Follow-up to Mouse Visitor

There has been a huge discussion on the Yahoo knittingmachine group about keeping mice out of cars, buildings and so on. The majority of people seem to think the cure is peppermint essential oil. Putting it on cotton balls or whatever around the inside perimeter of the building or even in the car is supposed to repel mice. If you google the subject, it seems to be a universal cure so today I stopped by Michaels thinking their cake/baking section should have it. Well, they had Wilton Candy Flavorings, 1/4 oz bottles of Peppermint, cherry, cinnamon and creme de menthe. OK, I bought the little box even though it says on the bottom: Ingredients: Peppermint-Soybean Oil, Oil of Peppermint. I hope it works but since its not pure peppermint oil it might not. Someone else suggested putting the oil on a Always Sure-Pad with sticky back so I did that. I was going to stick it to the top of the inside hood of the car but then thought about the next time I get the oil changed, I'd have to have a camera to get a picture of the poor guy's face when he opens the hood. So I thought better of it and put it inside the car on the passenger side, sort of under the dash If it works, that's great! It sure does make the car smell nice and honestly, its not overwhelming which I feared. I also have a bar of rat poison on the floor of the passenger side of the car and one under the hood just to be safe. I put one on the ledge inside the garage as well and it was chewed on but the ones inside the car were never touched so my visitor has obviously left the car or I scared him so bad the day I took the leaf blower to it that he is still hiding in the upholstery.

Biscuit always stays in his seat in the back seat of the car so I don't have to worry that he'll get into it. If he ever gets in the front seat I'll stop the car and throw the stuff out.

so--hopefully that's the end of the mouse story for me! If I ever come across pure Essence of Peppermint Oil, I'll buy it but for now, the Candy Flavorings will have to work.

Mouse in the Car

Yesterday I went to town to get my hair fixed. When I got back in the car I noticed a little mouse running under the passenger seat. YIKES! I quickly jumped out of the car and opened all the doors, beat on the seat and hoped the stupid thing jumped out.

Couldn't see him anywhere, even under the seats so got back in and started home. OHHHH, there he was again, peeking up at me from the floor. So I stopped at Jiffy Lube and had the oil changed and told the guy there was a mouse in the car. He vacuumed the car and said he didn't see the mouse but did see remnants of his droppings...ugh! So I get back in the car and just about the time I turn off main street, here he is again, on my side of the front, by my feet.

OH GOD! Please don't let him go up my pant legs I pray!!! Please don't let me wreck the car!!! I stopped at a church parking lot and opened all the doors. Took my umbrella out of the back and beat it around under the seats. No sign of the mouse so I figured, ok, this time he must have jumped out one of the doors. So I get back in and continue home.

Sure enough, you guessed it! He was still there. I almost ran off the road but would have gone off a cliff so I forced myself to keep on driving and steering straight. I kept telling myself, its not worth killing yourself, the mouse won't hurt you, UGH! The stupid think climbed up the passenger seat and peeked at me. I yelled DAMN! (sorry, it just came out of my mouth...) He ran and hid so the last 3 miles home I yelled over and over again DANG, DANG, DANG (or something very similar) and beat my foot against the seat in case he was under my seat. I got home, opened all the doors and got the leaf blower. Blew that car from one end to the other, under the seats, under the rugs, everywhere I could find a place to blow.

Then I remembered, I had just heard on TV that little children and dogs can be killed very quickly if left in a closed up car in the sun, even if its not that hot out. So I closed up the car and told the mouse, if you're still there, you can fry in here. The car sat there in the sun the rest of the afternoon. Finally around 5 pm I went out and put poison on the floor in the front and under the hood. This morning I had to go to the dentist and my skin crawled all the way there. No mouse sightings and nothing had touched the poison. BUT I reached for a kleenex in the passenger seat and the stuff was all shredded in the box. It gave me the creeps and I thought--he's in that box making a nest so I opened the window and quickly threw out the box, just in case. Littering--I know!

Went all the way home from town again and no sign of the mouse, I do believe I blew him out with the leaf blower Poison is staying in the floor of the car and when I put the car in the garage, for a while I'll put that poison back under the hood of the car. I hope I never see that mouse again.

Mountain Laurel

Now that the azaleas have pretty much dropped their gorgeous flowers, its mountain laurel time. Yesterday I walked down our road and took pictures of the laurel bushes. As I was taking the pictures I remembered my husband telling me that mountain laurel is poison to goats unless the goats were born and raised with it. This is how it grows by my house, suddenly as you walk along the road, there is a laurel bush tucked in among the other foliage.

Just look at those beautiful buds and the resulting flowers, they are just perfect, always! Look at the little pink dots circling the center. I JUST LOVE LAUREL!

As I was taking the pictures I wondered if the poison tale was true so looked it up on Wikipedia when I got home. WOW, its also poison to people. Am I the only one who didn't know this? I decided to quote the whole thing here:

Mountain Laurel Shrubs and Bay Laurel Trees Apollo, Daphne and The Rich History of Bay Laurel Trees
is an evergreen shrub growing to 3-9 m tall. The leaves are 3-12 cm long and 1-4 cm wide. Its flowers are star-shaped, ranging from red to pink to white, and occurring in clusters. It blooms between May and June. All parts of the plant are poisonous. Roots are fibrous, matted.[1]
The plant is naturally found on rocky slopes and mountainous forest areas. The plant often grows in large thickets, covering large areas of forest floor. In North America it becomes a tree on the mountains of the Carolinas but is a shrub further north.[1]
Etymology
It is also known as Ivybush, Calico Bush, Spoonwood (because native Americans used to make their spoons out of it), Sheep Laurel, Lambkill and Clamoun.
The plant was first recorded in America in 1624, but it was named after Pehr Kalm, who sent samples to Linnaeus in the 18th century.
Cultivation and uses
The plant was originally brought to Europe as an ornamental plant during the 18th century. It is still widely grown for its attractive flowers. Numerous cultivars have been selected with varying flower color. Does not flourish in a limestone country.
This is one of the most satisfactory shrubs for lawn or garden. When in full bloom it is of surpassing beauty, and its bright evergreen leaves make it conspicuous at any time.
A little known American use of the plant was in the making of arbors for early wooden-works clocks. Mountain-laurel is a foodplant of last resort for gypsy moth caterpillars, utilized only during outbreaks when moth densities are extremely high.
Toxicity
Mountain laurel is poisonous to several different animals, including horses, goats, cattle, sheep, and deer, due to andromedotoxin and arbutin. The green parts of the plant, the flowers, twigs, and pollen are all toxic, and symptoms of toxicity begin to appear about 6 hours following ingestion. Poisoning produces anorexia, repeated swallowing, profuse salivation, depression, uncoordination, vomiting, frequent defecation, watering of the eyes, irregular or difficulty breathing, weakness, cardiac distress, convulsions, coma, and eventually death. Autopsy will show gastrointestinal irritation and hemorrhage.
This evergreen, round-topped shrub is used in gardens as an ornamental plant. The large terminal clusters of flowers are borne on sticky, hairy stems and range in colour from rose to white.

Children have been poisoned by chewing on the leaves, sucking the juice from the blossoms, or by making a tea. The foliage is especially toxic.

Honey, when made by bees in the area where mountain laurel is grown, has been found to be poisonous. This dangerously poisonous plant generally produces symptoms in about six hours. They consist of nausea, intense abdominal pains, vomiting, repeated swallowing, and watering of the eyes, nose, and mouth. In more severe cases breathing becomes difficult; the heartbeat is slower. There is depression, prostration, convulsions, paralysis of the arms and legs, coma, and possible death within twelve to fourteen hours.

So there you have it, everything you ever wanted to know about mountain laurel!!!

Spring-time was always a bitter sweet thing for my husband, if he was going to be sick, it would be in the spring. He had 5 heart attacks over 15 years, always in the spring. Laurel was so special us, I always brought him a bouquet when he was in the hospital just to remind him he needed to hurry up and get well and get home to his mountain.
Just because it was so pretty and green, I wanted to share with you a picture of our road, there's no doubt, why my puppy and I walk down the road every day we can, is there?

The sun was out, the sky was clear. Here's another shot from our road and there's no doubt why they call them the Blue Ridge mountains.

Spring Yard

I couldn't help but sit on my front porch this morning and just admire the flowers, the spring air and the birds singing. My yard is soooo beautiful right now, the new grass is coming up and the azaleas are in mid-bloom. I have some new ones blooming every week. Here's a Spring Collage I made this morning. I should have done a video so you could hear the birds singing. All these pictures were taken from the porch, except of course, the picture of the porch..so you're seeing what I saw as I drank my coffee out on the front. You can click on the picture to get a better view of each segment of the yard. It starts on the east side and goes across the front to the northwest.
birds singing.

FINALLY internet satellite is fixed

I can't believe the little light on the modem hasn't gone out all afternoon. Horray! Its working.
Since I haven't been able to get on the internet I got busy and did some sorting and cleaning. I ordered myself a new table from allbrands.com, its a craft/work table,36 inches high. Only problem is, it requires some assembly. The good news is though, its heavy and I can carry it upstairs piece by piece.

I found a new-to-me pet boarding resort. Its not that far up the road from me and Biscuit and I are going to visit Sunday afternoon. If he seems to like it, I'll leave him there while I go to Greenville (SC) later in the week for a class at The Beaded Frog. We're going to make a pendant that opens into a little book for verses or pictures, here's a description: Wearable Metal Book Pendant Workshop
Create small metal book pendants, less than 3x3 using copper, polymer, beads and jump rings. The pendants will contain blank pages for pictures of your choice, notes or quotes. You'll learn casting, flame coloring, and how to construct this keepsake piece. Copper, paper, tools jump rings, cord, polymer, glue and objects to cast will be provided. Extra chain and beads may be purchased to embellish your necklace.

My azaleas are blooming and so beautiful, I just love to sit out on my porch and watch them. The bees are nuts over them too. This weekend was the annual Azalea Festival in Pickens. I bypassed it and went to the Mill. There was about a medium size crowd there and lots of people sitting around on the grass just enjoying the day. I love the Mill when its reasonably warm, not too hot and the visitors are all enjoying themselves. I took my camera to get some pictures but forgot the SD card so darn it! I bought myself a new camera just so I could haul it around in my pocket for this sort of thing. Next time I'll try again. I don't think I'll forget that card again.

Today I swatched my contest entry for knitterman.com contest. The contest is to make something out of 1 hank of sock yarn, not a sock but something that shows the versatility of the yarn. It has to be original. I have a good idea of what I want to make, hope it works out. I will say, I'm using beads but at this point, that's all I can say. If it works out as it is in my mind, I'll love it. I'm making it on my LK 150 knitting machine.

I've managed to knit 200 rows of the border on my circular cardigan. Its coming along. I try to knit some on it every evening because I need almost 900 rows before I even start the circle.

Horray, this morning I can upload photos. This is the bottom band of Nigella, the circle sweater. After around 900 rows I'll bind off and then pick up stitches with a 36" circular needle and start the stockinette and decreases. I DO think this could be done on the machine and maybe I will make one on the machine next time but I'm enjoying knitting it by hand at the moment.

So you don't have to scroll down to look at it, here's Nigella. Its a Berroco pattern in book # 259 in case you'd like to get the pattern.

2 years ago my daughter and I found circle sweaters in Fred Meyer in Tacoma WA. Honestly that was the most comfortable sweater I've ever owned but it ws made out of crummy yarn that pilled almost from the minute we put them on. I said then that I would like to make one some day and wanted to figure out how that one was made but never took the time. When I saw Nigella I knew this was even better. The yarn is 50% cotton/50% Model Rayon (whatever Model means, I don't know).

This would make a great Christmas present but I'll have to do it on the machine if I want to make more than this one because it would take way too long by hand to make several, given there's 900 rows of lace before you start the rest of the sweater. Not sure the actual stockinette would go very fast by machine because it looks like you decrease across the rows often, that is do-able on the machine but takes time. Of course, thinking about it, the actual knitting wouldn't take all that much time.

While I was pampering myself, I bought a pair of Knit Picks Options Harmony Wood Circular needles. I like Bamboo needles for slippery yarn and this is slippery yarn so who can resist the Harmony Wood needles??? And while I was ordering I ordered their new blocking mats, only $19.99 and they're fabulous, they come as 9 9" square puzzle pieces, you use as many squares as you need for your project. How handy is that? you can take them apart and store them in their box when you aren't using them. I love it!!! I didn't get the case for the needles and all that stuff but 1 pair of circular Options needles comes with the stitch holder and the little screw to put the needles and cable together. I have a set of Boye circulars and broke the size 8 as well as the cable which really broke my heart. BUT you can replace 1 needle and cable if you want, however I have heard such good things about Knit Picks needles, I decided to go that way. This new one can be stored in my Boye case. Now all I need is a sewing/craft table to use as my blocking table, cutting table, hooping table, etc. I was going to go get one at Hancock Fabrics yesterday but got waylaid at Walmart where I bought a new camera for trips, its small enough to plop in my travel bag, my old one wasn't that small.

Enough money spent this month though and we're only half through the month.

Enjoy! While I have the luxury of my Internet Satellite's speed I'm going to put up some pictures of my yard but will start another post for that.

Satellites, Bears and Knitting

My Internet has been down since April 6 when the Internet satellite I use suddenly quit working. First someone from Florida called to make an apt to fix it. The next day someone from VA called to make apt and then someone from Iowa. WHAT? I live in SC, did anyone tell them that? or do they have an atlas or globe? Finally after calling day after day and threatening to go with another satellite company, the guy came. It took until Tuesday the 14th to get someone out here. He moved the dish closer to the house, said he didn't know how it ever worked as far away as it was originally installed. Well, it was put in January 2006 and its worked pretty good although not as fast as cable or DSL but 4 times faster than dial up so we were happy. As soon as the guy left, the thing went back to its shenanigans, on again, off again. Over and over, so that it was impossible to get on and stay on. Yesterday it finally locked on for longer periods and today its still on for longer periods although I don't dare say too much for fear it will hear me and quit again. XX fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, since I couldn't get on the Internet I started hand knitting my wonderful circle cardigan, Nigella. The pattern is written so that you start with a long straight piece of lace, almost 900 rows of it. Funny, I'm not a very patient person but when it comes to knitting, I can knit and tear out and start over as long as it takes to figure something out. After a couple of mis-starts I decided to study what I was doing each row so that if I made a mistake I could quickly fix it. That worked until I was up to 96 rows when I saw an error down the line and ripped back out once again but now I'm back up to row 46 and seem to be doing OK with it, its just a matter of concentration now (hard as patience for me but....) I tried to upload a picture of what I have done so far but the satellite, although its working won't let me upload anything. Bah Humbug! The pictures in the book and on the internet sure don't look like lace but lace it is. The yarn is 50% cotton and 50% rayon. the straight piece will be turned sideways and I'll be picking up stitches over those 900 or so rows, to start the circle. Its intriging to knit this thing, I am so anxious to finish it but not anxious enough to put it on the knitting machine although it would make those 900 rows go sooooo much faster. Maybe after I finish it I'll give it a try on the machine, the lace might be the part that can't be duplicated but where there's a will, there's a way, right?

Meanwhile, the other night, I was exhausted and went to bed before one of my favorite TV shows comes on (forget what it was, but I have DVR and recorded it). About 30 minutes after I hit the hay---the dog started to bark furiously. Good Grief, what now? I laid there and waited to see if he'd shut up but he wasn't shutting up, he was running around the living room like a maniac. Suddenly the motion light on my garage door went on and so of course, I was terrified, thinking there was a burglar. We've neve rhad anyone bother us before because we live on a very dark road in the mountains, what idiot would come up here and bother anyone? I peeked out of the curtains and there, in front of the garage, about 10 feet from my window, was a bear. A large bear. Now--DNR assures me that one doesn't need to be afraid of a bear here in SC. Just leave him alone, the dog barking will make him leave because bears don't want to be messing with people or dogs. Great! I watched and wished I had my camera close by but anyway, he left, going between garage and woods and heading for the "bear camp" next door which gave me a chuckle. I hope he left tracks, those bear hunters will croak when they see a bear actually came all the way to their cabin. Dog kept barking though until I knew it was safe enough to show him there wasn't anything in the yard. I opened the front door and held him up so that he could see through the screen that all was quiet and no one was there. Poor little dog slept the rest of the night in the bay window, watching I guess, just in case that guy came back.

Last night the same thing happened again only I don't know what it was he was barking at. The neighbor's 2 dogs were barking furiously all evening and well into the night and then mine started in again. This morning I went out to look and found tracks that resemble dog tracks in the mulch around my flowers. Doggone it, I don't want anything tramping through my flowers, I've put way too much work into them. I suspect it was a coyote which I've heard are coming closer and closer to our houses here in Pickens and can cause a bigger problem than a bear because coyote's can kill pets. I know I don't want to come in contact with one and I sure don't want Biscuit to meet one face to face because Biscuit thinks he's a lion.

Well, as soon as I can successfully upload some pictures, I will. I'm anxious to show off my azaleas, my new rocks and edging, all the work the landscaper did for me to pretty up the yard and of course, my knitting. Patience, my dear, patience--as my mother used to say to me, or was it the nuns in school?????