Strange Weather.......................

Yesterday the high winds stopped (which should have been a warning to me!) and the skies were a glorious blue and the temps were in the upper 60's. Hmmmmmmmmmmm Instead of questioning the change, I just enjoyed it.



By late afternoon, the hills were turning a golden wheat color and everything still was absolutely perfect.

We even left the pellet stove off when we called it a night. Then, out of nowhere it began............. The first gust hit the house and you could actually hear the walls gasp. By the third hit, I made my husband climb out of bed and we walked down to the pump house to turn off the wind turbine. It took awhile because you have to wait for a lull with these turbines. If they're spinning too fast, you can't throw on the braking system without causing major damage. I stayed outside with the flash light on the blades while my husband was ready with his hand on the switch. We did it and hurried back inside. The winds were so awful that even Mac refused one last potty break outside!

I thought it couldn't get any worse out there, but I was wrong. Only once before have we had winds like this coming from the south - downslope. That was last January when 5 wind turbines broke up here, including ours. Those winds were exceeding 80 mph. I have to think last night's were awfully close to that. Then at 1:30 a.m. it was like a switch went off and all went still. Later, I heard a light rain.

This morning we woke to this - our first dusting of snow at the top of our 7,000 foot peaks. I hope this isn't any indication of what our winter ahead will be like!



Think I'll stay in today and close some sock toes and work up a new design.

If you haven't left a comment on the post, "October Sock Give A Way" be sure to do so because tomorrow is the last day. Monday, Nov. 1st, I'll announce the lucky winner of a pair of women's hand cranked socks.

Have a wonderful weekend.

A Fall Sunrise in Tehachapi......

It's worth getting up early in Tehachapi, just to witness our spectacular sunrises. Yesterday the Santa Ana winds started and they bring such a clarity to our mountains. These are usually high winds that come from the desert and bring very dry air. We always expect them at this time of year. To me, they are filled with high energy and just make you feel alive. The downfall to these winds, is the extreme fire danger that they bring to the southern California mountains.

I also turned off our wind turbine for most of the day yesterday - believe it or not, too much wind is not good for these contraptions! If you look closely in the photo, you can see all the giant turbines that line the hills to our east.

Today just might be a good day to finish the "deep" housecleaning. Just our bedroom and bathroom left. I think it would be a great day for that, and then maybe a brisk walk outdoors later.

Oh, and don't forget - Sunday is the last day to leave a comment on the "October Sock Give A Way" post. Monday, Nov. 1st, I'll announce the winner of a pair of hand cranked women's socks.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Saturday's Activities.....................

This past weekend was windy, cold and rainy, so it seemed only fitting to start the day off with homemade cranberry/orange scones. I could live off these delights!



We made it to the pumpkin patch and had a tough time deciding which one was the perfect pumpkin. They all had oodles of character and Rick kept saying that he wanted to plant a patch just like this one on our property.



My husband even found the time to finish up my "plank" valances for the kitchen. It's amazing what you can use for window treatments.

Just a tad bit of knitting news - time is almost up to enter our October Sock Give A Way, so be sure to read that post for all the details.

Today, I have some special socks to knit and then I will start "deep" cleaning yet another room. I've almost made it through the entire house!

Have a super great Monday!

"The Tea Bag"

The last handle was knitted and sewn in place yesterday on "The Tea Bag." I've had such fun with these characters! I've placed the pattern on both our Etsy and Ravelry sites. So keep your fingers crossed!

Today I'll take a break from knitting and designing and just enjoy this cold blustery day. Our house is in need of a pumpkin, so we're headed to a local pumpkin patch after breakfast. We might even stop at one of the apple orchards along the way. I can almost smell an apple pie baking in my oven!

I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing weekend. See you on my next posting.

The "No Fluff Zone"

Many months ago I was reading a fun blog and she was showing the new sandals that she had gotten - which were very, very stylish. With that, I looked down at my boots and realized for the first time that I live in a no fluff zone. 7 months out of the year I'm in these snow and mud boots and the rest of the year I wear these green crocs with socks. What would I do with a pair of sandals?



Now, I'm not complaining because I totally love my lifestyle here in the moutains. Besides all the snow and mud, we deal with a ton of wind. Many of the women I've noticed (like me) wear a ball cap everywhere they go. No more problems when it's a bad hair day - just put on a hat! And when running to the store or something, no one dresses up. I realized that everyone looks as bad as I do and it's just a way of life up here. And style? A good pair of jeans and a white t-shirt work just fine. Good bye city life - I'll take country livin' any day!

And now I'm off to complete the last handle for the "Tea Bag" and try and get a picture up for you on tomorrow's post.

Have a great day out there!

A Sock Monkey for Aadyn

Last night we had hour upon hour of rain, thunder and lightning and so it was a good evening to work on Aadyn's sock monkey. I finished both arms, tail and his face in one sitting. Cute, huh? If you're wondering where to get this darling pattern by Carol Wood, you can visit her Etsy store where the pattern sells for $6.00.



Before I forget, if you haven't entered our October Sock Give-A-Way, please read that post for all the details. Someone's going to win a pair of women's hand cranked socks that were made on our antique sock machine, "Doris."

See you next time................

Deadline Met.......................

Doris cranked out the last of the 50 socks over the weekend and they're now ready to ship out. With that, she's probably due for a good cleaning and some fresh oil. Thank goodness my husband always helps me with that project. It's definitely a two-man job and a messy one at that. Just as we all schedule our cars to have an oil change after so many miles, "Doris" gets one after about 250 socks!



Since all deadlines are now completed, it's time to get back to Aadyn's little sock monkey. I added his mouth and ears and just need to make two arms, a tail and add his facial features. I promise to let you see him when he's totally done.

After that, I'll get back to the "Tea Bag." That project is sooooooooo close to being finished.

Yesterday I started my "deep" fall house cleaning. Every nook and cranny will be in my path! Yesterday I started the kitchen and washed all 5 windows and their blinds. All the countertops got scrubbed and everything on top re-arranged. Even the top of the cabinets were vacuumed. Now, I'm not trying to make any of you feel guilty - this is just one of my quirks. I just love to go over the entire house before Thanksgiving and before the house is buttoned up for the cold weather. Then I like to do it all over again when spring arrives. There's just something about knowing that every drawer, cabinet, floor and crevice has been cleaned.

We've been in this house now 2 1/2 years and I still hadn't put any type of window treatment on the kitchen windows. I finally decided that valances were not going to cut it, so a new game plan was come up with. I wanted wood planks over each window! Yup, that's right. The kitchen needs a rustic appearance, so my husband (saint that he is) is distressing 1 x 6 pieces of wood to place at the top of each window. One is in place and looks mighty good. Once they're all done, I'll share a picture.

Well, better get back to my housecleaning.....................