder that is ravelry, I was able to purchase the pattern booklet from another knitter who was "de-stashing". I realized after reading the pattern instructions that the discounted yarn we purchased will be perfect for this project. I love it when stuff like that happens. And now I know what I'll be knitting when The Green Sweater is finished.  

Today the sun is shining, the air is warm, and I could walk the dogs wearing just a windbreaker over my wool sweater. No hat, no mittens. Robins were spotted in the neighborhood a couple of days ago. We may even see daffodils poking out of the ground soon!

Love,
Kim

Meg's Sweater

Dear Mom,
Meg, it turns out, is a sweater fitting challenge. The petite version I knit for her, with buttons to match her feathers, was the right length for her body, but the wing holes were too small. And sadly, at this point she was too frail to support the weight of the sweater when she tried it on. Out of respect for Meg's dignity, we did not take any photos.
I think I should be knitting her a prayer shawl.
Love,
Kim

Dressing a Chicken

Dear Mom,
I didn't plan on knitting a sweater for a chicken. Ever. But when Bonnie Jo sent me this story, and knowing that Meg has been feeling peckish, I didn't stop to think. I had to cast on.
I used yarn from the abundant stash and the Young Lady raided her collection for the perfect buttons.

Not being intimately familiar with the anatomy of a live chicken, I wasn't sure exactly how this little jumper was going to fit on the actual bird. The directions were not perfectly clear about fronts and backs and head openings and hen sizing. It is a 'one size fits most' kind of pattern. Knowing that Meg is a petite little chick, I cast on with a smaller needle size, but otherwise followed the directions. I kept the faith, kept on knitting, and then went back to the website to really study the photos of chickens wearing sweaters so I could figure out what in the name of chicken feathers I was knitting.

It was quick project and the Young Lady and I were eager to deliver it to Meg, hoping it would boost her spirits.

Here is Meg, modeling her sweater. It is much, much too big for her little frame. Bonnie Jo had to roll up the bottom a bit to keep it from catching on Meg's feet.

Marge has been missing Meg out there in the coop, so she was allowed in for a quick visit, and Meg graciously allowed Marge to try on the sweater.

It fit Marge perfectly, and really suited her coloring. Meg decided to let Marge keep the sweater, and I promised Meg I would make her one that fit better. I finished it last night, but still need to block it and sew on the buttons.

Marge went back out into the snow and cold, wearing her sweater and showing it off to Golda and Gloria. I raided the stash again when I got back home and found complimentary yarns to make sweaters for them.

Knitting for chickens was not the only thing I did over the weekend. On Saturday, 3 of my knitting friends and I loaded ourselves into the car and took a mini road trip up to exotic Kokomo, Indiana for their annual Winter Woolen. Quilting, knitting, tatting, spinning, weaving, needle punch, cross stitch and rug hooking were all represented by vendors selling supplies and hand made items, and by guild members and experts teaching and demonstrating their respective arts. Such was my inspiration and sensory overload that I neglected to take any blog-worthy photos of the day. I did manage to buy some roving to spin, a pair of super warm mittens made of recycled felted sweaters, and some home made soaps. Not knowing exactly what to expect, I think we were all pleased with the event, although we all agreed that knitting could have been better represented. Fortunately for each of us, our fiber interests don't stop with knitting and there was plenty there to enchant us. We spent our afternoon enjoying a long lunch, and as the restaurant was not busy, we lingered with our knitting. Our Saturday together was a desperately needed boost in what has been a looooong, snowy, grey winter.

Love,

Kim

There's a Chicken in the House

Dear Mom,
Meg isn't feeling well, so I invited her to come inside.  I asked her if she would wash windows and dust the furniture, but she said she was too weak and tired.

She is sleeping too much and not eating enough.  She's losing weight.  I think she has dreams of becoming a skinny, supermodel, calendar chicken. 

She's trying to talk me into polishing her toenails.  There's nothing like a pedicure to help a gal feel better!

The best I can do is give her warmth and comfort.  I hope my Meggie gets well soon...I just love this little chicken!

Love, Bonnie Jo

Set Back

Dear Mom,

Turns out I cannot re-invent the heel. #8 fit over my foot and was functional, but I wasn't happy with it. I ripped back during the women's free skate last night and started a new heel. Back to the vanilla sock heel recipe.

I think maybe another reason why this sock is taking so long is the fact it seems I can only sit and knit for about 10 minutes before a dog wants to go outside. Bumper is mastering the art of deceptive potty breaks so he can get a treat when he comes in. I believe that the dogs are now training me. I will be so happy when it gets warm enough to leave the porch door open so the dogs can come and go through the dog door as they please. At this point it feels like warm weather will NEVER get here. Muddy paws might even be welcome if it meant that Spring has finally arrived.

Busy weekend ahead. I should have lots to show you on Monday!

Love,
Kim

Not Sock #8

Dear Mom,
Maybe if I distract you with some cute puppy pictures you will not notice that sock #8 is not finished.

Sock #8 is coming along. I got this far on it last night.

Hello Yarn's fat sock, "Figgy"

Don't ask me why, but I am trying to reinvent the heel. Or "unvent" as Elizabeth Zimmermann would have said. I may be onto something really wonderful, or ripping back to the ribbing. And why I decided to try this when I am behind my self-imposed schedule I do not know. The idea was just in there and it had to get out.

Part of the reason I am behind schedule, besides the other knitting I was doing, is the fact that on Monday evening I did not knit ONE STITCH. This is the indication of a really bad day for Kim.

Monday, it turns out was not the regular Puppy Kindergarten class, but Puppy H..E..L..L.... In hind sight, I can now see that there where several moments when I should have packed up the treats, grabbed the Young Lady and rescued Patsy from our nightmare. Too much was happening so fast- like prong collars and Teacher grabbing Patsy by the collar and having her dangle in mid air (a 'correction' that would establish dominance) that I was having trouble processing it. Teacher, it turns out, was having a really bad day and QUIT. QUIT!!!!!She informed us of this about 2/3 of the way through the class, after she had labeled Patsy as aggressive, giving her a bad reputation with the other doggy parents, or should I say Pedigreed Puppy Parents, who then felt obligated to say things to me like, "Gosh, you've got your hands full with THAT one" and "She just wants to be pack leader, doesn't she?!" All said with sympathetic expressions, a gleam in the eye and a barely concealed smile.

Now. Go back and look at those pictures. That is not an aggressive puppy. In the experience I've had with puppies, I have to say that Patsy is the most well behaved.

Things didn't get any better as the class wore on. I realize now that the prong collar, recommended by Teacher, was making it impossible for Patsy to relax and focus. Stressed Out Teacher was telling me that I should make corrections unemotionally. This said as my dog flailed about, hanging by her neck in Teacher's hand.

A pro-rated refund is on its way. Patsy is enrolled in a new class. One that does not use prong collars or choke chains. Patsy is a pleaser. Positive reinforcement works. This will sound very silly, but I do believe that Patsy knows she is good and smart enough not to need that prong collar, and when we put it on her, she was insulted. Barking at the other dogs and wanting to play were better than doing anything the mean lady was trying to teach her! As soon as we reached the sanctuary of the car, we removed the prong collar and Patsy fell asleep in the Young Lady's arms. I have only needed to use her middle name ONCE this week, when she thought playing with Sock #8 might be fun. I can't blame her. It is. See? She is a smart girl!

Love,
Kim

Grammie's Red Velvet Cake

Dear Mom,
Our birthday came and went with a flurry of activity!  I was spoiled by friends and neighbors and family!
I baked my annual "Grammie's Red Velvet Cake" which Grammie called her "Waldorf Cake" (lovingly spelled on her recipe card to me "Waldrof Cake (RED Cake)").
This is my last picture of Grammie and Grampie, taken on Mother's Day in 2007.  Grammie died unexpectedly in September, 2007.  Everything Grammie baked was heaven.  I am lucky to have gotten so many of her recipes.

So, without further ado, Grammie's Red Velvet Cake:

Waldrof Cake (RED Cake)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup crisco (not oil)

2 eggs

2 oz. red food coloring

2 Tbsp. cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. soda

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream sugar and shortening.  Add eggs and beat.  Combine food coloring and cocoa and add to above mixture.  Alternate milk and flour to above mixture.  Mix well.  Last add soda to vinegar.  Add to cake mixture by just stirring in (do not beat).

Bake in 2 9" greased and floured pans or 1 13x9x2" pan at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Grammie didn't include a frosting recipe so I just whip up a cream cheese frosting.

This cake is absolutely divine when shared with friends and family; when you can eat your birthday cake amidst much love and laughter.  That is how Grammie did it her whole life.  I hope to follow in those footsteps.

Love,

Wendy

Progress of sorts

Dear Mom,

Sock #8 is woefully behind schedule.
It has been started....see?

Progress on #8 was undermined by my desire to finish this:

here we have the ever-cooperative Elle modeling "Elbow Room"

Elbow Room will be published in a future issue of Creative Knitting magazine. September, I think. I love this design and decided that I would make one for myself.

I also have been stewing over a boy's sweater idea, and with a new baby boy due for one of My Hero's co-workers, I decided to make the sweater for him. I was a bit obsessed once I started it. I cast on for this one on Saturday morning and got this far before I went to bed last night:

I've been tweaking the design and instructions a bit as I knit, and I have submitted the idea- hopefully we will see this one published one day. If I can finish this one tonight after Puppy Kindergarten, then I can knit obsessively on #8 to make my self-imposed deadline.

And speaking of the puppy.... I do believe, but don't want to jinx myself by saying it out loud, but Patsy is housebroken. She is my little shadow during the day, following me around the house as I keep busy. She laid down beside the spinning wheel last weekend while I took Daphne Joy for a spin and did not even try to bite the bobbins or roving. I didn't tempt her with it for too long, but took her behavior as a good sign. She was caught, however, chewing on yarn last night, and I am occasionally finding stray skeins scattered through out the house.

Bumper, I am sorry to say, may be crying out for some therapy. In an episode reminiscent of the Christmas Cookie Massacre of 2007, when Bumper Joseph devoured 7 dozen cookies that were packaged and ready for a cookie exchange party, I came home from my quick trip to the library and post office this afternoon to find that Bumper had used his stiff, arthritic legs to lift his overweight body up high enough to grab the 1 pound bag of Pupperoni treats. The fact that the dog even got off the couch in the middle of the afternoon is a red flag. I found the Pupperoni bag torn apart and at least 2/3 of the pupperoni's missing. Bumper had excused himself to another room before I got home and was peaking around the corner awaiting my reaction. Surely he can't be jealous of Patsy's crate? I wouldn't have been so quick to notice the bag laying on the floor had Patsy not strayed from her usual and very direct route from crate to backdoor so she could visit the scene of the crime. Perhaps Bumper was purposely chewing pupperoni's in front of her, teasing her with his freedom.

Always an adventure.

Love,

Kim

What I learned from sock #7

Dear Mom,
This is sock #7 of my sock a week in 2010 resolution.

I hate it.

I used this pattern. There is nothing wrong with the pattern. The instructions are perfectly clear and the designer must be a genius. I was immediately attracted to this sock's unusual construction. Really, it is brilliant, worked from the toe up on the bias with a swirly origami sort of heel. I had to try it.
As you can see, it turned out fine.... if you wear a size 9 shoe, which I do not. You cannot tell in the photo, but the sock is much too big even for the Young Lady (the reluctant model here) whose feet are bigger than mine.

I realized after slogging through this sock, that I do not like knitting fussy sock patterns. Sure I like the looks of pretty socks, but I realized while working on #7 that I just want to go into auto pilot while I knit a sock. A fun little something on the cuff is good, but let the rest of my sock be plain old vanilla sock knitting. A fancy sock is not going to be any warmer or function any differently than my plain old vanilla sock. I am content to let the sock yarn speak for itself.

I also had to talk myself off the edge that was looming whenever I thought about making the other half of sock #7. Number 7 is very specifically a Left foot. I was dreading Right foot #8. I was thinking hateful thoughts about right foot #8.  Well.  Remembering that there are no Knitting Police, I realized that I don't have to make that sock! I am moving forward and sock #8 will be the beginning of a new pair. The lack of symmetry there is a little disturbing, but I'll get over it as soon as I cast on. I would feel better, though, if I could find someone who wears a Women's size 9 and just needs a sock for her left foot. I'd be happy to send her this sock.

Love,
Kim

p.s. Another thought. Anyone out there interested in knitting a Right Foot, size 9? I'll gladly send the pattern, yarn and Left Foot #7 . Email me at the address on the sidebar.

February 17, 1967

Dear Mom,

On this special day, 43 years ago, you brought twins into our world!  In the months prior, Kim wished for a girl and I wanted a boy. 

 "Twice as much to love, two blessings from above." 

 "The Twins" were happy, healthy, rolly polly babies!

Now that I'm a mom, I can't imagine how you did it...Kim was in kindergarten, I was only 4, and then you had two new babies to care for.  Phew!!

"It's double the giggles and double the grins, and double the trouble if you're blessed with twins."

At 17 months, The Twins were already partners in crime.

  

**Brother has requested privacy and asked that no photos be published beyond this point**

Christmas 1970

3-year old Wendy was not afraid to talk to Santa!

Wendy at age 7 - Remember those loooong stocking caps?!

                             

Christmas 1974 - Wendy with Holly Hobby and the Barbie Jet

Smiling with Zeke in 1977

1979 - Who wears short-shorts?!!  

High School

May 1989 - A beautiful bride, wearing her mother's wedding gown

"So much alike, forever linked, and yet they’re also quite distinct."

 Happy Birthday to "Our Twins" ! 

Love, Bonnie Jo