A View from Sierra County

Saturday Sky

 

Taken earlier this month at Ellis Lake in Marysville

Happy weekend of holiday preparations, everyone!

Saturday Sky

Summer in the Sierras... hope you are enjoying yours!

Saturday Sky

The sky isn't looking so good for today... low ceiling, and lots of rain dumped overnight... so I decided to post this sunset shot from earlier in the week!  I do love the sunset low in the sky this time of the year, and am grateful for all the rain and snow we have gotten this season, even though I miss the blue skies.  California is close to not being in a drought state, finally!

I have already been out and about early today, and picked up rhubarb roots for the garden; it's not too early here to start thinking about the spring planting even though Puxatawny Phil saw his shadow, and six more weeks of winter will likely mean a long mud season.  We have a spot in mind for those roots, that will be getting both donkey manure and sandy loam out of a bag to get them started right... they will outlive us, most likely.  Up at the Forest City house, we have rhubarb plants that are close to a century old, but often miss their timing for 'best harvest' because spring gets so busy.

I haven't posted in a long while, so have a few family photos and a finished object to share, from a birthday celebration for dear eldest son two weeks ago... 

We met at Northstar, where Cody works in hospitality in the re-designed pedestrian village, and also rides (snowboards) almost daily... he is up to over 40 days this season already.  I envy him that, both for the exercise value and the sheer joy of being outdoors, any time of the year, that I am happy to say I instilled in him.

I think his best gift was getting to see niece Odessa, just past four months old in this photo, and getting very charming!

Here, she is just realizing that she might be able to reach the menu on the table... she is like many first-child babies of middle class parents, well familiar with going to restaurants and is starting to clamor a bit watching others eat... still has to rely on getting it second-hand from mama for a few more months before a range of foods will be available to her.

She has grown so much, but looks pretty tiny sitting in a big high chair!

Here's daddy Jesse, modeling the finished object I promised to show you... a warm winter hat that I had been making for Christmas, before I got too sick to finish it.

He works outside, and really liked it... his bro is also getting a late gift, this time birthday, of a scarf I have been crocheting, that is finally almost done.  I like many of the effects of crochet, but my hands protest about it far more than knitting, so not to worry, no chance of this becoming a crocheting blog!

Below is a close-up of the hat, though the one with him wearing it is a truer representation of color.... it has a turned hem, giving it a thicker ear-head band, for warmth and for keeping it on better... a feature he got to try out right

away as it was going back and forth between rain and snow on that day!

You might have heard rumors of a dye workshop... a group of my knit grrls (Luci, Stephanie, Rhodi, Rowen and I) got together with Sara Lamb for a workshop to begin compiling our own dye notebooks last Sunday.  It was a hard-and-fast job, trying to get through as many of the color combos in percentage as possible, and we will continue on our own, meeting monthly until we get 'done', at least through the range of mixing possible.  We kept talking about taking photos, but nobody stopped long enough!  In fact, the only slow moments in the whole day were while we shared a lovely potluck lunch.  Here are a few shots of the sample cards we got done on Sunday....

 

This is the total number of samples... the cards are labeled with both letters and numbers... the ones with only letters are laid out in a range of colors between two primaries, such as "magenta" and "yellow", and the ones with numbers reflect a blending of three primaries from specific recipes.

A close-up view of just two sample cards gives you a better chance to see the ranges of color that can be produced by mixing... we had a great time and were very thankful to Sara for fitting us into her busy schedule.

My dear friends over on the east coast, please be warm, dry and safe!  Our weather is nothing compared to what you are getting, and I realize many in that storm simply aren't used to such severe conditions.... you are all in my thoughts and prayers.  The rest of you I hope are having a great weekend... and all of you, pull out some knitting!

Now, I've got to go and spend some time with the new edition of Piecework, which just arrived in my mailbox... both historical knitting AND a new Barbara Walker pattern! Life is good:)

Saturday Sky

Our sky has been a little close around the ears all week... hopefully, we will see some sun today! I am off to spend the day with Marilyn, doing Navajo-style weaving, and maybe even getting close to finishing my small piece from the workshop back last September. Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

Saturday Sky

It has been a while since I posted a sky photo for everyone... this was taken last week by DH, while working on a fire in the Umpqua Forest in central Oregon.  I would tell you the name of the mountain, but I don't have him around to ask; he's off on another fire assignment on the Hoopa reservation in the far north of California.

Saturday Sky

I was helping DH with his photos today and realized that this would make a perfect Saturday Sky photo... of the Sierra Buttes as seen from the Haypress Trail yesterday afternoon...

Saturday Water!

This photo really summarizes the season we are slipping out of... even better than the sky photos I caught this past week... of the pool at the base of Love Falls.

Labor Day weekend means a shift in the season here in the Sierras, and there are clouds today, though I have been very busy with harvest season preparations.  There has been peach jam and tomato sauce made at Slate Range Camp this week, as well as plenty of peaches eaten and frozen, along with more frozen blackberries.  Our family is waiting to hear which fire DH will get assigned to by Monday, and when baby Odessa will make her appearance.

She does have one completed baby undershirt a la Interweave Knits... and another that should be finished this weekend.... this one is rainbow striped, with the colors wrapping around the body and the one I am finishing up has hot pink and orange stripes... lots of fun but fussy.

For those wondering how my Friendship Fiesta Shawl is coming along, I had Steph take a few photos when we met up at the local Farmers Market this morning... ven ethe best one doesn't show all the new diamonds added, and it would be lengthy describing who they all are from, but I have added new yarns from Sylvia, Margene, Ally B, and Rose (my co-worker at the LYS, who brought me some special bundles of Koigu KPPM back from Sock Summit)... I am still keeping my map though!  The shawl is getting quite large, and I am about ready to add that fourth large diamond... still have a lot of yarns, but several made a second appearance in the past two weeks.  I still find it every bit as fun to work on!  Hope you are enjoying a fun-filled Labor Day weekend, all, and please keep our dear Margene in your thoughts and prayers since her surgery is to take place on Wednesday.

Saturday Sky

Haven't posted a sky picture for awhile, but thought I would share this one from my camping outing last weekend... I am heading back to similar locations this one, and will have fresh photos to post!

Saturday Sky - Bayside Version

Re-entry into the world of 'real life' back home has been hard this week... deadlines, responsibilities, classes, all awaited me.  Leaving behind this beautiful spot in the Berkeley Marina wasn't so easy either!

Getting our faithful Knit Night trio (Wooly Daisy, Rhodi and I are the stalwarts of our group) on Thursday night helped me a lot, at least in getting my knitting back on track, and adding laughter and good times to the mix. 

DH and I had a great, long holiday weekend in the SF Bay area, but losing high speed wireless access sure is tough on getting out information to you, my dear friends!  We came home to a foot and a half of snow, but over the course of the week, it has melted down to about a half-foot, with lots of sunny afternoons.  New storms are headed our way tonight, and I am hoping to be able to finish up February Lady this weekend.   I spent a little time yesterday afternoon swatching for the Whisper Cardigan in the spring issue of IK, which may end up being the next sweater on my needles... keep ya posted, and have a lovely pre-spring weekend.

Gloaming Sky

I don't have to point out to anyone how very short the days are this time of the year... we are fast approaching that magical time, the Winter Solstice, when the sun begins to return.  I, for one, really cheer on that day, as doing without the light is the worst part of winter for me.  I was busy on the computer yesterday afternoon, and caught a glimpse of the time... 4:48 PM, and realized I had to quickly jump up from what I was doing to feed the burros before it was too dark to see.  This was the sky that greeted me as I ran out the kitchen door... you have the burros to thank for a sky that truly represents that Gaelic concept of 'in the gloaming' ... I decided to post it for its glorious color, even if a bit off-focus.