mia_mcdavid

07:46 pm: The home stretch
Well, there's starting to be a list of things I won't be doing again this week.

Won't dye silk blend yarn or panda top; I'm out of both.

Won't dye pounds of superwash or more panda yarn; they both need the skein winder and I've put that away.

Tomorrow will be my last dyeing day.

Making a list of things to take with or do before I go. Worried about my cell phone; sometimes it's fine sometimes it breaks up to the point where you can't converse...

01:24 pm: Things I learned Today
1) If an alpaca breeder is selling his babies' fleeces, chances are pretty good that:
a) he only sheared them to clean them up
b) he sheared them himself to save money
c) they are therefore full of straw and short bits

2) Bits of straw will not fall out of an alpaca fleece if you drum card it.

3) If you have a fleece like the above, you can get a fair amount of mileage out of feeding it through the carder a bit at a time, stopping after each addition to pick out the short bits and straw.

10:55 am: Came home to dye
Spelled with a y, please note.  It's a good con and I'm having fun, but Midwest is pressing hard on me, and I wanted to get something done this weekend. 

I often wake early (6:00 or so) at a convention, then lie there frustrated because I can't get back to sleep.  If I creep out of the room so I won't disturb G, there's nothing to do out there.

Today I decided to make an advantage of this.  When I woke at 7:00, I got up and came home.  Home breakfast, cheap and very nourishing.  One pound of Panda top on the stove, two pounds of bamboo in the vats, and it's about time to head back.  There's a panel at 12:30 on Is Joss Whedon a Deity?  :-)

12:43 pm: Desperately seeking...
If anybody finds stainless steel pots or enamel in good condition in their garage-sale wanderings, I am in need of some.  BIG ones; 4 gal. minimum.  The good ones are so spendy...

09:56 pm: An odd day
Got up in time to get ready for church, but felt queasy after breakfast and went back to bed.  I slept, but after I knew G was home my sleep was troubled by desperate attempts by my subconscious to wake me up; I knew we had to go see Tom.

Took Tom for a walk and a treat.  It was very exhausting, for he was very energetic and connected; wanting his book read over and over in the car, exchanging his catch-phrases all during the walk.  After we read the book all the way back to his house, I needed another nap.

When I got up, I was finally able to do some work; dyed two pounds of bamboo, a pound of silk blend, and a pound of BFL.  Hope to dye the pygora tomorrow morning.

Don't know why I was so peaky this morning...

10:44 am: When external fuel tanks go horribly wrong...
Go here.  Swallow anything in your mouth first.

Don't say I never did anything for you...

03:21 pm: Huzzah, huzzah!
The U of M meat program is selling again!  Actually, I guess they've been selling again for a few years, and I've just been busy.

This can not get any better; humanely raised beef, turkey, pork, and lamb, from the U's own program, butchered by students, and sold for a pittance! Hey, they've got to do something with all that meat!  Prime aged porterhouse steaks for $8.50 a pound.  First class stuff.  I used to go a few years ago, and then their meat guy retired and they had to replace him.  Now they're back, with more choices!

12:15 pm: Dolphin-safe tuna is BAD
Nobody wants dolphins killed, but looking for the label "Dolphin Safe" on tuna cans, does NOT help.  Quite the reverse.

It's sickening and discouraging...

12:01 pm: AMAZING!
So, here it is, horribly hot and humid.  You can't step outside without breaking a sweat.

I don't believe this, but I've spent the better part of two hours working in the garden.  Bending, yanking, digging.  For the past few years, I have been unable to work in this kind of heat, and thought I never would be able to again.  Now, here I am; slimy with sweat, but energized.

Must be all those iron pills...

05:47 pm: It's always something...
In the past few weeks we have had, and solved, a bad plumbing problem under the basement floor and a moth infestation in what we call the rumpus room, which used to be a garage before a previous owner decided he wanted it for a workroom and built a second garage.

There are upsides.  The plumber we called has only ever worked in Roseville his whole life, he understands about these houses, and he offered a fix that was permanent; we will never have a plumbing leak under the basement floor again.  Whew!

And, even the horrible moth infestation was salutary.  I caught it before it did much damage, but after all the pupae hatched, the room was thick with (very dangerous!) adult moths.  We finally had to give up and spray the room, which entailed taking all the food off of the pantry shelves, which entailed washing said shelves, getting rid of stuff we didn't want, and re-shelving the stuff in an orderly fashion.  This is a Good Thing.

However, all of these things have taken incredible amounts of time and energy that should be spent getting ready for Midwest Fiber.  I must now play catch-up.  And, I have had to work in the garden a lot, which is good.  And, I have stuff I have to do for James.  It's Always Something.

Well, I have started dyeing again, and using different dyes which are working fine.  Come see what I'm talking about at my fiber blog.

09:08 am: Seeking Blender
For those of you who frequent estate and garage sales, I need a good, sturdy blender, should you happen to find one.

Thank you...

Mia

09:14 pm: Plumbing disaster solved
Thanks to everyone who offered advice about a plumber.

Glenn and I had decided that this was a Really Good (tm) time to join Angie's List, and boy did we hit the jackpot. We found out that Rose Plumbing has only ever worked in Roseville. When I told him our address, he said, "Oh, yeah, one of THOSE houses." They suggested that instead of attempting (again) to repair the line under the concrete floor, we should run a new line up under the ceiling. It was going to be ugly, but it was going to be so totally worth it.

In the end, they managed to get the line up inside the ceiling; I was thrilled.  They patched the hole they had to cut to work through VERY neatlyi; I am impressed and thrilled and this will never happen again...

10:10 am: NEED A PLUMBER
Our sink outflow drain runs under the concrete basement floor, and is prone to kinking, which lets stuff build up in it and corrode the pipe. It's started to leak again. :-( Anybody know a REALLY good plumber?????

12:58 pm: I feel so small...
Sitting here @ the chem co. in my escort among all these semis...

06:30 pm: Trek film
Go see this! trust me!

04:36 pm: I can't stand it...
I heard bees buzzing in the garden today.  Thrilled, I looked around.  Honey bees are thin on the ground these days, and I was thrilled that some had found sustenance in my garden.  What could they be in?

It was the Creeping Charlie...

10:27 pm: Wow!
I haven't posted in I don't know how long.

( Garden )

( Tom )

It's late and I need bed.  I'll try to remember to post about old friends and new dyes....

09:48 pm: Busy weekend
Went to Farmer's Market Saturday for the first time this season; got a few basil plants and some asparagus.  Went to spinning at Black Bear Crossing; nobody else showed up, but they had reserved a room for us, so it was good that somebody used it...went to a meeting to discuss the Regiment's website maintenance.

Hamburgers for supper, then a very bad night for both G and me because he had maintenance work for the County that went badly.  Today, church, Tom, and nap...

11:39 am: Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to my own dear G.  I afraid all I´ve given him so far is a plate of computer problems...but I really do love him!

09:59 pm: Life is fraught...
with not enough time and too much to do.  I promised my garden attention this week; I've hardly been out there at all.  Tomorrow is G's birthday; we should have a real celebration on the weekend, because there's something else going on that night.  How did it get to be G's birthday so quickly???

I was feeling poorly the other day and find that I'm anemic; I've wrestled with this all my life but think it's not fair that I should be anemic at this late stage of my life!  More iron pills....

Must clean house, must finish data entry from Shepherd's Harvest, must work in garden.....