In SD

I have a few more things to show you from our South Dakota trip.

First we were able to take in a play at the Black Hills Playhouse. It just happened to be my very most favorite play, Spamalot! The playhouse is small and intimate. Even with my short legs I could stretch out and touch the stage with my feet. 

We were loaned a bunny to throw at our favorite or least favorite actor at the end of act one. I took aim and can report that I nailed my favorite, who was conveniently performing on my end of the stage.

I have the soundtrack so I was mouthing along to the singing. I know I am not a good singer so there was no danger of actually singing along.

On the other side of the state my father-in-law was growing kohlrabi. Our CSA introduced us to this vegetable but I've never seen one in the soil. It looks just as funky there as when I get it out of the box. They are so tasty though.

D was disappointed that the tomatoes were not ripe yet. We all know how he loves tomatoes.

My father-in-law also finished his Model A restoration. Why yes that is a trophy standing on the running board there. He does excellent work, doesn't he?

I could have driven it but WOW that is just a tinge too much responsibility for this girl. At least on this trip it was. We'll see if the offer still stands next year.

I love how the traveling box on the back completes the look. 

So that pretty much wraps up our summer vacation. Anyone want to visit South Dakota now?

Can you feel it?

As I was driving home today I looked over and saw a tree had just a splash of reddening leaves on it. Fall colors may come early this year. Apparently the Farmer's Almanac is predicting a colder winter this year. They were hasty to point out in the story, colder can be only 3 - 5 degrees. But hey it sounds like my knitter senses are indeed tingling.

I cast on another sock the other night without even thinking about it. Walked over to the yarn basket found the yarn I was thinking about already caked up and some free needles. Bam! I had the start of a sock before I knew it.

This of course means that I am stealing time from the other two second socks on the needles but hey?! I was thinking the other day that I should not get pulled over because I would have a hard time explaining the contents of my purse. I had: two hand knit first socks, not matching of course; two lovely knitting bags each containing the start to a second sock, still not matching; a black tank top, don't ask; a deck of cards; and two glasses cases, only one of which contained glasses and is unfortunately leopard print. It is tough being a knitter's purse, I tell you.

Anyways back to the knitting. Except for the sneaky socks I am fighting casting on new knitting. I have both a shawl and a sweater calling out to me. It does not help that I have a voice in my head telling me that wool festival season is right around the corner and I need to clear out some places to hide put the new yarn. I even wrote up a list of the vendors I don't want to miss for the September festival. Yep I am feeling it!

I am however stoked to have two new sweaters to decide between as my Rhinebeck sweater. Who am I kidding? It is going to be the one called Rhinebeck the Second, whose yarn I bought at Rhinebeck. Good Golly woman what are you thinking?

Anyways I am off to have some dinner then to avoid being attacked by my yarn as I quietly knit something already on my needles. I will not cast on something new till I finish something old, I will not cast on something new.....

An Exercise in Frustration

Gus has been feeling off these last few days. Nothing to see the vet about but his standard, Mom I don't feel good. I struggle with this because I know I cannot fix him but I want him to be as comfortable for as long as I can make him.

Last night while we were outside he vomited, whole body racking vomit. I carried him into the bedroom, settled him down and gave him a few treats to settle his stomach. Later I gave him an anti-nausea medication and coaxed him into eating.

This is our normal method now. Everybody stays calm and things will get better. I work very hard on not hovering, but it is quite difficult to fight my true nature.

Around four this morning he seemed a bit agitated. We had a nice petting session including rubbing his stiff enlarged knees. He calmed and we all went back to sleep.

This morning I spoon fed him some sweet potato baby food that helps calm intestinal inflammation. Then he ate a good helping of his regular wet food mixed with water.

When I went to clean his litter box I found he had over shot the edge. Hey this happens when your insides are feeling a bit off.

Then I noticed something in his poo, well really I noticed that something else made up the greater part, a 2x3 piece of plastic bag! No wonder he was not feeling good with a big ole hunk of plastic bag in his intestine!!

I marched myself over to where he was lounging on the bed and asked if he was trying to kill himself. I told him Mommy was very angry with him and that he should not be eating things like plastic.

Then I gave him his morning treats and he forgot all about what I said, because you know Greenies solve everything.

I say again it is tough being the Momma!

I won't believe you

If you say that South Dakota is a flat, boring ugly state. I won't believe you because it is simply untrue. 

This is from a rest stop on the Missouri river. It is built on the hill overlooking the river.

Then we went over the river and headed into the grassland and haying part of the state.

Look at that big blue sky. Can you tell we share a border with Montana also known as Big Sky Country? We have a share of it too.

I really do love seeing bales by the side of the road. This year I saw a field so full of bales it was almost not to be believed. They must have had the perfect mix of rain and sunshine to get so many.

Somewhere around here we got the call about my Dad being in the hospital and I stopped taking pictures, and started worrying.

Dad seems to be adjusting to living in a nursing home. My Mom seems to be adjusting to it too. I think it is a weight off her shoulders. We all know that Dad is getting the care that he needs and that is a weight off our shoulders too.

On Baking

One of the things I picked up while I was home facing a crisis, was to do more of the things I want to do.

Easy right? Not always, but I'm learning. I want to do more cooking/baking. I like making things and enjoy eating tasty things too.

Last weekend while before our standard scones went into the oven I made two batches of oat yogurt muffins. I love these muffins because they're full of the things I think I should be eating. No I have not done any nutritional analysis so you'll have to forgive me.

This weekend I made a couple more batches, only this time I remembered to get frozen blueberries instead of the dried fruit it recommends. Much tastier with gushy blueberries. I started a couple of experiments with this week's batches. My intentional test was to add ground flaxseed.

My unintentional change up was to forget to add in the melted butter to the second batch. It was not until I opened the microwave's door that I realized any thing was amiss. I swear my microwave is a black hole when it comes to melted butter. This was not the first time I found butter in there. First time for my muffins though. They came out fine, maybe more like a baked oatmeal than muffin.

I had another oops moment when I forgot to add the walnuts to my zucchini bread. I remembered them 15 minutes into the hour long baking time. So being the creative person that I am I chopped them up fine and pressed them into the still gooey center. Well sort of, they mostly rested on the gooey top.

So I've been managing to bake even though I seem to be sabotaging myself. Guess I am just trying to gain some survival skills. No butter, no problem I can still make something tasty, if I have oats, yogurt, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, well you get the picture.