Knit the Dog

[...because if I ever run out of yarn--- I can just knit the dogs.]



Saturday, April 11, 2009

Construction


Phil's shop is progressing-- see photo-- and should be under roof by the end of the month. Contractors did the concrete work and the bricklaying, for speed (Phil can do just about anything but he has to work for a living.) Phil's doing the framing and almost everything else by himself. The rafter raising will involve a few friends and some beer. The drywalling may be contracted out because we also want to finish off the room over the garage as well and drywall is heavy, awkward, and dusty. And I never want to tape the stuff again in my lifetime. Landscaping around the new addition will be done by, well, me. I'm the plant person, supposedly.

I have slightly mixed feelings about this shop. I want Phil to have a place to work; he needs it for his sanity and in retirement, and can make lovely furniture. But I wish it had ended up on the back of the house (turned out the well was too close.) Putting it on the front means I lose the window in the laundry room, and my view out the kitchen window where we eat, and the kitchen will have less light coming in the bay window, and I think it looks kind of odd to have the kitchen window be in a cave. We have a glorious huge Japanese red maple in that alcove, which I hope will be OK with this commotion. Unfortunately said tree provides heavy shade in summer over said bay window, and makes it all even more cavelike. Thankfully the window on the other end of the kitchen, that looks out over the back yard, is large and south-facing and lets in considerable sunlight. All in all I'll get used to it and there are far worse things to worry about in the world-- I just needed to kvetch a little.


Have started working on two little summer weight ponchos for Cate and her friend Hannah; winging the design, so I hope they work out.


Monday, April 6, 2009

Why it's better not to live near an arsonist.

Got home last Monday and noticed Neighbor Tom, who lives just behind our 1/2 acre or so of woods at the back of the yard, was burning leaves. NT burns everything that hits the ground, in the belief that this is "good landscaping" and possibly because he loves to start a little fire. When I let the dogs out & in, noticed he was burning along his ditch between us & them. Didn't think anything of it because he's always burning, along with Other Neighbor Tom behind him, and Jimmy the Match across the street. [Jimmy keeps a gas can out by the burn pile at all times, ready for any pyrotechnic opportunity.]
A little later the dogs went on full alert as someone banged on my back door-- it was my on-the-right, non-burning neighbor yelling for help, hoses, etc. Seems NT's little fire got away from him and was merrily cleaning all the leaves out of our woods and headed for hers. We got it stopped with some drama and cursing [and wondering very loudly why NT hadn't called the fire department!]
Midway in all this NT's wife came home and found the fire had snuck around the back of their house, nipping at the deck, scorching a bit of paint and burning through NT's one hose, which was tangled around the fence and NOT EVEN TURNED ON.
Has he learned anything from this? Probably not, since his skull is pretty thick. But he won't burn for a while, because I gather wife let him have it.