kittycafe

Wordless Wednesday

 

Reflecting

 I don't make New Year's resolutions. I don't find the deep freeze of January an inspiring time to start anything anew. I have a large stack of books to read, some knitting, large mugs of tea, a pot of soup on the stove and bread in the oven. That's January, as good as it gets and the nearest I can get to actually hibernating. (If the wind chill settles to a decent bluster (not -27'C) we will get out the cross country skis.)

 Regardless of my own lack of new year eagerness, I can't help but feel the buzz of resolutions around me. The word is on everyone's lips, especially those that have enjoyed their holidays a lot, and are now compelled to feel guilty about it!

 I have dropped the ball many times blogging this year and I have wondered many times why that was. After almost five years, it is a habit to compose posts in my head as I go about my business. But when there is an opportunity to sit down and post one, I have been choosing to spend time in other ways. Why the reluctance, because reluctance it definitely is? I wonder if this is a reaction to a year of many time crunches, a natural evolution or perhaps a winding down of blogging itself. 

So in this slow January lull, when I have very little hours at work, I signed up for Project 365. I have so many photos, I think I can manage to post one a day (or three every few days!) I'll try not to complain about the dull winter light... much.

You can find them here .

This just might get me in the habit of sitting down and posting in this space more often. Or not!

A little encouragement from out there wouldn't go amiss, either.

And before I forget, here is the specs on the sweater posted last time, the Caitlin Pullover from the Classic Elite Web letter (here).

The cuffs clinched it for me. I fell in love with the cuffs.

 

When my friends and I started knitting way back in high school, we  tried out our knit and purls with maybe one basic scarf (for me it was leg warmers for ballet class. Turquoise acrylic. I thought they were fabulous!) and then we began Icelandic style sweaters. They became the Golden Standard First Sweater and when anyone else we knew wanted to start knitting, this is what we started them on as well. Simple, but satisfying, knit in the round but with enough technique to cover most everything you would need to know for other projects. And the knitter had an actual wearable garment in the end, in the space of about a month. If that doesn't encourage a new knitter, I don't know what does.

It's been ages since I knit one but when I saw this pattern, I knew it was the one. Still going backwards with the knitting!

(Excuse crappy photo. Neither the model or the photographer was patient enough to do the usual 5 million shots to get one decent one. I didn't even crop off my head this time (or should I say - yet) At least the sweater matches the bathroom walls :))

 

I went to Romni to look for Classic One Fifty yarn as specified and found they had very little colour choice available so I ended up with the economical Shepherd Classic 100% Wool. I knit the small, which made the exact right gauge for the medium that I needed. It is not for me to question why. It just worked. 

The fit is very nice, the sleeves were the right length, the collar is looser than traditional, which I think is more flattering and more comfortable. 

I had a record number of balls left over and so I am going to do something I rarely/never do, I'm going to return them for wool for another sweater, probably this one. (Ysolda's Vivian, if you don't want to click on the link)

I do need to get that Christmas sock knitting off the needles first, though.

That is one resolution I can manage.

Happy Hallowe'en

How times change. This is the first year there are no children in this house dressing up and trick-or- treating. There are two teenagers however, totally uninterested in even carving a pumpkin.

I went to the local grocery store today and thought I would pick up some last minute Hallowe'en candy, (for us, as we don't get any trick or treaters out here in the sticks) and was appalled to find Christmas candy already in it's place. I know I shouldn't be surprised, it happens every year but still. Ugh.

No one could stop me from making some treats, our traditional favourites, meringue bones and shortbread witch's fingers.

I also added some pepita brittle (recipe from the smitten kitchen) . Our own pumpkin seeds are still in place within our pumpkins. And it looks like they will remain there for now.( If you are planning on making this recipe, word to the wise, use a candy thermometer.)

Tonight we are watching 'Creature from the Black Lagoon', that 1954 B-movie er... classic?

Guaranteed to be scared laughed silly.

The Family Weekend

The little lake where 20 of us converged for the weekend. 

There were several teenagers,

There was a calm lake

A walk in the woods (we got lost trying to find an elusive maple sugar shack. For 11 years my sister-in-law has never made it to the sugar shack. We didn't either)

A small waterfall

A wild game of crochet golf carved out of the woods.

A sweet little cabin on the crochet course was a library, complete with book lined walls, an old couch and carpet and little bunks at the back, apparently once part of a girl's camp.

There were tell-tale names for all the holes on the course, the 16th was a challenging par 5!

The owners of the three cottage where we stayed made all sorts of little vignettes around the property, which one could find popping up in unexpected places. 

These log angels were scattered about the paths, each representing her grandchildren.

It has been a slow and subtle year for colour changes in the autumn leaves and now, two weeks after these photos were taken, there is not a noticeable difference in colour.

 There is a marked difference in climate however. I wouldn't be caught outside with bare toes today.

So let's call it a 'Hiatus' shall we?

To quote Little Jenny Wren 

" Things are just fine here only I haven't had the slightest desire to write on my little blog."

So I'm not the only one, I guess. Only I haven't been recharging my batteries or navel gazing, I have been incredibly busy, though.

It's funny because at the beginning of last month I thought participating in Every Day in May would get me in the groove again (stop laughing)

As you can see, that went well.

It is the big catering season at work, the weather is warm enough for seasonal pottery making (in the still unheated barn, if you recall) we have been giving this rather large property it's spring clean up and I have been obsessed with my now sizable writing assignment.

For some crazy reason I also thought it was a good time to expand the veggie garden. And then there was fencing to go all around. I caught one skunk, one raccoon and one large rabbit surveying my handwork (and no doubt menu planning) so fencing was essential.

I'm currently painting my kitchen cupboards and I better finish soon because we have to do a Cook's Tour (ha ha) to find where the toaster and cutlery tray went to every time we need them. 

What I haven't been doing is knitting. When I sit down at night to watch a movie etc, I have just been content to sit and watch the movie - how crazy is that?

I certainly haven't been making anything else either, except breakfast, lunch, dinner, laundry, beds and brownies and not necessarily in that order.

Okay, I did squeak in one little hat project as a gift for a shop owner next to ours who just had a baby. They are an untraditional couple so they got an untraditional baby hat. I do think it's never too early to introduce the wee ones to Totoro. (Pattern inspiration from here, actual hat from here) which I thought would be a better fit for an infant.

I've still taken my camera everywhere, still photographing barns on my way here and there.

 This one I found on the way to the dump. (That is a classic example of phases I'd never thought I'd use in this life time)

The trout in the pond. Not as easy as you'd think

The poppies at sunset. 

And spring babies.

Lately my interests have turned to linear patterns

which means a lot of fences as well

I did say a lot

and well...cough, that may just be crochet, but you didn't hear it from me.

So that's about it. 

Kinda anti-climatic, isn't it?

Blog Neglect, the Miniseries

I have photos, at least.

Spring is still fairly beige, although the grass is greening up slowly.

This big fellow has come to call several times, sometimes with his mates but mostly alone. I only knew he was around because of that glurp, glurp slow-drain-in-the-kitchen-sink sound.  In fact, that's what I thought it was at first. I took this shot through the screened porch so it's not very clear. Kinda makes you want to crack out the cranberry sauce, doesn't it?

 Do you see what I mean about the beige? Spring is a figment of other people's imagination, I swear.

I have spotted more wildlife, a muskrat and notably, a vulture. You are spared the photo of that one, he was having a not so gentle repast at the side of the road. This means I am now ahead of the family in the Who's Spotted The Most Wildlife Game.

Mr and Mrs Goose have come back to the pond. I did not have the telephoto lens at the time so I had to chase them around the pond before they told me in no uncertain terms to ****** off, and then they flew away. No worries, I'm partial to wild turkey anyway, yum. (Kidding, goose is equally delicious)

And horse show season is upon us, well, upon me anyway. Which means throwing copious amounts of money away to sit and eat dirt for hours around crazed, yet nervous teenagers and large skittish beasts. It's part of this glamorous life I lead.

And knitting continues apace, pffttt.

Fourth time's the charm for gauge on this one. It has remained at this length for oh, never mind.

There has never been a sadder winter for knitting around here. You will notice that it is MOSS STITCH, ahem.

In case your wondering, it should look like this by now.

And that is all I've got for now, having scoured the contents of the camera for this meagre offering.

I will take requests, though, if you're desperate.

Gratuitous and very late Easter shot for some colour, for goodness sake.

City Mouse Country Mouse

 

It's been just over one year  from our move to rural life from the city. I joke that we arrived with our personal belongings, furniture, a snow shovel and a push mower.

Of course, I am lying about the push mower. We knew it would be useless here and it was left behind for the wee lawn we left behind in the city. The snow shovel proved pretty useless as well for three hundred feet of driveway. We required much bigger toys for the job.

I have been surprised with the most amazing comments from rural and urban folk about how they perceive our experience. Still, I found myself hearing the same thing over and over again:

" What a BIG change for you", to answering the same thing over and over again:

" It's not as big as you think." Because really the structure of day to day life, getting up, eating, going to school/work, gathering for dinner, the basics stay the same.

The kids get on a school bus every morning and whereas before one of them took public transit and one walked or rather ran five doors down to the school. (She still runs for the bus)

 It is a little farther to get to a large grocery store but not by much. It is very nice to buy right from the farm.

The town is five minutes away by car, a one half hour walk and a easy bike ride away.

I can get fresh salmon, artisan chocolates, a spa treatment,and a hammer and nails there. (Obviously not at the same place!)

Sadly and it pains me to say it - no sushi.

Before we left I would lie in bed at night in the dark by myself (dh was in Asia) and try to picture myself lying in the dark in our new country home. From where I lay I could see the street light from the road but it was pretty quiet. I imagined it would somehow be darker and quieter in the country. (I was right)

I also imagined nothing around the house, unlike where I was with houses three feet on either side and a whole neighbourhood around me. I imagined that I would be nervous about this. (I was wrong)

For one thing I found that most people define "nothing" as no visible houses or retail shopping. One friend, who was the most perplexed about the move, angry even, would often comment,

"But you are in the middle of NOWHERE"  She is horrified by this to this day, her perception of nowhere.

Well, we live on a road. We have woods on either side so that we can't see my neighbours. (But you would be surprised how you can hear how well party noise travels through 1000 feet of trees!)

 We are a one hour drive to the big city in good traffic. (Is that an oxymoron - "good traffic"?) and twenty minutes to three decent sized cities/large towns in three different directions.

That I guess, is NOWHERE.

I read once that Canadians are the only people that refer to distance by the time it takes to get somewhere, as I've referred to here. Is this true? 

It would explain why measuring distance here was confounding at first. When I got in my car in the city or travelled on foot, I knew how far I could travel in ten minutes. I knew the landmarks and I knew where time would get me.

In the country I could travel those same ten minutes and think wow, this is taking a long time to get to my destination. It seemed like I was traveling a longer amount of time. Of course I was going faster and covering more ground. I needed to. But it didn't necessarily take any longer. This was the funniest thing to me at first.

 The same diversity of people surround me, although it is not the ethnic melting pot that Toronto is.

I have a bona fide red neck backyard (and sideyard, sadly visible as well) for a neighbour, as well as a very large weekend estate. These two properties actually face each other. This pleases me in a perverse way. 

There are many little things that do change. Although how little I guess, is subjective.

 

The first time I ran the tap for any length of time and heard the pump. The pump that draws the water from the well. I remember that very clearly. It was all part of a new realization of how connected we were to our surroundings. Our well, our heat, how we dispose of our waste water ( "don't pour that down the kitchen sink, it goes into the grey water system that feeds the garden") was all our responsibility. 

No service automatically picks up your garbage or recycling.  You compost yourself.

I don't need to use my inhaler for summer smog - because there isn't any!

I really like not having to pay for parking every time I stop the car. This saves a lot of money but as I mentioned at the beginning of this post you spend your money on other things, like large machinery and horrific gas powered tools.(Every male's dream come true)

My car will never be clean again. People around here have been known to purchase a new car by asking first, "Does that one come in Dirt Road Beige?"

The kids friends are just the same kind of kids as in the city.

  Littlest spend time last summer at a friend's cottage where there was a visitor from Beijing, soaking up the Canadian cottage experience. Upon seeing the teenage antics  she sighed, "Kids are the same everywhere"

But you bloggers knew that anyway. It just surprises me how many people don't. How we are perceived as different because we come from the city, although many locals have come from there themselves, and many commute to work there still.

I miss my gym the most. I have not found the equivalent here and yoga classes have been more sporadic than I like. (This is only because I am too picky)

I am sure there are other things but that's all I can think of for now.

I liked living in the city. I like living in the country. I am fortunate that I have had an opportunity to do both.

I have been mentally biting my tongue writing this post trying hard not to apologise for ignoring the blog lately. I know I don't have to apologise. I know you don't need to read it. (But there you have!)

It's funny to me considering how much I have been writing lately, just not this blog. (And no, I'm not sharing with the class.)

I'll leave you with a photo of Toasty,(PDF) for Rebecca. She had made Toast at the same time, I think and mine are made with yarn, Debbie Bliss silk, that she sent to me. Thank you again, Rebecca.

Ironically, these photos were taken on a record-breaking warm day, when such accessories were not necessary. But it is March in Ontario after all, and I'm not fooled by a little meltdown.

Heading into a new year

It always seems a little strange to me to start the new calendar year when nature all around me is sleeping.  It is not growing and flourishing but quiet. The animals are hibernating or foraging.

It doesn't seem like the time for resolutions and new beginnings but rather a time for re-gathering and planning. 

That what we will be doing today. With a good book and a warm fire will will be staying close to home and laying low, recharging our batteries for the months ahead.

 I want to thank you all for taking the time to stop by. Thank you for kind words of encouragement and inspiration.

I wish all of you a wonderful new year!

I'm Here. Hello, Is there anybody out there?

Dear Blog,

I have not forsaken thee.

Just another unscheduled break.

But trust me, you missed nothing. Nothing has been completed, much has not been started...

Oops,  I did finish the birthday socks, two months late! 

Ha.

 From the stash of Alice Starmore. They match his fingerless gloves. Here they are complete with slipper fluff, cat hair and more than a glimpse of white socks underneath. Just keeping it real.

I'mnot so much in the holiday mood. In fact, I think I am at the dangerous point of needing to get my *** into gear and stop pretending it isn't happening and get to the stores. With a list.

(Cross that off, I did that this morning. Don't you love useless rough drafts?)

I did have a list of little knitty things: a bainbridge scarf or two, some fingerless gloves, a pair of socks. But I have no motivation to start/finish any of these things because I will not be seeing the intended recipients after all. In fact no one in the extended family is available for Christmas eve/birthday or Christmas day celebrations, except my Mom. This is the first time ever this has happened, and just when we have this big long table for everyone to sit down together at. The one I waited for years for. So yes, maybe I'm a little humbug-inclined this year. 

I have started Fetching for myself and I'm edging towards this hat, because I think it goes with the Bainbridge scarf, the one with the button, although I am awfully fond of the Inga hat. But I find that when I finally get to sit down at the end of the day and pick up my knitting, a cat will jump up and snuggle in, demand a belly rub and the needles are put down and the cat is so soft and warm and...yep, I start to (yawn) lose the will to pick up the needles again. The kids think this is sad and really, who can blame them?

I'll be back soon when I have actual finished things, other than but including Christmas cookies which are being eaten at an alarming rate. There is sewing as well.

This could mean recipes from the former and cursing with the latter.

But I know Dear Blog, not to make hasty promises, I'm just hinting at maybe the end of the week.

I'll leave you with a Diggery photo. As you can see, the boy needs to relax and become part of the family.

Signed,

E

Just Because

Can you indulge me for just a moment?

I know everyone is trying to capture this autumn gorgeousness.Just because..this  colour does not last long.

Just because

This is what I see down our road

Just because

The first frost nipped our toes.

And it has sweetened the celery. Thank you very much.

Just because of that frost we had Indian Summer during the long Thanksgiving weekend.

And we didn't want to spend a moment inside.

So off we went..

(Note the grass needing to be cut in October! Global weirding)

Just because..

No matter how hard I try, I can never photograph the frogs jumping in the frog pond

even though I keep trying

Just because

we walked through the woods

and through the neighbours corn field

with a friend

Just because

we had fun running through

even though their were mosquitoes!

 

Just because

when you see this

you know it's time for birthday pie.. now with kanji

We ended our weekend watching the sky being painted 

Just because

when you are in a barn and the sun is setting 

the trees are on fire

And just because

when you tilt your head just so

someone's bound to put a carrot in it