Memorial Weekend at the Cabin

click on pics to enlarge

Red Misty Morning

Ooops! Almost Flipping the Tube

Campfire Looking Down To The Lake

Jonboat as it pulls away from the dock

We arrived at the cabin to find the dock installed as we expected. We launched the little Jonboat at the nearby launch, then headed into Hammond to pick up the pontoon boat. That launch went without a hitch and Mike, Brent his friend from school and I drove the 15 minutes to our bay while Tom drove the trailer back. So now both boats are in and the cabin is truly open for the season. The weather was very nice, sunny and not too warm with temps hovering in the 70's. We love the Jonboat and it's much nicer than the previous vhull 14 footer we had. It's more stable and really flies. The kids took advantage of this as they puttered around all weekend and did some fishing. They got some tubing in despite the 65 degree water.  At night they built a fire and toasted marshmellows. Because Dan was playing and marching in the Memorial day Parade at home we had to leave at 6 AM Monday to be back in time to see him.

I started my second sock and am about to start the heel.

Now This is a Magic cast-on I can understand!

In the latest pair of toe-up socks that I am doing, I opted for a provisional cast-on because I did not like the first one I had used at all. You had to hold two needles in one hand and it was awkward, resulting in a toe with loose stitiches and therefore holes. I had tried the magic loop cast-on but could not get it....until I found this video via the toe up sock knitters group.  NOW I understand! You really have to spoon feed me with some of these things and the other videos just didn't do it for me. Check this one out. It is the perfect cast-on for a perfect toe with no holes. 

Now my provisional cast-on which I used for this sock, made a perfect toe with no holes but there is a "seam". It's under the foot but so no biggy, but the magic loop seems far superior to me.

Onward to the second sock!

Tornado and Junior Prom Almost Meet

The kids had their prom on the same day that a tornado touched down in the very location they were to have their after prom party! Fortunately the tornado hit in the afternoon, well before the prom was due to start. This is a photo taken from the cell that my husband had, as he responded to the call as a volunteer fireman/EMT. Look at this tree sheared in two! Note the damage to one of the barns in the background. There will be more pics  soon.

Now on to the kids:

Dan and Bethany at home by the pond gazebo

Some of the kids rented a limo, which drove them to Cazenovia where they had dinner at the Brae Loch Inn. From there they went to the school for the prom. A good time was had by all even without the after prom party.

As to tornado, fortunately no one was badly injured. The owner of the farm received a broken elbow and wrist. One barn had the roof ripped off and the house also lost the roof. Naturally there was a huge downpour right afterwards so things got pretty wet in the house. A telephone pole was also sheared in two. There was a pretty detailed news report on News Channel 10.

Don't Buy Sears Products, Buy Samsung and Bosch

We have just had one of the worst customner service experiences ever. A few days ago our washer sounded like a bomb had gone off in it during the high speed spin cycle. It's a front loader, Sears washer. Tom took it apart and found that two of the three supports that hold the drum had cracked. When the drum slipped, it punched a hole in the basket.



 The parts cost about a total of $500. The machine is about seven years old. The drum has a lifetime warranty except it doesn't. We searched the internet to find out more about our problem and lo and behold others have had the exact same problem along with the exact same horrendous customer service! The word service should not be allowed in the same sentence as Sears.  Tom spent at least an hour on the phone being hung up on, argued with, transferred and put on hold. At one point one of the customer service twits told Tom that customer relations did not want to talk to him!  To make a long story short, they won't replace the plastic basket even though their failed part broke it. They might replace the lifetime warrantied drum.  Might. And they would charge labor at $65/hour to replace the drum even though we had already done most of the work and only wanted the parts. Gee I wonder why Sears stores are closing all over the country? It's worth pointing out that Tom is not a rude person so his treatment was abhorrent. Eventually he did snap and let them have it. And so he should have. We will be lodging a complaint with the BBB.

So off we went to Lowes yesterday and did some research. Samsung and Bosch are hands down the best washer/dryers you can buy. Their customer service is second to none and the quality of their machines is top notch. They stand behind their products unlike the crooks at Sears. We found a model that we liked and it even includes a fancy sanitation cycle using cold water.  And we lucked out. That model is 10% off with the use of their credt card and a further 10% off starting next Thursday.  We also have several hundred dollars in gift cards that we had intended to use on a new fridge but alas, that's not happening quite yet. I had just done several washes so we should make it to Thursday. However Mike has three baseball games between now and then so I am washing his uniform as I type (yes I have very long arms) and will be washing it by hand during ther week. Needless to say, the last game was in a downpour and the kids decided to slide in the mud so the uniform is about as muddy as it can get! 

Next Thursday, we will be making our contribution to the economic recovery!

Pitching

Mike isn't a pitcher but he has an accuracy that allowed him to be considered as one of the pitchers, since there is a shortage on his team. Otherwise, he is the shortstop. Here are a few pics of his most excellent form in his first start as the pitcher for the team (click to enlarge).

Meanwhile Mike has switched camps and has joined the rest of the family as a Mets fan. As a former Yankees fan, he was impressed with the Met's latest rally and I couldn't be happier.

Mother's Day and Cabin is Open

We opened the cabin Saturday. What a gloomy weekend it was weather wise up there.  But the good news is there were no burst water pipes, so we are getting better at winterizing the place. Because of the high winds, rain and lightening, we did not get the dock in. It will be in by Memorial weekend. We had hoped to put the the Jonboat in but again the weather was not cooperating. So we left it there on the parking pad. I got some yard cleanup done...lots of broken branches and twigs. I even did a little raking although the leaves were wet. There aren't nearly as many leaves this year.

I've been determined to get better photos of the hummingbirds so we removed the screen on the window. However these pics are still taken through glass so my next challenge is to sneak outside and take one with nothing between me and the bird. This is the female, who has no splash of red on her breast. Both the male and the female have been at the feeder together. Click to enlarge!

Umphrey's McGee is playing in baldwinsville. If you like Phish, you will like these guys. The venue is a picnic area/park type setting. I think we will go.

Mother's Day saw us drivng home from the cabin. Once home, Tom made a scrumptious dinner of Porterhouse Steak, mushrooms and a pasta salad with artichoke hearts and olives.  We all sat down together for this feast which of late has been unusual with Dan working and Mike playing baseball or practicing. It was nice to have the whole family together! While we were gone the sheep shed had flipped from the very high wind. It was a good thing no sheep were injured.  It flipped right into the next pasture and broke.

What This Weather is Good For

Watching birds....

I got a good shot of this guy today at our feeder. He has been around a few days now. It would have been an even better pic had the screen not been on the window. Generally they nest out back in our hemlock trees.

Washing a car....

Grazing....or rather lazing...

Buying more boats.....

Because you can't have just a few. Actually we are replacing the other 14 ft V hull with this more stable Grumman Jonboat. It work better with the 4 stroke 9.8 Honda which was too heavy for the other little boat. We passed this boat on the way home from a baseball game. It was a good price and has two nice seats which are not in at the moment.

Surprises??

This gal was dropped on the pasture yesterday. Boy was I surprised! So we moved her into the barn for a few days.

Knitting some more on the toe up socks

Completed Project and Piggy Wiggy

I immediately started another pair of toe-ups using some of my new yarn but this time I used the provisional cast-on and double wraps for the toe. Wow, what a difference. There were NO gaps in the toe at all. 

I found that compared to the two previous socks I knit with bought yarn, this yarn is by far the softest and nicest. The other two were a little scratchy for my liking. I've also found out how to stop the heel holes and look forward to trying that technique when I get there. This yarn is Artyarns Ultramerino 6. It's not necessarily sock yarn but it's certainly thin enough and lots of people have made socks from this yarn.

We picked up our cap for the Tacoma Saturday in Binghamton and also discovered that the roof rack has hidden cross members that you simply snap an end cover off of and swing across.


Boy did I feel dumb searching for cross bars on the internet when we had them all along! This is kind of a nice design and the crossbars cause the wind noise so being able to snap them under the rack is great! I don't generally like the look of a cap on a truck, but we need one for trips to the cabin and when the old Doddge finally goes to the junkyard in the sky. This doesn't look too bad. WHat do you think?

I came across this clever mask on Ravelry. It about sums up my feelings on the media hype, however, one still needs to be viglant especially if you have a kid with asthma.

Bluebirds, More Yarn Deals, Hot and Cold

One of my favorites, that used to nest in the boxes near the house for years until the sparrows chased them out, is back. This guy was singing away on the back deck. I have been hearing them and seeing them and hope they have nested nearby. This photo was taken through the patio door so it's not crispy clear.

It was very hot, just about 90 last weekend so Mike jumped into the pond. The pond is still very cold but remember this kid went on the polar bear swim.

My garden is coming along. Here is some lettuce of various varieties, starting to sprout. I also have some cabbage plants in.

I decided to make a little rock garden out back. I am really enjoying puttering around back there. It's all perennials, lillies and daffodils which I transplanted from the side of the house and flagpole, Goldshot Wallflower (the yellow plant) and  Touran Rockfoil Saxifraga (the red plant). Since these plants are all new, it's not filled out yet but promises to look very nice.

The mulitflora rose which is so invasive and prickly drives me crazy, so I mowed it over and tidied up the area between our back lawn and the woods.

I was in the "Cuse today so I stopped once again at the yarn store that is going out of business. This time all yarn was 70% off so I indulged just a little.

Yarn Deals, Baseball, Farms and Windmills

(click on pics to make huge)



Mike opted to stay with the Modified baseball team this year, as did most of his class. So far they have played three and have had three rained out.  Here are a few pics above. Mike's stance is pretty darn perfect (and I'm not biased :-)).

On the way to the game at Stockbridge Valley inMunnsville, I noticed lots of new windmills. A friedn of Mike's father actually put those windmills up. My favorite pic is the one just showing one section of one blade stiucking out of the tree. It almsot looks like something from War of the Worlds.

Saturday I finally visited a yarn store with Beth that is closing. I passed it a few times but never stopped in. It doesn't surprise me that it's closing, it was incredibly expensive. I got some great bargain yarn.


Then off we went to a brand new fiber arts store in the, what appears to be dying, Shoppingtown Mall. The store has potential. You can build a batt, try a wheel or spindle or learn how to weave.

It was quite a busy day because after that we went to visit Mizrahi Manor in North Norwich. They have been out here for a visit and ever since, I have been wanting to see their farm. I have been a regular reader of their blog. It's a lovely farm with an authentic restored barn, some pretty cool Jacob sheep, Dexter cows, some chickens and they just got some Italian bees which we were very interested in. I purchase some local honey every month that I put in my oatmeal every day. It's unfiltered and delicious. Whether it helps my allergies remains to be seen. I probably really need honey from this area so I ingest the local pollen. Mike is going to work for the farm to pick up some $$$. And speaking of $$$, Dan was at work so we stopped at KFC for some chicken and tacos and to see him in action.

Alpaca, Clarkson and Gardening

So here it is! It showed up in the mail today. My oh my this stuff is scrumptious. I have been squeezing it and smelling it whenever I pass by. It's got that faint hint of alpaca smell and it is dense, soft and just really nice...what can I say. The question is...what shall I knit with it?

Finally today we will go see mike play baseball and possibly pitch on a nice day for a change.

I washed my two favorite vehicles, planted my cabbage, pansies and Gold Shot Wallflower.

I sent in an application to take two tests, PC Lan Tech and Network Specialist. I did this becasue the job I had in the school three years ago, is now vacant again. When I had it, it was not a civil service position with BOCES. Now it is so I have to take the tests.  So I have a few irons smoldering...maybe one will pan out.

I forgot to mention that Clarkson invited Dan to do their accelerated program where you complete your senior year and do your college freshman year at the same time. I guess they were pretty impressed with him when he was up there. They only pick a small group of "exceptional" students. It's a nice feather in Dan's cap but he wan'ts to be with his friends senior year. There is another event going on in July that is again for a select group but it is only for a week. We are considering it...but it's expensive. So we'll see.

It's almost time to put the dock and boat in the water. When we were up at Clarkson, we did stop in at the cabin and make sure all was well. Now that's it feeling like summer, cabin times are fast approaching!

I won!

I rarely win things so it was with delight that I found out that I won two skeins of alpaca yarn! I am a regular reader of Marie's blog. She and I share a love of baseball and fiber (but we don't love the same team!!). She is a Phillies fan.  Marie designs her own garments, writes patterns and makes all kinds of nifty things including greeting and note cards. Go check out her blog.

Rochester Institite of Technology Open House

RIT is aptly named "Brick City" because as you approach, that's exactly what you see. However, once inside, trees, lawns and sculptures make the campus more inviting. I couldn't get used to the flatness of the area though. There are no hills but that's not really important.  I have to say we were both way more impressed than we thought we would be. It's quite a school and the engineering department is very well stocked with all the latest high tech equipment and unlike Clarkson, the campus is very new. But it's huge, 15,000 students as oppossed to Clarkson's 3,000 in 2007. Like Clarkson they have a strong Coop program and a 97% employment rate. The food wasn't bad and the dorms were typical. The walk from the dorms to the learning areas is the famous quarter mile. By the end of the day we had walked several miles I am sure, and saw numerous interesting engineering projects. Everything is connected by underground tunnels so you don't get wet or freeze in the winter. I noticed a lot of Asian students and my first impressions of the student population was that it was quite cliquey. Asians hung with Asians and so on. The students were not as friendly compared to Clarkson. They were plugged in and tuned out. However the kids exhibiting the projects were very enthusiastic about sharing their projects. All in all Daniel did like the campus but thinks the Clarkson campus is more suited to the type of person he is. However he is considering overnighters at both campuses next year when he is  senior. Either way, both of these colleges will give an engineering student a fantastic education. Both colleges will take about 5 years to graduate because of the Coop requirements.

Clarkson University Visit

When I made the appointement for an interview and tour I didn't realize then that it was Easter weekend, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the campus abuzz with activity yesterday. In fact as we toured the engineering building several of the 4 hands on projects had students working on them at 10 am on Saturday morning! There was the Baja car, the Formual One car and the water filtration project. The students in each of these groups were happy to tell us about their projects. In addition there was an aeronautical project, an electric snowmobile and an electric car project. We toured a few of the dorms, the eateries (the food is actually good which is very important to Dan), the sports center and the classrooms. We even saw a one minute sales pitch competition at the business school. The campus is lovely with beautiful views. It sits by the Raquette River and near the Adirondacks, and Potsdam itself is a small very self sufficient town that also houses SUNY Potsdam. The class sizes are small and the students are not just a number. The job placement rate was 98% last  year despite the economy. We were all very impressed, in fact Mike was so impressed that he has decided to become an engineer so he can attend Clarkson in 2012! Actually Clarkson does offer other majors but it is best known for it's engineering school. The admissions gal was very impressed with Dan, so hopefully she will remember him when his application comes across her desk next October!

Last Lamb of The Season

Today was unexpectedly beautiful. So we set out to accomplish many things. I washed the car, we moved the roses into the new area I prepared yesterday, took the snow fence down, sold the old Nissan in less than 24 hours, moved the deck furniture out of the shed onto the porch, put the snowblowing Cub Cadet into the shed and let the new lamb and her mom out for the first time. This lamb was born last weekend, right before the shearer arrived, and was in poor shape. We milked the ewe to get the colostrum into her. I inadvertantly sprayed some milk into my face. That was fun. Then it all got crusty!  But in the meantime we fed the milk that made it into the conatiner, to the lamb through a syringe and brought her into the house to warm up. It was touch and go for awhile and this was a first time mother so she wasn't quite sure what to do. But to make a long story shot, here she is sunbathing happily!

All the fleeces are shipped with the exception of one Clun Fleece because when I was taking reserves I forgot how many I had so that one is for sale.

The New (old) Beast

pics taken on a rainy misty day adds an almost sinister look to the truck

Remember how excited I was about buying our first used car? I loved the lack of dollars flowing out of my purse as we exited the dealer parking lot. Well we did it again and we may actually have added a few $ to the coffers as we left the lot this time. You see, our ten year old truck is...well 10 years old and looks every bit of it. It's always been trouble and has cost us a pretty penny over the years. The sad part is the mileage is only 70,000.  It is also now too cramped for the kids who have long legs. The Sorento (which still looks great) is getting old..it's an 03 with 90,000 miles and the thought of breaking down halfway to the cabin, fully loaded with gear and animals, was a little frightening. Plus we need a truck for that trek, sooooo I started looking around for a used Toyota Tundra or Tacoma. I found what I wanted an hour and a half away. It was worth the drive though, as the ad didn't do it justice at all. What we disovered was that it had the Sports TRD package, which included extra sport suspension, running boards, chrome tip on the exhaust pipe which Dan just loves,  fancy but very undertstated decals by the hood scoop and on the door handles, electric rear windows which the kids love along with their spacious quarters, 17 inch alloy wheels, killer stereo with 6cd changer, fancy moveable tiedowns in the bed along with a power converter so we can run tools, and just a very nice looking beast that drives and rides like a sedan. We found a place in Binghamton to make a nice matching cap.

I've always loved automobiles and love to drive and was going to car shows as a teenager. So having nice vehicles has always been a great source of enjoyment for me.  This truck has excellent reviews and only has 26,000 miles. It's a 2007 and is in just about perfect shape. We love it!

Oh! I almsot forgot to add that NY chnaged it's agricultural vehicle rules to read basically that a truck qualifies if it is used almost 50% of the time in agricultural pursuits. This is definitely true for us so we paid no taxes and it's depreciable to boot!

Meanwhile though, we have 5 vehicles. We will try and sell the Nissan and Dan (who got a job in Kentucky Fried Chicken) will use the older truck for work. Parking is a little cramped around here!