Knitting and Buttons

Two projects are totally and completely done. The blue top is Seta, a silk blend from Berroco. I made it several years ago, and it grew and grew. Finally, over the winter, it was ripped out and re-started. In the smallest size and on smaller needles! On Sunday, it was (re) finished and the ends were worked in.

I've also added buttons to the red vest and it has been packed away to come out again in October or November. What do you think of these buttons? They are a mottled blue/red combo...

Dog Daze

O.K. I confess! This will be a rant. I appreciate my neighbors' love for their dogs, but don't have the desire to complicate my life any further. I don't need one more thing to feed, care for, take to the doctor, or compensate for destruction.

I'm the neighbor who doesn't greet the dogs when I greet their owners. I don't pet them or scratch their heads. The English Bulldog, "Elvis" is my favorite, possibly because so many others don't like him. I appreciate his obstinate nature and the fact that he doesn't care if I scratch his head. Or not. When I look at him, I think he could have been named "Churchill" just as well. He's perfect for Mike.

That said, when my family asks when we'll get a dog, my reply is that I'll do it when I'm the only one living in the house. That may sound negative, but if you can hear the humor, it's not all that bad. I'll get a dog because I love to go for walks.

There's a time and a place for dogs. I've long been tired of folks who bring them to kids' soccer games and practices. They're against the rules on the sports fields and schools in this county. I'm OK with most rules because I think they were made by reasonable, well-meaning people. At South Run, I've seen dogs run onto the field in the midst of play. It adds a bit of chaos.

The real dog "stunner" occurred on Saturday in Annapolis, at the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinal, Navy vs. Johns Hopkins. Let's say there were 20,000 people there. Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium holds about 40K. They even have "sky boxes" now. I'm floored by the three 60-70 year olds, dressed as if they had stepped from a Ralph Lauren advertisement, who entered section 106 and pushed to the center of a row (general admission seats) with their large dog. Can you imagine? The rest of us get our water bottles confiscated at the gate, and they bring in a dog weighing at least 80 lbs?

Puh-leeze. He was not a assisting the blind or infirm. He had no banner or jacket. He was merely accompanying the entitled.

OK, he was pretty well behaved. He only tried to get away once, and then came close to nibbling the shoe of another sports fan. I suppose we should be glad that he didn't try to chase the lacrosse ball.

Pretty? Ugly? Pizza?

There are color combinations worth contemplating!

A fortuitous color combination came together for the knitting. The multi-colored Koigu thought by some to be the Nirvana of knitting, just didn't work for me in this bright green combo. (That's one of the hazards of phone order shopping). I had tried several stitch patterns and eventually combined it with the right shade of green in Berocco Touche, Sweet Pea. That made a nice scarf for Joyce, but took less than one hank of the Koigu. After playing with the way too bright Koigu again at a Lax game, I hit upon this combo with an oddball of Tahki Davos. The thick and thin Davos brings the color out in various areas -- brilliant!

The combination inspired a trip to Uniquities in Vienna, the first in a long time. I'll have to take a photo of the yarns purchased! (But some might be for gifts and that could ruin the surprises). I did by more blue, but not Davos, to use up more of the acid green Koigu.

Curiously, I must have enjoyed working with that color scheme as the pizza combo from Saturday night complements the hat! Tom asked me to remember the three pizza combos, but didn't suggest *where* to record such data. Left to right: (1) Basil and Arugula Pesto, sauteed red pepper, Vidalia onion slivers, (2) Sauteed red peppers, sauteed mushrooms and sauteed arugula, (3) Fresh tomato, vidalia onion slivers, topped with arugula, after grilling. Two were grilled and one was baked in the oven. Gianfranco Becchina's Olio Verde was used for every step of the process, from the pesto made the night before, to the sautee pan for the veggies, and even brushed on the pizza dough.

The weekend began with a thrilling lacrosse game, won in the last second. The ball was in the air when the buzzer sounded. Thank you, Megan. Congrats Robinson girls. On Saturday after rain, cancelled soccer, on-schedule field hockey and a quick shopping trip to the Exchange in Bethesda, we got to see the Weinermobile.

Mother's Day brought a cool, but pleasant morning, huge grocery run at the commissary, and rain, rain, rain, the rest of the day. Tom, Carly, and Katie prepared lobster tails (which Katie wouldn't touch....) while I watched a "taped" show from HGTV: House Hunters International -- on selecting a home in the Greve area of Tuscany.

Later in the evening, amidst torrential rain, clearing clogged gutters and downspouts and catching up on ironing(!), we purchased tickets for next weekend's NCAA Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinal games at the Naval Academy. That should be very exciting!

Lacrosse/NCAAs makes me think of MA and Greg. I didn't get to connect with MA this weekend, but she's in my thoughts as she flies to Phoenix for the funeral of a former neighbor, Margie who lost the battle with breast cancer. From this distance, I know that Margie's battle was long...and hope that her family finds a peaceful new path.