Meanderings of a Mermaid

This image is taken from the Wunderground.com weather website. It gives the average temperatures for this part of Texas. As you can see, the coldest part of the winter is just past now and the night time temps will start to rise slowly at first. Today I ran into a gal at the grocery store. She was looking for firewood. It seems there is a cold blast coming later this week. When asked how cold, she really couldn't say. Minus two. Twenty. I asked if the minus two was celsius or what? Not sure. Twenty I said. Not so bad; wasn't it 22 the other morning??? With wide eyes and clutching her fake fur, she said she really didn't know. It NEVER gets that cold here. She was in a tizzy. I hope she finds some wood. And so when I checked a weather forecast, the low will be around 16 Farenheit. Yup, that would be cold for around here. Best check on my inventory too.

Hoppin' John. This was supper tonight. Black eyed peas are good luck when consumed on New Year's Day in this part of Texas. So this was the result of some internet research. A lovely melange of rice, peppers, hot spices, ham, tomato and of course, the black eyed peas. I found the recipe at About.com and followed it quite faithfully. Elsewhere on the web I found a note about adding a dime to the dish to bring extra prosperity to the year. I figure I am rich enough as it is, and so I skipped tossing coins into my supper. Of particular interest is that a friend in Calabria reports that they too eat black eyed peas and ham on New Year's Day. And it is done there also for good luck ! What a small world. But their tradition is to cook the two separately. So does this mean that Spaghetti Westerns may have more authenticity than we credit them with? Were ancient Romans the first Texans? (my driveway looks suspiciously like a Roman Road). Did a barge full of cowboys and black eyed...

The holidays are upon us and the thing I hate the most are the carolling chipmunks that radio show producers feel we have to be subjected to. I immediately turn off the radio when the rodents come on. (hear that? Mr. Producer... I am not hearing your advertising anymore). Well it's good to get the rant out of the way. What I love most about Christmas are the lights. Unfortunately there isn't any snow here to play off the twinkling displays. But there are sure some excellent home light displays around. I will cruise around tonight, after a fine dinner with friends, and check them all out. Thank you everyone who puts up lights. I'd like to wish everyone a most Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year. Cheers!

Phew! I survived the monster snow that hit us hard on December fourth! In talking with the locals I found out it has snowed a total of seven times in the last 35 years. So I am very glad to have been here to witness time Number Seven. What you see here is the maximum snow level that was attained. About half an hour later it had all melted away. The Old Sage next door predicts there will be one ice storm later in the winter, probably January, with little icicles dripping from the trees. It's a little hard to imagine at this time. I was out bicycling again today in shorts and a T shirt. Apparently Christmas is upon us too. Freaky.

The Texas landscape is all earth and sky. The rich tan and grey earth colours at this time of year look fabulous with the clear blues of the sunny skies. It inspired me to create a wooly scarf pattern and then to share this with you all in as a little Christmas present. In the example above I am working with Ashford "Tekapo" a lovely New Zealand wool. It is a worsted weight and works up normally around 18 to 22 stitches gauge. And I have chosen two colours, the grey and the variegated blue to brown. Texas Earth and Sky Scarf Cast on multiple of 4 sts plus 1 (in my example 37 sts) USe two colours of yarn. Colour A: Row 1 - Knit 1 row. Colour A: Row 2 - P1, *(P3tog, K3tog, P3tog all in the same 3 sts), P1*. Colour B: Row 3 - Knit 1 row. Colour B: Row 4 - P3, *(P3tog, K3tog, P3tog all in the same three sts), P1*, P3. Repeat these four rows to create a scarf as long as you'd like. Fringe would be a nice touch too. Enjoy the pattern. It is very simple and a lovely pattern,...

These are random shots from around the region. I am situated in the Llano Uplift and granite abounds. Repeated cycles of freeze and thaw have worked their magic to create works of art. Exploring the backroads is one of my biggest pleasures.

A gentleness settles over my spirit when I think of the new man in my life. Yes, the most amazing thing has happened and I've fallen in love with a beautiful guy from far, far away. New love is so powerful and transforming and comforting and FUN! We should all stop each day and recall those heady days stepping into a new romance. What a pill!