Oacoma, SD

Not much milage today. I played tourist instead. Deadwood was fun - I took a tour and saw the cemetery. For lunch, it was Wall Drug and a buffalo burger. I met a giant rabbit there. Then I discovered 1880 Town: An entire mini town with about 20 buildings you can wander around in. Plus a museum. Plus a bunch of Dances With Wolves props. Plus for $5 you can dress up in their period costumes and take pics of yourself all over the town. Plus I got to pet Buck, the horse who played Cisco. Pretty neato. Again, these are all cell phone pics, so bear with me!

Spearfish, SD

Preston continues to perform flawlessly, aside from his sluggish hill climbs.

Low points: Hitting a bird and driving 100 miles looking at blood and brain.

Having a fuel pump explode, showering Preston and me with diesel. Both of us required baths / costume change. And we were charged for the fuel.

Attempting sleep in the parking lot of a Best Western, having found No Vacancy for the past 1.5 hours. Giving up and driving another hour.

High points: Sharing a rest stop with a flock of jealous hot-rod octogenarians.

Seeing a fox and a Peregrine falcon (that may have been Day 1).

Writing alternative lyrics to 4 songs - details later.

Finally getting a shower, rinsing off the sweat, grit, and diesel. Sliding into a cool, firm bed with an abundance of squooshy pillows. Perfection.

Today: I'm so close to Deadwood, I can't resist dropping by.

Alberton, MT

Here’s the post I was writing in my head (when driving for 6 hours straight your mind seeks something to focus on):

“My three favorite things today: Alia’s mix CDs, Preston, Rain-Ex. In no particular order. Roadtrips are the perfect way to enjoy the stunning beauty and diversity of our continent’s landscape.”

Then it started raining harder. I loved Rain-Ex the most now. I honestly didn’t need my (inoperable) wipers, thanks to the multiple coats. I considered pulling off, but I could see just fine and Missoula was an hour away… I wanted to get that far, at least.

Then the lightning got really close. Heather, remember that epic storm we rode Victor through on I-10? The one surrounded by three hurricanes? This one wasn’t as fireworky, but it was certainly as blinding. And Preston was leaking not only on both my feet, but from a few places overhead, too. The first possible hotel was definitely getting my business.

Then the hail started. Both windows down, of course, to keep the windscreen defogged.

Passed a number of “no services” exits, and finally landed here, in this cute oh-so-Montana River Edge Motel. After wading through a puddle up to my knees I checked in, drenched head to toe. There’s no internet or cell coverage, but this place really is adorable. The staff (owners?) let me use their landline to alert the media that I was still alive.

What a fun day! I hope it’s drier tomorrow, though. :)

Note: Posted 1:30am when I was inexplicably able to get a WiFi signal.

It was only a matter of time: Cat-Cam

Mr. Lee has been fitted with a tiny camera that snaps a peek into his world every few minutes. Sheer brilliance!

Why do my plans always have to change?

Preston's wipers don't work. Pulling over on the side of a dark, rainy highway in midnight Montana doesn't appeal to me, so they have to be repaired. And some jerk stole the faceplate of the stereo along with the rear DVD, so I might get another jukebox installed while I'm at it. We're going to have to replace it at some point, and having music for my journey sure would be nice. Possible escapeage of the gravity of the PacNW Black Hole on Monday afternoon, but Tuesday seems more likely somehow.

Pics: My friend Holly, who has become a juggler and hula-hooper extraordinare (at the same time, folks!). Alex's giant millipede Ichabod exploring the wilds of my arm. Preston outside Pike Place market. Pardon the cell-phone pics, please!

Calling all KnitSibs!

Preston & I will be at VY&T this Saturday! See you there. :)

I'm off to see the Wizard...

... or at least visit the Emerald City! I'm flying out to Seattle tomorrow to collect Preston and see my WA friends. I had hoped to swing by Portland on the way back, but it's not going to happen this time. I need to get back here pronto. In addition to missing my little family, my return is accelerated by my acupuncture practice taking off. I'm going to teach a seminar on "Easy Advanced Bodywork." I'll be sharing some osteopathic techniques that don't require anatomical knowledge. Let me know if you want to reserve a space.

But before that happens, I'll be driving back on the Yellow Brick Road. You may recall my previous London Taxi cross-country trek in Victor, with Heather. This adventure will be similarly hot (still no A/C) but a bit more lonely. Fortunately, a fellow MS3 knitter, Judy, is putting me up for the night in Minnesota. How fun is that? I'll be armed with a pile of books on CD and a CB to keep me company. I'll post when I have access, and of course I'll have my phone. See you soon!

MS3

If you knit, you need to do this. It's a mystery. Nobody knows what it is. But over 4,000 of us are doing it, in 6? 7? languages. Chart and written form available. And it's free.

Just do it. You'll be sorry you didn't sign up when the door slams shut this Friday at midnight.

You know you want to.

Resistance is futile.

No Sheep For Me!

I love Secret Pal Swaps, and the No Sheep For You book / blog / swap has been a great way to expand my fiber horizons. I get into engineering special little packages to suit my target, and I adore (of course) the prezzies in the mail. It's always interesting seeing how others see me when they assemble the surprises, too. Today is no exception. It's not the first time I've wanted to send stuff UPSTREAM, too, but WOW... I really hit the jackpot with this one! I knew I was going to like her because she was teasing me relentlessly with emails. She really drew out the suspense, mailing on the last day of the month!

Check out the mountain of cheerfully wrapped goodies... and what the mountain yielded when mined. Lindt truffles, Harry & David Moose Munch, Jelly Bellys, Lantern Moon circulars (I actually said "Oh my GOD!" out loud), a funny cat book, a kitty bookmark (doubly apropos because I'm riding high on the wave of paperbackswap.com), knitty stickies, a cute card... and...(drum roll)... 2 skeins in lush Caribbean blue cotton, and 2 soy silk in a rich purple that refused to photograph well.

Holy Cow. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Also - here is the silk spun up as a 4 ply. Each single was basically thread. It's now worsted weight. I have 107 yds, plus 37yds of Navajo plied single that I had left over. Project ideas, anyone?

I'm finally famous!

Well, okay, not really. But I was named as a Rockin' Girl Blogger award winner. Sweet!

I, in turn, nominate:

KnittingKitty - Emma
SpinningWheel - Terri
Artsygal - Jas
YarnHarlot - Stephanie
FuzzyLogic - LeeAnn

Because I need another project...

I know, I know. But I've fallen in love with the concept of Heathen Housewife's Sock Yarn Blankie. It's the perfect solution for all those leftover bits. Unfortunately in my move I cleansed my stash rather viciously, so I lack the resources to sink my teeth into this project. If you have any "High Quality Ends" as I call them, and want to contribute, please do. As much as the concept warms my heart, it'll be far too loud for Matt to allow it to warm our home: The finished blanket will be donated or raffled to raise money for donation to a worthy charity. Double bonus points to get you into (the positive afterlife experience of your choice) if you knit the square, but of course I do plan to have most of the fun myself. Photo courtesy of Shelly, the Heathen Housewife. :)

It's official! I have a practice!

I've rented a room at the lovely Spirit of Yoga studio to open my acupuncture practice. It's a happy space with lots of massage, facials, etc going on already. Their needler just left so I already have a built-in clientele... and I get to take free yoga and pilates classes! I had my first one yesterday: Today I'm sore in that delicious post-workout way.

PA doesn't require a license for massage, so I'm starting with acupressure and bodywork until my paper comes through. I've bought a table and some supplies, and I'm casting about for a nice dresser to hold my stuff.

Girlie is sharing the room with me, doing her Intuitive Massage.

YAY!!

PRTZL is taking shape

Thanks to Girlie's creativity and boredom, we now have a website!

Knit for Brains

RE: Yesterday's roadtrip: I forgot to mention that you know you're with another yarnoholic when you pass a road sign for "Kitchens St" and you both read it as "Kitchener."

Also, Weird Al should redo "Shiny Happy People" as "Shiny Happy Needles" in my hands... It's a natural! Don't you think we need a good pop anthem to celebrate our increasing world domination?

Always be prepared!

In an effort to gather intellectually wacky friends, we've put together PRTZL: The Philadelphia Resist The Zombies League. Ultra-cool gear here.

I have Yarn-dar!

Today I geeked out with Jas, AKA Artsygal, yarn handpainter extraordinare. First we kettle-dyed some merino sockweight. Then we went by Twist, an LYS on the NE side of Philly. Silk was 40% off... yikes, what's a girl to do? I got some light purple to make a summer cardi. On the way there, I spied a yarn shop that Jas had somehow never seen. She declared Yarn-Dar my superhero talent. We then ventured off to the High Meadow alpaca farm in New Hope. We each scored a fleece for $40. Mine is 4 lbs, hers 5.6! After that, well, there was no way to end the day without a stop at Coldstone. :)

Pinkness

When my dear friend and acu-mate Kate told me she was preggers, I immediately started this cotton feather & fan baby blanket. You can actually catch sight of it in an earlier post, identified only as a mysterious gift. I had my fingers crossed for a girl, and I got lucky. Isabel Rose Keyes was introduced on June 14.

The leftover yarn became foot warmers for the ever frigid-toed Girlie. I was going to embroider a guitar down the sides but she was too impatient. I like the funky picot edging.

And don't drive tired, either.

Jacqueline's story here.

Pirate Room, In Progress

I had hoped to get the room more complete before I showed it off. The remaining details are taking longer than expected since we're working on a shoestring budget. I'm going to felt a parrot. Also in the works: Glass floats, charts, more netting, a cutlass, lanterns, a masthead, some rope, etc. We're also going to tin foil some padding under the treasure to make the chest look full. The bottles were found by Matt as a child. Mr. Bones is now holding one.

I had been working up an Arabian Nights concept for the bedroom, but Matt wanted to go Gothic. Alia (she's so brilliant!) came up with a Knights Templar compromise: It blends Middle Eastern design motifs with a Byzantine aesthetic.

Heather: Fear not, the master bath is still Spongebob!

Gettysburg, Take 2

This is Girlie. She was having a discussion with #322.

The Mother's Day Project

Ann Landre has organized a unique tribute to our troops. Hundreds of crafty girls around the nation are stitching the name of one woman lost in Iraq. The names will be sewn together into totes, which are designed to raise awareness in the general public as they are carried around town.

She says it best:

The [...] purpose of The Mother’s Day Project is to draw attention to the human cost of the Iraq War. While the parameters of the Project focus on women who have lost their lives serving as part of the Coalition forces in Iraq, it is not meant to exclude recognition for others who have lost their lives due to this war. Male soldiers, men, boys, girls, infants and Iraqi women have died in the thousands. They are all worthy and deserving of our attention. They were all part of the universal “us.”

This war, more than any other in my lifetime, has been removed from the collective psyche of our day-to-day lives. What we see, what we know and subsequently, what we feel is tightly controlled. [...] The Mother’s Day Project, in making the losses of war personal, changes forever the sense of disengagement.

She played dirty pool and sent me a woman sharing my name. That really made me cry.

Chief Warrant Officer (CW5) Sharon T. Swartworth, 43, of Virginia was the regimental warrant officer for the Judge Advocate General Office, based at Headquarters Department of the Army, Pentagon. She was on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that was shot down Nov. 7, 2003, in Tikrit, Iraq.

Bathroom

I know, I stink. I promised you photographic evidence of my new abode and I failed to deliver. Most of the rooms are still taking shape (okay, not the walls per se, but the decor) and I want to wait until I'm done. As a preview, here's the main bathroom. Pay no attention to the splotches on the monkey's face: I just had a shower and those are my wet tracks.

To answer your email questions:

School isn't happening this year. We didn't match with Matt's hospital until March, so I missed the deadlines. Will reapply for 2008. I'll get a job doing acupuncture at a doc's office.

I LOVE the new house. Nesting like a maniac. :) PA is green and gorgeous and the people are megafriendly. The city of Philly has roads worthy of the Dark Ages but some damn good cheesesteaks. It's fun going in but I am SO glad we decided to live rural.

Fig finally remembered he's a Coon Cat and not a Coon Cowerer. He's back to normal instead of acting like a psychotic PTSD Vietnam vet. Blackberry loves the porch, where she can lord over the local rabble (rabbits). We have at least 16 legs in the bed every night and everyone's happy.

Craigslist has been a goldmine of cheap / free furniture. My art room has 4 new matching Ikea pieces, for which I paid a total of $40. Great oak table & chairs (Yes! We have a table to eat on now!) for $50. My parents are visiting Fri-Sun so I am determined to have the house at least superficially finished by then. That means pics by Fri! :)

The only bad news has been the movers. They damaged all sorts of stuff and LOST a huge Rubbermaid tub containing my best roving. All of my alpaca, llama, merino, and even some silk hankies. Nothing irreplacable, of course, but I had hunted this stuff down and you all know what a notorious cheapskate I am. I really mourn for the black teenage alpaca - I had enough to make a cardigan and was working on a design.

Oh well - the important bit is that we are all safe and happy. And Fig is shedding enough to replace the bin of roving, anyway.

Rain & Thunder & Lightning

This afternoon we went to a potluck and a geocache hike on a gorgeous wooded path. We had a massive storm tonight, which we shared with a new friend (Alia) on our screened-in porch. In the past week we've seen both deer and rabbits in our back yard. We even saw a beaver today on the side of the road, just hanging out. I'm liking Pennsylvania a lot more than I expected!

Sorry about the lack of pics. I want to get the house settled first, and that should happen pretty soon. Be patient!

Movers just left

Needed: Lawyer
Broken: glass table, lamp, bookcase, angel statue
Scratched: leather couch
Missing: Screws to TV stand, desk, and bed

Having them out of my house: Priceless

Home, Sweet Home

We're here! It's sooooo good to be in a house. Our house. I'm nesting like crazy and we've only been here a few hours. The fur-kids are extremely happy. The front bay window has a foot-deep sill just designed for cats. Blackberry has claimed a corner of the porch and settled in solidly.

The only snag: The movers (rhymes with Mationwide) quoted us about $3500 to move our stuff. They called me today and said they'd be here tomorrow. But the cost has magically increased to $6800 and I have to pay cash. No credit cards. Like anybody actually has that kind of liquid assets at their fingertips!

We'll be calling a lawyer first thing in the morning.

Pennsylvania

Just over the border into our new home state. No speeding tix today. Iowa drivers were doing 40 in the left lane, making us crazy. Then a transport ambulance (lights, no siren) paved the way for 100+ miles at about 85 (speed limit 75). Woo hoo!

Peachy now has Front of Car priviledges, as long as he stays in my lap.

The Scary Farm

Remember that trip with Emma on March 11?

Here is the before - basically a bag of sheep $#!@ - and the after. Dawn's Custom carding made a gorgeous silk purse out of that sow's ear. Impressive!

Gillette, Wyoming

Here safe and sound. Cattle running around loose in the back of the car. Bunny continues to rule the world.

Montana is awesome. Matt got clocked at 93 and the ticket was $40. He almost said "Sweet!" to the cop. I got nailed an hour later doing 75 (both in 65 zones). Penalty was $20. They are our first tickets in 7 & 8 years. Can you tell we are in a hurry to get to our new home?

Travelcats at Moses Lake, WA

It's our first night on the road. Peachy (partially blind, toothless, declawed & arthritic) is the standout explorer. He was doing his patented Cutest Otter on the Planet pose in the carrier within an hour. Now he's gleefully climbing all over the hotel room, rubbing his face on all the edges. Blackberry has her own little kingdom in the bathroom, since I didn't want to have trouble catching her in the morning. She seems perfectly happy. Meanwhile Fig, our ultra-dangerous Maine Coon, is shaking with terror under the bed!

Ha! And you thought I was just goofing off!

For you few skeptics who think my fiber art is "a waste of time" (and yes, that is a direct quote, sadly enough): read this!

A Great Day

My morning started with Senator John Edwards' conference call. He's lauched a new site to reclaim peace as patriotic.

Then I joined birthday girls Emma & Terri, along with Ginger and Annie, for High Tea at VY&T. We were visited at various points by other wonderful friends, but I am a terrible person so I can't remember all their names. I do recall Tamara, who will apparently be taking my place in the Saturday circle. Terri modeled her newly finished sweater. Emma brought my pound of "mystery mixed breed" roving which had still been pink when I left her place yesterday. She transformed it into the reds I had been trying for. There's a reason people buy her stuff! Bonus: I was magically able to acquire some of that "über-fantastic" SeaSilk.

Alex and Sonja grabbed me and took me to the Everest Kitchen. That's some seriously good food. Then Deb joined us (she writes the blog for VY&T, which contains movie as well as fiber content) and we went to see "28 Weeks Later". Quite the adrenalin surge!

All in all, a really good day. Much better than packing and cleaning. :)

A Good Day to Dye

Emma and I spent the afternoon turning white stuff into a vibrant rainbows. Her handpainted roving is in such demand that she's having trouble keeping DragonFibers stocked! The bronze & gold silk looks better in person. The sunset colors are also silk. The blues are Merino, and the green is my Shabbit. Not too bad for my first attempt at multcolor dyeing!

Fourscore and seven years ago...

After finding our house, we drove down to Gettysburg. The battlefield sprawls across acres of grassy hills. It's hard to imagine this peaceful farmland as the site of three days of the worst butchery on American soil. We recommenddriving yourself with an audio tour. Matt's favorite part was recreating the famous Devil's Den photo. Fellow female tourists enjoyed the combination of the wind and his kilt.

Our new nest

I'm writing this from Pennsylvania. Matt & I found our house today. We are still renting but at least it feels like a real grown-up home.

It's a cute little bricky thing, with a huge back yard, a screened-in porch (the cats are going to love it!), a spare bedroom for visitors (YOU!!), and we even have dogwoods and azaleas in the front! It's out in the boonies in a quiet green neighborhood, but only a 30 min commute to Matt's hospital. It's close to the rail that can take me into the city, too.

Yay!!

End the war!

Support our troops by getting them home safely. Let Bush know he can't run the world for his own financial ends.

Pic: Army Spec. Danielle Green, 27, a former Notre Dame basketball star, holds her amputated arm June 30, 2004, at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Green lost her arm and sustained a serious leg injury during a RPG attack May 25 in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo/ Matt Houston)

FalconCam update

The falcons have hatched! Now the fun begins: Momma and Daddy bring meals back for them. Snakes, etc. Right now they're just fluffballs, but you won't believe how fast they grow!