Independence Day 2012

Happy Independence Day, everyone! 

I certainly hope that everyone is having a wonderful day. Although there are a few states prohibiting fireworks displays, it is not the end of the world. Well, at least not for my family. We're being kept safe by our local governments during this big drought. I do not want a fire destroying my personal property because common sense isn't that common. Unfortunately there are people who do not watch the news, and cannot think beyond the tips of their noses. For instance, a gentleman in Colorado threw a fit because he was not allowed to have a camp fire. Yes, ladies and gents. If this man would walk down a few miles, then he'd  have the largest camp fire in the world. There is always the hope for this man to win a Darwin Award for deciding to camp overnight there.

Our state, Wisconsin, is one of those banning fires, fireworks, and other fire related activities. Our last date of rain was June 16th. This truly a very dry place. Anyone can see where the water runs out from our house. It's the only green grass around. We are diligently watering the garden every other night. Our onions, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and gourds are doing very well. The weeds are loving the water, too. In the back of my mind I hear, perhaps this wasn't the year to start a garden. Oh, well. Not much I could have done to predict this drought.

The last time we had a drought of this magnitude was 1988. I was six years old at the time. My father had just moved to Lake Geneva, WI, while my mother, sister, and I stayed in Hebron, IL. It was a dismal summer. I remember this summer because the trees were wilting and turning brown. All of the grass turned golden brown. Of course, this was way back before we had air conditioning, let alone central air in our homes. We played in the sprinkler a lot that summer. Even where the sprinkler was being run was still brown. I'm surprised our dog, Bo, didn't die of heat stroke. Bo was an American Sheepdog with very long hair. He didn't mind running away in all this heat. I swear that dog lived to run away. In some ways I believe Bo was reincarnated into our second dog, Sparky. May they both rest in peace.

Today our temperature is supposed to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat index extends the temperature to 105. This is the second straight day of these triple digit temperatures. My hope is to have 100% humidity. This is where the temperature and the dew point temperature are the same. For those readers living in the Southeast states, you'll understand why I want this. It means rain and a small cool down. I'll never forget seeing sunny blue skies while it rained in Pensacola, Florida, at NATTC.

While the temperatures soar I intend on spinning. It is the fifth day of the Tour de Fleece. I haven't been very productive this TDF. In fact, I did not spin on the first day. Our family had an emergency. Dear husband's step-mom was in ICU. We went to the hospital to visit and support my father-in-law. I spent time knitting, deciding what to do for dinner, shopping, and then dinner. After dinner our family did a lot of gardening after dinner. I was drained by all this activity. (Yes, these are excuses, but very valid excuses.) Yesterday, I did not spin either. I've been babysitting for our neighbors, and start before Peter comes home with the vehicle. Rather than walking half an acre with my wheel and accessories in terrible heat and humidity I brought knitting. In truth a whole lot of knitting didn't get done either. For some reason, my body is not getting enough sleep. I kept fall asleep while knitting and watching television. So, after I got home it was nap time. From there it was dinner, shopping for ice cream, eating ice cream, college orientation, and zoning out while spending time with the family. The best part of the evening was probably eating ice cream, which was closely followed by my bedtime reading. I simply adore All Wound Up. There are definitely parallels in our lives. Sometimes I wonder if we are distantly related.

Day 2 spinning and plying - 400 yards of BFL/Silk

Pictured above is the pre-fulling and twist setting four ply yarn from Day 2. I had to finish spinning some singles and then ply my arse off! There are some left over singles from my first four ply yarn. Those are being navajo plied today. Yes, today. I fully intend on spinning some new singles today.

This is what I plan on spinning. It's some gorgeous stuff. I also intend on drinking some of that yummy yummy tea! Thank you Kathy for this lovely swap package! I am truly in love.

I hope that everyone is having a lovely day away from the heat. May it be full of fun fibery projects!
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