Here and There. This and That.

Weird day. Originally overloaded with plans but they all fell through more or less at the last minute. So I contented myself with puttering around the house and trying new recipes from a cookbook I bought this week. This is the Mexican Oven Baked Omelet. Filled with black beans, corn, onions and peppers. It called for chilies but I don't like them so I didn't add any. Top with salsa or taco sauce and fat free sour cream. Muy Yum! Also made blueberry muffins but they aren't as pretty.

Someone put a roadkill skunk on my car the other day. I went down to the parking garage and it was hanging from my side mirror in a plastic bag. Since it's a security locked building, I suspected it was an inside job. It was. Fritz, the little Westie upstairs left it for him. Big fan apparently. I think that completes Ben's collection of flat animals now: squirrel (Flat Eddie), rabbit (F00-Foo), Beaver (Beavus) part of a fox (MJ-may the rest of him rest in peace) and now a skunk (Stinky). Stinky's not actually stinky yet, being new to Chez Bee and all. But if he goes the path of the other flat animals, it's only a matter of time. Ben knows them all by name and if he is playing with one and you ask him for a different one he happily goes to get it. Yeah, he lives one tough life that guy! Remind me to tell you next time about him learning to 'pick up his toys'!

There has been knitting. I have been working on the Swirl Scarf pattern. This is a God Awful Picture (heretofore know as a 'GAP'. I just invented that and now I'm trying to get it to catch on), so try to imagine it: #1. Finished. #2. Blocked within an inch of it's life. Yeah, I know it takes a super Power imagination, but try, O.K.? The pattern is pretty simple once you get the hang if it, but, for me at least, there was a steep learning curve at first as to casting on additional hexagons since it's all worked in one piece. You pick up edges, cast more on and knit the hexagons in the round. Yeah. I know. I've finally got it licked though. It doesn't make me swear near as much as it used to.

Well, Mr. Ben and I are going out to find a movie to watch. We can't sit out on our patio because it's covered with these creepy crawlies which is kind of like a horror movie unto itself. I like cute and fuzzy caterpillars but these are the Darth Vadar Menacing Kind. They aren't shy either. When we go out, they all swarm towards us. Thanks the Big Guy that at this point in my life I am still able enough to outrun them. Anyone know the name of these horrors that will no doubt sneak in tonight and spin me into a big cocoon ? Any Darth Vadar Menacing Kind repellent suggestions?

Hiking Trip - July 2009

Went hiking today in the Baraboo area with friends, Kim, Jodi, Bonnie and Terri. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Weather, company, and scenery were all awesome! Some of The Universe's best work. The photos speak for themselves. Click on them to biggify. You won't be sorry.

Pewett's Nest

Parfrey's Glen

Restoreth the soul....

A New Ice Age is Coming. Bring A Sweater!

A week ago, it was so hot we were all melting and running down between the cracks. Then as soon as it arrived, the heat wave was over. The temperatures dropped 35 degrees and stayed there. There was a three day stretch where I saw nary a tube top or a flip flop. Friends up north insisted that the leaves were turning. Even this little birdy that had only hatched a week ago, accelerated his growth in order to fly south sooner than anticipated.

And as if I needed one more sign that the end times were nigh and the glaciers they were a'coming, I looked out the front door and there was a polar bear in my front yard!

This is the aptly named "Bear". He is visiting next door. He's cleverly disguised as a Grand Pyrenees to try and fit in with the city folk, but when he jumped up on me, I conservatively estimate that he weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 850 pounds-too big for a dog. And I distinctly got a whiff of penguin on his breath. Or maybe it was baby harp seal. Anyway. Doesn't matter. I know a sign when I see one. Obviously the Ice Age is nigh. Time to finish that cable sweater I've been working on and stock up on Swiss Miss!

Before the snow covers them up, Mr. Ben and I toured the neighborhood to enjoy the sudden bouquet that has bloomed in every available green space. I don't know diddley about 'real' flowers in gardens and such, but I do so love me the 'weeds' that grow in the fields and ditches:

Queen Anne's Lace

Thistle

Chicory
Butter and Eggs ? Sweet Pea? Anyone?

Well, at least we'll have the photos to remember them by after the snow snakes and polar camels move in. Off to get to that knitting I mentioned. You might want to consider finding your woolies too!

Rollin' Down The Windows and Rollin' in The Dough!

I’ve finally done it! I’ve cracked the code on a million dollar idea! I’m going to be rich! RICH I tell you! For the last few years, humans have used the Wii video unit to simulate tennis matches, hunting, bowling, even dancing and socializing. And now, for the fur baby in your life, I have created…drum roll please…the DOGGIE Wii. Gosh I wish Billy Blanks was still alive. I can almost hear the ad now!

'This miracle of modern technology simulates a roll-the-windows-down-stick-your-head-out-and drool-all-over-the-doors car ride without ever leaving home! !! No danger of falling out the windows!!!No crashing into the wheel wells during unanticipated stops!!! No getting yelled at for bogarting the front seat or for licking the back of the driver’s head!!! No bugs in your teeth or eyes!!!All of the enjoyment of a 60 mile per hour race through the country without any of the dangers!!!'

Pssttt! I’ll let you readers in on the secret. Yes, both of you (Hi Mom!). It’s already in a store near you. It’s just marketed to the wrong audience. My business partner, Bentley and I discovered this miracle product just this week. Our house is either hotter than the hinges of heck, or icebox-cold due to an archaic heating/cooling apparatus, that looks rather like the grill of a Studebaker rammed through my living room wall, coupled with an absence of any sort of cross ventilation. Yesterday I bought a 20 “ box fan and parked it in the sliding glass door. I cranked it up to ‘3’ ( approximately F4-mime-walking-into-the-wind level) in an desperate attempt to entice some cool air in from outside. Immediately said business partner saw the potential. Bentley has been standing a foot away, leaning headlong into the hurricane force gale, eyes closed in bliss and ears flappin’ for two days now. Oh the places he has seen!

The only drawback is the apparent addictive qualities of the unit. Much like a people version Wii. That and the fact that the ride doesn't end at the dog park or PetSmart...but is also doesn't end at the vet or groomers so that argument is a wash. Obviously there are many legalities and considerations to be reviewed. It's still early in the process. Ben and I will work more on it once I can get him away from it long enough to discuss it further. In the meantime we'll go on down to Target and plaster 'Doggie Wii' post it notes on the model we used so you'll know it when you see it! Happy trails!

On Mutant Animal Crackers and Being a Grandma

Well, Aaron, Terri and William moved back to their homeland (Minneapolis) on Thursday. They stayed with me for the last couple of nights while they packed their stuff into a pod and cleaned the house. (For those keeping score at home that's three adults, 1 six week old and two 80# dogs in a one bedroom apartment.) It sure was nice to have folks around. They feel like family. The old homestead was awfully quiet on Thursday night lemme tell ya. Ben and I both felt the absence. He misses his spooning buddy, Brinkley. You need someone to snuggle when you sleep by the air conditioner vent after all!
The morning they left I took them out to breakfast. I was paying the check and the waitress said, "Your GRANDSON is just adorable!'. Wow! That took the wind out of my sails! She's lucky she pocketed her tip before she came out with that little gem! I didn't say anything because biologically it IS possible, but Geez! But I guess I could do MUCH worse than having William for a grandson! I'm sure gonna miss that little cuddle bug!

Speaking of grandchildren...they love animal crackers (Oh! How DO you do it Oh Mighty Queen of The Segue?) I was over at World Market today and had a hankering for animal crackers so I got a bag and brought them to Last Saturday knitting to share with my buds. I was bragging that I got them at World Market so they were imported, exotic animal crackers. I flipped the bag over only to find that they were imported all the way from.....wait for it....Pennsylvania! Sheesh! But they were exotic. We opened them up and out tumbled the worst Chernobyl-Three-Mile-Island-Evolution-Gone-Terribly-Terribly-Wrong menagerie I've ever seen. Most of the blobs weren't recognizable...
And the ones that vaguely resembled some sort of animal had extra leg, gills or fins that didn't belong. They were horrifying....but tasty. At least they got that right! Never underestimate the power of Saturday Knitting munchie attacks! One of the girls told a great joke:

A mother buys her little boy a package of animal crackers. He immediately opens them, dumps them out and starts frantically examining each one. When his mother asked him what he was doing he said, 'The box says not to eat them if the seal is broken!'

Anyway, out to turn on TV and monitor the weather situation. Expecting storms and it's dark-ah than the inside of a pocket out they-ah, Deah! Maybe I can finish the rest of the Black Adder DVD I've been working on if it doesn't get too bad. Stay dry ya'll and remember, do not eat if the seal is broken!

Molly Busy Bee

Mad City Mike has brought to my attention the fact that I have been remiss in updating this little folly for about a week now. He asks if I’m leading a dull life these days. Silly Mike. You should know better! I’ve just been an extra busy Bee this week. Work is crazy. Home is crazy. The commute is crazy. It’s lead to more than a few near ‘climb-up-in-the-bell-tower-with-a-semi-automatic’ misses, but it beats the alternative.

A big project at work and an overseas meeting has me pulling double duty these days. I’ve been working quite a few hours on the weekend and evenings to keep caught up.

Last Friday Night was Knit Night. I managed to sit and ‘knit’ (I use that term loosely) for FIVE full hours and got NOTHING accomplished. I didn’t have a brain in my head when it came to reading the pattern, counting, or keeping the stitches straight. In fact I think I may have had to rip out work that was done before I even GOT there, thus I actually left Knit Night BEHIND! But as usually I had a great time with the Hog ‘N’ Bloggers in the Naughty Room, where the cuss words were flowin' and the knittin’ didn’t matter!

On Saturday night I went to a Greek restaurant with friends. Remember those abandoned kittens a few posts back? Well, my friends kept the two boys, Bear and Ro-meow (presumably his last name is 'Catulet') and we played with them for a bit before we left for supper. Super cute little handfuls of fun! And very hard to leave without sticking one in my pocket for later!

'Ro-meow'

'Bear'

Afterwards I went to a party in Cross Plains at a friend’s horse ranch. It was such a beautiful evening and setting, looking out over the fields and valleys. We sat outside and visited until nearly midnight. It reminded me a lot of home, especially after the sun went down and the fireflies started dancing. The barn cats were snuggling. The horse was snickering. The frogs and crickets were serenading. The coyotes were calling to each other from their respective hilltops across the valley. I swear, I could have laid right down in the dewy grass and drifted off. Good friends, good food, fresh country air, and a starry, summer sky. My kinda night!

Neighbor-friends Terri and Aaron are moving to Minnesota tomorrow. )-: I’ve been trying to help out where I can with their little sweet pea, 6 week old William, and Brinkley-the-Uber-Dog while they pack, clean and get ready to go. Apparently I have significant sedative-like properties because this is what dogs and small boys look like in my care...

I sure am going to miss that crew when they leave. It’s been like having family around. They won’t be too far away though. And they can’t get rid of me that easy. They can run but they can't hide!

So, nope Mike, things are as lively around here as ever. Haven’t had much time for knitting and what time I HAVE put to it has been remarkably unproductive (see Knit Night above). I expect things to slow down around here a bit now. The work meeting ends Friday. The nest will be too quiet with everyone gone soon. This weekend I hope to dodge out to the Spring Green Art Fair and then settle in to re-hone my stitching skills and partake of the first DVD of season one of The Black Adder, but you know me, even that won’t be dull! I’ll be better about updating! Promise!

Gone But Not Forgotten...

It is with great sadness that I announce that Michael-J.-('MJ' to his friends)The-Road-Kill Fox departed this world on Sunday, June 14 doing what he loved best; playing with is dog friends. MJ was a good fox. He was docile and kind and always had a snuggle for you if you were down (on the floor). The sound of his briefly-working squeaker was a joy to all. On his last day on earth, he, Ben and Brinkley-from-next-door were playing a rousing game of tug of war:

Ben: I want MJ! (pull pull)
Brinkley: No he’s mine!(pull pull)
(Repeat x 1 trillion)

Then came that moment of triumph when each dog discovered that he had won! And ensuing confusion when each dog discovered....that he had won! They EACH had MJ…at least part of him. [ For those of you keeping score at home, Brinkley was technically the winner since he had a mouthful of nose and ears… so he came out ‘a-head’! ]

A small private service was held near the prairie reserve on Hwy M in Madison where the cottonwood fluff and prairie grasses dancing in the breeze made everything that much more poignant. Pipers played as he was lowered and laid to rest in the dumpster under Apartment 107. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to your local animal shelter.

Ben’s new friend, Beavus-The-Road-Kill-Beaver, has been consoling his buddy the best way he knows how. Here is a photo of him soothing Ben as Ben sobs himself to sleep over the loss....

The moral of this sad tale is that tug of war is not a game worth going to pieces over.