Still Life with Wine and Apples

Still Life with Wine and Apples

A package came from one of my chat room friends today.  I knit a pair of socks  for him as a gift, so that he would stop complaining that his feet were sooooooo coooooooold... He sent me these lovely wines as a thank you.  Derek, who goes by the name NJRef in chat (he is a soccer referee in his spare time), is a gourmet cook and wine aficionado who has been attempting to teach some basic wine appreciation to those of us chatters with any interest.  

NJSocks

 Son and his family were down tonight for supper, and I gave the three oldest ones their new socks.

Kids new socks, Andrea, Robby, Layla

 Andrea lost her first baby tooth!

 And still more winter!

Sevison Road

The sun came out today and shone on all the world. I think we might have six to eight inches of fresh snowfall since yesterday.  I just can't help myself...I love it.  I promise I'll get bored with winter one day, but until then, enjoy!

Sun on icy branches

Sunshine is better than medicine!

Yellow!!!

I love our red barn :)

Just in Case...

 ...you haven't had enough of winter yet, I am still enjoying it, and look what we are getting today!  I was sent home from work early this afternoon because of the weather.  During the drive home, there were times when visibility was down to maybe one-quarter mile.  It is just beautiful out there, and coming down even harder now than it was when I was driving.  The pictures can't begin to show how lovely it is.

It is a very good thing that I enjoy this sort of weather, living where I do. So many folks here are absolutely miserable when it's cold and snowy, and I feel badly for them. 

The little taste of spring we were given last week was nice, but anyone who has lived here for any length of time knows that we are nowhere near being close to the end of winter in February.

Hope you like snow as much as I do!

Gazebo and dining area, Breadbox Bakery and Cafe

Snowfall at the shop

Old barn along the way

Ice on the trees

The Thomas Road bridge

Barn in Snow

View toward the marsh

February Odds and Ends

Girly-girl socks for Andrea and Layla.  The cuff pattern was adapted from a design by Janet Rehfeldt. Her pattern was called "Bubble Yum" and I found it in SOCKS! Digest, March, 2003.  I cast on double the required stitches to make a little ruffle at the top, and knit a turned-down cuff instead of knitting the pattern down the leg.  The yarn was a mixture of special small bits from my sister's sock yarn stash.  All four socks were knit at the same time on two circular needles.  I think they turned out very pretty, and they're certainly girly!  I knitted all four at one time on two circs.

 My cousin Jeanie's gift socks had a dropped stitch, so she returned them to me for repair in an enveloped addressed to the Sock Hospital! :)  I just love Jeanie! Chuck, what a good choice she was.







Nearly all of our snow melted off in the thaw last week, leaving just a few stray patches here and there.  Today we got fresh snow, and in HUGE flakes. I wish you could see how big they were in this picture.

The big SPLAT on my arm was all one snowflake until it landed.

The sunshine last week and warmer temperatures were most welcome, and better than medicine for a winter- and stress-wearied soul.  Now for a few more weeks of winter and then spring once again.

 Random things

A pair of socks and another pair of mitts for some friends.

Two pair of fingerless mitts for my brother in Canada, mystery yarn from my sister's stash

Another pair of gift socks, this time in an old self-striping Opal colorway

SNOWZILLA 2011...our first blizzard of the year

I have little to say this time.  It's been a difficult winter in many ways, and there's been enough sadness shared here lately. 

I did have some lovely times this past weekend, though.  I took my son, his wife, and three of their children to the Davis Mercantile in Shipshewana, where I used to work. The merchants of the Merc were hosting a special benefit for a very nice young couple who own and operate a restaurant on the top floor of the building.  They had a house fire last summer, lost everything in their home, and she was very badly burned.  After several months in the hospital and much pain and suffering, she is finally able to be back to work at least part time. 

The couple's church baked hundreds of marvelous cookies.  We began by buying a box at the restaurant, then visited every shop in the building to fill it with cookies, a different kind of cookie at every stop.  It was my daughter-in-law's first visit to Shipshewana, and she had a great time exploring the different shops. 

Of course, no visit to the Merc would be complete without a ride on the carousel and a fresh, hot, soft pretzel at JoJo's.

 

Guy Thompson entertained us with a special performance of his wonderful marionettes.  A free-will donation was taken, and all proceeds donated to the benefit.  Guy and his wife, Christine, used to run the Mousetrap Puppet Theater on the top floor of the Merc, but I'm very sad to say economic considerations caused them to close the theater a couple of years ago.  He currently does shows at WanaWaves, the indoor water park in Shipshewana on Saturday evenings at 7:00.  Don't miss it when you're in town!

Mercantile merchants donated a portion of their sales for the day to help with the family's medical and personal expenses.  It's good to work in a small town, where people still care for and reach out to help one another.