Riding To A Crisp

This morning's commute was a bit "crispy". But it was great. The clear crisp air. The crisp leaves already on the roads. The crisp leaves as they're falling and they hit you in the face. Getting hit in the face with a leaf and saying "ouch" to yourself before realizing that being hit in the face with a leaf shouldn't really elicit that sort of response is something best kept to yourself.

Blondie came up this weekend from The Big City Where She Lives And Works. But she had to go back early before the hurricane hit. Seriously, that's what she said. (N. Mich is our locale, just for reference here). I was a bit stunned by her response when I asked her how long she was going to stay. Stunned enough to say something to the effect of "Just what do you think is gonna happen when the hurricane hits?" (again, N. Mich). She said she didn't know, but didn't want to be on the road when "it" happened (in N. Mich). It happened to be raining, quite a bit actually, so I told her to look outside. The hurricane has hit. This is it. This is all you get. You'll have to find your drama somewhere else, sorry.

No lack of respect intended to those who have really faced the hurricane, I understand they can be quite the deal. But up here, we get the air pressure changes, and some rain, equal to a good 2 day, well, rain storm. Usually without the thunder and lightening, just damp, rainy and yucky. But we have withstood it and will see another day.

Yesterday I took half a day off to wander out into my hurricane devastated garden (it rained, a lot). And pick a 5 gal bucket full of tomatoes. And can them. Yummy.
Today I will walk the same walk in search of jalapenos, and I will slice, dice and freeze them. Tomorrow, it's a crap shoot, all I know at this point is I'm getting my hair cut again. And then there's the obligatory food fest at work, so I won't be able to ride my bike, crock pot being breakable and rather large and all. (My stylist appreciates it when I don't show up with my helmet tucked under my arm). I think she likes to think I appreciate her skills for at least a little while before I subject the hair to the helmet.

Hubby picked up some of these really cool head sets that attach to your helmet and then with wires, attach to the walkie talkie on the handlebars. This is too cool. It will be even cooler when he takes it all out of the bag and gets the whole system set up. No more wireless bike riding for me, nope! We're wired for sound now! Look out baby bros #2 and 4. October will find us out riding, and, able to bull %&^*(* each other at the same time. A talent we have all but perfected!

On my current knitting project, The Sunrise Circle Jacket, I'm finding that I will run out of yarn. Yay. Do I try to find a close substitute to finish it off (hand-dyed, purchased a year ago, not much chance of locating the same thing), or do I go all bold and daring and knit 1/2 of it in a totally different color.

I'll ask the girls at work. And The Mouth, they'll set me straight. I have 5 different yarns to choose from that I have enough of to finish this project.

Stay tuned, now that the hurricane is over we'll resume our regularly scheduled routine!

Busy Weekend!

So this past weekend, I went and created even more work for myself. I never learn.

We got all of our asparagus planted. Got a spot cleared for blueberry seedlings, pushed over a dead tree. Seriously, this was not gonna happen. This tree was part of my clothesline, but it had this branch that would attack me every time I went to hang clothes. So, while hubby had his bulldozer out clearing spots for me, he decided to take the branch off of the old dead tree that was part of my clothesline. As soon as he barely touched that branch, the whole tree cracked and started falling. Can you imagine if I had hung just one too many towels from that clothesline? There was no warning, I could have been under that tree when it decided to go down. We were both very surprised, it was a huge old oak, very sturdy stump (or so we thought). Whew, that was a close one!

So now we have asparagus out by the rhubarb, that must be weeded, and soon we'll have 50 highbush blueberry plants that will have to be weeded (and watered), and, and, and....

Was gonna do the annual clean up the yard/barn/pasture bonfire so I could get all that garbage out of the way, and wanted to move the firepit, but it was too windy to burn. So.... the annual yard/barn/pasture bonfire must be postponed.

Started to clean out the pool, this is a multi step process, involving a wetsuit, tolerance to cold water and the ability to create suction from a huge sump hose. Suction as many leaves, water bugs, spiders, asphalt from the shingles... out as is possible, and then do a whirlpool (walk around in a circle really fast to get the water moving so all the "stuff" will go to the middle). Then after all the debris is settled, we start all over again. Some would use a filter system. Where's the fun in that?

Rode my bike several times and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

Blondie came up this weekend, so we got to visit with her a bit. She found a deep old sink at a sale and got it for me. Now to remember all the steps involved in counter/faucet/sink replacement. My faucet needs a new handle, and hubby came up with a way cool idea! Use an antler for the handle. It would look really neat, so now to figure out how to make that work. Blondie also brought back the 120 days ago sweater, she doesn't like it, it makes her look like a big fat fuzzy pink cloud. Sigh! Oh well, The Mouth does like it, so at least someone will wear it.

We also went to the mud bogs at a friend's house, those are always fun too. Big boys driving big toys through a big mud puddle. Doesn't sound like much when you look at it like that, but it was fun.

Wow! That was a busy weekend. Today we need to start more tomato seeds, jalapeno pepper seeds, water the asparagus, clean out the horse trough..... ugh. I'm sooooo good at creating work for myself!

And, being close to the first of the month, I can expect my Yarn Of The Month shipment any day now, it's like Christmas!

From Point A To Point B

Going from point a to point b in style. Oh yeah! That's what I'm talking about. Beautiful morning, The Bike started right up, ride to work was wonderful! Early morning haze from the dew and the woodsmoke, I saw deer, turkeys, even a coyote. Stuff I see everyday anyway, but on a bike it's more noticeable. (Reading between the lines.... you need to watch out for this stuff, it hurts a lot more to hit such a critter on a bike than it would in my truck, or even probably in my egg).

Went for a ride last night when I got home and hubby ditched his (well, it's really my old bike). Hee heeee. Seems there was still some ice under the hay in front of the barn and when he rode across it, well, lets just say that the old bike isn't well suited to riding on ice. (The new Bike has already been snow and ice tested, we don't ride on ice anymore) He's alright, no problems, he's good that way, an inborn survival instinct as it was. So he's got that out of the way for the year.

The Bike still doesn't have a name although I've got some in mind, one that's working it's way to the front especially after my totally awesome ride to work this morning. But I'll leave you hanging on that one, until after I decide. Submissions are still welcome, so let me have them!

2 more turkey eggs last night, the count is now 30. I had to throw one away, it was clearly not good. They take 28 days to incubate so quite soon, I should have baby gobblers. It's also chick days at the local Tractor Supply store, and although I told myself I wouldn't need to buy any, I probably still will, just cause. I love baby birdies! And one of the gals at work gave me a coupon for a free chick waterer if I buy 6 birdies. So, I'll have to buy at least 6.

Last night was Bu-Dawgh's first night without any roommates. The Mouth and her Puffy (Puff-a-Fluff... aka.. Dawson... aka... Fins) moved out yesterday. Everyone together, "Awwwwww, poor Bu-Dawgh". See he used to sleep in The Mouth's room with her and Puffy but he was alone. It was traumatic, and then leaving him alone all day by himself today, with no one to entertain him but the chickens, turkeys and barn cats, and a big old bone. Again... "Awwwwww, poor Bu-Dawgh"!

As I posted before, the 120 days ago sweater is done, actually has been for awhile now, and this morning will be delivered to it's rightful recipient. Blondie has been after me to get this done for at least 120 days so she better like it and it better fit. I had some minor modifications to do on it but it fit The Mouth, so it should fit Blondie.

No, I didn't get the deck cleaned off last night, nor did I get any more seeds started, it's all about The Bike this time of year, and when I got home and went to the barn to do chores, there it was all hooked up to the battery charger and everything taunting at me. Seriously, it was being such a pest that I decided to take it out for a ride just to shut it up! Yeah, that's it, I did it for The Bike. And again, The Bike needs a name. So The Bike got it's annual First Ride Of The Season out of the way and is much happier, and then The Mouth decided it was time to move over to her other residence, so not much else happened. Tonight I expect that The Bike will have some say over my schedule again, although it being Taco Night at the Local Watering Hole, and also game 4 of the playoffs, The Bike might have to settle for what it gets tonight. Oh, yeah, Local Watering Hole has a big screen TV and if you remember from a previous post, drinks are on sale when a local team is playing. All this combines to make for taking The Bike to the bar not such a good idea, being of the age when Designated Drivers were first invented and all, a semi responsible sort to boot.

My Wings will rise victoriously tonigh, I know it, I can feel it, I'll be watching on a big screen tv with other Wing-Nuts and the beer is on sale. How could they lose???

Go Wings!!