DK the Nautical Knitter

And then there were two…  I had plenty of fabric left over from making my costume for the festival so I decided to make a matching one for my niece, Baleigh.  I know you have been anxious to see your skirt, Baleigh, so here you go. 

Boy, I sure hope the head piece fits.  Oh, and there is an extra surprise underneath….my petticoat is white, yours is PURPLE!!  I will post photos of the vest when I have it completed.  Hope you like it (and I hope it fits!)

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A Weeping Willow tree that is… We celebrated Mother’s day a little differently this year. There is a background story to this. I will try to summarize it for you here.

There was a long standing arrangement between my mother and stepfather that allowed her to collect 20% of his golf “winnings” from his friendly wagering at the country club where they are members. My mother would keep this “stash of cash”, which was large indeed, because he is a very good golfer and probably a better grifter, until we were able to see them again. She and I would take this cash and hit as many resale and goodwill shops as possible in whatever area of the country we were in and would enhance our wardrobes tremendously.

When we were in town for mother’s memorial service, my stepfather gave me her “stash of cash” because he thought she would have wanted me to have it. I was at a loss as to what to do with it. I wanted to do something special. I did not want to go resale shopping with this cash by myself. So, I just tucked it away and knew that the right thing to do would present itself eventually.

Yesterday, we took a trip out to one of the larger plant nurseries in the area and found a Weeping Willow tree that is about 6ft tall. It was just sitting there among the other, much taller, trees and was calling my name. I had gone there looking for just such a tree and it was the only one they had. It was perfect! We also went to Lowe’s and purchased about 8 Crepe Myrtles that we planted in a line down our 1/4 mile long driveway. Mother was a prolific gardner and I think she would have been very happy to have her “stash of cash” spent this way. Now, every time we look at these trees we will remember her and enjoy them for years to come.

I hope your Mother’s Day was just as wonderful!

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Well, the day at the salon was loooong and stinky. The stylist cut my hair and then it was on to the perm. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon. I have had my hair permed many times in my life and the smell always makes me wonder why.

Here is the obligatory before shot:

And here are two of my better after perm shots:

I think it is way too curly right now! It will be great for the festival, because I have to put flowers in my hair, etc. But, after we get back home I may look into straightening it or re-perming it on larger rods. Tell me what you think….

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Yesterday, Reba and I had loads of fun.  Even though we were unable to make it to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this year, we consoled ourselves with a bit of shopping of our own.  I was on a mission to find the perfect flowers for my headpiece for my Czech costume.  Reba, well, she was out for some S.E.X.  (Stash Enhancement Experience)  As it turned out, I was able to locate all the flowers needed.  Reba managed only to increase my S.E.X by buying me this book for my upcoming birthday.  She is such an enabler and a really good friend, too! 

Once I got back home I was able to complete all the headpieces by bedtime.  I pinned them to Caroline to get the shot.  The top one is a wreath that is typically worn by an unmarried girl and the bottom two are hair clips with long ribbons flowing down the back.  What do you think?

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A time to die

What you see in the photograph is an approximately 40ft tall pine tree that we built our house around as a focal point of the landscape. We were concerned about the tree even before building the house because it looked like it was sickly then. That was two years ago. Now, it is definitely not savable. My friend Reba suggested that it may be the pine beetles or some such thing. Upon closer inspection, there are tiny little holes all over the tree. It looks like someone has been throwing darts at the tree with uncanny accuracy. Millions of holes from this pest have taken our tree.

We are planning on removing it and replacing it with a large water garden. I really want to do this, but am not sure if I will be able to work with the plants enough to keep them alive. Time will tell…

A time to plant

On a more joyful note, we brought home a beautiful white azalea from mother’s memorial service a few weeks ago. I am happy to report that I have not managed to kill it yet.

For those of you who don’t know, I have no green part of my body, anywhere, including my thumbs! Anyway, isn’t it just beautiful? Apparently this azalea is not meant to be in the ground in this part of the country, so it will live out it’s life in ever increasing sized pots. Probably embedded in the pond foliage somewhere.

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My birthday is coming and I feel like dancing!  Could it be because my dear, sweet Mr. K got me a present early? 

Whoo hoo, Seven CD’s of Czech polka and waltz music.  He even bought me some lilies, too!  I am getting so excited about the festival!  Can you tell?

All that is left to do is find the flowers and ribbon for my hair "do" and have my hair cut and permed next Wednesday.  I will be sure to post photos of that adventure.  Oh ya, and try to find calf high black leather boots in spring.  I have been looking but there just aren’t any to be had around here…  Any suggestions?

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