The Rain, The Park, And Other Things

Flowers in her hair, 

Flowers everywhere… 

It’s amazing what a little rain can do out here in the dessert! It doesn’t mean we are out of the drought by any means. But it’s so nice to see green everywhere, and some colorful flowers, wild or not.

An oasis or a mirage? A secret spot at the ranch!

The duck found it!

Blooming cactus...or cactus blooming!

With temperatures already breaking into three digits, it won’t last unless it really rains. Not just a little either. We need a substantial rain.

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DM_south.htm

Until then, enjoy some pictures of spring. After a little moisture, that is!

The Mesquite tree budding is the sign spring is really here.

Somewhere along the highway on the way to Austin.

Are they Poppies? I don't know.

This is what the flower looks like up close.

Yellow flowers on the highway.

Can you see the 'bug' on the flower? Don't know how I captured that!

Sunflower? Yellow Daisy? Black Eye Susan?

Another 'wild flower' or weed...depending on your perspective.

Trumpet vine on my deck. Blooming!

Bluebonnets on the highway by the house

We really think we 'planted' these Bluebonnets by the highway by the house. One year we spent a LOT of money on wildflower seeds. Those suckers are expensive! The front acres were plowed and the seeds were planted. It doesn't rain much out here but when it does? It's what they call a gully washer! That means it rains really fast filling up ditches and flooding the road and land. All of the sowed seeds washed down the road and into the bar ditch. Did anything come up at the house? Nope. But all down the road there were assorted new flowers. The Bluebonnets come out in a little patch about a half mile down the way. They are over a little bump so you have to know where to look. The patch has steadily expanded. Most of the others didn't last but the Bluebonnets return every year.

They bloom even in the dessert. With a little water!

State flower of Texas!

They are a lot prettier in the Hill Country at my friend Beverly's house!

Not my picture. Picture taken on Mach Rd, on the Bluebonnet Trail near Ennis, TX by David and Eileen Ng

Even the ordinary weeds are viewed as wild flowers out here

And all I had left was one little flower in my hand...

On the knitting front, I finished the Small Shawl. I think I keep calling it a Simple Shawl, but the pattern is really called Small Shawl. It is simple though! Just no-brainer garter stitch in a rayon boucle yarn, although any yarn will work. I think maybe I’ll start a crochet project next, just for something different.

I like this as a scarf.

Shawl draped. Looks light and lacy. Look here for other creative ideas!

I finished a book called ‘Thai Die’, by Monica Ferris. It’s part of a series with a a needlework shop owner, Betsy Devonshire, being the amateur sleuth who solves the crimes. In this story, one of the ‘Monday Bunch’ regulars has just returned from a trip to Thailand. She brings back souveniers and gifts for her friends. She’s also agreed to deliver a small statue of a Buddha to an antique store back home and shows the gang. This kind gesture leads to adventure, robbery, theft, a blizzard and a giant angora rabbit! It was entertaining with enough action to keep it interesting.

Thai Die. See what others are reading here.

I’m off to look through the yarn stash to find something bright and pretty. Maybe something that looks like flowers.

Wow! Where did all this come from? DFW Fiberfest!

This is cheerful!

From two if by hand at the DFW Fiber Festival.

I love the flower girl.

Was she reality or just a dream to me?

Ben

Ben, you're always running here and there. 

You feel you're not wanted anywhere. 

If you ever look behind and don't like what you find, 

There's something you should know, you've got a place to go… 

I didn’t know being terrified of rodents had a name. I just thought it was one of those weird things that make me who I am. But I found out I have a specific phobia. I wonder if it’s different then a general phobia because I’m only afraid of rodents? I don’t know. But it’s called musophobia and it’s very common. It just means fear of mice and rats. But now I know I’m one of millions with the same affliction. Does it make me feel better? Not really.

“Eek! A mouse!” Yes, I actually said that. Years ago we lived in a yucky house. It was early in the morning and I was fixing Alan’s lunch while he got ready for work. I was slicing a tomato and had a big knife in my hand. Suddenly there was a streak across the counter right in front of me. I screamed and almost cut my fingers off! As Mr. Jinks, the cartoon cat would say, "I hate those meeces to pieces!"

Mr. Jinks, cat fiend to Pixie and Dixie.

Did you know Ben, in this song, is a rat? And he wasn’t a nice rat at that. I’m not sure there is such a thing as a nice rat. Rats, hamsters, mice…none of them are cute to me. I do not like them. Not at all! They are vermin, nasty creatures in my mind. Now if you do like rodents, that’s perfectly fine. But I don’t. They creep me out completely. We live in the country and have for about 20+ years, so occasionally we get a mouse in the house. Once I see signs of one, that’s it. I can no longer go in that particular room by myself. I’m not necessarily frozen in fear because I can still run pretty quickly! But I’m plenty scared.

Yuck.

At the same yucky house there was another mouse. My husband set the trap and went off to work. I was there with a three year old and a newborn. I was thinking about what we could have for lunch when suddenly there was a click and a mouse in the trap ran out from under the table. It circled around two or three times and stopped, right there in the middle of the floor. OMG!! What was I going to do!? I could not even look at it much less get close enough to try to sweep it up into a dust pan or something like that. I couldn’t do a thing. As I was wondering if having a three year old pick it up and throw it outside would constitute child abuse a friend dropped by. I asked her if she could take it away. She went over, picked up the trap with her bare hand, looked at me and threw it out the door. I was horrified and relieved, all at the same time.

I could tell you many more mouse stories. Some involve screaming, some running and some, even climbing! Just a couple of weeks ago I saw signs of an unwanted visitor. I Cloroxed the counter and my husband set out traps. I hoped I didn’t have to go in the kitchen at night. But I had a plan. If I needed something, I would turn the light on and off and make some noise. Then I’d tiptoe in and scan the traps. If all was clear I’d hurry to get what I needed and then rush out. Whew…safe!

A few days pass and there’s no sign of a mouse. I’m suspicious and just know it’s crouching in a drawer or cabinet waiting to jump on me when I open it up. I ask my husband and he said maybe it ran off. Sure, I think. It just ran out the door. I open the bottom drawer to get something and reach in. It’s sitting halfway in a plastic grocery bag. I pause because I see a dark spot in the bag. I look closer and it has ears. OMG again! It’s in the sack! But it’s not moving. I run out just as Alan is coming in and tell him I think I found the mouse. He looks, and sure enough I had. The poor thing must have suffocated. He took care of it as I cursed it for scaring me yet again.

I read somewhere once that a mouse is an animal which strews its path with fainting women. In my case that’s true. If I had touched that mouse in the drawer I most likely would have had a heart attack or at the least, passed out! Creepy, yucky, nasty creatures they are. For now I’m safe. But as long as there are mice I don’t think I can ever live alone. For sure not in the country! And I’ll never have a friend like Ben.

Ben, most people would turn you away, 

I don't listen to a word they say. 

They don't see you as I do I wish they would try to… 

I finished the fuzzy orange shawl. It’s not bad, and just the right size. I’ll have to watch because what I wear it with because it sheds. The label said the color was strawberry. Still looks orange to me!

I also decided to complete a UFO! I have a bad case of finishing the knitting but not weaving in the ends, sewing the seams, etc. So I picked one (of many unfortunately) and wove the ends in. It’s the Montego Bay scarf and I love it! I don’t think I was able to get the Sea Silk at the time but I got something yummy and soft. I just forgot what it was!

See other creative projects at http://ourcreativespaces.blogspot.com.

I finished another book. This one was one of Maggie Sefton’s knitting mysteries. It’s number 7 in the series and called Dropped Dead Stitch. I like her books but they are pretty predictable. I’d like to do a readability test on one sometime because I’m curious. Supposedly the average newspaper is written at a 9th grade level so maybe it’s right on target. Anyway Kelly and company are helping with the fiber part of a women’s retreat when they find the owner of the ranch is a man who attacked one of the gang. Of course he meets an untimely end and guess who they think did it. I do enjoy the stories, I guess because they are no brainers and quick to read.

Next up...something pink!

A work friend and I trade books so there’s no telling what I end up with except for the fact we like the same kind; simple, easy to read mysteries. It’s fun though, and I have read some I never would have looked at if I was buying.

New reads. See what else to read here!

Maybe that’s what I can do when I retire. I could author a series about a stinking mouse that gets in and torments knitters by messing up their yarn. He’ll always get away because he has to go on to scare the next unsuspecting woman. Yeah, that’s what I could do. Well, maybe not.

Ben, you're always running here and there. 

You feel you're not wanted anywhere…

Evolution Orange...

Shining light,  

Now in sight.  

Evolution Orange. 

Wondrous flight,   

Now in sight.   

Evolution Orange. 

Oh boy! A present! With great anticipation she ripped the paper off and removed the lid. What was inside? Oh. Well. Um…thank you! That was so thoughtful! It’s an orange necklace! Bright orange! (Thinking…Kind of an ugly orange necklace at that.) A Joan Collins? Wow!

A Joan Collins! Thank you HSN!

Yes, that was me. And before you go thinking I’m an ogre, I did appreciate the thought. My mother kept things even if she didn’t like whatever it was, and even if she already had three. Why? Because it was a gift and someone put some thought (maybe) into getting it for you. So, because of my upbringing, I felt like I had to keep it. I just didn’t know what I was going to do with it!

I took it to show my fashion conscious work friend. We giggled. She liked it as much as I did. So I put it up where it stayed for about a year.

Maybe it will grow on me.

I like color. Actually I like all colors. But orange isn’t my favorite color. I don’t have a thing against orange. It makes me think of Halloween. I even have the right coloring to wear it if I want. But given a choice, I probably won’t choose orange. Bright orange is, well, cheerful. Like a clown.

Fast forward a year. Spring is in the air. Time for short sleeve shirts and bright colors! So shopping it is. I enter the store. What is the color of the season? Tangerine! Tangerine is just another word for orange in my book. It’s everywhere. I’m enveloped in a sea of orange! There are shoes, shirts, pants, jewelry…even underwear!

Tangerine? Orange? It's all the same to me!

Really, I’m just a little fashion conscious. And because I found something I liked, orangeish in color, I was feeling pretty stylish. I put together an outfit and accessorized! Well, actually, I got dressed, put on the orange shirt with something to tone it down and went looking for some kind of jewelry to wear. Lo and behold, there sat the ugly orange necklace! And it just matched!

This is the second shirt.

I wore gray, pants and a leopard print sweater and the orange shirt and necklace. I went to my fashion conscious work friend to ask a question and she got excited! “I love what you’re wearing! It’s perfect! And that necklace just matches! A great pop of color! Where did you find it?” she gushed. I gave her my Really??? look and told her it was the same one we’d made fun of last year. She said “Oh. Well it’s a lot better this year!!”

Feeling pretty good about it, I wore it again, this time with jeans. I happened to be with the person who gave it to me. She said, “Wow, I like your necklace. It just matches!” I said, “You gave it to me.” She looked at me and said, “I did?” She didn't have a clue. I gave her my Really??? look too. And I was worried?

So a couple of weeks pass and I have acquired another orangeish shirt. I wear it, and the necklace, in a completely different outfit, to work. I see my fashion conscious work friend. “Gee,” she said. “You wear that all the time now, don’t you?!”

Second shirt outfit.

Well, that might be the last time to wear it at work! Maybe, if the opportunity arises, I can put it on outside work, sometime. And maybe it will just go back where it was, resting; waiting for the next time Tangerine is the color of the season!

Just trust yourself.

Reach inside.

Have no hesitation,

Give no explanation.

You know who you are...

Evolution Orange. 

“Oranges poranges, who says, there ain't no rhyme for oranges!” I feel silly. I realize I’ve been saying I don’t really love orange. But I do love autumn and fall colors. And guess what? Orange is right there in the middle of it all! Maybe it’s the mix. And guess what else? I dug out some orange yarn I had! It was a gift from my secret pal and it was just there when I was looking for something else so I took it as a sign!

I started a simple shawl. I think that’s actually the name of it. How about Small Shawl. But I think I’ll take it out. I seem to have that problem lately. I’ll re-do, but I want it lacier. So I’ll use a bigger needle.

Small shawl in a fuzzy orange yarn. See other great projects here!

I finished another book. By the way, I’m not reading a book a week like it seems. I read a few during spring break. I do have a book going all the time, but I don’t have that much time to just sit and read. And I do have knitting going all the time so I think it still counts. Anyway, it was a simple read and entertaining. Called “Bone Appétit” , it’s a who-dun-it, set at a beauty pageant. It’s by Carolyn Haines and is part of a series, Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries. I don’t think I’ve read any of her others. Anyway, it was enjoyable with a lot of action. Sarah even has a ‘ghost’ who advises her, but not in the normal way, to keep things interesting. I’d read another if I get a chance.

Knitting and reading...if I could only do both at once!

Orange you glad it’s Friday!? I am!

Just trust yourself.

Look ahead.

Feel the motion growing,

Love is where it's going.

This is where our real journey starts...

Evolution Orange.