Preserve your own brain...

Years ago, I clearly remember my uncle having a panic attack when he realized that people are getting more dumb (dumber?) by the minute. He had fear that if there were nuclear fall-out and subsequent zombie infestation, or say, if the power suddenly went out for an extended period of time, all our family would surly perish of our own stupidity. None of us kids, not one, knew how to plant a garden, how to preserve food, how to slaughter a squirrel caught in a tripwire, how to survive a minute without all of our modern comforts. If we couldn't wander into a grocery store with a debit card, we were doomed. He was right, ya know? I am still likely to starve if left on my own. But over the years, I have thought about that little episode, it must have made some kind of impression on my pre-adult mind. Luckily for us, we stumbled into the digital age and I can now sing the praises of the internet once more! I can google anything I need to know, and someone, somewhere has written it all out for me. How to keep a cat from pooping in my flowerbed? or How to tie a shoe so it stays tied? And of course, the age-old question of how about how to build a solar oven out of left over junk?? Done and done. The only rub is that we have to use the knowledge at our fingertips now, before the impending zombie attack. (Be sure to read up on important zombie survival skills now, so you can be prepared.) But still, it is amazing that things that used to be passed from generation to generation, can now be found a few clicks away on the www.

Every year, my mom grows an amazing garden full of turnips, carrots, squash, tomatoes, green beans and peas etc. She has been doing this nearly as long as I can remember, and she does it so well that she can often have fresh veggies all summer long, donate to the farmers market and then preserve what is left over. She makes delicious canned pickled green beans, peaches, chokecherry syrup...basically if it can can, she can can...(that was fun, no?) So, I am making it my goal to learn to can what can be canned as well, and I am going to try to do it the good old fashioned way, I'm going to watch her and learn. One time she tried to teach me, but at the time it just seemed so complicated, and hey, if I could waltz into King Soopers and whip out the card, why would I need such an archaic skill? Uh, yeah, refer to the above paragraph. It is the same reason that I learned to knit socks, who can ever know when such a skill might come in very handy? Plus, I love the thought of jars of my own produce lining my pantry gives me great joy. It is a lovely mental picture, isn't it? (you'll have to use your imagination, we ate all the peaches and green beans already)

Oh yeah, and if you want to give yourself nightmares, go ahead and look for a zombie image on photobucket...

Remember when...

this used to be a knitting blog, and I updated it at least once a week, and had lots of things to talk about?? That was cool, huh?

Home at Last

While we are in no way as cool as Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, we are in fact (almost) home. We are taking the plunge and becoming first time home owners. Even though we have lived in this house for over a year before finally committing to homeownership, we are still as excited as we can be. We moved in last April with the desire, but not the means to buy. Now, thanks to government incentives and things falling nicely into place, we are under contract and it looks like we'll be closing sometime in May. Yikes, and yippy! I have been thinking about all the things that I can do the minute I sign the paperwork, but just being the owner of a home will be enough at first...except for cutting down a massive tree that is about a foot from my roof.

Knitting is dismal, but that is because I am simply the most lazy knitter known to the craft. I haven't really worked on anything lately. I did print out a pattern for a shrug that I will be working on, mainly so I can wear my shoulder baring dresses without freezing, so not out of love of knitting. It never seems quite warm enough in Colorado to go completely sleeveless for more than a few days a year, but I do have some cute dresses that I still try to wear. The one that caught my eye is the Simple Stockinette Shrug by Daniela Meier. I like the 3/4 sleeves, and the open front. I am thinking that some nice cotton blend or something in a soft and squishy cashmere would be great, I am looking forward to starting it soon. I'd like to have it ready by next book club where we are having an English tea for Persuasion. But you know me, I rarely get past the excitement phase of most projects, and when I do actually get something done, I usually don't have a camera on hand to show off.