Through-the-window Thursday

I'm making slow but satisfying progress on the cabled hat now; this is one completion of the pattern (it is difficult to get a photo that shows the cables with this dark yarn!):
I haven't had much time to spin, but this eight ounces of alpaca seems to be going faster than the previous two. Dare I hope I'm getting faster?

The view from my (dirty) "spinning window" is colorful right now. To the right of "straight out" is our flowering cherry; its glowing foliage is also visible through the window above our front door. To the left of "straight out" is the Japanese maple in the island that I just love. The weather is changing; after several absolutely glorious days, today is cloudy and windy with rain on the way.

I took this photo from the deck. If you click to biggify you can see the golden maple leaves blowing in the wind against the backdrop of the dark green Douglasfir. Leaves falling down like rain, before the rain starts blowing like leaves?

That's it for now from . . .

Torch Tuesday

As in the flaming foliage of the Japanese maple in the island bed of our circular driveway:
And as in "I am carrying a torch for you, Dinah; stand still!""What? Is it my snail scurs?"

That's it for now from . . .

Mute Monday

A fair first

The first day of November couldn't have been any nicer; today was one of those perfect fall days. Actually, the whole weekend has been lovely, starting with this dramatic sky Friday evening:
At church on Saturday I was finally able to present Hannah with the cardigan I knitted for her:It's too big, as her mother planned; hopefully she'll get plenty of use out of it the next couple of years. Her birth mom is under 5' tall, so she will always be a petite thing.

We were out late Saturday night at a barn party with our Christian trail riding chapter, so Brian slept in this morning. He needed it, but what a shame to miss a minute of this beautiful day!Rick and I got up and did chores, stripping and rebedding the horse stalls. After a big, late breakfast, we headed back outside to take full advantage of the bonnie weather. While Rick and Brian blew and raked leaves, I stripped and rebedded the sheep fold. Then while Rick did some barn and fold maintenance, I stripped and rebedded the chicken coop. (And hurray! Rick finally agreed to finding a remnant piece of vinyl to protect the plywood floor and make it easier to clean!)

While we strained our backs, the sheep ate hay and napped in the sun,(Brava here was bred the evening of Oct. 30; late March lambs, here we come!)

and the dogs did what dogs do.

I really didn't think Dozer worked that hard today, but by this evening he looked as wiped out as Rick!

That's it for now from . . .