NW weekend

Friday was nice. All day eyeball-seminar at a downtown conference center on the water. Lovely views, but more than that, good lecturers speaking on interesting topics. One spectacular standout; an local ocularist who makes prosthetic eyes. A tall, well-spoken redhead--I'm predictable, yes? Or perhaps I should say consistent. Love me a redhead, especially a smart one.

Also got to have lunch with a friend from Arizona. It was such a delight to spend some time catching up with her. As we finished our tiny petit-four style desserts and sipped coffee, it began to snow. Later the sun came out and I had a breeze of a drive home with NO Friday-style traffic snarls.

M was visiting a new neighborhood friend when I arrived home. She stayed there for dinner and Mr. Smartypants and I walked over to pick her up later in the evening. Spent about an hour chatting with her friend's folks--very nice people.

This morning, M on the computer and S whipping through a crossword puzzle, I sat on the couch under a blankie and sipped coffee. Out in the backyard, I noted another new acquaintance:

Dark-eyed Junco ("Oregon Junco")

Courtesy of e-nature

M and I took Spot to Marymoor Park today--huge leash-free park with fields and paths and mud puddles. Great fun.

Tomorrow I'm going to find yarn for Boogie. I think it's wise to cut my teeth on a vest before I attempt the lovely Katarina. More on that when I have something else to show and tell!

It snowed again about an hour ago, but I don't know if it'll stick. I'll try to get pictures in tomorrow.

Happy Easter

The girlie and I have been enjoying working in the kitchen together of late. We wanted to make something yummy for breakfast yesterday, but we kept falling short of one ingredient for each recipe we'd chosen. That being the case, we held off until today. Here she is putting the finishing touch (powdered sugar)
onto this (recipe here), a Big Apple Pancake. It made the house smell wonderful (Mr. Smartypants was salivating....) and we made it disappear very quickly. It was a breeze to make, as well.
Here is our Spot, who is going through a renaissance with his crate. He'd been entrenched in a seriously horrific bout of separation anxiety, and just as we'd made a date with a behaviorist to come and help us, he pulled out of it! He was snugged up in here, snurfelling away with his nose under his blankie as we had breakfast. It was raining out and very cozy in the kitchen.
I have to do a big tip o' the hat and a small toot of my own horn. Larissa and Martin's book is out, and even in my prejudiced opinion, it's great! It's got a lovely look to it and I'm really enjoying their writing style. My Bakul made it in for the Recycle Along section, and Marion will testify to the fact that I was jumping up and down in the bookstore yesterday and walking several feet in the air all afternoon. YAY!

Happy bunny day to all. I'm off to do some crafting with my sweet potato.

Words only today

I was a little late coming home today. It's the first time I've stayed past 5 at my new job. We had a physician retreat and a staff seminar. I didn't actually participate in either as I was the stay-behind to care for a patient. It was good to be on the front line; helping out in an emergency again. I'm glad I'm in a position that allows me to do administrative work and still be a tech.

I missed seeing my usual going-home bus driver. He's very kind and has one of those smiles that just lights up his face. He'll often make dry, pithy comments about road conditions or the peculiarities of other drivers. He laughs frequently. I'm looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.

I wish I could capture some of the things I see from the bus, but I know that a camera wouldn't shoot well through the bus windows. Plus we often go too fast or it's crowded and I couldn't get turned around to show you what I see.

Things like the beaver dams in the lake.

The beautiful mixture of downtown Seattle architecture.

The little diving ducks who leave a group of circles in their wake.

The incredibly swift-moving clouds overhead.

The other passengers on the bus (most of whom I wrongly assumed were knitters when I first started riding--they all whipped things out of their bags and started unwinding the way I do with yarn when I'm resuming work on a project. Turns out their "yarn" is I-pod headphones.).

Since I can't show you, I'll tell you.


Clad in ghostly white
Glimpsed between mossy branches
Blooming cherry tree

What a great weekend

My dear friend Mary was in town from Friday till today. We toddled around town yesterday, scarfed some Herfy's burgers, watched a movie and chatted and gabbed and caught up with each other's goings-on.

It was delightful.

We went into Seattle and here is some of what we saw.

I was on a bit of a deadline for a baby shower on Monday, the 17th. I did manage to finish this up this evening, and I'm quite pleased. It's the second time I've used this pattern, and my Kitchener stitch for closing up the top is VASTLY improved from my first attempt. The pattern is here. The yard, a gift from the generous KT is Berrocco Foliage. Mmmmmmm.

I hope that everyone had a weekend as nice as mine was. Call someone you love and tell them so.

And Happy St. Pat's tomorrow to all and sundry, especially to my redhead. Happy 12th, sweetie! According to our crazy list, 12th anniversary is Spackle. Food for thought.

dishcloth with moss

dishcloth with moss
Originally uploaded by kamsarmer

It's moving to Oregon to stay with Larissa....

crocuses

crocuses
Originally uploaded by kamsarmer

M's new do March 08

M's new do March 08
Originally uploaded by kamsarmer

Olympics and an egg tree

Olympics and an egg tree
Originally uploaded by kamsarmer

sunshine in flower form

sunshine in flower form
Originally uploaded by kamsarmer

nice trees

nice trees
Originally uploaded by kamsarmer

This post is worth 15,000 words

Ok, long overdue photos of all sorts. I've faffed about with Blogger for some time now and I still hate the positioning of the photos, so just ignore it.


Just for Emily, here we are. She's sultry and I'm oblivious.
It's KT and kt (in that order. Miss M wo-manned the camera.)
I got two dozen for Valentine's Day! Purple carnations, mmmmm.

THE original Nordstrom's downtown, which I pass on the bus daily, must've gotten my friend, Hai-Jung to pose for the art in their window display. That's her on the dress.
And again, ala Iron Chef, Hai-jung Four styles

The view from our driveway. Them Cascades, they sure are purty.

M and Spot

M at Le Panier, a to-die-for French boulangerie.

Super-cool neon. The crane provides assistance for those hard-to-reach areas.



Our house on the day after we arrived. Note the snow. And the T-riffic brother-in-law (in green)helping out the movers.

M's zombie snowman.




Spotted on the floor of the airport.....flying fish

There was this sad pink scarf wadded up under a chair. We made it into art.
Didn't think I'd miss the leaves, did you?
And I like this guy, headed against the flow, with briefcase.
Work is good. The dog is driving S nuts with his horrific separation anxiety, but we're working on it. The weather here is great. Oops, strike that, I'm supposed to sa it rains ALL the time. Yeah, that's it, rain and gloom and sturm und drang. My knitting has slowed, but I'm going to fix that right now.

I think we'll stay.

Mish-mash

I'm finally back on my own computer!

Hooray!

First things first:

In the "You Make My Day" groupings, the coveted and much-anticipated tenth spot goes to the lovely Kate at tinywarbler. I am so inspired by her sweet little creations--it's no surprise that she has a wonderful etsy shop. To top it off, her blogging-style makes me think she's someone I'd like to know. Perhaps now that I'm in the NW and nearer Canada, we could rendezvous at a Tim Horton's for coffee and sweets. (But I bet she knows of a cool local bakery with good coffee!!) Sorry to keep everyone waiting for the tenth, but good things come to those who wait!

Trivia question from my redhead, "Did anybody NOT named Billy Wilder make a good movie in the 1950's?" He doesn't think so.

Clarification from my other-other-half, KT. I said we were like corn and peas. She has amended and corrected that definition. I am carrots, she is peas. Thus I present to you.....


KT & kt

Sorry about the wonky spacing. I'm out of practice. There is carrot-related knitting happening; FO soon to make it's debut. Come back this weekend and see, ok?

In sports, three cheers for my old softball team, the Tempe Black Sox--they won their first game of the year, 24-0, even without my stellar catching skills. Go Black Sox!

Time to go for now. Back soon, and I promise photos of Washington State. (We really DID move, I swear!)

Just because

"Lydia The Tattooed Lady" by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg

sung (magnificently) by Groucho in At The Circus



My life was wrapped around the circus.Her name was Lydia.I met her at the world’s fair in 1900,marked down from 1940.
Ah, Lydia.She was the most glorious creature
Under the su-un.Guiess. DuBarry. Garbo.Rolled into one.



(sings)


OoooooohLydia oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia,Lydia, the Tattooed Lady.
She has eyes that folks adore so,And a torso even more so.
Lydia oh Lydia, that encyclopidia,Oh Lydia the Queen of Tattoo.

On her back is the Battle of Waterloo.Beside it the wreck of the Hesperus, too.
And proudly above waves the Red, White, and Blue,You can learn a lot from Lydia.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la


When her robe is unfurled, she will show you the world,If you step up and tell her where.
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paris,
Or Washington crossing the Delaware.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la


Oh Lydia oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia,Oh Lydia the Tattooed Lady
When her muscles start relaxin’,Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson
Lydia oh Lydia, that encyclopidia,oh Lydia the queen of them all!

For two bits she will do a mazurka in jazz,With a view of Niagara that nobody has.And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz.You can learn a lot from Lydia.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la


Come along and see Buff’lo Bill with his lasso.Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso.Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon.Here’s Godiva but with her pajamas on.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la


Here is Grover Whalen unveilin’ the Trilon.Over on the West Coast we have Treaure Island.Here’s Najinsky a-doin’ the rhumba.Here’s her social security numba.
{whistles}La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la


Oh Lydia, oh Lydia that encyclopidia,Oh Lydia the champ of them all.
She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet.
The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat.
And now the old boy’s in command of the fleet,For he went and married Lydia.
I said Lydia{He said Lydia}They said Lydia{We said Lydia}La La!

Nice people

There isn't much that can compare to coming home after a hard day's work (hard, but not unhappy) to find your household in some semblance of order. Today, in my household, that fine, fine semblance of order contained some of the following:

* a tired husband who'd spent the day wrangling installers to provide TV for his poor mum who's laid up with a bad foot,

* a girlie who'd done her homework and picked up in her room as requested,

* a father-in-law who, upon hearing you enter the house, immediately proposed dinner out,

* a spaniel who'd refrained from vomiting, (he's fine, we'll discuss it another time)

*a comment from lovely Kathy (a damn-fine knitter) awarding me an award.

I am tickled all shades but pink, and in keeping with the spirit of the award, will happily bestow it upon to ten deserving others. Instructions are "give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times."

Easy peasy.

Tarty Crafty because Della's my gal across the pond. She knits beautiful things, she rides a cool bike, she has a bunny, and now, as a special added bonus, she spins!

Pea Soup of the Day as Suse can surely write. And shoot great photos. And make me want to go down under. And her knitting's got a sense of humor (read the comments) and when she swears in print, I love it.

Lookie What I Made cuz KT and me, we go together like corn and peas, Flatt & Scruggs, and KT and kt. PLUS she has the supercutest smallholleringboys in the known (and unknown) universe, and we think our DHs may have been separated at birth. The knitting? It just goes without saying....

Yarn Miracle cause Em knits socks like they're going out of style (but they aren't, are they EM?) and she's a hoot and a half she turned me on to Icanhascheezeburger and she's joining the ranks of us CoolMoms!

Say La Vee due to the fact that I want to be blackbird when I grow up. Just go read. You'll understand.

Knitting Weather because I love Alaska and Kathy is a proper Alaskan who knits incredible things. SO impressed with her knitting, and reading her blog is like getting a letter from an old friend; full of newsy bits about family and comings and goings and doings. Just plain nice.

And speaking of nice, may I introduce you to Woof Nanny? Barb is an incredibly sweet, multi-talented woman who has several blogs about cool, crafty stuff. She's a well-kept secret who shouldn't be secret at all! Spread the word!

I'm probably one of the last knitters in the world to fall for Franklin, but if you haven't found The Panopticon, scoot your tush over there and get ready to marvel at luxurious lace, darling baby knits (and a darling-er baby), and a sheep named Dolores who must be read/seen to be believed. Go.

Now Norma Knits is what all blogs aspire to be; literate, classy, easy-on-the-eyes with a huge side of ROTFL and kick-ass knitting. Norma rocks, and she rocks it hard.

Ok, that's 9. As we all know by now, 9 is my favorite number. The Award, however, calls for 10 blogs. I have a tenth blog in mind, but there's a small wrinkle. I don't remember it's name, and I'm working without my favorites list! I'm using Mr. Smartypants' computer because c'mon people, we've only been here 16 days! Give me a break! Jeez!

*ahem*

Anyhoo, we'll just save that last tantalizing morsel for another time. I'll just say that it's a blog I found through flickr and my love of elephants. The blogstress makes DIVINE little aminals (no, it's not spelled wrong, it's just twee on porpoise) and I will share them with you as soon as I can.

Off to eat chocolate now and bask in the last hour of my nice day.

If you knew me, you'd understand that this is hilarious.

Your Celebrity Style Twin is Gwen Stefani

Trendsetting, unique, and stylish.

Who's" Your Celebrity Style Sister?

Things I've thunk

After 10 days in Washington, I find myself with some newcomer observations. Wanna hear?

1. People here, men, women and children, wear scarves. I think the Great Dane I saw yesterday was wearing one under his windbreaker, too.

2. It's really, really hard not to gawk at Mount Rainer from the bus in the morning as we cross the lake.

3. Land o' java, I'm home!

4. I have yet to see anyone actually ON the huge, glassed-in rock-climbing wall at the ginormous downtown REI.

5. The redhead and the girlie have comparison-shopped, and Fred Meyer will be our friend for regular groceries. Albertson's actually expects people to pay $6 for a bottle of Soy Vay! Gad!

6. People do not chat while waiting for the bus. Even when the guy with the Arlo-Guthrie-hair and the big bag of who-knows-what walks up behind them, sets down the bag, and raises his arms up over his head, chattering all the while. Downtown bus riders pay him no heed.

7. I am waiting for my complimentary I-Pod to arrive. It looks as though every other being in Seattle has one, so I guess it'll come when they drop off the recycling bins? I mean, I'm pretty sure that Great Dane had one!

8. Redhead points out that with all these trees, you'd expect maybe an "Oak Street" or "Pineview Lane", but no, we got numbers! 132nd NE and NW 85th and the 502 and on and on...

9. I don't generally wear a hat to work because of the hair-flattening properties, but working in a big hospital in a big city where I walk a few blocks from the bus each day makes me really want to have that cap-tossing MTM moment.

I'm really liking it here. It may snow again this weekend. Camera cables have been found; we may have photos some time soon.

We are here, we are here, we are here!*

No photos yet as the camera cables are in a box somewhere....(oh puh-lease, what do I own that ISN'T in a box somewhere?), but we are in Washington!

It snowed the day we got in; something that clever KT ordered up for the girlie.

The girlie loves her new school, I am liking the new job, and the redhead and the canine are calming down slowly after being physically flung into the gypsy caravan last Saturday. Multitudinous thanks go out to the Brother of the Redhead (himself a redhead, as well) for playing the part of U-Haul driver with panache and aplomb. (Also for driving the car down a foggy, rainy mountainside at night when I was clenched into a giant knot of FEAR in the seat beside him.)

More to come. Soon.

*anyone recognize this line from a famous book?

P.S.--WTF is going on with Flickr badges? We DO need those steenking badges!

One day and a hot breakfast.....

(courtesy Red Kid--too cool!)

Blame it on blackbird

She who is the queen of blogging, IMHO.

Thus do I humbly bow down and kiss the hem of her garment for bestowing on me this tiny break from manic packing. (We leave for Seattle on Saturday. Egad.)

25 things of which I never tire:

1. redheads. (natural-born ones, any age.)

2. dark chocolate.

3. grey skies.

4. my pet ball of yarn, Tahki/Stacy Charles Shannon in many a hue o' purple.

5. my beat-up pickup truck. MWAH.

6. cheez-its.

7. elephants.

8. the delighted look on a stranger's face when they've received an unexpected compliment.

9. good, reasonably-priced hotels.

10. the magic o' the internets.

11. Miss M's pre-K teacher.

12. puns.

13. birdwatching.

14. the marvelous ability of my husband to ALWAYS pick the good restaurant in an unfamiliar city.

15. watching Miss M sleep.

16. listening to anything being played at the wrong speed which leads to laughing until I snort.

17. good, thin-tipped black ballpoint pens.

18. finding typos.

19. my dog snoring.

20. receiving snail-mail from a real person.

21. flowers. any. weeds or gardens, just show me the petals.

22. reading things I wrote long ago.

23. icy-cold beer.

24. bookstore browsing.

25. memes!

Away now to wallow in dust and cardboard. If you don't hear from me for a while, know that I'll come up for air as soon as I can.

Au Revoir, 2007

Bon Annee!






"Love" was lovely, and it was a nice getaway. We three did a pretty good job of enjoying ourselves and having fun. Cirque du Soleil was grand, and the music was a really interesting re-mix of wonderful Beatles tunes. The girlie was delighted, and even her dad, who doesn't go to shows if he can help it (busman's holiday, you know) was impressed.

Now we're home and thoughts are turning to Seattle. If you haven't guessed it already, I've taken the position and we leave in just over a week. CRIKEY! There are many complicated plans afoot and I won't bore you with them now, but the wheels are in motion and I'm calmer about it than I expected to be. Have wanted to get the the Northwest for some time, and so here we go!

Must publicly thank the divine Norma for Paying It Forward with such style and panache and COOKIES! Didn't get to take photos, but you can go and see them on her blog from a short time back. Go ahead, go take a look, but make sure you have a napkin handy. Mmmmmmmmmm. Also, Norma, the packaging arrived intact and there likely WILL be photos of that--you extremely generous lady, you!

One sentimental note for this final post of 2007. Thanks so much to all of you quality folk that I've met through this blog. It feels so good to know that there are a bunch of wacky, witty, literate and thoughtful crafty people out there, and being able to blabber and chat with you all does me good.

Best of everything to all of us in 2008! Wish you well!