WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?

I haven't posted in a while because life at our house has been rather hectic of late.   Lots of company - I think a lot of people come to visit us in Arizona to get warm.   We had ex-neighbors from Spokane visit a couple of times in March (they're on their way home now).  Our daughter and family from Las Vegas were here last week.  Our ex-neighbors from Graham, WA (who are snowbirds and live in Apache Junction during the winter) were here yesterday for a good ole game of Mexican Train and barbecue dinner.

One of the consequences of company and procrastination is that not much knitting has been done.  Our group has cancelled our meetups because of so many other events happening at the Entertainment Center where we meet.  

This is how my socks are looking - this is still the first sock and I'm ready now to start the heel:

Now I'll take you on a trip around our yard.  Lots of things blooming.

 These are two different-colored oleander bushes.

 Don't know the name of these flowered shrubs (below and above)

 This is a Palo Verde tree - Arizona's "state" tree.

Now I'm off to start the heel on my sock. 

COLLECTIONS

I'm sure most of you out there have a collection of some sort - I know I have a "few"!!

I seem to be collecting yarn for my knitting, beads for jewelrymaking, paper supplies for cardmaking, books and records for my genealogy hobby, and today I'm going to talk about my inactive collection of glassware.

A long time ago, my mother gave me her pieces of pink Fosteria glassware which she had received as a wedding gift in 1935!

Thus my fever to collect pink Fosteria began in earnest, and look what happened!  Went completely out of control for a few years, but really enjoyed doing it!

 

 

 

I occasionally use some of the pieces, but not often.  My beautiful china cabinet is full - no room to add to the collection and frankly, have lost interest in the collection.   Hopefully one of my children would like to keep these in the family.  If not, I guess ebay here I come!

What do you collect?

WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY!!

This may get "photo heavy", but it's been such a gorgeous, wonderful day and I've got photos to prove it.

First off - the weather:

Took another picture of my new cactus - named cactus mamillopsis senillis.   Can hardly wait for the other two buds to bloom out.  That'll probably happen in the next few days with our weather so warm they bloom out fast and will probably not last a long time.

We live in a 55+ resort community with lots of things to do.  One of them being a concert this afternoon by the Tuners & Crooners singing 50's songs.  Was a lot of fun and WOW what a lot of talent.

Last, but by no means least, I found some time to knit on my newest pair of socks.  Loving this Opal yarn and the colors are very pretty.

WHAT'S ON MY NEEDLES?

I've been absent from here for a while, but actually I've not been doing much knitting.  Life has gotten in the way, it seems.

I think I'll "kitchener" stitch the Forza scarf together and consider it long enough.   I've added quite a bit in length to both pieces and frankly, am tired of working on it.

And.....I couldn't resist on casting on a sock yesterday.  Not that I don't have many WIP's on-the needle!!!  My friend, Tina, knits so many beautiful socks from Opal yarn so off I went to order a skein of Opal Potpourri and using a pattern called Easy Socks from Universal Yarns.  

So, what are you working on?

FINISHED

I finished this dishcloth today while sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office.   I made an identical one a couple of days ago, but the sister-in-law fell in love with it and off it went with her, along with three or four more dishcloths.  I told them it gives me pleasure to see someone happy with them - which is true!

VISITORS

We've had visitors the past few days, from Boise, Idaho.   Hubby's brother and sister-in-law have been here and we've had such a good time catching up and the weather has been great.  Yesterday we drove to Tombstone, Arizona which took about 2-1/2 hours.  I knitted another dishcloth and gave it to my sis-in-law before I took a picture, so I'm making a second one right now.

 Tombstone, Arizona is where the shootout at the OK Corral took place between the Earp Brothers (Wyatt and others) and the Clantons.  It's a fun place to visit and here are a few pictures I "picked" off the web.  (Forgot my phone/camera!!)

 

Old time Tombstone back in the it's heyday in the 1880's!








Another "old-time shot" of Main Street

 Today's Main Street

 Stagecoach ride down Main Street today

Pictures of a couple of the graves in the Boot Hill
Cemetery.  There were a lot of them that just had a name and "shot", "murdered", or "lynched" on a date in the early 1880's.

DISHCLOTH STASH

Maybe you thought I was kidding about being on a dishcloth kick?  Here's a picture of my stack of finished dishcloths, and I've just given 3 away to a daughter.   I have promised myself to not knit another dishcloth for quite some time.....