A Quick Update

...because I'm freezing to death in this unheated office!


Monday Night Dinner

One of our usual participants is on vacation (we missed you, Kym!) but there was a lovely meal for the three of us. Please note the complete absence of Spam and aluminum, although I'm not sure I can vouch for the pedigree of the baked beans!.



This morning I met with Sandra of Atlantic Breeze Alpacas to plot all sorts of fun activities and workshops for the summer. Keep your eyes open all over the Internet for notices!


Chicken Soup with Rice

And then I headed for Stuart, despite the threat of icy rain, for another meeting. Afterward, since the rain didn't fall (the sun is out, now), Charlotte and Mary and I had a lovely lunch at Honduras Coffee.

It's Really Cold....

four degrees by the porch thermometer this morning. It might be up to ten by now!

A lot of the snow melted off on Friday, and the evening was a glowing gem. I fed the rabbits in a stillness that seemed unreal as the day faded. There was a ring around the moon that night, with two bright stars inside. Yesterday was overcast with a fuss of snow during the afternoon, some wind and then this morning was bitter. Four degrees and windy, with bright cloudless blue skies. More hauling water to the rabbits, hoping to keep them eating and happy!


Leaves Sweater

In the evenings I'm spinning, working on that delightful silver fleece, but during the long days with few customers I'm crocheting or knitting. I don't want to haul the wheel around in the cold. I started this crocheted sweater yesterday. I've been eyeing the pattern in Crochet Me since I got the book. It's by Annette Petavy and will have lots of swirly leafy things hanging off, if I have enough yarn. I'm using a nubby wool yarn that Bernat doesn't make any more, that wandered here somehow and has stayed for a long time. There's no yardage on the skein band, worse luck!

In other news, I put up a Facebook page for Greenberry House, go be a fan if you're on Facebook! Or join Facebook and become a fan. I thought it might be one way to do quick updates for the shop and get some more exposure.

And I've been busy updating the web site with more of the vendor yarns. I'm thinking to really expand the shop this spring; I keep getting hints that maybe the book store building will go up this year!

Back Home

Well, I came from this.....



to this.....



But there's no place like home!

Actually I've been home a few days, but there's always so much to do to catch up! The week has just flown by, and next week looks busier! I did manage to shear a gorgeous rabbit this week, but I have a couple more that are due!



I promised more news about the trip to Charleston, although it seems rather late to be talking about it. The Bed-no-breakfast was lovely, called Merhaven, and just the place to go if you want to stay somewhere and have no trouble with your hosts. We never saw them, although I got the idea from the furnishings that I would have enjoyed a talk. I'm sure that the hosts would have been available if we had looked for them. But I enjoyed being by myself in the room working, looking out over the city streets. And sitting in the courtyard. Sorry, I didn't get pictures of me knitting there; my partner got back late every day. He was working!



And I went shopping! I mentioned Knit, but didn't show my loot. This was in the "orphan" bin; just couldn't resist even though the colors are wild. I'm thinking maybe a crocheted shawl. As I said, Knit was a lovely experience and I'll be back! And I got a bag and some double-pointed needles in sizes I can't get for the shop yet.

Home again, just in time for a few nice days before the snow yesterday. It was the first we've seen this winter, really, so it was very exciting. The dogs were wild; I couldn't hold TJ on the leash and had to turn him loose. Fortunately there's not much traffic on snowy mornings. Poor George, Dad's dog, did not love the weather!

A report on projects: I'm busy spinning a lovely fleece for a customer. I had planned to get to it sooner but time just slips by. So Page, I'm working on it! And Maggie, your web page update is really on my list for this afternoon or tomorrow at the latest! I finished Bentley's sweater; I gave it to Kym this morning on our walk so I'll get pictures of him in it later. And the Regia sock I was working on.....well, let's just say I'm a little stuck...again!

Remote Blogging

in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. Every year we come here for a nice Civil War Show, right downtown, and this year has been lovely. In spite of a little rain!

I took today off to do some work on this laptop and some knitting. But the first thing I did this morning was take a walk. It rained heavily in the night but by the time I was ready to go out it was just overcast and a bit cool. I had a destination in mind, but I took my time, wandering along the city streets and admiring the beautiful houses along the way. I detoured into a tiny cemetery by a church and wandered through the tombstones. Several of the older homes along the way are being remodeled; it's lovely to see them preserved!

My route took me down King Street, lined with interesting and temping shops. I stopped only once, though, to speak to a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that was pining for attention in a trendy shoe store window. He had plenty of devoted fans inside; he just wanted all the admiration going!

Around a corner or two and there stood Knit, the shop I had found in my traveler's guide. This shop is all any yarn fanatic could hope for, with shelves crammed with a large selection and lots of cozy places to sit and knit. Nice staff; I wasn't there long at all before someone spoke to me, offering help. Even though they were busy getting ready for inventory both clerks were available to their customers and chatting to the knitters in the room. Nice atmosphere!

I bought some orphan yarn, more pictures later when I have a better Internet connection, some nice double pointed needles in Size 11 to finish Bentley's sweater, and another knitting bag. Yes, I know I didn't need it!

Now I'm going to go out and knit in the lovely courtyard of the little bed-no-breakfast where we're staying (also more about that later). I've been peering through courtyard fences and gates here for years; it's going to be enchanting to be able to experience sitting in one!

My sock has a heel!

Regia Sock

But if it weren't for Belinda and Cheryl at Mosaic Yarn Shop, I'd still be sitting here looking at a pretty tube of nicely colored yarn! They tackled the pattern with gusto (I bought it there so I had hope!) and soon figured out what the rather convoluted instructions were really trying to say. Last night I got most of the heel decreases done!


Bentley's Sweater

I'm going out of town for the weekend, so I wanted some easy knitting for the road. Bentley's sweater is ideal for the purpose. It's a simple pattern, called "Howl" in Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook. I made one for Lily out of scrap yarn. Soon we'll all be warm and cozy on our early morning walks!

January is passing...

Knitting and Spinning at Greenberry House

Time is flying by so quickly! Every year I say I will get so much done during the winter, and now winter is half over, nearly. And I've hardly begun all the projects that need to be finished by spring!

Nice weekend here, with warming temperatures. I was able to take the water bottles back to the rabbits on Friday. Much easier to deal with than hauling water and chipping ice out of bowls! On Saturday and Sunday both I sheared rabbits that were born here on the farm and are just now going to live with friends. It was wonderful to see Linda again; she also came to the stitching group night and we had fun catching up with all the news!


Little Greenberry

Speaking of rabbits, there's a new bunny in Meadows of Dan. This little guy, christened Greenberry, was made by one of Jane's needlefelting students. Laveta has taken off running with her original rabbit ideas and has made several unique little characters. I love this little guy, with his sassy tipped hat. He looks to me like he's flying on an orange cloud!

And speaking of friends, lovely Kym just started a beautiful blog, Dirt Road Ponderings. She has a delightful and unique way of looking at things, and her introductory post is thought-provoking!

Early Morning

It's lovely to wake up early in a cozy warm house, feeling well after a few days' bout with a disgusting, unromantic head cold. I was up before dawn this morning, with no walk scheduled and a feeling of having lazy hours before me. The moon and a brilliant star hung low over Burnette's hill in the east in a dusky dark gray sky, with only a hint of morning on the horizon.

It was fourteen by the porch thermometer; which seemed so much warmer than the four degrees of the morning before. I slipped into the dark kitchen and made a pot of tea, then crept back into bed with the collected poems of Auden and Earl Grey. A warm and sleeping spaniel pressed against my knees and a faint trace of guilt over the cancelled walk didn't keep me from enjoying the quiet of the early morning as I watched one bright star fade into silvery dawn.


Early January Morning

Peace doesn't last long after daylight here, of course. Soon after sunrise an impatient Lab begins to whine to be let out, and feeding chores begin in earnest with the dogs, cats and rabbits. I still had to haul water for the rabbits instead of taking down their bottles. It was twenty degrees at 8 o'clock. Walking out with the dogs was pleasant. Frost crystals etched the grass and sparkled into flowers in the early light. TJ bounded across the fields in his usual head-long fashion, while Lily stepped dainty in the frost and sniffed for night intruders. George sniffed, too, but with a "I'll find it! I'll find it!" wildness in his attitude. The cats sat tucked up in the sun waiting patiently, blinking in the brightness.

By the time I finished the rabbit chores the sun had banished the frost except in the deepest shadows, and I noticed on the way up the hill that the catkins on the pussywillow were already swelling. Some things look so dead this time of year, but even in the deepest winter there is still a hint of color in the woods. Wild doves soared over the corn field and chickadees called from the twigs in the quince, and three happy dogs greeted me as I came in the door.

Happy New Year!

Indeed one hardly goes too far in stating
That many a flawless lyric may be due
Not to a lover's broken heart, but flu.
---W. H. Auden

Maybe this is true for the most part, but I can't imagine much creativity coming from me over the past two days. Yes, I spent New Year's Day in bed with a cold. And yesterday. Naturally, "in bed" for me means the time between taking dogs out, feeding dogs, feeding cats, cleaning litter boxes, taking care of rabbits and other sundry duties that just have to be done for the household to keep going. And yesterday's temperatures plunged into the single digits, which meant hauling water to the bunnies to keep them eating.

Enough whining, right? I'm much better today and the New Year is looking bright. Cold, still; it was four degrees when I got up this morning. No pre-dawn ventures for Lily and me lately!

Hope everyone is looking forward to a wonderful 2008!