knitting in the spring sunshine

Don't you just hate it when you take out the garbage at oh-dark-thirty, and the neighbor's dog has left you a present disguised as a pile of leaves, and you step square into it while wearing your sneakers? If it had been a pair of falt-soled girly shoes, I could have cleaned it off. But sneakers have serious tread, and will now smell like dog poop for a month. Yuk!

Here is the blueboo sweater taking a little sunbath. We still need some blocking, but progress is happening. I've made the sleeves short since I figure the kids will be playing hard, and this keeps the cuffs from getting dirty and worn.

Willow asked if the tulips were up. So far, all I have of tulips is leaves. As for that white stuff, it's the stuff that you are supposed to shred, not just throw away. So what do you do with the shreds afterwards? Take it from me - do NOT use them as mulch. They are far better suited to paper mache. In fact, over the course of the winter, they tried to form paper mache all on their own. Spring bulbs, being the fighters that they are, hammered their way up through it, but the violets are getting pretty discouraged.

Here's the sweater again, still lolling around, catching rays. It's entirely too cold for people to go out without a sweater, but just fine for a sweater to go out without a people.

This is one of those days when there is so much to do, all of it non-essential, that I don't know where to begin. So of course I started by catching up on blog-reading. What an un-alloyed delight it is to visit all my friends and share their latest news!

And thanks so much for the magic cures. I am so fond of hot toddies that I can manufacture a sore throat if I feel the need for something hot and sweet and alcoholic. The addition of butter to a toddy - yes, this is a good thing! Oh, and Coke syrup! I didn't know you could still buy that. It saved my life on a long trip once when I was a tyke. I couldn't hold anything down till the hotel maid suggested Coke syrup. They fed me spoonfuls, and I perked right up! Of course, then I got out and about, and the mosquitoes went for my sweet tender skin. I scratched till I was bloody, then got infections that have left me scars till this very day. Oh, I must have been just a treasure at that age! And I was a picky eater, too. It's a wonder they didn't just leave me out for the coyotes. I'm sure my older brothers would have supported that plan. They love me now, though. I mean, who could resist so much charm and talent?


I will close with a final cute kitty photo. Ben still enjoys chasing his tail and being too adorable for words. Peek-a-boo!