Through A Dreary Day in Search of a Rainbow.

“Its that time of year, when the world falls in love, every song you hear seems to say…..boiled peanuts….may your summer dreams come true!!!!”

Many of  you know of my love for boiled peanuts. Every year I wait and wait and wait for summer to begin. Not because the weather is warm, not because school is out, not because the world goes on vacation. Hell no! Summer is boiled peanut season! So I handed Kara a couple of bucks and said, “While you’re runnin’ around town, if you happen to see green peanuts at the produce market, go ahead and buy me as much as you can.”

And sure enough. A few days ago Kara arrived at my house with 5 pounds of green peanuts ready for boiling. Now, many may ask, “Whats the big deal? Peanuts, I get it.” Well, it’s definitely a Southern tradition. There wasn’t a lot of food down here after the Civil War and it was a way to keep us from starving to death since they only took an hour or two to have ready. Today they’re like a delicacy. And super packed full of nutrition. They have a unique flavor all their own so different than peanuts prepared any other way. And no better way to enjoy them than on a hot day with a cold beer. But, you only get to have them for a short time of the year before the season is over. Maybe 2 months, maybe 3, but then that’s it. Over. Done. See ya next year. So, the season has started, I’m in a good mood and peanuts are on the stove top boiling away.

While waiting for my peanuts, I was able to organize all my yarn into this nice little shelf unit. Check that out. Now, this is all donated yarn, but amazing how all the colors seem to work together…..strangers, unaware of each others compassion, working with synergy. Oh, see that military rucksack? That’s my yarn bag. Yes, I’ve graduated up from the cardboard box I used. It seemed to make sense. Its got dozens of pockets for needles and scissors and other notions, but more importantly, it kinda fits me. It looks like me. And they don’t really make masculine looking knitting bags so I went to the Army Supply Store (which is a super cheap place to buy socks and undies and things) and got a rucksack. PERFECT.

I’ve been working up some of this yarn while finishing up some orders. Remember my last blog? To finish up orders, I took down the bears, but decided to start using this stash of mine to do “one of a kind” bears, and that sort of thing. So, while I’m working up bears that were ordered, I’m also working up bears from this donated stash to keep the income flowing.

This is another one made with Debbie Bliss Merino Wool. That stuff really does work up softly, akin to cashmere, a sense of comfort and plushness that is in some way delicate and untouchable all at once. I’m not sure what the name of the color is, but the minute he was worked up, all I could think was “peanut butter.” (yeah, I’m going into peanut overload here). And once the brown ribbon was tied about his neck all I could think was “peanut butter cups.” So, if you’d like to adopt him, he’s 10 inches tall from bottom of foot to top of head, ready to ship with a signed card by yours truly. Just click here.

 

 

Now, this next guy made me a little nervous. This yarn had the aspects of rainbow coloring. Looking carefully, pretty much every color of the rainbow is apparent. But, it was so soft and subdued, as though a rainbow hidden past the misty haze of a grey day. And that’s when it hit me. Optimism. A faint rainbow found when you look past a dreary haze. And as if to prove a point, the bear decided to push a subtle smile when I worked up his face. Wasn’t my choice, it was his. Sometimes that happens. He’s made of a 75/25 Acrylic and wool mix, so he’s good for running around the house with, through the yard with…..through a dreary day with in search of a rainbow. He’s 12 inches tall from foot to head and ready to ship with a signed card. Just click here.

That’s it for today. I gotta get back to work. I have a ton of thank you notes to get out, a ton of bears to knit and some DEE-licious, NEW-tritious boiled peanuts to enjoy. 🙂