Bedknobs & Broomsticks (and Halloween costumes!)

Everyone, think warm thoughts for Noel, who reports that Utah is currently getting snow. SNOW!




I'm kinda jealous. Even though Noel's NOT very happy about snow, seeing as (1) he's working at night, which is chilly, and (2) snow makes it chillier, usually. Poor guy. And no potato soup or chili or chicken & dumplings to warm him up. Sniff sniff.



(Also, as a side note, he's already requesting food for his Welcome Home meal, which isn't going to occur for another 4 weeks or so. The menu so far? Chicken & dumplings, homemade bread, biscuits, chicken cordon bleu, apple pie, and mashed sweet potatoes. Oh, and also fried okra. If he keeps thinking of new things for me to make, I'll need to start cooking next week.)



Coming up this weekend is one of my very favorite holidays: Halloween!



As usual, I was tasked with the honor of making my nieces' costumes. Today I mailed them off, and I don't have any pictures. But! My mom took some, and I'm sure my sister will take some as well. I'll post them asap! What were they? Oh dear reader, that's a surprise! Neither involved blue tentacles though. :)



Since the house we currently rent is a bit in the country, we probably won't have any trick or treaters. Which is kind of a shame, since that gives me the justification to buy (and frequently sample) bags of candy. I might have to taste test some anyway.



In order to get myself in the mood for costume making last week, I put up some decorations, which the cats immediately pulled down. I put them up in a different place, and they pulled them down again. At this point I decided that, being black cats, they themselves qualify as decorations, and left it at that. Instant Festivity! Just add Fancy Feast.



Decorations (or whining cats, as the case may be) can help with the whole Almost Halloween feeling, but you really need something extra. Personally, I love watching spooky/Halloween themed movies too, and so now the library thinks I have a toddler at home. My most recent rentals? It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; Nanny McPhee; and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. That last one is so cute - Angela Lansbury is adorable.



I also rented Charlie's Angels too - not the movie. Oh no. The tv show - complete with high-waisted bellbottoms and mega-hair. HILARIOUS. Does it make me old to admit that I still want Jacquelyn Smith's hair?




Anyway, the Halloween costumes are done, the decorations are happily snoozing in front of the heater, and Angela Lansbury's about to singlehandedly defeat the Nazis.




So in the spirit of a little scare being good for you, I present a gratuitous Creepy Cow Photo:

Cuz this is THRIIIIILLERRRRRRR! THRILLER NIGHT! (cue dancing zombies)

Leaves A'Turning....

Autumn has definitely arrived here in western NC! (If spring has sprung, has fall fallen?)

The leaves have started turning...

and the fall festivals have begun!

Mom and I went to the Lunsford Festival, a small but fun event in Mars Hill, NC, held a few weeks ago. There were lots of people selling handicrafts and such, and of course, there was food! And when I say food, I mean FOOD. The local baptist church was making bbq:

How's THAT for a cooker?

Also loved their t-shirts. Heh.

We saw some other friends working on stirring a big cauldron:

What's in it? Only one of the best things ever invented:

Homemade apple butter!! YUM.

If you've never had real apple butter, especially with homemade biscuits...well...I just kinda feel sorry for you. ;)

In other food news, my aunt and I went to a quilt show last weekend. There were some real beauties there.

There was even a seasonally appropriate quilt!

But wait...what do quilts have to do with food? Well, I'll show you!

This was an entry in their junior category. Fun!

I liked this one too - good 3D illusion.

This one is an embroidered quilt with manatees, which has nothing to do with food. Hopefully. It's just pretty.

Also this little square seemed appropriate. :)

Anyway, all this deliciousness over the past few weeks inspired me to dig out the ol' baking sheet. I decided to do chocolate chip cookies to send to Noel and my friend Lisa, as well as try out a new recipe for old-fashioned molasses cookies. These didn't look promising.

Eeew.

Thankfully, 10 minutes in the oven made all the difference in the world, and Lisa reported that she loved them for their yummy spiciness. Yay!

On another tack, Animal News! We have a new neighbor!!

Isn't he cute? I couldn't get a better picture because he runs into his burrow (which is right beside the driveway.) I was dorkily thrilled over having a neighborhood groundhog. :)

The boys are doing fine, enjoying the cooler weather, because that means space heater time! And they love their space heater. :) We've also been prepping for Halloween, which involves digging out the Halloween DVDs.

Poe loves Garfield.

Wild & Wonderful!

HAPPY OCTOBER!!!

I'm tired of complaining about slow internet as an excuse for lack of blogging, so I'll skip it. You're welcome. :)

Update: Change that. This is my FOURTH attempt at posting this in as many days. Sigh. Just imagine, if it weren't for our miserable excuse for internet service, you'd be reading about what actually happened YESTERDAY, not 2 weeks ago. Oy.

So things are going well here in Chez Hairball, except we all miss Noel. He's still working his butt off in Utah, learning the importance of warm clothing in climates with huge temperature fluctuations, and the value of lotion in a low-humidity environment.

Here in NC, meanwhile, the kitties and I are enjoying the first crisp days of autumn. The leaves haven't turned yet, but I promise to take (and post!) pictures when they do!

2 weekends ago, my mom and I drove up to West Virginia to visit my dear grandmother and 2 of my aunts and their husbands. Now, some people give West Virginia a hard time, whipping out the duelling banjos song from Deliverance (although that movie was in Georgia, heh), and thinking generally it's full of...well...not much.

I heartily disagree. I have traveled much of this country (at this point 39 of the 50 states), and can say that West Virginia is unequivocally one of the most beautiful. Granted, I haven't seen North or South Dakota, Iowa, or Wisconsin. But barring the evil influences of cheese, I can't imagine they look anywhere near as stunning as WV.

I say this because (1) I encourage those of you who've never been there to drive through there one day, and (2) to make up for my photos, which are...dark and, well, really a bit colorless. It was a gray day for photos, very overcast, and these just don't do the state justice.

The motto for West Virginia is Wild, Wonderful. And they're right! You can drive through areas where there are no people. NO PEOPLE. No walmarts! No strip malls! No traffic jams! Just gorgeous indigenous forests festooning the rolling mountains as far as they eye can see.

We had a fantastic visit with family up there. So much so that I forgot to take out my camera. Oops! Thankfully my Uncle Jim loves to take pictures, and he promised to send me a CD with the ones he took. Then I'll pirate his pictures to put up here. (You can take 50% of royalties, Jim. That'll be about....$0. Sorry).

One fun thing about going to WV is that you have to go through 2 big tunnels to get there (at least the way we went). When my sister and I were kids, we would hold our breath through any tunnel we went through, because if you can hold your breath to the other side, you get a wish.

These tunnels make breath-holding a serious Olympian-sized challenge. These tunnels go through an entire mountain.


One is just under, and the other just over, 1 mile long. Impressive!

Also there's a buckwheat festival in the town where my grandmother lives. No, not the Little Rascal, the grain. They have rides, parades, and yummy buckwheat pancakes at the fire house to raise money. We missed the buckwheat festival by 1 weekend. Sigh. Mom was happy because there would be no traffic. I was devastated, because honestly? How often do you have firemen cook breakfast for you?

In addition to the impressively huge tunnels, West Virginians also boast the Western Hemisphere's longest single arch bridge! Bet you didn't know that! (Now you're ready go to on Jeopardy). It's called the New River Gorge Bridge, and it's impressive. Mom and I went to the scenic overlook to try to get a good view of it.

We walked toward the pedestrian walkway to the overlook:


Oooooooohhhh!!! Autumny!!! This will be a lovely little relaxing stroll through the woods.


Oh wait.

We sucked it up and went anyway, and the view was lovely! Here's the bridge:


And way down there is the little old bridge that the new one made obsolete.

Apparently it used to take people a long time to drive down into the gorge and back out again, and the new bridge has cut that time to just about 40 seconds. Here's a graph to show how tall the new bridge is:


You know it's big when your currency is National Monuments. :)

The scenery was really pretty from up there though. The leaves weren't really changing much there either, so at least my pictures weren't a total disaster.

We finished with our photo taking and saw something really scary:


The walk back up.

But we made it, throbbing thigh muscles intact. At least there was pretty scenery to look at!


We went to the visitors center too, and they had some quilts hanging up from the ceiling. Yay Team Quilting! So I took a few photos of them.


Then we saw this on the wall, and I thought y'all might appreciate. Enlarge if necessary, but I'll type what it says:


"Quilts made by slaves, free blacks, and Abolitionists were used as a means of secret communication on the Underground Railroad. Messages were hidden in plain view hanging from fences, clotheslines, and windows. Quilt patterns - including the use of specific colors, stitches, and pattern sequences - signaled escape, help, and safety.

The Monkey Wrench [top left corner] was displayed when an escape was being planned.

The Tumbling Blocks [top center] appeared when it was time to escape.

The Bear Paw [top right] signaled a proposed safe trail through the Appalachian Mountains.

The Shoo Fly [left middle row] signified a place to find clean clothing and take a bath. [Kelli: who says even abolitionist quilters didn't have a sense of humor?]

The Bow Tie [center middle row] meant there was a safe church in the area.

The Flying Geese [right middle row] pointed the direction to travel with a solid color band.

The Log Cabin pattern [lower left corner] with a black center block signified a safe house.

Drunkard's Path [lower center - my favorite quilt pattern] told runaways to zigzag and double back.

It is believed that in order to memorize the whole code, a sampler quilt was used. The sampler would include all the patterns arranged in the order the codes would appear.

Stitches and knots also played a role in the code. Stitches were placed to represent maps, and knots indicated a scale in miles.

The messages remained hidden in plain view until everyone planning to escape had completed the signaled task."

From: Hidden in Plain View - A Secret Story of Quilts & the Underground Railroad by J. L. Tobin & R. G. Dobard, PhD.

How incredible is that? I adore the idea of something so humble, so easily overlooked, as a handmade quilt thrown over a fence, being the beacon of hope that some poor soul was desperate to see to guide his or her way to freedom.

Baby Goats and Demon Cows

The internet has not been my friend the past week. It's wavered between being interminably slow and entirely nonexistent.


However, the Web gods have smiled on me today because lo and behold, I actually seem to be able to access not only the blog, but even upload some photos!! Miracle of miracles, amen.


So this post is a bit of a rewind. Noel is still in Utah, working hard at his new job. The pics on this post are from the weekend before he left (which was 2 weekends ago) when we went to the Mountain State Fair!


We had thought we'd see a lot of animals at the county fair (where I, as a Blue Ribbon Knitter, took a victory lap around the cow pen). Well, we didn't. Not even a rooster in the Rooster Bingo cage. Sigh.

However, the state fair had TONS of animals, and sometimes tons of a single animal!

First off, the cuteness of a family of pigs. :)

(Note: we had bacon for breakfast that morning, but still I fawned over the piglets. I am perhaps a hypocrite.)

This was an interesting display. These oblong metal things? Are pig oilers. Yes, apparently even bacon needs slathering with grease. Just kidding. But not really, because these seriously are pig oilers. They're filled with burnt motor oil and pigs rub up against them, and apparently the oil keeps biting insects away from the pigs. Huh.

The cats are now working on designing their own version, which spits out kitty treats when they rub up against it. Patent pending.

This was one seriously happy Texas longhorn bull. Probably because it's not 197 degrees, like it is in Houston right now. "Hmm...hm...la la la....napping in the sun..."

Now, speaking of large mammals and Texas, remember our run-in with the Devil Cow, which despite Noel's protestations, I am convinced was considering eating us, heart and soul, with his Evil Teeth of Doom? And remember how I was so freaked out when we pulled up next to the fence containing said Devil Cow that I didn't want to stop to take a picture, for fear that looking into its Deep Black Eyes of Oblivion would forever seal a demon's pact for my innocent soul? Remember that?

Well, we saw his brother at the fair:

(Noel is convinced this cow is not evil. He's just not suspicious enough.)

*shudder*

Moving on!

How about some cuteness to combat the Forces of Bovine Evil? How about some baby goats?

They're so fluffy!

Side note (isn't this blog all sides notes?): they had baby bunnies at the fair. I petted one, and it licked my finger with its teensy little pink tongue, and I was in love and wanted to take this 4-inch long bunny with us, but was afraid that (1) the kittens would try to eat him, and (2) I would pet him so much his fur would fall out. So. The sad thing? I was so wrapped up in a gossamer blanket of adulation for this baby bunny that I totally forgot to take a picture. Whoops!

I did get a picture of a MONSTER bunny though! Any of you seen the Wallace & Gromit Wererabbit movie? This was the wererabbit. Has to be. You can't really tell from this picture, but this rabbit had to weigh 15 pounds if he weighed an ounce. HUGE. He was bigger than Loki. For reals.

Speaking of big stuff, some people must really lay on the Miracle Gro, because WOW:


Blue ribbon pumpkin, 736 pounds.

Blue ribbon watermelon, 195 pounds:

And I thought Cukezilla was big:

CREEPY!

There were stylin' old tractors:

And huge tractor things I really want to drive someday:

There's a huge arts & crafts competition for this fair, and sadly I didn't get to enter any items because I missed the cutoff dates. Of course, maybe it's better I didn't, seeing as this was the quilting competition:

Isn't this gorgeous? Done by a guy! It looks like a fancy Tetris quilt to me. Noel liked it too.

This one was also stunning.

And this was a Blue Ribbon winner. Most was probably done by hand, what with all those curvy seams. Impressive!

There was also some lovely knitting. Look at this:

Incredible.

We enjoyed some State Fair Health Food:

Oh yes, it was SOOOOO good.

We also saw a redneck zamboni:

HA HA HA HA! I have to admit, I said that same thing to Noel as I walked up to take this picture, and laughed so hard I snorted. hee hee.

Lastly, this is my favorite picture from the fair. There were lots of llamas in the competitions. Llots of llamas? Anyway, this is a prize llama, and she knows it.


Condescending attitude close-up:


Heee heee!. Don't hate her because she's beautiful.

Go West (again!) Young Man!

Well, you may have notice we haven't posted anything in about 2 weeks. We have a very valid excuse, trust me. We've been busily preparing for today.

Today is bittersweet. And frankly a little painful.

Today Noel left for a job in Utah. He'll be gone for about 2 months, and it's a wonderful opportunity for him. He's never been further west than we went in Texas, so he's definitely in for some gorgeous scenery on the way (yes, he's driving because he has to take all of his tools with him).

Why bittersweet then? Simple: he's going by himself. My job/home/cat obligations are keeping me here while he's going on this adventure, and let me tell you: it sucks. It's not only hard to have your best friend and significant other, with whom you spend pretty much every non-working moment, to suddenly be 3/4 of the way across the country. It adds to it that this is our favorite time of year - and autumn is so gorgeous in the mountains. I was looking forward to sharing it with him. He'll be seeing a different autumn this year - one full of golden aspen trees and probably a sprinkling of snow. The kitties and I will be experiencing the red and orange vibrancy of maples turning colors here.

We had the Autumn Feast this past weekend, since he'll be gone during the first day of fall. We stuffed ourselves, as usual. Hopefully we'll be together for Thanksgiving!

I'll post updates as he shares some of his adventures.

Bon voyage, Noel! I miss you already.

As the Cock Crows (or Poops)

There were questions about Rooster Bingo, submitted by my dear Siswad, Rachel. Her questions basically can be categorized into one brief query:

"HUH?"

To which I say, "I dunno." I have never played Rooster Bingo, being of the camp that opposes animal-related gambling, unless the prizes are some kind of pastry. However. Based on the cage design, which looked like a bingo card painted on the floor with chicken wire around the sides, we surmise that Rooster Bingo involves either the rooster sitting on a particular spot, or leaving little Rooster Reminders on a number in the same vein as cow chip bingo (aka the national sport of Texas).

I am concerned for our monster porch tomatoes. It's getting chilly at night here, down to the mid-50s, and I fear that the Arctic temperatures are going to be the end of our tomato plants. The leaves don't seem to be perking up much, and the tomatoes don't seem to be getting any bigger. We may end up having fried green tomatoes by the time it's all over (well, Noel will, since I don't eat tomatoes except in sauce form).

My new job is going very well so far! It's an inventory project throughout the campus, so there's lots of interesting stuff to see (from cosmetology to computers to medical assisting). It's also nice to meet new people, and get some exercise. Writing can be fun (and lucrative) but also not so good for my waist size. I'm getting plenty of exercise at this job, and in fact may have Blue Ribbon thighs by the time this is all over.

All's Fair in Love and Knitting!

So as some of you may know, I entered some things into the Madison County Fair, which took place last weekend. I put in my quilt, which (as I related in the last post) had no chance of winning anything. I also entered 6 knitted things, just to see what would happen.

Saturday, we went to the fair to see the action. Sadly, there were no pigs. Noel was very sad. BUT!

There was Rooster Bingo:



We walked around a bit, trying to see what there was to see. Not a ton was on display at the time, except for some cows, sheep, chickens, and horses.

However, excitement was forthcoming in the Arts & Crafts display area!

When we walked in the front door, what greeted us? My quilt!! Hanging on the wall!



I got a few steps into the building before I realized there was something hanging from the quilt, and then squealed when I saw it was a ribbon!!



I had won 3rd place in the hand quilting category!! Can you believe it?

We then went to check out the table with all the knitting on it, and my jaw dropped:



I had won ALL THREE KNITTING RIBBONS. I swept the category! Whoa.

1st place was for a turquoise shrug I made for myself, design by Stefanie Japel.

2nd place was for a baby sweater I made years ago, no idea on the pattern.

3rd place was for a wrap I knit for my mom, pattern by Lionbrand.

SO HAPPY. Poor Noel has had to endure hearing me call myself "blue ribbon knitter" for the past 3 days. Sometimes I call myself BRK for short. ;)

That afternoon was very rainy, so as a Blue Ribbon Knitter I decided to sit for a few moments of quality Blue Ribbon Knitting time on the porch. With a glass of Blue Ribbon Knitter's wine. (see how annoying this gets?)



Nice sittin' spot, huh?

By the way, our porch tomatoes are out of control:



(Held up by Blue Ribbon Knitting yarn, no less).

On Monday, I was able to go pick up my award winning stuff, and went by the fairgrounds. Imagine my surprise when I picked up my quilt, and the yellow ribbon was gone.

GONE.

And in its place? A bright RED ribbon - they had moved me up from 3rd to 2nd!!!

The quilt originally in 2nd was moved down to 3rd. Not sure why - illegal steroid use?

So, my total tally:



I entered 7 items, and 4 of them won. One 1st, two 2nds, and one 3rd.

Yay!!!

In other news, I started my job on Monday and am very much enjoying it. My coworkers are personable and nice, and the work is interesting. Can't ask for anything more!