Knitted Socks Ready in a Casual, Chic Sort of Way

Yup, two weeks later, here they are, as shown on the Mr.'s hands:

I used Knit Picks Stroll in a 75% wool, 25% nylon fingering weight wool.  The pattern is here. Gardening, walking, clogging...these socks are ready to go!

ODE TO MY SOCKS
by Pablo Neruda

Maru Mori brought me
a pair
of socks
that she knit with her
shepherd's hands.

Two socks as soft
as rabbit fur.

I thrust my feet
inside them
as if they were
two
little boxes
knit
from threads
of sunset
and sheepskin.

My feet were
two woolen
fish
in those outrageous socks,
two gangly,
navy-blue sharks
impaled
on a golden thread,
two giant blackbirds,
two cannons:

thus
were my feet
honored
by
those
heavenly
socks.

They were
so beautiful
I found my feet
unlovable
for the very first time,
like two crusty old
firemen, firemen
unworthy
of that embroidered
fire,
those incandescent
socks.

Nevertheless
I fought
the sharp temptation
to put them away
the way schoolboys
put
fireflies in a bottle,
the way scholars
hoard
holy writ.

I fought
the mad urge
to lock them
in a golden
cage
and feed them birdseed
and morsels of pink melon
every day.

Like jungle
explorers
who deliver a young deer
of the rarest species
to the roasting spit
then wolf it down
in shame,
I stretched
my feet forward
and pulled on
those
gorgeous
socks,
and over them
my shoes.

So this is
the moral of my ode:
beauty is beauty
twice over
and good things are doubly
good
when you're talking
about
a pair of wool
socks
in the dead of winter.

Now We Have a Greenhouse

First we started out with our dog run area which we no longer use as such because our fur babies are so spoiled they won't go anywhere without a human by their side.

Then, inch by inch and step by step, the Mr. followed all instructions given in the kit. And now it is ready for use.

This is the finished product with pictures by Amazon.

source

We are hoping it will keep all herbs, geraniums and begonias safe over the winter. 

 And next spring, just wait for those beans seedlings and other vegetables to come out of the greenhouse!

The Mr. and the Mrs. are happy gardeners.

(illustrations by Sara Midda from In and Out of the Garden)

Dragonfly Challenge

Every week, Inspiration Avenue has a blog hop where people post around a central theme, a theme that changes each Monday morning.  This week, it is all about dragonflies, those mystical, mysterious, marvelous creatures.  They are everywhere in the summer, and each time I see one I am mesmerized.

Go on over to this link and check out the posting, then follow along or even check back during the week to see others' posts about dragonflies.  The challenge lasts a week.  It is fun!

The Dragonfly Darlings Challenge shows a few of these creatures today:

You can just see the wonder on the little girl's face.  (She came from Lynne, a children's book illustrator, at this blog.)

Would you want this on your back?

source

Yikes!

Anyway, join in here!  I will be checking in on all participants' blogs and leaving a comment.