To blizz or not to blizz

I'm in the middle of this map 

Up to now it's mainly rain, and Handsome Son texted to say he's off to work anyway,  since the forecast of blizzard conditions this morning didn't seem to have been right. Now they're saying snow overnight and Monday.

The local library closed today and postponed the lunar New Year celebration. It's still only damp, so they may as well have gone ahead. But they couldn't sit around waiting since performers were coming from further away and needed to know.

Tomorrow the cleaners are scheduled and I wrote to tell them not to push, be safe, we can reschedule (again).  I don't plan to be away from the house anyway, so I'll just dodge them if they do show up. Which reminds me to set out a check just in case.

Wonderful lunch, forgot the picture, of baked breaded cod, roast potatoes and steamed broccoli. With malt vinegar. There's enough of everything to do it again tomorrow.  

I finished and stitched up the slippers, and I think they're not quite good enough to give, so I'm wearing them.

I folded the rectangle, stitched one end up for the heel. Then I gathered the other end up, drew it tight and stitched for the toe, continuing up the front to make it fit.  You just try on to make sure it's going to hold your foot firmly. Pro tip: if you make these, leave plenty of yarn beginning and end to use in the stitching up.

This was a real beginner project, and I may do it again only with better yarn for the Sock 'n glove Ministry.  I kind of invented it I think, or maybe hundreds of knitters before me did. 

It's definitely simple enough to work on while chatting at the Tuesday knitting group. In fact I wonder if it would be fun to knit corner to corner. That might also make a snug fit, since you'd be working on the bias. 

I'd have to review how to do a c to c rectangle, bit more complex than a square. But I think Sarah Swett has explained that somewhere, in her Slanted Sweater.  I know I did it when I spun and knitted and wove my vest of many colors.

My circular needle for wrappy scarf purposes has arrived, thank you, R,  and is now prodding me on to the next thing. I think maybe I'll weave a lanyard, though. My hands are suggesting a different fiber art.

Snow has started,  and I'm going to make a pot of tea with a slice of banana bread and spoonful of yogurt, and continue reading my mildly funny, snow day reading,  mystery series 

The inadvertent detective is Dr Lance Elliot general practitioner, and his retired doctor father who keeps Lance dragged into situations not helped by his eccentricity. The father's. The son is constantly sorting out life threatening situations created because his father thought they were a good idea at the time. 

Happy day everyone, stay safe, whatever that is for you.

Sunday snow day, also pumpkins

 I woke up to this on Sunday 

And this 

Getting snow in mid December is pretty early for this region. And here's to not having a car to clear and move for the plows!

This arrived in my library account after a long wait 

Which reminded me of the sweet potato in the freezer, what to make. Also the mashed bananas. Snow tends to bring on baking.

During the morning I heard a crashing noise, sounded like something big hitting something metal maybe. So I searched the house, found nothing out of place. 

Then Gary came over to report his butterfly bush, about 20'  tall, had snapped off at the base and fallen. That accounted for the crash. Too soon to see if it damaged the fence when it fell.  

I had knocked snow off my Japanese maple which was touching the ground. The butterfly bush was lying over but probably not broken. Too much snow to see.

I refrained from gloating at all my neighbors digging a lot of  heavy snow to get their cars out ready for the plows.  I definitely sold my car at the right time.

I had the luxury of just admiring the sun on the snow covered trees, and the cast shadows.

While boyz with toyz bustled about clearing the parking lot

I wouldn't mind playing with this one myself 

 Sunday is the last day of my 86th trip around the sun, wheeee. Ready for another. When you read this Monday, I will have embarked on another trip! Yay me!

Happy day everyone, especially Sags, sez Ted and Big Ursy 

And Fluffina 

 

Snow day and stitching

The snow is still falling, no paths dug yet, only one pass of the plow.

This is the town adjoining mine, same conditions apply.

Home is warm and snowbound, and the birds are out in force at the feeder. Yesterday there were male and female red bellied woodpeckers, always separately, a fierce little goldfinch fighting off juncoes twice his size, Carolina wrens, bluejays and various little brown birds.

And the endlessly talented embroiderer who writes the Fils et Aiguilles blog just showed her blackwork, here stitched in red thread. Go check her blog. She doesn't post often but it's worth waiting for.

This is really virtuoso stitching, both sides look the same.

It was introduced to England from Spain by Katherine of Aragon. The reason it's two sided is that it was used on collars and cuffs, both sides showing. I've done this kind of work and it's not easy! Usually in Elizabethan times it was in black thread, like this

You'll see motifs like this in portraits of the period. 

Meanwhile it's about keeping warm here. I still haven't started a jigsaw puzzle. January seems to have gone by so fast, hardly had time. 

Snow. A lot.

I must say that when we delay the first snowstorm of the winter season, when it comes, it really makes up for lost time. We're about one third through this one

As of now, we have power here in central NJ, people at the shore not so lucky, and there's about 10 inches of snow down, blowing sideways, on top of that, and that we may get up to 30 inches before it stops.  No chance to do anything but watch today, I think. And hope the rest of the cherry tree doesn't come down.

I signed up for emergency texting and emailing for power, emergencies, etc., and I wonder if it was wise, judging from the blow by blow texts and emails I've been getting reporting everything from outages at the shore and hour away, to traffic accidents since last night, people incautious enough to try driving. 

I was really only looking for some information, if we lost power, on when it might be back! Even my tiny Ipod got all over-excited and used its biggest possible graphic to emphasize HOW MUCH SNOW there is...like an excited parakeet.

You'll notice that the temps are not severe, and that the next few days will give us a chance to dig out.
 
Meanwhile, Handsome Son is safe home, was in touch this a.m., neighbor next door safe home from the city last night, there's soup and bread and red wine and a rattling good novel on the Kindle -- The Boleyn King-- and stitching to do.  I'm hoping to complete a big textile work today, all being well, and my arm holding up.

Take care everyone in the path of the storm, and let me know how you are.