Hello friends,

This is a quick note to let you know that I am taking a break (just a break) from Raniknits to pursue my writing.  The knitting and crochet needles and hooks are never far from me, but now they are competing with the notebooks, pens and laptop.

As a writing practice and an attempt at some level of discipline, I am writing under a pen name on a different blog.  We had the idea when a friend of mine formed a little writing group.

So take care for now.  I will stop by and see you (on your blogs - that sounded creepy - like I'm stalking you).

Love to all!
Rani

Greetings from Minnesota!

Wish you were here?

It's been a lazy long while since I last posted.  I think that by not knitting, I have nothing to post about, but then again, some of you have become bloggy friends and perhaps a shout out now and then is called for.

Last year, I had my garden in.  Potatoes planted, beets, peas blah blah blah.  There is almost 12 inches of snow on my other bird feeder.  The poor little creatures must be so confused.  I don't remember a spring like this in my 42 years.  Whole flocks of robins are demanding their money back on their north bound flights.  I don't even know what the geese and ducks are doing here.  The lakes are frozen.  Strange.  And oddly enough, I've been having dreams about tornadoes.  Do you know what happens when the warm spring air meets this very cold, weird stuff?  Big bad yucky storms.  And I'm afraid of wind (bad experience once).

We did manage to splurge this year on a vacation.  We took the crew and met a friend down in Florida on a tiny little tropical island I will leave unnamed so that no one can find it (the locals requested I say that).

Siesta

We watched dolphins swim right past our porch, fished, collected shells, tried to read and knit but the ocean was so darn distracting.

Captain and Lumpy with his first shark (catch and release).

Lunker with this baby shark (also catch and release).

It was better than watching Real Housewives.  Pelicans diving, schools of fish swarming and feeding.  Of course, growing up in the Midwest means that we think sharks are just waiting for us to put our feet in the water so they can rush up and gobble us in one gulp.  When two bull sharks were fished up right on the shore, we felt vindicated by all the happy, tanned bathers who merrily paddled around the water with their tropical umbrella drinks, dangling their feet over their inner-tubes.  I imagine they look just like big fat turtles floating on the surface.  No thanks.

Notice the natural shark barrier there?  No one from my family when beyond that.  BUT, do you see that floater in the distance?  Can't you just hear the Jaws theme cranking up.  I couldn't watch.  We didn't get the paper or any TV to hear of any shark incidents, so I'm hoping she made it back to shore.

The trouble with paradise is that there are large numbers of rats and cockroaches on tropical islands.  No one likes to talk about it, but the place was crawling with them.  One cockroach made its way up my husbands leg while we were sleeping.  10 minutes later, three cockroaches were dead, one went missing and I was doing my best impression of a haz-mat suit with nothing but a single sheet wrapped entirely around my body with only my eyes and nose sticking out (which is how I spotted another bug flying into the bathroom).  Mr. seemed nonplussed about the whole thing and fell to sleep in nothing but his boxers - spread eagle on the bed.  What's wrong with him?  My dear sister who lived in Maui told met me, when I called her at 2 am in a panic attack,  to sleep with the lights on and let the little lizards move in.  We kept the tiny lizards outside, thank you, but slept with the lights on after that and never saw another bug.

DOOOLLLPHINNN!!!!  (later: Dolphin)

The dolphin sightings reminded us of when our Icelandic friends come to Minnesota and see squirrels for the first time.  There is a lot of shouting and excitement, picture taking and squeals of delight.  By the end of the trip, when someone sights a dolphin (or said squirrel), the alarm is more like a mellow, "Hey guys.  There's another dolphin."  Barely a glance up from a book or sudoku puzzle.  And no one gets up to see because it's the 17th dolphin to swim by that afternoon.

We could watch the sunset every night from our front door and porch, but I was so distracted by absolutely nothing that I never took a picture.  This was just a really pretty sky later in the evening that seemed so romantic.  I felt like I should stand out on the deck in a long blowing gown and pine for my long lost love, but he was not lost and was sitting next to me drinking a beer and telling me about EVERY. SINGLE. FISH. he caught that day.  (think dolphin and squirrel theme).

And off daddy and daughter go on an island adventure.  She got so tired with the boys and all the fishing that she demanded that daddy pack a picnic and come and explore the island with her.  No fishing pole allowed.  Ta ta.

And so, I'm back in MinneSNOWta.  get it.  I said MinneSNOWta instead of Minne . . .  you know.  Cuz it's snowing so I changed the . . ok, whatev.   No knitting.  No crocheting.  At least nothing finished.  I hope all is well with all of you.  I will be checking my blog roster soon so I can catch up with you all!

LOVE!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I received a Valentine with the following quote and thought it worth sharing:

Far away in the sunshine
are my highest aspirations.
I may not reach them,
but I can look up and see their beauty,
believe in them, and try to follow
where they lead.
~ Louisa May Alcott

For Gail and Stacey

Spring Fever Strikes Midwest Woman Down

I'm not sure if I should be admitting this all out loud on my blog but I have been self-medicating my spring fever with an overdose of spring planning that includes but is not limited to worm farms, rabbit fencing and chicken coops.  This is not my coop - just a dream coop.

Gorgeous coop from Backyard Chickens

The chicken thing is stewing on a back burner because despite the fact that New York City, Minneapolis and St. Paul allow backyard chickens, my little rural township does not.  I'm not sure if I will fight this one at city hall and call attention to my soon to be illegal flock of hens, or if I should quietly practice civil disobedience and risk getting by with a "don't ask, don't tell" policy.  Any advice?

Between obsession-fests, I crocheted a Valentine bunting.  I suppose that would also fall under "My Obsessions" catogory.  Here in the U.S. a bunting is something we make for babies to wear.  This is not a diaper cover but a party flag thingy.  Do we have a word for that?

Anyway, it is surprisingly quick and easy and cute and silly and a perfect time waster.  I was inspired by THIS and found a tutorial HERE.

Gotta go.  A seed catalog is calling my name.

Sub Zero

The wind is sincerely howling around the house.  I can hear it trying to reach down our chimney, but I have that fireplace so stoked with wood that there's not a chance it will get through.

What does one do as the temperature plumets from 35 degrees to -4 in just a few short hours?  If you're born and raised up north, you get the heck outside and get as much vitamin D as you can while the sun doth shine, my friends.  Throw on some extra clothes and play a little boot hockey.  (or sit in your heated car and take pictures of your husband and his friends - it really was too cold).

I took a stroll through our local park and admired the ice sculptures.  I guess it wasn't technically a stroll.  More like a moment of hopping up and down trying to keep warm with my back to the wind and cursing like a sailor.

This one was my favorite sculptures - a growler - what do you call them in your neck of the woods?  You know - a big jug of beer that you can have filled at your local brewery and bring it home to enjoy. Ours is The Excelsior Brewing Company - and low and behold, they have a blog.

This chilly day was also "Hockey Day Minnesota".  The highlight for me was watching a high school varsity hockey game being played outside -  "pond hockey" style.  Go Benilde! (they lost)  I watched this game

. . . from the comfort of my couch.  With half of my family and the half empty growler close by.  No judgement, right?  The other half was . . . playing hockey.  I prefer the spectator sports myself.

And now, the sun has set.  All are sleeping - I am here next to the fire working on a Valentine's Day bunting for a friend.  It's so cute, though.  This might find a home right here.

Happy Hockey Day to all and to all a warm and peaceful night.

I'm being swallowed by an afghan . . .

Does anyone remember the song, "I'm Being Swallowed by a Boa Constrictor"?   The song is about a snake that starts eating your toes, then knees, middle and so on.

Here at Chateau DeBris, we have our very own boa constrictor in the form of an insanely large and colorful afghan.

I'm being swallowed by a ripple blanket.

Oh no (oh no) he's up to my toe (he's up to my toe)
Oh gee (oh gee) he's up to my knee (he's up to my knee)

And that's as far as I've come with the blanket affectionaly known as Monstro - the ripple blanket from planet Acid-Trip.  I've gone through my first order of yarn and have just placed my second order.  I'm using Brava by Knit Picks because it's so darn cheap and it comes in a big bunch of colors.  And although it's 100% acrylic (shudder), it doesn't squeak - you know what I mean, right?

Are you seeing any color this cold dark January?