Upcoming 500th Post

When I logged into Blogger this morning, I noticed that I am nearing my 500th post. Since I haven't had a drawing on the blog so far, I just now decided that when I make that 500th post, I'll set something up and do a drawing. Maybe for something tatted, maybe something netted, I don't know yet. Anyway, watch this space.

Q & A

Beth asked, "Did you know your mom is taking a spinning wheel with her this weekend?" (My parents are going up to walk the Mackinac Bridge over Labor Day and doing some of that primitive camping I mentioned.)

Yes, I knew that: maybe she'll spin some more Shetland fleece for me! My mom often brings a spinning wheel when they go camping, and gets a lot of spinning done. The phone doesn't ring, there's no TV, household tasks are minimal. Without all the distractions of home, it's easier to get a lot done, especially if you only take one or two projects.

And "Why did you feel you needed to filter and boil the rain water for washing hair?"

We were catching it as it ran off the roof. We live in the middle of farm country, where they are always plowing or cultivating (=airborne topsoil) or spraying pesticides, and we usually have the wind off Lake Michigan blowing those contaminants around. I am always cleaning gritty dust off the windowsills inside the house, so I can't imagine that my roof is cleaner than my windowsill.

But the filter was mainly to get out visible floating stuff. And I boiled it so I would have hot water -- our water heater is electric. I washed my hair with freezing cold water once, and it was a lot like getting an ice-cream headache from the scalp instead of the roof of my mouth. Ow.

Amy asked, "These are such pretty patterns. Do you have plans for them, or are you knitting samplers for the enjoyment of them all on their own?"

I knit them out because I just can't visualize them from the written directions. Another thing I learned from the Sampler M is that I am much more likely to use a pattern if I have my own knitted sample that I can see, touch, stretch and look at the front and back of. A physical sample is more inspiring to me than the text directions. Plus it's a thrill to follow 167-year-old knitting directions!

MadMad wondered, "Do you suppose your flowers are on Pacific Time?"

As a horticulture major (Michigan State University, 1987) and a scanner (that's Barbara Sher's shorthand word for people who have intense serial interests) who once spent a couple of years being absorbed by designing sundials, none of which I ever made, I can't resist answering this one.

First, we're on Eastern Daylight time ("spring forward" by one hour) right now. Second, although we are on Eastern time, we are really close to the Central time/Eastern time border -- the sun "souths" here about 45 minutes after the clock says noon. If you undo both of those changes ("fall back" from 6pm to 5pm, and subtract the 45-minute difference between the Standard zone time and sun time), they end up opening at 4:15 pm, almost exactly on time.

Julie commented on the Secret Magic Words, generally spelled "@#$%&*%$!"

[dryly] I learned them from my dad. Seriously. My husband doesn't know how to use these words, and (coincidentally?) hardly ever fixes anything. But if you over-use them, I feel it drains their power. I use them only as the inanimate object is totally frustrating me, thus blasting it with the Words' full power.

And although I have no idea how active any of these groups are, Julie is in the SCA Kingdom of Atlantia. Atlantia has a webpage that lets you search for a local group by zipcode, a map showing how Atlantia was divided up into local groups back in 1999, and a list showing groups by state and county.

(I'll do my schtick some other time about how you get everything in the SCA from people who just like to dress up in shiny mylar fabric and nylon tulle to totally anal history buffs who know in exactly what year cotton first shows up on wardrobe records.)

Amy said, "Sorry about the springy thing. I suppose it's actually a necessary part? Or maybe it's like the human appendix, just an extra bit that causes trouble sometimes and the washer can live without it."

It's one of those necessary regulatory bits, more like the pancreas or the pituitary gland. I can see what it's meant to do, but so far I haven't figured out how to fit it back in so it does it. [repeats Secret Magic Words under breath]

Wendy asked, "Did you get to see any of the equestrian activities at Havoc?"

I did, although I did my usual "bring the camera and forget to use it" thing. I didn't get a chance to sit down and just watch, as my husband was doing a hands-on mead class and I ended up walking back and forth to the van to get stuff and drop off stuff.

I did witness a fall from a horse -- I was on one of those "back to the van" trips when I noticed a gray horse just running with its neck stretched out, had a split second to wonder where the rider was, and then saw him fall. That spooked another horse, and I thought I saw another rider fall.

That was pretty scary, but from what I heard later (from one of the chirurgeons who is a paramedic IRL), no life-threatening injuries.