I think I have to say that my favorite guess was Lucia’s with her guess of 1066 for the Shakespeare. But Emily took the Shakespeare with her guess of 999 comments. There have been 1024 since I started blogging.

The old random number generator (how should I read it? top to bottom left to right?) and dh (who said read it diagonally) came up with the other winners…

Amy won the Chunky Tweed, and Blogless Meg (who I work with!) won the grab bag…

small balls of this and that wool, some sari silk, and a little notions pouch

Went for a short walk today at Vaughn Woods in Hallowell, aka ‘hobbitland’.

But it is along the stream and bridge that is especially hobbity,

And looking towards the other bridge,

I think Ms. Lucia Rhymes with Fuschia will get something too for being so clever!

So… I just set up a YouTube account, but am having some trouble setting up this blog for video viewing… until then, look here to watch 45 seconds of Zuzu and Gracie playing fetch.

Zuzu is the one who is most obsessed with the ball and most focused on it. Gracie just runs around like a wild thing, she’s also bouncier.

Moon in the morning!

well, it looked more impressive in real life!

New England asters!
the typical purple color

prettier but not quite as common fuschia-ish color

and white! which I don’t remember seeing before

As I mentioned yesterday, the year anniversary came and went… so this is a belated blogiversary bash of sorts. My first post; about the over large stash and critters in a bag of yarn from the goodwill. I am still attempting to stashbust. At least it is better organized and mostly in cedar bins. So…. a little contest!

Contest Rules

Three prizes. One (let’s say the shakespeare) goes to the person who most closely guesses the number of comments I’ve had from the beginning of blogging (which was September 16, 2006, over on my livejournal account) until the end of the contest (it’ll be a surprise for me too). The other two go to random entries. Contest ends 5 pm EST, Sunday September 30.

Prizes

Artful yarns Shakespeare

That’s enough to make a woman’s pair of mittens…and I’m sure lots of other items. Felts easily. Worsted, 135 yards, 100% wool, includes a scarf pattern on the label.

Universal Yarn Deluxe Chunky Tweed

I saw this felted up when I bought it at Colonial Yarns in PA. Looked like it felted very nicely. Chunky, 120 yards, 100% wool.

And a mystery grab bag of yarn oddments.
(this picture shamelessly downloaded onto my computer and then uploaded into flickr to download onto the blog from somebody on the web…)

I’ll put in enough to make an adult hat or small bag. It’ll be wool, maybe some silk, mostly worsted, and in colors that at least don’t scream horrible things when they are near each other.

My zinnias….

My neighbor’s zinnias…

i feel so inadequate… whine whine whine

And look at this!

Enjoy the weekend!

So does his big sis know how to make him smile? Or at least I did way back when! Who knew he’d grow up to do this,

all duded up in his swat gear

He’s a sweetheart, pic of his kitty here.

Ack! I just noticed my blogiversary came and went! A year and eleven days!

Is DH!

that’s the official photographer’s arm in the photo there!

News release here. The Governor was gracious and amusing. The Commissioner was charming. The Blaine House was beautiful.

who is this?

More pictures of the Blaine house are here, including the pool table where the Governor says the Commissioners lose their pay to him, some silver, some teapots (in the pantry I would love to have-the pantry that is), some of the rooms, some other pics of us (including a goofy one I took of the two of us that may end up on an xmas card), and a mysterious wooden urn (there were two, I looked inside, nothing but a shelf with slats…what are these for? they sat on either side of the silver).

After lunch, three of us went for a walk to ‘the creepy swingset’.

The boss missed this,

think she ate anybody recently?

wacky tree over by the swingset, in the calm shade of this and 2 other very large oaks

More pics of the walk here.

And I read this today in Northern Woodlands, the Autumn 07 issue in an article about identifying hawks…

…Incidentally, if you come upon a vocalizing goshawk, a hasty retreat is your best bet. These birds are aggressive and fearless, and no one who has innocently happened upon a nest tree will doubt the possible veracity of several stories out of the older ornithological literature. In rural Connecticut, for example, a detremined goshawk sprinted through an open door into a kitchen in hot pursuit of a terrified chicken, which it promptly tackled, ignoring the presence of two people. In a similar situation in Maine, a squawking fowl dove for cover up under its owner’s long calico skirt, followed instantly by the talons-forward goshawk. Can you even begin to imagine the kind of brisk entertainment that followed?

I’m going to have to look around for some of these stories about goshawks, as well as my eyes peeled to see one!