Spinneret

Windows on Main St.

What I've been doing with my summer vacation - okay, I don't really get a summer vacation.

 

art.  more art.  art deadlines.  

 

Go here, see this.  Even if only virtually.  cool stuff.  Walk Main St. Beacon from the comfort of your laptop.

 

then there's this.  Yup.  More art.

Yes, it's that time of year again. Big Art.   This year we're trying to get a little advertising circulated.  To that end I'd appreciate it if you went  here  and did that.  Then come up here and visit the art zoo.  The patio café over the Falls at the Round House is open and whatever they're cooking smells gooood.

Okay, in other news, I owe you baby finch photos.  The story of the hummingbird in  my hand.  Pictures of the cardigan, baby blanket,  and proof of The Steps the Circus Built.  All good.  Busy as a cat burying sh•t in a hail storm over here.  Promise.  All will be yours.  I can see it in my mind.  Wherever that got to.

Frog Spring

In "Home Archeology Today" we report what will be a surprise to no one.

It's a frog.

It's pink,

and it was found under the thicket of lily of the valley that was being thinned to make space for the rain barrel.  No worries, the lily has been moved to create yet another carpet in another part of the garden.  Well, it will be.  Once this guy was out of the ground the Helen's heavens opened up and it began to monsoon. With lightening and thunder.

 

Happy Spring to you too, Helen.

 

Google "frog symbolism" and see what it says about 1) Rain and water and frogs, 2) transitions in this world and the next, 3) communication, Helen style.

 

If it rains without cease for the next 39 days I'll put it back.

Who He Is When He's at Home

Another Noted Celebrity has been sighted in our fair burgh.

Word has it he has moved "in to town" after a long period of rest and seclusion from the hurdy gurdy of the celebrity mill.

There are no immediate plans for public appearances or interviews.  "I wish to remain invisible and live my life."  was the only statement issued from the blinding depths of a spot in the sun.

Groupings

 

Lions travel in Prides.

Wales have their Pods.

As we all know zuccini arrive in Zip Codes.

What we have over here at Casa Rosada is a full out Concern of cucumbers.

 

I've been avoiding them.  I go out - pick a dozen, rinse them, bring them in and leave for the city.

That's not working out so well.

So act surprised when you all get pickles for Christmas.

Here's the one that got away.

 

Then I turned around and there were 3 in the sink.  suddenly.  see, more?

Oh, crap. - as we say at work.

Reading the recipes one is fairly horrified at the quantities called for.

"Take 21 pounds of cucumbers"

Oh.  I get it.

 cucumbers yet to be.
 

Not. A. Problem.

Oh, oh - hey.  There will be knitting.  Maybe tomorrow. There are three things lined up for the dye vat today that must be done. I finished a scarf from the spring/summer Knitty - Annis by Susanna IC.  Quick to knit up to great effect.  If it makes it through the dye vat today and I have enough pins to block it out it should be public soon.  Really cute, drapes nicely.  May need about 17 of them.  Will open the Barbara Walker and see what else lends itself to this construction.

Fresh Art

Oh the laughs we have.  The times,  the good times.
 

 The event produced fantastic results.  Had I not had to show up at work to get paid I would have put in an application for a spot on the building.
The store front is my favorite;

She greets me every morning now on my way to get coffee.;   

 I love me some worker art.

and some down right strange art.  People stop and GAWK at this.  They get mad.  They laugh.  They park in the middle of the street and forget where they are and they STARE.

I love it.

This is where the old factories are being turned in to artists' live/loft spaces.  Using micro-hydro from the existing falls.

I love this town.

 
   

Daring Jumping Spiders

Oh for the love of a daring jumping spider (look them up - they're cute), have I had my head in a bag?

It's gardening season.  It's also illustrating season so until the most recent two finally made it out the ether door last week it's been a dance on one foot and then the other to keep all the balls in the air.  Notice how there's no mention of knitting or spinning in there?  I expect that mojo will return any day now.  Probably by the end of this week when the temperature is supposed to drop.

In the yard;

There's this rhododendron, see.  She's large enough to have her own zip code.  She's pink (you were thinking maybe - what, white?).  Her crown took it in the shorts this winter with the snow storm that had me waiting tables so she needed a little grooming.  Four feet off of the diameter is a heck of a hair cut. Though barely noticeable given her height and remaining substantial girth.

In the house;

Very sad days.  She who brought bugs, tossed toy mice down from the top of the cat shelf (perfecting the drop into the printer or onto a wet painting and perfecting the subterfuge required for said drop), She who wrote the Book of HIsses (Thank you plant sitter, for that one) has gone to drive men mad on the shores of the river Styx.  Sad days indeed.

It is believed that by churning in circles around the garden one's batteries will be re-charged.  Seems to work for the fireflies.  Looks like Pirates of the Caribbean out there in the evening.

Tomorrow - charge and charge again.  No I am not going yarn shopping.  The stash has been up in the attic so long now it will all seem new when I do see it again.  Which must be by the 5th for there is knitting and socializing to be done.  And welcome it will be.

Upcoming;

Actual wool adventures.  The time is drawing near for the county fair.  Hang on to your heddles folks - we're going in!

Tis the Season

For some the holiday is not quite over.

Helen has seemingly been a little on the quiet side. Yes, there was the incidence were the new beige paint on the living room walls was looking decidedly pink. However the light has shifted with the season and we seem to be beyond that now.

Brief poetry is very attractive to me. Haiku is my kind of thing. Magnetic words for the fridge are a great source of fun. On a recent walk through of the book store near where I am working this week magnetic poetry in other languages was available. Hey, maybe I can boost my vocabulary and grasp of the language if Swedish words go on the fridge.

It was a really long week with very long days. The box sat on the kitchen table unopened. Finally I couldn't stand it any more and on my way to the 5:57 am train I ripped open the box and started to get the words onto the blank white ice box. I heard one word fall. It's still dark outside. Actually I'm going to be late for the train if I don't move it. I'll find the errant word tomorrow.

The day off. Toddling in to the kitchen to make coffee. Hmpf. Deeledee dee. Making coffee. Getting milk out. Oh, look there's the missing word. Right under the kitchen chair where Helen used to sit. She was right, the view is great. It's where I sit now too. Let's see which word it is. Hmmm. not one in my vocabulary. Best to relocate the dictionary to the kitchen for now until I can catch up some. hmmmm, s. sk. sku. no, not skö - go back. Use it in a sentence. Hon inte skugga av en chans.

He doesn't stand a ghost of a chance.

Skugga you see is the Swedish word for -

ghost.

In case you were wandering

Offending the Zinnias

So it's um … er … snowing. On October 15th. snowing. Like it usually does … some time after Thanksgiving, if anybody is counting. The zinnias are ferklempt, the snapdragons don't seem to mind much, but the cannas - the cannas look like debutantes at the end of the evening when the lights go back on. Poor things. They need to be put to bed.

I'm blaming the snow on the martians who landed on the mountain on Sunday.
As you can see the trees have made very few arrangements for their usual gig. Monday morning there was the smallest amount of frost, Tuesday a touch more, Wednesday was cool, brief sun, and today it is sloppy clumpy snow. Almost as if someone threw a switch and jammed the weather rheostat all the way up

There may have been a little yarn crawling on Monday. maybe. some. a little.
In support of the local economy. This roving is merino from Seaport Yarns, under the owners own label - Jefferson Yarns. This may be what I will be spinning when I demonstrate Sunday morning with the Ulster County Handspinners Guild at Rhinebeck (39 A&B if you plan on stopping by). The nice folks at Seaport gave me a few 5% discount cards for folks who want to stop at their booth during the weekend. Just sayin'. The early bird and all that.

It's still snowing

In other news: The Birds of Prey exhibit is still running at Highstead Arboretum - through November 10th (we've been extended a bit). That exhibit will move to the Environmental Science Center at Yale in January for a 6 month run.

Over the last few weekends there was also the kick-off and brief installation of the Beacon Open Studios weekend. This was a complete blast. A group of us shared an amazing space in the old Bulldog Studios - now Beacon Studios. Scroll down the BOS site for more of that.

For those of you playing along - The snow is starting to stick in the back yard.

I may ask Helen about this.

Ready For Reindeer

Off the hook.

ridiculous

Tune In Tomorrow and Tomorrow and …

I am truly grateful to anyone who has kept tuning in here at Spinneret.  There's a current rough patch at Casa Rosada.  I seem to be in the middle of some pretty odd events.

Vandalism to my property has me pretty stressed out.  I've got great friends surrounding me and the support of the authorities.  An EDP (emotionally disturbed person) who lacks boundaries is working on satisfying his goal for attention through the court system (likely a pattern for this person).  Hopefully this will be resolved soon.