middle of a book

Moon Report: waxing crescent. 3% full.

Book Note

Ok. I am in the middle of a book called The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman by Louis de Bernieres. This is a very well written book and one I think is interesting and should be great if I ever finish it. My problem--I think my attention span is shrinking. I have now checked it out of the library for the third time to see if I can manage through. There is absolutely no excuse for my lazy reading.

I originally checked this out of the library because I thought the title was amusing. After beginning I am glad I checked it out--it's magic realism/surrealism [I adore it.] But now I find that this is the middle book of a trilogy and I am wondering if I shouldn't stop and read the first one.
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Crochet v. Knit

I am ambidexterously-challenged. I can't knit to save my life. There is something about having to use a stick in each hand to knot a bunch of yarn together that is impossible. The giant problem: knitting has so many cool stitch patterns.

My sis, who writes lefty but is ambidexterous otherwise, can knit. She's not bad either when she learns a pattern. [I'm jealous].

All I can do is crochet. I am about to attempt my first afghan. I decided a good granny afghan would be nice and "homey" for this winter. I just bought a ton of very bright yarns--canary yellow, peackock turquoise, fire engine red, and spring grass green. They will make up the granny squares and then I'll crochet it all together in black. My goal is to be finished by mid-January. Luckily the granny square is very simple to do while watching TV and doesn't require too much concentration.

Black Friday and Turkey

Moon Report: Waxing Crescent 1%

We got a fresh turkey. A just butchered turkey--we even had to tweeze a few pin feathers from the tail end. Ick. I truly am glad I don't have to do the icky stuff like kill it or gut it. I couldn't handle it--squeamish as I am.

But it made a gorgeous dinner. A lovely bronze turkey (or it could have been a bourbon red).

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Today is Black Friday. I am staying home for the most part. My only excursion today was to the library to pick up a few books they held for me. Traffic was terrible...even the trains are running like mad. Glad I have no shopping plans...

Obama!

Wow.

Now let us ALL strive to be a better nation.

Pardon the Reconstruction Mess...

Haven't posted in a while...and until I get the whole pile of this looking like I want, posting shall be delayed.

Terribly sorry for the inconvenience...

Hiccups of Time

Moon Report: third quarter. 46% of full.

Book Notes

I just finished reading Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

Easy read. Very funny "end of the world" story. Angels and Demons and the Antichrist, age 11, refuses the job.



Lately, I am obsessed with learning how to garden. Actually, I have been struggling with a garden drowning in feral fennel and saplings that keep springing up from rootballs yet to be dug up. My peppers and my tomatoes are growing like mad and my little onions seem to be doing well...although I don't know when to pick them. I also collected my rhubarb seed and i'm gonna plant a few and let them grow in pots all summer and see if they spring up true to their parents.

I read Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. That started my new obsession. So I have been reading about square foot gardening, gardening design, how to grow veggies and collect seed, sustainable agriculture, etc. My goal is to re-configure the back garden so I can grow winter squash and pole beans and maybe even (one day) corn.

I've also been reading about chickens. I think I want a few. Right now I think I will probably get a Faverolle (probably a Salmon Faverolle as they are most common here), a Partridge or Barred Plymouth Rock, and if I can find one: a Cuckoo Maran. Now I need to wait for the county fair to go check out the local chickens and ask a TON of questions from people who raise them. I do NOT want a rooster as my neighbors would string me up...but hens are fairly quiet...I'm sure they'd make less noise than the 24 hr barking dog next door.

OOH...go watch SuziBluTube on YouTube! Art is fun!