Ohio: Part 2 (Krohn Conservatory Cont.)

A few parting shots of the conservatory.

 

One of the fairy houses just before exiting...

Ohio: Part 1 (Krohn Conservatory)

Yeah, so, I'm incredibly behind. These are from about a month ago when I was working briefly in the Cincinnati area. My sister (that's her up there) and I went to the Krohn Conservatory for their Japanese Butterfly exhibit. We started out in the desert room - actually it was called something about bugs, but the desert plants are beautiful.

Next up, the orchids! Gorgeous!

Then, finally, the butterflies!

They had cocoons set up (on the other side of a very dirty window) so patrons could watch the butterflies emerge. Further on, a room full of butterflies flitting around (mostly dodging unruly little kids chasing them with fake flowers). Not the most-photo-friendly atmosphere, but I did mange to fend off kids (and some overzealous parents) long enough to get a few shots.

I love butterflies, but this exhibit was a bit on the disappointing side due to the set-up and lack of number and variety of butterflies. I had a much better time shooting at The Butterfly House in St. Louis a couple years ago. It's not a shock that their area was set up better though, since butterflies are what they're all about. Being more "in" the exhibit lended itself to better photographic opportunities. I recommend anyone in/near St. Louis in the summer to check them out!

Playin' in the dirt

Yep, it's garden time!

Time to play in the dirt and (hopefully) end up with lots of yummy, organic produce. =)

We had someone come and till up the garden for us (bigger than last year) and then we headed out to one of the garden shops for some plants and seeds. 

It's not huge, but it'll do.

Red and yellow peppers,

three types of tomatoes,

and zucchini, eggplant, yellow squash, snow peas and sugar snap peas! Yum!

Out of the garden, rhubarb!

And a pot of mint. =)

There are also a couple of small pots with leaf lettuce and the garden has a border of sunflowers... or will, anyway. =) Just wishing I was planting all of this in a little yard in WA/OR rather than IN...

First position, second position

Yes, it's that time of year again. Time for the kiddos to show off what they've learned this year.

I happened to be home the weekend of her debut last year, so it was even nicer to get to see this year's show! For those who cannot spot her in the mass of little girls, Angela is the one in the back (to the right of the leader once they line up) with the mass of dark curls and giggling her way through the dance. =)

All too soon, I have another nephew graduating as well! It remains to be seen if I'll be home for that weekend or not. Things are still really slow with work, but they're promising work will be picking up soon and I'm guessing we'll all be back on the road by then (June). My nephew who graduated last year has since gone through boot camp for the Air Force in TX and is now in CA for training. Sadly, this training has nothing to do with cooking - what my nephew has planned as his career for at least half a dozen years. All in due time...

I do have photos to share fom my mini-trip to Cincinnati too... first, I have to do some editing and uploading. heh

Current WIPs

Let's start with the most recent, shall we?

 This blanket (Ravelry links, y'all) was started back in mid-Feb... this year. I was working in Dayton. When I left, this went into its bag and has not re-emerged since. I really need to pull that out. I knit/crochet a lot more on the road than I do at home and I've been mostly at home since Dayton.

You want to go back a bit farther, you say? How about this?

My Top Down Button Front Capelet, started back in September in Buffalo. Yeah, hasn't made it very far though... I'm getting the urge to pick this back up as well.

More? How about the felted messenger bag that got as far as a swatch and about a foot and a half in length?

Hey, it's only been on the needles since July! heh I'm taking this to Ohio with me in a couple days. Nice, brainless knitting. Probably taking that capelet too just to have a choice.

Can you take a little more? There's the afghan I started last April and had big plans for...

 I'd planned to finish a square each trip out on the road. I guess those plans didn't quite pan out. heh I do think this has some emotional baggage attached though. Someone else in the house decided to follow suit and give this afghan a go and well, I kinda lost my will. I was debating whether to finish this block and move on or just frog what I have done and maybe come back to this later on. I'm thinking frog. So, one less project on the needles...

Speaking of frogging. Remember this?

I'm frogging this today too. Finally.

Let's dig farther, shall we? Last, and smallest... a book scarf started for my mother during her crazy Harry Potter phase.

Yeah, that was started in September... 2007. hahahaha Most boring thing I've ever knit... and on such teensy needles to boot. I think I'll take this too, try to knit on it and if that doesn't happen, I'll frog it.

It's apparently Spring cleaning time for WIPs too! Off to frog...

Had to come back and add this pic. Frogging complete! =)

Yay! Feels good to finally have those off the needles and the possibilities wide open once again. My mother about passed out when she saw me frogging the sweater. How could I possibly rip out something so close to being finished?! heh I didn't love it, that's how. I LOVE the yarn and want it to be something I will love and wear for years to come. That sweater wasn't it. Man, that was fun to frog too! Not sure now why it took me so long to get around to doing it...

Oh, as a follow-up to yesterday. My mother did finally tear herself away from the tv and go to the store... at 1:30 in the morning. I guess there's not much on that time of night. That, and I'm guessing, she didn't worry about "putting on her face" for a trip to Wal-mart in the middle of the night.

Cooking 101

I've learned one very important lesson over the years. Before you start to cook (or bake), take a look at the ingredient list and compare it to what you have on hand. If you do not have everything (or an acceptable substitute), you will need to make a trip to the store... preferably before you start mixing things together.

This is not what occurred in my kitchen today. No, my mother who rarely ever cooks anything that requires more than opening a box and placing a container in the microwave, decided to make this apple/egg/bread casserole thing. I'd just finished making banana muffins and was cleaning up and suggested she might want to think about making her casserole soon since the bread's been cut up for nearly a week and sitting in a bag on the counter. I'd already tossed one loaf that was originally intended for this casserole (it was moldy). Anyhoo, she decides to do it "right now" and starts mixing things up. Non-moldy bread? Check - whew. Eggs? 1 more than needed. (An aside here, she wanted to toss in the extra egg too. Not sure why - maybe she thought the one would get lonely in the fridge?) Apples? Hmm, only two. So I offered up my bag of organic apples. Milk? Nope. None. Uh, she's the only one here who uses cow's milk so it's not like I used it up and she didn't know she hasn't had any for days. I couldn't save the day here. Since I'm heading back out of town in a couple days, I've been trying to use up my stuff so it doesn't go bad and didn't have enough soy milk on hand for her recipe.

Now, I'm not saying I've never done this. I totally have. haha It happens. I either figure out a substitute or make a quick run to the store for that missing item. I do not get all pissy with the other person in the room, as if it's their fault I didn't plan ahead and they can't supply what I need. Nor do I mope around the house afterward as though the world is against me. I also do not profess to never bother trying to cook again because this always happens. Instead of going to buy milk at one of the five stores withing a mile of this house, she slammed things around, threw the egg mixture in the fridge and set herself up in front of the television set for the day. All over a 10-minute trip to the store? Sheesh. I don't get it.

Oh, about 20-minutes later she was back in the kitchen and I hear her pouring a bowl of cereal. I'm thinking... she doesn't have any milk. Yeah, she figured that out after once again looking in the fridge, started swearing and slamming things around again.

Prior to this, she'd been outside watering plants and decided to get a piece of wood to hold open a window in the house and came in cursing about having things she can't get to to use. Even though there are tons of pieces of scrap wood accessible, she wanted to use her saw... that she has several feet of crap piled in front of. Yes, I'm once again getting the blame for this... even though everything in the garage other than my Jeep and bike (neither of which is in her way) belongs to her. I also got blamed for the rotten strawberries I'd put in the produce drawer (and told her I'd placed them there) because she forgot about them. I was making room for something she wanted to put in the fridge. And the rotten tomatoes too. She'd bought those, told me I could use some if I wanted, then never used them herself. How is this stuff my fault??

Any wonder I can't wait to move?! Or at least get back out on the road for awhile!

I love Spring.