Just passin' through...

"Anythin' interestin' goin' on around these parts?  Oh, I see the garbage truck is passin' through..."

"I'll just mosey on over the hill."

Hot, sweaty, summer work

It's hot - and I'm sweaty, but much needed work is getting finished. 

I planted some petunias in flower pots.

I trimmed back some trees and removed dead juniper branches; I loaded them up on the trailer to take them to the dump/recycling facility -- only to find out it is closed on Mondays!  Drat!! 

So, I'm going to sit in the shade and have a nice cold drink.

Turn a heel

The Knitting Gnome is already turning the heel for me on this new cast on.  This yarn is fantastic.  So soft and squishy. Oh, and I just love the Dragonfly Sock pattern!!  The color is washed out in the photo below; the real color is dark and rich, as you see above.

A little walk around the town square

The meadows, fields, hillsides, and mountainsides in WY have not looked greener in many years.  It's because of all the rain!  Even though we may be moving into a hot and dry pattern of weather for a while, we're enjoying the scenery!

It's so great to see all the green!  This was a photo in Jackson Hole on the Square a week ago.  This big ol' bronze moose and bear have the green slopes of SnowKing ski area in the background.

How about a ride in the stagecoach?

Or have a leisurely chat on the park bench with Mark Twain?

Cute little gnomes

I taught another needle-felted gnome class at the Lander Art Center.  The gals did such a great job.  I thought you might enjoy seeing a couple of them.

The gal (Vicki) who made this little "lady in blue" had already made a make gnome and wanted to try something a bit different.  As she progressed through the early stages of forming the core, she decided this one wanted to be a female.  She had fun learning more about adding detail work to  the face, the hair, the dress.  And we all loved the results.

And then I think this little guy will make you smile.  He was made by Denise, and she added some extra definition to the face and hands, which worked out great. 

It was a fun evening!!

Piano regulated

Thane Y. suggested I consider getting my piano regulated when he was tuning it about a month ago.  I agreed, it should be done.  Some of the action on the keys and pedals was a little "loosey-goosey."  Thane checked the date on the make of the piano when he tuned it, and it dates back to 1948.  I'm quite sure nothing has been done to it in all these years, except regular tunings and loving care. 

It took 6 hours.  It's meticulous work, taking a great deal of patience.  Step one was to "deconstruct" the piano - parts were laying on available spots on the floor and dining table.  The keys lined up on the table.

The messy fiber work was done outside - because it turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL, windless, warm, sunny day. 

When it was time to put it all back together, it went well...pretty fascinating.  Until Thane saw that two pads for one key had been set aside and ... forgotten.  Oppps.  So, he had to back up...do a little deconstructing ...until the pads were in place and the final screws were turned tight. 








The  piano sounds great...feels great...and I'm looking forward to time on the keys.

More Musings

Yes, by golly, those big ol' buffalo can jump a fence.  We watched about 8 of them in a row; I got a video of the last one making the jump.  He was a bit apprehensive, but he finally lifted his front legs up and over and his back legs rocked over so easily.  It looked effortless. 

And as for feeding those little bunnies -- well, after moving my grass, I put a handful of grass clippings near their little den.  They've been nibbling away on that.

This morning I haven't seen them.  Hmmm...wondering if they've already tried venturing outside the yard...or just sleeping in... or what???

In the meantime, I'm catching occasional glimpses of these beautiful little yellow finches (?) pecking for thistle seed.

Buffalo, Bunnies, and a Beanie

On a trip back from Jackson Hole a few days ago, we stopped to photograph some buffalo that were very close to the road.  I didn't even step out of the car to take a few shots. 

It was maybe 5 minutes later, and about 8 buffalo decided they were in a hurry to cross the highway, and they headed for the fence.  And they jumped it!  Yes, they did.  I had never seen a big ol' buffalo hop gracefully over a fence (probably 4-5 feet tall).

The wild life in my yard is multiplying.  I guess it's true what they say about rabbits!  I've got another batch of babies under the boardwalk, and they are SO CUTE.  I'm watching and photographing them from the window...so entertaining.

The spiral-rib hat is off the needles.  I think it's going to work!  I was afraid the yarn was going to be too drapy, stretch out, and not recover, but it appears that may not be the case.  Time will tell.

Carving gullies

I drove through Wind River Canyon again, after the flash flooding carved deep gullies in the steep canyon walls and pushed huge rocks onto the road.  That event was a good two weeks ago, and heavy machinery is still working on the road and railroad, moving dirt and breaking up car-sized rocks.  Perhaps you can see in the background that the traffic is stopped on the highway; I suppose we waited a good 15 minutes.

The gullies are big on both sides of the road.  It must have been a spectacular sight to see this event ... that is, from a safe distance.

Have you started a summer read?

This is mine.  It's absolutely fascinating and so well written.  I've only read the first 100 pages, but I'm enjoying the story of the man behind the idea to build the Brooklyn Bridge, and then how the project progressed to completion. It was Roebling's hope that people would come to New York just to see this incredible structure.  In the mid-1800's, this would have been the most impressive building project to date. I find I take so much for granted, not knowing what led to such engineering feats that have progressed the country forward!!

Oh, sweet Columbine!

Friday's Foto.

Spiral hat

I'm working on a different hat.  I pulled two 50% wool / 50% cotton skeins from the stash for this project.  I'm just not sure the yarn will offer enough stretch, and more importantly, recovery for this hat.  But I'm going to finish it and see what happens.  The yarn is wonderfully soft, but it might be a bit too drapy.  This is a new pattern for me too; it's easy and goes rather quickly.  Every four rows you offset (or move) the K2,P2 rib by one stitch.

You can see for miles

Across the valley -- east of Dubois.

Rushing muddy waters

The spring run-off is in full swing, aided by the recent rains.  The water in Sheridan Creek is rushing, tumbling, foaming  over boulders in the stream, carrying a lot of muddy sediment with it.