When Knitting Was a Manly Art

Another couple rounds on the Aran this morning. With our young helper showing up at 8:30am each morning, I’m pressed to make decisions on what is important. So far, the knitting has won out, but I’m getting *way* behind in my email.. Pictures tomorrow.

In our front yard we currently have blooming a Lavatera xclementii (commonly know as Lavatera Barnsley). It was cut back to about 6 inches early this spring and it’s already over 6 feet in height. It’s a mass of flowers that will continue until our first frost. What’s interesting is that the bush has two different colored flowers. Barnsley is a sport of Lavatera Rosea and is considered a periclinal chimaera, which means that the plant can revert to it’s predecessor. This one does each year. Barnsley is pinkish white with a pink eye.

And Rosea is a pinky-mauve.

Both flowers occupy the same bush, but never the same stem.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Pumpkin Ridge - NW Oregon
6:15am - Light clouds - Current temp. 50.7F(10.4C)

Max 80.4F(26.9C) - Min 50.7F(10.4C) — 0″ precipitation

Popularity: 7% [?]

A couple rounds on the Aran, but nothing else to report so a few Oregon links.

First, a link to prove Oregon has “Culture” Klingon Karaoke

Next, our love for nature Mill Ends Park

And lastly, our need for entertainment Whorehouse Meadows and our need for truth.

In the early days, female entrepreneurs from Vale would set up facilities under canvas in an accessible but secluded meadow a mile east of Fish Lake. There they would meet the cattle and sheepherders as they arrived at the slopes of Steens Mountain. In the 1960’s the Bureau of Land Management issued a recreation map and in deference to the moralist, substituted a namby-pamby name, Naughty Girl Meadow. The United States Geological Survey advance sheet followed suit but in 1971 the Oregon Geographic Names Board took strong objection to the change and brought their argument before the federal arbiters. After ten years the old name was restored in 1981.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Pumpkin Ridge - NW Oregon
6:30am - Clear - Current temp. 52.0F(11.1C)

Max 79.5F(26.4C) - Min 52.0F(11.1C) — 0″ precipitation

Popularity: 6% [?]

Not a lot accomplished this morning. On top of house cleaning and emptying the trailer and taking inventory and getting all the watering done, we had our young helper arrive at 8:30 this morning and he needed to be set up for mostly unsupervised work for the day. He’ll be back tomorrow, but I should be back to my hourly morning routine then.

A quick update photo of the sweater. Once again the white dot at lower left marks the progress since last picture. This helps me see that I *am* making progress.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Pumpkin Ridge - NW Oregon
7:15am - Clear - Current temp. 62.8F(17.1C)

Max 76.6F(24.8C) - Min 52.2F(11.2C) — 0″ precipitation

Popularity: 6% [?]

The end of yet another busy weekend.

The weather turned out to be pretty good for this Sunday Market, but things were a bit slow for us. Probably not a good as last week, but better than two weeks ago. We’re paid up for one more weekend and we’ll decide then whether we’ll continue to do markets for this year. It basically takes up most of a weekend for less than $200 return and while the exposure is good for the nursery, we really need to get things done and open the nursery up to the public. Maybe next year. And it’s getting a bit past prime time for most of our plants. The Irises are done blooming and most of the rest will be done by next weekend.

Aran went along and I managed a couple of rounds during the day. I’m *really* starting to enjoy Knitting In Public. I used to be a bit self-conscious, but today was kind of nice and relaxed and I got some nice compliments from a few ladies (no guys this time). I’ll probably be able to get a couple more rounds tomorrow and photos for later in the day.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Pumpkin Ridge - NW Oregon
5:00am - Partly cloudy - Current temp. 53.1F(11.7C)

Max 75.2F(24.0C) - Min 52.5F(11.4C) — 0″ precipitation

Popularity: 7% [?]

Pumpkin Ridge - NW Oregon
6:45am - Clear - Current temp. 52.5F(11.4C)

Max 74.1F(23.4C) - Min 52.0F(11.1C) — 0″ precipitation

Popularity: 7% [?]

Knee is doing *much* better today. Eileen and Cody managed to get most of the final 12 bales moved before I got outside and so there was very little heavy lifting today. We did manage to cut up and stack about 3/4 cord of oak from our dearly departed tree, but the only thing affected was my back, hunched over running the chainsaw. I cut and Cody stacked.

Another two rounds on the Aran this morning. Tomorrow is a bit more iffy as we have a morning errand to run and we still need to get back home with enough time left to load the trailer for Sunday Market. Sunday looks to be cool with a chance of rain, so the Aran will go along with the hope for a chance for a bit of KIP.

Popularity: 7% [?]