Forced to do proper housework

It's been snowing since about mid-morning today, with no signs of clearing. Just steady snowfall, slowly but surely beginning to cover everything. Between the weather and a Husband out doing his own thing for a bit, there is no reason I shouldn't be cleaning house. The holiday boxes that needed to get out were sent out Saturday. The only holiday knitting I have left is for the kids, so has to be done after 9pm. I finally began tracing pictures of dancing fruit onto day of the week dishtowels to eventually embroider, because everyone needs dancing fruit dishtowels in their kitchen. Ok, maybe it's just me.

The last couple weeks are rather a blur of red, green, white and baked goods, coupled last week with a rather nasty headache induced by stress, insomnia, junk food and a rather recently noticed spider bite. I have bad reactions to most insect-type bites, so how I missed one swelled to the size of quarter I have no clue. I should also know better about the junk food.

I recently found a new supplier of henna , along with a new method of mixing up said green goo, which I will be trying out tomorrow. I've seen lovely results on others, so am rather optimistic as to how it will turn out.

Back to tracing happy fruit and finishing the sweater for myself that was supposed to get done before it got too cold.

'Tis the Season

There was the gathering of the neighbors to get together and chat(not too horrible as most of my neighbors are really lovely people). The local Christmas parade that we just had to go to (according to the kids), because they had friends on a couple of floats. It was below freezing, so once we'd seen their friends' floats we came home and had hot chocolate. There's enthusiastic lights and displays up and down the block. The kids have also handed us their wish lists. These lists tend to be a source of anxiety for most parents; prone to being arm length, coated in "I wannas" that all cost an arm and a leg apiece. Not my kids. Their lists are a handful of things each, if you count both requesting enough snow to go out and really play in. I guess that whole, "stuff isn't the purpose behind the holiday" has actually gotten through. Most of their lists don't require batteries either, which is apparently rather singular nowadays.
I've been knitting almost constantly, but I can't discuss any of it till after things are opened. It doesn't help that I am about a week behind getting things out. Bad me. I know. Think about how bad it would be if I hadn't planned ahead (at least a little bit). Back to work!

Raw Donut Holes!

Are so very good! Thank you Ani Phyo! I added just a touch of fresh ground nutmeg to make them absolutely perfect. Yum!

Thanksgiving went well. The turkey turned out perfectly, dripping a compound butter of bacon, dijon mustard and herbs. I made cranberry sauce from scratch, with brown sugar and a touch of ginger. It turned out well enough that even Hubby, (who doesn't like cranberry) ate it willingly, with apparent enjoyment. We didn't have any guests, so of course everything was done right at the anticipated time.

The day before Thanksgiving, we traipsed into town to pick out Boyo's new eyeglasses. While we were out wandering one of the shops, a nice woman commented on how tall the kids were. I responded with a "Yes, they'll be passing me in less than six months." Sounds normal right? Until she mentioned she thought the children were my siblings. When I announced, "Nope, they're mine" she looked really surprised. I chose to take it as a compliment. (As my sister so kindly pointed out a couple of years ago, I'm no "spring chicken".)

Holiday stuff continues to progress at a pace that means people will actually get their gifts before next spring. Though I admit to avoiding sewing up the kids' holiday pj's still. The thought of having to iron all that cotton flannel is a rather major deterrent. At least the pj's can be finished last minute, along with a couple other of their presents. Yes, there is knitting involved, but really, with me, when isn't there?

It must be the need to hibernate

I've spent three days stocking my pantry. Even more time will be put into re-organizing all of it and taking full inventory. Yes, there is enough to warrant an inventory list. I do love that my garage doubles beautifully as a cold storage room during the winter months, it makes where to keep the potatoes easier to figure out.
It's felt a bit odd stocking up. I've really been trying to balance the pioneer/country winter food with the raw food thing. I suppose it's become more of a seasonal eating thing, fresh/raw stuff most of the year, heavier, more traditional foods during the coldest months augmented by whatever fresh things I can get to grow or get my hands on. Once again, that rather old fashioned way of doing things seems to make the most sense to me.

There was also the almost over-powering need to go looking at yarns today. Wool, silk and alpaca, blended or separate, was calling to me today. Lovely bulky yarns that created visions of warm hats, mitts, and (even more ambitious) sweaters for everyone I know. Not a practical vision on that kind of scale, but there was a distinct desire to make sure everyone was going to stay warm this season.
One of the reasons this is decidedly impractical is the Holiday Stuff. The Holiday Stuff has put the brakes on my winter knitting for myself until probably early to mid-December, depending on how fast I can get things accomplished. The really good news being that about half of the most time consuming Holiday Stuff is complete. If I cut down some of my sleep time, I'll probably have it all done by Thanksgiving. Wish me luck?

Attempt at less consumption through spinning

I pulled out my basic roving and my drop spindle today to attempt to make yarn to knit with. The singles looked, rustic yet elegant. Almost like I had made them thick/thin on purpose. They stayed rolled in their ball and made me feel accomplished. Then I tried to ply singles together. The result was not nearly as pretty. It is very obvious more practice is needed.

I suppose it's my way of trying to combat consumer culture. The idea that store bought is better. The problem being, if enough people do this, what do we replace our consumer culture with? Do we return to the barter system? Lucky for us, humans are a creative and adaptive animal (there are how many of us on the planet?) If we think about it, some idea should come to light as to how to survive without mass produced disposable everything and pre-packaged heavily processed preservatives masquerading as food. Thus the real question becomes, can we get people to act on that idea?

New craft table!

I'm very excited. If I hadn't been overcome with enthusiasm for prepping my backyard for a proper garden before the first snow out here, I probably would be able to enjoy it much more. But then the table wouldn't look all lovely, it would be covered in fabric and pins, the same fabric stacked next to it, just waiting to become all sorts of lovelies. Someday the craft table and sewing machine will be accompanied by a loom,a spinning wheel,and maybe a potter's wheel (did I mention I like to paint and draw too?) but until I have a studio to house them, they will probably have to wait. I rather assume that my family has no desire to live amongst all my projects all the time, and might want some room for their own things as well. At least I still have my drop spindle to play with.

Last weekend was spent cooking. A lot. Hubby made 2 gallons of clam chowder, from scratch and Philly cheese steaks. The leftover meat from the cheese steaks got turned into nachos. I also did up a few pork roasts and 2 gallons of corn chowder. Soup is popular around here during the cold months, it freezes well, and usually requires only some fresh bread and salad to make an entire meal. Gotta love the simplicity. Too bad it means re-organizing my pantry to house all the dried peas, beans, rice, flour, and cornmeal. At least it looks nice with everything in glass mason jars. It also leaves me more knitting time. Woohoo!

Fieldtrip!

Friday, we headed down towards UNM to visit their Museum of Anthropology. The campus is rather lovely, and reminds me more of Santa Cruz than standard New Mexico. Chalk graffiti all over the place telling people to vote, bicycles everywhere, and people of every description, a few with the obligatory guitar slung on their back or in their lap.
We wandered for a good while and finally found the Anthropology building, enjoying ourselves immensely. The museum itself had some very interesting pieces, focusing mainly on local digs and the history of the Southwest. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves, particularly the designs on the pottery and the interactive maps.
There was a downside though. Two men, neither of whom seemed to know the proper protocol for having a conversation in a museum. They were far too loud for the surroundings. Hubby and I were irritated at their lack of manners. Due to their volume level, their conversation was easy to follow, (apparently the entire population of the museum needed to hear what they were discussing), I began to find myself even more annoyed as to the content of their conversation. One was in lecture mode. This would have been fine, at proper volume and if he had had a solid base in what he was spouting. Instead, I found myself clenching my jaw, forcing myself to look at the displays and not turning around to correct his faulty information. The Teacher in me had a very difficult time, especially as the topics they were discussing were things I have studied at rather great depth for the last decade, but it is bad manners to comment on a conversation not yours, let alone turn around and lecture them. I kept my mouth shut, and tried to distract myself with examples of gut skin parkas from Alaska.
Once we were done with the museum, we wandered a bit more. We found the campus duck pond, which tickled the kids but made them lament our lack of bread to feed them. As there was at least one rather large duck with what looked to be a double chin, us not feeding the ducks would be no loss to the ducks. All in all a very worthwhile trip.

As a bonus for me, we stopped into a used/vintage clothing shop across from the University. Loved it! I do have to say, if you're in town and like that sort of thing, Pink Rhino 50/50 is a place to visit. The owner and staff are nice, the selection is good and the prices are reasonable, which is why I felt no guilt feeding my velvet and wool obsession.

Knitting has ceased being a black hole, consuming my time and not producing anything. The Bat Shawl is done and waiting to be blocked. A pair of slippers have been finished, but need a touch of felting to make them perfect. Progress is being made on the first of at least six sweaters I have to complete. My new cat's eye, rhinestone tipped glasses enabling me to read the patterns without giving me a headache. Must. Knit. More. Now.

Ummm Happy Halloween?

I've been blogging in my head for three weeks now, does that count?

The kids went to a costumed birthday party the week before Halloween. Darling Daughter won the costume contest. Boyo went for a bit more elegant look. He wore the velvet cape we got him for about a week straight. We had a decent amount of trick or treaters, though still far too much candy left. The amount diminishes rather rapidly daily.

I held my breath with everyone else on Tuesday, unable to sleep until the last speech was done, toasting the television with my wine glass as tears rolled down my face, rather overwhelmed by the emotional outpouring from the crowd at the acceptance speech. (The crowd's reaction reminded me of the early video of Beatles' fans.) I am very thankful that things turned out the way they did. I admit to being rather disappointed in my home state for passing a ban on gay marriage. I suppose in a way it's a trade-off. One can only hope it's worth it.

Re-focus

I had a migraine yesterday that kicked my behind. It was a direct result from the copious amounts of junk food I ate last weekend. I knew it would get me, the oh so tasty electric colored, food dye flavored sprinkles in box mix cupcakes and more candy than I had eaten in 3 months. Hubby found a place in town that sells Coffee Crisps, by the case. Ouch.

I started trying to fix it yesterday. I slept like a rock last night. This morning as I was cracking my eye to peek at the clock (to find out it was later than it should be), a raven streaked past my window with a raucous cackle. I hopped out of bed to a quote from Jeebs in Men in Black 2 running through my head, "Let's make it happ'n Cap'n!" I finished getting ready to Where is the Love? by the Black Eyed Peas playing in my head. My breakfast of raw almond milk and museli is waiting, with fresh guacamole and flax seed crackers (homemade of course) for lunch.

Things are back in focus. Time to change the world.

A quiet lunch

The local public schools have today off. So, my kids organized a picnic with some of the neighborhood kids today. It's been very cute to peek at them down the street, the little herd sitting on a big fuzzy blanket eating sandwiches and apples with peanut butter and cheese. It also means that the only break in a rather unusually peaceful lunch hour for me is the neighbor a few houses down playing his radio way too loudly. I could get used to this.

The really good news is that Boyo could walk halfway down the block to where they are having this picnic. Which means his ankle is healing up nicely.

I'm still trying to understand who sets up and goes to a picnic when it's below 60*F outside.

I can still run!

My daughter popped her head in the front door this afternoon to worriedly announce that her brother had fallen off of a scooter and twisted his ankle. Off I ran, literally sprinting down the street (as he had managed to fall at the far end from our house). Neighbors came out of their houses as the crazy lady in the orange shirt ran past their driveways. One nice man asked if we needed help, but as we were only two houses away from our front door by the time he asked, I politely thanked him and proceeded to haul my hobbled boy into our front door. The adrenalin has worn off. I can tell because my body is letting me know, in no uncertain terms, that I rarely run flat out anymore. It would have to be the evening Hubby is getting home late this week!

Looking back to move forward?

Does it seem to anyone else like we are consistently shoving our way forward towards the latest, greatest thing that is supposed to save the world? What would happen, if while continuing that quest for new technology, we used some very low-tech, historically inspired things to give us more time for that quest? Things like hanging up some of your laundry instead of using the dryer. ( You do have hangers and door frames right?) Cook at home. Make double what you need. Bag up the rest, throw it in the freezer to help you out when you are short for time or the fridge is empty. Take up a hobby that doesn't require an outlet or batteries. (Underwater basket weaving anyone?) Plant some herbs or lettuce where ever you have room. Packets of seed are cheap, and if you are lucky, you have free dirt. If you are like me and have sand, clay and/or concrete, big bags of organic soil run about $6 each (at least out here).

These are in no way original ideas. Research household management from WW1 and WW2. You come up with Victory Gardens and phrases like "Make Do and Mend". It wasn't about just conserving energy, it was about conserving everything. Why shouldn't we be using these techniques? Yes, they take more time and effort. Aren't the rewards worth it? I detest making up a price book, but have found it very much worth the work. Shouldn't we be learning from our history? Especially as they were so kind as to leave us very detailed notes and instructions on what they did.

Not the best weekend

This is why I should not be allowed to make homemade fries with a mandolin slicer anymore. Even with the handguard, I managed to put two gouges in the heel of my hand. They weren't deep enough for stitches, just. It takes talent to be quite this uncoordinated.

Luckily, it hasn't gotten in the way of my knitting.

Don't Panic

A relevant bit of advice don't you think? I've been repeating it almost mantra-like this morning. I had to deal with spiders. I am not fond of most spiders, especially out here since many of them have rather nasty bites. Not nice daddy long legs, no, a mini tarantula and a black widow were what I had to deal with. Now I knew the little tarantula was out there, he'd been camping on my back door for a couple of days. I also knew that I didn't want him hanging around till he got bigger. So, clad in boots, gloves, long sleeves and long pants, I ventured into my back yard with the intent to get rid of him with the bottom of my boot. Only to find he wasn't on the door anymore. As I was watering my plants, I saw him crawling on the wall. Up towards my bedroom window! Hose in hand, water pressure turned up, I began to spray him, all was taken care of...till the black widow dropped from the corner of the patio I had hosed down. I am happy to report I got her too. Have I mentioned I don't like spiders? I have to admit, they were easier to get rid of than the centipede the size of my index finger that was in the kids' bathroom! I just really would rather avoid all large, potential hazardous creepy crawlies from now on, thanks.

Three hundred and twenty...

and still counting! My efforts to organize my knitting patterns are becoming even more long and drawn out than I expected. Yes, I am really up to 320 patterns thus far. I thought I was done filing things when I found a binder on a bottom bookshelf. A 3-inch binder. A little over half full of yet more patterns! Then I remembered the knitting kits I put together about 6 months ago, probably a half dozen or more stashed in the downstairs closet.
I would like it noted that at least 95% of these patterns are freebies collected over the last 5 years or so. Buying patterns is something I do when I find a design very striking and only then, as I have to be able to afford the yarn to make the item in the first place. I would also like it noted that this does not include all my pattern books (of which there are dozens) or any of the magazines (of which I have lost count).

My new books came in yesterday! Yay! I am the only one in the house with any enthusiasm for square foot gardening year round or Ani Phyo's recipes. This means getting it all rolling on my lonesome with the hopes that my enthusiasm will be contagious and I will not be looked at like I am just making noise anymore. And people wonder why I spend so much time knitting anymore.

Thoughts moving too fast

Makes blogging about anything so very difficult.

There were the obnoxious, drunken, loud and slightly belligerent neighbors last weekend who decided that I didn't need to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. I really don't think 2 am is reasonable.

There's the fact that there are at least five people under the age of 14 in my house almost daily now. I'm happy my children have friends, just very much missing a peaceful afternoon.

The fact that with a little bit of urging from the lovely folks at Raw Fu, I bought three books I had been drooling on for months; The Square Foot Garden, The Four Season Harvest, and Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. Please note, none of them are knitting books. Yes, I am feeling fine, thank you.

I did break down and buy a vintage dress pattern. It's a cocktail dress a la 1958 and very Mrs. Robinson sexy. Made in dark green silk, I should be able to stop traffic.

I have also been trying to find ideas on being green and frugal. This would work so much better if I didn't already apply so many in my household.
I don't have a clothesline, our HOA forbids them. Apparently this is because homeowners struggling to pay their electric bills are more aesthetically pleasing than said clothesline. I've been thinking a folding drying rack out of sight on the back porch might be acceptable. I did run around changing out old light bulbs to the cfls that had been stashed in a closet "for later". Most of what I've been finding and using is a combination of current energy saving ideas and World War 2 "make do and mend" ideas. They mesh surprisingly well, where they don't overlap entirely. Just makes me feel decidedly old-fashioned, people thought I was weird before.

I just console myself with things like raw chocolate chip cookies.

A little more detail

As requested here's a little more detail about the "no 'poo" way of doing things. Please keep in mind I have waist length fine hair, you will need to play with the proportions to get things to suit you personally. I use about a tablespoon or so of baking soda made into a thin paste and applied to the roots of my hair, left for about a minute or two, then rinsed well. For the vinegar rinse I use about 2 tablespoons of herbed vinegar in a cup to a cup and a half of warm water, poured over everything except the roots of my hair and left for about the same amount of time as the baking soda paste, then again rinsed well. If this is too much work, as it does take a bit of prep time and thinking ahead, Burt's Bees makes lovely shampoos and conditioners without all the extra unwanted yuck in them. Hope this helps!

Officially the Mother of a Teenager

Isn't she sweet? I suppose I should be feeling old at this point. I don't really. I rather enjoy the fact that she picks out loud color skull and cross bone earrings with colored rhinestones, wanted a cake in the shape of an octopus, and to spend most of her actual birthday in various bookstores. Yay!

This is also the second week of Husband's vacation. I'm wondering if what was supposed to be done the first week of said vacation is going to get done this week. I admit to being a bit doubtful. On the upside, the more he sits around not doing what needs to be done, the more I tend to sit around and knit. I've finished a sweater(this morning so I haven't taken pictures yet), am working on the Mystery Stole 4 and have cast on a shawl of bat lace a la The AntiCraft. All the while plotting(with yarn on the way) lovely baby items for one of my Darlings. I'm rather thankful for the excuse really, otherwise my small hoard of baby patterns might seem a bit creepy. I prefer to think of it as being prepared for any eventuality, kind of like a practical pack rat. Which is why I have a small pile of lint from the wool/silk blankets I bought(at almost half price) for the beds. It looks a bit like roving, it's fiber-y, so there's a chance it could be spun into yarn....right?

My first attempt at hula

It's been something on my list to try for quite some time. I figured it would be interesting. I have a good bit of belly dance experience so that should help, right?

Not as much as I thought. The words awkward and embarrassing come to mind.

The forms have similarities, mainly hip motions. Not enough for me to pick it up as quickly as I'd like. I've spent the rest of the day randomly practicing moves while checking my form in the bathroom mirror. My body isn't thanking me yet. In fact, it yells at me every time I go up or down the stairs. Which is why it made perfect sense to go out and rake up rocks in the backyard afterwards. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Energy is at an all time low. Sitting, knitting, and watching mindless television call to me. Knowledge of the huge pile of clean laundry on the couch, waiting to be folded is ignored.
My respite is short-lived; dinner must be made, house must be tidied, and that horrible monster called laundry must be finished. I imagine I will do an astounding impression of a rock not long after I fall into bed tonight.

Trying another something new

This morning, after much deliberation, I decided to try the "no 'poo" thing. That's right. No commercial shampoo in a large plastic bottle for me. I got my hands on a couple of lovely triangular glass bottles in Hobby Lobby a couple of weeks ago. One is frosted looking and green, the other shiny and blue. Both are so dark as to look black in indirect light. I had a bottle of apple cider vinegar with nettle and rosemary steeped in it for just this purpose. With everything all ready to go, I didn't have any more excuses. I mixed up my stuff in the lovely bottles and proceeded to pour baking soda solution on the roots of my hair. After a minor wait accompanied by a rinsing, the rest of my hair got a vinegar rinse, followed by another minor wait and another rinsing. Then it was business as normal. I was worried that my hair was going to end up a tangled, greasy mess, but so far the results have been decidedly positive. This is very much a good thing. Even little things that mean fewer chemicals (in me and in the water) and less trash, count for something. It doesn't hurt that this particular experiment also ends up being a frugal endeavor as well. My waist length hair uses mass amounts of conditioner on a regular basis. Commercial stuff gets pricey. Apple cider vinegar and baking soda, not so much. Conventional shampoo has been one of those things I've been leery of getting rid of. I make soap, body and face butters, scrubs and face masks no problem. The idea of having manky hair was just too much of a consequence. Till now. Maybe all that raw food has gone to my brain!

Maybe a little too enthusiastic?

So, I've been participating in Bunny Berry's 100 day RawFu challenge. Things are going fairly well, so long as I don't force myself to do 100% raw every day. I've been sleeping better, I have more energy and am prone to impromptu dances for no apparent reason.

I am finding there is a down side to this.

The effervescent happy that bubbles over everywhere has no limits and does not understand that I cannot knit two scarves, two lace shawls, 3 sweaters, two pairs of socks, a table runner and umpteen pairs of gloves while simultaneously working on seven cross-stitch patterns, keeping house, tending the garden and teaching two children.

It doesn't mean I'm not trying though.

Luckily, there is a goodly amount of focus that also comes along with all that enthusiasm. Things get completed in less time because I don't get bored and walk away a quarter of the way through. This doesn't mean everything gets done, just that more things get accomplished than used to.

Finally

A place to talk about all the stuff I do and how I do it. JuneyFu as practiced by JuneyTwo. JuneyFu is one of those things I came up with as a semi-joke. I was trying to describe what I do in a more colorful term than "housewife" one day as visions of June Cleaver danced in my head. Since I don't vacuum my house in pearls and high heels, I wanted something that was going to be a more accurate portrayal of the hard work and devotion I put in to what I do. With a little inspiration from Mr. Pratchett, Lao Tse and his Way of Mrs. Cosmopolite(who knits), JuneyFu was born. It also sounded quite a bit catchier than Thoughtful Housekeeping, a title that seems limited to, well, housekeeping. My interests tend to be a bit more varied, my approach sometimes a touch different than current standard. I rather like it that way.