Glorious in its Imperfections and Farm Cat Shenanigans.

After a very small (okay, one day) hiatus from knitting so that my hands could rest - alas, my mind could not, ergo one day - I was hot on my pair-of-socks-a-month deadline.  Not surprising to those who know me, these were not too big, as were the last ones.  They were too small!  I was a tad disappointed, as the yarn was special - a hand-dyed green single Merino - but I bucked up and went on the lookout for someone with more diminutive feet.  With any luck, these socks will be winging their way northeastwards to someone who sports Audrey Hepburn-like footsies.  And who will appreciate them in all their glorious imperfection!

For those of you who are interested (if you're not, just hum a few bars of something - I'll be back in a second), these were knit with a magic loop, from the toe up.  First for me and I like it!


I'm back.  I've been chipping away at the snow load and Mother Nature has been giving me a hand by a) not dropping anymore snow on us and b) providing daytime temps that encourage meltage.  Unfortunately, our night time temps encourage freezage.


Which is why this is my view every night and every morning:

Lump A (left) and Lump B (right)
Peanut Butter and Lovey, respectively.
Lumps are interchangeable, as are the blankies

On Saturday, I visited my parents and got to see my sister and dog nephew.  I then swung by my friend's house to drop something off and commiserate over her frustration at having a broken ankle and a large farm to take care of.  Indeed.  Luckily, her husband has been stepping up, as have various nieces and a nephew, and the weather has been crapola.  I was excited to see their new addition, which she, so far, has only seen with binoculars.

We believe it is a little boy dumpling.

Then it was back home for more shoveling and housecleaning, and whipping up a quick, early dinner for my 83 y/o neighbor who has been my savior during March and beyond. 

*****

I have been feeding the cats at the dairy farm's abandoned farmhouse for almost two years.  During that time, a female cat (which I named Grayce because she's gray and I'm so creative) has been a constant.  She is, thankfully - I think, fingers crossed - spayed.  I seem to remember her from some years ago as a catch, spay and release project from a well-meaning but dingle berry local woman.  This is the same woman who 'set free' a neutered male, long-haired city cat that got so matted and burr-infested that he had to be trapped, shaved and rehomed INSIDE, poor boy.  Anyhoo, Grayce has gone through her share of boyfriends and seems to have settled on a rather taciturn male with tiger stripes.  They get along, she whacks him on a regular basis and he puts up with it, and all has been going swimmingly.  Until his insane doppelganger arrived.  This boy has hormones up the wazoo and gets into fights on a regular basis.  He's a mess and has upset the apple cart of harmony.  We're stuck with him because...

There are steps there, somewhere.

And this pic was taken after a week of meltage.  Of course, the three feet of snow on the metal porch roof has come down as an avalanche on a regular basis and, try as I might, I can't keep up with it.  If it's frozen, I can scale the mountain of snow and reach the porch proper, where they are fed.  Unfortunately, I cannot do this safely whilst donned in work clothes - and I feed them on the way to work.  I will have to dig the steps out again this weekend and, hopefully, oust the bugger.  I will try to tempt him to the front porch, but, you know, hormones.