Only One ‘Keet

Posted on September 17, 2018 by civilwarrose5

Do you remember this picture that I teased:

Cedar Bird Bath 4

I had asked if you could figure out what it was that Jay was making for me. I know, it could be anything! Here’s another clue… I sprayed it with waterproofing deck spray:

Cedar Bird Bath 6

I wish that I could show you another picture of the finished product, but technically it’s not fully finished. You see, it’s a bird bath! A very extravagant bird bath. Here’s the story behind it…

This is our current bird bath:

Bird Bath Fountain 7-16-17

It’s not very large, but it gets a lot of use! Well, on July 4th we were having quite a hot and humid day. As I walked through the living room I looked out and noticed a mourning dove LOUNGING in this bird bath. He took up about a quarter of it. The sparrows were a bit upset because they couldn’t enjoy the water with him hogging up the space.

Cedar Bird Bath 5

I told Jay that we needed a multi-tiered bird bath so that more than just a handful of birds could enjoy it at one time. I came up with the three tiers, each one being a different depth for the different sizes of birds.

You can see the holes where Jay is going to put the copper tubing that will allow the water to spill from one tier to another. This water movement will be aided by a pump (which is one of the pieces we are waiting for) so that the water will be constantly moving and tempt the birds to enjoy it.

Cedar Bird Bath 2

I even had Jay add a little door where I will be able to easily access the lines so that I can quickly drain it when I have to clean it.

I bought some garden pond liner to line it as I was worried about using any other kind of vinyl liner that wasn’t animal friendly. The last thing that I want is to be responsible for the death of every mourning dove within a six block radius!

To get it out of our way we have moved it outside, though not in its permanent location, and I’ve been keeping it filled with clean water. As I was looking out at the birds two weeks ago I caught sight of something under the feeders. It was a bright blue bird! I couldn’t quickly call to mind a brightly-colored bird that would be in this region. And then I got a closer look…

Parakeet at Feeder

One of these things is not like the others… and I’m not talking about the squirrel.

Do you see it there between the mourning doves? Can you tell what it is? Let me give you a different angle…

Parakeet

It’s a stinkin’ parakeet! (Just one, though… not sure why they call them a Pair of Keets…)

I have no idea where it came from and I haven’t seen it since, but he was having the time of his life with all of that seed out there. When Jay got home from work I showed him the pictures. In his swinging bachelor days Jay had a cockatiel so he wouldn’t mind having another bird. This was the conversation that we had:

“Why didn’t you catch it?!” Jay asked.

“What am I supposed to do with a parakeet if I catch it??”

“You put it in a cage,” he answered as if that should have been obvious.

Pointing at Chester and Bob, “That would just be a very large Chinese Puzzle box to these two.” Can you imagine what they would do to a bird in a cage??

I told Jay that if he could catch it then he could keep it. We haven’t seen it since so I’m hoping it flew back to where it came from as he definitely won’t make it living in the wild once winter hits. He’s more of a warm weather bird, so our freezing cold and snow won’t be good for his health.

I think it’s going to be a long while before I find anything as shocking under my bird feeders!

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Project Linus Blanket #13

Posted on September 10, 2018 by civilwarrose5

Project Linus Blanket #13:

Project Linus Blanket #13 - Branch

“Branch”

I actually named this after the troll, Branch, on the movie Trolls. Justin Timberlake is the voice of Branch and throughout much of the movie he’s a grayish-blue troll. As I was crocheting this he’s what I thought of the most. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should. I enjoy it very much.

This was the blanket that I took with me to work on when I went on vacation. So it’s a very well-traveled blanket. Hopefully the little boy who receives it will love it.

One thing that I noticed when I was washing and bagging this blanket and #12 was the feel of the yarn. I typically use Red Heart because there are a bazillion colors to choose from and it’s relatively inexpensive. Considering I give these blankets away I really don’t want to pay $5 per 5 oz skein of yarn.

This blanket was made with Red Heart:

Project Linus Blanket #13 - Detail

And this one was made with A.C. Moore’s brand of yarn:

Project Linus Blanket #12 - Detail

Both of them are 100% acrylic, but there’s such a difference in the feel of these yarns! The red one was so much softer. The blue one was a bit scratchy.

This direct comparison made me really think. I LOVE the A.C. Moore brand (Nicole brand) and Hobby Lobby’s brand (I Love This Yarn!). Both of these yarns are soft and 100% acrylic. They each are about $1 more per skein than Red Heart, and the Nicole is not offered in the same color range as Red Heart. I Love This Yarn! has a much larger color pallet, but it’s still a bit pricier. I use anywhere from 5 – 8 skeins of yarn per blanket. That starts to add up quickly. Is it worth spending an extra $5-8 per blanket? Food for thought…

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Spring Cross Update – 8-23-18

Posted on September 7, 2018 by civilwarrose5

Before the insanity of August set in this is where I was on the Spring Cross:

Spring Cross 7-24-18

All of the full stitches and background words had been stitched. It was time to start the back stitching. It took me almost one month exactly:

Spring Cross 8-23-18

How pretty is that?!

I think this will actually be done in time for spring. I’m excited that I’m halfway done, but also sad that this series is almost at an end for me.

While looking for a pattern for my sister a few weeks ago I was able to look at a few possibilities for the next project. We’ll have to see which one rises to the top.

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An Amusing Day of Vacation

Posted on September 5, 2018 by civilwarrose5

While on vacation we did more than just relax in/by the pool.

Gary Sunbathing

Jay loves roller coasters so we headed to Carowinds for a day of fun.

What roller coaster did Jay have to ride?

Fury - Carowinds

Fury 325

According to wikipedia, it reaches a height of 325 feet (gee… did you see that one coming?) which makes it the “tallest and fastest Giga coaster in the world.”

Fury - First Drop

This is the first rise that takes you up 325 ft before dumping you over the peak. Apparently it’s the world’s tallest chain lift coaster. Wikipedia says that the total ride time is 3 minutes and 25 seconds. Again… did you see that one coming?

Fury - Waiting in Line

We went on a Wednesday and I was surprised that there wasn’t much of a line. I timed it and they stood in line for only about 10 minutes before they were climbing onto the coaster. Yes, “they”. I’m not a big fan of roller coasters so I held the bags while Jay, Raven (my sister’s stepdaughter) and Raven’s friend went on the ride.

Fury - In Line

Jay is in the white shirt in the middle of the above picture.

Fury - First Climb

Apparently Carowinds had to receive permission from the FAA to build this coaster since the park is so close to Charlotte’s airport. It was actually interesting to watch all of the jets coming and going as you are riding the rides.

Fury - Fun

You can’t see Jay’s face in this picture because Raven’s friend’s hand is in the way, but can you feel the pure joy emanating from him?

Here’s an interesting tidbit for you… the first time we went to Carowinds we rode the Intimidator. I didn’t mind this ride, but I really prefer to have my eyes closed while on them as I don’t want to see where we are going. Well, when we got off the ride they have the screens where you can see the pictures that were taken during your ride. The picture was taken on the first drop of the ride and I wish I would have purchased it as it shows Jay as you would imagine he would be on a ride: giant smile on his face, leaning into the drop/turn with anticipation.

I did end up riding Fury once, but that was it. I saw the picture from that one… Jay was happily smiling and completely enjoying himself, and I looked like I had just smelled something horribly nasty with my eyes shut. To be fair, I was having sinus issues and it was very painful for me to ride with the pressure being placed on my head during the loops and turns.

Carolina Cyclone - Drop

So I held the bags while the others went on more rides. The crowds really were not very big, so the waits were decent.

At one point Jay and Raven decided they wanted to ride this:

Electro Spin

When I saw this I thought that either it was some kind of torture device, or else a relic from the Apollo training missions. I think that I’m right on both accounts.

Electro Spin - Twirl

First it starts to spin you, rotating around the center point of the ‘fan’. You can see Jay’s head in the very outside seat of the purple section.

But then…!!!….!!!!

Electro Spin - Raising Up

It raises up and spins you around just like a fan. Seriously!! I mean, who in their right mind looks at that and think it looks like fun??!

But then… !!!!….!!!!….!!!!

Electro Spin - Fan Blade

Electro Spin - V

The seats rotate, too!! It’s insane! Who voluntarily gets on that thing??

Jay Dressed Up

I think that Jay would have one of those in our back yard if we had the room.

All-in-all, it was a good time. We spent some time with Raven and enjoyed a day out in public. That quickly changed by the time we got back to my sister’s, though. It was pool time again.

Gary Supervised

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Two Small Sewing Projects

Posted on August 31, 2018 by civilwarrose5

I haven’t done a lot of sewing because my sewing room is so stifling hot in the summer. I had two projects, though, that just wouldn’t leave my brain until I had made them into a reality. I felt better once they were done.

Project #1 – Steering Wheel Cover

Steering Wheel Cover 2

My car’s steering wheel is black with a leather-like cover that gets VERY hot in the sun. I have very delicate hands, so I was tired of almost burning my fingerprints off every day after work. I took some cotton fabric out of my mom’s stash and made this:

Steering Wheel Cover 1

It doesn’t look like much, does it? I used a pattern that I had for a grime guard for Qsnaps (my cross stitch hoop). I measured my steering wheel, cut the fabric, sewed it up and added the elastic. This is how it ended up:

Steering Wheel Cover 3

Not bad! I could have purchased something, I guess, but I couldn’t find anything that I really liked. I loved this fabric, though.

Steering Wheel Cover 4

Jay was a bit surprised because he thought it was too ‘loud’ for me. I offered to make one for him, but he declined. If I were to make this again I might try adding something on the inside to actually grip the steering wheel. Sometimes when you turn the cover slips and causes your turn to be a bit jerky. Other than that, it really does the trick!

Project #2 – Crochet Tote Bag

Using the pattern that I have for the car trash bag holders I made myself a nice little tote bag:

Crochet Tote Bag

Why did I need a tote bag this size? Because it perfectly holds my ongoing For Me crochet project:

Crochet Tote Bag 2

I will reveal that in another post. In the meantime this bag works perfectly to keep everything together and the cats out of it. I can’t even imagine the mess that would be created if they discovered what was hidden inside!

Crochet Tote Bag 8-1-18

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Project Linus – #12

Posted on August 29, 2018 by civilwarrose5

Prior to going on vacation I finished another blanket for Project Linus.

Blanket #12

Project Linus Blanket #12 - Ode to Deadpool

“Ode to Deadpool”

When my sister was home this summer she saw me crocheting this blanket and said that it reminded her of Deadpool. He’s a comic book character who now stars in two movies of the same name. I’ve never seen them, but I’m told he’s quite sarcastic and I would enjoy watching them. I’ll take her word for it.

Project Linus Blanket #12 - Detail

I was originally going to call this Case IH as the colors are the same as the Case IH tractors, but it’s too crazy so I guess that I will stick with Deadpool.

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Gary’s First Vacation

Posted on August 27, 2018 by civilwarrose5

I realize that it’s been a while since I’ve posted, but we’ve been super busy. First we were preparing to go on vacation and then we actually ran away for a week. When we got back, though, Jay’s grandma passed away so we’ve been busy with everything surrounding that event. Hopefully things will begin to settle back down into our usual (and boring to everybody else) routine.

Instead of dwelling on the sad, though, I want to share some highlights of our vacation with you. This was Gary’s first trip south since he moved north several years ago so he was very excited.

Gary in the Car

Before I had all of our luggage loaded he had jumped in and could barely contain his excitement. He was looking forward to spending time by the pool.

He’d even bought new glasses for the occasion.

Gary in Car

I’d barely had my first cup of coffee before Gary was in his swim trunks ready to go.

Gary Ready for the Pool

He had even grabbed the sunscreen! He burns so easily.

He wasn’t really impressed with his hat, but I insisted that he wear it. I told him it would help to keep him cool. He kept it on for the most part.

Gary on the Boogey Board

I was worried about his bald little head getting burned, but he didn’t care. He wanted to throw the hat to the side of the pool, but he was having difficulty keeping his balance.

In fact, he was a bit nervous as he’d never been swimming before so Jay went in with him just in case.

Gary Supervised

That’s when Gary spotted the green tube and wanted to try laying in it.

Gary Relaxing

I insisted that he at least keep his hat close at hand, so he did.

Once Gary had started to get pruney he decided that he should get out for a while. There was a comfy-looking lounge near the pool, so he laid on that for a good portion of the day.

Gary Sunbathing

He didn’t look very comfortable, but he insisted that he was. In fact, this chair ended up being one of his favorites. Here he was, later in the week, watching the airplanes fly overhead:

Gary Plane Spotting

When he heard one coming he would look around until he spotted it, then he pointed it out to us. Every. Single. Time. Gary might be a bigger Propellor Head than Jay! (Since they call guys who love cars ‘Gear Heads’ I feel that I can call guys who love airplanes ‘Propellor Heads’.)

It was a very relaxing vacation, which we badly needed. It was beautiful every day that we were there so we had a bit of a ritual.

In the morning we would sit by the pool and read.

Gary Reading by the Pool

Then we would jump in the pool for a few hours.

Gary Afloat

Then later in the afternoon we would sit poolside to read more of our books.

Gary Reading

And even though we had a great time, it’s always nice to get back home.

Chester Just Chillin

Chester kept a lookout for when we pulled in the drive way. She wasn’t the only one who was excited to see us.

Tina Greets Gary

Tina was so excited that she knocked Gary over!

So that was the relaxing portion of our vacation. In an upcoming post I’ll share some pictures from our trip to the amusement park. Gary wasn’t able to go with us, though. He stayed home with Aunt Kimmy because he’s too short to ride any of the rides.

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Spring Cross Update – 7-24-18

Posted on August 3, 2018 by civilwarrose5

It didn’t take as long as I expected to make progress.

Here is where it was on 7-15-18:

Spring Cross 7-15-18

All of the full stitches were done on this part and it was on to the background words.

Background words were finished on 7-24-18:

Spring Cross 7-24-18

Not that much of a change, but now I can start the back stitching. This is where it starts to POP!

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Milling A Steam Engine – Part 1

Posted on July 31, 2018 by civilwarrose5

A few weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night and was confused about what Jay was watching on TV. He has to fall asleep with the TV on, so it’s not unusual for me to wake up to some kind of video playing. It can be anything from the moon landing, astrophysics lectures, documentaries on WWII subs, or even programs about airplane disasters. In fact, there have been a couple of times when the video’s volume suddenly went up and I woke up thinking that the air raid siren I heard going off meant we were under attack. This time, though, when I woke up I was even more confused than normal because I could hear something mechanical moving, but when I looked at the screen without my glasses, I thought he was watching a video with a sewing machine needle moving up and down. It was 2 a.m. and he was still awake. I just rolled over and went back to sleep.

It turns out that he was NOT watching a video about the mechanics of the sewing machine. Instead, he was watching this:

Website Picture

Stuart Models Steam Engine

From what I was told, he somehow happened upon videos of this one particular guy milling and machining the parts for this engine. Jay was fascinated and stayed up way too late watching these videos. Of course, watching the videos led to research which eventually led to him actually ordering a kit.

These kits consist of plans, raw castings that you have to machine, and a few other little things. I find this whole thing to be a bit ironic. Jay specifically bought this kit because you receive raw castings that must be machined within specified tolerances in order for the engine to work when completely assembled. Why do I find this to be ironic? Because Jay spends his working life in a FOUNDRY that manufactures cast iron products.

Molds

That’s a picture that I took off his company’s website. It shows you the sand molds that the iron is poured into to form the parts. Jay spent the majority of his working career running that machine. He spends all day talking iron content, gray iron, tolerances, and numbers of castings produced. Then he comes home to play with more iron?

Foundry

Does that make sense to you? It would be like if I suddenly took an interest in creating Crystal reports at home to calculate the productivity of various household chores. Working with numbers can be fun, but I don’t want it as my hobby.

Jay also used this kit to justify the milling machine that he got this spring.

New Milling Machine

*sigh* It’s a good thing that he’s cute!

He’s been spending lots of time in his work shop since receiving the kit. He’s taken some pictures for me to share, but I can’t promise that I’ll know everything that’s going on in them. That’s just a fair warning to all of you.

Steam Engine 1

This is a part that sits on the base and holds the inlet where the steam enters the engine (I think…) I do know that when he finished milling this part he was so excited because the part that rests in it fit perfectly!

Steam Engine 2

This is the base that it sits on. I think there was some kind of machining done on it.

Steam Engine 3

That holder thing again with something else machined on it.

Steam Engine 4

Ooo… an action shot! I can almost feel the metal shavings hitting me.

Steam Engine 5

See how perfectly it fits!

Steam Engine 6

Look! Holes have been drilled! If you’re wondering, he did NOT strike oil. *sigh*

Steam Engine 7

The part on the left is what was used to make sure the holder was machined properly. I have no idea if it has any other purpose. The part on the right looks like what actually will go on the holder.

Steam Engine 8

This is an action shot of drilling out the hole in the center of the A-frame of the engine.

Steam Engine 9

See! Isn’t that a beautiful machining job?

Steam Engine 10

The part was so excited about how beautifully it’s turning out that it decided to do a head stand. Woo-hoo!

Steam Engine 11

And here we are using the lathe to turn… something metal. To be fair, this could be anything. At first glance it almost looks like the top to one of Jay’s e-juice tanks.

I guess that we’ll have to wait until the next blog post to discover what it actually is!

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A Yarn Spinner

Posted on July 24, 2018 by civilwarrose5

The last time I was at my parents’ house I found some yarn in my mom’s yarn closet that I thought would work for one of my Project Linus blankets. I brought it home, but it’s currently sitting in a loose hank.

Loose Yarn

This isn’t a problem for me because one of my Christmas gifts from Jay last year was a yarn ball winder.

Yarn Winder

I haven’t used it, yet, but it’s supposed to wind balls of yarn so that you can pull them from the center. If you don’t know anything about yarn, this is a big deal to some people (i.e. me!). This would be great practice for me! Except, you have to keep some tension on the yarn when you’re winding it.

I asked Gary to help me out with that, but he was busy playing with his new pet camel, Tina.

Gary with Tina

Also, he refused to put his gun down in case somebody broke in while we were winding balls of yarn. I agreed that having your gun in hand at such a time would be very efficient. So, Gary was a no-go in the help department.

Typically when winding yarn (and there isn’t a free set of arms available) people will use swifts to hold the yarn. From what I could remember they were pricey, but I looked them up. Yikes! The cheapest one I found was $50. Considering I don’t plan on using this a lot I figured there had to be a simpler design that I could ask Jay to make for me. That’s when I came across this picture:

Yarn Swift Pic

It was perfect! It would do the job that I needed and yet was simple enough that Jay could quickly throw it together. I printed the picture and waited for Jay to get home.

When I showed him the picture he said it wouldn’t be a problem. The biggest problem for him is remembering that it’s called a ‘swift’. To keep things somewhat simple I just refer to it as my ‘yarn spinner’ now.

Yarn Swift

Jay had it made and assembled in about a day. I took it outside to sand it (it was a gorgeous day!), so this is what it looked like sitting on my patio table. I haven’t used it, yet, but I definitely will. I just love that I can hand a picture to Jay, give him the basics of how it should work, and then within a short amount of time I actually have it in my possession. You can’t get any better than that!

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