If Nature Won't give you Color - Make the Color Yourself!

This is the scene that greeted me this morning.
We are back to the gray, light gray, and white colorscheme outside.

It's going to be awhile before I can get things growing.
And it's ALMOST MAY PEOPLE!

So I made myself some yarn flowers..

Using 3 skeins I spun last night.

If I stare at it hard enough, it will make me forget the snow outside..
Or not. Sigh.

Thanks to the yarn models: Superwash Corriedale in Party Dress (blue green red) from Spunky Eclectic (a very old club color that had been hiding at the bottom of my stash) - Fresh Cut from knittyandcolor, the pink and green. And Hollyhocks from a local dyer - alpaca/silk blend in pink and yellow.

Hopefully I won't run out of spring colors before we actually get a week without snow..

Let Me Sum Up

This is the spring project. A small patio, and another raised bed.
We got this much done on Sunday. Now, who knows when it
will be completed - Snow is coming again.

This is the raised bed, waiting to be planted
(ignore general yard detrius also waiting to be cleaned up)
It will continue to wait. - Snow is coming again

These are the empty pots, lined up waiting for new inhabitants
(and a tree which I think survived the winter and is ready to be planted)
but they will continue to wait - Snow is coming again.

This is the shrub rose bush with buds on it.
Brave soul, it should have waited. - Snow is coming AGAIN.

It will be May in less than 2 weeks. And we still have freezing temperatures and snow in the forecast. It is just so wrong on every level.

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words..

Photo taken 4-16 by my friend Vania.
Yes, that is snow. Yes, it is here. Yes, I hate it.

Deja Vu All Over Again...

I knew those weather dudes were being way too evasive about where the snow would be...

I agree - it's disgusting

Back To our Regularly Scheduled Program..

The weekend passed in a blur here, with cleaning the destroyed house (2 kids with the flu will do that to ya) some grocery shopping, and of course looking for a new computer. My old desktop indeed had suffered from a motherboard blowup along with the main hard drive having errors. So I am now the proud owner of a new HP laptop which is going to be the house's main computer. The coolest thing? The new beats audio with a built in subwoofer. It's got great sound. Which is really important due to my Itunes addiction. Of course all of my Itunes happened to be on the hard drive that sounded like a freight train when we hooked it up. But luckily all my files transferred except for one Michael Jackson album. Really, not too bad, a lot better than my nightmare of losing all the songs, and a zillion dollars in downloads.

I also worked on spinning a little bit, I want to get this bobbin done today, and onto another. Not sure what I want to spin next, I'm looking for spring colors. This time of the year in the Frozen Tundra, I start to get a feverish and weird waiting for a sign of green, a robin, I'd even settle for a mosquito - ok take that back. No mosquitoes. But really, it's like being locked in a gray and white world of snow, slush, and grit. And it's still snowing. Sunday night, we got another 5 inches, and it's predicted again. Last year, in my attempt to pretend it was spring, I drove to a local park to take a walk (through a foot of snow? I'm not really even clear on my thinking there) but got stuck on a little narrow road and had to have a bunch of guys in a 4X4 push me out. They were not happy, or nice about it. Evidently they didn't see the humor in the situation. Silly Tundra people! So this year, I am staying firmly inside still, while pretending yarn in pretty colors are flowers. I am not sure whether this will sustain me another month (!) which is how much longer I'm assuming we'll have snow. Because, we still have a lot of snow. Seriously. A lot of snow.

Neptune thinks snow is disgusting too

Brainwashing

I finally have come to the conclusion, that the reason people continue to live in this horrible climate is because they don't realize there's a whole world out there to live in. They have been brainwashed (this potentially could be lutefisk poisoning, but that's pure supposition on my part) that to leave this state for more than 2 weeks will lead to imminent death. Really this is the only rational reason for people to stay here. Because frankly, this entire place should be abandoned as uninhabitable. Or at the very least, evacuated for 6 months old the year.

Yes, this is a highway. During a 'snow shower'

This is the car off the road, on top of a 4 foot snowbank. Not us.

On the way to pick up the kids in the snow - again.

We have had over 50 inches of snow this winter. 50 inches, that is still here. What it does is simple, it snows, and then gets below zero, then it warms up to the teens, and snows again. In an endless cycle, from November to I'm not sure when, over and over and over again.

Those of us not subjected to the brainwashing, who know this in reality is not a good thing, result to all sorts of escapism. For example, personally, today, I spent an hour making a playlist of music with Sunshine or Summer in the lyrics. I have approximately 15 hours of sunshine music. This is a good thing. However, it does not substitute for real sunshine, which is in extremely short supply right now. The last sunshine I saw, was Tuesday, and it was coupled as always with freezing temperatures too cold to go outside, and the roads too coated in ice to walk, the sidewalks are impassable at the parks anyway.

I of course, spin yarn, to offset the cold as well, convincing myself, that it makes me warmer due to activity and of course the large quantity of warm wool surrounding me, that can be made into serviceable wear for the mad dash to the car that I occasionally attempt. My goal is to have an entire roomful of outerwear before I move to a place where it's too warm to actually utilize winter items. I will then, pull them out, pet them, and carefully place them back into the closet, remnants of a frozen place.


Somehow I believe, whoever said Hell was hot, had never lived in a cold climate. Because my version of hell is frozen and I live there every day.

Snow Day

 Yes, again. Another 5 inches, or 8, or something. A lot. In the city, they were playing football outside since the dome collapsed (really, a balloon top for a city that gets this much snow? Not the best idea), and it was snowing. Here, I was off of work and just worked on projects. I got 6 inches of a tube scarf done, it may still turn into a hat. It's not too late to start decreasing really. And I spun and plied, and then cabled a yarn. One strand is merino/cashmere, the other is merino/yak. It's 140 yards of sportweight cable. After I got that washed and hanging, I started a purple mystery batt. That turned into 120 yards of Navajo ply. It's I think destined to be a hat. Someone who shall remain nameless, is starting to set her eyes on my handspun yarn. Probably because I made the mistake of giving her a skein and asking her to make me a Godric's Hollow hat. I can't do it myself since I still am having issues purling. I am under the impression now, that no skein of handspun may be safe. To move from a collector to an actual user of handspun will take some adjustment I believe.

Purply bluey pinky batt. I know it has mohair and wool - and glitz!

Cabled luxury yarn. Still soaking wet and hanging out.

Can't a girl get any beauty sleep?

Blue Christmas

I'm into blue right now evidently. Blue reminds me of the ocean, of the sunset, of the sky, and all the shades in between. There are no colors that I really get tired of, but I think blue makes everyone happy. It surrounds you with a level of peace.

Blue Caribbean scarf

Blue hat

Blue merino/cashmere yarn

And of course we need happy colors here because we got another 20 inches of snow over the weekend. I have pictures, but I'll save those for another post. Except for these as an illustration as to how deep this snow is, remember, we already had quite a bit on the ground.

That is a 7 foot high sign, the snow is piled so high you can't see around corners

And it makes snow mountains and sculptures

Dazzle

"The last day of the old year was one of those bright, cold, dazzling winter days, which bombard us with their brilliancy, and command our admiration but never our love."

LM Montgomery - Anne's House of Dreams

Forgive my literary license, it's not the last day of the old year, but this is the quote that came to mind when I looked out at the dazzling whiteness today. The first day in 6 days it hasn't either snowed or been overcast. The high is 13 today, the low is 0. Later in the week, it's supposed to be a high of 5, a low of 7 below.

Poor Little Squirrel, but we feed them to help keep them warm

Sparkle Snow

Just keep spinning warm yarn and hopefully spring will come faster... That's my motto.

A Few of My Favorite Things

The pre-blizzard backyard snow shot.

It's snowing again. A lot. I mean, seriously, we might have a blizzard. I've seen very few blizzards. But right now, it's looking promising for a blizzard. Snow is not a favorite thing. Neither are blizzards. Actually, they are my least favorite things, right along with going to the Dentist, or stapling my eyelids together. Not that I've ever done that. But I might if it could transport me to somewhere warm and sunny. I'd go to great lengths to go somewhere warm and sunny.

Somewhere like Disney World. Or Jamaica. Greece, Egypt, Italy, Australia. I could keep going. I'd settle for Disney World actually. Warm, happy, fake snow. A place where you can celebrate Christmas and snow with WARM snow. All of y'all who have these fantasy snow ideas do realize that it's cold right? I'm just asking because I never did.

However, being trapped inside during a blizzard leads to retail therapy. I like retail therapy. My bank account does not. So, it's more of a window-shop therapy. Anyway, my window shop therapy reminded me of something.


People are looking for Christmas gifts, oh, I'm sure, some of you are all smug 'I finished shopping already!' Uh huh, sure you did. That's great. Well, if Santa is still out in the workshop, here are some things I love and that might make a great gift for someone on your list!

 Sting Live In Berlin

Went to this concert in Minnesota. It was AMAZING! Now the DVD is out. Perfect for a snowy or rainy evening when you need to get away for awhile.

Spencer Day

Seriously, this is an amazing CD. Spencer writes all his music, and it is beautiful! Really beyond words. 

Skechers Shape-Ups

These shoes have made my job so much easier. I am addicted to them, they're comfy, and help with back and knee pain so, so much! Totally worth the price!

Sea Salt Caramels

Totally addicted, amazingly good, and completely decadent!

Gil Mcneil's Beach Street Knitting

Gil is a great writer, and these books are great! Amazon carries several other titles from over in England as well, they're on my next order list!

What's your best gift idea this year?

Frozen

I look at these pictures, and sigh. Because I know that soon, the high today of 22 will be a distant memory to the highs of 2. Have I mentioned I hate cold? Right now it's 16 out. The low tomorrow? Predicted to be 2. Yes, 2, not 20 . I told ya.

Snowy Field

Freezing lake

 

Ice waiting to make someone slip on the sidewalk

Wind and snow worn sign

Drifting snow across the road

Ice on the windshield blocking the view

Setting sun equals even colder temps

The real 4 Letter Word

Snow. S-N-O-W. Yuck.

The scene this morning out the window

And the backyard

Oh. So. Pretty. I just threw up in my mouth a little

Of course you have to shovel, while it's still falling.
Because otherwise it's too deep to shovel correctly

 

The Redneck neighbors shoveling

A little squirrel eating an apple. Bet he wants to be a California Squirrel..

Snow Snow Everywhere. Really just rain in a frozen form.