Chocolate cake, fresh out of the oven.

OM NOM NOM NOM

I think my CD/DVD drive in my computer is deceased. 

I am not happy.

The other night I saw what is possibly the silliest movie I have ever seen.  And had a heck of a lot of fun watching it.

But it really is the love child of an orgy between Babes in Arms, Gidget, and a Duran-Duran music video!

I had a great time watching it, though; part of the fun was trying to guess where the different ABBA songs would be slotted in.

A nice way to spend a Monday evening.

I just burned my bosom, as my mother put it; I was stirring the chili.  It spattered and went right through the shirt I was wearing.

OW!  OW!  OW!

This fall I signed up for Astronomy, which I didn't get into, and Shakespeare.

We are definitely reading Midsummer Night's Dream and Antony and Cleopatra, and possibly Romeo and Juliet as well.  (Dr. Crabtree is not positive, but will tell us when he is.  And we have a copy already.)

The theme this time is "Old Love, Young Love," which I think was because he is teaching Shakespeare's sonnets in the winter.  I may take that, too.  (Dr. Crabtree doesn't teach in the spring - he nurtures his garden.)

We had our first class yesterday, and are starting with Midsummer Night's Dream, which I am taking to my retreat.  (I've read it, but some years ago.)

Well, I'm (mostly) packed for my trip tomorrow, up to a knitting retreat in Little Switzerland, North Carolina.

We leave at 8:30 - the weather forecast could be nicer (off and on rain showers), but I'm sure we'll have a ton of fun anyway.

On the other hand, we are definitely not going to Bovidae Farm this year - it's delightful, and has lovely wool (and they let you pet their sheep).  But it's halfway up a mountain, down a dirt road, over a stream.  No thanks!

I'm looking forward to having a great time.

First the Governor Sanford press conference.  Which was quite a doozy.

Then the USA-Spain match, with its bizarre result.

Wacky, wacky afternoon!

In honor of it being blueberry season, here is

Mother's Blueberry Pudding Cake

1/3 cup & 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cups blueberries
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 & 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 stick melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.

Grease a 9-inch flat pan.

Stir together 1/3 cup sugar, water, lemon juice, cornstarch, and blueberries.  Put in saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Let it simmer for three minutes (some of the berries should still be whole; others will have broken up).

Whisk the flour and dry ingredients together.

Whisk the egg, milk, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl.

Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture, and whisk.  Spoon this mixture into a buttered 9 inch pan.  Do not spread evenly.  Pour the blueberry mixture on top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375.

I got three new pairs of shoes today!

Two pairs of walking shoes, in electric blue and a funky magenta.

And a pair of white wedge espadrille heels.

These are my first heels in five years, since the stroke.   I figured wedge heels would be a good way to edge back into heels, while still having a good bit of support.

They fit well in the front, although the heels move a bit when I walk; this is probably because I am no longer used to wearing heels at all.

I am very excited!

Yesterday a little group of us from knitting (Marcia, Sharon and I) took a road trip down to Columbia.

We went to see the "Turner to Cezanne" exhibit at the Columbia Museum of Art, which is in its last days (closes June 6 or 7, I think).

We had a great time.

This collection was made by a pair of sisters from Wales, whose father made a mint in coal mining in the 19th century.  They started collecting in about 1906 or '08, and started with artists then very fashionable - Turner and the Barbizon school of realists.  In about 1912 they started collecting Impressionist art, and the Post-Impressionists in about 1917.  After the war (they joined the London branch of the French Red Cross, apparently) they opened a country house retreat for ex-servicemen.  The dining hall seems to have been hung with some of the art we were viewing - very neat.  They collected until they died in the 1950s and 1960s.

It was a cool exhibit.  They had some lovely Turners; I especially liked a pair that were of Margate.  There were a number of nice Monets, La Parisienne (I had no idea it was in this collection), and a very nice Pissaro.  Also a pair of very interesting paintings by Augustus John.

We then moseyed on down to the museum gift shop, where I got a neat Lloyd Wright bookmark (I collect bookmarks).  It was a nice little shop.  I was particularly amused that they had a "Giggling Mona Lisa Pillow."

We fed the bottomless pit of the parking meter, and went across the street for lunch, to the Gotham Bagel Company.  I had a "Central Park" sandwich, which was good. 

We then headed to a local yarn shop we had heard good things about - In the Loop.  Very nice it was, too.  I got a set of double-pointed needles, but they had some really lovely yarn.  Lots of Noro.  Some neat books, too.

And then we drove home, tired but happy.  It was a good trip.

Yesterday I cast on "Loop's Centipede" from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. 

Wesley's second birthday is coming up, and this pattern looked perfect.

The loops were ... interesting.  (I've never seen a stitch direction in five steps before!)  But the rest of the pattern is either stockinette or garter, and very easy.

I think I shall finish knitting it this week (love the wool, it's for felting and very soft), and put it together next Wednesday, as I shall need stuffing material and I know the Hobby Lobby has some.  I shall embroider the eyes on with some scrap black wool I have around, I think.

I hope he likes it.  (He loves Mr. Snake and plays with it every time he's here.)

He's getting so big!

I finished it!

And there was much rejoicing.

Because that baby's scheduled to come out on June 4.

Saturday a group of us from knitting (Marcia, Priscilla, Donna, and I) went on a road trip up to Tryon, N.C.

It was their bi-annual Tour of Homes. 

We visited five lovely homes (one made from 13 log cabins, which was very cool), and stopped for lunch at the Lake Lanier Tea House.  It was a buffet lunch and quite tasty.   We met a couple of other friends from knitting up there for lunch - Tish and Jackie - and had a good time.

We also stopped at a cool bookstore in Tryon, a local woven art store (they also had cool wine glasses painted like poppies, among other things), and a yarn shop on the way back to Greenville, the North Woods Fiber Farm in Campobello, S.C.  I picked up a copy of 101 Designer One Skein Wonders there, which looks like it has some cool patterns in it I'm looking forward to knitting.

And a good time was had by all! 

(But my feet still hurt!)

In knitting I cast on for an eyelet baby hat for Kirby and Danielle's baby. 

The pattern is from One Skein Wonders; I am really liking that book.

Learning the picot cast on seems to have been the hard part; the rest (from reading the pattern) looks pretty simple.  There are only two pattern rows, and they both look to be easy pattern rows. 

I think this will be a good thing to work on at knitting; the afghan requires too much muttering to myself.

The wool is purple Laines du Nord Cashsilk.  I really REALLY like this wool; so soft!  It should be perfect for a baby hat.

Yesterday my knitting group, about a dozen of us, drove up to Asheville, North Carolina, to visit Biltmore House.

We started by meeting together at the Hobby Lobby at 8:30, because we were only driving up in three cars; I went with my friend Tish.  We all caravaned up I-40 towards Asheville, and turned off to Biltmore and Biltmore Village.  We got there a little before the house opened, which at this time of year was 10 AM.

Biltmore House is America's largest private residence; it was built in 1895 by a member of the Vanderbilt family, and is still owned by his descendants.  It's huge!  We went through the house, to begin with.  I did only the first two floors - the great staircase I found too intimidating to climb, but I could take an 1895 elevator (amazing) up to the second floor.  There's one guest bedroom that has two Renoirs in it, just casually hanging there.  The library "only" had 10,000 books in it - a selection of George Vanderbilt's 23,000 volumes.  Golly!

This time of year, I should have wanted to spend all my time living in the conservatory up front, nice and bright and airy, or the lounge just off the library: several lovely fireplaces, georgeous Flanders tapestries on the walls, and a fabulous view of the Appalachian Mountains out the huge Gothic windows.  A lovely place to read or knit.  The breakfast room was lovely, with a Wedgewood fireplace.  (Sounds odd, but it was very pretty.)

The tour included the third (servants' quarters) and fourth (more guest rooms) floors, and the rest of the group went up there, but there was no elevator up that way I could use, and the stairs were beyond me.  I was very proud of myself for managing them on the way down, though.

Then we drove into Biltmore Village, and had lunch at a place called The Country Corner.  It was excellent; I really enjoyed my "Ploughman's Lunch."  It's not like the ones I've had in English pubs, but was probably inspired by them.  It included a cup of soup (tomato basil, delicious), a lovely salad, cheese and bread and a country terrine (probably pork with cornuchons).

We then walked across the street to Yarn Paradise.  If you're visiting the Asheville area, and knit or are buying gifts for a knitter, this is worth a visit.  They had some fabulous yarn.  I think we spent an hour or two there.  What amused me most was their SIZE 25 needles!  They looked like woodworking dowels!  I cannot imagine knitting with them; I imagine it would look hilarious.

We then decided that we were too tired to go back to Biltmore (imagine having a 7-mile driveway) to visit the winery and conservatory (there are also gardens, but not much in them yet), as we had orginally planned.  So we went back across the street to The Country Corner for coffee and dessert.  I had hot tea, which was quite good, and they actually had Splenda packets on the table.

And then we drove back to Greenville, exhausted but happy.  We got home about 5:30 or so in the afternoon. 

And I spent the rest of the day collapsed in the recliner, and went to bed early - I was bushed.  But I had a great time, and wouldn't have missed a minute of it.

It has just turned over from cold rain to "wintry mix" to SNOW! in the last hour and a half or so.

About a quarter of an inch has stuck so far, and it is still coming down fast.

Very exciting - this is our first snow this year!

I'm getting together a package for vimsig  which shall be off to Sweden soonish!

I tried to order from Wedgy's, a local pizza parlor, just now.

THREE times.  

They put me on hold for at least five minutes each time, which is when I gave up and hung up.

The fourth time, when their answering person chirped "Can you please wait while we put you on hold?" I'm afraid I snapped, and announced "That does it; I'm not ordering from you this evening."

This is the first time they have ever put me on hold; I must have been ordering from them for twenty years.

This economic climate is probably not the time to start having bad customer service.