Bird wrangler

An addition to my list of domestic titles.

We have starlings that nest under the eaves. We definitely need to fix this, since they get into the attic. (But we're soft-hearted, so no kicking out the baby birds to do it.)

This morning, my middle kid says, "Mom, there's a bird upstairs." Sure enough, one of the adult starlings is flying around my second floor. I open the window next to the sewing machine and out s/he goes.

This afternoon, my husband says, "There's a bird upstairs." Judging by the down still remaining, this was one of the fledgelings. I opened the stairwell window a bit to open the storm window, and the bird flew up into the space. Rather than try to open the storm, I just grabbed it and carried it out. My daughter (12) is all excited - "I want to see it before you let it go!" So we go outside, look at the bird, let it go. She then looks at me and says very seriously, "You should really go wash your hands now." So I did. No more birds yet this evening.

I brought the iris quilt in from the car trunk so I can re-do the binding. It really needs to get done before guild on Monday.

Busy week

More like a week and a half since I last posted.

Our council meeting was last Friday - a wasted work day, but I finished a crocheted scarf from a ball of purple mohair I bought at the Sheep and Wool festival the first of the month. Friday night - hotdogs on the grill!

We spent most of Saturday outside, thanks to the Small Man. He would NEVER go inside if he had his way. My daughter had a friend over from Friday night, so we invited her mom over for dinner: cheese and crackers (with ham/turkey and some swell artichoke stuff) and sangria. Then, S'mores for dessert!

Sunday was a lazy day. I'm still worried about Lyme disease, as I have these bouts of fatigue and more than the usual joint pain. More grilling.

Monday, another lazy day. More grilling. And odd stomach pains.

Tuesday. Started a food diary to figure out if the GI issues have anything to do with food sensitivities.

Today. The tween's band concert was tonight. Middle school bands sound a LOT better than elementary school bands. DH cooked - tacos, yeah! I managed to twist my neck/back getting Small Man into his carseat, so I took Advil and am finishing off the rest of the sangria.

When we got home this afternoon, both cats were staring at the recycling bin, and loud "CHEEPs" were coming from the bin. I was a afraid it was a baby bird - we have a nest of starlings up under the roofline - but it was a chipmunk. We got the cats into the house, trapped in the bathroom, then took the apparently healthy chipmunk out to the high grass and let him/her go.

Did anyone get the license plate number of that truck?

Man. I've spent the day sick as a dog.

When I woke up, I had a minor headache - nothing unusual with a front coming through. I figured after a cup of coffee, I'd be OK. Before I'd even finished my coffee, I started to feel queasy. I was helping TMOTH clear out the shed to find the extra cat carrier - it was rabies clinic day at the animal shelter, and our cats need their shots. I had to quit. I came back inside and went back to bed. Chills, muscle pain, the whole 9 yards.

NOW, I'm still not back to "normal" (whatever that is) and plan on cheesy rice for supper. Needless to say, no sewing or quilty business of any kind happened today.

Vision 2008

This was supposed to be a New Years thing...but it took me this long to finish it.


It was a nice small project while working on the bigger slower stuff.

Visions

As part of a New Years Resolution on steroids, one of the members of my MUW alumni outlied a visioning process that I started. I hit a major roadblock at the step that required magazines - I quit subscribing to nearly everything, and the ones I get free from the daycare go into recycling as soon as I read them. The project was back-burnered until I realized that stash = source material. I started this weekend and am nearly done. No teaser photos; the finished project will just spring forth.

Barb just tagged the world!

Barb at So How Was Your Day? has just tagged EVERYBODY.

Your mission - should you choose to accept it - is:

write your memoir in six words or a title or something like that.

"Thank God I ignored the housework"

Tagged!

W girl extraordinaire Amy J has tagged me.

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

Welllll, the closest book is Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife, the second/middle book in the Dark Materials trilogy.

"Sister, it's time I parted from you," she said to Serafina. "I'm going up to speak to these angels, whatever they may be. If they're going to Lord Asriel, I'll go with them."

Now, who to tag...
1. Ruth, to be sure, at This That and the Other Thing - I know she's a fellow book-lover and W girl
Then, heading backward from the end of the POL blog ring:
2. Barb, at So How Was Your Day?, since she's just tagged EVERYBODY
3. Beth, at The Jury is Still Out
4. vtquilter
5. Colleen, at Life's a Scrapshoot


And just to be rebellious - anybody else who wants to!

Happy blogging, everybody!

Cheapest Jo-Ann's trip EVER

I spent a total of $3.03.

I went with the SPECIFIC purpose of buying fusible interfacing - it was on sale at 50% off and I wanted to play with some. I bought what was left of the Wonder-Under on the roll - about 2 yards worth. The last half-yard looked like beavers had been chewing on the edges, so I got charged for a yard at half-price, half a yard and a quarter-price, and a quarter-yard for free. I also bought a spool of ribbon ($0.25) and a damaged fat quarter ($0.37) from the clearance shelves and a spool of black satin cord ($1).

I did some fabric browsing, but nothing was really calling my name.

100th post, and no giveaway

There, it's official. I'm a party-pooper. I'm just a little too frayed around the edges to commit to a drawing and sending out stuff just now. Maybe some random post in the future.

I was so busy posting pictures last night that I didn't talk about the Sunday booty. I came home with:
1. A bar of soap for DD12's best friend's mom [who was doing me a HUGE favor by adding my kid to her mix for the day]
2. A loom with natural cotton loops and Kool-Aid to dye them with
3. A "learn to spin" kit. Intellectually, this makes no sense. I need another hobby like I need another hole in my head, and wool makes me itch. I am, however, entranced by the process of spinning. We'll see how it goes.
4. $60 worth of locally raised lamb
5. Some scraps of hand-dyed felt to be incorporated into future quilt projects

Pictures from Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 2008

All of these are from the second day.

First things first - fashionable footwear a must:


The mid-kid pushing his little brother, who was busily strapping himself in:


Don't they look sweet?


Multi-color sheep:


Scratch my ears, PLEEEZZZE?


Boys getting up close and personal:




Little coats for the sheep after they've been sheared:


I think these are the Jacob sheep. Aren't they some of the coolest damn things you've ever seen?


I definitely like the sheep with horns better than those without.


Dreadlocks!


Horns AND long hair!


And now for something completely different! Here's a llama, there's a llama, funny llama...






The tween got a REALLY great photo of one of the sheepdogs working, but it hasn't been downloaded from her camera yet.

Gratitudes:
1. Great guild meeting tonight - a lecture by Rose Hahn. Very interesting perspective. (also an oh, crap - I forgot my secret sister's gift and will have to mail it)
2. SRRING!
3. A new t-shirt for donating blood today - bright pink!

For the fashionably dressed cat

http://www.petoffice.co.jp/catprin/english/#ojo

If I knew who first posted this, I'd give credit - I was browsing some art quilt blogs and the blogger had this up. I immediately e-mailed it to DH, who can appreciate SOME fabric art.

Maryland Sheep and Wood Festival, Day 1

http://www.sheepandwool.org/

Sorry, no pictures. My husband and middle son are on a cub scout camping trip and he took my camera; my daughter is going to a sleepover and took her camera (that has a few pictures from today on it).

So far, the only things I've bought for myself are a bead loom (wanted one for a long time!) and 10 "sample" hanks of yarn for $0.15 each. My guild secret sister is a knitter, so I bought her some yarn.

I'm going back tomorrow so DH and middle DS can go - and hopefully get some beads for a friend (and well, maybe, something for myself).

No camera also means I can't post the progress on the May UFO. Not a big progress - a small stack of 3" x 3" squares cut from one of the grab-bags from the quilt show. Lovely, lovely fabrics, mostly Asian-inspired.