Three finishes!

I finally finished all three of Piper’s sweaters. I washed them yesterday and sewed the buttons on last night.  This morning I took them to the post office. I’m so excited to see her wearing them.  As you probably remember, I have already sent her the white one and she wears it constantly.

The red one.  Knit with Red Heart Soft in the “really red” colorway.

I have no idea why the hems are turning up on these three so significantly, unless I didn’t take them out of the dryer quick enough. The pattern calls for just two rows of garter stitch and I always do four to help with the rolling. Hopefully as she wears them they will get better.

This is really just a little bit darker pink than it showing up here but not much. I took the photos early this morning and the lighting wasn’t very good. I’m just showing the back on this one.

And the front of the lavender one. Since they are all the same, I didn’t think you really wanted to see pictures of the front and back on all three sweaters. Both the pink and lavender ones are knit with Bernat Softee Baby in the pale pink and lavender colorways.

I got this quarter with some change last month and I’ve been saving it to put in the package to send to Piper. Isn’t this a cool thing to put on the back? Bats! It says American Samoa on it, but I had originally thought it was representing Carlsbad Caverns because of the bats that fly out of the cave at dusk every night.

I took this last Friday afternoon when I took Chloe to the dog park. One of the kids who lives here in the park was there building a snowman. We ended up with 7 inches of snow on Friday. It was the perfect snowman snow. Very wet and heavy.   At this point it was still snowing and we received several more inches.

Yesterday the skies were bright blue, but you can see we still have some snow in the trees.   Many of the trees around town still had their leaves on them and with such a wet snowfall there was a lot of damage around our area. There are some people who still don’t have electricity. The temperatures have been very cold since then, although they are beginning to warm up a little bit and we’re supposed to be in the 50s by the end of the week.

We have tried all kinds of things to keep the moisture down in the trailer since it’s gotten so cold. It was in the single digits all weekend. We had a small dehumidifier that was supposed to be good for up to 450 square foot, which is a lot more room than we have! It did absolutely nothing. So we ordered this unit from Amazon last week and received it in just two days. It is supposed to be for a 2000 square-foot house! It is working wonderfully. Every evening I pour out about 2 gallons of water that it has collected. We are opposite of most places. We have very dry air in the summer when it’s hot, which is wonderful.  In the winter we have a lot of humidity, which is normally good too, but not when you’re living in a trailer. It can cause mold and mildew and we do not want that. So far we’ve been very happy although it does take up a lot of precious floorspace.

This post worked out very well for some reason. I would type a sentence or two or add a photo and then save it in drafts. Maybe that’s what I’ll have to do from now on. Hooray if that works!

We had to buy four new tires for Dennis’s new truck. We knew that when we bought it, but boy howdy! Tires are expensive!  We should be set for several years though.  I think we finally have everything set up very well for winter here at the trailer. The new manager has been very nice to us but I just found out today that the park is no longer having automatic deliveries of propane. We have to set up our own account with someone here in town. It was so handy before. A delivery truck would come to the park and fill up everyone’s propane and whatever the amount was that it took to fill our tanks would just be added to our monthly rent payment.  New owners! Everything always has to change. The office also had a very nice stock of emergency RV supplies. Those are gone now too. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me considering how many RVs are here at the park and something is always breaking on these things. Oh well. 

We are very cozy and content in our little home on wheels. I just wish it could be down in Florida by Cindy’s, (Delighted Hands), house instead of up here in the snow. She has the most gorgeous flowers in her yard. You should check out her blog post from this morning.  I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

With all of the numbers for Covid going up around the world and the elections here in the US, things are very stressful for a lot of people right now. Most of you remember Karen, Dennis‘s sister who just passed away last month from pancreatic cancer. Her husband Howard and their son Nathan were tested today for Covid. If you would pray that they turn out to be negative I would sure appreciate it.  Howard made a big pot of stew on Sunday and took it over to Mom’s house and spent several hours with her. That is worrisome. Both Howard and Nathan are showing symptoms and I am very hoping that it’s just colds that they have.  Mandy is quite concerned. She spent the entire weekend last weekend administering Covid tests at work. I worry about her too.  

I am definitely trying to turn all of these concerns and worries over to the Lord and not try to carry them on my own. I’m thinking of and praying for each of you too, as I know we all have our own things we are dealing with in our lives, especially now.  May the Lord bless and keep each one of you.

Blessings and love,

Betsy

Let it snow!

It’s here already!

Once again I have written this post several times and it has disappeared, so I will make this a quick one. We are supposed to get 6 to 8 inches of snow today and we are in a winter storm warning.  I am staying inside where it’s warm and Chloe is enjoying it too. It’s toasty warm here in the RV.

I posted this this morning on Facebook and I thought it was very appropriate.

We have been having trouble with condensation on our windows since it started getting colder. Although we had a small dehumidifier, it didn’t seem to be keeping the moisture down. We ordered a larger one from Amazon and it arrived last night. Hopefully this will do the trick.

I’m knitting Piper’s fourth sweater now. I have pinned the left front to the back in this photo. I pin the pieces together as I knit them to make sure everything fits and I don’t have any nasty surprises at the end. Even though I follow the pattern, mistakes do occur don’t they?

We have a new management here at the RV park. Apparently the park was sold about five weeks ago. The changeover has been interesting to say the least. Although we haven’t had any issues to speak of, it has made Dennis more sure than ever that he does not want to buy a condo or in an HOA when we moved to Nebraska. Until now we have always owned our own homes and have taken pride in keeping them well-maintained.  He really does not like the idea of other people being in control of our living situation.  

I have been checking Zillow and the housing listings in the Omaha area recently. Last night I found a house that I fell in love with. It is over 100 years old and has so much character. It is probably a bit bigger than we need, but I fell in love with the remodeled kitchen and the main floor laundry area, along with all of the built-ins and the original woodwork. There is a room with windows on three sides that would be perfect for my sewing/craft room. I can just see yarn in open shelving units on one wall!  Dennis looks at it and sees 100 year old plumbing and wiring! Isn’t it funny that when we look at at homes we see completely different things?

Wishing you all a wonderful and healthy weekend. 

Blessings, 

Betsy

Cold, cold, cold

Happy Tuesday morning everyone! It’s very cold here and the furnace is chugging away as I type this. I had the same issue yesterday with blogger that I had last week. Three attempts and each one disappeared. I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to try to do this. Anyway, it is supposed to be down to 14°F for the low this weekend and we are forecast to have snow on Friday.  As much as I’m not ready for this, I guess I don’t have much choice.  Dennis and Larry spent Saturday and Sunday adding foam board behind the skirting on the trailer to give us additional insulation so hopefully that will help.

Inside I was knitting away on Pipers lavender sweater. It is now completed and I have started a red one. Here is a photo I took yesterday when I still had the sleeves to attach.  It’s dark and cloudy and you all know what these sweaters look, like so pretend it’s finished! Ha!  I don’t think any photo I would take  this morning would turn out.

A couple of people wanted to see my artwork from my lessons with Piper.  Now don’t laugh. Some of you are real, true, artists. She is a very good teacher though, because I normally can’t even draw a stick figure. These are a bit above that, although not much!



Now, aren’t you all duly impressed?  Seriously though, she is a pretty good little teacher. She has you do everything step-by-step.

She plans to be Hermione for Halloween. I think this is a fantastic costume. She even has an official Harry Potter wand that Mandy‘s friend bought for her in Disneyworld.

They have been asking people to not do trick-or-treating here in Spokane or have any indoor parties. They have put out a notice that there’s to be no trick-or-treating here in the park. I have already bought candy and I have been giving it to the kids as I see them outside. They know I’m the lady with the candy and have no problem coming up to me and asking if I have my candy with me!

That’s about it. Even though we have been very busy with winter preparations, they’re just little things that really aren’t blog worthy. I think we’ve done all we can do and now it’s just wait and see what happens.  Some people have already had quite a lot of snow. It does make me wonder what this winter will bring. 

I posted this photo on Facebook last week. My mother would have been 98 years old on October 16. This is a photo of her back about the time she and dad got married in 1944. She was a beautiful woman, inside and out. I think I’ve mentioned before that when she died the church was completely packed and they had to set up speakers in the parking lot because people were standing outside with no room inside. She was a simple woman who never went to college and she stayed home until I was in the ninth grade. Then she went to work as a “pinner” for Pendleton Woolen Mills. She never held a fancy job, but everyone knew they could talk to Jo. She never met a stranger and always had a smile for everyone. People commented on that FB post that they still remember her laugh. She was always laughing. She has been gone for over half of my life. 31 years. It’s hard believe, because I still think of her every day and I miss her.

I look at that little smirk that you see on her face in this photo. My sister has the same expression. When either one of them have that expression on their faces, you know they are up to no good and have mischief planned. I think my sister looks very much like our Mom.

Wishing you all a wonderful and blessed Tuesday.

During these tumultuous days, I am relying even more on the Holy Word of God. I fear what this election will bring from both sides, and I pray people will find peace and love in their hearts no matter what the outcome is.

Blessings and love, 

Betsy

Trying Again

I am going to try again to post what I tried to 5 times yesterday. We’ll see if it disappears again. I sure hope not.

I received a box in the mail from Sherri in Las Vegas. She made nine pairs of mittens for me to donate to the school. Aren’t they great? They are going to keep some little hands nice and toasty warm this winter. Thank you so much Sherri.

She also sent me a couple of sweet little gifts. A little snowman ornament and a project bag that has a built-in tape measure and DPN holder. Best of all? It has camping trailers on it! You are so thoughtful Sherri.

Look at the expression on his face. Doesn’t it look as though he’s keeping a secret? Most of you know how much I love snowmen and with space limited in the trailer I won’t be able to have very many things out this year so this little guy is the perfect size.

I was able to deliver over 115 pairs of mittens yesterday morning to Stevens Elementary school in Spokane. I also took well over 100 baby hats and 10 baby blankets to Holy Family Hospital yesterday. It was a good day! I wasn’t able to go into either building but people came out to meet me and get the bags of yarny goodness. I also want to thank Nita for letting me keep them at her house until deliveries were accepted again.

I finished Piper‘s pink sweater. I haven’t sewn the buttons on or washed it yet but I love it.

Here is the back.  I have started her lavender sweater and have the back within a few inches of being completed.

We were also able to get the skirting finished on our trailer just in time. It is supposed to be 29° tomorrow night and will get below freezing toward the end of the week too. I took all four pots of flowers over to Larry and Nita’s house on Sunday. She has a covered patio where hopefully the frost won’t bother them for a few weeks yet and she can enjoy the blooms from her kitchen window.

I don’t remember if I told you that there is a very small airport right behind our trailer. These hangers are literally only about the equivalent of three city blocks from us. Sometimes if the weather is nice, I’ll take a chair and go sit along the back edge of the park and knit and watch the planes takeoff and land. Brad, Mandy and Piper could literally fly into this airport and walk over to our place. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful surprise?

Piper has been giving me art lessons most days after school. We FaceTime and she was very disappointed I didn’t have any crayons. I took care of that in my grocery order yesterday. I ordered a box of crayons but would you believe Walmart of all places, was out of crayons? So I broke my own unwritten rule and stopped on the way home and ran into Target just to buy a box of crayons. They had a display set up just inside the door so the only person I was near was the cashier.   We both had our masks on and I ran out of there quickly. But now I have my crayons for my classes with Piper.

OK, I’m going to close this quickly so I don’t risk losing it all again. I hope you are all having a wonderful day.

Blessings,

Betsy

Frustrated

I have just written the same post five times and each time blogger has deleted it before I could publish it.

 I don’t have it in me to try again right now. Maybe later today. 

Meanwhile I wanted to let you all know that I’m still alive and well. Here’s a photo of Chloe so at least there’s something pleasant about this post! Ha!

Blessings, Betsy

Exciting Times

We have certainly had a busy few days. We had a wonderful time camping Friday and Saturday nights. The beauty of where we live never fails to amaze me. God‘s creation is stunning. Each season has its own beauty. We woke up to fog in the mornings and when I took Chloe for her walk Friday night, I looked up and there was a doe standing less than 10 feet from us. She wasn’t bothered at all by Chloe wandering around in the clearing. She just watched her very quietly and stayed there until we walked away and then she walked away in the opposite direction. I certainly wish I would have had a camera with me.

The big excitement is the fact that Dennis has a new ride! He has absolutely loved his old truck. It was a 2013 Ford F150 eco-boost. The problem is that it did not have enough power to pull our house! We pulled the small trailer with no problem, but whenever we moved the big trailer we had to pay someone to do it. That is not going to work out in retirement if we want to keep the trailer and travel. He’s been watching craigslist and gone in to talk to a couple of dealers several times, but they never had what he wanted. We have had the luxury of being able to take our time until he found the exact truck he needs to pull our house. After he finished winterizing the little trailer yesterday, he and Larry went to look at a truck and test drive it. 

Well, to make a long story short he came home and got me and three hours later we were the proud new owners of a 2019 F350 diesel pick up truck.  I actually cried as they drove our F150 away. We both loved that truck and it’s been paid for for many years. I told Dennis that it’s ridiculous we paid three times for this new truck, what we paid for our very first house in 1978.  But, he assures me that since it’s diesel he will never have to buy another truck. Apparently they last a long time.

Tah-dah!  It really is beautiful and even has heated and air conditioned seats.  Who would have thought air conditioned seats were even a thing? All I cared about was that it has a big backseat so I’ll have plenty of room for my yarn and Chloe!🤣

Here are the mini-lights at night. I am loving them and they make everything so cozy.

The other end of the room.  That’s piper’s handprint above the TV. She sent me a card that says, I love you. Of course it has centerstage!

I never got caught up in the coloring craze when it started a few years ago, but Piper has been giving me drawing lessons every afternoon on FaceTime and I found myself in need of coloring pencils or crayons. When I bought  the pencils, I saw this book at the same time. I have to admit it’s rather fun.  So far this is the only thing I’ve colored.

Our busy day today consisted of Dennis having to be at the dentist for a check up at 7:00 am, then at 9:00 he had his annual physical and 9:15 was mine. We both had to have blood drawn too and then had to be at Dennis’s office by 10:30 for our flu shots. After that I had to drive almost to Idaho to take the title of the old truck to the dealer. Then it was back to the doctors office for another attempted blood draw. Oh, I didn’t tell you that the phlebotomist poked me nine times unsuccessfully the first time I was there this morning. I was running so late for my flu shot appointment I had to leave and go back. After six more tries I went to the hospital across the street and the lady there got it first try. So there were 16 needle jabs just to get two tubes of blood from me.  All this was while fasting. I hadn’t eaten since 4:00 yesterday afternoon and I didn’t finish at the hospital until almost 12:30.  Then I had to pick up groceries and mail and finally back home. It was a busy morning and almost a 24 hour fast!  

Oh, and while at the doctor, Dennis had to get a tetanus shot because he sliced his hand open on a piece of metal yesterday as they were closing up the trailer. It was not very clean metal either and even a bit rusty. Since it had been eight years since he had a tetanus shot he got one today.  The poor guy ended up with a flu shot in one arm and a tetanus shot in the other. I wonder if he will be able to move his arms tomorrow?

So that’s been our little bit of excitement in the world. I hope you all have a lovely Wednesday and don’t have to have any blood drawn or get a flu or tetanus shot!

Blessings,

Betsy

Fall camping

We went camping this weekend to a little campground near Newport, Washington. It was the last weekend for the campground to be open for the season and we had a wonderful time. We have had a string of days in the 70s with nights getting into the 40s but bright blue sunshine every day. That’s all supposed to end by the end of this week but I’m enjoying every day that I have it. When we got home last night we gave the little trailer a bath and cleaned out the inside very well. This morning Dennis and Larry winterized the plumbing and put the winter cover over it. it looks sad but it’s all tucked away for the winter now. Dennis took a day vacation today to try to get all of these things done before the weather turns.

The man came out this afternoon and got the skirt partially installed. He is hoping to be done by Wednesday. I sure hope so!

This was our view from the bed when we woke up the last few mornings. We were in the forest of northeast Washington.

We took Chloe for several long walks both days and certainly enjoyed them.

Some of the grasses were taller than our heads. I was standing looking out over the Meadow as I took the following photo.

A few kayakers and canoeists were on the lake near the campground.

We had to make a trip to the hardware store in Oldtown, Idaho. Here’s my handsome hubby wearing his mask. I thought their decorations outside the doors were very cute.  Although masks are technically required, very few people were wearing them.

After the hardware store we took a drive along the Priest River in north Idaho.

More boaters and rafters. The weather was amazing. I think it was 76° when we were driving along here.

Gorgeous 

I started Piper’s pink sweater this weekend and I have the back and one front side done.

Another decoration I forgot to show you, although I did just buy this pumpkin with the Q on it last week. It was half-price at Michael’s and it’s very rare to find anything with a Q.



Wishing you all a wonderful week.

Blessings,

Betsy