More Sox Arriving...

This morning I had an e-mail from Auntie Colleen.  She has received her sillie sox and she says she loves hers too!  I'm so glad they are living up to expectations!  And...I hope that means more people will want more socks, since I have about one half of the second last sock finished to complete six pairs for the next round.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am preparing for a post about all the birds we see around our neighbourhood, so in preparation I am going to share a photo of some of the bird life at Auntie Colleen's bird feeder in Canada....

She has quite a clientele doesn't she!

Socks...

....are beginning to arrive in Canada.  Taffy received an e-mail from Gramma today.  She has received hers and is quite pleased - she is going to wear them to her Art Class to show them off!  How cool!  There are now five pairs of socks in the sock heap - and the sixth pair has been started....stay tuned for updates!

Another in the abandoned series from Uncle Shaun....and this one is even more forlorn!

One gets the impression it is trying to snuggle under a blanket of snow - trying to keep warm.

And - here is a picture of Little Smiley taken just before the big move - he is being snuggled by Aunt Grumpy....and they both look happy to be together!

It was a beautiful day in Florida today....we went to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast...then just lazed around, reading and basking by the pool, followed of course by a swim.........lazy days in a warm place..........wonderful!

I'm Baaaack!

Sorry for the interruption in posting.....my laptop became ill and had to go to the computer hospital.  In this case it was Best Buy since there is one close by.  While it was there, I was using the desktop that comes with the villa.  Then it became ill too!  It just wasn't my computer week!  However, on Thursday I picked up my laptop - good as new!  Then after some e-mailing back and forth between the owner in England and myself, Poppa helped me disconnect the desktop and take it to Staples (which is also nearby and had a special on repairs!).  The desktop should be ready on Monday - they will call.  I am hoping this week is better for computers!

First off - I promised a picture taken after Squeegie and Taffy went on their shopping spree in Poinciana.  This displays their purchases in the cutest way!

Yes!  The evenings have been kinda chilly here, and Poppa and I would put on some nice fleece jammies - and they didn't have any...so.....since they were on sale for a ridiculously low price at that Wal-Mart, they each decided to buy a pair.  Of course, I had to give them an advance on their allowances, but I didn't mind.

In the meantime, Uncle Shaun is still busily finding specimens for the abandoned series - I like this one - it really looks very forlorn....

Poor thing - left out in the cold after providing someone with a nice warm cuppa!  Speaking of Uncle Shaun - that brings to mind Auntie Colleen.  I finished this piece of lace....

...which is (once again) from Nicky Epstein's Knitting Over the Edge.  It is called Small Duster Scallop.  This one will look a little different once it is blocked and starched, but I think it's very pretty.  I changed it up by doing the top rows in stocking stitch instead of garter...I just liked the way it looked better - what do you think?  Anyway, then I finished this piece of lace....

...which is called Irish Lace - once again from the same book - which incidentally is (in case you hadn't guessed) one of my favourites for knitting lace - and I got it from Auntie Colleen - imagine that!  This skein of crochet cotton is now finished so this morning I reached into my bag for a new one - pictures to follow soon.

I have also been working on sillie (tm Gramma) socks and there are four and a half pairs in the heap so far.  One and a half more pairs and we will have another draw to see if I can get them out of here and on their way to new owners.

My little boys have been busy moving into their new house so I don't have any brand new pictures...but here is Munchie making sure he doesn't get left behind....

..........hiding in a packing box so he'll get put into the truck!  Actually, I think he was playing hide-and-seek, because the next picture looks like this....

.........Boo Mommie!  It is also interesting to note that little Smiley is now old enough for a game that Munchie always loves playing with Daddie - just look at this....

....I think they are both enjoying it!  Awwwww!  I was talking to Mommie today and the boys are settling into their new house quite nicely.  Munchie has a new bed and they each have their own room.  Mommie is going to send some pictures just as soon as she rediscovers the camera - which has disappeared into a packing box somewhere!  There were 45 packing boxes and she is trying to get them all unpacked - which is quite a job with those two little boys there!  But, she assures me that she is making progress.

And finally, another picture of the bears - just because they look so darn cute! 

As soon as the TV show they were watching got over, I sent them off to bed.

P.S. - For those of you who inquired....Yes - Squeegie is reading a Cookbook in the picture in a previous blog.  No - he does not cook supper - he informs me what he wants for supper and I try to oblige.

Happy Birthday Poppa

Yep!  Today was Poppa's birthday.  It was cool and overcast and rainy today - but he had a good day.  Early this morning he heard from Great-Gramma Eileen, followed by several other phone calls (including Munchie!) and some e-mails all reminding him that the folks in Canada were remembering his special day.  We went for a drive to Poinciana and found a huge Wal-Mart where we bought a couple of things (pictures to follow), came home, changed and went to Longhorn Steakhouse for supper.  We all (Poppa, myself, Squeegie and Taffy) came home feeling stuffed and sat down to watch Gray's Anatomy.  Thanks to all for the birthday wishes!

Hey There!

A quick post to let you know that my computer is at Best Buy for a few days.  I am posting from the computer at the villa - but I can't post pictures.  If anything exciting happens I will let you know without pictures.  It is cool here today, so we may just go to Wal-Mart and watch TV.  I had a wonderful blog plan about the avians around our area, but it will follow later!

For Granny

This is a post for Granny.  We went for a long walk recently - and I'm sure she will recognize the territory!  We started out and were lucky.  Someone was leaving and we got out the main gates.

 It appears that the large palm tree which used to be here did not survive last year's freezing and it has been replaced by this much smaller version.  But, the large palms at the main entrance are still there - as well as those poor little trees that they decapitate every year.

So, off we went with no place in particular on the agenda.  We found ourselves walking past this place....

Then we kept on going...down the road.....

...do you know where we decided to go Granny?  Can you recognize it yet?  It is one of your favourite places!  Not yet?  Ok then.  We kept on going to those lights, then found ourselves looking at this sign....

....and decided to stop for some onion rings!

Yes!  Your're right.  It is just over a mile to the Cracker Barrel, so we thought we should go in.  The visit was short, but tasty....and I was telling Poppa how Granny and I would sneak over there in the afternoon for a snack while Poppa and Gramps were playing golf....of course we usually drove over, but I never visit Cracker Barrel without thinking about Granny - I think it is one of her favourite places.  Did you enjoy the walk Granny?

I have finished the sox for Uncle Brian, but I'll hold off on posting the picture until he has received them...I don't want to spoil his surprise.  This means I have resumed knitting sillie sox for the next draw.  It will take a couple of weeks for me to create the four more pairs required for a decent choice to be available - I'll let you know via the blog when they are ready.  In the meantime, I finished this piece of lace....

....which is from Nicky Epstein's book "Knitting Over the Edge" and is called Molly's Lace.  Since then I have started another piece called Irish Lace, but I haven't got a picture yet..........I just started it this morning.

Yesterday and the day before, the temperature went up to 80+.  It was wonderful!  Squeegie took a book and went outside to read.  A few minutes later when I grabbed my book, I found him in my chair....

...fast asleep under one of his favourite books!

Various Topics

Let's see - where do I start?

OK - for those of you who do not quite comprehend the concept of  "sillie sox" - here is a brief synopsis.  Each time I knit a pair of socks, I inevitably have a small amount of yarn left over.  To create sillie sox I scrutinize all the available amounts and colours, then try to choose some that will blend nicely for texture and colour.  So...  here is the beginning of some sillie sox for Uncle Brian.

Then I take all the bits and pieces and try to assemble them into a relatively pleasing pair of socks.  You can see the very beginning of his first sock in the foreground.  I'll let you see the finished product when it is done.

In the meantime, Poppa had a mission of his own.  While putting some stuff under the kitchen sink the other day, he noticed a small puddle under there.  This, of course, caused him to begin an immediate investigation of the situation.

  Remember last year, he used his ingenuity to repair a crack in the housing of the under-sink garbage disposal?  Well, to his dismay, he discovered that it was opening up again - only larger this time - too large to use the same method he used last year.

Upon further investigation he discovered that there was another - larger - crack on the back side of the unit.  He decided that there was only one solution to this problem....

Yep - A trip to Home Depot (oh yes - that was really a chore for Poppa - Hee) and he came home with a new unit. So - out came the old one.  Then he showed me the crack on the back side....

It looks like it had been leaking for a while, but it was getting larger.  So he removed it and checked to see if he could determine why.  We looked inside (kinda yucky), but couldn't see any thing there.  But, when he had it disconnected from the drain pipe, it appeared that there was paper or cardboard blocking the drain.  He thinks that the blockage was creating stress on the unit when it tried to expel the macerated garbage and caused it to crack.  The next step was to wire up the new unit...

....notice the small, furry helper.  Then install the new unit...

...then clean all the connecting pipes.....

....hook up all the pipes again, test the unit and check for leaks....

...TaaDaa!  All good, working fine and no leaks!  So he put the booklet and instructions into a small plastic bag and put them in the cupboard with the other manuals for the villa.  Mission accomplished!

Yesterday was very warm, but overcast.  However, a couple of days ago, it was cool in the morning....here is what Taffy looked like when we went out to the lanai for breakfast....

It warmed up nicely later in the day...but more about that later.