Twaddle on Tuesday

 

Hello there. How are things where you live? I watched the weather report this morning. Cooler days might be around the corner. It will be October by then so of course. Wasn't that Blood Moon spectacular? I have enjoyed all the the photos online. We had a cloud bank so the eclipse was almost gone and the moon straight up before we got to see it.

Feed My Sheep by Me

Here is my latest finish. Feed My Sheep. It is a pillow. A big pillow. I took it to the post office to mail it yesterday. The post office said it would be sixty dollars for postage. I ended up getting a much smaller box and stuffing that pillow in the box. Not happy about that. I got it mailed though. I don't think I will be doing anymore pillows. It was a interesting project. I do pillows for my house all of the time. In fact, I need to do a bunch for the fall even now. Just not to mail.

 

It was pretty warm in the afternoon yesterday. I let my chickens out in the yard. I was out in the pasture watering everything and I looked up. There was a red tailed hawk, zeroing in on my hens. I couldn't believe it. I am sure if I hadn't been out there he would have had chicken dinner. He circled around and around and since I wasn't going any place he finally gave up and flew to the south, like he was just out for a day of soaring around the skies. All the chickens were put back in the coop. It is almost October and with the fall migration happening, I will have to be more diligent as the red tails and the sharp shinned hawks are looking for winter hunting grounds. We have a million doves, so I know that will make them stick around. You can tell though, they would like chicken to eat as a way of mixing it up.

 

I am thinking today might be a nice day to dye wool. It is cool enough so that I can open the house this morning. As soon as all the boys go to work. They all get so depressed when I dye wool. Even Ron, they just hate the smell. When Megan comes over and I have been dyeing she likes the smell like I do. I think it is funny that the girls like the vinegar-wool-dye smell and the boys don't. 

Okay, Tuesday Twaddle is over for today. I hope you have a lovely day,

~Kim~

“Perhaps, after all, our best thoughts come when we are alone. It is good to listen, not to voices but to the wind blowing, to the brook running cool over polished stones, to bees drowsy with the weight of pollen. If we attend to the music of the earth, we reach serenity. And then, in some unexplained way, we share it with others.”
― Gladys Taber

A Fall Day

 

Here is the truth about living in California. In the Fall. Autumn  really is only in my mind. It is still hot, and still dry and dusty. This fall the trees are loosing leaves, but only I think to water starvation. The sunshine is abundant and the air you breathe is still crunchy and brown too. Walking in the mornings, is like pulling a loaded wagon. All up hill. But this morning, I saw that the  Northern Flickers have arrived!!! I had heard them screeching in the trees about Wednesday. They always scare me at first because they sound very much like a hawk. I had let my chickens out in the yard that morning, so when I first heard it I start scanning the trees.

Not my Picture.

This morning, I was watching Mr. and Mrs at an ant hill. They were just vacuuming up those unlucky ants this  fine morning. I guess they were tired and hungry from their trip.

 Mr and Mrs Pointy Head ( Black Phoebe)  are back too.  They also have Junior Pointy head with them and they had a terrible row in the back yard. It seems Junior wanted some food, and Mom and Dad have decided enough is enough. So while I ate breakfast with my binoculars in one hand, I watched Junior cry his heart out at the top of the redwood. No one listened. Well except me, that sound he makes drives me crazy. I did notice him fly off and do a double back flip,  to catch a bug in mid air so he does know how to feed himself.

Not my picture either.

The Blue Jays are extremely put out because of the new comers.

Also not mine.

They sit around on the fence and make that sound of two marbles being ground together. While cussing and complaining under their breath. I have one blue jay who has found the cat food dish. First it flies to the swimming pool fence. Sits there and watches and makes sure no one is watching. (I am crawling around on my knees peeking out the window so this is how I know.) He then flies to the back of a chair on the patio. He flies down to the table, eats some cat food then grabs a beak full of  food to eat on the road.  He flies off like a bugler, laughing all the way.   Every single day, unless of course I forget to fill the cat food bowl. Then he sits on the swimming pool fence and yells at the house. Birds are very bossy.

This morning while watching the flickers. The male flew towards me like this.

How I wish this was my image.

It was lovely. I can tell you honestly, being able to see birds in the fall. Is such a gift!! To be able to see that color, I just stood there and said, "Thank you God for giving me back my sight." It is so nice to be here, right now.

Have a lovely weekend,
~Kim~

This photo is mine.

“After the keen still days of September, the October sun filled the world with mellow warmth...The maple tree in front of the doorstep burned like a gigantic red torch. The oaks along the roadway glowed yellow and bronze. The fields stretched like a carpet of jewels, emerald and topaz and garnet. Everywhere she walked the color shouted and sang around her...In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible.”
― Elizabeth George Speare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Finishing Stretch The Dog

 

I finally finished Stretch. I think I am going to stop making such big rugs. Even though I think this one would look great in front of a fireplace.
Here he is in all of his glory.

Stretch The Dog

Very primitive. I need to do something fallish a rug. With pumpkins and crows.

 

 Do you ever have days where you wonder, " Soon very soon, I will grow up and not be an idiot?" No, you don't? Well good, it is just me. My car had to go in the shop. With everyone's schedule not fitting together. I decided I would take my car to the shop myself and just walk home. Not a big deal all this sitting around hooking rugs is harder than walking home.

Yesterday the car was finally finished. One of my sons got home from work before he left again, I asked could he take me to pick up my car? He said of course so he drove me there and dropped me off. I knew I was leaving to pick up my car, I thought I was safe leaving my phone at home.  I wouldn't be gone 10 minutes ( Or so I thought.)  I really don't like being so dependent on that thing. I also just took my wallet with my charge card in it. I had every thing I needed in my hand.

My son had driven away because he had another appointment. Ron was going to be in meetings all day and unreachable. I handed the man at the counter my card. It was declined. Now every time this has happened before it has been because someone has stolen our number and used it to buy things like computers and send it to the countries in the middle east. My heart fell to my toes. The man behind the counter so sweetly, tried it again. Nope, didn't work then. Did I have my phone? Nope, do I know anyone's phone number in my head? Nope. I realized it is over 100 degrees and I am going to have to walk home again.

I couldn't think of a single thing to do. The man behind the counter again hands me my car keys. He said, "take your car home and fix the card problem and just call me back." I wanted to cry. I zoomed home, wrote a check, zoomed back and handed him a check. That is one of the things I love about local businesses they know you.  I came home went through all of the bank prompts got it all straightened out. I guess this weekend we did things that was out of our normal pattern.
 The thing that pushed it over the edge was, I do an online Bible Study. I pay for a session each week, that is 4.99 in Tennessee. That looked fraudulent to them so they froze my account.  ( You know how bad people do Bible Studies, and steal credit cards.) :)

I am glad they keep watch on our account so close. We always have to remember to call them when we go out of town and tell them what and where we are going. We forgot this time. I think the hardest part is I couldn't think of a single person to call because everyone's phone number was in my phone sitting on the shelf at home. I have really become too dependent on that idol I carry in my pocket. That makes me really mad at myself. Depending on technology again and not my brain.  Just once in my life, I would like to have that air of being calm, collected and able to jump buildings at a single bound. But I am not, still me who things happen too, so I can have stories to tell.

Have a lovely fall day,

~Kim~

“I suppose I am a sparrow, a stay-at-home bird.”
― Gladys Taber

Almost Fall

 

It is almost Fall, I am happily anticipating its arrival.  Going out of spring into summer this year, I barely kept myself sane, being afraid that the summers heat would be so much worse than 2014. Thankfully it hasn't been that hot and we haven't had as many over 100 degree days like we did in 2014. With fall around the corner I feel like I can breathe. We did loose trees, all of our redwoods will have to be cut down, as will our cherry tree and our nectarine and peach trees. Four years of drought and heat just took their toll. Ron has been growing so many replacement trees, I think we will have plenty to replace the ones that died.

 

This summer has been one where I went down to the city planning offices and talked to the powers that are about the road out in front. I think they came up with a very nice solution and when the road is finished and expanded it will be much nicer than it was before. I told them my concerns and they are going to give us our own lane and sidewalks and street lights. I have found, that for the most part, people are very nice when you explain things slowly and carefully. We will even get a stoplight at the end of the street, which will be such a nice improvement over what it is now.

 

In June, along with Ron's spider bite, my sister being on life support and having 0 percent of living. I can say that Ron is fine and my sister is walking and getting around and getting better day by day. What I didn't tell you is that Kessie, my oldest daughter, found out that she was carrying the genetic marker for Cystic Fibrosis with this baby she is going to have in November and she had hypothyroidism. June was like living on the edge.

Kessie has written a lovely post here. She describes what she did to heal herself through diet and vitamins and mineral supplements. When she got the results back on Friday from all of her lab reports, I feel that it is nothing short of miraculous.

 

I was looking through my prayer request lists on Friday. I do that from time to time so I can write down all of the answers that God gave. All of them He answered, in ways that were better than I could have dreamed. I feel very small when I look at those requests that seem impossible and so big. 

 

I am closing the books on this summer of 2015.  In May, looking at what I thought was going to be a perfect summer and seeing all of the ways it wasn't, but so much of it was filled with unanswered questions and trials and tests and tears. I can say, that God was always good, and faithful. Even when I was not. I go into this new season, already with some new things on the horizon. It is okay, though, because I know, that I am loved. Have a lovely week.

~Kim~

“Well, any love makes us vulnerable. Whatever we love will give the gift of pain somewhere along the road. But who would live sealed in spiritual cellophane just to keep from ever being hurt? There are a few people like that. I'm sorry for them. I think they are as good as dead.”
― Gladys Taber, Harvest at Stillmeadow