In the morning of a big day

I had a great time this weekend (as you can see -- that's Julie, me, and Shawn, a.k.a. Chippy, eating in what turned out to be the worst diner ever), and although I didn't place in the flatfoot competition in Laurel Bloomery, Julie got third and our friend John got first, so all in all, it was a satisfying weekend. Laura asked if I could post some flatfooting footage to YouTube so she could see what it looked like. I'm working on this...

I did see some funny things on this trip. I've got a real weakness for funny signs, and although I've tried to keep my posting of these pictures to a mininmum on the blog, I just couldn't resist. I saw these two this weekend -- the "creamer" at the worst diner ever and the Burger King sign in Berea, KY.



I feel a little overwhelmed this morning. You see, I leave for a two week trip to Philadelphia tomorrow and I have to get everything in order before I leave. This includes several loads of laundry (can't leave the house with dirty laundry. ditto dishes.), cleaning out the fridge, vacuuming the whole house, cleaning my office. It also includes packing (haven't done that yet. I hate packing for two weeks when I have no idea what I'm going to want to wear in said two weeks) -- not just clothes, but the books and work-related stuff I think I might need, as well as two weeks worth of knitting. I also need to clean out Lil' Betsy (my car) who is carrying around the accumulated dirt of a summer's worth of festivals and fiddler's conventions. This might wait, because I'm going to a bluegrass festival in New Jersey this coming weekend (it was my first bluegrass festival, years ago, and I feel a certain nostalgia for it. I timed my trip to Philly so I could go to it). Add to all of that the fact that Hank is a chirper (he loves to talk and walks around gurgling like a bird) and last night, at four in the morning, was feeling particularly conversational. I tried shutting him out of the bedroom, but then he spent hours scratching on the door, meowing loudly. Not much sleep.

Why, you might ask, am I doing all of the preparations for my trip now when I'm not leaving until tomorrow afternoon? No, it's not because I'm a girl blessed with amazing forethought. It's because tonight, I'm driving to Prestonsburg, KY for a concert -- my first non-bluegrass or oldtime concert since I saw Devo in Atlantic City this time last year. Tonight, at the Mountain Arts Center, I get to see Dwight Yoakam in concert for the very first time. There are no words for how excited I am about this concert. I heart Dwight Yoakam. Which is funny to me, because although I harbor a great deal of love for old, classic country (give me Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzel, or Kitty Wells anyday), I have always professed an intense dislike for all modern country. But Dee-wight is a totally different thing. He's what Hank Williams would be if he hadn't died and were a lot younger. He's the cat's pajamas. And I hear he puts on a great show. I can't wait.

As for knitting, I finally finished Fair Isle sock #1. I blocked it (a first) and it's drying. Maybe a finished shot later, maybe not. I think I'm going to wait a while before I make it's parnter. I'm a little underwhelmed by the color combination and the tedium of carring the lice color all the way around the foot. Maybe I'll follow Grumerina's lead and make a fraternal twin for the second sock. In the meantime, I cast on for my second New England sock (long waiting). And look what I got in the mail:


A few weeks ago, I mentioned being interested in learning how to use a drop spindle to spin some wool I got from a friend who sheared his sheep.


I got an e-mail from Meg mentioning that she had a spindle hanging out in her basement somewhere in West Virginia, and that she would put her dad on the task of finding it, if I wanted it. Well -- yesterday, it arrived! Thanks Meg, and thanks Meg's dad for finding it and mailing it -- with instructions! I can't wait to give it a whirl (no pun intended).