Friday Funny

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Toad Abode

When I returned home from Ride the Rockies, I couldn't wait to see what was blooming!


I'd bought a handful of hybrid day lilies last fall that had been bred specifically for blues. One of the fans sent up flowers in the fall right after I planted it, but the others, I'd not seen bloom yet. I couldn't wait to see if the blooms forming when we left for Ride the Rockies would wait for me to get home.

One did, and it does indeed have a bit of blue!!! Fancy that!


As I tiptoed through the spent tulips, irises and allium, I thought I saw movement on the ground. I froze. We've had snakes before. Not in the garden, but we have had snakes. Whatever moved was within striking distance. Please don't be a rattlesnake!


The visitor moved again, this time hopping right atop one of my crocheted rocks! It was a toad!


I actually didn't know it was a toad. I thought it was a frog. I ran inside to grab my camera and The Lizard, and he informed me our visitor is not a frog. He told me toads eat cockroaches, crickets and possibly even grasshoppers.

Oh, was I a happy camper!

Our visitor wouldn't sit still on the crocheted rock long enough for me to get a beautiful portrait. He apparently doesn't know I have no interest in Toad Tendrils on my tabletop.

In addition to eating some of the bad guys in my garden, he is doing a fine job of fertilizing. P-U! We've named him Stinky because where he apparently lives, beneath the daisies, is beginning to smell like dog poop. Oh, my! I guess as long as the daisies are happy, I'll be happy. I just won't be taking deep breaths when I trim the spent blossoms...

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Wordless Wednesday

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The Day I Lost...

... my socks...

Dear Thief:

I wish you much warmth and comfort from the pair of 2014 Elephant Rock socks you removed from the fence where they were drying at Colorado Mesa University on Day 1 of the 30th anniversary Ride the Rockies. I know how irresistible they must have appeared, dripping wet but white as new because I'd just washed them, the snazziest socks in all of Grand Junction, just waiting to be worn. I hope the reason you made off with them is because you really need a pair of socks. A gorgeous pair of socks. A pair of socks you did not earn. The socks I'd planned to wear again for the Dirty Thirty three days later.

I hope the beauty of those used socks inspires you to get on your bike and ride. And do something good in the world, because what you did when you took my socks wasn't a very warm welcome to Grand Junction for me. It didn't leave a pleasant taste in the mouths of all the nearby cyclists who witnessed my emotions bubbling over when I realized my socks were missing.

And if you're sitting around, giggling because you pulled off something you think grand, I hope those magnetic socks you couldn't resist shock the evil out of you and make your toenails fall off. After they turn purple.

Sincerely,
Barefoot in Bike Land

PS: Thank you for not taking my wet and drying shorts, jersey and towel or my sleeping bag, tent and water bottles. The rest of the tour would not have been fun without them.


... my shirt...

Dear Hotel Hospitality:

Thank you for cleaning the room I rented after Day 1 of the 30th anniversary MS-150. Thank you for cleaning it so well, the concierge couldn't find the 30th anniversary Ride the Rockies training T-shirt I accidentally left behind. I hope it fits you well, and I hope the reason you decided it had to be yours, even though you did not earn it, is because you needed a moisture-wicking T-shirt more than I did. I hope the memories it holds will keep you warm when you wear it, and I hope you get as many years out of it as I've gotten from my 10-year-old 2005 RtR training T-shirt, because I had intended to still be wearing the shirt you took 10 years from now. Because, you know, I earned it.

Not Naked in the North

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Spiderwort Monday

While stopping to breathe on Hardscrabble Pass during this year's Ride the Rockies, I noticed a tri-petaled blue flower I was determined to crochet once I got home. But first I had to figure out what kind of flower I had seen.

I perused the blue and purple specimens on Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, a wonderful and informative free website managed by Al Schneider of the San Juan/Four Corners Native Plant Society and hosted by mydurango.net. What a marvelous service Al and mydurango.net provide! Al's been doing this for 14 years and still updates the site almost daily.

I love exploring the blue and purple flower photographs on Al's site because, as you probably know, blue is my favorite color, and I grow many of the drought-tolerant blue wildflower in my own garden. When I find a new (to me) blue wildflower such as the spiderwort, I order seeds from wherever I can find them, if I can find them, and try my green thumb at growing them.

So, I've planted both the purple and blue versions of the spiderwort, but no flowers yet. (Just looking up Al's photos again as I write this post, I see the grasslike blades growing both indoors in a pot and outdoors may indeed be spiderwort! I won't pull them up as weeds!) So no flower pictures of my own yet, darn it! (What do you bet my newest blue flowers become a Wordless Wednesday in the next month or two?) Mrs. Micawber has a simply gorgeous spiderwort photo here, and Google helped me find the seeds as well as more photos.

This flower works up lovely for greeting cards and gift tags! I might include one on my next gift of homemade soap, too, just because!

After I finished writing this pattern, Dave's Garden's weekly email featured prairie spiderwort!

You may do whatever you'd like with flowers and/or snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!

Other flower flakes in this series include:

Mother's Day Snowflake Motif
Sunflake III
Daisyflake
Picotee Snowflake
Chamomile Snowflake
Lobelia Snowflake
Hoyaflake
Daffodil Snowflake
Windflower Snowflake
Blue Flax Snowflake


Finished Size: flower, 1.5 inches across; snowflake, 5 inches across from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread in 2 or 3 colors, size 7 crochet hook, 3 to 6 optional yellow seed beads, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

NOTE: Optional bead stamens may be crocheted into petals on Round 1, sewed in place after the flower is complete, or glued on during stiffening. The spiderworts I saw on Hardscrabble Pass displayed random stamens, so I have not included specific placement instructions. You may choose to place them differently. I also think the crocheted flower looks fine without the beads, so beads are required only if you want stamens.

Spiderwort Instructions

With blue or petal color, make magic ring.

Round 1: * 1 sc in ring, ch 2, 3 dc in ring; repeat from * around 2 times for a total of 3 petals; 1 sc in ring. Do not pull magic ring too tight yet; leave opening big enough to crochet Round 2 sc stitches into it.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 2: * Ch 3, 1 sc in next dc, 1 hdc in same dc, 2 dc in next (middle) dc, ch 2, sl st in top of dc just worked (picot made), 2 dc in same middle dc, 1 hdc in next dc, 1 sc in next dc, 1 sc in ring over next sc; repeat from * around 2 times, omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in next sc; bind off. Weave in ends. Pull magic ring tight.


Spiderwort Snowflake Instructions

Work Rounds 1 and 2 as above.

Round 3: With white, or green if making leaves, * 1 dc in any magic ring sc (or next magic ring sc, skipping over petal, in repeats), ch 5; repeat from * around 2 times, omitting last 3 ch of final repeat; 1 tr in starting dc to form 3rd ch 5 sp of Round.

Round 4: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 3), 1 dc over post of tr directly below, ch 3, [1 dc in next ch 5 sp, ch 3, 1 dc in same sp, ch 3] 2 times; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 5.

Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc over post of tr directly below, 2 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in same sp, * 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 2 dc in same sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, 2 hdc in same sp; 1 sc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; 1 sc in next ch 5 sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 2 dc in same sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round. (If making leaves, bind off green here and work remainder of Rounds in white.)
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 3, 1 dc in gap between next 2 sc, ch 3, 2 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 2 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, 1 dc in gap between next 2 sc, ch 3, 2 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 7: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 3 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 3 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 8: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 3 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 3, [1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5] 2 times, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 4 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, 4 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, [1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5] 2 times, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 4 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 9: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 4 dc over post of dc directly below, * ch 3, [1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5] 3 times, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 5 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook (picot made), 5 dc in same tip; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 3, [1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 5] 3 times, 1 sc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, 5 dc in next ch 3 tip, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook (picot made), sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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Silly Saturday

I have 75 more unpublished blog posts, and most of them are Friday Funnies. While trying to set up Friday Funnies in advance for the month of June while I was too busy pedaling to pay tons of attention to my blog, I found a lot of dead Friday Funny links. Perhaps it's time to use up some of those remaining unpublished Friday Funnies before all the links go dead.

Oh, my gosh, these bike drawings are awesome!!!

This could be addictive.

This goes harmoniously right along with the above.

Art installations made with sewing thread.

The Death Star.

All of these are phenomenal, but most especially the last two videos...

Incredible.

Plein air painting atop the 14ers.

Perfect for Halloween!

Some creative thinking went into this.

The artist does some other great maps, too.

The bag is better than the lunch inside it!

Legography

I could never justify spending this much for an umbrella, but I'm in love with this.

Nature's Frozen Artwork

I'd LOVE to try many of these lighting projects!

How's this for creative?

Knitted intarsia gloves to fit grains of rice?!? Incredible!

Scrolling heaven!!! Oooooh, oooooh, oooooh!!!!!

Breathtaking!

A creative way to pictorialize vacations.

Wow, a business that creates lace fence installations!

This talented artist plays with ice AND rocks!

I think they look even more attractive with realistic waistlines...

Say it isn't so!!! PLEASE!!!

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Friday Funny

You may laugh at the deer crossing lady, but apparently the elk in Evergreen, Co are trained to cross only at the light. These are some pretty smart elk. Thank you to Kevin Hunt for the photo.

Posted by Outdoor Channel on Tuesday, November 19, 2013

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Thrilling Thursday

I have 77 more unpublished blog posts, and most of them are Friday Funnies. While trying to set up Friday Funnies in advance for the month of June while I was too busy pedaling to pay tons of attention to my blog, I found a lot of dead Friday Funny links. Perhaps it's time to use up some of those remaining unpublished Friday Funnies before all the links go dead.

Makes me think of me on my bike...

Posted by ROCK 103 on Thursday, March 27, 2014

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Witty Wednesday

I have 78 more unpublished blog posts, and most of them are Friday Funnies. While trying to set up Friday Funnies in advance for the month of June while I was too busy pedaling to pay tons of attention to my blog, I found a lot of dead Friday Funny links. Perhaps it's time to use up some of those remaining unpublished Friday Funnies before all the links go dead.

This video really made me laugh because these are the kinds of things people really do say to a professional photographer.

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Teasing Tuesday

I have 79 more unpublished blog posts, and most of them are Friday Funnies. While trying to set up Friday Funnies in advance for the month of June while I was too busy pedaling to pay tons of attention to my blog, I found a lot of dead Friday Funny links. Perhaps it's time to use up some of those remaining unpublished Friday Funnies before all the links go dead.

My favorite part of this video when she downloads from the old (Brownie or TLR) camera...

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Merry Monday

I have nearly 80 unpublished blog posts, and most of them are Friday Funnies. While trying to set up Friday Funnies in advance for the month of June while I was too busy pedaling to pay tons of attention to my blog, I found a lot of dead Friday Funny links. Perhaps it's time to use up some of those remaining unpublished Friday Funnies before all the links go dead.

So, here's to Comedy Week at Snowcatcher!


Don't forget to send your mandalas to Kathryn at Crochet Concupiscence by August 31!

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!


Finished Size: 5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, school glue (make sure it is water soluble), water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Yoga Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: * 1 sc in ring, ch 8; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 4, dtr in starting sc to form 6th ch 8 sp of Round. Pull magic ring tight.

Round 2: 1 sc in top of loop just made, * ch 5, 1 sc in top of next loop; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 2, 1 tr in starting sc to form 6th ch 5 sp of Round.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in same sp, * 2 hdc in same sp, 2 sc in same sp, 2 sc in next ch 5 sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 3 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting 2 of last 3 dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.

Round 4: 1 sc in same ch as sl st, * ch 16, sl st in 10th ch from hook, ch 6, 1 sc in middle dc of next 3 dc group; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last sc of final repeat; sl st in starting sc.

Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), * 3 dc in next sp, 3 hdc in same sp, 3 sc in same sp, 3 sc in next loop, ch 3, sl st in sc just worked, 3 hdc in same loop, ch 3, sl st in hdc just worked, 3 dc in same loop, ch 3, sl st in dc just worked, 3 hdc in same loop, ch 3, sl st in hdc just worked, 3 sc in same loop, 3 sc in next sp, 3 hdc in same sp, 3 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 5 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

Mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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Friday Fun

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something about MS

Ms. Micawber's wrap-up of last year's MS-150 got me teary-eyed. This woman is such a trooper! She battled back after being hit from behind while training for last year's event, rebuilding strength, stamina and courage to get back out on the road with cars again. She raised the required amount of money. She completed 81 miles, the most she'd ever done in a day, even though she wasn't able to train adequately because of the accident and because she has no mountains where she lives. And then totally spent, she got back on her bike again the next day.

She goes on to describe in her post how her challenges don't hold a candle to the challenges people with multiple sclerosis face. Her feelings are feelings I've always felt, beliefs I've always held true and observations I often make but don't always recount verbally.

I got teary-eyed when I recently re-read this post. I've been making such significant progress on my bike and even in everyday routines, I'd forgotten what a struggle 2012 was. Or perhaps I put it out of my mind because it was just too depressing.

A lot of things in 2012 really stunk. But they are getting better.

That's often not the case for those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The people suffering with MS... This is why we ride.

Yes, I ride because I like to ride. Yes, I crochet snowflakes because I'm addicted. And I go overboard on my fund-raising because the goalposts are so emotionally and physically rewarding to reach. But these also are tools I can use to try to make life better for someone else.

I ride the MS-150 because two people I work with are battling MS every day, and I witness their fight every workday. We lost my husband's cousin to multiple sclerosis in 2013. I have other friends and relatives of friends I ride for, but the ones I see every day and the remaining one in my husband's family are the ones who keep our drive alive, who visually remind me without saying a word, I must keep fighting this thing.

One of my co-workers struggles with her eyesight when her multiple sclerosis flares up. She never knows for sure if she will still be able to see after each episode.

I can't imagine what my life would be like without my eyesight. How would I make snowflakes? How would I take pictures?

My husband's cousin left behind two young daughters. A lot of people who suffered from MS have left behind children, some of them very small.

Bad things happen; this I know. But good things happen, too. Good things are happening in the fight against multiple sclerosis:

* New understanding regarding genetics of the disease
* More drug treatment options, including new oral medications
* New techniques to repair damage caused by multiple sclerosis
* New information about potential causes of the disease
(Source: WebMD.com, ShareCare.com, MSAdvances.com, NationalMSSociety.org)

Two years ago, I sprinted for the finish line at the end of Day One because I could. Last year, I did an extra mile to bring my total mileage to 150 because I could. On both days, the weather was hot, and it had been a long day. I had not trained as much as I would have liked, but I'd made vast improvements since 2012. Back then, I thought I would be strong again one day.

This year, I was strong. I had a great ride. I have renewed strength and courage.

I'd like to help bring that result about for the thousands of people daily battling the often crippling effects of multiple sclerosis.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society logo is a big MS with a slash through it, symbolizing wiping out the disease. The MS-150 (now BikeMS) logo is the same, but the slash is a bicycle tire track. I like that a lot because it means I'm riding my bike to help wipe out multiple sclerosis. I'm leaving tire tracks all over multiple sclerosis.

And this is one scar I intend to keep gouging for as long as I can.

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Wordless Wednesday

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Ten

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