Well, hello there!

We scored some tix to the Giants Atlanta Braves game yesterday and with 43,000+ of our closest friends, went out to watch the Giants lose in the bottom of the 10th.  Oh well.  We went to the adjacent restaurant to have a little dinner before driving home.  I was in the very poorly maintained restroom, drying my hands, and I turned to the woman who had just walked in the door and told her there was no paper in the stall.  She exclaimed and I looked up to see A, the professor with whom I have an appointment today, 100 miles away.  Go figure.

This means WAR

Louie is my go-to gopher hunting cat.  He has been keeping the yard pretty clean of them.  However, one moved into my daylily bed a couple of weeks ago.    The guy at the nursery part of the new hardware store today suggested they carry castor bean pellets.  However, it really strikes me as just wrong to poison everything that moves in the dirt under my flower bed.  However I found what I hope will be a perfect solution.  Gopher, as soon as the sun comes up in the morning and charges the solar battery, you better pack your gopher duds and prepare to be moving on.  This gizzie promises to make noises you won't be able to live with.  Just watch out for the blue point Siamese on your way out.

Huh. That's no fun at all

I cheerfully started the bangle pattern in the latest Bead and Button magazine.  The peyote base worked up fine with just one little mistake no one but me could ever find.  http://www.beadandbutton.com/Magazine/Current%20Issue.aspx  But the edging done in net stitches is wavy and not smooth as shown.  I could swear the size 11 beads are too large, or 3 of them per stitch is too many.  I have written the author, let's see if she responds.  I have a lot of work in this to have it look as awful as it does right now.   Huh.

A rare, rainy April Day

We finally reached our year to date normal rainfall here in N CA.  The reserviors are full, a real blessing here in a dry land.  There should be enough water in the rivers from snow melt that the salmon will be able to have decent conditions to migrate and spawn.  There are ticks aplenty - it's even a good year for them apart from the 6 I have killed so far.  But the best part is my flowers are so happy.

About that software manual

I'm working in my home office, trying to digest the user's guide for an analytical instrument.  Here's Louie, keeping me company and inspiring me to concentrate.  Gotta keep the day job to pay for the kibble.

stabilizing peyote in progress

I started a new project from a pattern by Cynthia Rutlege in April BEAD & Button.  She suggests to put the peyote on a paper foundation.  GENIUS!  It keeps it from flopping around and makes it ever so much easier to keep the working side aligned. 

Beginnings are so exciting.  There's the rush from the retail therapy to gather the bits not in the stash.  All perfect, no mistakes yet (been there and done that on the back side of the work already).  Satisfying brainwork to puzzle through the construction.  All good.

No peeking, cuz.