"Then" was last night.
"Now" is this morning.
Can you spot the difference?
Apparently much of the Northeast is getting hammered by a winter storm. We got only a dusting, but I took my camera out this morning for chores.
I'm pretty sure this isn't the only snow we'll see this winter. (I'm psychic.)
The animals seemed a little concerned, too.
The goats and sheep have actually been enjoying a lot of freedom lately, ever since they decided that that whole "fence" thing wasn't working out for them. We ended up taking the gate right off and they're tidying up the yard at their leisure. That's going to end soon, as they keep eating all the chickens' food. But for now it's interesting, to say the least.
Last week:
Lucy sometimes pretends she's a turkey.
Mama turkey ended up with two poults.
That puts us up somewhere around a dozen turkeys. If you factor in how many we will slaughter for Thanksgiving, we should have, oh, exactly the same number left. We just haven't been able to do these guys in, I don't know why. Lucky them.
However, this is a great time of year for food around here. The freezers are packed with pork, beef and chicken. The shelves are full of tomatoes and applesauce, apple butter and apple jelly. If something hadn't eaten Every Last One of my pie pumpkins and various types of squashes (insert sob here), we'd be all set.
I made one last foray out into the garden the other day. Turned out to be a good thing, mostly because I found our two beef cows had knocked down the pigpen fence to help themselves to the grass outside their pasture. But also because I discovered a lot more hot peppers than I had noticed before. Stunningly red.
I also remembered I had planted a bunch of broccoli rabe in a spot formerly occupied by beans. Last year it got chewed full of holes, but this year? Beautiful.
Cook the stems in olive oil, garlic and coarse salt, then add the leaves toward the end, and you're good to go. Delicious. I believe I have some kale out there too...
I have to admit I've been slacking in the yardwork/gardening/fall cleanup area. The first burst of chilly air sent me right to the couch with my knitting needles. My husband has worked, I think, seven of the past eight weekends, possibly more. Seriously, he works seven days a week, which is awful except that it means business is good. It's been a while since we could say that.
Without him here being the farmer dude, I find it quite easy to sit guilt-free and knit all weekend. The gardens need work. But I've made some stuff.
My niece had a baby last week, but since they decided not to find out the gender I decided to knit just one small thing for now. It's a girl (Cori), so now I can move ahead. I think this was pretty timely:
Meanwhile, I cranked out Vivian, by Ysolda Teague. By far the most challenging thing I have ever knit. I'm fairly happy with the results, although the sleeves are way too long, as shown in the second picture.
The cables were pretty complex, but there was also shaping going on in between them that required constant vigilance. Due to my short supply of constant vigilance, I ended up doing a lot of ripping out and re-knitting. My husband said technically I should have three sweaters for all the knitting I did. (Correct, but two of them would be completely messed up.)
I immediately started another cardigan. Then I decided I needed a cowl (our office has already switched to winter tundra climate), which will be done today, I hope. Then my sister-in-law called last night to ask if I had any yarn for mittens for her.
"Sure," I said. "But I didn't know you knew how to knit."
"I don't," she said. "I was hoping you'd make them for me."
I'll probably move those to the front of the line, and then I have to spin more yarn for the lining for my very lovely mittens made months ago, since the stuff I spun last time was way too bulky to work. I tried.
Maybe I'll just use commercial yarn. It depends on how warm I want these to be. And how soon I need them...
So, you probably saw in my Vivian pictures above, that the gray hair is coming right in. Not evenly, unfortunately, but it's coming fast and furious. I'm 43. I have been offered the senior discount (over 50) on more than one occasion. Does this bother me?
Yes and no.
Yes, because I feel like I shouldn't have to dye my hair just to appear younger to other people, and yes, because I'm ticked off that I'm going gray so soon.
But no, because as it happens, I'm feeling pretty good these days. I believe I'm in the best shape of my entire life. I have tons of energy, I'm strong, and I have muscles. As of today I'm halfway through "Insanity: The Asylum," another of Beachbody.com's crazy-intense workout DVD series, and I'm rocking it, people. So, to offset the old lady pictures above, I'm including this one, the Asylum "before" shot:
I'll say it again: If you are over 40 and think you're past your prime and there's nothing you can do about it, think again. I, for one, plan to kick ass for quite a few years yet.
Now excuse me while I go refill my coffee and have another scone. (I earned it.)
Love the Vivian sweater...maybe I need to invest in that pattern. There is a perfect yarn already in my stash.
You look wonderful!! Hair and body.
My thing about the gray...I feel like I've earned every one of those grey hairs even though mine is a mousey gray. Besides my dh is entirely silver and has been since he was 33. We'd look funny together if I just bleached it all out blonde, which is about the only direction I could really go.
Posted by: Valerie | October 30, 2011 at 02:17 PM
Love Vivian... and those muscles!
Posted by: lisa | October 30, 2011 at 02:30 PM
Vivian looks great. I'm working on one right now for my daughter and I am in the home stretch - just about done with both sleeves and ready to put the whole thing back on the needles. I can not wait to just be done with this.
Posted by: Carole | October 30, 2011 at 04:09 PM
Vivian looks fabulous, and so do you!
That's how I like to cook greens, simple and delicious.
Posted by: Kristen | October 30, 2011 at 04:13 PM
Funny. I'll be 47 this year (that's not possible, is it?) and have dyed my hair for several years now. Mostly because I got tired of hearing people call me Grandma when I had my brother's kids with me. The other reason is that, in my mind, I am not 46 turning 47 and looking into the mirror and seeing my head almost completely gray was much more than my psyche could handle. I dye it because it makes me feel good. And someday, when my husband (who's ten years younger than me) turns gray, then maybe I'll let it go natural.
Posted by: Misty | October 30, 2011 at 05:53 PM
Your sweater is lovely and the goats are always a treat. I think that you look AMAZING. And I applaud you because you have the courage of your convictions and choose not to color.
You are my hero!!!
Posted by: jody | October 30, 2011 at 07:01 PM
I love the smile on your face in the Vivian shots! You have such good energy projecting out into the cyber world, and it is evident that your abundant vitality is what keeps the home fires burning! Life is good!
Posted by: Erin McDonald | October 30, 2011 at 07:52 PM
Your hair looks awesome! I'm 46 and am mostly gray. Sometimes people stop me and ask about it looking for encouragement to let theirs go natural, too. Enjoy the process. It's fun to see it change and so much easier than messing with hair color.
You look wonderful.
blessings,
pam
Posted by: pam | October 30, 2011 at 09:01 PM
Oh the Vivian looks as good as I'd hoped ! (still on my wish list) I love the length. You are rocking the grey and the hard body.
I'm a few years older than you and I'm not at the point letting the grey do it's thing. Not all grey is created equal, I've noticed. I figure I want to wait until my hair is entirely white and go dramatic!
Posted by: Elizabeth | October 30, 2011 at 09:13 PM
Awesome! Everything.
Posted by: Judy | October 30, 2011 at 09:19 PM
As Elizabeth said above, not all grey is created equal! Also, I think that grey looks better on curly hair. At least those are the reasons that I give for coloring my hair. That, and the fact that I started going seriously grey in my early 30s...
And Vivian looks great!
Posted by: janna | October 30, 2011 at 09:51 PM
I'm 43 too and must get off my butt and get back in shape. Inspiration! Vivian looks great and so do you. I recently did some light highlights to disguise the gray a little longer. I'm just not ready.
Posted by: Sonya | October 30, 2011 at 10:44 PM
Love all your photos, as usual. Goats on the porch crack me up!
Wasn't that snow a nasty surprise?
Your sweater is gorgeous. When the pattern first came out, I was put off by the bulky yarn it called for - I've noticed I rarely wear bulky sweaters. Nice to know it looks great in a worsted weight yarn - I'm reconsidering the pattern, now...
Posted by: gayle | October 31, 2011 at 11:34 AM
Your Vivian is GORGEOUS! And you're very brave letting the goats have free roam. I'm curious, aren't they eating all your shrubs? or do you just not have shrubs you care about?
Posted by: BeckyinVT | October 31, 2011 at 11:51 AM
Wonder if I can get away with goats here in town for keeping the grass down?
Love your Vivian! What yarn did you use? I am planning a stop at Webs over Thanksgiving weekend on my way back home from Boston. Weather permitting of course. I will put yarn on the list to pick up while I am there.
And as to the gray. I have been dying my hair for so many years it isn't funny. My natural hair color is black but in the summer time, I pick up this almost reddish bronze tint to it if I am out in the sun for any period of time. So I started coloring it to tone down that shade. And I have overdyed it with pinks and purples at times. You would catch glints of the color depending on the light. And not all grays are equal. Mine is silver which is pretty but with my fair skin, I end up washed out. So I will keep coloring it but never black. I go for a dark chocolate brown now which looks natural. And I do it because it makes me feel better! No one else matters but how I feel about it.
And I am clearing out a front room to set up a treadmill. I need to start walking and with winter coming on down here in Maryland, I need to think of my bad ankle and learn to like the treadmill. Unstable ankle plus winter sidewalks does not make for a good combo. And more yoga. I am inspired by you.
The pumpkin I bought sucked bug time. So I am going to pick up a few more this weekend from the other farm. Any favorite recipe for apple jelly? I may need to do more applesauce.
Posted by: Mia | October 31, 2011 at 03:40 PM
Receiving your blog posts in the email is like getting a letter from an old friend. Always makes me feel a bit guilty for not writing back though.
Just wanted to say 2 things:
1. Vivian is beautiful and looks fantastic on you.
2. When I saw the picture I admired your hair for a while before I read further. Love the cut and love the grey. Please don't dye it.
Posted by: Ragni | October 31, 2011 at 05:41 PM
You are awesome! The sweater, the turkeys, the muscles, the hair - you always continue to amaze and inspire. You look hot, too! My hair is changing color, too, and I'm 37. I feel like everything that fell out postpartum grew back in grey. I haven't dyed, but I do admit to plucking some of the ones up front. I am still working on stepping up physically - I bought a pedometer on steroids (it even monitors how many flights of stairs I climb), and it has gotten me off my butt a little bit.
Posted by: June | October 31, 2011 at 10:22 PM
Love the sweater! and your garden is doing well too.
I love to workout too, but I also cover the gray--if figure my hair is just fiber, so why not?
Posted by: Rose | November 03, 2011 at 10:37 PM
That sweater is gorgeous! I've made 4 pumpkin hats and now it's time to move on to snowmen hats and stocking caps. Check out my blog for pics of my grandson in his pumpkin hat in and out of the pumpkin! LOVE the animals!!
Posted by: Robin | November 04, 2011 at 04:57 PM
Hi Jessie,
As always I love your posts. You are an inspiration - both as a knitter and your physical fitness. I am 41 (almost 42) and need to get back in shape and have just gone back to work as a teacher and so now am faced with getting up super early or exercising in the evenings after the kids go to bed - neither of which is very appealing. I may just start on the weekends and go from there... As for the grey, I started going grey at 16 (just a few strands then) and now my hair is more grey than yours and yes, it is a bit uneven but I really like it. I always have people ask me if it is natural or if I've had it colored this way. I can totally relate to the senior discount thing, however. I have been asked, not once, but over ten times if I am my own children's grandmother! Very frustrating. I used to be very polite about it, but now am being a little firmer in my response, because, really, really, do I look like a grandmother? Gray hair does not equal OLD. Anyway, your grey looks great and I think if you like it, go for it. On the sweater, my daughter (6) saw the photos and said how pretty it was and asked who you were. I said a lady who lives in Vermont and that knit the sweater. She could not believe someone could knit "all the patterny stuff!" Maybe someday her own mama will be able to :o)
Posted by: Leah | November 06, 2011 at 08:34 PM
Nice guns Jessie!
Posted by: Michelle | November 14, 2011 at 08:45 AM
Ah I woke up today I and knew I needed to start exercising again, stupid bed is giving me back pain. Can't afford a new one, alas, lovely sweater you made.
Posted by: Tamika | January 09, 2012 at 10:37 PM