Bats In My Belfry

Mr. Pukey watches the kids coming by for Trick or Treat. So far, no one has launched him but the night is young.

Yes, I do believe…it might just be…the sun. Was welcome after a spate of “dreary”. So I grabbed the Canon and dawg and out I went. Light is kind of funky but it was nice to be out in the warm sun with the breeze blowing.

I saw….

A mole hole! Where one of these guys lives…

Prodigious digging feet he has there. These pop up overnight and I always get a kick out of how perfectly round they are.

And then I visited The Ladies…

They were enjoying the sunshine too although one was getting a bit tired of being photographed and gave me this look…

So I moved on.
And this old tree interested me…

So gnarled. Old and still standing which is kind of miraculous given the German propensity for chopping down trees. Or beating on them to get their fruits (watching folks whacking the hell out of walnut trees with big sticks is kind of surreal). But alas there are many trees that end up like this…

…with a lovely frame of stinging nettle.

Still winter hasn’t completely discouraged flowers…

And beauty is found everywhere if you just look…

The street sweepers haven’t been around for a bit…

So the curbs still wear festive colours.

And whilst all the picture taking was going on, The Dawg was being very patient…

Whilst I admired views that won’t last much longer. Winter is lurking and will soon be here. Samhain tonight, the Wheel of The Year turns yet again heralding the dark months so best to enjoy the Autumn colours whilst they last…

Which I am going to go do right now as sunset approaches.

Remember those who have gone before us.

Yes, that was the one-word forecast for today and they got it right. It is…dreary. I had to laugh though as it’s fascinating to see what the poor forecasters come up with to describe what is, essentially, the same weather day in and day out this time of year. Guess they got bored with overcast and cloudy and misty and rainy and foggy.

Yes, I think it rather does qualify as “dreary”. But it’s still beautiful in a way. Watching the changes in the land as seasons pass by never fails to enchant me. We are coming up to Samhain, a time of dark and quiet, peaceful but harsh. You see very few critters about any longer. An occasional hedgehog, some birds (most have gone to Africa, even the storks have left) and a skunk or two.

East where the sun is not shining today…nor will it be often ’til Spring comes around again. The fields are all prepared for Winter now, farmers are mostly done.

The moisture this morning could only dampen things on the north side. But the dew hung from everything stationary. I’ve noticed that due to all the moisture, this part of Germany stays green all year. Quite a nice change from areas where the palette goes monochromatic. Can be a startling contrast between the bare trees and the green fields. Still makes it a nicer view than all grey (like Ohio winters…ugh).

I often wonder why this apple tree is so twisted. It still produces well but it obviously has had some tribulations in its life. Looks as if a giant took hold of its trunk and started twisting and pulling off branches. Lovely to sit under in the Summer though.

And the moss grows quite well on the old tree. Kind of makes me want to sit up there and read, on a nicer day.
Two examples of “Never quite trust sign-age in Germany”. The wee arrow in the upper left corner of this sign is pointing in the wrong direction. The arrow should be pointing to the right. The next picture shows another misleading sign (well part of it anyway)…

The bottom sign for the Donau-Bodensee Radweg (Danube-Bodensee Bike Path) pointing the way to Bodensee (Lake of Constance) and Immenstaad (town on shore of Lake of Constance) is well…pointing the wrong way. Should be pointing just the opposite. I wonder if this sign had anything to do with the high number of confused-looking tourists on bicycles last summer.
Himself finally went back to the dentist today, 10 days after that last extraction. He’s been really feeling low since then. I pestered him after the first 3 days to call the dentist because it sure seemed to me like he was dealing with a low-grade infection. He ignored me, lived on Dolormine (OTC pain-killer) and some stuff his mom dropped off. Dentist says it’s looking okay but if the swelling doesn’t go down, he’s to start a course of antibiotics. I was not a nice enough person to refrain from saying things like: “I told you so, you twit.” and “If you weren’t already hurting, I’d thump you a good one.”  I am such a sympathetic soul. Seriously, I’ve been after him for a week to check this out and he just wouldn’t do it. Gnah. Men.  Hopefully dentist is right that things should be improving greatly from here on out and Himself gets back up to speed soon. Gotta be getting old feeling that crappy.

He did stop at the butcher shop that his family favours in Markdorf. Picked up what looks like some rather nice beef. I expect, though, it’s grass fed and will have that funky grassy flavour. Not yet decided how I’ll be preparing it. It deserves something nice though. Five bits that look like tenderloin. Pity that grilling season is pretty much over. Certainly not possible for the next few days anyway with all the rain, fog and breeze. Saturday is looking like it might be nice but that’s too long to wait for this beef. It’ll be turned by then. I guess I’ll just smoke up the whole house and use the broiler.

What I wouldn’t give for a nice, juicy bit of prime rib or rib-eye from a corn fed cow.

Ah well, walkies time…the night draws in so early. Have to carve my gourd (not sure this thing is actually a pumpkin) tomorrow for the holiday. Hopefully I can do something that doesn’t look too ridiculous. This is not my strong suit (carving gourds).

Knitting has been lacking today. Been working around the house and laundry. Hopefully get some done this evening.

This morning I was working on the “home stretch” of the Yarn Harlot One Row Scarf. I set it down to take The Dawg on a walk. When we got back I brought my first cup of coffee up here and realised I hadn’t filled my water bottle. Now, the tradition is that when we come back from the morning walk, and get up here to the office, The Dawg gets a little treat. I neglected to give him this treat before I went down to get my water bottle filled. When I was coming back up the stairs I saw…yarn. Huh, thought I. Yarn on the stairs? (Remember hadn’t had coffee yet)

Then it hit me. That yarn was my scarf. Apparently The Dawg had taken umbrage that he hadn’t gotten his treat and had decided to check out the surface of my desk to see if he could just help himself. His dog tag got caught on the scarf and somehow he managed to unravel a huge percent of it looking for me to chew me out for not having either given him his treat or left it on the desk (it was in my pocket). By the time I got the yarn rescued, untangled and sorted, there was maybe a couple inches of it left usable. So, I ripped that out and am starting over with a different yarn. Not in the mood anymore for Noro Kureyon.

Teach me to either not give treats when treats are expected or leave knitting where treat-expecting Dawgs can snag ‘em. Oh well, gives me the opportunity to spit-splice instead of just attaching at the beginning of a row like I had done at one point at the beginning before I remembered how cool spit-splicing was. So, I wound my 3 balls of Twilley’s Freedom Spirit and off I went.

Was sitting here this evening working on a prototype bootie and had grabbed some acrylic yarn and some 3mm DPNs (small, I hate waving around long needles or circs for little projects). I was struck by the feel of the acrylic. Patently obvious it’s not of a natural fibre. Hell, it crunches. It’s not bad after it’s been washed but after the Twilley’s Freedom Spirit I’m working with on the scarf, the acrylic (local market/superstore offering akin to a big Kroger or Albertson’s. Hey, you get what you can where you can. Stuff comes out okay after washing but…ick whilst being worked.) just felt nasty. Problem is I don’t have the budget for all the natural fibres I want. Stuck between a rock and a hard place with respect to local purchases too…it’s either acrylic, wool sock yarn (nice and all, Opal and Regia but very fine gauge of course) or kinda scary “fun” yarns (usually a wool, something-else mixture). Only cotton yarn I’ve been able to find is what I call “kitchen cotton” (ala Sugar ‘n’ Cream but a little bit fine gauge) which is all fine and well except it’s a limited range of use.

It’s times like this when I get homesick. I remember beautiful yarns back in the Denver area. Variety, not too pricey, no great hassle getting to where it was sold. Wah.

Another thing I’m noticing is how when you’ve got the right yarn, the right stitch, the right needles there is something almost mystical occurring. There is a feel that just can’t be beat. The yarn flows, the stitches form almost on their own and the fabric reveals itself magnificently. It’s times like that which make up for the times when everything seems all wrong. As I learn, I discover what type needles work best with what yarn (and I have learned that not all cotton wants to play nice with metal needles or fuzzy stuff and bamboo etc.) and even what type needle (straights, DPNs, circs etc.). I wonder what I will do when it comes time to make a sweater or garment because I really loathe long needles. I suppose I could use circs. I cannot abide waving 33cm needles around, nevermind 45cm. I suppose if I knit like they used to with one needle tucked under an arm these long needles would be a very good thing. Indeed, when I first learned back in 1966 (a very short sojourn into the art, I think it yielded a scarf) I distinctly remember doing the needle-tuck. Impractical at my desk here though and I find that I prefer to work at a desk as opposed to an easy chair. So I keep an eye out for short (childrens’ lengths are especially nice but don’t come in a very wide range of sizes) needles and circs will have to do for any large project.

I did splurge and ordered a pair of Lantern Moon 25cm rosewoods in 6mm (from the very quick, responsive and lovely folks at GetKnitted.) Bit pricey those. I hear good things about them and I must say, aesthetically they are gorgeous. With my luck, I’ll fall madly in love with them and make Himself whimper like a baby over my addiction to ‘em. I need, also, to get over my aversion to metal needles or, better stated, my preference for bamboo or wood. I’ve discovered that with sock gauges the bamboo is a bit scary, not bendy enough. So need to find better small gauge DPNs. I do like the Blue Sky Alpacas tiny DPNs and the Brittany ones look pretty good too (haven’t tried them yet). But my Clover bamboos in 3mm and smaller scare me and I’m not a particularly tight knitter.

Point being, after all that nattering, that it’s a learning process and I am enjoying it a lot. I do get cranky sometimes when I have to make so many mistakes to “get” something. That’s when I wish I had a mentor but there is the ‘Net and I make good use of that. One of the best is Knitting Help who, with their videos, have clarified things that I just couldn’t wrap my head around via reading from a book. I learn via seeing something done and am pretty hopeless following instructions (you don’t even want to see me put together furniture). This has all done wonders for my well known lack of patience. I can now, fairly calmly, frog something and not have a hissy fit. I consider what I have learned from it and add that to my growing knowledge of the art.

It’s all good (even when it isn’t).

Holy moly, a first! A ball of Noro Kureyon that did NOT have a knot in it. Will wonders never cease. Irks me how often there are knots in some of the higher priced yarns. I realise it’s handspun, blah blah blah but sheesh. Happily if it’s wool, spit-splicing works a treat but I dunno, sometimes I wonder why you can almost be certain to find at least one knot in a ball. My record was three. I was a bit grouchy about that until I got proficient with spit-splicing.

Well this a.m. was a pleasant surprise. The sun was out! It was warm. The wind has died down to a stiff breeze and it was pleasant to walk the fields. Even unzipped my fleece as it was too warm. I am not being fooled though, I am still working on my cowl and gloves. It’ll change soon enough. From what I see in the forecast we’ll be having a beautiful weekend (in the upper 60s!) and then it gets stupid again come Tuesday. Ah well, appreciate the good days which’ll be ending soon enough. Actually, took a break just before typing that last sentence to check the postal mail, grab a sandwich and something to drink and it’s gone cloudy and getting damp. Feels like rain. Well, it was a nice day. Heh. No worries over rain either, my poncho got here (I’m going to look a fool, it’s bright red and huge.) as did my wellies. So bring it on, Germany.

Was mucking about last night when I should’ve been doing something constructive with some Noro Aurora (colour 2). This yarn is interesting but I can’t quite figure what to make from it. I don’t like how it works up in a range 2 either side of the recommended needle size. Folks who have used it are saying it goes from crunchy to nice after washing so that’s good but I just can’t find anything that looks like it’s meant to be done with the Aurora. So back in the stash it went. Sometimes yarns just get all secretive about what they’re meant to be. This Aurora is being especially secretive.
Will be clearing off my desk and its surrounds later today. It’s gone, uhm…chaotic. I really should just shove everything into the next room, drag the BIG desk up here (it’s boxed, in pieces), set it up and spread out. This “desk” I’m using now is an oval shaped deal which means that it is effectively kind of narrow on either end. Not much room on it. Keyboard, monitor (flat screen, thank goodness), trackball and, well uhmm…a lotta yarn stuff. Oh and a broken lamp that is currently propped up against the wall because its “stem” broke. Yeah, I need more room on my desk. Now to get ambitious. Hah.

*Later*

Well that didn’t happen. Time got past me what with supper, dishes, dog-walking, arguing about a mail-order from the U.K., figuring out substitutions. Meh. Well tomorrow is another day.

So, last night, about 0100 I was just getting ready to head off to bed when Himself informed me that he and The Dawg had encountered a hedgehog which, he felt, wasn’t behaving properly. After trying to get him to explain what “proper behaviour” was (Himself can be maddening sometimes…he acts if there’s a charge for each word he utters…gnah!) it turns out that when he and The Dawg encountered a hedgehog, the thing didn’t immediately curl up in defensive mode. So, we did some quick research during which I found out that said spotted ‘hog probably wasn’t in any trouble but we decided to go check anyway.

So, we get a cat carrier (Wee’s in fact), a couple towels, a baggie filled with warm water (if the poor thing was sick, for heat), a potholder mitt (neither of us have anything remotely approaching “quill-proof gloves”) and kitchen tongs (thinking was to help pick one up).

Off we go, in the car to the beginning of the side road. Along the way, we spot a frisky ‘hog trotting through a yard. Likely not the same one given the distance, we think. Then we park and start walking toward where the “distressed ‘hog” was last seen. Shortly, we see another ‘hog who didn’t seem particularly arsed about us shining flashlights on it and ambled off through the corn stubble. I had no idea these little guys could move as quickly and smoothly as they do. We reach the point where the potential rescue ‘hog was last seen…no sign of it. Looked about. No ‘hogs in sight.

So…no rescue. I think Himself felt a little foolish but I’m happy to see that he is developing a strong sense of caring for critters. Not that I have any idea what we would’ve done with the ‘hog aside from either take it to the Tierheim or a vet.

Today, the sun made an appearance and the temps. climbed up to nearly 50°f. Wind is still carrying on though. Straight out of the east, rather briskly (as in brings tears to the eyes and makes the ol’ nose run kind of brisk). But…I had a headband! And my ears were nice ‘n’ warm. I am going to do another as this one is a bit thin (width) and I think I’d make it another 3 or 4 stitches wider. It’ll do for now and I’m on to keeping my neck warm. Think I’m going to do a cowl. I’m not a fan of scarves for myself. Don’t like things flopping about so a cowl could work out nicely. Going to do this quick ‘n’ dirty and make, essentially, a big headband that will scrunch down around my neck to keep the wind off. Found a wool/silk blend in laceweight, odd colour, kind of a grey/lavender that I’m going to use doubled with 4.5mm needles. We’ll see how this turns out. Might not drape well but I’m looking for coverage just now and not style. Knitting in the round 110 stitches and going to go to, oh, I guess around 20 inches. Then see where I’m at. If this turns out nicely, I might do something in an angora or mohair blend…light but warm.

Not at all sure what I’ll be doing gloves with. I expect I’ll figure something out.

Still pretty tired today although not as bone tired as yesterday. Just the one walkie and after cooking supper, the evening is mine. Had a bit of ambition so made a nice supper, roasted garlic chicken, Paxo stuffing (ooooh, imported) and decided that since the Wurzelpetersilie (parsley root as it turns out) I got the other day thinking it was parsnips is, after all, a root, I’d just roast it along with the stuffing and chicken. It actually was pretty good. Tasted much like parsley (surprise!) but had a nice texture. Himself pronounced it “edible” which is surprising since most veggies he turns his nose up at.

So, nicely full of a good supper and am going to work on the cowl and then have a nice shower, hair wash and then flannel PJs to wallow about in.

Currently reading As The Crow Flies buy Jeffrey Archer. It’s a pretty good book, very nice for long winter evening reading, a saga about a Cockney green grocer making good (I assume, haven’t finished the book). Starting in the WWI era and I’m up to 1920 or so. Lord Archer writes well, I think. Also have his Kane & Abel waiting. Probably won’t get to that ’til December at the rate I’m reading. Maybe 15-20 minutes per night before I fall asleep.

Just found two balls of Noro Aurora that I had tucked away. Not sure about this stuff. Horribly rough, scratchy and the whole glittery thing…hmmm. Now I know that Noro tends to “unclench” when it’s post-finishing washed but this stuff seems particularly rough and crunchy. I’ll probably crank out a bias scarf with it and see how it turns out. Worse comes to worst, I’ll make a small bag and felt the bejabbers out of it.

Ah well, back to surfing and working on the cowl (whose yarn suddenly feels sooooo soft compared to that Noro, heh).

I think I’ve reached a point where it’s time to take things a bit easier. I’ve been cramming a lot into each day and today, I am bone-tired. The past week has been awfully busy what with watching over Himself and all his problems plus the added dog walks and the longer days to get everything done within. When I get overtired one of the first things I notice is that I, ironically, don’t sleep as well. Shallow sleep, wake often and have to drag butt out of bed. Heh.

Hopefully tomorrow Himself will be back on track and can take over his share of the walks again. That would be a big help. Tonight I might just have a long wallow in a hot bath before bed. If nothing else, it’ll be relaxing.

Lots to write about, no ambition to do so. Spending my spare time frantically trying to get a headband, gloves and scarf done so that bits of me don’t freeze and fall off. I figure I’ll be done in about 4 days just in time for the temps. to get back into the 60s. No matter, I know they’ll go down again and *this* time I’ll be ready for ‘em.

Got some new John Rivers needles today, some Kuryeon and some toggle/buttons which are way too large for what I wanted ‘em for. Meh. Teach me to not double check my metric measurements. Pictures when I can arse myself to take ‘em.

Last month I took a mind to corresponding with an inmate in the U.S. prison system. I had done this before back in the late 70s and it was a very interesting experience. So I spent about a week investigating the possibilities, reading up on it (nice scams going on out there, sheesh) and finally making a decision. I felt kind of funny going through all the listings and choosing someone, felt odd. So anyway, it was a deal where the initial contact could be made via email. This I did and heard nothing back. I finally figured I had been rejected as I was pretty up-front about not wanting any romantic involvement, not being willing to “send money” and just wanting to maybe be a friend. Turns out that wasn’t the case and there had been a bit of a screw-up and I received a letter and a previously mailed postcard via snail mail today. I was kind of stunned since I’d pretty much given up on hearing back.

Well, it was an interesting letter, mainly about mechanics of writing given that some of these correctional facilities apparently aren’t all that, erm, attentive to passing mail out and in. But it’s a start and I’m glad of it. Apparently my pen-pal either has a bit of an attitude problem or has gotten on the wrong side of the system in prison. Seems he’s in a high-security facility and has a long, long, looooong sentence to serve (looked up his record and he’s in there for having a weapon in prison…eek). I’m sure there’s a story behind this and I hope to eventually discuss it.

Did my research at his state’s facility page and was interested to read about the rules and conditions. It looks as though he can “earn” his way back to general population. Lots of rules to follow.

Now I’m not sure what his original sentence was (that got him in jail to be “in possession of a weapon”) but they sure nailed him a lot of time for the poss. charge (70 years).

Wonder if he was a “lifer” before that or what? Well, I imagine I’ll find out eventually.

Now for the politics part and this might tie-in if he’s a lifer.  I have very, very strong opinions about the death penalty. I am firmly opposed. No, I am not a “bleeding heart liberal”. I just think the system is not foolproof enough to be killing people. There are some very screwed up people in this world. People who murder, rape and harm others need to be removed from society and KEPT removed. I do favour rehabilitation but that’s a bit tricky with respect to knowing if someone is truly rehabilitated. But if someone simply cannot function within society (murdering other people type stuff) then lock ‘em up by all means. Don’t ever let ‘em out but let’s not be killing ‘em. That makes us as bad as them. It’s especially problematic when time and science shows that “we” kill an innocent person. I’ve all kinds of views on what can be done with folks incarcerated permanently but that’s for another post, I think.

In the meantime, I’m finishing up a letter to this fellow and it is my sincere hope that some good will come of the correspondence.

Himself has decided to live. We are happy about this development. Christa came over on Sunday with some better meds. for him (REALLY better, like synthetic opiate better) and he was able to rest very nicely (read: zonked out) and came up for air yesterday afternoon looking and acting much better. He’s no longer green and isn’t in such pain. He went back to Ibuprofen and said it worked fine. He even ate pasta. This is a sign of wellbeing. Himself eating pasta.  And he felt well enough to take Neem for his midnight walk which pleased me no end. Did have a bit of adventure though…when he and Neem got home, he called me downstairs to “look at Neem’s foot”. It turns out Neem had somehow gotten half a walnut shell perfectly fitted like a cap over one of his back paw pads. Made him walk a bit funny and click when he walked. Freaked poor Himself out. Easily removed, no harm done. Funny how it fitted perfectly.

Weather is still wintery this morning. Just above freezing and that wind is really confounding matters. Goes right through my fleece so I guess I may have to break down and buy a real coat. Meh. I don’t like coats but I like even less freezing. I’m also in full-tilt emergency “hat/glove/scarf mode”. Been slow going since I’ve been keeping an eye on Himself, cleaning the kitchen (whilst down there) and then, yesterday, putting The Gnome back together.

Had installed an app. and it froze. Nothing would unfreeze it so ended up having to wipe its brain out and start over. Always fun and ended up being a 5 hour process due to the backup software borking and there was no way to easily restore the device. Had to do it piecemeal and then find backup software that wouldn’t lie about doing its thing. Meh.

Market today, we are sooo out of everything. Going to make it local as I don’t want Himself overdoing especially when it’s so chilly and nasty out. Too, we should be getting our shipment from British Corner Shop soon, maybe even today (I hope, I hope but it’s getting past the time that delivery service usually shows up.). Hopefully after that is done, I can get my headband (going to try and get by without a hat, hate hats) today and then a quick pain of alpaca fingerless gloves in next couple days. It’s going to warm up but I learned my lesson…it’s heading into winter and I just wasn’t ready. I refuse to buy hats, scarves or gloves when I can perfectly easily produce ‘em myself although the time is a bit of an issue when you have snot-sicles hanging off your nose.

Grasshopper me. Definitely not ant.

And this is what happens when the ARR decides that he wants attention…NOW:

“I claim this Daddy in the name of ARR!”

I love the look on ARR’s face: “Yeah? What?”

Shortly thereafter, he launched himself off, grabbed one of his toys and destroyed it. Apparently walks in the chilly night air make him…frisky.
Back to the headband.

…and we haven’t got a fire inside, delightful or otherwise.

It’s bleedin’ nasty out.

Had a bit of a sleep-in (Thank you for your patience, ARR) and when I got up and looked outside I almost decided that I wouldn’t mind cleaning up after the dog inside. It is the worst kind of weather (to me anyway) out there today. Temperature right at freezing, sneet, just enough of a breeze to sneak in through any opening in one’s outerwear. Soggy, dreary and cold.

But, does make it nice to come home, have a sandwich and a cup of coffee and be grateful to be indoors. I’m ignoring that I have to walk the dog 3 more times today. Heh.

Himself is looking a bit better and complaining which is a good sign. He was grousing about being bored last night so I think he might just survive this travail. His mother is coming over sometime today with some better painkillers. I hope that helps because the poor man has sure been uncomfortable. He’s sleeping a fair bit so that’s good and actually eating food again. I made “Welsh Fried Rice” last night. My version of fried rice incorporating whatever meat bits (ham this time) are about along with peas and/or carrots, egg and rice. Season with soy and garlic and add some green onions. Called “Welsh” to differentiate from real fried rice (and I’m Welsh/Irish). He ate a good bit of it.

Almost done with large critter blanket. Would’ve been done except I disobeyed my rule of not doing any work when I’m tired. I saw the end in sight and got careless and munged up a corner. I suppose I could’ve let be since it’s “just for critters” but my perfectionism kicked in. In ripping back, the yarn broke so I decided that it was time to set it aside ’til today. Should be done with it in an hour or so. Then start another blanket so it’s there for mindless work and spend some time with The Sock. Might also clean up, I have yarn balls all over the place from experimenting with combinations for critter blankets.

And I simply must wash my hair. Haven’t been able to since I am outside 4x a day and don’t want to go out with wet hair (it’s long, like down to my arse long) or go to bed with wet hair (guaranteed stiff neck in the a.m.). So after I finish this entry I’m going to take a quick shower and finally get that done. I suppose I could buy a blow-dryer but that never works out well with my ultra-fine hair.

Took some pictures whilst I was out with GnomeCam but they were cursed with “BlueHue” so not worthy of keeping. Don’t have a rain hood for the good camera so wasn’t about to take it out in that yuck. Had I been able to carry an umbrella it would’ve worked but it’s tricky enough minding a very active dog and trying to take pictures. Would need a third hand.

Before I pitch…a prime example of “BlueHue”…

I suppose I could fix it in Photoshop but it’s not all that interesting anyway. Compare with the pictures in the “Foliage” entry just below this one. Bit of a difference. Then again, big difference between the two cameras. I like GnomeCam for quick shots but it’s just not up to some of the things I do with a camera.

Off to take a shower and finish critter blanket and hope the weather clears up a bit or at least stops dribbling. I wish that poncho we have on order would hurry up and get here.

Whole household was awakened at 0830 by the DP delivery person delivering my order from GetKnitted. Rather fast service and I was quite pleased with the items I received. We did try the “please don’t request a signature, deaf person, won’t hear bell” in order to, well, not be pestered (and I truly won’t hear the bell) but DP either couldn’t read the instruction (was in English) or decided that a signature absolutely HAD to be had. Meh.

So I ordered an Opal Sock Kit which contained 100g of Opal “Feeling” yarn, 3 wee stitch markers, 2.5mm DPNs (not such great ones but perfectly usable…that scratchy aluminum sort), a needle for Kitchnering and a pattern that at least looks possible.
And here’s where I’m at:

I have been working with crochet past couple days with 2 strands of DK weight and a “J” hook so switching over to this yarn and the 2.5mm needles was a bit of bugger. Looking forward to how this project goes.

I also indulged in some yarn for more socks…

Although I might use the Karaoke for fingerless gloves. Did a pair in another colour of the Karaoke and it feels wonderful.

And finally something I wasn’t sure existed but really wanted to try…shorter DPNs. The 8″/21cm DPNs seem overlong for sock knitting. Fine for most everything else but excessive for socks. Then I Googled and found via GetKnitted that Brittany and Blue Sky Alpacas makes what I was searching for. Which led to…

Will be trying these on heavier weight tube socks. Probably sooner rather than later because I’m dying to try them. Also in the above photo is a pen from GetKnitted. I truly get a kick out of ordering from yarn stores in the U.K. They always include a little something extra and a bit of candy. Lovely custom.

Poor Himself is really suffering from yesterday’s extraction. And to make matters worse? He’s come down with a cold. More soup for him today and more 4-5x walkies for me.  Ah well, it’s not as if I couldn’t use the exercise.

Winter made it. Or so it feels. Brrrr. Even I am feeling the chill. Actually closed the french doors in my room, too cold with ‘em open. Saw a wee bit of snow falling last night and apparently more is on the way. Himself informs me there is a “snow warning” up for tonight. This is waaaay too soon!

Poor Himself. Dentist again today and had a wisdom tooth yanked. It has laid him flat out. I don’t think either one of us was expecting this as he’s been doing a long course of dental work, since June and whilst none of it has been comfortable, he’s not been taken like this. Good thing he’s sleeping, best thing for him. I got some chicken soup in him and he rolled over again. So I’m doing the doggie walk x 4 today and probably tomorrow. Tonight I want him resting and even if he does feel better tomorrow, it’s going to be quite chilly (well for him, he doesn’t “do” cold like I do) and I think it best he just rests since he has a family gathering on Sunday he has to attend.

The crocheter in me came to fore when I got frustrated with the slowness of my turning out critter blankets for the Tierheim. So I grabbed some light blue acrylic that has been annoying me for its utter inability to be knit into anything that was not horrid and combined it with some other acrylic (navy blue) that I recently found for 1€ per 100g, got a J hook and I’ve about finished one blanket today. Say what you will about crochet but it is a lot faster than knitting. Doing the “don’t even have to think or look” gigantic granny square which has worked out very well for the cats and dogs I have/had.  Combining various bits of yarn I have around here to come up with the equivalent of “bulky” will speed this project along at a much better pace than it has been proceeding. This is good because it got so cold too early and those poor critters could do with something snuggly.

Very quiet tonight…that kind of quiet that settles on a town when no one is about. Very still and motionless. I imagine folks are huddling in their homes grousing about how soon it got so cold. The smell of woodsmoke permeates the area.  Going to be peaceful sleeping tonight and I rather imagine I shall sleep well after the doubling of the exercise with The ARR.

And now, off to finish a critter snuggle.

Snow (ack!) is forecasted for tonight. I can’t imagine it’ll amount to much but you never know around here. I was surprised to see the forecast for “snow showers” tonight and this coming Sunday night. The warm weather is gone, for now at least.

But this morning? Ah, it was a beautiful morning indeed.

A day to enjoy the simple pleasures of fresh air, sunshine and the colours of Autumn.

Bright, sunny colours against the recently dribbling skies…

And a quick visit with “The Ladies”…

Odd blue tinge, isn’t it? This mysterious blue tinge kept me entertained for awhile today trying to sort it out. It only happens with GnomeCam and only when facing north. Strange. Face any other direction? No problem but North…blue. Every time. Doesn’t happen on my other cameras, just GnomeCam.

Found some pictures taken last year which show rather well just how foggy it can get. These were taken around noon and the fog never did clear that day. It got slightly brighter but remained this dense…

These two neighbours are very particular about their landscaping. Things always look very well kept and orderly. I prefer a more relaxed approach but I have to admit their gardens always look very nice.

This was after it let up a little. I really am not crazy about fog, especially when it last for days on end. First November I lived here we had 21 straight days of fog. I about went crazy for want of sunshine. It was particularly difficult then because I’d just moved to Germany from Colorado where the sun shines more often than not. I’ve since gotten used to not having the amount of sunshine but I still do miss it.
Anyway, today was a lovely and I took advantage of it even offering to take 3 of the 4 dog walks just to be out in it. I know these days are not going to happen much longer.

Himself got his own “GnomePhone” today after seeing that I liked mine and it worked pretty well. It was delivered to his Mother’s house and he managed to con his younger brother into delivering it. So he’s spending the evening getting it set up and I’m going to keep chugging away at the Nephew/Godson ensemble. Some evil-demon-spawn cat managed to snag the scarf I was working on (nearly done) and messed it up rather badly. So, starting over on that. Mindless garter with gathered ends and wee white pom-poms so it’s an easy knit.

Himself gave me a nice present last night, Adobe Photoshop Elements. Good thing too because I have a grunchload of photos, many of which need tweaking and definitely needed cataloging and storing. Spent several hours this afternoon getting that done and more uploaded to Flickr. Adobe Elements does some interesting things but I have a lot to learn. I don’t know the first thing about photo editing (well aside from cropping, getting rid of red-eye and very basic stuff). The GnomeCam is pretty good but the difference between it and the Canon EOS 400D (Rebel) is pretty huge. So GnomeCam shots tend to need some tweakage. I was happy with the results of some of the mucking about last night so I am grateful for the gift.

Best get going on the knitting. Need to make a couple hats for us as well as finish the baby stuff. I am convinced it’s going to be a “real” winter this year.

Brrrr.

At the end of a beautiful day…

Good night…

A simply beautiful morning here in the Bodensee.

Makes a change from the past few days when the fog was so dense it was hard to see six feet in front of you. Warm, sunny, mild breeze and the farmers were all out taking advantage of it as rain is due in tomorrow. The clouds agree, rain is in the offing. Days like this are precious improving mood and bringing a smile to one’s face just because the day is lovely. Those “lumps” in the upper right are the local dairy cattle. They’d not gotten up for the day yet.

Yesterday was Himself’s birthday and we took a trip to Ravensburg (Toys R Us) and then down to Friedrichshafen (Media Markt & Fressnapf). Whilst it was no longer densely foggy there was a haze that gave an impressionistic aspect to everything. Still beautiful but I am awaiting those rare, sharp, clear days. Perhaps in November although that usually is a very foggy month here. Then again, the fog might’ve decided to get an early start and November will offer more crisp weather.

Whilst rummaging about in Toys R Us, I was able to indulge a bit in my Eyeore fixation. He’s my favourite depressive donkey.
Not the most focused shot but I was too lazy to go downstairs and get the good camera so it’s a cell photo:

Pencil (rather abruptly rammed up Eyeore’s arse which might account for the look on his face) and sharpener. Yes, yes, lotsa yarn, lotsa mess. It’s my desk. Heh. Always knitterly stuff all over it. I need a bigger one. Actually have a bigger one in a nice carton on the ground floor just waiting to be schlepped up here and put together. Ambition lacking.

Then there was…

Gollum. He’s actually a keychain (rather large for that, I think) and makes noise (or would if the battery weren’t dead, that’s why it was a bargain). I think he’s very well done (picture doesn’t do him justice). Note the wispy hair?

And last Emile from Ratatouille .

Haven’t yet seen this but it’s definitely on the short-list. Premise sounds amusing anyway. He’s from a series of stuffed toys called “Whack ‘n’ Yack”. You smack him on the bottom and he makes sounds. He was driving us nuts on the drive home yesterday evening. One of his sounds is a very, very loud burp. Loud being key as I’m pretty much not so good in the hearing department and even I could hear him burping away in the back of the car. I wonder about the concept of smacking something on the bottom to get it to make one of its numerous sounds. I can just see a toddler getting this concept implanted and then giving it a go on a younger sibling. It would work, I imagine.
So after indulging the inner child in us, we drove down to F’hafen where we just had to go to Fressnapf. Himself has turned into a completely doting “daddy” of The Neem and almost every trip to FN (Friedrichshafen) requires buying something at Fressnapf. They must love seeing us enter the shop. Needed some more small treats to fit inside a ball that the dog is meant to roll about and get the treats out of. I swear, if Himself could, he’d enroll The Neem in a Montessori school.  We’re always buying “get smarter” toys. Anyway, we go about a kilo (seriously) of small treats, a “honey ear” (pig ear, imbued with honey, I guess) and I managed to snag a couple tins of cat food.

As we are considering adding guinea pigs, hamsters or bunnies to our growing menagerie, we snagged some photos of potential homes for them. Bit of a problem though since we really don’t have the space for cages this size but are not comfortable with the idea of dinky cages (especially since it looks like we might end up adopting 4 pigs from the Tierheim). I’m a bit ambivalent about this. I would love to have pigs again (haven’t had for, oh…37 years) but I’m not sure we, literally, have the room. Then again, if we pitched some of the junk around here, that might be different. There is plenty of room on the top floor but Himself whinged that he’d never get to see ‘em (those 2 flights of stairs, guess they’re a bit much for a geezer of 34 ). Anyway, so for the record:

Fanciest one. Bit pricey but well, we’ve apparently gone mad with regard to spending money on critters.

Second choice:

Now, my memory may be off, it’s been awhile but I could swear cages used to have slide-out drawers much like bird-cages. Doesn’t seem to be the case with everything we’ve seen. This would make cleaning these cages out be a real PITA, I think. Needing another cage to temporarily stow the inhabitants, stand on one’s head trying to get to what will likely be the lowest, most awkward corner that the varmits have decided to use. I dunno. I do note that in the deluxe model there is an actual litter pan. Now I have no idea if they would actually use such a thing. Would simplify matters if they did. Well more research is needed, I guess.

And now we’re off to the local market. Might even stop in the general-type store and see if they have any flannel shirts. Getting to be that time o’ year. And a belt. Have lost so much weight with all this walking that my jeans literally are falling off. Kind of problematic whilst out there hiking about.

Mainly pictures today. Fog can be very dense this time of year. This morning was a good example of that although by the time we got out to the fields it had let up a bit. First thing this morning you, literally, could not see six feet in front of you. By nine thirty it was a lot better.

Chilly at 43°f and utterly no sign of the sun which by noon-thirty had managed to break through and feebly shine.

Dew drops on electric fencing. Spider web which cell phone camera couldn’t pick up.

The Ditch Path. Favourite of the Hound. Quite soggy this morning and the Hound was soaking wet by the time we returned. I was damp from just walking through the saturated air.

It’s Himself’s birthday today, he is sleeping in and there is a rumour we’ll be going to Toy R Us and the wee  Stehcafe in Hefighofen. They make a mean Schnitzel and pommes. I might even splurge and have a real Coke although that might not be wise after having had a cup of caffeinated coffee this morning to chase the brain cobwebs and take off the chill.

Working on a wee scarf for the new nephew for the ensemble (banky, hat, scarf, socks and, time permitting, cardigan). First one didn’t turn out very well so doing another (being a perfectionist can be soooo time consuming ). Still not sure when the christening is but scarf and hat will take 4 days so I’m not fussed.

And so, back to it.

…felt the need to truly highlight this site. It is called “Opacity” and the site is devoted to photographing adandoned buildings. The photographer, Mr. Motts, is a genius. No doubt whatsoever. His work is simply astounding.

A word of warning, do not go to this site unless you have lots of time to spare because you will get sucked in, view everything and then start jones-ing for more.

Seriously. See this example…

Or this one…

Hie yourself to Mr. Motts’ Opacity and prepare to be blown away.

You’re welcome.

My favourite kind of weather…chill in the air (42° fahrenheit), sunshine, breeze and just the tiniest bit of haze to turn the colours impressionistic.

And views like this. So peaceful, especially if you can manage to be out there when there aren’t eleventygazillion other folks out there as well. We managed that this morning, surprising in that it is a weekend but I guess folks were having a lie-in.

The camera I’m using is actually my brand new, spiffy MDA Vario III aka HTC Kaiser (I found it amusing that they pitched the Kaiser appellation here in Germany for the Vario III).

Having changed from being an inveterate Palm user since they were first released, this is all new territory for me. I have had a couple of PocketPC (precursors to WinMobile) but I always went ( e.g. ran screaming) back to Palm until Palm finally reached a point that I just couldn’t stick with. And so…here I am, I’ve been assimilated. The Borg got me. Resistance worked for nearly a decade but, in the end, they got me.

I needed a new cell (mine was four years old and, well, geek-factor y’know) and I decided that this time I wanted to streamline things so that I had cell, camera, GPS (well, that’s more for the fun of it, I generally know quite well where I am…Himself? Not so much.), PDA, MP3 etc. all on one device. It’s on this and done pretty well but I have to admit I was gobstopped by the craptacular battery life. Good grief it’s pitiful. But there are things I can do to increase that (like remembering to turn off the WiFi/WLAN stuff when not in use and putting the “when on battery turn off even before you turn it on” function…okay, 10 seconds of disuse). I was ambivalent about the keyboard dealie because I really haven’t much cared for this type of thing in the past. It’s not too bad on this and especially nice is how it is not taking up the front of the device like (meh) the Palm Centro. UG-LY. This keyboard is actually usable which is always a plus. It slides out from the back and tilts so that it’s like a tiny notebook. Well implemented. And miracle of miracles this device can actually recognise my horrendously awful handwriting. I have traditionally had trouble with PocketPC utterly refusing to understand what I wrote (I swear it laughed at me). This version seems to be doing just fine. One major (in my opinion) fault is the trend away from cradles. I use my PDA a lot on my desk and I do not like the thing flopping about without being anchored (cats) and upright. It does occur that I could put it in this mode…

…on the desk. I will try that.

So having received this device the day before yesterday, I spent that first evening cussing, whining, pitching hissies (this is all perfectly normal behaviour for me when faced with an unknown bit of gadgetry that is ALL IN GERMAN) and finally starting to get the hang of it.

ActiveSync (now Windows Mobile Device Centre…sheesh) is still a bit dodgy or perhaps I’m still not grokking it. I’m used to the Palm way of being able to see what’s going on during a sync. Too I had to get used to it insta-syncing when connected to the PC. But data moves both ways, I’m happy. A plus is the file management from the PC side. Anything to avoid dinking around with tiny stuff on tiny screens.

I was a little disappointed in the size of the device, I’d expected marginally bigger but even with my rampant far-sightedness I don’t have any problems (well, unless I add something like Journal Bar. Good features but my old eyes just couldn’t handle the tiny bits. Pity because I really like that application. But the bog-standard interface that comes with The Gnome* is perfectly usable (well aside from being in German and requiring lots of Leo referencing). Display is crisp and clear, brightness is definitely good and adjustable (good flashlight in a pinch and for, oh, probably 20 seconds given the battery life…grrrr). Device is pretty light and I immediately got a (very hideous) neck strap because I tend to drop things. It’s that awful. Can’t even photograph the thing properly it’s so awful (likely embarassed). But here’s a shot:

Yes, it does glow in the dark. Have a new one on order and am knitting myself a “sock” for it, complete with an i-cord strap. Must have fashion choices…heh.)

Sound on this device is wonderful. Even with my really poor hearing I can actually hear alarms, speech, video etc. With headphones it’s almost too loud. Kudos for finally making a device that doesn’t require bat ears to hear. That was my complain about my Tungsten T2, missed many alarms because I simply could not hear them. I don’t anticipate that with the Vario (*aka and henceforth The Gnome).

The camera is a 3 megapixel and it really seems to be doing a rather good job. Bit disconcerting in the “view finder” (basically the whole screen) in that it is a bit nausea inducing ’til the focus is obtained but I’m learning to wait a sec until it settles and then look. Usual issues with outdoor photography and glare, not being able to really see what’s in the display and having to “shoot blind” but that’s a problem with my full fancy digital. Some shots from this morning’s ramble:

Under my favourite tree. Being not-so-very botanically knowledgeable, this is some sort of beech? Like an aspen or some such. Anyway, this is one of a pair right alongside The Ditches of Neem and it’s lovely to pause under them and relax on a sunny day (well, except for when there are bits of exploded dead animals.).

And there is what we call “Heggelinstraße Creek” (no idea if that’s what it really is referred to, no one seems to know) and there’s the local farmer gathering the windfall apples (mid-picture, green jacket, next to tractor, kinda hard to see), probably before he mows down that cornfield.

More H’straße Creek. This time facing town with the rapeseed/canola field (stinky!). This is where SnakeZilla abides (abided?) but we haven’t seem him in ages. Also where Neem cools off by stretching out full length in the water in the summer.

And here is the “Poop Station” which I have never, ever seen anyone actually used but I have seen maintenance folks tend to at sunrise. The top part is where the bags and kept and the bottom where you’re meant to toss the used bags. I see folks taking bags and then schlepping the (full) bags home. But they are a rarity. Most just make sure their dogs do their thing out of the walking paths. Unfortunately not all do and I’ve taken to carrying bags with me to clean up after those morons who let their dogs (and usually their very LARGE dogs) do their thing right in the middle of the town sidewalks.

And then there’s things like this…

Odd bucket with what looked to be a pink sweatshirt crammed into it. Himself says it was there last night when they went walking at midnight. Go figger. Could pair it up with the abandoned bicycle gloves hanging from the fence nearby but the often-found baby socks would be a tight fit. There are at least 3 babies scooting about Markdorf with only one sock.

So, I think the camera on The Gnome is pretty good especially considering I was shooting completely blind. Plenty of features therein to experiment with yet.

Haven’t yet mucked with the MP3 bits nor the GPS (my head exploded when I tried to suss it out via the German menus). Did get MS Reader installed and plundered a mass of free ebooks from the MS site. Lots of great literature, nothing recent, of course, but plenty of good reads if you like English/American lit. Even got War and Peace, something I’ve meant to have a go at for, uhm, well, all my life.

So, all in all, so far, I think this was a good purchase. Geek factor is high, device is comfortably sized, keyboard is not in-your-face but easily gotten to, camera does a good job (still haven’t made a video), memory expansion is easily dealt with (itty bitty cards..yoiks) and the sound is great. WiFi/WLAN was easily configured (even for me!) and works a treat. Bit annoying if you forget to turn it off when going for a walk because there are tons of folk around here with WLAN and every time the device senses one, it just HAS to tell you it has.

Not happy with the battery life. It is abysmal. We’re trying to discern if this is the way it’s meant to be or if we have a defective battery. Put it this way, the Li-ion battery goes from full to 22% in an hour of off-the-charger use. I can’t help but think that’s a wee bit fast. Still need to see if turning off the WLAN/WiFi service helps.

And finally…

Home. We hope to move this year to the family house up in the hills to the north of Markdorf near Roggenbeuren. Need some photos of the place and the views. The views are outstanding, large valley with distant horizons…gorgeous.

And now off to futz around with the rest of The Gnome’s features and look forward to another walk on a perfect Autumn day.

Had a bit of excitement here this morning. I’d managed to stagger out of bed and had just arrived in front of my computer ready to see if the world was still revolving when I got a Skype from Himself (we use Skype to communicate between floors since my hearing is “teh suq” and he’s not of a mind to run up and down 2 flights of stairs from his office) saying only my name and “come down here, please”. Now when Himself starts calling me by my given name, I know something is very wrong.

I flew downstairs.

Apparently he’d been out walking HRH, doggie extraordinaire, when he (the doggie) did his usual “gonna leap this ditch” thing but he was at the end of the leash and came down “funny” on his right hind leg. I guess he yelped and limped and poor Himself about had a fit. He tried to carry him home but couldn’t manage it (HRH is a big boy) and they ended up walking back most of the way.

By the time I got downstairs, HRH didn’t look particularly pained but I checked his legs. No obvious signs of injury, he was favouring his right hind leg a tiny bit. Poor Himself was a basket case. I assured him that it didn’t look like anything awful had occurred and we should keep an eye on the doggie for awhile and no leaping ditches for a day or two. Poor Himself.

As the day wore on it does seem like it was just a “Damn! That hurt!” kind of thing ala toe-stubbing or bashing one’s knee into the coffee table. He was using it just fine, even doing some “oooh! mousies” leaps on both our walks and he’s bearing full weight on it.

Himself will likely recover completely too.
In other news, I decided I was going to test my “knitting from a pattern without having the first clue if I can do that”. Son of a gun if it didn’t actually come out looking mostly like it was meant to. Gauge was off but that’s because I didn’t arse myself (test piece) to dig up the right needles and just grabbed what was on the desk. I was astounded because I intentionally picked a pattern that had me going “uhm…what?”.

Lesson learned. Just follow the pattern, don’t psych yourself into “that can’t be right”. I’m sure there are patterns where it isn’t right (this one had a bit of that, didn’t exactly explain a couple bits but with the thing in hand, I could really only see one way to go about it and did) but I need to get past this “oh, couldn’t possibly because that cannot be right” business.

Nice day. Sunny, lower 60s (Fahrenheit), light breeze. Autumn is always my favourite time of the year. Leaves are now turning in earnest and given it’s 1 October, that makes sense. Still some cornfields that haven’t been harvested yet but most are gone and the apple harvest is chugging along. The poor walnut tree is apparently STILL chucking down walnuts to the nasty people who beat it with sticks. Evenings are closing in pretty quickly now…full dark at 1930. And time change is coming up soon so that’ll make it 1830.

Winter comes and I’ve cast on for a scarf for me with some yarn that is good for nothing but a scarf. It feels nice but it isn’t going to suit for critter blankets and I’d just as soon get it out of the stash and into something useful. Might be enough to make some fingerless gloves after I get the scarf done and if I’m really lucky a headband (I don’t wear hats unless it’s a matter of losing ears to frostbite…I look like an onion wearing a hat).

My circadian rhythms are telling me the seasons are changing. At the switch between summer/autumn and winter/spring, I go through a week or so of being all bollixed up with sleeping. Sleep easily interrupted, not deep etc. Passes and goes back to what serves for normal for me (which is about 6-7 hours). So I’m a bit off from mucked up sleeping.

Did help out Himself a bit today with proof-reading a Web site for him. It had already been translated from German to English (and rather well done overall) and I just had to go through it and tidy it up a bit. It was for a historical/research site and it was interesting reading too. I earned four skeins of “no complaints” yarn (precious commodity in a household where whinging and crying accompany each skein purchased in normal circumstances). Hah. Well worth it. Now…I wonder if I can get away with some really, really pricey yarn?

I shall have to look for some.