zombie time (but all is good)

I was planning this post to be amount my jungle of a garden.  That is why there is a picture of my beautiful flowers and a turnip.  What I harvested from the garden Saturday as I was weeding the jungle.  The jungle due to all the heat and rain we have had lately.

But notice that one word:  rain.  It has rained everyday since I got back from gallivanting.  It rained almost everyday while I was gallivanting.  Last night we got six to ten inches of rain dumped on us in the form of a string of thunderstorms.  Slow moving thunderstorms.  Houston was underwater this morning.

I am okay.  I live on a natural levee here.  Yes, I am two blocks from a bayou but one of the higher points in Houston.  The biggest problem I had was sleeping.  Between the storm, sirens, and helicopters, it was not a peaceful night and I did not sleep.  This morning you could hear frogs because roads were flooded and people were not out.

Tomorrow may be better.  It may not be because is looks like rain again.  I walked to the store to buy a russet potato because I want gnocchi for dinner.  Yes, I am the crazy person who would rather make it from scratch then use store bought even at 7:30 pm.  I am waiting for the potatoes to be cool enough to handle, doing laundry, and drinking a glass of wine.  I have been such a zombie today, I have not gotten much done.

Laundry.  Camping and surfing seem to produce a lot but I am almost there.

YESSSSS!

Today has been a quiet day for me.  No one around.  Bread to bake and surf.  So, after the wonderful loaf of cinnamon cardamon swirl bread and two small loafs of cinnamon swirl bread were finished, I went off to the beach.

Me, my board, and the surf.  The wind was blowing so hard that I did not get my windscreen up.  I was planning a bit of reading too but the setup failed with just me.  I actually lost one of my tent stakes.  Not a huge frustration. 

I was thinking about it on the way home.  All the little frustrations of the day:  traffic, not getting out of the house as soon as I would have liked, losing a tent stake, were nothing to the joy of standing up today. 

YESSSS!  I stood up and rode my board all the way in.  Me and my spoon.  The damage I have done to my body in the last eighteen months means that I have not had enough shoulder strength to actually paddle hard enough and get up fast enough to ride.  Now, there were some things that helped:  fresh wax, more powerful surf, almost sets in Galveston.

But you know what?  I stood!  I stood!  I stood!  The smile on my face was so big that I thought my face was going to split!  Such joy. 

I wanted to be in the water longer, but between the wind being so much it was very hard to carry my board, weather coming in, and being hurt from the Oregon coast, I did the wise thing and did not push it.  I may still be taking ibuprofen before bed but I got home safe and sound.  That is always a good end to the day.

I stood!  I stood!  I stood!

the start of sunshine version 2

This time last year, I was finishing this sweater.  I wore it rarely in the last year, not very happy with its asymmetry.  I love the yarn I made but the sweater itself was not me.

Sitting by a fire on the mountain, I ripped it all.  I snipped off the hooks, figured out how I put it together, and pulled.  I started remaking it into something more similar to the cardigans that I wear every day. 

I know it will be heavier then the cashmere I wear but that is part of what I am looking for.  Another layer to go over the cashmere that will help to keep me warm, especially at work.  Darker then the sweater I just made but a similar shape.  I am going to shorten it and shorten the arms of the last pattern.  That should work better.  I have not decided if I am going to do all the color work but I just may.  I am not going to do the texture pattern in the main body of the sweater and I have changed the stitch pattern a bit.

It is is also very good to watch videos by.  The other sweater and shawl I have working are a bit to delicate to work on when I am watching something new.  Though, they both work if there is an audio book on.  Part of going down the fiber hole.

for hauling projects around the country (and mother's day gifts)

I decided to post early today because it could be another day like yesterday.  I was in bed by 6:15 pm.  I did not know if it was going to be a nap or all night.  It ended up all night.  But the cough that was starting is gone.  Sleep can be magic.  I am not currently as tired as I was this time yesterday but I felt better safe then sorry.  I was a zombie yesterday at this time.

I was read a few design blogs.  I came across a post about a new store that had a lot of cool designs.  For things like ways to carry your calligraphy supplies around.  My type of stuff.  They carried a lovely origami bag.  Linen.  Leather around the handle.  Large enough for my fiber projects, whether crochet, sewing, or spinning.  But they wanted $165 for it!  Yes, linen and leather but the bag takes very little work to make.

I went to Home Depot.  Bought the smallest canvas tarp they had.  With tax, it was $12.  I washed it twice and dried it in the dryer.  How very odd for me but I wanted the softness and for it to dry quickly.  I did some rough calculations, and cut four large rectangles.  Four bags.  My calculations were off or it would have taken less time to put them together.

A bit of stitching.  Taking some hemp fabric I had in my stash to make a contrasting handle and they were done.  Four bags for $12 and time.  Mine took all my fiber arts across country with me.  I sent one to my Mom and the Tall Short Person for Mother's day.  The last was supposed to go to my best friend but our meeting in Colorado did not happen and I have not gotten the newest forwarding address.  But that is life.

If I had had access to some soft leather, I would have put handles like that on them but I was being a hermit and did not wish to leave my machine.

my first zinnias this year

Before I left for gallivanting, my first zinnias bloomed.  They are so pretty.  There are more now and I will cut another bouquet soon.

I need to spend time in the garden because it has become a jungle.  It rained so much while I was gone that the mint stands waist high.  I ate salad from the garden tonight and it was a bit leggy due to the heat and amount of water.  It did taste good.  I like a simple salad. 

I need to spend morning this weekend pulling weeds.  But I am actually hoping for surf.  Or if not surf, time at the beach.  It is not like the Oregon coast.  The Gulf is just not but it soothes similarly. 

Coming back to work was interesting.  I had people wait for me to come back to make requests.  I am not imagining because I was told this was the path taken.  So after dealing with a interestingly busy day.  Fun in some ways. 

I have spent the evening spinning and crocheting, watching Call of the Midwife.  Hoping a bit for good sleep and surf.  Should have taken my boards, surf and skateboard, all long boards.  There were many people at the campground, dirt bags, with both.  I would have been even more relaxed.  But that is life.