bag 'n' trash -- home of monster yarn

Rule of Thumb

this morning i drove into boston for a doctor's appointment. (by the way, if your thumb gets a sore on it that doesn't get better in a day or two with antibiotic ointment and a bandaid, go to the doctor. don't wait for two months in the hopes that your super-human immune system will fight the infection. it won't. and the doctor and your husband just end up thinking you're crazy. all's well though. nothing that 14 days of oral antibiotics won't cure).

when i got back home, J was out front doing a little exacavation work. not a shovel and hoe for J. nooooo, when he excavates .... he excavates.

by the way, i'll be lucky if i can get him down from there ... ever.

i also have a new neighbor. her name is sarah and she's 5 days old. i finished her blanket just in time.

by the way, don't tell anyone, but, um, i made it out of acrylic yarn....shhhh

Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires

it's not that i'm a lousy cook. first of all i'm french, and well with us, being a decent cook is genetic. i just tend to get a little distracted. tonight while sauteing chicken, i almost burned the house down. i just kind of forgot. it's all part of the ADD i think. anyway, burning the chicken is certainly not something Pascale, a french blogger who writes about cooking, food, and searching the city of paris for just the right ingredient, would do. even if you don't read french, her photos are literally a feast for the eyes.

another feast for the eyes ... the summer edition of IK. which i just received...weeks after everyone else did ... weeks after it was out on newstands. the bastards. anyway ... look what else i found, two new not yet released books on crochet: Hooked on Crochet, and Hip To Crochet. you know what's getting added to my amazon wishlist.

Woo-hoo!

my last post got someone who calls himself/herself bush baby to add a comment (twice). now call me petty if you will, but stupid spelling errors bug the shit out of me.

"isnt it sad that the Bush supporter cant hang his sign of choice
without you thinking that others will pick on him? Does that mean that
Democrats are bullies? Make sure you push your "chad" through on your ballot,
wouldnt want you to think that your vote didnt go for Kerry when he
looses."

first of all bush baby doesn't believe in apostrophes. fine. i don't care for uppercase letters. but the word is "loses," not looses. jesus christ learn to spell, fuckwit, if you are going to post a comment on my blog.

alrighty then.

i'm going to do some yardwork.

I'm Getting Political Again Because It's MY BLOG

in 2000 i, like the majority of americans (yes the majority) voted for al gore. true, not as charismatic as his skirt chasing cohort (and what a skirt chasing cohort clinton was but at least his lies didn't kill anyone) but still an intelligent man who should have been president. anyway i was channel surfing wednesday evening and landed on fox news (the home of fair and balanced reporting) where one of the correspondents was getting his panties in a bunch about an anti-bush speech made by al gore. the correspondent was rolling his eyes and mocking good ole al as if what al had to say were clearly the words of a madman. here is what al had to say. i wonder if he had to practice saying Abu Ghraib and Faustian.

yesterday i talked about the lone bush supporter in brookline. well this morning, his neighbor hung up a John Kerry for President sign in his/her apartment window. let the games begin!

and now for a quiz. bethany's going to kill me. she's addicted to quizzes. heh heh.

Sneakers- funny, laid-back, and goofy, you love to
make people laugh and have a good time. You
enjoy comfort and don't care to much about what
people think of you. You like to hang out with
your buddies and just have a good time. [please
vote! thank you! :)]


What Kind of Shoe Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Ugh, Not the Blog Again

so it's happened. it's only been a little over a month, and i'm already bored with blogging. or rather, i'm feeling the pressure of the blog. i have nothing interesting to say...nothing interesting to show...nothing. big zero.

this morning on my way to work, i saw a GEORGE W. BUSH 2004 sign in some poor bastard's apartment window. i thought maybe i could rant about that here. but really, i just felt pity. pity for the poor bastard living in brookline who doesn't have the sense to know that he is just asking for trouble displaying his voting intentions in a pretty liberal neighborhood. but you know, expressing your opinions is the american way. or at least it is for now. so i'm not going to spew further about it today. (and yes, i'm just assuming it's a man. if it's a woman, then to quote mr. T "i pity da fool.")

then i thought, oh i can rant about my job. but who really cares, really. least of all me. it's the same shit different day. and if i hate it so much, why don't i find another one. and it really isn't all that bad in the grand scheme of things. i've had much much worse. and besides complaining about work just depresses me.

then there's the list of pet peeves. i've never done one of those.

1. i hate that i always somehow manage to get drops of coffee on my chest. today i've been walking around with what i like to call "coffee boob." it's so classy. every t-shirt/sweater/shirt that i own has fallen victim to the "coffee boob."

2. people that sit in the next cubicle who sit at their desk with a walkman on AND SING ALONG! fantasia barrino she's not. i'm not friendly enough with her to tell her to pipe down without offending her -- and trust me she's the kind who would be easily offended.

ugh. see? i don't even have the energy to continue the list. i need a snarky pill or something.

there's nothing happening on the knitting or crocheting front that's worth mentioning. i did get to read up on the whole Great Stash Redistribution Brouhaha (GSRB). (you'll have to find it on your own. i'm not linking to it because i don't want to unnecessarily cause more controversy). so that was exciting. things get fiery here in blogland. don't cross chicks carrying big pointy sticks. you'll definitely risk losing an eye.

so perhaps i'll just end today's post with a quiz.

Congradulations! you are going to marry freddie
prinze jr.!! Hes cute, loyal, funny, sweet...
what more could you ask for?


Which male celebrity are you going to marry? (14 choices now!!)
brought to you by Quizilla

hmmm i guess freddie and i need to sit sara michelle and J down and have a little chat.

I Come Bearing Gifts

here's a scarf a made a couple of months ago with 3 colors of Patons Divine. i'm giving it to a friend of mine for her birthday.

and here's my rendition of the sushi toilet paper cozy from crochet me. it's a housewarming gift for a friend of mine who just bought a condo with her boyfriend. she loves sushi.

I Made This..

although this weblog thing is totally new to me, knitting and crochet are not. my mom taught me both crafts when i was maybe around 7 or 8 years old. she still has that little red rectangle of garter stitch in her sewing basket that i made for her to hold her sewing needles. when i was in highschool in france, my mother and i would knit me sweaters; she would do all of the shaping, etc., i would just do the stockinette, or the pattern repeats as long as they weren't complicated. in college, i occasionally brought out my knitting but i really did very little. first of all, this was the early 80's and knitting wasn't cool. and second of all, the yarn that you could get your hands on, was crap. i still have one from those days. a black red heart acrylic (yes!) boxy turtleneck that i made from a vogue knitting magazine. i've kept it because it's officially the first sweater i ever made, without my mother's help.

i've progressed since then, although based on what i've presented here, you wouldn't know it. i think i've been afraid and intimidated by all of the talented knitters that i've "met" here. it used to be since i was the only knitter i knew (and i still am the only knitter in my circle of friends) i threw caution to the wind and made whatever made me happy, even if the gauge was off or the yarn was crap, etc., or the pattern and stitch were difficult. while cleaning out some closets and drawers this week, i found some old sweaters that i'd made.

this is a vogue knitting pattern. it's huge and comfy and insanely warm. i may have made it a good 15 years ago. the original pattern is a much more fitted and shorter sweater. but i made it with thicker yarn and bigger needles so it's more like a tunic.

this is also a vogue knitting pattern. again, i probably made it at least 10 years ago. i think i stayed much closer to the intended gauge, but i know i didn't swatch.

finally, this is detail from a dkny sweater that took me probably four months to make. i kept messing up and having to rip out from the beginning. i remember that the original pattern called for size 1 or 2 needles. something ridiculous like that. i made this on size 4 or 5. and i winged the sizing. i don't wear this one anymore. it's a little tired looking now. but this reminds me that somehow i've been holding myself back.

I Prefer Cheetos

You're bubblegum!!! You love to have a good time,
and enjoy being around others who feel the same
way. You tend to be the life of the party, and
people like to be around you as much as they
can.


Which kind of candy are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Yay Me ...

i got my denise needles from ebay today .... duh, they're plastic... i knew this before but hey they're worth a try. i gave up on that poncho pattern anyway -- i really don't like knitting in the round and the yarn was all wrong for that project. so i'm making that poncho shawl thing from Weekend Knitting, the one with baby cables. i'm really a cable kind of gal.

and i've lost 10lbs -- that's really what the yay is about.

if i lose another 10 maybe i'll get myself that bag ..... hmmmmm

Thou Shall Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Handbag

ok ... i really want this bag. i saw it in real life... and i don't know if it's the strap or the gorgeous pink lining, but i really want it. the coordinating clutch is cute too but i'm not a clutch type of girl. by the way, i love Coach. other women love shoes? well i wear a size 11 shoe, so i obsess about bags. sometimes very expensive bags.

i've also decided that since i'm in the process of trying to shed some poundage ... and everything i try on looks like ass... that i'm going to concentrate my knitting and crocheting efforts on accessories (bags?) and not on sweaters for now. every pattern that i like is just wrong for my current form and things that are designed for "large sizes" just makes women in my predicament look that much bigger. HEY PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE I'M BIG DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T HAVE A FRIGGEN WAIST! I'M NOT BUILT LIKE A BOX! I'M NOT BUILT LIKE A RECTANGLE OR A CIRCLE OR A SQUARE ... i'm more like a great big catherine zeta jones. or a fat anna nicole .... with a brain. *shudder*

i'm seriously considering joining the Charlotte's web bandwagon because i'm a "follower," and i don't have an original thought in my head. what do you think of this colorway?

Am I a Geek or a Dork?

seriously, one night out with friends a few years ago, i sat there while they discussed whether i was a geek or a dork....

You're a Speak & Spell!! You nerd, you. Just
because you were disguised as a toy doesn't
mean you weren't educational, you sneaky
bastard.


What childhood toy from the 80s are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

seems they were on to something.

Ziploc Bags ...

to keep myself organized and so i can easily transport my projects from home to home, i've got them in big ass ziploc bags. i'm so proud of myself (for the bag idea not for the projects). here are some pictures of stuff that i've been working on ....

the old dreaded purse...see, i should have stopped with the first one... all i need to do with this one is put it together. but that's the hardest part.

this is the poncho on the dreaded plastic needles. i ended up ripping it out and starting all over again. but i think i'll wait for my denise needles to continue. the color by the way, is much prettier in real life. not so navy.

this is the beginning of a baby blanket for our neighbor who is going to have a girl in june. i've seen the nursery so these colors should go well. i borrowed the stitch from wendy. and yes i'm purling the whole thing.

finally here's some yarn that i want to do something with. i've thought about making tanks with it, but it's kind of pricey. so maybe i can use it as trim. i've got four colorways there ... because yet again i couldn't pick just one. that solid blue blob is microspun. it was just a wayward ball that needed a place to live. although now that i see it with the trio tape, i might use them together for something. who knew?

ok time to get ready for work....

For Shits and Giggles ...

and because i'm bored ... i've seen this list around most recently here and here .

A - Age: 41 (i'm too old to do this, aren't i)
B - Band listening to right now: Maroon 5
C - Career future: thinking about getting certified to teach high school biology and health
D - Dad's name: john
E - Easiest person to talk to: j
F - Favorite song: i'll have to get back to you on that ...
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: gummy bears -- chocolate covered
H - Hometown: hmmm that's a hard one, i don't have one.
I - Instruments: piano badly
J - Job: data coordinator
K - Kids: none. i have many pets though but don't consider them children
L - Longest car ride ever: ever? i'm 41! you think i can think that far back? most likely with the family during summer vacations, when a 30 minute ride with your younger brother in the backseat can feel like an eternity
M - Mom's name: victorine
N - Number of people you slept with: i don't remember before i was married
P - Phobia[s]: snakes and being buried alive
Q - Quote: you become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed
R - Reason to smile: i have a very cute husband
S - Song you sang last: i sang along to "we are the champions" this morning in my car
T - Time you wake up: the first time? 5:30am
U - Unknown fact about me: i have one that i won't tell. the other is that i got my navel pierced july 4th, 2000
V - Vegetable you hate: cucumbers
W - Worst habit: too much tv
X - X-rays you've had: dental, both wrists, right ankle, left foot
Y - Yummy food: greasy chinese
Z - Zodiac sign: textbook sag

Shopping

the other day i mentioned that i had started a poncho. first of all, i think i'm the only person who hates knitting in the round. i like the weight and length of straight needles. they seem to balance better on my person or something. and i also purl much faster than i knit. so when i knit in the round i have to do everything backwards. so here i am knitting (or purling if you will) this poncho in the round on size 11 circular needles ... that are plastic ... and WHICH SUCK. i'm not having fun here.

so i went on ebay and purchased a set of denise needles...amy swears by these...so i'll see what happens. even if they don't improve things at least i can bring them on the plane.

Goin' to the Chapel ...

Congratulations to all who get married today! It's a good day!

Goodnight John Boy

when i married J not only did i get a husband, i also got a slew of inlaws and nieces and nephews, most of which live within 45 minutes of J. 3 out of every 4 weekends a month there's some sort of family gathering/event. last week was mother's day of course. this morning was the twin's first communion then this afternoon was another niece's dance recital. i'm exhausted!

luckily for me, my inlaws seem to like me a hell of a lot better than my own family does, which i only see maybe once a year. because if it were the other way around, we'd have to move.

Phileas Fogg was Here ....

i sometimes think i have some sort of attention deficit disorder because i'm incapable of focusing for very long on mundane tasks. in college and grad school, i would sit at one of those big tables in the reference section of the library to study because i needed the background noise to help me concentrate. i knit and crochet in front of the tube. i doodle like a mad person when i'm in a meeting. if i didn't, my mind would wander. so i think that's why i like pictures in the blogs i'm reading.

i was going to post something different today but i don't have pictures to post. and i figure that i'm not the only person who likes blogs with pictures.

so i thought i'd include a map of the countries i've been to.

create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

yes i've never been to canada. weird huh. it's not because i haven't wanted to by the way. i will go. isn't it interesting how i've managed to avoid switzerland.

this is a map of the states i've been to. again, an interesting pattern. like i'm afraid of being too far from the ocean or something. which i am. kind of. it also appears that i'm afraid of delaware and south carolina, even though that whole side of the country has been cut off.

create your own personalized map of the USA
or write about it on the open travel guide

Woo-hoo I Made the Cut ...

my first webring! and barely a month up and running! thanks kerstin for letting me join the new england knits webring. i have to be good though. i promised.

kerstin has provided the group with some very lovely photos of new england to be used as a button, but being a city girl, i thought i'd make my own.

$2.15/Gallon

$2.15/gallon is how much i paid for gas this morning when i filled up the mini. a couple of months ago it cost me 20 bucks to fill 'er up. today it was $26. that's just friggin' insane. (although it could be worse, i could NOT be getting over 30mpg. god i love my car)

so for the sake of the environment and my pocket book -- pocket book such a strange term -- i wonder where that comes from? i mean -- a pocketbook is a small book, that fits in your pocket, right? why is it a synonym for a purse? -- i'm staying local tonight. although lately i've been missing J a lot when i'm in town (i've been commuting to the burbs even during the week -- don't tell anyone, i don't want people to think i've gone "soft and sentimental") i'm also looking forward to just hanging on on my big chair and watching tv and playing with da threads.

last night i started this poncho designed by amy singer of knitty fame. i'm making it in TLC Amore in Lake Blue. amy uses a fancier yarn, but i'm cheap, and since i rarely like something i make, it pains me to spend a lot of money on something that i end up not being all that excited about. (one might argue that if i used higher quality yarns, i'd be happier with the outcome, but that's not true. it still wouldn't be quite right and then i'd be pissed that i had spent all of that money. yes i know, i'm a miserable bitch).

i also got a package today from amazon.com: Hand Knits for the Home by c. birkett and Simple Knits with a Twist by erika knight. i've added them to my book list.
i books.

OK I Suck

the problem with having internet access at work is that it's way too easy for me to not do my work. i have done nothing today. i've only crossed 3 items off of my to-do list and 2 of those things were added to my list and crossed off AFTER i had done them so that it looked like i had done something.

i now understand why i'm a good 40 lbs (if not more) overweight. a co-worker of mine made popcorn this afternoon, ate 3 kernels, and gave me the rest ... and i finished the bag. she, of course, is not fat.

i've been reading this website for a good hour and a half. it's so very funny, and touching at the same time. the photos are great and her posts are very well-written. she is also quite beautiful as is her 3 month old daughter. i am unworthy. (her husband's pretty cute too and it's ok, i can say that ... i'm married, not dead). i don't think she can knit or do anything crafty so i can feel a little superior....but not much. she doesn't like cats. for that i will forgive her.

it's 4:45 pm. i have an hour and 15 minutes to cross off a couple of items off of my work to-do list.

i will do this now.

My Head's Going to Explode ...

i'm in that place right now where there's so much i want to do that i don't get anything done because i can only obsess about what i want to do and therefore i can't organize myself to do one thing and move on so i just think about everything at once and there aren't enough hours in a day especially with a job that gets in the way and i should be exercising because i pay good money for a gym membership that i never go to and it would do me good because i've gained too much weight over the past couple of years and so i don't even knit for myself anymore because everything i like looks like crap on me but i shouldn't even be knitting because i've got a house to finish and an apartment to get ready to put on the market and friends need help to move and my parents are nagging me for pictures and i've got to drive my inlaws to the airport and go to my nieces' first communion and my other nieces' dance recital not today but this weekend and if i'm going to have a child i need to get in shape now and try having one now before i get too old and i just bought more knitting books which is insane because it just means that i have to move those too and having new books around only makes me want to make more stuff anyway like the sushi tp cover for my friend who is moving and a scarf for another friend who's birthday is coming up and a poncho that i found that i like not to mention the bag that i still haven't finished up and the only way i can do all of that is if i didn't work but i have to work even though i spend my hours at work thinking about things i'd rather be doing oh this is bad .....*****KA BOOM*****

Knit Wits Circa 1945

yesterday morning was spent hanging out with my in-laws for mother's day, where i was allowed to sort through a pile of old knitting and crocheting magazines to keep. i picked up quite a few but the highlights include this stack of 5 booklets from the 40's. no joke. and in excellent condition.

i kind of like the cheeky, fun tone that's used in the layout and text.

and although the styles are quite classic, i'm pretty sure i won't be making any of these items ... since the chest measurement for a size 12 is a mere 32 inches. yikes!

Wicked Pissah da Chowdah ...

so yesterday i did something totally fun. i got to meet Rachel, Bethany and Amber. Rachel is a blogger who lives in Oakland, CA and Beth is her younger sister, who has been traveling the country for a few months now in her truck. she is my hero. Rachel and Beth were in town just for fun for a day, staying with Amber (a Bostonian), and i was lucky enough to get to meet all three and hang out. after shaming me for not having my knitting with me -- i prefer to read on public transportation -- we did the touristy thing and headed towards the waterfront where we had new england clam chowder, or should i say chowdah, at the Boston Sail Loft. one review i read mentions that this chowder is so thick that the spoon can stand up in it. and sure enough, it did. it was wicked good.

(this, stupidly enough, is the only picture i have of our evening.)
then we went off to the north end, boston's little italy, for cannoli.

i hope everyone had a good time because i certainly did. woo-hoo!

today i got my latest issue of Home Companion . and there was a piece on collecting vintage crocheted potholders. my mom had a couple when i was a kid, which she actually used.

finally, as an added bonus, here's a picture of that bag i made earlier in another colorway. see, i told you i've been doing something.

WARNING! The Following Post Contains Pro-French, Elitist, Liberal Content ...

this morning, i was reading the latest issue of The Boston Phoenix on the train to work. YES PEOPLE IT'S A DIRTY LIBERAL RAG!!!! BOO!!!!! but hey, i like it. anyway. i took particular offense to the ideas expressed in this paragraph in this article ...

"Among other things, Republicans have been trying to paint Kerry as somehow French, which apparently is now considered prima facie evidence of cultural elitism and anti-Americanism. The Republican National Committee mocked Kerry’s "misery index" of Bush economic failures by releasing an "Index De Le Miserables." And after Kerry suggested to Tim Russert during a recent Meet the Press interview that he had met some foreign leaders at restaurants in New York, House majority leader Tom DeLay actually said, "I don’t know where John Kerry eats or what restaurants he attends in New York City. But I tell you, at the Taste of Texas restaurant — it’s this great steak house in Houston, Texas — the only foreign leader you meet there is called filet mignon."

first of all, what is wrong with being french? why is having french blood a bad thing? because france didn't back the US in this sham of a war? a lot of countries didn't. the french government has it's problems but i was very pleased that this time they didn't turn around and let the US .... you know .... do that thing that was once outlawed in texas but was then deemed unconstitutional... you know ... wink wink.

by the way, i'm french. my parents come from france. i come from a long line of french peasants. 100% through and through. but i don't sound french, and maybe that is what makes me particularly dangerous ...... be careful.... we look like you ... we don't all wear berets or smoke, and (unfortunately for me) we aren't all reed thin and naturally stylish ...but we're out there ....WATCH YOUR BACK! WE MIGHT MAKE YOU DRINK GOOD WINE!!! AND EAT BRIE!!!!!

as for having culture....why is that voters in this country think that having any sort of culture is a liability? i want my president to be smarter than me. to have gotten better grades in college than i did. to speak more than one language. and to speak english correctly. why is mediocrity so highly prized in this country? why?

by the way, i was born in the US so i'm an american citizen...so you can't throw me out...heh heh.

we now take you back to your regularly scheduled program.

Well This Is A Surprise ....

Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti

me, a princess. ha!

thanks to kim for the fun quiz.

Boston ... You're My Home

this is what spring in boston looks like...

and this is my car. isn't it cute?

I Have A Dream ...

i'm lucky that J is really handy. not handy in a "i'll help you unclog the toilet honey" handy but rather "i hate the color of that toilet and it's 5 inches too close to the door so i'll take this ugly toilet out and move the plumbing and install a new toilet" handy. however, he also insists on doing everything himself. one of those things is replacing the heating and cooling system of the house. so this weekend, he decided that he had to move the 800 lb boiler that was sitting in a corner of his shop. of course it's been sitting there for 3 months, and it's never bothered him before, and his buddies are available next weekend to help him. no, he had to do this weekend. so i helped him. now, J also has a bad hip. trying to lift an 800 lb boiler isn't going to do his hip any good. and i told him so. i think my exact words were, "with your bad hip, i don't think this is a good idea. i think you need to wait for M and P to give you a hand." his response was, "stand on this will you?" we've only been married for 6 months and i'm already tired of yelling at him to be heard. so i did as instructed.

J didn't mention his hip monday or today but he did call in sick and i figured that he just need a couple of mental health days. well his hip has been bothering him. duh. he went to see the doctor. he just called me a couple of minutes ago to ask, "why didn't you stop me from moving the boiler?"

in the news ... gotta love a guy who has a dream and just goes for it.
i guess things could be worse. i could be married to a guy who eats his way out of phone booths.

Support Your Local Heretic ...

i just ordered this book from Annie Modesitt. why isn't it here yet?!

Over-Accessorizing

sometimes i try TOO hard and my last post is a perfect example of that. i posted too many pictures. and certainly too many that were mediocre at best. oh well. i need to remember that when writing up a post, like with accessories, the way to go is simple yet elegant. and taking pictures in a moving car while driving just doesn't work. plus it's dangerous.

on a totally different topic, Mitt Romney, the governor of Massachusetts, is trying to re-institute the death penalty. just last week, he was obsessed with gay marriage. on may 17th, massachusetts will be the first state which will legally allow gay marriage and ole mitt has his panties in a twist about it . so, maybe he's thinking that if he can't prevent gays from marrying, maybe he can have them executed. silly mitt.

Route 16 ...

a knitting/crochet blog would not be complete without pictures of cats ... so i present to you napoleon. he's a great old cat, except that he hates J and pees in his clothes. that'll teach J to leave his dirty clothes all over the house. heh heh.

so i didn't do much in the way of anything really today. i went for a little drive, had lunch in sutton with a friend of mine who lives there (she could be the only single woman in the entire town). sutton is celebrating it's tricentennial this year and while cruising through the town center (we made sure not to sneeze so we didn't miss it) we came across some birthday festivities.

earlier, i passed through uxbridge, ma. uxbridge is an old mill town (in fact it used to be the home of the old bernat mills which now houses some art studios and small shops including this little yarn shop that was unfortunately closed).
(you yarn 'hos may also recognize uxbridge ma as the home of The Knitting Garden.)

today was also the big baseball parade so i got caught in some small town traffic. it was doubly fun for me because my red mini cooper tends to be quite popular among the under 12 set.

as i was sitting in traffic for the 15 minutes it took the parade to walk by (yes we are talking big time here) i was able to get this shot from the passenger side. it's such a pretty little town.

I Brake For Squirrels

i love living in a region that has 4 distinct seasons. especially at this time of year when changes in the environment seem to occur overnight. in J's neck of the woods, deep suburbia, the lawns have gone from brown to green (and in J's case, dandelion strewn) in a matter of a week. it's kind of cool (as long as i don't have to mow the lawn that is).

one thing that i do like to do, especially on saturday mornings, is get into my car, my car that i love and take my time, cruising through neighborhoods that i'm not very familiar with just to see what i find. today, i found a little yarn shop in West Newton, a "shabby" neighborhood of Newton, with "shabby" being relative. i stopped to check it out. and yet again, i was disappointed. i have a question. why is it that everytime i go into a yarn shop around here, i walk out feeling like a knitting glamour "don't?" as if i'm not worthy of shopping there. is it me? or is it the fact that yarn shop owners in eastern mass are just not that friendly ... these people were nice enough i guess, but they couldn't understand why i would come into their shop just to browse, without a pattern in hand. how could i not know what i was looking for?! how i envy those of you with cherished local yarn shops. oh well.

tonight, i'm roasting a whole chicken for the first time in my life. yay me.