FIBERGUY

She’s been teasing us for days, threatening to open but not doing so. This morning when I walked into the kitchen to get my coffee I glanced out the window and this is what I saw. A lovely way to start a Saturday morning – iris “Beverly Sills.”

I was lucky enough to see two beautiful things tonight when we took Beaulah out after dinner. Pictures of both lovelies are below. The first one is a peony called Coral Seas. You know the second one.

My best friend, Nancy, who lives in Washington now sent me these pictures last night of the tulip festival held in the Skagit Valley every year. I’ve been lucky enough to see the festival in person once, but these pictures do a pretty good job at relaying the magnificent beauty of the gardens that the tulips growers maintain and show off during the festival.

I know it has been a long, long time since I have posted. I’ve been very busy at work over the last two months with our new CIO arriving and all of my new responsibilities. No longer can I just sit quietly in my own little office doing my own work. But it’s all good, really it is. It’s just that by the time I get home most nights and get dinner made and the kitchen cleaned and spend a little time with Juliette before getting her ready for bed, well I’m just all tuckered out and my git up and go has got up and went. So without further ado, I bring you photos of one of Easter’s loveliest little girls. She made her mind up real quick like that she wasn’t a bit interested in wearing the pretty hat we got to go with her outfit, and it just wasn’t a battle we needed to fight.

… at the Macy’s downtown Christmas display earlier this morning …

I had a “to-do” list a mile long on Friday, but we slogged our way through it and got all but the last three things done by yesterday, despite spending Saturday night at a Christmas party. We scaled back a bit on the decorations this year, and most of the breakable stuff is either not out or put up high, but home is still warm and cozy and feeling really like Christmas. I’m officially full of holiday spirit now!

This morning after we got her dressed for grandma’s, Juliette decided she wanted to try on some of her hats. The pink velvet outfit with the fur collar and cuffs is too adorable, and so is she.

I know I have been unforgivably late in posting these. My only excuse (and it’s a good one, so I’m sticking to it!) is that keeping up with a busy 16 month old leaves me little time except to crash when she goes to bed at night. So without further ado ….

Pumpkin Picking

Lutsen, October 2010 – over MEA weekend

Visitors from Norway

Halloween 2010

November Cutie

First snow of 2001

Once again, we headed to Lutsen over the Labor Day weekend. This is our designated annual jelly-making weekend and it was a good one. We found some really good fruit and this batch is, perhaps, the best batch of crabapple jelly we’ve ever made. We made two kinds. The first couple of batches we “plain” crabapple jelly made from a variety of apples. The second added hot peppers to the jelly. The first batch we made we used just the fiery hot cayenne peppers that Karin grew this year, but when the batch was done, we decided it was a little tame, even to the Scandinavian palate, and so in the next two batches we added some serrano chiles that Helen had brought up. They are a real favorite of mine and I love their flavor. They were a welcome addition to the jelly. So without further ado …

Here she is, in all of her mid-century pink glory. Well, she wasn’t mine actually, not until now anyway. This was my mom’s sewing machine, the first sewing machine that I learned to sew on. It’s an Atlas model from either the late 50s or the early 60s. Mom’s had it as long as I’ve been around, and she never has been able to sew on it. I, however, have never had any problem. Mom gave me her old machine when we were visiting in Florida and we got it shipped up here. The case took a beating in the shipping and the wood broke in a few places, but it’s still usable. The machine, however, is built like a tank and it would take one to do any damage. I started cleaning her up last night and was able to thread the machine and she still sews quite a nice straight stitch. I was thinking last night, I need to make something for mom on “her” machine and send it to her as a surprise. Haven’t quite figure out what yet.

I think we should have a naming competition and give her a name. My car is named Dotty, so we can’t use that one. Peggy? Doris? Eileen? Come on, give me your best shot.