New Years Eve Show

The Clinton County Fur and Feathers Rabbit Club held their annual New Years Eve rabbit show in Wilmington today. Luckily (since I sprained my back and could barely walk -let alone load rabbits) Andrew had already planned to attend with me. A good time was had by all. As you can see in this photo Evan Almighty is relaxed and spending his afternoon sprawled out on his side napping. He is so good natured. I visited with my friend Lisa and we talked about our wool projects and I knitted her a pair of wrist warmers with some of her hand spun Satin angora yarn while we were waiting for our rabbits to be called to the show table. Lilac Haven's Vesper won Best Opposite of Breed. Lisa took Best of Breed with Vidal who is handsome fawn colored buck. I would like to point out that as you can see in the above photo I spent a lot time on my hair style for the day and the wind and hat helped a lot too. On the way home we saw yet another spectacular sunset (it seems there was been many as of late). This particular one lit up the clouds in bath of light pink and light blue color that was visible in a 360 degree radius which is very unusual. (Note to self: I'm so glad I bought a small camera that fits in my purse. ) We are home now watching Music and Lyrics. We've seen it before but its an upbeat feel good movie so we are watching it again. Happy New Year Everyone!

Blue Skies and Rabbits

The sky was beautiful this afternoon. I really enjoy photographing the clouds. One of these years I will actually learn the scientific names of the formations. I took the nest box out of Phazana's cage today to give everyone more room to move about.

Winter Hike

Andrew got up this morning and declared that it was just going to be too nice of a day outside to be inside. Since the sun was shining at 8 am (for a change) I had to agree with him so we decided to go hiking at Clearcreek-about an hours drive south southeast on Route 33. So much for getting any work done on our book nook building project (more on that later..) On the way we fetched my friend Kim from her home in Bexley (in order to save her from a self imposed day of working from home) and the three of us took about a six mile hike along the creek and through the woodlands on the Creekside Meadows trail, the Hemlock Trail and the Cemetery Ridge Trail. It was quiet and peaceful and the sky was a bright clear blue. At one point it felt as if we were walking on a cool summer evening. Along the way we saw numerous plants and trees that most folks would only recognize by a certain characteristic only evident during the growing season. Besides us -the photos are of turkey tail fungus on a log;ferns casting a shadow on the sandstone;milkweed pods bursting in the wind; and witchhazel blooms. "Flower of witchhazel, Hamamelis virginiana. Witchhazel is the only native shrub that flowers in the winter in the eastern US. It is commonly found along streambanks and in coves and other rich, moist sites. Witchhazel is the source of the astringent and cleansing agents sold as Witch Hazel." source creditI was hoping to see Wild Turkeys but they weren't obliging today. Anyway it was nice to get out and I actually feel like I did something productive on my vacation from work. :-)

Antique Shopping

We went to the antique mall in Springfield today just to get out of the house and do some walking. I saw an interesting yarn winder (photo above) priced at $89. I also picked up a couple vintage spools to add to my small collection. I bought the one that looks like a top that has some grey thread around it and the longer one that contains the blue green yarn. There is 12 yards of the yarn which is some sort of natural fiber-it feels like silk. Andrew gave it the match test to determine that it is a natural (vs. synthetic) fiber. I only bought the longer spool because I wanted the yarn-its a pretty common one. Otherwise I try to find unique shapes. The total for both was $4. There were lots of other neat things including a vintage Old Towne canoe that was a mere $1998. Andrew wanted to buy it :-)

We Have Light!

We've lived in our house for 10 years. During that time every year in the winter we say the living room is too dark and we need to put up some ceiling lights. Finally this year we actually did it. Well Andrew did anyway. We have pretty much stopped watching tv and in the evening and when I want to weave, knit or spin and he wants to read there just isn't enough light. So on Monday before Christmas we went to Lowe's and I picked out two matching pendulum lights that have a dimmer switch and Andrew installed them right above our respective seats on the couch. Now there is an ample supply of light. :-)

Up On the Roof

Ever since the "hurricane" in October it has been raining shingles from the roof of our house. Andrew nails them back up and new ones come off. A fresh crop of shingles landed in the yard this past week with all that wind we got right before the ice storm. Since the forecast today is for rain again; here he is on the roof early this morning replacing some more. I called the insurance company this morning and reported the damage. Phazana and the babies, who are now three weeks old moved back to the rabbitry this morning.

Christmas Sunset

We just got back from mom & dad's. We had a nice day visiting and enjoying a large spread of holiday food and beverages. On the way home I counted 12 red tail hawks along the 98 mile trip. After we dropped my brother off at his house Andrew decided to walk Daisy home. I took my time driving back and looking at the beautiful Christmas sunset. Peace on earth...goodwill to all. Merry Christmas everyone!

Sea Foam Poncho

My mother in law purchased this poncho last spring at some type of fiber event in northern Ohio. It's lovely. I particularly liked the stitch that was used to join the two pieces together. It sort of looks like a braid. If anyone knows what the stitch is actually called please comment. Thanks.

Angora Wrist Warmers

My friend Lisa (who always finds the coolest websites) sent me a link to Joybilee Farms because she saw a felted hat that she wanted to share. While there I discovered an article written by the author about the therapeutic benefits of wearing angora wool. One such benefit is that angora wearables provide increased warmth for those who have arthritis pain. My mom and I both have issues with our hand so I decided to make some wrist warmers for us to try. I used 100% Satin angora-2 ply handspun yarn and knit on double point needles. I casted on 25 stitches and knitted around until I had them to the desired length.

Incredible Cuteness

The babies came out of their box today. They are so darn cute. Daisy loves them. She thinks she's their mommy.

Home for the Holidays

We celebrated Christmas up north this weekend with ice and snow to boot. It was a real white Christmas as soon as we crossed the Huron county line; as if we were in a different world. We got James got a miniature Bosch chainsaw that makes realistic chainsaw sounds along with all the needed safety attire: gloves, goggles, and hearing protection. He looks just like his uncle Andy wearing his gear. We ate too much and stayed up too late. When we got home Elisha modeled her shawl. I thought it looked nice on her.

Presents!

Elisha is here this weekend so she opened her Christmas gifts tonight. We got her a Flip Video among other things, which she really liked. She filmed a test video and I showed her how to load it to her computer. Daisy got some gifts too which she even opened herself by tearing off small bits of paper and then splitting them out. Right now we are watching National Treasure 2. I've seen it already but it is a really good movie.

Merry Christmas Babies

I was in digital video training all day-learning to transfer and edit film. Tonight I am suppose to be spinning Satin angora fiber so I can make some wrist warmers. You'd think I would be tired of the computer but no-here I sit playing around like I have hordes of time to waste. Above is the product of my merriment for the evening. Phazana and the babies (who really just got curious about their world today) were extremely cooperative during their photo shoot which enabled me to get some really cute shots.

Daisy and Courtney

Our neighbor down the street has a Westie named Courtney who is as spoiled as Daisy. We sometimes walk the dogs together and they seem to enjoy each others company as their humans solve all the worlds problems. We haven't seen Courtney and Bob for awhile but today they were coming out for their walk just as Andrew and I were taking Daisy by their house. Pictured above Andrew is bribing them with doggie peanuts so they will "behave" for a photo. Any other day they would sit quietly but as soon as I brought out the camera they both started acting like idiots.

Chubby Baby

The babies are ten days old today. Look how chubby they are. They have their eyes open now. :-)

Cupcakes from Heaven

Yesterday Carrie talked about The Bakery Gingham on her blog, Ruby. Being the cake lover that I am-that was about all I needed as incentive to try them out-I mean just look at the photos on their website and you will be drooling. As it happened we were on our way home from Dayton this afternoon and I suggested that we stop. (Of course I had looked up the address on my way out the door just in case there would be such an opportunity on the way home.). A little piece of heaven resides at 900 Mohawk Street in German Village in the form of the most luscious cupcakes you will ever taste. A little on the pricey side at $2.50 each but worth every penny; we bought a half dozen. (My brother was with us as if that made a difference.) Anyway the shop is cute too. While we were there some food critics from a local magazine were doing a review. I was glad to see that they had camera in hand as well while I was busy snapping photos of the chic decor. The bull dog painting is by local artist Linda Rumora. Better get going- the cupcake that I ate, called The Buckeye, had a whole buckeye ball baked into the center of it and was frosted with the lightest, most delicious icing I have ever tasted.

Hats Gone Wild...

When Elisha saw the hat that I knitted for the charity auction she asked me to knit a similar one for her. She picked out the colors. (Isn't she a lovely model?) I then did one for myself to match my dress coat and one for my aunt. Now its time to make some "man colored" hats. So tonight I sorted through my yarn and came up with a pile of suitable colors. The large ball of gray is a BFL wool angora mix so it won't be as fuzzy as the plain angora which I'm sure the guys will appreciate. I'm sure you have noticed that I am really enjoying these hats. They are quick and easy to make, unlike a sweater which takes weeks to make and wears on my patience. :-)

Two holiday parties in one day!

I'm bushed. I had a hard day of partying. :-) At noon time we had our annual holiday luncheon and auction for charity. Lunch was a delicious Italian buffet and the OC mascot, Cardy made an appearance to add to the festivities. Our department party came next with wine and noshing at 5:30 followed by a honey baked ham and lots of other goodies. I got to see a couple of old friends that I hadn't seen for some time and got to visit with some co-workers in a more relaxed environment than the office.

Baby Update

Several friends have asked about the Satin babies. They seem to be doing well and their mom is taking good care of them. They are now 6 days old. The above photo was taken this evening.

Poinsettias

Poinsettias are among my favorite plants. Yesterday I bought two of them-a yellow and a red. I have always liked poinsettias but got really enamored with them after picking up a book at the half price book store called, Poinsettias-the December flower-Myth & Legend ~ History & Botanical Fact by Christine Anderson & Terry Tischer. It is a colorful 8 x 8 book and I thought it would look nice on my coffee table during the holidays. I never really expected to read it but I did and it was full of interesting information about the favored holiday adornment. A couple of items worth mentioning from the book are that Joel Pointsett, the first US Ambassador to Mexico and an amateur botanist is credited with popularizing poinsettias; poinsettias are not poison; and poinsettia motif's are popular collectibles (I myself have picked up a few vintage postcards depicting the plant). The Franklin Park Conservatory currently has a spectacular display of almost 100 different varieties of poinsettias and it is worth a trip to see them if you have some free time during the holidays.

Janice West

For a number of years I have been searching for a reasonably priced Marx Janice West doll with all 13 of her accessories including the "elusive" compact. This past week I finally found one on eBay and she arrived yesterday looking just as I remembered her. Mom bought Janice for me in 1967 and my brother got a Johnny West, patriarch of the West clan, and his horse. We played with Janice and Johnny for hours. Alas they got sold in a garage sale. When I mentioned mom that I had found Janice again after all these years; she didn't even remember who Janice was, however when I told my brother he said, "cool".

Elisha's Swim Meet

We just got back from Elisha's swim meet. There were 23 teams and it lasted 8 hours. Elisha swam the 200 meter, the 500 meter and a 200 meter relay. Her times were a personal best for her today. She did a great job. I entertained myself by photographing her team in their various events. I had Andrew shoot me with a tranquilizer dart (just kidding although it would have been nice) for the trip home (2 hours) in a blinding snowstorm. He drove and I prayed. There were cars spun out all over the roads and 270 was closed in several sections due to multi-car accidents. How I ever got myself into traveling in that mess I don't know but Elisha was pleased that we came and that I did the photography -and we got home safe so it all worked out.

OAHPERD Convention

I served as the event photographer for the Ohio Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance's annual convention today. My feet are killing me from all the running around I did trying to make sure all aspects of the gathering were given adequate photo coverage. I shot 500 photos. There were over 1000 in attendance and it was, as usual, well organized and worthwhile. Some of our students volunteered to help out at the convention, in order to attend for a reduced rate, and they also participated in "Super Games". Teams from various colleges compete against each other in different sport related activities. I'm pictured above with one of my colleagues and the students who represented Otterbein.

Satin Babies!

A second mating of SH Phazana and SH Cameroon has produced 4 apparently healthy kits born between 9:30 and 11:30 pm last night. Mother and babies are in the garage where it is substantially warmer than in the rabbitry. Phazana seems calm and is taking good care of them so far. I am cautiously optimistic.